Yate & Sodbury Voice December 2016

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December, 2016 Issue 21

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Academy in turmoil A NEW trust is being sought to run Yate International Academy and its partner school in Winterbourne - a move which could see them being separated.

The revelation by trustees of the Ridings’ Federation of Academies came as it was also announced that chief executive principal Adam Williams had left after only taking up the post in February.

The latest developments at the federation follow the discovery that it faces a potential £1 million deficit by the end of the academic year.

Despite looking at ways of dealing with the financial crisis, it has now been decided that the schools could not sort out their problems quickly enough on their own and “re-brokering” was necessary.

Three potential sponsors have come forward with expressions of interest with Greenshaw Learning Trust only bidding for Yate.

The Ridings’ trustees said Yate and Winterbourne academies would transfer, either together or separately, no later than the start of the next academic year in September 2017. Full story Page 3.

Ofsted dissapointment Brimsham Green still requires improvement PAGE 3

Green light for restaurant Controversial Chipping Sodbury plans get go ahead PAGE 4

Top of the class Yate teacher wins award PAGE 6

Want beauty treatment at a snip?

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PAGE 9

Rugby rebound First away win for Chipping Sodbury PAGE 30

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yate&sodburyvoice January deadline

Our January edition will be going to print on December 19. To ensure your news or letter is included, please contact us by December 14. Advertisers are also asked to contact us by the same date.

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Richard Drew

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Letters for publication can be sent to us via email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk We reserve the right to edit your letter.

Local information South Gloucestershire Council www.southglos.gov.uk 01454 868009 Safer Stronger team sscg@southglos.gov.uk 01454 868009 Anti social behaviour team asbreporting@southglos.gov.uk 01454 868582 Streetcare/litter/vandalism etc streetcare@southglos.gov.uk Environment/trading standards 01454 868001

Police

www.avonandsomersetpolice.uk general enquiries: 101 Fire www.avonfire.gov.uk General enquiries: 0117 926 2061 NHS Health Call 111 Well Aware health & social care information www.wellaware.org.uk Tel: (freephone) 0808 808 5252

December, 2016

n NEWS

Potential for new Yate link with study into extra M4 junction A FEASIBILITY study into an extra junction on the M4 has been given the go-ahead - with hopes that it could lead to a new link to Yate.

South Gloucestershire Council has accepted £500,000 of Government funding for the study into linking the motorway with the A4174 ring road via a new junction 18a at Emersons Green.

A key aim of the scheme is to ease traffic congestion in that area and provide better access to employment sites such as the Emersons Green Enterprise Area - home to the Bristol and Bath Science Park. Work on the study is due to be completed in 2018.

Westerleigh councillor Claire Young said clarification was sought on whether the study would also look at having a link road to Yate.

But although councillors were told the funding was specifically for a motorway junction and link to the ring road, the study would consider other potential schemes such as a route to Yate.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Yate & Sodbury Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. We cannot vouch for any services offered. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor. Yate & Sodbury Voice is distributed each month to local residents. If for some reason you do not get a copy, please get in touch or collect one from local pick-up points. Feedback is welcomed, contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

Approval given for homes on former quarry social club HOUSE builders have won permission for their scheme to demolish the former Hanson Social Club in Chipping Sodbury and replace it with nine homes.

The club closed in January after operating for some 45 years, during which time the facility was enjoyed not only by staff of quarry firm Hanson but also many local people.

They had been able to meet up for a drink or play skittles, while the venue was hired out for parties, weddings and other functions.

However, the building would not meet new standards due to come into effect in 2017 and the club could not afford to keep going after losing a subsidy.

Despite options being considered for the relocation of the club, it was reported that none were viable.

Now Newland Homes has been told it can go ahead with a proposal to build three and four-bedroom houses on the site in Barnhill Road, in an area which has already been developed with housing and the Waitrose supermarket.

For Newsdesk or Advertising contact 07733898762

MP thanks Post workers in run up to Christmas Luke Hall MP has visited Royal Mail’s Yate Delivery Office to see firsthand the work of delivering Christmas post.

Mr Hall was shown around the office by Delivery Office Manager, Graham Wilkes, and was introduced to the postmen and women, who will deliver mail in the Yate area over the Christmas period.

Mr Hall said: ““At no other time is the hard work and dedication of postmen and women clearer than during the festive period.”

“This is now my second visit and it is clear the extraordinary lengths that everyone goes to to ensure Christmas cards and presents are delivered to loved ones on time.”

The last recommend posting dates for Christmas are: Second Class – Tuesday 20 December 2016 First Class – Wednesday 21 December 2016 Special Delivery – Thursday 22 December 2016

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

December, 2016

n NEWS

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Problems pile up for Yate academy UNCERTAINTY is continuing at Yate International Academy after the federation that runs the school lost its second chief executive principal in the space of a year.

Trustees of the Ridings’ Federation of Academies also announced they were seeking a new sponsor, with three potential candidates coming forward with expressions of interest.

Claire Emery, chairwoman of the trustees, said “re-brokering” the Yate academy and its partner school in Winterbourne was necessary because the schools, which are facing a potential £1 million deficit by the end of the academic year, could not sort out their problems quickly enough on their own.

In a letter to parents, she said: “It is in everyone’s interest that the Ridings’ Federation can secure rapid and sustained improvement for the benefit of

our students within the necessary timescale.”

The trustees are working with the Regional Schools Commissioner, Rebecca Clark, and said the Yate and Winterbourne academies would transfer, either together or separately, no later than the start of the next academic year in September 2017.

The first two potential sponsors to come forward were Greenshaw Learning Trust and the national chain Oasis.

The third multi-academy trust to express an interest is a collaboration of the two local trusts Olympus and Castle School Education Trust (CSET).

CSET was established in 2013 when the Castle School in Thornbury became an academy and it now consists of seven South Gloucestershire schools.

Olympus has the same number of schools, including

Bradley Stoke Community School.

However, a recent meeting organised for parents, staff and students of Winterbourne International Academy was told that Greenshaw was only bidding for Yate, while the other two had expressed interest in Winterbourne. A series of shock announcements from the federation lately included the predicted big deficit and the departure of Adam Williams as chief executive principal.

Mr Williams only joined in February and had been off sick since the start of the current term.

He had replaced Beverley Martin, who left after about seven months, and took on the task of improving Yate and Winterbourne academies after they were both judged by Ofsted to require improvement.

Progress was being made

under Mr Williams and earlier this year, the Yate academy’s own principal, Paul Skipp, said changes made to get back on track were making a big difference, leading to positive comments from Ofsted.

Local MP Luke Hall has become involved in the situation, pledging to meet with the Education Secretary. He said: "The issues currently facing Yate and Winterbourne Academy require urgent attention, and I am hence in on-going discussions with neighbouring MP’s, and other local academies, to determine the most appropriate and effective way forward to ensure that our schools are delivering the best possible education.

I will also be meeting with the Secretary of State for Education next week in the hope of finding a speedy solution.”

Petition fails to stop Chipping Sodbury restaurant getting green light A CONTROVERSIAL plan to convert outbuildings at a 17th century house in Chipping Sodbury into a restaurant and function room has been approved, despite large scale opposition from neighbours and town leaders.

A petition of more than 200 names, as well as 50 letters of objection, were submitted to South Gloucestershire Council in response to the scheme for listed Vayre House in Hatters Lane.

Opponents said the proposal would affect people living in homes surrounding the premises, including elderly residents in retirement bungalows, as they would be disturbed by customers and staff leaving the site, especially at night.

Parents said children could also be woken up by vehicles coming and going during the evening.

Sodbury Town Council said such a business should be in the

town centre, not in a residential area, and feared an increase in traffic in the locality.

But planners gave the proposal the go-ahead, although they drew up a list of nine conditions to be met.

They include a restriction on opening hours of 11am-11pm from Monday to Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

An extraction and odour abatement system also has to

be approved, together with the submission of an acoustic report on the system to prevent noise disturbance.

The plan involves keeping Vayre House itself as a private home, with the outbuildings and a swimming pool altered to provide the new facilities.

Petitioners were disappointed at the outcome of the planning debate and said they felt their objections had been ignored.

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4

December, 2016

n NEWS

Disappointment at Ofsted’s rating for Brimsham Green School BRIMSHAM Green School has been told it is still in need of improvement, despite two key areas being described as good.

After a recent visit, education inspectors maintained the same overall rating for the Yate school as they gave in 2014 - an outcome described by head teacher Kim Garland as disappointing.

