Yate & Sodbury Voice February 2022

yate&sodburyvoice www.yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

February, 2022 Issue 82

FREE EVERY MONTH IN YATE, CHIPPING SODBURY & SURROUNDING VILLAGES

Putting Sodbury on the map Honour for Ade

A PHARMACIST who has helped deliver thousands of coronavirus vaccinations has been honoured for services to the NHS and community.

PAGE 21

Park & Ride to open Bry Finch, Rich McDonough, Justin Percival and Andrew Webb with a new map to help people discover Chipping Sodbury. Full story: Page 7

Homes decision is 'crazy' PLANS for 90 homes on open fields at the edge of Chipping Sodbury have been granted permission despite dozens of objections.

South Gloucestershire councillors approved Cotswold Homes’ application for the two-storey buildings, including 32 affordable homes, on three fields west of Trinity Lane.

Sodbury Town Council, Chipping Sodbury Town Trust and 57 residents objected, as well as

the authority’s public rights of way officer, because a rural footpath would have to be diverted across roads, although walkers could continue through public open space in the development.

A ward councillor said the decision to pass the scheme showed the planning system was a 'crazy world'.

Turn to page 5

YATE'S long-awaited park and ride will open in February.

PAGE 3

Home must improve

A YATE care home has been told to improve after inspectors said residents were “at potential risk of harm”.

PAGE 6

Prison secrets unlocked

A FORMER prison officer from Yate has published the first history of Bristol’s prisons.

PAGE 14

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Yate Park&Ride New site on Badminton Road opens Monday 7 February  All day parking available  Free parking for bus users ● Buses approx. every 30 mins to Bristol City Centre and Yate Shopping Centre ● Fares into Bristol from £6.50 for an adult 2-Trip ticket ● Fares into Yate from £1.50 for an adult single ticket ● For more information on bus fares, visit  www.newbustickets.co.uk Cycle parking also available For further information, visit  www.southglos.gov.uk/majorroadworks 2942 - Yate Park and Ride advert 2022.indd 1

17/01/2022 17:07

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

3

n NEWS

Park & Ride to open YATE'S long-awaited park and ride will open on February 7.

South Gloucestershire council has confirmed the opening date for the £4.5 million transport hub, which includes 198 car parking spaces and cycle parking for 46 bikes.

Bus operator First has already announced that its Y1, Y2, Y4 and Y6 services will serve the new stops at the site on Badminton Road as soon as it opens, with buses running approximately every half hour.

They will no longer call at the nearby Stover Road stops.

The car park will also be available for rail passengers using Yate Station, which is an eight-minute walk away.

Facilities due to be installed in the coming months including 38 electric vehicle (EV) charge points, a car club and click and

First West of England Managing Director Doug Claringbold, South Gloucestershire cabinet member Steve Reade and MP Luke Hall at the new park and ride collect lockers.

Work to build the park and ride, which is next to South Gloucestershire Council's offices, started almost a year ago but the idea goes back around two decades. Earlier plans for a park and ride serving the town were shelved in 2007 and the case for funding the new facility was being made in a West of England Combined Authority report almost five years ago.

Council cabinet member for strategic infrastructure, Steve Reade, said: “The site offers

commuters a credible alternative to using their car for journeys into Bristol city centre and will also provide an all-day parking option for people visiting Yate and Chipping Sodbury, reducing congestion on local roads."

Funding for the site has come from WECA and the region's Local Enterprise Partnership, through the Investment Fund administered by WECA.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “I welcome the opening of this new Park & Ride.

"I support all measures to make it as easy as possible for local people to get into Bristol by bus rather than car."

First First West of England Managing Director Doug Claringbold said: “The vital role of public transport has never been clearer in helping to address the challenges of climate change, and we are committed to helping deliver a more sustainable future for the communities we serve.”

South Gloucestershire Council is aiming to help more people find alternatives to the car by launching an e-bike grant scheme, which will give community groups funding to hire electric bikes for up to six months, for use by group members, service users, staff or residents.

Applications can be made by visiting beta.southglos.gov.uk/ ebike-grant-scheme by February 11.

Fair fares for South Glos: Page 11

Can you design a transport logo?

PEOPLE are being asked to send in their ideas for a new logo to represent public transport in the West of England.

The logo would be used on buses, trains, e-scooters and other public transport and the idea is to create a symbol for the region that would be as memorable as the London Transport Metro Mayor Dan Norris is roundel famous from the tube.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris has launched looking for an iconic logo for public transport a competition open to all residents from across the West of England Metro Mayor area, including south Gloucestershire, from amateur artists to seasoned graphic designers. The winning entry will be finalised by professional designers.

Mr Norris said: "Everyone knows the iconic 'roundel' design that appears right across the London transport network.

"Now I'm calling on local people to create our very own unique logo.

"I'm looking for something really special. A logo that is memorable and easily recognisable, that shows the pride we have in our great region and promotes sustainable forms of transport."

The logo should feature the words "West of England Sustainable Transport" and work in colour or black and white.

The competition runs until February 12.

For details how to enter visit www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/ logo-competition.

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February, 2022

n NEWS

Teen escapes armed mugger A TEENAGE boy was threatened with a knife by a man near a church in Yate.

Police have called on anyone who remembers a man fitting the description of the suspect – a man about 6ft tall wearing grey jogging bottoms and a black Puffa jacket – behaving suspiciously to contact them.

Avon and Somerset police said the incident, which is being treated as an attempted robbery, happened near to St Mary’s Church, in Church Road, late one evening in November but was not made known to them until January.

Sergeant Stuart King said: “The victim has only recently told his parents about the incident, who have since reported it to us.

“Unfortunately, he can’t recall exactly what day it happened but as offences of this kind are rare in Yate, we’re hoping someone may recall witnessing the incident or someone acting suspiciously in the area late at night."

The boy ran off and was not injured but police have appealed for witnesses and information about the incident.

Sgt King added: “Officers continue to patrol the area to provide reassurance to the community and I’d encourage anyone with information to approach them or contact us on the phone or online.”

Anyone who can help should call 101 and quote the crime reference number 5222 007 128.

Cat theft warning POLICE are warning car owners to be on the alert after an increase in catalytic converter thefts from cars.

Officers say thieves are targeting vehicles in public car parks, in areas including Yate, and removing the converters – known as cats for short – to sell them for scrap. They can take less than a minute for a thief to cut out and remove.

Cats are part of the exhaust system and contain precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium, which are used in the process of removing some of the most harmful pollutants from exhaust gases.

Police say a sharp rise in the value of these metals over recent years has driven up the rate of catalytic converter theft, with 14 occurring in the first three weeks of the year.

Older Toyota Prius and Honda Jazz cars are among those most likely to be targeted.

Information on protecting cars can be found on the Crimestoppers website.

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February, 2022

yate&sodburyvoice

5

n NEWS

Greenfield homes approval is 'crazy' From page 1 The authority’s conservation officer raised concerns about views from the site to a Grade I-listed church tower, which were addressed to some degree during negotiations with the What developer Cotswold Homes applicants. says the homes will look like But the council’s strategic sites delivery committee voted in favour after agreeing with planning officers’ advice that the public benefits outweighed the harms.

The developer must hand over almost £600,000 to fund new primary and nursery education, new pedestrian crossings and money for library books.

Chipping Sodbury and Cotswold Edge ward councillor Adrian Rush told the meeting on January 20: “This is another speculative development recommended by officers for approval and we have already said we don’t need it.

“We’ve got 6.14 years of land supply and we are meeting the demands of the Government for our houses for the foreseeable future.

“So why have we got to take more green space for housing when in reality we don’t need to?

“It seems to be totally against what anyone who votes for us as local councillors would like us to do.

“It’s a crazy world when developers can come along and say ‘We know this land is not in your local plan but we’re going to pass it anyway’.

“Why on earth are we doing it? I am against the development.”

Roger Avenin (Con, Bradley Stoke South) told the meeting: “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve got concerns about the public rights of way.”

He said diversions would only comply with planning policy if they were 'of an equal or improved quality'.

Cll Avenin added: “Officers raised concerns that this diversion is due to cross a number of roads.

“It’s just another example of rural public rights of way being turned into a semi-concrete path.”

Mike Drew (Lib Dem, Yate North) said: “Once again we have an application which provides ‘public open space’ when really it is a muddy retention pond.

“I’m not sure we’ve addressed some objections from local people.”

A planning officer said new pedestrian/bicycle crossings would improve safety and the majority of the footpath diversion was through open space.

She said the plans for the low-quality agriculture land north of St Johns Way, opposite the new Florence Gardens estate, included more than 12,000 sq m of open space, including allotments and a play area.

It is not in the green belt or the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Florence Gardens received planning permission in 2018.

