Yate & Sodbury Voice March 2021 by Richard Drew at Yate and Sodbury Voice

yate&sodburyvoice www.yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

March, 2021 Issue 71

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

Council unveils recovery budget SOUTH Gloucestershire Council has agreed a budget of more than £400 million to deliver public services next financial year, focusing on helping people to recover from the pandemic and rise to meet the challenges of the future. The Recover and Rise budget will further the council’s key priorities of improving school standards and outcomes for young people, improving infrastructure within local communities, and delivering value for money. The budget is balanced, despite the tough financial climate.

Vital support

The budget allows for vital support for residents hit hardest by Covid-19. It includes a £1 million resilience funding package to widen the support net for those who had previously been ineligible; £102,000 “surge funding” for expanding welfare debt advice; more support for domestic violence victims, and a pay boost targeted at the lowest paid council staff.

Children and young people

Improving school standards remains the council’s top priority. Following last year’s launch of its trailblazing Recovery Curriculum, the budget includes a £1.2 million investment to launch phase two. This phase will continue the essen-

tial work to help schoolchildren to catch up on lost learning and support their general wellbeing. The council’s capital investment into school buildings hits a new record with funding committed to ensuring new primary school buildings in Winterbourne, Frenchay and Lyde Green are low carbon, reflecting the council’s climate emergency commitments. Elsewhere, upgrades and improvements to buildings are planned across the district.

Adult social care

The council tax rate will rise by 4.99 per cent, which includes three per cent to be focused on boosting adult social care services. As normal life returns, the pressure on adult social care services will continue. The remaining 1.99 per cent increase will go towards protecting wider services. This means the South Gloucestershire Council element of Council Tax for a Band D property for 2021/22 will be £1,620.39 –an extra £1.48 per week.

Boosting communities

The budget includes investment in major projects such as purchasing the Thornbury Hospital site for plans for a brand-new healthcare facility for the town; £25 million regeneration plans for Kingswood Town Centre and completing the new Yate Park and Ride, due later this year.

Getting around

Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Employment Cllr Erica Williams at Courtney School in Kingswood

The council will continue its record investment in the local highway network, with millions more to be invested in resurfacing roads and filling potholes across South Gloucestershire. It is also supporting sustainable travel options and improving cycle and pedestrian routes.

Platinum Jubilee

To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the council has

View from the Leader of the Council, Cllr Toby Savage

WELCOME - We’re proud to partner with The Voice, a great local business, for this special edition that brings you our latest news. It focuses on our new ‘Recover and Rise’ budget, designed to help you overcome the challenges of the past year. At the same time, we’re prudently managing our finances on your behalf. The pandemic is particularly tough on children and young people. For this reason, we’re launching the next phase of our trail-blazing Recovery Curriculum, a new Youth Employment Hub, and we’re significantly increasing record investments in school buildings including rebuilding Frenchay Primary School. The budget also triggers infrastructure projects to further improve local communities, including regeneration of Kingswood Town Centre, purchasing the Thornbury Hospital site to secure its future, and the completion of the Yate Park and Ride. We will also continue record investment in highways and improve how we get around the area. allocated £50,000 to prepare an activities programme across South Gloucestershire.

More to help Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This last year has changed our day-to-day lives and the council and our services have had to adapt

to meet the needs of residents, businesses and communities in the wake of Covid-19. I am proud that through this budget we are doing even more to help residents and their families recover and to rise above the challenges over the past year, widening the safety net to offer much-needed help to more people. “

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Financial support

Protecting wellbeing SOCIAL distancing and self-isolating can be daunting for all of us so it’s really important that we look after our mental and physical health. The South Glos One You service for adults, offers advice and support to help keep well, covering a range of topics, from how to stay active at home, to maintaining mental health, tips on sleeping well, quitting smoking, healthy eating and getting enough to eat. The website

is oneyou.southglos.gov.uk or people can call 01454 865337. The South Glos Mind You website www. mindyou.org.uk has advice and information on mental health for young people and children and their parents and carers, including videos and webinars, and contact details of where to get more help.