Mark Jenner, the lead inspector from Ofsted, said the effectiveness of leadership and management, as well as the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils were both good.

He also praised Ms Garland for her determination to appoint the right leaders to further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

He said: “She has successfully established

senior and middle leadership teams who are promoting a clear culture of improvement.”

The inspectors said governance had got better since the previous inspection but although teaching and learning were also improving, inconsistencies within and between subjects had not yet been overcome.

Their report said: “A number of parents and pupils highlighted this as a concern to the inspection team.

“Pupils reach national average standards but their outcomes should be better.”

The report said Ms Garland and the governing body had created a strong vision and an inclusive ethos, with leaders beginning to make improvements in securing more consistently good teaching.

Pupils also felt safe due to the great care

of staff, while homework developed learning skills well. In a letter to parents, Ms Garland said the two areas assessed to be good showed a “highly significant” improvement from the school’s 2014 report.

She said: “It is extremely rare that schools are judged to be well led and managed when outcomes are judged to require improvement.”

But she said the overall decision that the school had to improve was a disappointment.

She said: “I speak on behalf of all staff ad governors when I say that we are incredibly disappointed by this outcome.

“I am confident that at our next inspection we will be recognised as a good school and we continue to work hard and urgently to secure better outcomes for our students.”

New mayor for West of England set to be elected after devolution green light A MAYOR for the new organisation at the centre of a £1 billion devolution deal for South Gloucestershire and two neighbouring areas is set to be elected next May. The West of England Combined Authority will go ahead after South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) councils gave their consent for the parliamentary order for the deal.

It will be led by the new West of England mayor, with a cabinet consisting of the South Gloucestershire Council leader, Matthew Riddle, Bristol’s mayor Marvin Rees and BaNES leader Tim Warren.

Once established, the authority will manage new powers, funding and responsibilities handed from central Government to the region as part of the deal.

The purpose behind the move is for more decisions to be made locally rather than nationally, including on spending for regional transport, housing, adult education and skills.

Councillor Riddle said: “Our deal is among the best negotiated in the country and will bring tangible benefits to people who live and work across the region.

“It will mean more local decision making on spending

in key areas such as transport, housing and skills.”

The process will now involve an order being laid before Parliament and considered at Commons and Lords committees.

It will lead to royal assent to the order, which is expected to be given before the Christmas recess.

But South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats have criticised the devolution deal, saying a single mayor would make decisions for a wide area of the West of England - although without North Somerset, which voted against it.

Frampton Cotterell

councillor Pat Hockey (Frampton Cotterell) said: “We are not getting powers, we’re losing them. We’re not gaining democracy, it’s being taken away from us.”

Yate councillor Mike Drew said the money involved wasn’t index linked and claimed no government would be able to bind its successors to it.

He also said the Government should be working with the other areas to try and bring North Somerset into the fold.

He said: “I’m not against a combined authority but we need to take the time to get it right.”

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n YOUTH & EDUCATION

December, 2016

n NEWS

Opposition to pub demolition and new flats plan

Teacher Steve goes to the top of the class YATE teacher Steve Clayson is celebrating after being presented with an award given to recognise excellence in eduction.

Mr Clayson, who works at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School in Bristol, received a silver award in the annual scheme that honours outstanding teachers and teaching.

The Pearson Teaching Awards were established in 1999 by Lord Puttnam, the Oscar-winning film producer and educator, with an event held each autumn to put the spotlight on all the silver winners and reveal ten of them as winners of the top gold award.

This year the event was hosted by comedian and actor Hugh Dennis at the Guildhall in London.

In the nomination to the judging panel, one of Mr Clayson’s students said the assistant head was the best teacher he had ever had in 13 years of schooling - someone who loved to see people learn and grow.

The student said: “You have been a great influence on the school and a huge influence on me as I have grown up.”

OPPOSITION is growing to outline plans for the demolition of the Tern Inn in Chipping Sodbury and the building of 28 flats on the site.

The scheme also includes the loss of a car park that although private, has been used for many years by parents of children at Raysfield School to avoid parking on busy Heron Way, as well as customers of local shops.

About 100 residents attended a meeting of Dodington Parish Council to protest about the proposal and a petition was launched as part of their action plan.

The parish council said it strongly objected to the scheme and urged South Gloucestershire planners to reject it when the application is determined.

Those opposed to the plan said the pub was an active business and community hub, with locals calling for investment in the business rather than closing it down.

Residents also said losing the car park would result in more parking on Heron Way, increasing the dangers for road users.

More villages to have access to faster broadband TWO villages near Chipping Sodbury are among rural areas that will benefit from superfast broadband to be provided via fibre connections straight to subscribers’ premises.

Codrington and Little Sodbury will have access to the system, which is claimed to be a better solution than the alternative method of running fibre optic cables from a phone exchange or distribution point to street cabinets and then connected to a standard phone line.

South Gloucestershire Council said the development would bring superfast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of the district by 2017.

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December, 2016

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n NEWS

Bags give-away with town calendar to help promote Chipping Sodbury SHOPPING bags promoting Chipping Sodbury are being given away by business leaders in a drive to bring more trade to the town.

The hand-out of bags, which carry the slogan I love Chipping Sodbury, is the idea of the town’s chamber of commerce.

It will also help the organisation and its 55 members sell more 2017 calendars that feature then-and-now photographs of the town.

The bags will be given to anyone buying a calendar and will be available at the chamber’s stall on Victorian Day, which this year takes place on Saturday, December 3, from 1pm-7pm.

Joanne Cox, chairwoman of the chamber, said: “We are pleased to be able to support both Small Business Saturday and Victorian Day. The calendars and bags will make great stocking fillers this Christmas.”

The bags are available while stocks last while the £6.50 calendars are also on sale at many outlets in the town, including the tourist information centre.

House builder gives £10,000 boost to Barnardo’s

A Chipping Sodbury-based company has given an early Christmas present to a children’s charity.

Redcliffe Homes recently presented a £10,000 cheque to staff at the Barnardo’s regional office in Bristol.

The money will be used to support some of the UK’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people.

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Art Club to Exhibit at Poole Court Yate, Sodbury & District Art Society, better known as Yate Art Club, are having an exhibition of their work at the town’s Registrar Offices. The club’s paintings and pottery will be on show until the New Year. Poole Court is open to the public Mondays – Friday.

The club will also be taking part in the ‘Christmas Festival of Light’ at Ridgewood Community Centre on Friday 3rd December from 6.30 – 9.00 pm.

The society meets every Tuesday and Wednesday evening at the Ridgewood Studio in Yate. More information can be found by contacting Roz on 0794 194 6412 or the website: yateand sodburyartsociety.weebly.com

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December, 2016

n NEWS

New tea dance for people with dementia A SERIES of tea dances for people with dementia are being launched in Chipping Sodbury.

The Alzheimer’s Society, with support from South Gloucestershire Council and the Rotary Club of Chipping Sodbury, held the first tea

dance at the end of November at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. There are further dances scheduled for 25 January and 29 March next year.

The tea dances provide a social atmosphere that aims to help people with dementia keep

physically and mentally active as well as helping people express themselves.

Lynn Cross, Services Manager for Alzheimer's Society in South Gloucestershire said: “We’re really excited to be launching this new tea dance in Chipping Sodbury. Activities like this can make a huge difference to people’s sense of wellbeing,

helping people keep fit, have fun and socialise.”

As well as the tea dance, The Alzheimer’s Society run a number of services including Memory Cafes, Singing for the Brain and Activity Groups. To find out more about the new or existing groups contact 0117 961 0693 or visit alzheimers.org.uk/ localinformation.

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Write to Luke at: Luke Hall MP, 26 High Street, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6AH t: 01454 311267 e: luke.hall.mp@parliament.uk w: lukehall.org.uk Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

December, 2016

yate&sodburyvoice

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n NEWS

It’s a snip! Students offer treatments at academy hair and beauty salon

HAIR and beauty students are welcoming the public into their salon in Yate to offer a range of treatments as part of their training.

The Cotswold Edge sixth formers are studying for vocational qualifications at Yate International Academy (YIA) and the experience of dealing with customers helps them in their aim of developing a career in the industry.

People will be able to make use of the new service once a fortnight every other Thursday between 11.30am and 5pm, with a small charge imposed to cover the cost of the products used.

On the first day of the scheme, students offered treatments such as eyebrow shaping, facials and eyelash tinting.

In the coming months, they will also include spray tanning, ear piercing, waxing, manicures and pedicures for customers.