Councillors first voted against a motion to refuse consent before voting to grant permission.

The decision comes a month after housebuilder Persimmon Homes started preliminary moves to see if it can build 725 homes on another site near Chipping Sodbury.

Agents acting for the firm have sent details of a 'vision’ for what they call the Kings Park Garden Neighbourhood, a "high-quality development" to the east of St Johns Way.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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6

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February, 2022

n NEWS

Regulator tells care home to improve A YATE care home has been told to improve after inspectors from the Care Quality Commission said residents were “at potential risk of harm”.

The regulator visited Oaktree in Lark Rise, Brimsham Green, in December and its report, published in January found care at the home was good – but all other areas needed improvement, including safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership.

There were 64 residents at the time of the inspection, although Oaktree is registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 78 people.

The service is divided over two separate floors. The ground floor, called Bluebell, is for people who need nursing care, while the upper floor is dedicated to people living with dementia and has two units, Primrose and Snowdrop.

Snowdrop provides support to people living with dementia

who do not need nursing care.

The report found that a high use of agency staff was having an impact on the delivery of care and staff morale.

The inspectors said: "There were occasions when the home was not staffed according to provider's staffing tool, due to short-notice sickness and the agency staff cancelling their shifts.

"We found a breach in regulation and served a requirement notice in respect of staffing, to ensure there were sufficient numbers of suitable and competent and experienced staff."

There were also concerns that residents were not eating and drinking enough and not all care plans were kept up to date as people's needs changed.

The inspectors said: "We could not be assured people at risk were eating and drinking enough.

"This was because staff were

not completing food and fluid charts for those people that had been assessed as being at risk of malnutrition or dehydration."

Oaktree is operated by Health Care Homes, who have taken over since a previous CQC inspection in 2019 under another operator also found the home needed to improve.

Health Care Homes told the Voice: "The care and safety of our residents is our highest priority and we listen carefully and act on all feedback from the Care Quality Commission.

"As an operator with an excellent track record in care quality, we were very disappointed not to have secured a higher rating for the home.

"This is the first inspection

by CQC since taking over the home, and we have made many improvements to the home and the services it provides.

"We were aware that the challenge to recruit permanent staff and find agency staffing, combined with the continuing impacts of covid, was starting to affect record keeping.

"An improvement plan was

already in place at the time of the inspection and monitoring systems were being improved.

"We have taken a number of substantive measures with the appointment of a new clinical lead and the creation of an additional role to address the concerns raised by the CQC and to oversee all clinical matters.

"The staffing challenges that the home has been facing are well known across the sector.

"The CQC have themselves reported that the average shortfall of permanent staff in care in the South West has doubled in the past six months to 12.1%, making it the second worst-affected region of the UK. "We are enormously proud of the hard work and commitment of the teams across all of our homes who have delivered amazing care to residents through an extended period of very challenging conditions caused by successive waves of the Covid epidemic and significant structural challenge in the care sector in the form of major staff shortages and recruitment challenges."

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February, 2022

yate&sodburyvoice

7

n NEWS

Neighbours can't stop early Aldi store deliveries A NEW Aldi store planned for Yate has had its morning and evening delivery hours extended before it even opens.

But councillors who granted the extra hours did not give the developer as many as it wanted because of concerns the “clanging and banging” from delivery lorries would disturb the next-door neighbours’ sleep.

South Gloucestershire Council approved plans in February last year allowing a discount food store to move into half of the B&Q building on Station Road, leaving the DIY store to trade from reduced space.

To prevent residents being disturbed at unsociable hours, deliveries were restricted to between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week.

But site owner Harmsworth Pension Funds Trustees later tried to extend them by 15 hours a week, saying Aldi needed to have fresh produce delivered earlier and later so it could “trade viably”.

After deferring their decision in October last year, members of a planning committee granted extended delivery hours this month but only gave the applicant four extra hours a week.

Harmsworth had applied for extended delivery hours of 7am to 9.30pm on Mondays to Saturdays, with Sundays kept to 8am to 8pm.

These hours were considered “reasonable” by council officers who recommended them for approval.

Planning agent Adrian Fox, who represented the applicant at January's planning meeting, said the extension sought was “modest” but essential for Aldi to “realistically compete” in Yate.

He said Harmsworth was offering to delay the first delivery on Mondays to Saturdays to 7.30am and provide acoustic fencing around the delivery yard.

It would also have to abide by a delivery management plan to minimise noise from deliveries which would include a number of measures such as switching off lorry engines, Mr Fox said.

Yate Town Council, which objected to the application along with six local residents, asked for a number of conditions including requiring refrigeration in refrigerated lorries to be turned off before reaching the site.

Yate town councillor Chris Wilcox said: “We have houses that are right, literally within feet of where the refrigerated lorries will be unloading, with their refrigerator units running and all the clanging and banging and noise associated with delivery as well as.

“The refrigeration they’ve never had to put up with before.

“During the daytime, they’ve learned to live with deliveries.

They’re going to have to learn to live with refrigerated lorries and all the noise that that makes.

To say that’s okay at 7am, when people are still asleep or at 9.30pm, when your children are asleep, is going too far.”

Neighbour Gary Whittington told the meeting: “Where they say they’re going to have up to

New town map launched A NEW map to guide visitors around Chipping Sodbury has been unveiled.

Drawn for Chipping Sodbury Chamber of Commerce by local artist Justin Percival of J Percival Print & Design and laid out by Bry Finch from 29-Design, the map shows the location and details of many town retailers and businesses.

The map is partly funded by advertising revenue and partly from a South Gloucestershire Council Help Us Thrive fund grant to support high streets through the pandemic, which has enabled the chamber to print and distribute 15,000 copies into service stations, hospitality and tourist locations in the surrounding area.

Joint chamber chair Michelle Baden-Daintree said: "We really hope the map will help get Chipping Sodbury out there amongst the tourist trade and bring new visitors to the town, I'd like to say a big thank you to Justin and Bry, both whom have worked very hard on this project" Co-chairs Andrew Webb and Rich McDonough joined Justin and Bry to launch the map in the high Street (see page 1).

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two deliveries between seven and eight o’clock in the morning is just horrific.

“The lorries actually pass within two to three metres of our house.

“In the summer and spring, we can’t have our windows open because of deliveries. In the winter, we have headlights coming into our bedroom window when the lorries are actually reversing and pulling up.

And now this is just going to get worse.

"I just can’t think that that could be reasonable, for an application to affect people’s lives in this way, and it will cause, unfortunately, psychological distress and anxiety to local residents.”

The committee granted extended delivery hours, but limited them to between 7.30am and 9pm on Mondays to Saturday, and from 9am to 4pm on Sundays.

It made Harmsworth’s offer of acoustic fencing a condition

Neighbour Gary Whittington addresses the meeting of planning consent and said the delivery management plan must be agreed by the council in liaison with a local councillor.

There are no restrictions on delivery hours to the B&Q site at present. The new hours will apply to both B&Q and Aldi once the budget supermarket opens, on a date which has yet to be announced.

By Amanda Cameron, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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February, 2022

yate&sodburyvoice

9

n NEWS CHILDREN from a Yate primary school have been given an award for their innovative ideas.

The Abbotswood Amigos, from Abbotswood Primary School, won praise from the judges for their "highly creative" project in this year's IET First Lego League Challenge Whirlpool Bristol competition.

The one-day virtual tournament encouraged children to develop their programming, design and teamwork skills with a series of challenges using Lego.

The teams programmed and competed in skills contests using Lego robots and met with judges from science, technology and engineering industries, to demonstrate their robot designs and present an innovation project they had been working on over the last school term.

Each team was challenged to solve a problem linked to the transportation of cargo and the Abbotswood Amigos team's idea to reduce the amount of pollution caused by delivering parcels won the tournament's Innovation Project prize.

Children's plans for greener deliveries win award

They presented a plan to install lockers for parcels at bus stops, so low-emission buses

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could double up as delivery vehicles and leave them for residents to collect.

The organisers said it was a "highly creative project".

As well as the innovation prize the Abbotswood Amigos won the contest's Core Values prize, which celebrates qualities including innovation, inclusion and teamwork.

Whirlpool, which has a factory in Yate, sponsored the event.

Spokesperson Ian Moverley said: "It’s been incredible to see children as young as nine putting their heads together to come up with solutions to some of the biggest problems facing the world right now.

"Well done to everyone involved."

Stanbridge Primary School from Downend won the overall prize and will go on to the tournament's national finals in February.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

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February, 2022

11

n NEWS

Call for new fare zone for towns and villages WHY should bus passengers in Frampton Cotterell, Yate and rural South Gloucestershire pay more than their counterparts in Bristol and Weston-superMare?

That’s the question being posed by councillors who want a new travel zone set up in the area.

A petition has been launched calling for a new zone including the Frome Valley, Yate and Thornbury, so that people making multiple bus journeys in the area don't have to pay as much to travel to and around their local town as they would to travel all the way to Weston-super-Mare, Devizes or Street.

Frampton Cotterell ward South Gloucestershire councillor Claire Young said people living in villages such as Lympsham near Weston-super-Mare can travel for £1.60 one-way or purchase a travel zone fare for £2.70 and travel anywhere in the zone for the whole day. But people in Coalpit Heath have to pay £2.30 to travel two miles to Yate Bus Station, and the only day pass for multiple journeys is one covering the whole West of England, costing £7.50.

First Bus currently has three localised travel zones covering Bath and surrounding villages, Bristol, including Keynsham, and

South Gloucestershire councillors Tristan Clark, Claire Young and Jon Lean with Frampton Cotterell parish councillor Pat Hockey. urban parts of South Gloucestershire, and the Weston-super-Mare area.

The councillors from South Gloucestershire's Lib Dem group are calling for the area to have the same and are hosting a petition on their website.

First commercial director Rob Pymm said the firm covered "a diverse set of markets", which were hard to compare directly.

He said the West of England Zone price of

£7.50 "remains good value" and there were local fares for journeys within Thornbury and Yate.

He added: "We've also reduced the price of return journeys across the region from January 23, with our new 2-Trip tickets, which reduce the price of the shortest return journeys in South Gloucestershire outside our Yate and Thornbury town fare areas from £5 to £4.40.

"The key is that where fares are reduced, we need to see significant increases in passenger numbers for them to be viable, so we will be looking closely at the impact of these latest reductions and use that to inform any future plans."

Cllr Young said: “Compared to living in Weston-super-Mare, if you are a resident in Yate or Thornbury you are paying considerably more for your bus journey, even with the fare changes."

Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who has responsibility for planning public transport, said plans for a set daily price, "tapping in" on buses with a debit card, were in the pipeline.

He said: "I would like that set price to be consistent across the region, whether you live in Yate or Bristol or Bath."

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February, 2022

n NEWS YATE'S MP is standing by a petition against plans for a tower block in the centre of Yate, despite assurances that there is no chance of one being built.

Luke Hall launched a campaign against a "multi-storey tower block in the centre of Yate", saying 95% of residents agreed with him that the town did not want or need one.

The campaign originally said that the tower block plan had been proposed by developers and appeared in the masterplan for future development recently agreed by South Gloucestershire Council.

But after the council issued a statement insisting the masterplan, which aims to guide the future development of Yate, did not include a tower block, the MP amended the campaign, focusing on a section of the brochure sent to potential buyers of Yate Shopping Centre which includes images of a multi-storey building.

The centre was put up for sale last year, with a reported price tag of £53 million.

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yate&sodburyvoice

13

MP stands by tower block campaign as centre's future remains unclear to make any comment on whether a deal has been struck.

The tower block petition link on Mr Hall's website has now been closed.

But a spokesperson for the MP said more than 4,500 residents had added their names to the petition, both via physical copies and online, which made it clear that "a proposal for a tower block in Yate are completely unacceptable and will be fought every step of the way".

Mr Hall said: “The incredible support has given me the clear evidence to demonstrate to developers and to South Gloucestershire Council, that a multi-storey tower block is completely inappropriate for our town. I will leave them in no doubt about how strongly our community feels about this issue.”

A South Gloucestershire

Council spokesperson said: "The masterplan shows the vision of buildings of a maximum of two floors with a pitched roof along the edges of the town centre, whilst elsewhere heights will be limited to what is appropriate for the character of Yate. A stand-alone tower block does not feature in the masterplan.

“A 12-week public consultation was held during the Summer 2021, which gave residents the opportunity to comment on the draft masterplan for Yate. Local people did raise concerns about a perceived reduction in parking and perceived high rise buildings in the town centre, that they felt would impact on the character of the town. The project team along with the public and private sector partners on the steering group reviewed the feedback received and agreed the final redrafted

masterplan to ensure these concerns were taken into account."

Yate North ward Liberal Democrat councillor Mike Drew told the January 20 public meeting of the Yate Community Engagement forum: "Our MP is campaigning against a skyscraper in Yate Shopping Centre even though that was removed from the masterplan some time ago."

He said his fellow councillors Ruth Davis and Chris Willmore had worked with the masterplan committee "to get the proposal modified", saying the MP was "campaigning about something that's already been done".

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14

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

n NEWS

Andy unlocks the secrets of prison life A FORMER prison officer from Yate has completed the task of a lifetime by publishing the first history of Bristol’s prisons, almost 40 years after he started researching the subject.

Andy Griffin, who was born in Ashton almost 80 years ago, served in the Prison Service from 1972 until 2002, and during that time became something of an expert on Bristol’s jails.

He said: "Prisons have always been a bit secretive, so it just needed doing.

"Few people know that with Horfield, Pucklechurch, Leyhill and Eastwood Park all close by, there are over 2,000 prisoners held in our area.”

Andy had never considered working in a prison until he turned 30. He had had numerous jobs in and around Bristol but never felt settled in any of them.

He said: "I joined the Prison Service and started at Horfield in 1972 and my first impression was 'what on earth have I let myself in for?'

"The first shock was having to be on duty at seven o’clock in the morning and the working conditions would have put most people off, but if you do it long enough you get used to it."

Andy admits that at times the job was quite scary.

Asked about his worst experiences, he said: "I suppose a couple of riots, which might sound a bit blasé but it came with the job.

"I also ran up against a few notorious people as I moved around, but if you didn’t get scared there was something wrong with you, I think!"

Andy's book

Andy Griffin with a prisoner in the 1980s Apart from Bristol Prison, Andy’s career also took him to some of the UK's most notorious jails, including The Maze and Magilligan in Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles – both of which housed paramilitary prisoners.

He said: "You could describe it as ‘pretty grim’ but it was also interesting.

"You felt totally out of your depth being literally in a different country and a new regime and a different balance of life there.

"At The Maze we never even went out of the gates. We lived on the camp and most people didn’t want to go out, because you were considered to be a target in the community.

"The first thing I did was

grow my hair long to try and blend in!"

Andy’s desire to document life in Bristol’s prisons was inspired by his time at Horfield and the prison’s centenary in 1983. There was a lot of media interest in the event and, because he had spent some time reading old records about the building’s history, he was the officer nominated to speak to the press and TV. He said: "I was asked to meet with them because it's not the sort of place anyone can just wander round.

"During my time there I had made various notes about the prison’s history during my lunch hours and had collected a box full of stuff, which I thought might be useful one day.

"It was only during lockdown,

well over thirty years later, that I suddenly thought ‘I can do something with all those bits of information now!’

"So I got together all these bits of paper and decided to put it in a book."

Andy hopes his book will give the public an insight into what life is really like inside prison instead of how it is portrayed on TV and film.

He said: "Nobody knows what goes on.

"One of the offices I used to work in at Horfield was actually the old condemned cell!

"When I gave talks to groups like the WI, people used to have the impression that Horfield locked up about 30 shoplifters and they were surprised when I told them that there were around 600 prisoners there.

"People drive past Horfield and Leyhill and they don’t really have a clue what goes on behind the walls and most of the time they probably don’t care either."

Bristol’s Prisons Unlocked is available to order online as an ebook or paperback – visit amzn. to/35rM6SL for more details.

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yate&sodburyvoice

16

February, 2022

n STROUD AUCTIONS

Suffragette history goes under the hammer

MEMENTOES of the suffragettes' historic struggle to win women the vote attracted huge interest at Stroud Auctions' January sale.

The surprise lot of the auction was an Edwardian scrapbook relating to Inspector Scantlebury, an officer of the House of Commons Police, which included many suffragette-related items.

As well as press cuttings, there was a small watercolour of a police officer with a 'Votes for Women' poster behind, marked as being from Kathleen King – possibly the adopted daughter of leading suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, who founded the Women's Social and Political Union.

The scrapbook sparked intense phone and online bidding before selling for £1,658.

The WSPU's motto was "deeds, not words," and among the tactics they used to draw attention to their cause was hunger striking by members who had been imprisoned.

A hallmarked silver suffragette hunger strike medal in its original

This 200-year-old double bass sold for more than £80,000 The Suffragette hunger strike medal awarded to Frances Outerbridge raised more than £17,000 named case, awarded to Frances Outerbridge, engraved with her name and dated March 1, 1912, sold for £17,098 at the auction.

She is believed to have been arrested as part of a windowsmashing protest involving around 150 women on that date in the West End of London, under her mother's maiden name of Williams.

Frances, who was in her mid-60s at the time, was later sentenced to four months in prison for what she told magistrates was a "political protest against injustice", and is recorded as one of 26 prisoners who went on hunger strike but were deemed to be too ill to be force fed and were released in June of that year.