A hair and beauty salon was established in 2012 as part of the new building at YIA and anyone who would like to make use of the service should email Kirsty.dennis@trfyia.org.uk to make a booking.

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Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

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December, 2016

11

n NEWS

Free Christmas mince pies for Chipping Sodbury residents

PEOPLE living in Chipping Sodbury are being invited to to enjoy free Christmas coffee and mince pies whilst helping to raise funds for Alzheimers research.

The event at the Baptist Church on Friday December 9 has been organised by Bluebird Care, an organisation that provides care and support to people living in their own homes, and coincides with national Christmas Elf Day. Jo Craythorne, Customer Quality Manager at Bluebird Care South Gloucestershire, said: “ Too often people, especially the elderly, feel isolated and lonely in their own homes – which is why it’s important to have events like this that people can attend As this is the Christmas Elf Day, in aid of Alzheimer’s Society our care workers and staff will be dressed as Christmas Elves as well, and we’ll have a collection box available for any donations.”

Free Christmas coffee and mince pies cake, along with a Christmas sing-a-long with a local school choir, will be served on from 11.15am – 12.45 pm at Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church.

Yate rider seriously hurt and horse fatally injured A MAN from Yate was seriously injured and his horse had to be destroyed in an incident in Hawkesbury Upton.

A car driven by a local man was in collision with the horse and rider on Highfield Lane, which runs between Hawkesbury and Horton, near Chipping Sodbury, on November 7.

Two of the horse’s legs were broken and it was put down at the scene.

The rider, in his 60s, was taken to hospital by ambulance and later underwent surgery. He was still in hospital as Yate and Sodbury Voice went to press.

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decisive, positive A NEW era of is and careful management the federation underway within Winterbourne and that runs Yate academies, the international has pledged. head of its trusteesstaff and While parents, to terms with trustees come million deficit a potential £1 Federation of at the Ridings’ the end of August Academies for plan has been 2017, an action financial the with deal started to problem.

Voice As Yate and Sodbury the board went to press, expecting of trustees was support from the of confirmation Agency.

Education Funding chairwoman Claire Emery, said that support of the board, form of what’s would be in the deficit known as a repayable payments funding - advanced be repaid when which have to a surplus. the trust generates Emery has Meanwhile, Mrsacademies are both stressed that with a “bright open for business, ahead. and positive future” the trustees She also said through were part way how the federation investigating the difficult found itself in in the first financial positionshare their place and wouldcourse. findings in due 3 More on Page

SURROUNDING

emies

acad Funding boost for

Issue 21

VILLAGES

Bus battle

for Campaigners push of services reinstatement Page 7

CHeck out our website:

Moving dayVictorian Chipping Sodbury’s on a Saturday Day to be held Page 13

n Never forgotte to be marked Day Remembrance Sodbury in Yate and Chipping Page 17

Ringing the changes removed Phone boxes to from service Page 33

to gone from yellow the staff in Yate have Workers at Construction cancer research. their Pretty in pink: money for breast at Autumn Brook swapped pink to help raise fundraising Homes development and hats as part of the David Wilson jackets gear for pink regular hi-vis effort.

be

Up for the cup Rugby get Chipping Sodbury ways back to winning Page 37

www. yateandsodburyvoice. co.uk

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yate&sodburyvoice

12

n NEWS TWO detectives who led an investigation into the death of vulnerable Yate man Jason Betts have received crown court commendations.

Detective Sergeant Matthew Lloyd and Detective Constable Peter Fowler were presented with their awards by Avon and Somerset chief constable Andy Marsh and the High Sheriff of Bristol, Helen Wilde.

Mr Betts, 38, was found unconscious at his flat in Celestine Road in March 2015 by a friend and put on a life support machine in hospital.

It was switched off the following day, with a postmortem examination concluding he had suffered a head injury which had caused a bleed to the brain.

Police said Mr Betts had been exploited by a group of London drug dealers who used his flat as a base to sell drugs.

He was subjected to systematic mental and physical torture and it was after a particularly vicious attack that he died.

Detectives investigating the death were faced with a number of challenges - no CCTV, no

December, 2016

Commendations for detectives in investigation into Yate man’s killing

apparent witnesses, challenging pathology, difficult forensic recovery and a community that led chaotic lifestyles and didn’t trust the police.

But the team’s hard work and dedication paid off and resulted in two men being jailed earlier this year for their involvement in the incident.

Nathan Skeen, 29, of Lewisham, London, was found

guilty at Bristol Crown Court of manslaughter and wounding with intent.

He also admitted charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, including heroin and cocaine. He was jailed for 20 years.

Nixon Apire, 31, of Great North Road, Barnet, admitted wounding with intent in connection with an assault on

Mr Betts about a week before his death, as well as being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. He was jailed for 15 years.

The awards to DS Lloyd and DC Fowler recognised the “excellent performance of their duties, overcoming a difficult inquiry, particularly in respect of potentially problematic witnesses”.

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yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

13

n NEWS

Yate man fined for fly-tipping hairdressing items in town A MAN from Yate who dumped a quantity of hairdressing items on a site in the town has been ordered to pay more than £1,892 in fines and costs.

Harry Curness, 27, of Lansdown, admitted fly tipping and carrying waste without the required paperwork when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.

He was fined £1,254.75 and ordered to pay costs of £580 plus a £58 victim surcharge.

The court heard that sometime in June, Curness dumped controlled waste consisting of cardboard, paper, plastics and hairdressing related items, including hair extensions, at Watery Lane, Yate.

He was traced after some of the items identified a local hairdressing business, from where he’d removed some of the waste.

When interviewed by council officers, Curness admitted fly

tipping and transporting waste without a registered carrier’s licence and waste transfer note.

He said he had been on his way to the local recycling centre but realised it would be closed before he could get there so fly tipped the material.

Heather Goddard, South Gloucestershire Council’s environment and community services committee chairwoman, said there was no excuse to flytip as Sort It! centres were open from 8.30am-4.30pm seven days a week.

She said: “Fly tipping is an issue that affects our communities and harms the local environment.

“Unregistered waste carriers undercut legitimate operators, offering to pick up waste on the cheap and fly tipping what they collect. This will not be tolerated in South Gloucestershire and offenders will be prosecuted.”

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14

December, 2016

n NEWS

Yate salutes the fallen at Remembrance Day parade HUNDREDS of people of all ages marked Remembrance Day in Yate by attending a service in St Mary’s Church.

Many of them also joined a parade to the church from Poole Court, which was led by a Royal British Legion standard bearer.

Town residents joined local councillors, Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall and the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter, in the act of remembrance.

Army and air cadets, cubs, scouts, brownies and guides were also involved, together with representatives of community organisations.

The service was led by team rector, the Rev Ian Wallace, with wreaths later laid at the memorial lych gate and at the Parnall grave, which names the 55 people killed in bomb attacks on the former Parnall aircraft factory in 1941.

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For Newsdesk or Advertising contact 07733898762

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

15

n NEWS

Crew changes proposed for Yate fire station with fulltimers to only work in daytime FULL-time crews will only be on duty at Yate’s fire station during the daytime under changes planned to come into effect in 2017.

Part-time firefighters, also known as retained staff, will be on call at night to provide cover once the new system is introduced.

The proposal will see the fire station revert to a staffing rota that operated before 2009.

For the past eight years it has been crewed around the clock by full-time firefighters, with retained staff also called in during periods of high demand.

But Avon Fire and Rescue Service wants to return to the pre-2009 set-up, which involves having full-timers on duty just in the day and using retained crews at night.

The change is among a number of proposals drawn up by the service, which faces making £5 million of annual savings up to 2020 due to a cut in the central government grant it receives. Fire authorities are also being pressed to reform their services.

A document detailing the proposals can be read online through the service’s website, with any comments to be made

by December 31.

Detailed plans for Yate fire station will also be on display in the town’s library for a week from Monday, November

28, with an open event being planned at the station itself for later in December.

Yate’s 2009 crewing change was made due in part to an anticipated increase in emergency incidents and demand for services as a result of the town expanding.

But that predicted increase has not materialised and the greater housing development in the area has not had any significant effect on the demand for fire and rescue services.

The station also has the highest cost per call-out of all Avon Fire and Rescue’s full-time stations, coupled with the lowest operational activity level for those wholetime stations.

The plan document said: “Yate fire station will continue to provide 24-hour operational cover but in a different way.”

It said with Yate having a large number of commercial premises, together with a need to provide community safety activities, the continued use of full-time firefighters during the day could be justified rather than switching entirely to retained crews.