A total of 1,837 online bidders took part in the auction on January 12 and 13, which featured 1,344 lots.

The star of the show was

undoubtedly an English double bass, made in London around 1820 by John F Lott of the Thomas Dodd School, known as the “King of the English double bass makers”, which achieved the highest price of the auction when it was sold for £80,256.

Referenced in a book on the subject, it is a truly outstanding instrument which realised a breathtaking price.

Stroud Auctions staff are now busy finalising the catalogue for our February 9 and 10 auction, which will include medals & militaria, guns and weapons, sporting items, taxidermy, ceramics and glass, along with cameras, scientific instruments, weights and scales. Viewing day on Tuesday February 8 is open to all between 10am and 6pm. The catalogue will be available online from a week before the auction date.

To consign an item for auction call in to our saleroom on any Friday from 9am-4pm, or send images to valuations@ stroudauctions.co.uk.

STROUD AUCTION ROOMS Free valuations every Friday 9am-4pm at our saleroom, free home visits or email valuations@stroudauctions.co.uk

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Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

17

n NEWS COUNCILS, land owners and the area's sewage company are working together on a project to reduce the risk of flooding on the river Frome.

Organisations which have signed up to the Frome Catchment Innovation Programme have pledged to use a "whole-systems approach" to make improvements along the length of the river, which is prone to flooding in areas including Frampton Cotterell.

South Gloucestershire Council is working with Bristol City Council, Wessex Water and the Environment Agency on the scheme, which will be developed this year if £6 million in funding is approved.

The idea is to coordinate local improvements across the whole of the river catchment from its source at Dodington, through the Chipping Sodbury and Yate area all the way to Bristol city centre, where the Frome flows into the Floating Harbour.

Ideas include creating new ponds and woody dams in rural, upstream areas of South

New project to reduce flood risk for river Frome The Frome floods a footpath on Glebeland, Frampton Cotterell, in December 2020.

Picture: Richard Drew Gloucestershire and 'sustainable drainage systems' (SuDS) to slow the flow of rainwater into sewer systems in urban Bristol by mimicking natural processes.

Details of the exact areas where new ideas could be tried have still to be decided.

South Gloucestershire

Road works underway WORK has started on a project to build new cycle lanes between Yate and Coalpit Heath.

The South Gloucestershire Council scheme on the A432 Badminton Road is expected to take another four months and is the first phase in a project to create a safe cycle route from Yate to the Avon Ring Road.

The road is being narrowed at first and temporary traffic lights will be in use later on in the works.

The Coalpit Heath to Nibley Lane section will have a new cycle lane raised up to create a separate protected track, 2m wide.

The current 40mph limit on the stretch of road now being worked on will be permanently reduced to 30mph under the plan.

Previous cycle lanes were "well below the standards" set out by the government, the council says.

Council cabinet member for the environment, Steve Reade, said: “We are delighted that the Frome Catchment Innovation Programme has received this funding, which will help us look at new ways to improve flood risk management through innovative and nature-based solutions.

"This supports our climate emergency goals by helping us to support local wildlife, enhance some of our public spaces and reinforce local flood resilience in the surrounding areas.”

Flooding is just one of the issues facing the river.

In October the Voice reported that high levels of phosphate and nitrate pollution had been found in more than half of samples collected from the river Frome by volunteers last summer and analysed by the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust.

In January MPs on the Commons Environmental Audit Committee warned that every river in England was affected by pollution from raw sewage, microplastics and slurry.

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yate&sodburyvoice

18

February, 2022

n RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Ann Murray founded the Cooking4 Cookery School based in Chipping Sodbury.

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

Making good choices: healthy lasagne THIS month’s recipe comes to you straight from my heart. By that, I mean I’m trying to encourage people to eat less meat and be good to their heart and arteries.

This is one of my favourite veggie recipes and it ticks all my boxes – it can be prepared ahead, frozen if you like, doesn’t take too long to prep, looks colourful and,

most importantly, tastes great. My husband loves his meat, but he really enjoys this recipe, especially after the Christmas excess.

Please don’t be put off by the length of the ingredients list. All of the ingredients are readily available. You may well have them in your store cupboard or fridge.

Feel free to swap listed veg for

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what you already have to hand, and it goes without saying that you can always leave out any veg you don’t care for.

Butternut squash lasagne

Serves 2 Ingredients: Yellow and red pepper- ½ of each, small, chopped Butternut squash – small one, prepared so that you have about 225g (8oz) of peeled squash. No need to remove the skin, just take out the seeds. Save some to roast with other veg, disregard the rest. Bin the hairy strands from inside.

Cauliflower – ½ small-sized, cut into small florets Red onion – 1 – sliced into rings and then rings cut in half Carrot – 1, chunkily chopped Spinach – 250g bag Tinned tomatoes – 1 tin – 400g Tomato puree – 1 tbsp Worcester Sauce – 1 tbsp.

Tabasco Sauce – splash Freshly chopped basil and marjoram or 1 teaspoon each dried.

Oregano, dried, 1 teaspoon Garlic – 2-3 cloves according to taste, finely chopped or grated Fresh chilli – ½, finely chopped with most of the seeds removed if you don’t like it too fiery! - optional Vegetable stock -200 ml (8fl oz) Lasagne pasta sheets – 3 to 4 depending on depth of dish Greek yogurt – 200ml Eggs, large 2 Mozzarella – 110g (4oz) – torn.

Parmesan cheese- 75g (3oz), freshly grated Olive oil Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5 Here’s what you do 1 Put the prepped veg (apart from the onion, carrot and garlic) on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and cook in the preheated oven for 20 mins. (Use a flavoured oil if liked. I often use chilli oil).

2 Whilst the veg is cooking, prep the spinach. Wash if required.

Put in a colander and pour a kettle of boiling water over it to

make it wilt. Then run some cold water over it to stop it cooking any more. Squeeze as much water out of it as you can. Put to one side.

3 Heat olive oil in pan and add onion and garlic.

4 Add carrot. Cook until softened, about 5 mins. Fry gently for an extra couple of mins.

5 Add chopped tinned tomatoes and tomato purée.

6 Fry gently for couple of mins.

7 Add stock. Add herbs last, with the chillies, if using. Check seasoning.

8 Simmer for at least 10-15 mins, until some of the liquid has been absorbed.

9 Add the roasted veg to the tomato sauce.

To Assemble: 10 Grease the ovenproof dish with a butter wrapper and place one sheet of lasagne pasta on the bottom of the dish.

11 Spoon a layer of tomato sauce over the pasta, then half the torn mozzarella.

12 Place a sheet of pasta on top and then another layer of tomato sauce and mozzarella. Lay a final layer of pasta on top.

13 Mix the yogurt with the eggs and spread it over the last sheet of pasta. Make sure all the pasta is covered, otherwise it will dry out.

14 Divide the prepped spinach into small balls and scatter over the yogurt layer. Break up the rest of the mozzarella and place between the spinach. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top of the dish.

15 Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins or until golden brown. Remove from the oven.

16 Cover the dish with foil and let the lasagne stand for about 10 minutes to make it easier to cut and serve.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

February, 2022

yate&sodburyvoice

19

n NEWS

Climate plan in danger of failing, campaigners warn CAMPAIGNERS say South Gloucestershire Council's plan to respond to the climate crisis will fail unless the authority takes it more seriously.

The council declared a 'Climate Emergency' in 2019 and worked out a strategy to become 'carbon neutral' by 2030, cutting emissions, generating renewable energy, planting more trees, protecting nature and making sure the area is prepared for the impact of climate change.

Annual action plans are produced and checked to see if the council is meeting its targets.

But campaigners say the latest action plan is of "huge concern".

The South Glos Climate Action Network, a non-party political group of residents, academics, and local environmental group members, says it "broadly supports and endorses" the council strategy but says: • Not enough resources are being

put into meeting the action plan, with only three waged officers directly responsible for it, while Bristol has 25.

• The plan contains no short term measurable targets, which means there is no way for people to know exactly whether the council is on target.

• The plan shows the council is behind schedule on 29 of its targets – a third of the total.

• The plan is supposed to be examined by a cross-party scrutiny group before being presented but this did not happen in time, leading the Liberal Democrats to say cross party agreement had ended.

• Advisory group meetings of University of the West of England experts to review council actions now include council officers, which means the officers are "marking their own homework".

SGCAN member Sean Rhodes, who raised the group's concerns when the action plan

was presented at a council meeting in December said: "We want to support the council, but we are concerned that a failure to set clear and measurable targets, with properly-funded council staff implementing them, which are then properly scrutinised by elected councillors, will mean that this plan will fail."

A council spokesperson said the number of full-time officers was increasing to four but the figures did not take account of work "dispersed across the organisation" to produce a council-wide response.

The authority said figures for reductions of CO2 emissions were reported and it was working to progress towards meeting all of its targets.

The spokesperson said that the council administration would "continue to engage" with opposition groups, who had not requested a progress report before the latest plan was presented, and that, while

the council's climate emergency team met with the UWE advisory group, the group did not include any council representatives.

The spokesperson said: “We provide regular, detailed, and transparent reports on our commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030, and we set an annual carbon reduction target which covers both area-wide and our own, direct emissions.

"Our reporting illustrates the trajectory of our carbon reduction against these targets, along with a detailed commentary on our progress.

“UWE provides us with technical advice and recommendations to support our response to the Climate Emergency, and after discussion with UWE, the vast majority of these recommendations are fed into our action plan to achieve net zero.”

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20

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

n LOCAL MP

We do not need a 35% expansion of Chipping Sodbury A DEVELOPER is proposing to build 725 new houses on the land to the immediate east of St John’s Way in Chipping Sodbury, increasing the number of homes in the town by 35% in one application. Referred to as the “Kings Park Garden Neighbourhood”, the proposal would double the number of houses currently along St Johns Way. These plans are completely inappropriate, and I am calling on South Gloucestershire Council to reject them in full.

Firstly, these plans do not deliver the right level of infrastructure and community facilities that we would need.

Pressure would be increased on local schools and health services and on our local roads, such as St John’s Way, Wickwar Road and Cotswold Road, which already

experience a high volume of traffic, increasing congestion, present serious questions regarding road safety and increasing pollution levels.

Secondly, the environmental impact of a development of this scale in the area would be detrimental and costly to the local ecosystem, particularly when considering the impact on natural habitats for wildlife and the infringement of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which surrounds the proposed site.

The application has not fully considered the full environmental consequences for the area, or the potential safety and insurance consequences of the impact of the river Frome. There are particular concerns about the development being situated in close proximity to the Frome

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

river, specifically regarding land north of the proposed site. This is situated in a Flood Zone 3, which means there is a possibility of flooding.

Building 725 new homes could also change the identity of Chipping Sodbury and alter the unique character and identity of our small market town. Such a disproportionately large-scale development might also set a precedent for further housing in the future.

A 35% increase in the number of houses in Chipping Sodbury is inappropriate and unsustainable, and our town does not have the infrastructure to support such a large expansion.

I will be working with local councillors, our Mayor James Ball and local residents to fight these proposals every step of the way.

I am hugely grateful to all the

Luke Hall MP writes for Yate & Sodbury Voice

residents who have supported this campaign by signing my petition against the developer’s proposals. It’s not too late for the Yate and Sodbury Voice readers to add their names to the petition on my website: lukehall.org.uk/ form/no-to-35-expansion-ofchipping-s.

We live in one of the most beautiful communities anywhere in the country. As a local man and the local MP, I will continue to fight to ensure it stays that way whilst protecting our local identity and heritage.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

21

n NEWS

Pharmacist honoured for service in pandemic A PHARMACIST who has helped deliver thousands of coronavirus vaccinations has been made an MBE. Ade Williams has held regular clinics at the Longwell Green Community Centre, delivering first, second and booster jabs to people from across South Gloucestershire and beyond.

Ade, the superintendent pharmacist at Bristol Travel Clinic, Abbotswood Pharmacy in Yate – which is now also delivering walk-in covid jabs – and Bedminster Pharmacy, was honoured for services to the NHS and the community, particularly during COVID-19, in the New Year Honours list.

Early in the pandemic he worked with Bristol group This Mum Runs to deliver medicines and other essentials from local pharmacies and he has regularly appeared on national and local media to offer advice.

Ade said: “I feel most undeserving – what I do is what

Ade Williams MBE everybody who works in the NHS does and replicates the generosity of our community.

"The lesson is that when we all work together, we can make things better for everyone. It truly represents the community and the NHS at its very best.

"What a privilege and honour to have the opportunity to contribute to both. I am truly grateful for everyone that supports the work of our Abbotswood Pharmacy Team, and our local NHS as together, we care for and protect the most

n PHARMACY NEWS How to get a good sleep EINSTEIN had ten a night but Churchill, Napoleon and Margaret Thatcher just four.

Getting by on a few hours' sleep was once viewed as a measure of a leader's mental stamina.

But the NHS reports that a third of UK adults – particularly older people and children – experience problems sleeping.

Regular poor sleep puts people at risk of health conditions such as depression, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Some simple lifestyle changes can make a world of difference to your sleep quality.

The NHS suggests some 10 simple tips: 1) Keep regular sleep hours every day to programme your body to sleep better.

2) Create a restful environment – no electronic devices and make it cool, dark and quiet.

3) Make sure your bed is comfortable - your mattress shouldn't be too soft or hard.

4) Exercise regularly - regular swimming or walking can help relieve tension built up over the day, but vigorous exercise too close to bedtime may keep you awake.

5) Cut down on caffeine, especially in the evening - try a warm, milky drink or herbal tea instead.

6) Don't go to bed full, hungry or thirsty – it can interrupt your sleep pattern.

7) Don't smoke - nicotine is a stimulant.

8) Relax before going to bed - try a warm bath, listen to quiet music or do gentle yoga.

9) Write away your worries - plan the next day before you go to bed.

10) If you cannot sleep, get up - do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again.

Abbostwood Pharmacy can help with self-care measures to help with sleep difficulty. If you or a child regularly find it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep, speak with a GP.

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vulnerable in our community.”

Also honoured is the area's former police and crime commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, who has been made an OBE for her services to the community in Bristol, Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

The award recognises her eight and a half years as the first Avon & Somerset PCC, which included an extra year after elections scheduled for May 2020 were postponed because of the first lockdown.

A magistrate and police authority member before her election, she was also previously a director of the Mountstevens Bakeries chain.

During her time in office Ms Mountstevens had a particular focus on victim support, securing extra funding for services helping survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence during the lockdown.

Ms Mountstevens said: "This is a tremendous honour, and one that I humbly accept on behalf of an amazing team at the office of PCC. "The role of the PCC is to listen to all, especially the quiet voices."

Current PCC Mark Shelford, elected after Ms Mountstevens stepped down in May, said: "I am delighted that Sue Mountstevens has been recognised for her work supporting victims across Avon and Somerset during her time as PCC."

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Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

22

February, 2022

n YATE HERITAGE CENTRE RECORDS of a single street can tell us much about Yate on the eve of the Second World War, says David Hardill.

ALTHOUGH the unveiling of the 1921 census records this year will dominate local history, we feature another body of knowledge in this article, namely the 1939 Registration.

The 1939 data is effectively a census of residents, ages and professions up and down the country on the eve of the Second World War. In recent times, our intrepid volunteer staff have started going through these records, which shed light on the state of the area just before the outbreak of war.

This article features the finding of just one street: Maybank Road in Yate.

We selected Maybank Road as it was part of the newly-built Heathfield estate, south of Station Road, which embodied many of the recent changes to the parish of Yate.

The town was still small: around 2,000 inhabitants, compared to

Fascinating record of life in 1939 around 23,000 today.

Many of the parishioners were newcomers and occupied the roads around Maybank Road and Wellstead Avenue and the embryonic Ridge Estate, which was just being constructed.

A study of Maybank Road demonstrates that families and individual men had moved into mainly rented accommodation to work in the new factories, which were gearing up for war.

Within living memory farming, mining and domestic service had been leading employers, but now heavy engineering prevailed.

In the 38 houses on Maybank Road, there were 17 men working in the aircraft industry. Although some may have worked at the Bristol Aircraft Company, the majority would have worked at the expanding aircraft works in Yate – Parnall Aircraft Ltd. Parnalls was employing nearly 3,000 people by this time, undertaking a myriad of different functions. There were machinists and fitters of all kinds.

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Meet the team Tina Bennett

Lynn Bevan

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

Parnall aircraft dance, 1939. Picture: R Jordan.

Newman Industries also employed over 1,000 workers, producing electric motors and bombshell cases. Four Maybank residents were directly engaged in processing electrical motors and four others were capstan lathe hands, which may well have been drilling holes for the shells.

The 1939 register also demonstrated how much would change during war. By 1940-41, significant numbers of women were working in a variety of engineering roles at both Parnalls and Newmans, filling the gaps left by men on service. By contrast, in September 1939 nearly every woman in Maybank Road is

described as having unpaid domestic duties, apart from one nurse, a laundress and a tailoress.

The 1939 record also provides other snapshots of immediate prewar life. In anticipation of war, two Maybank Road men were already ARP wardens and one woman was an ARP nurse. There were also two special constables with impending wartime duties.

Clearly, the quality of information dictates that we need to take our time with the 1939 project. Often the local build up to war is neglected, as we focus on the drama of war itself. The 1939 Register at least enables us to redress the imbalance.