It also recognised plans for a “substantial” increase in housing in the Yate area but said those homes would comply with latest building regulations, including fire safety measures such as hard-wired smoke alarms.

Five-day crib festival set to bring in visitors to popular exhibition MORE than 150 cribs from around the world will be on display in Chipping Sodbury when St John’s Church hosts one of the town’s most popular annual events.

The Nativity Crib Festival features exhibits made from a large variety of materials and from many different cultures which have been loaned or gifted to the organisers.

Local schoolchildren have also made their own entries for the free five-day festival, which runs from Wednesday, November 30, to Sunday, December 4.

A cafe will be open throughout the event and activities such as craft workshops and storytelling organised for children.

Visitors can also have a go at making lanterns on the Friday and Saturday evenings, with pupils from Chipping Sodbury School providing entertainment for festival-goers at 6pm on the Friday.

During Chipping Sodbury’s annual Victorian Day on the Saturday, a handbell workshop will be held in the church during the morning, while a dancing display has been planned for the afternoon.

Festival opening times are: November 30, 10am-5pm; December 1, 11.15am-5pm; December 2, 10am-7pm; December 3, 10am-7.30pm; December 4, 11am-4.30pm.

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17

n NEWS

Festival organisers line up the stars AWARD winning folk singer Cara Dillon, the comic capers of the Reduced Shakespeare Company and foot-tapping band Stringfever are included in the line-up for the next Thornbury Arts Festival.

Professor Lord Robert Winston, antiques expert Judith Miller and Thornbury Choral Society will also feature in the nine-day festival, which brings in audiences from a wide area of South Gloucestershire and Bristol.

The event will be launched by former shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe - now also known to many as a past Strictly Come Dancing contestant and pantomime star.

She will get the festival off to a flying start with a talk about her life, which still involves serious debate and regular TV documentaries.

The team of volunteers behind the festival has been working since the end of the 2016 event on the next programme, which again features a mix of music, comedy, drama and a range of talks.

The concert by Cara Dillon, whose legion of fans include Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, is expected to be a sell-out, with the Reduced Theatre Company set to attract a big audience to see its production William Shakespeare’s

Long Lost First Play.

Professor Winston - one of Britain’s best known scientists and a leading fertility expert

- will give a talk on genetics and has also agreed to give a separate talk to students at the town’s Castle School.

Other festival highlights include Thornbury Choral Society singing Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Coronation Anthems, BBC Antiques Roadshow regular Judith Miller giving an illustrated talk on collecting antiques and Squashbox Theatre’s The Sea Show, which is aimed largely at children and families.

Among the topics for lunchtime talks are the work of the Bristol Film Office, the restoration of Dyrham Park’s gardens, the Badminton railway line and the history of the Women’s Institute.

After the success of a guided walk in the last festival, there will also be a two-hour ramble around the Purton hulks - abandoned boats and ships deliberately beached next to the river Severn near Sharpness.

The festival, which runs from May 5-13, will be brought to a close by Stringfever, which mixes electric instruments and beatboxing with musical skill.

Visit the arts festival website for further details.

A t A n i m a l H o u s e w e u n d e r s t a n d t h a t r e g i s t e r i n g y o u r p e t w i t h a n e w v e t i s a b i g d e c i s i o n .

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18

n NEWS

December, 2016

Polio campaign blossoms through crocus planting efforts in Chipping Sodbury

PURPLE flowers will bloom in Chipping Sodbury next spring to highlight a continuing campaign to eradicate polio around the world.

Although the disease has been confined to history books in the UK and other countries through vaccination, many parts of the developing world were unable to afford an immunisation programme.

That left many children at risk of developing polio and it was widespread in 125 countries 30 years ago.

Through the World Health Organisation, Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a health programme has resulted in the disease now occurring widely in just Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But efforts are still needed to wipe out polio completely and Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club, Sodbury in Bloom and several local schools have joined forces

to help spread the word and to raise money for the project, with all cash raised doubled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ian Lowe, president of Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club, said: “End Polio Now has involved several hundred school children and with the Sodbury in Bloom team they have planted more than 12,000 crocus bulbs.

“These will produce purple flowers in school grounds and public spaces around Chipping Sodbury.

“The purple crocus is a symbol of the purple marker that is used on a child’s finger to confirm that they had been vaccinated against polio.”

Donations to the campaign can be sent via cheque, made out to the Rotary Club of Chipping Sodbury, to treasurer Anthony Bourne at 3 Meadow Mead, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol BS36 2BQ. Please mark the envelope End Polio Now.

The Sodbury In Bloom team and Rotary Club members planting crocuses at Smart’s Green roundabout, Chipping Sodbury.

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n WHAT’S ON IN OUR AREA December 2 & 5 n St John's Crib Festival Chipping Sodbury. 2-5th December December 3 n Victorian Day. Chipping Sodbury Saturday 3rd December December 10 & 11 n Festive Fun @ St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival this December . Festival opening times are Saturdays 10am to 4pm and Sundays 12 noon to 4pm. Light refreshments, children’s activities and a variety of musical interludes will feature throughout both weekends. Entry is free!

December 1, 2 & 3 n Pucklechurch Dec 1st, 2nd and 3rd Pucklechurch Players are performing the Panto : Aladdin.

Performances at 7:30 Thur,Fri,Sat and matinee at 2.00pm on Sat Tickets available by texting : 07817311001 December 2 n Walking for Health, Chipping Sodbury and Ridge Wood, meet at 10.30am at Chipping Sodbury Rugby Club car park, Wickwar Road.

December 6 n A Merry Jazzy Big Band Christmas with the GBH Big Band playing seasonal favourites and classic big band tunes at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, BS37 6AD from 7.30 pm (doors open 6.30 pm). Tickets from 01454 315741 or http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ csmusicsociety December 9 n Walking for Health, route around Millside, meet at 10.30am at the Brimsham Park pub, Lark Rise, Yate.

December 10 n Join us for a Special Musical Evening on Saturday 10 December and featuring local talent – The Apollo Wind Band and The Dixie Belles Starting at 7pm (doors open at 6.30pm). Tickets - £5 for

adults and £3 for children (16 and under) to include a glass of mulled wine/soft drink and mince pies, are available from Yate Parish Office on 01454 313105 or events@ yateparish.org.uk December 14 n Pathway group presents 'Welcome Home The Musical'.

10:30am @ St. Nicholas Family Centre, Chargrove, Yate, BS37 4LG. Gift stalls and refreshments availiable.

December 16 n Walking for Health, Dodington and Lilliput Park, meet at 10.30am at Shire Way Community Centre.

Monthly courses from Natural Progress n November 11th— Understanding Thoughts & Behaviour n December— Holiday n January 6th—Living in Line with Your Values. n February 3rd — Motivation Techniques n March 3rd —Communicate More Effectively . n April 7th —Where the Magic Happens. n May 5th —What Are You Like? n June 2nd —Mind-Body Connection n July & August—Holiday For each workshop attended you may book one discounted, private coaching session for £25 1 ticket = £25 2+ tickets = £20 each 7:30 pm—9:30 pm at YOSC, Broad Lane, Yate Contact: www.naturalprogress. co.uk jen@naturalprogress.co.uk

REGULAR EVENTS

Monday

n 10am to 12 noon, Lipreading Classes, Old Grammar School Rooms, High Street Chipping Sod bury, £27 every 6 weeks (term time

What's on at Yate Library . . .

December 2016

• Christmas sing-a-long & coffee morning in aid of caring at Christmas, Saturday 10 December 10.30am, Yate Library, all welcome.

• Lego Club, Saturday 10 December, 2pm – 3pm Yate Library, join us for theme based creative building fun, for primary school children and

their parents alike.

• Free event Stories & songs around the Christmas Tree, hosted by Yate Teen Focus Group, Tuesday 20 December, 10.30am Yate Library, suitable for 0-7 years, all welcome.

• Festive Fun, free drop-in Christmas crafts, 10.30am – 12 noon, Thursday 22 December, Yate Library.

For Newsdesk or Advertising contact 07733898762

only). Contact Mary Hall 07790 283939. email lipreadingmary@ yahoo.com n New Zumba Gold Class 10-11am, Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church Hall £3.5 per week heatherkimbell.zumba.com Every Monday term time only 10am to 12 noon Lipreading Classes Old Grammar School Rooms, High Street Chiiping Sod bury £21 every 6 weeks.

Contact Mary Hall 07790 283939 emai lipreadingmary@yahoo.com n Third Monday every month Frome Valley Ladies Probus 2-4pm Charter Suite, Chipping Sodbury Town Hall T 01454 316301.