Diary dates February 1 – March 27: Swinging Sixties in Yate exhibition – the history of this dramatic time and the people who shaped the town and parish.

February 16: Yate Archaeological Group Meeting, 7.30pm, Poole Court. Speaker TBC. £3 Admission; booking essential.

February 22: Yate Lecture Series, 7.30pm, Poole Court. History of Bristol Brewing, with Anastatia Miller. £2 admission or free for Friends of YHC. Booking essential.

February 21-25: Holiday events.

MGM Garden Services • Grass Cutting • Hedge Trimming • Tree Works • Lawn Care • Patio/Decking Cleaning • General Garden Maintenance Competitive Prices No Job Too Big or Too Small Why not give us a call for a free quote

07721 791015 Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

23

n NEWS

Michael and Helen's diamond celebration A YATE couple received a surprise visit to help celebrate their diamond wedding.

Michael and Helen Hampton of Yate reached the milestone on December 27, having married in 1961.

The couple met on holiday in Weymouth where they were each caravanning with friends. Their friends also went on to marry and the two couples remained lifelong friends.

Michael started his working life in BAC's accounting department and, after trying his hand at other jobs, he was working in insurance when he retired.

Helen worked at the Yate branch of Boots for more than 20 years.

The couple have spent their lives in the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area, bringing up daughter Geraldine, who still lives and works locally.

They have two granddaughters and two great-

Dodington Parish Council chairman Chris Zapata visits Michael and Helen Hampton. grandchildren, and have many friends in the area.

Asked the secret to a long marriage, Geraldine said her parents had supported each other through good and bad times, and are not fazed by anything that life throws at them.

To congratulate them, Dodington Parish Council

chairman Chris Zapata visited Michael and Helen and presented them with flowers.

The parish council is encouraging residents who know of a local couple about to celebrate a special anniversary to email clerk@dodingtonpc.org.uk or call 01454 866546 to arrange a similar surprise.

Play area grant A PLAY area is set to be improved with money paid by developers.

South Gloucestershire Council is allocating more than £110,000 to Chipping Sodbury Town Council to fund play improvements at The Ridings play area.

The money has been signed off by the council's cabinet after being paid by builders as part of a legal deal for permission to build homes on land at Florence Gardens, east of Trinity LaneA town council spokesperson said the council was in the early stages of considering how the funding will be spent but it would be "ring-fenced for play equipment".

Developer Bellway Homes, which is building new homes in Yate at the Ladden Garden Village development off Clayhill Drive, has given £500 each to Broadway Infant School and Brimsham Green School to buy new play equipment and picnic benches for pupils to eat at respectively.

Yate Town Council is developing an exciting and important new project, the Local Nature Action Plan (LNAP).

LOCAL

ACTION PLAN

PUBLIC CONSULTATION IS OPEN!

Our Local Nature Action Plan (LNAP) aims to support & enhance green spaces for nature to thrive, while creating healthier, happier places to live! To find out more visit our website: yatetowncouncil.gov.uk/consultations consultation closing date 28.02.2022

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

The LNAP aims to: • improve how we manage and connect public open spaces and strengthen green corridors; • support and enhance local initiatives for biodiversity in green and urban spaces; • provide vital green space for nature to thrive in our communities; • create more attractive and healthier places to live for residents of the present and future; • plan to respond to the effects of climate change, taking actions to counter environmental harm on a local, national, and global level.

We invite residents to give their opinion of the LNAP. The full version and summary can be viewed on the Yate Town Council website (Consultations page). Comments and feedback can be emailed to: info@yatetowncouncil.gov.uk by 5pm on 28th February 2022. Please state “LNAP Consultation” as the email subject.

If you would like to find out more about this project or work with Yate Town Council to develop local nature plans, please get in touch.

For further information about the Town Council’s Climate and Planet commitment, please contact Yate Town Council at info@yatetowncouncil.gov.uk or telephone 01454 866506.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

24

n NEWS

February, 2022

School trips are back PUPILS at Iron Acton Primary School enjoyed their return of school trips with a day at Bristol Aerospace Museum.

The children took part in activities to develop their science and engineering knowledge. Their next trip is to go fossil hunting at Aust as part Iron Acton Primary School children at of their learning about work during their trip to Bristol Aerospace Museum. the work of Charles Darwin.

The school has also held an art day where pupils had to create a work with "anything but a paint brush".

Upcoming projects for February include LGBT History Month, Children’s Mental Health Week and Safer Internet Day. Executive head teacher Mike Riches said the school was working to promote positive mental health by developing an outdoor "wellbeing and reflection area" for children to visit when needed and training a member of staff is taking part in the national Mental Health Champions programme.

The school is also involved in award schemes for promoting active travel, introducing a "walking bubble" which encourages families to park at least five minutes' walk away from school and walk the rest of the way, and a Church School Partnership Award for its work with St James the Less Church in Iron Acton.

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For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

25

n LETTERS Tell us if you cannot afford to travel WE fully appreciate the difficulties that residents of Cambrian Green (Voice, January) are having with bus access and their comments about our fares.

Many of our passengers use community transport as they struggle to access a public bus stop, or there may not be a route they can access.

Our fare for a return journey within Yate is £5.50 with a bus pass, so £2.25 each way. We ensure our fares are affordable but we also have to make sure the service is viable.

Fares were raised this year, and the previous rise was in 2018.

Passengers benefit from our service being door to door, fully accessible and a supportive travel environment: drivers will assist with shopping bags or trolleys.

We are also able to transport wheelchairs and scooters and offer a comprehensive risk assessment and individualised travel plan.

Our Ring and Ride service has a loyalty card scheme, with the tenth journey free.

We are also able to take bookings for medical appointments as far in advance as possible, and work with passengers who have to make regular bookings.

We are incredibly lucky and grateful to have a wonderful team of volunteers that take passengers in their own cars to hospital appointments, paying 45p per mile directly to the volunteer to cover their fuel expenses.

If any passenger or potential passenger is experiencing financial difficulties we would welcome them to contact us on 01454 228706 or manager@ greencommunitytravel.co.uk.

Part of the purpose of our service is to promote independence and alleviate loneliness and social isolation, and we would not want people to experience barriers to accessing our transport.

Jenny Bright Manager Green Community Travel Ltd

n COMMUNITY NEWS Yate-Genieri Link

THE Yate-Genieri Link is starting 2022 in optimistic mode, and planning another Gambian Supper for February 12 at Rangeworthy Village Hall at 7pm.

We will offer an amazing menu of delicious Gambian food – as on previous, pre-pandemic, very popular evenings!

There will also be a project update – after two years there is quite a lot of news.

For tickets call me on 07837 588362 or email genierilink@gmail.com.

The Link between Yate and the village of Genieri in The Gambia remains strong, and we are pleased to continue our support for the preschool day care centre, the one-hectare women's garden and the primary healthcare centre.

The Link was able to use reserves to send a truckload of rice each month, for six months, to the village in 2020 during Gambia's lockdown.

For more details visit our website www.yategenierilink.org.uk or our Facebook page.

Marian Gilpin

Guide dogs need your help GUIDE Dogs, a charity which supports blind and partially sighted people, is looking for volunteers in Yate, Chipping Sodbury and all around South Gloucestershire.

Guide Dogs' ambition is for a future where every person with sight loss has the confidence and support to live their lives to the full. To fulfil this aim and keep providing free services to those who need it most, we are looking for several volunteers to fill varying roles.

If you enjoy meeting new people and working as a team, you could be a valuable addition to their volunteering team.

At the moment, we need fundraisers to attend and plan local events, group coordinators to build relationships with networks, organisations, schools and social groups, and merchandise coordinators responsible for ordering and looking after our branded stock, for stalls or events

in the community.

If raising funds is not your cup of tea, Guide Dogs are also looking for puppy raisers.

If you have the time to commit to this full-time role, lasting from 12-14 months, you could provide a loving home for one of our puppies and prepare them for their future guide dog training.

You’ll learn everything there is to know about puppy development and get support every step of the way from regular classes, fellow puppy raisers and our friendly and expert puppy development advisors. This is an incredibly demanding yet rewarding volunteering role.

If you would like to apply or find out more, please visit www. guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer and input your postcode to show you the roles available in your area, or email me at patrycja.janecka@ guidedogs.org.uk.

Pat Janecka Volunteering coordinator The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

Yate u3a OUR first event of 2022 was a talk given by Dr Carolyn Morton, a forensic scientist from UWE. 'Drugs, Alcohol and Poisons' was a weighty topic, but Dr Morton combined interesting facts and statistics with fascinating case histories and an engaging sense of humour.

The audience were alternately shocked and amused, and came away understanding a bit more about the world of forensic science.

Members of Yate and Sodbury District u3a can attend ten talks over the year, which are included in the £8 membership fee.

They are held at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall on the first Friday afternoon of the month at 2pm and cover a wide range of general interest topics, so there is something for everybody.

In February, Andrew Stalker will give a talk on the Old Vic, then and now – a must for theatre fans.

Further details of future events and the wide range of interest groups available can be found on the Yate u3a website, u3asites.org.uk/yatesodbury/home.

Jean Crispin

Greenway Gardens

Tree & Garden Maintenance Services Fully Qualified & Insured, 10 years experience All aspects of Tree & Hedge work/Landscaping Contract Lawn Mowing from £10 60+ 5 Star Customer Ratings Address: 90 Chedworth, Yate

Email: Greenwaygardens@hotmail.co.uk Contact: Sam Salvage 07710 608 211 For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

26

February, 2022

n PETER'S VISION

Learning from nature

See Clearly

Glasses with Clear Vision Built In 57 Henleaze Road

768 Fishponds Road

Bristol BS9 4JT

Bristol BS16 3UA

0117 962 2474

0117 965 4434

eyecareteam@turnersopticians.co.uk www.turnersopticians.co.uk Turners Eye Care Ltd T/A Turners Opticians Incorporated in England & Wales Reg No. 8201460 Subject to availability, T&C’s apply.

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

I WAS having a fascinating conversation with a patient at our practice recently. We started on the technology we use to make our lenses easy to keep clean (I’ve written before about using microfibre cloths to pick up the microscopic particles off your glasses lenses - just email us for an explanation if this is a new one to you).

This led to a discussion of the biology of the Lotus plant, and while of course there are differences, if you’re not familiar with botany, it has similarities to water lilies.

Now I’m most definitely not a botanist, so here’s my understanding of this incredible plant and what we’ve learnt from its leaves, referred to as the Lotus effect. The amazing thing is how the plant achieves its self cleaning property. The leaf repels water due to possessing a surface structure of microscopically small bumps with a wax coating. This ensures that water cannot adhere to the surface and in turn flows off. As any water flows off the leaf surface debris is taken away too.

Principally this appears to be to protect from algae or fungus growing on the lotus leaves and damaging the plant structure.

Having clean leaves also looks to maximise the surface area available for photosynthesis, perhaps enabling the lotus plant to exist in more varied conditions - always an admirable characteristic for any living organism!

Why was I so interested in the natural self cleaning property of a plant? Well, we’ve all no doubt benefited from easy clean products for decades, which came in part from our study of nature as well as lab experiments. These are of course so popular that Teflon has undergone genericisation from a trademark to an adjective in common use today. The development of ultrahydrophobic surfaces, which are by their nature easy to keep clean, has many uses, which of course includes glasses lenses.

The lenses we recommend for our patients are designed to be clearer from the inside out, so much more than an afterthought addon coating you may be more familiar with. How do our lenses work?

Well, for the full details, get in touch and we’ll show you!

When it comes to your eyes, we’d love to see you and for you to experience the world class eye care we firmly believe you deserve. A visit to Turners Opticians gives you so much more than just a sight test. Don’t forget, whether it’s for reassuringly thorough eye care, or for glasses with clear and easy clean lenses, we’re here when you need us, six days per week. Just get in touch and we’ll be happy to see how we can help you. We continue to offer Covid safe ways to choose your new glasses too!

To help us keep you all safe, we’re still asking you all to telephone first to book a time to come in. Please call our Henleaze practice on 0117 962 2474 or our Fishponds practice on 0117 965 4434.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Peter

Peter Turner is a Senior Optometrist at Turners Opticians in Bristol, and also works part time as a Senior Optometrist at the Bristol Eye Hospital.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

27

n WHAT'S ON

News from Yate Library YATE Library has launched a new club, Digilocal@yate, to help children learn about coding and develop problem-solving skills.

Taking place every Wednesday from 6-7pm, sessions are hosted by at least two volunteer ambassadors.

Children have to register for a place before attending - online forms are at digilocal.org.uk/eoi.

Free craft bags are available for children during February half-term.

They will be ready to collect from February 17.

Lego club takes place on Saturday February 19 from 10.30-11.30am: listen to stories and poems, then create a model to display at the library. Session is suitable for primary-age children, who must be accompanied by an adult.

Regular events include Wriggle & Rhyme: rhymes and songs for parents and babies/toddlers to enjoy together on Thursday and Friday mornings, 9.30-10am.

A free-family friendly story time, with a simple craft for preschool children, takes place on Tuesday mornings from 9.30-10am.

Computer support with digital champion volunteers is on Saturday mornings from 10am to midday, and on Friday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm.

The craft group meets on Saturday February 12 from 10am until midday – new members always welcome. Share tips and ideas for your knitting, sewing or crochet projects.

Vision West of England holds information, advice and support dropin sessions on the second Thursday of the month from 10am to midday.

To book in for one of the above sessions call 01454 868006, speak to a member of library staff or email yate.library@southglos.gov.uk.

The library is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 10am-5.30pm and Saturday from 9.30am-2.30pm. Open access (unstaffed) is from 8am-7.30pm every day.

February 2 n WARMING MORNING FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR CANCER RESEARCH UK, at Trewin Lodge, Normandy Drive, Yate, 10.30am.

All welcome for coffee, cake and a chat in return for a small donation.

For more information call 01454 837682.

February 5 n SODBURY IN BLOOM AND AVON WILDLIFE TRUST SOUTHWOLD GROUP Primrose Bank Workday to clear brambles to help spring flowers emerge. Meet at 10am on the east side of Wickwar Road, Chipping Sodbury near the zebra crossing by the entrance to the Frome Valley Walkway. Please wear stout footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

February 8 n THE GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY BRISTOL GROUP ANDREW HOOK MEMORIAL MEETING (incorporating group annual meeting) with a Didcot speaker to be confirmed. BAWA, 589 Southmead Road, Bristol BS34 7RF, 7.30pm.

Meetings open to all with no admission charge: suggested donation of £3 towards expenses. Call Dave Winter on 01454 324230 for more details.

February 12 n YATE-GENIERI LINK GAMBIAN

SUPPER, Rangeworthy Village Hall, 7pm. Tickets £12 from Marian Gilpin on 07837 588362 or by email at genierilink@gmail.com.

March 2 n DOWNEND FLOWER ARRANGING CLUB, Lincombe Barn, Overndale Road, Downend, 7.30pm.

Demonstration with Jenny York.

Visitors welcome: £8 at the door.

REGULAR EVENTS:

Monday n PUCKLECHURCH SHORT MAT BOWLS CLUB meets every Monday and Wednesday, 7.30pm10pm and Sunday 2.30pm-5pm at the Village Hall. All levels welcome. More information from Kath on 07517 129774.

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.

Send by email, with 'what's on' as the subject, to contact@ yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

www.avonfire.gov.uk

Have your say on our Service Plan Proposal 2022 - 2025

If you are not online or would like information in a different format please call us on: 0117 926 2061

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Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

28

February, 2022

WILL & PROBATE ADVICE

99% of clients recommend Simpson Solicitors How do you choose the right legal support to look after and protect you and your family?

With Wills and Powers of Attorney, the issues are so very personal that you need to feel confident your legal advisor is someone you trust, and someone who will take the time to understand what you want to achieve.

You know that using a firm of solicitors will give you the extra protection of high standards of legal training, insurance, and protection against unexpected charge, but which firm of solicitors is right for you?

Probably the best way would be to ask clients of the firm, but that is not always possible. So our local specialist Wills firm Simpson

Solicitors have carried out research with 625 of their clients who agreed to take part, and the results are in....

99% of their clients said they were so pleased they would recommend their Wills and Powers of Attorney service to their friends and family."

For further peace of mind, this is backed up by their South West offices having 149 (as we go to print) 5 star reviews on Google. Also they won the prestigious 2020 Law Firm of the Year in the Wills and Probate awards.

John and Michelle BadenDaintree opened Simpson Solicitors at a time when many firms are closing local offices. They pledge to provide our area with a conveniently located local Wills Service at competitive prices. This includes free home visits.

John says, “I am so proud of our team of friendly legal advisors for achieving such impressive results.

We stayed open throughout

Covid-19. Covid-19 has shown everyone the importance of using a local Wills service that is open when you need it. I also think it is important that we include a complementary after care service to our clients and their family” Michelle says, “We aim to make every client feel Welcome, Wanted and Cared For. We constantly strive to improve the service with free home visits if getting to the office is difficult, evening meetings, free secure storage of documents, and our promise of No Hidden Costs” The service starts with a free advice meeting which they will take as long as you need and will cover issues such as who you trust to appoint as Attorney to support you if you became too ill to make decisions on your own.