Interesting Speaker each meeting, raffle, refreshments and lunches n 1st Yate Boys brigade various activities for boys 5+ meet at Moorland road Methodist church 6.30pm. Contact Simon Crocker 01454 329017 n Gentle Yoga Class Every Monday for Over 55’s 10.30am-11.30am at Masonic Hall, Hatters Lane Chipping Sodbury, T (01454) 327112 E hello@yoga-in.co.uk www.yoga-in.co.uk n The over 50s club meet every Monday afternoon at shire way community centre at 1,30 - 2-0pm. get together for tea coffee game of bingo, entertainment , raffle meet new friends , all welcome , Yate Com transport, available.

Further info 01454317866----07749712351 n Bristol Budgerigar Society hold meetings at Little Stoke Community Hall, Little Stoke Lane, Little Stoke, Bristol BS34 6HR. Meetings commence at 7.45pm on the second Monday of each month. Details from the Secretary Colin Parsons Tel 01454 775878.

E-mail colinpauline@hotmail.com or Chairman, Peter Dark. Tel 01454 201217. E-mail honey@darkm. freeserve.co.uk Membership; Adult £7.00, senior £5.00, same address partners £10.00, different address partners appropriate single rate each. Juniors free. Visitors always welcome without commitment or charge to see the wonderful budgerigar breeding, exhibition and social experience that Bristol Budgerigar Society can offer. n Chakra Dancing Workout for body & mind Ridgewood Community Centre, Yate, BS37 4AF. 7-8pm. £5 each on the door Julie 0795 440 6640

Tuesday n Sodbury & District Flower Arrangement Society

December, 2016

We would love to publicise your event Send details of your events and activities in the following format:

WHAT IT IS WHERE IT IS WHEN IT IS in no more than 40 words: email us at: contact@ yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk or call us on 07733898762

The Society meets every month of the year (except August and December) at the Old Grammar School in Chipping. Sodbury.

The second Tuesday of the month we have a Practice and Tutorial Class. On the forth Tuesday of the month a guest demonstrator joins us for our Demonstration Evening.

All our meetings start at 7.30pm; visitors and new members are most welcome.

For further information contact Pauline Holder, 01454 776361 n Art Club, Ridgewood Centre, Yate: 7pm - 9 pm http:// yateandsodburyartsociety.weebly. com. Tel Roz on 01454 316956 or 0794 194 6412 n Pucklechurch Folk Dance Club.

We meet every other Tuesday at Pucklechurch Community Centre from 7.45 pm to 8.15 pm. Contact Veronica Holder – 0117 937 2818. n Frome Valley Tang Soo Do, open to adults and children 7yrs +, Wellesley Primary School, Edgeworth, Yate every Tuesday 6.45pm - 8.15pm. Contact Rachel Woodford for more details on 07712 729726 n Bristol Budgerigar Society.

Monday October 10 commencing 7.45pm. Budgerigar talk by Hampshire breeder / exhibitor Peter Merritt. Venue; Little Stoke Community Hall, Little Stoke Lane, Bristol BS34 6HR. Visitors welcome to join us without commitment to join. Further details from the Secretary Colin Parsons. Tel 01454 775878. colinpauline@hotmail. com or Chairman Peter Dark 01454 201217. honey35@hotmail.co.uk n Diddi Dance 9:30am - 10:15am

Wednesday

n Art Club, Ridgewood Centre,

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016 Yate: 7pm - 9 pm http:// yateandsodburyartsociety.weebly. com. Tel Roz on 01454 316956 or 0794 194 6412 n Thornbury and South Gloucestershire Amateur Radio Club (TSGARC) we meet every Wednesday in the Buckingham Room at the Chantry in Thornbury.

Meetings usually start at 8pm with people arriving from 7:30pm. We welcome new members and can train people to pass their Amateur radio Foundation and Intermediate Licences. Our website is at http:// tsgarc.uk. n Chakra Dancing Workout for mind, body & soul, Ridgewood Community Centre, Yate, BS37 4AF. 0930-1030am £5 each on the door.

Suitable for all abilities and fitness levels. 0795 440 6640 - www. julieshowering.co.uk n Gentle Yoga Class Every Wednesday for Over 55’s 2pm3pm at Old Sodbury Village Hall, T (01454) 327112 E hello@yoga-in. co.uk www.yoga-in.co.uk n Chakra Dancing Workout for body & mind Ridgewood Community Centre, Yate, BS37 4AF. 930-1030am. £5 each on the door Julie 0795 440 6640. n Sew & Sew at Ridgewood Community Centre from 1 .30 pm to 4.0pm at £2.00 per week. Phone Joan for details on 01 454 314355. n Walks for single people. Solo

Rendezvous meet at Downend Cricket Club, every Wednesday, 8.30pm, entrance £3, and walk every Sunday. Please phone for walk details: 01454 775508 / 01454 774984 / 0117 9850210. n Frenchay Men’s Probus Club Meetings are held in Frenchay Village Hall from 10.00 am to 12 noon on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesday of the month. The meeting is preceded by coffee and biscuits. www.frenchayprobusclub. com n Craft group meeting in St. Mary's Church, Yate each Wednesday from 10am. Everyone welcome, we have knitters, sewers and chatters. Refreshments available for a donation. Please come in and say hello.

Thursday

n Chipping Sodbury Folk Night Meets on 1st Thursday of each month in function room at Beaufort Pub . 8 pm - 11pm, next date Thursday 2nd April.

Huge range of music and performers covering various genres , all welcome, performers slots are available on a first come basis. £1 on the door . Visit our Facebook page for more info, Chipping Sodbury Folk Night. Or call Jo on 07974 381333. n Meditation Class Ridgewood

21

Community Centre, Yate, BS37 4AF. 10-11am. £5 each on the door Julie 0795 440 6640 n Diddi Dance 9:30am - 10:15am n South Glos. Decorative and Fine Arts Society is a flourishing group which enjoys excellent lectures on Design and the Arts. Visitors are welcome. 7.00 for 7.30pm at Bradley Stoke Community School, Fiddlers Lane, BS32 7BS on 3rd Thursday of the month.

Please.contact 01454 774401 sallykitching@googlemail.com n Directors Duet for Stokes Singers choir. The two MDs would love to welcome new members to Thursday rehearsals at 7.30pm at Coniston Community Centre, Patchway BS34 5LP.

Friday

Hatherell’s Yard Market 9am to 4pm. www.facebook.com/ hatherellsyard

Saturday

n Hatherell’s Yard Market, 9am to 4pm. www.facebook.com/ hatherellsyar n Options (now in its 16th year) meets at the Ridgewood Community Centre from 10.30am to 3.0om. Lunches are available plus free tea or coffee. £2 .50 a session. Phone Joan for details on 01454 314355

Sunday

n Car Boots Sale at Yate Town FC, Lodge Road Stadium, Yate BS37 7LE. Every Sunday in July and August, 8am-1pm. n Indoor short mat bowls at Pucklechurch Community Centre.

Established players and beginners welcome. Bowls provided. Sessions Sunday afternoon and Monday and Wednesday evenings. Contact Roger Payne 0117 937 3653. n The Chipping Sodbury Tourist Information Centre will now be open 10am - 4pm Monday Saturday ALL year round

Shopmobility South Gloucestershire, Yate Library, Yate Shopping Centre.

The service hires out battery powered scooters and wheelchairs, to help people to retain their independence and to use the facilities of the centre. You can also hire scooters and wheelchairs for longer terms. If you have a S. Glos.

Council Diamond card then you can use that on the service.

The Shopmobility office is open Tues and Friday 9.30 am - 4 pm, and Thurs and Sat 9.30 am - 2 pm Telephone 01454 868718 or 07999574474 for more information or e mail shopmobilitysouthglos@ yahoo.com

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yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

n LETTERS Iron Acton Parish Hall

The Parish Hall entrance & lobby refurbishment has been completed and has met all the expectations that the Hall Committee could have hoped for when the project was first considered.

The old entrance had been leaking for quite some time despite numerous efforts to repair the roof and in the summer the glass walls and roof made it uncomfortably hot.

The new entrance adds immensely to the overall appearance of the hall and we have gained an additional room that can be hired out for meetings etc. The new room will easily seat

12 people for a meeting and has been furnished with modular seating so it could be used for more informal events.