To book your free meeting, just call their friendly team on 01454 322 722.

Chloe Knight

Amy Yates

79 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 6AD

01454 322 722 www.simpsonsolicitors.com

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For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

29

n COMMUNITY NEWS Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club 2021 was another frustrating and challenging year, ending as it did in a worrisome situation prompted by a rise in covid numbers.

However, we were determined not to allow Covid related issues to overly reduce our activities, which included the successful and 25th running of the annual Classic Vehicle Run, with a record entry, in June; club and family members abseiling down the wall of Southmead Hospital raising £4,000 for the hospital's charity appeal in September; the continuation of our litter picking and community garden activities and a number of financial grants and donations to deserving individuals and groups in our community and overseas.

We would also like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Family Food4Free, the Blonde Angel Street Team, the Yate and Sodbury Clean Up Group and Caring in Bristol Charity throughout the year.

The Club has been delighted to support

Old Sodbury WI ON a cold and frosty evening, members and visitors found a warm welcome in St John the Baptist Church, Old Sodbury.

Members were wished a happy New Year before settling down to a slideshow given by Alan Mildren about Lundy Island. He was an enthusiastic speaker and very knowledgeable about the geology, the history and wildlife on the island. His chief interest lay in marine conservation, with amazing photographs taken underwater of seals, basking sharks, species of coral and sea anemones to name a few.

At the beginning of the last century the Lundy Field Society was formed and they are still responsible for nature conservation on the island. Volunteers have spent several years clearing the many rhododendrons on the north side in order to encourage more varieties of plants and small mammals to survive there. Now the Lundy cabbage is thriving and this is the only place in the world where it grows with its own Lundy cabbage beetle.

The stories could have gone on and on, but it was time to stop for tea, coffee and biscuits, as a chill was setting in.

The meeting concluded with business and news of forthcoming events.

Our February 16 meeting will be a lively affair, with a demonstration of Swing Dance.

these groups and their highly appreciated efforts in the community.

We have also been pleased to cooperate with our Inner Wheel colleagues, the Lions Club of Chipping Sodbury and Sodbury in Bloom, with the support of the mayors of Chipping Sodbury and Yate.

Looking forward to the first half of 2022, covid permitting, we have in prospect tree planting, our inaugural Health and Wellbeing Day in the Town Hall on April 23, a reunion with our twinned clubs in France, Germany and Italy and a charity golf day at Chipping Sodbury Golf Club in May, and the Classic Vehicle Run on June 26.

Potential new fundraising events centred on an art auction and a musical concert, and further coordinated litter picking efforts are planned.

We are a very active club and always looking for more help, either in the form of volunteers or new members: we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please contact us at csrotaryapplication@ gmail.com.

Stuart Fraser

We hope to be in the newlyrefurbished village hall, so that we can use the floor space to have a go!

We look forward to a social evening with guests on April 2, when a two-course meal will be served. The entertainment will be a murder mystery, which will need to be solved during the evening! Tickets are available from members.

Visitors are welcome at our meetings, which are held at 7.30pm on the third Wednesday in the month at Old Sodbury Village Hall.

Susan Leah

Chipping Sodbury WI FOOD, glorious food! We were anxious to share some, but COVID-19 put a stop to our American Supper and instead we each brought our own individual plate.

Our thinking caps were on for the quiz, based on chocolate and sweets: AU100% was actually All Gold.

The evening was finished off with a Secret Santa Raffle.

The next meeting will be held on February 3 at 7.30pm in the Town Hall and our speaker will be Mark Rutherford, talking about Three Short Stories.

Come along and try something new!

Jeanette Oakley

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

Mike Pearson abseiling at Southmead Hospital. Picture: Doug Lodge

Yate & District Townswomen's Guild WE have really been enjoying our socially-distanced and safe meetings at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall.

In these uncertain times it has been so special to have time together with like-minded ladies.

Our February speaker will be Ashley Jones, on crime prevention.

The walking group have braved the weather to enjoy each other's company in the great outdoors.

The Knit & Natter and Art & Craft members have thoroughly enjoyed relaxing doing what they liked doing best - nattering and being very creative.

We are really hoping to resume our 'ladies who lunch' group as soon as it is safe to do so.

June is when her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee: this definitely will not go unnoticed by Yate and District TG, so all of us will celebrate with an afternoon tea at Tortworth Court.

We are always delighted to welcome new members who can come along to enjoy our really friendly groups of ladies.

We meet at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall on the second Wednesday of each month, from 9.45am until noon.

Christina Shinton

Friends of Kingsgate Park THREE cherry trees that have been given to us through the Sakura Cherry Tree Project of Japan have been planted in Kingsgate Park.

This project came about from the desire of the Japanese to share the Sakura trees with us in the UK. It is part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture and aims to build friendship between our two countries.

Thousands of these trees will be planted in public spaces across the UK, including the three we have been able to plant in the park.

We know they will be outstanding trees in our park and look forward to many years of enjoying the trees blossoming.

Kingsgate Park has many trees that are not native to the UK but were introduced in the 18th century.

The Friends of Kingsgate Park feel that these trees will enhance our park with their beauty.

We hope that everyone will enjoy their beauty when they flower year upon year.

For more information about the Sakura Cherry Tree Project visit the website japanuksakura.org.

Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Sue Swanborough

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

30

yate&sodburyvoice

February, 2022

n SPORT

Five wins in a row for Yate Town

YATE Town's 2-1 home win over Hartley Wintney was their fifth on the bounce – but they found it difficult to break down a side who played for over half the game with only ten men.

The visitors drew first blood after four minutes, when Aaron Goode picked out an unmarked Dan Fitchett, who headed in at the far post.

Visiting goalkeeper Tom Williams was untroubled during the first 30 minutes and when the Yate equaliser arrived it was effectively the side's first shot on target.

Jamie Adams' subtle delivery from midfield found Ollie Mehew down the left and, when he played the ball goal-wards around the advancing Williams, James Harding, following up, won the race to force the ball over the line from close range.

Yate's second, six minutes later, was a copybook set-piece. Joe Tumelty's corner was well flighted into the area and Matt Bower hardly had to move as he planted his header

back across Williams and into the far corner.

With half time approaching, the visitors then had Goode red-carded after an offthe-ball incident with Will Tunnicliff.

Despite the numerical advantage, Town found it difficult to gain control in a scrappy second half, often surrendering the ball in midfield or giving away needless free kicks.

The result followed a 3-0 away win over Merthyr Town on December 27, 2-1 home wins over Dorchester Town and Harrow Borough on New Year's Day and January 15 respectively, and a 1-0 away victory over Tiverton Town on January 19.

The run put the Bluebells in fourth place in the Southern League Premier South ahead of their trip to fellow pacesetters Chesham United on January 29.

John Davis

Goalscorer Matt Bower celebrates with Olly Mehew. Picture: B.East Photography

Cricket club already looking forward to spring IT may be cold and frosty right now, but Chipping Sodbury’s preparations for the start of the new cricket season are already moving into top gear.

Players of all ages have started to hone batting, bowling and fielding skills at indoor net practice, with strong numbers underlining a desire to make on-field progress this summer.

Chairman Andy Shield said: “We welcome players of all ages and all abilities to nets. If you’re new to the area or have not played in a while but fancy making a return to cricket then please come along.”

Youth nets for Sodbury’s boys and girls teams take place on Saturdays at Katharine Lady Berkeley's School from 10am-1pm through to March 26, while the club’s senior sides and women’s squad practise at Chipping Sodbury School on Saturdays from 6-8pm through to March 22.

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For further information, contact Sodbury through Twitter @ChipSodCC or Facebook, or via the website at chippingsodburycc.co.uk.

Sodbury are hoping to find a sponsor for new state-of-the-art covers that will protect both of the club’s squares. Anyone who is interested should email Andy at ashield61@ gmail.com.

Sodbury, meanwhile, are mourning the loss of David Carpenter, who died in January.

‘Carp’ was Gloucestershire’s oldest oneday cricketer at the time of his death at the age of 86, and also had the distinction of scoring the most half centuries, 17 in total, without ever posting a hundred in first class cricket.

He represented Gloucestershire in 117 matches from 1954-1963 as an opening batter and, after his retirement from the

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first-class game, regularly represented the star-studded Whitbread Wanderers alongside other former county and Test cricketers in friendly benefit fixtures around the country.

His association with Chipping Sodbury began in the early 1970s when the club entered the highest level of league cricket available in Bristol.

Sodbury stalwarts Derek Febry and Reg Quinlan persuaded Carp to once again don his whites and add some experience to the team, which he did along with contributing useful runs, wickets and wily tactical knowledge.

In recent times Carp was a frequent and welcome visitor to The Ridings on match days and was always keen to pass on his forthright views as a former county cricketer.

Steve Hill

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