A small reception was held on11th November to mark the completion of the new lobby and to thank all the organisations and people who helped with their time and fund raising to ensure the refurbishment was completed successfully. Thanks once again to South Gloucestershire Council, David an Pat Hockey, Frome Valley Forum, Iron Acton Parish Council, Acton Aid, Silvey’s, Kathryn Hurley Dance Academy, The Line Dancing Group, and committee members who helped with fund raising and their time and skills.

On the same evening the retirement from the Hall Committee of Tony Pullen was marked. Tony had been firstly a member, then treasurer, and finally Chairman of the Committee for over 30 years. Tony played a major part in seeing through this refurbishment and we are all very grateful for his work over the years in ensuring that the village has such a wonderful Parish Hall,

Your pictures of Iron Acton are needed The Hall committee would like to decorate the new Parish Hall Lobby Room with photos, pictures and other memorabilia of Iron Acton, both old and new. We have already had a wonderful collage of numerous reports relating to very early Horticultural Shows held in the Parish Hall kindly donated

by Tim Grubb. We would really appreciate anything anyone may be able to offer for us to hang in the new room.

Sue Gadsby: suepgent@hotmail. com

Well Aware

What’s Well Aware? Health information telephone service opening hours over Christmas.

On page 2 under Local Information you may have noticed that Well Aware is listed. It’s there because it’s an important source of local health and wellbeing information. There are more than 6,000 entries about services, groups, events and activities in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Categories range from ‘support around the home’ and ‘socialising’ to ‘getting around’ and ‘personal health services’ and much other useful information.

Those who use the internet can just log on to www.wellaware.org. uk and start searching.

If you don’t use a computer or would prefer to talk to someone there’s a Freephone telephone line on 0808 808 5252 which is open during weekday office hours from 9.00am and 4.30pm. Calls are answered by one of Well Aware’s small team based at the Vassall Centre in Fishponds, Bristol. They look up the information you want and tell you on the phone, by email or print it out and put it in the post.

It’s as easy as that.

By the way, over Christmas and the New Year the Well Aware freephone telephone information service will be open on weekdays from 9am to 4.30pm, apart from the Bank Holidays on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 December and Monday 2 January.

With kind regards David Harwood, Well Aware

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yate&sodburyvoice

23

December, 2016

n HERITAGE

View from Yate Heritage Centre . . .

Christmas Past With Christmas fast approaching, the December display at the heritage centre highlights some of the key differences between celebrations now and during the post-war period.

Christmas Parties Factories were influential in the lives of many people, with up to 2,000 staff working at each of the two big local factories - Newman’s and Jackson’s - in the 1950s and 1960s.

Newman’s, which prided itself as a family firm, organised an annual Christmas party for the children of its staff from the 1950s, with the tradition continuing in the 1970s at the Jackson’s factory. These were big events with hundreds of children, a compere, Father Christmas and an abundance of toys dispensed by the firms.

The Basic Christmas Christmas in the 1940s was a simpler and more austere affair but appreciated nonetheless. The main present might extend to a doll’s house or a battleship and not always first-hand. Any other offerings would be a book, paints

and sometimes hand-knitted clothes. The traditional stocking would include treats such as fruit, nuts, oranges, sugar mice and ,perhaps surprisingly, a piece of coal, although the reasons for this seem to be tradition or luck.

Wartime Festivities World War Two provided memorable and unique Christmases. The Nelson family had soldiers billeted at Stanshawes Court for Christmas dinner in the 1940s. Despite rationing, Christmas puddings were produced, made from breadcrumbs, carrots and apples. Many local families also kept their own poultry that was ideal for Christmas meals.

Prisoners of War German and Italian POWs were based in and around Yate. After the end of hostilities in 1945, many prisoners remained in the camps for a few years and some local families extended the hand of friendship to them at Christmas.

The Naish family of Chipping Sodbury had German soldiers to Christmas dinner in 1946 and 1947, while the German POWs at Sunnyside Lane added an extra dimension to life at Moorland

Road Methodist Church. Barbara May recalls soldiers decorating the church with Christmas greenery akin to the traditional German style.

For your diaries • Until January 14, 2017: Christmas Past, a history of the festive time around Yate, including old toys.

10.30am-4.30pm.

•D ecember 6: Christmas Quiz, £6 per team. 7.30pm.

•D ecember 13: Christmas carols evening with St Mary’s School and choir. 6pm.

Please note - Yate Heritage Centre will be closed from December 19 to January 3.

Children's party at the Jackson's factory circa 1973. Credit Gazette Newspapers

Nominations sought for annual community awards THE search is on to find community heroes in South Gloucestershire.

Nominations have opened for an annual awards scheme, which recognises the valuable contribution that local volunteers make to life in the district.

They range from charity fund raisers to sports coaches and arts festival organisers and for the latest awards, nominations for groups as well as individuals will

be welcomed.

The accolades are given each year by the chairman or woman of South Gloucestershire Council, with an award ceremony taking place next March. The deadline for the 2017 nominations is Monday, January 16.

Erica Williams, the current council chairwoman, said: “Our community awards have been running since 2003 to celebrate the contribution local

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people make to life in South Gloucestershire. More than 400 people have received an award since they started.

“It is really important to recognise the dedication of the many volunteers that give up their own time to bring our communities together and improve the lives of local people.

These awards offer a great way to celebrate their hard work and commitment.”

The Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter, will also select one of the winners to receive a special Lord Lieutenant’s Award.

Nominations can be made via the council’s website, by emailing communityawards@southglos. gov.uk or by phoning 01454 863019.

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yate&sodburyvoice

24

December, 2016

n THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

Thought for the month

THE real Christmas was, and still is for many people, a turning point in the history of the world and anyone who is moved by all that began at Bethlehem will be looking forward to December 25th 2016.

Looking forward to much more than Christmas cards, presents, special e mails from loved ones, delicious festive food and special events. All these things are important but we and our loved ones can grasp a vitally important message and opportunity regarding our ongoing life and

www.yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

Rev. Ray Avent

Stand-up comedian and author visits teenagers at Yate Library Cultural Services Manager for South Gloucestershire Council, said: “The young people’s group at Yate Library are great role models in their love of reading and their ambition to share this message with others. Getting involved in the national BBC campaign #LoveToRead is a fantastic idea as it actively involves young people in reading and changing their community for the better.”

As many as two in every 100 people suffer from OCD. In ‘Touch and Go Joe’, Joe Wells tells the story of his battle with OCD from its beginnings at age nine and increasingly intrusive symptoms, to diagnosis at age 12. Having kept his condition a secret for many years, he now

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anticipation. All your expectations can be fulfilled in the light of the fact that Jesus, Babe of Bethlehem came for the whole of the human race then, now and the future generations that follow us.

'Unto to us a child is born and unto us a Son is given'. Isaiah certainly knew the real purpose of Christmas well in advance of it happening.

With this thought I send to you and yours for Christmas 2016 my sincere best wishes.

Rev. Ray Avent

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JOE Wells, a stand-up comedian and author of ‘Touch and Go Joe’, has visited Yate Library to talk about his book which deals with his personal experiences as a young person suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

The event was organised by members of the Yate Library Teen Focus Group as part of #LoveToRead, a national BBC campaign to encourage people to read something new. The young readers handled all of the preparations for the evening, from producing promotional posters to preparing interview questions for the night.

One of the organisers, Ellie, aged 17, said: “This has been an exciting opportunity for us all.

Young people will benefit from this event as they’ll be able to learn more about both mental health and the process of writing a book.”

Martin Burton, Community

lifestyle.

I would suggest that pretty well everyone will know a lot about that baby boy born in the manger at Bethlehem. His birth was the beginning of a life extraordinaire.

It brought a loving example with a practical application through an incredibly self-sacrificial act.

Allowing us to see Christmas as the ‘Day One’ focus of so many future blessings made available to us.

So rejoice with me, when your children wake you up early on that day or when you wake up in

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talks and writes openly about OCD and how he battled to overcome it.

‘Touch and Go Joe’ is one of the books recommended as part of national scheme ‘Shelf Help,

47 Horse Street, Chipping Sodbury Bristol BS37 6DA

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yate&sodburyvoice

25

n LOCAL MP

Brexit and democracy

Luke Hall MP writes for Yate & Sodbury Voice

December, 2016

THE debate surrounding Britain’s decision to Exit the European Union, is one which has dominated headlines around the world since June 23rd. Britain’s relationship with Europe and the rest of the world is about to come under intense scrutiny. The fallout from the negotiations with our European partners will have a huge impact both across the UK, including here in South Gloucestershire. It is absolutely essential that we get it right.

While, prior to the referendum, I had advocated a Remain vote, the Conservatives pledged to respect the outcome of the EU Referendum, whatever the result was. There must now be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to re-join it through the back door, and no second referendum. The campaign was fought, the vote was held, turnout was high, and the public gave their verdict. The country voted to leave the European Union, and it the duty of the Government to make

Don’t be left out in the Cold!

sure we do just that.

The High Court ruled on the 3rd November that the Government cannot invoke Article 50 based on the result of the Referendum alone, parliament must be consulted. If it is not triggered before April next year, we as a country run the risk of being involved in another set of European Parliamentary Elections in 2019.

I want to assure people locally that whether or not Parliament is consulted about the decision to trigger article 50, MPs will still be involved in the negotiation surrounding the details of the exit, not least through the Great Repeal Bill. The Bill will remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book; the legislation which gives direct effect to all EU law in Britain, will no longer apply from the date upon which the UK formally leave the EU. The existing body of EU law will be converted to UK law wherever practical and Parliament will be free to amend, repeal and improve

any law that it chooses.

It is the job of MPs to research, debate and decide on these issues, but it is vital that I continue to hear your thoughts, so as many different views as possible can be represented fully and fairly, whenever this is debated.

Do you feel that we should prioritise retaining access to the Single Market, or are changes to the current rules on Freedom of Movement of greater importance?

What are your views on the residence rights of EU citizens who currently live in the UK, and how ought that impact British citizens living in other EU countries?

Should students have the right to remain and work in the UK at the conclusion of their educational courses? How closely should we be aiming to keep ties with our European neighbours?

As the local MP, I would be extremely grateful to hear your thoughts on any or all of these questions; luke.hall.mp@ parliament.uk.

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26

yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

n ON THE BEAT

Local police news with

PC Dan Jones

I

’m afraid I need to remind you again to be on the alert against telephone fraudsters.

If you’re suspicious someone isn’t who they claim to be, hang up and call their organisation using a number from the phone book or genuine

correspondence.

Never disclose your PIN over the phone – neither police officers nor bank staff will ever ask you to do so.

Christmas is almost here! We’re in safe area, but thieves like crowds and over the Christmas period the shopping areas and pubs will be busy.

Deter thieves while shopping: • Keep your phone, keys and wallet or purse in an inside pocket and keep your handbag closed • Park in a busy area, always lock your vehicle and don’t leave anything on view • Don’t leave bags of shopping unattended in your car while you carry on spending • Make your home look occupied while you’re out – use timer light switches, leave a radio on and don’t forget to lock up • Keep the Christmas magic alive by hiding presents safely away until Father Christmas makes his delivery – don’t leave them on view to tempt

an opportunist thief • I f you’ve bought a new electrical item, register it at www.immobilise.com • The same goes for bicycles, use www.bikeregister.com – and don’t forget the lights and helmet!

On Bonfire Night we arrested a man on suspicion of drink driving after a crash on Westerleigh Road, so if you’re planning a festive evening out: •D esignate a driver who’ll stick to soft drinks, pre-book a taxi or arrange a lift home •R emember you could still be over the legal limit for driving the morning after •M ake sure someone knows where you’re going, who you’re with and when you’ll be home •K eep an eye on your wallet, bag, phone and keys Of course we'll be on patrol, but everyone can help to keep Yate and Chipping Sodbury safe.

This month I’d also like to talk to you about domestic abuse. You may have seen our awareness

campaign, which launched in November and runs until Christmas.

We know that older people, men, people in LGBT+ relationships may all be affected by domestic abuse, but are underrepresented in the reporting of this type of crime.

Abuse isn’t always physical violence – in the past 12 months we made 59 arrests under the new ‘coercive control’ powers which tackle controlling behaviour and threats, humiliation, intimidation and assaults which are used to harm, punish or frighten someone.

Please, if you have any reason to believe someone you know is affected, look for the signs, listen, ask and ask again. Let them know help is available. Visit www. thisisnotanexcuse.org.uk for more information.

Finally, I’d like to say well done to our cadets who took part in the Remembrance Day parade in Chipping Sodbury this year (pictured). You did us proud.

Would your WI like to have its reports included in Hanham and Longwell Standard network rate message applies. Green By texting Voice? us, you consent to receive message sent Email us ata text news@ by an automatic response system. hanhamandlongwellgreenvoice.co.uk We are obliged to ask all successful applicants to complete a DBS disclosure form for which we pay. Brunelcare is an equal opportunities employer Registered charity 201555

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Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

27

n RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Go easy on yourself

MY suggestion this month for Christmas cooking is try and keep it simple because the festive period is a holiday for you too.

Prepare ahead as much as you can. Eat some of the things clogging up your freezer to make some space as well as saving you time and money.

This pate is so quick and easy you can knock it up in 15 minutes to go with a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve glass of champagne.

I hope you have a great Festive Season.

Smoked Trout Paté

A simple recipe swiftly prepared that makes a great starter or a nibble on a little savoury biscuit.

Makes enough for 4-6 people

Ingredients:

Ann Murray is from the Cooking4 Cookery School based in Chipping Sodbury.

She’s teamed up with Yate and Sodbury Voice to pass on her wealth of experience in the kitchen.

• 200g/7oz smoked trout • 100g/3½oz cream cheese • 100g/3½oz crème fraîche • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, • ½ lemon, juice only • 1 tbsp creamed horseradish • 2 tbsp finely chopped, fresh dill • A few strands/fronds of dill for serving

Here’s What You do:

1. P lace all the ingredients in a food processor. ‘Blitz’ until smooth but the pâté should still have some texture 2. Taste the seasoning and add some more lemon juice if required.

3. Serve

with either little savoury biscuits or use up

any French

bread, sliced, brushed with olive oil and toasted.

Cook’s tips: You can use smoked salmon instead or even tinned tuna. www.cooking4.co.uk or phone ann on 01454 881772

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yate&sodburyvoice

29

December, 2016

n SPORT

Girls flock to play football in Sodbury A NEW initiative to increase the number of girls playing football across the country has made an impact in Chipping Sodbury.

St Nicholas YFC girl’s teams based at the Ridings has reported a steady increase in the number of girls participating in the scheme.

The journey begins with the development squad for U9 girls who learn the basic technical skills and benefit from the initial physical, social and psychological development.

Lauren White, a talented footballer herself, manages the development squad. Lauren has represented St Nicholas girls’ teams at all age groups and has played for both Ladies teams, despite the demands of studying at the University of Gloucester .

The FA scheme was open to clubs with teams playing in the FA Women’s Super League and The FA Women’s Premier League, and provides funding for clubs to build new competitive playing squads for girls between

the ages of 5 and 14.

With the Ladies first team currently playing in the FA WPL, St Nicholas was among thirty-four clubs across the UK, including big clubs such as Arsenal, who successfully applied for the programme.

The additional sessions run

by St Nicholas has enabled them to attract new players. As a result the development squad has grown and the club was able to form a new U10 team.

Managed by Ben Rose the U10 girls are now well established

and enjoying their football in the Bristol Girls League.

The under 11 and under 13 teams have also been able to increase their numbers. Ex Development Squad Manager Ian Reeves is now in his second season with his team playing in the under 11 division of the BGL. In his first season in charge of the under 13 girls Neil Conway is relishing the experience “watching my daughter playing her first football last season was special for me” said Neil “I was initially nervous about taking on

the team however the girls are so enthusiastic and positive it is impossible not to love being their manager”.

Neil joins a club with twenty teams entered in seven different leagues across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. The club now has girls teams at under 10, under 11, under 13, under 15 and under 16. At 16 the girls join either the Ladies Reserves team playing in the division one of the Gloucester County Women’s Football League, or the Ladies First Team in the FAWPL; possibly following in the footsteps of the team captain Sophie Sweet who began her football with St Nicholas under 13 girls.

St Nicholas is always on the lookout for new players and contact details can be found on line at http://www.stnicksfc. co.uk Photo: Lauren White pictured with the current development squad Images: Club Shield

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30

yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

n SPORT

Old Sodbury good Top prize hits six figure sum for first time at 2017 form continues

Badminton Horse Trials A RECORD first prize of £100,000 will be presented to the winner of the 2017 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials - the first time it has reached a sixfigure sum.

Organisers of the world’s premier three-day-event said in the professional era of the sport, the winner would be properly rewarded.

It compares to 40 years ago when the winner took home £1,000.

Overall there will be a ten per cent increase in the

prize pot to nearly £360,000 with prize money going down to 20th place of the usual starting figure of 80 riders.

Event director Hugh Thomas said: “It has long been our policy to regard owners and riders as the first call on such commercial success as the event has and to keep the prize money well ahead of inflation.

“I am also especially proud of the fact that the connections of every horse that finishes take away more than it cost them to enter.”

OLD Sodbury Under 16s continued their resurgence with an impressive home win over high flying Stockwood Wanderers followed by a fine away performance at Timsbury Athletic.

3-0 up at the break, Old Sodbury never looked in danger of relinquishing their lead to Stockwood and early pressure unsettled the visitors who were unable to recover their usual composure.

Defender Josh Timbrell opened the scoring with a deft flick from a corner and Harry Trigg doubled the advantage with a wonderful 25-yard strike into the top corner. Ross Womack tucked home to make it 3-0 at the break. The anticipated Stockwood comeback was quickly snuffed out when Old Sodbury’s leading scorer from the previous season, Ross Womack, scored his second to put the result beyond doubt. Despite a couple of late consolation goals Old Sodbury ran out 4-2 winners.

A trip to fellow promotion winners Timsbury Athletic resulted in a 12-goal thriller with both teams playing an attacking brand of football.

Kieron Kay’s excellent control and trickery resulted in the opening goal and an end-to-end encounter finished 7-5 in favour of the in-form visitors. Robbie Foxwell scored the final goal following a five-goal haul by man of the match Ross Womack who found his form of last season.

Old Sodbury face tough back-to-back matches against the league leaders Westfield with the results likely to affect the clubs promotion chances.

Trip to Cheltenham brings first away victory Cheltenham North 1st XV – 16 Chipping Sodbury 1st XV – 20 Chipping Sodbury’s trip to Cheltenham was notable for the inclusion of Anthony Montilla, the aged speedster returning to rugby following a stint as a horse whisperer. It was notable too as the towering talent of Tom Farthing, selected at scrum half.

He didn’t look out of place and made sure that the pack didn’t slack off allowing him to keep pinging precise passes at Dan Bradley.

During the early exchanges Sodbury had to reorganis following Ollie Hunter’s yellow card, Cheltenham North swept into their opponents 22 forcing centres Dom Pullen and Joe Horton to be as robust as ever in defence. But it was Jon Cook who dashed across the 22 to put his man into touch.

North were soon under a yellow card themselves and from the resultant penalty, Luke Balentine-Smith featured heavily in a build-up to a try that owed much to the forward power of Sodbury. He stayed on his feet until support arrived. The quick ruck ball eventually found Niall Kincaid who scored his first try

since joining in the summer.

The game then became a little scrappy and was largely played out between the 22’s.

Sodbury were full of endeavour lacked the final pass. They also allowed North in to Sodbury’s 22 where they booted their first points from a penalty. The North attack was spirited but narrow providing plenty of work round the breakdown for BalentineSmith and eventual Man Of The Match George Barnes, who put himself about with the subtlety of a demolition ball.

Luke Carnaby was back in the team and was central to everything good about Sodbury.

His tackle count was high but it was his ball carrying that really caught the eye. As half-time loomed Sodbury were surprised to find themselves 6 – 5 down after North kicked a 40m penalty in the closing minutes of the half.

North came out after the break with real purpose and worked themselves into Sodbury’s 22 via a penalty.

They won their lineout and put together 3 quick-as-a-flash rucks before diving over from 5 metres

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to extend their lead.

The Sods reacted by sending on Chairman Phil Player at no.8 and teenager Luke Butters on the wing. There was a pay-off immediately as Sodbury claimed the restart and 3 passes got the ball away from heavy traffic and into the hands of Butters. He scored the try to get Sodbury back on track.

From the kick-off Sodbury made inroads immediately with Horton finishing a move to cruise in behind the posts. The conversion gave Sodbury an 11 – 17 lead.

The visitors were then forced to weather a North storm, and Sodbury conceded a completely out-of-character pushover try which left the game on a knife-edge for the final 10 minutes. North threw away their momentum when they lost another player to a yellow card, this time for stamping.

When the Sods were awarded a final penalty shortly after, Jon Cook stepped up and stroked it between the uprights from 30m putting the lid on Sodbury’s first victory on the road this season.

George Barnes in action for Sodbury

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

December, 2016

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Call Paul on: 0784 953 5289 www.magicbroombristol.co.uk

CARPET CLEANING

Carpet/Upholstery Cleaning Carpets dry in 30 minutes!

Current Offer

CARPETS

1 Room 3 Rooms Whole House

£35* £60* £80*

UPHOLSTERY

1 Armchair £20* 1 Sofa £30* Rugs £5 to £20*

07812 730346

www.a-cleaningservice.com

*PRICES ARE EXCLUDING VAT

CARPENTRY

The Local Domestic Cleaning Agency, Giving You Back Time For more info please give us a call on

01454 858418

I strongly rely upon recommendations to drive my business forwards, ensuring all work is completed to the highest standard.

Mob - 07590 068101

E-mail - J.D.Carpentry@outlook.com BASED IN DOWNEND

PLASTICS

Guttering, Downpipes UPVC Fascia Boards Soffits and Cladding Unblock & Gutter Cleaning All work guaranteed Based in Bristol area Call Paul for free quote

01454 850201 or 07980 001109

Taps, Washers Toilets, Cisterns Leaks, Blockages Tanks, Overflows Lead Pipes, Stopcocks….etc…

OAP DISCOUNTS and NO VAT

957 5092

PROPERTY SERVICES

CYCLES

Mountain Bikes Racing Bikes Folding Bikes Electric Bikes CASH PAID - WE COLLECT

Comfort Cycles 07963

898633

J.B. Tree Care

Tree Care • Landscaping • Driveways • Garden Clearance and rubbish removal – registered Waste Carrier Licence Holders

J.B. Pressure Cleaning & Drive Sealing • Gutters • Jet Washing • Fascias • Roofs

email: sales@comfortcycles.biz

Call: Freephone or 0800 303 2215 or Mob: 07774 047209 0117 9113446 dial area code

DECORATING

ADVERTISE HERE

SJM DECORATING

Replacement and Maintenance:

Freephone 0800 858 9803 Mobile 07580 260 676

0117

or visit us at:

www.simply-spotless.org

ADULT BIKES WANTED • Complete bespoke carpentry solutions from door to floor to kitchen • High quality craftsmanship • Comprehensive range of services

Email hawthornlandscapes@yahoo.co.uk

PLUMBING

CLEANING

Call Nick / Alison at A.Cleaning Service on:

We are a family run business est 1990 we do all types of Fencing, turfing,patios,power cleaning Trees and shrubs topped shaped and felled All types of rubbish removed - cheaper than a skip

Professional Decorating Local Qualified tradesmen Internal & External Decorating Fast, reliable & friendly service No hidden extras Free Quotations Call Scott 07515 523 623 0117 3824411 www.sjmdecorating.freeindex.co.uk

For Newsdesk or Advertising contact 07733898762

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE from as little as

£15.75

per month

contact Mark on

07733898762

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

F O R M E R LY

B R A N C H E S

O F

B R I S T O L

We’re opening The Old Mill Interiors & Furnishings store in the heart of Bristol, bringing the people of Bristol and surrounding areas great value furniture, homewares and gifts with everyday low prices.

On the site of the recently closed Branches of Bristol store, you’ll be able to find a world of oak, pine and painted furniture for all rooms in your home in every look imaginable, from stylish classics to ultra-modern industrial looks. But we don’t stop there, with leather and fabric sofas and chairs, mattresses and more. There’ll also be a great range of rugs, lighting, homewares and gifts. Simply everything you need for a more beautiful home.

WARWICK OAK RUSTIC FINISH LIVING & DINING FURNITURE FROM JUST £99.99

CAMBRIDGE NATURAL LOOK PINE BEDROOM FURNITURE FROM JUST £35.00

NEW LOOK STORE NOW OPEN! ENJOY THESE OPENING OFFERS IN OUR NEW STORE!

5% OFF ANY ORDER SPEND £1000 & GET 10% OFF V A L I D F O R A L I M I T E D T I M E O N LY

Store Opening times Monday - Saturday: 9.30am -5.30pm Sunday: 10.30am - 4.30pm

Stay up-to-date with offers on our Facebook page or visit our website

W W W .T H E O L D M I L L I N T E R I O R S . C O . U K

0117 934 9200

T H E S H O W R O O M S , C I T Y P O I N T, T E M P L E G A T E , B R I S T O L , B S 1 6 P L Minimum spend and delivery radius applies for free local delivery