MANY people are struggling financially at the moment. It’s important to know that there are benefits and grants available. For support on looking at which options are available, please book an appointment to speak to one of the South Glos One Stop Shop customer advisors www.southglos.gov.uk/ contactus or call 01454 868009.

Successful local vaccination rollout LAST month (February), saw the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area reach a major milestone, as all care homes had been offered the Covid-19 vaccination. As of 18 February, in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area, 200,000 people had received their first dose. That success continues. To keep up to date on the rollout, please visit the BNSSG Healthier Together’s website bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk. When you qualify for a vaccine, you can book online at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week. At the time of going to print, those aged over 65; clinically vulnerable adults with underlying health conditions and those who work in social care, providing hands-on support to those vulnerable to Covid-19, are eligible for a vaccine. Remember that no one will be asked to provide personal details as part of this process and no payment is required.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adults and Housing, Cllr Ben Stokes visiting the Vaccination Clinic at West Walk Surgery in Yate

Free support for South Glos businesses SMALL Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Gloucestershire, and residents considering setting up their own business, can get up to 12 hours of free business support from the South Gloucestershire Business Support Service. It is offering group webinars, and

one-to-one business coaching (subject to assessment and availability). The publicly funded programme forms part of Universal Business Support – a West of England Combined Authority initiative, delivered in partnership with the council.

Webinars cover topics such as starting and planning a business, business strategy, digital marketing, social media, finance and more. All the webinars can be viewed on this webpage: www.coolventures.co.uk/ training/

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March, 2021 Issue 71

FREE EVERY MONTH IN YATE, CHIPPING SODBURY & SURROUNDING VILLAGES

Comic's serious message to kids

Bridgerton? Badminton, actually... A STATELY home near Chipping Sodbury is playing a supporting role in the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton. Picture of Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte by Liam Daniel, courtesy of Netflix. Full story: Page 8

40,000 tests to fight COVID-19 MORE than 40,000 people took COVID-19 tests as part of a two-week 'community surge testing' programme to detect a new variant of the virus. People in parts of Yate were among those who attended mobile testing units or collected home self-testing kits after the coronavirus mutation was detected in the area. Mobile testing units were set up at at Yate Common, off Westerleigh Road, and at six other

sites in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. People who had no symptoms of coronavirus were encouraged to attend and have a test in order to better trace the virus's spread. The testing effort has been described as an "incredible display of hard work and community spirit".

A WOMAN living with skin cancer has written a digital comic book series to help educate young children about the dangers. PAGE 27

Robbery charges A YATE man has been charged with robbing the town's branches of fast food restaurants Miss Millie’s and McDonald’s. PAGE 6

Tax bills are up RESIDENTS of eight out of ten parishes in the Yate and Sodbury area will see average council tax bills rise above £2,000 this year. PAGE 10

Turn to page 5

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April deadline

Our April edition deadline is March 17.

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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

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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

Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get things wrong. We always try to resolve issues informally at first but we also have a formal complaints procedure. If you have a complaint about anything in Yate & Sodbury Voice, contact the publisher using the details below. We aspire to follow the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), which holds journalists to a high standard of behaviour. Further details of the complaints process can be found on the Voice website here, or can be obtained by contacting the Publisher. 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

A member of the

The B&Q store in Station Road will halve in size to make way for a new branch of Aldi

Supermarket plan approved SUPERMARKET Aldi will be allowed to move in to half of the building occupied by B&Q in Yate. The owners of the Station Road building, Harmsworth Pension Funds Trustees Limited, who manage the pensions of former employees of the Daily Mail and several other newspapers, applied for permission to re-designate part of the building as a food store. The owners of Yate Shopping centre objected to the plan, saying: "The proposed development will have an adverse impact on Primary Shopping Area within Yate Town Centre, both in terms of its effect on vitality and viability and on existing, committed and planned investment in the Centre." It was also opposed by Yate Town council, who said there were already four large supermarkets within five minutes' walk of the site, adding: "We object to loss of diversity within the town centre as a result in the reduction of DIY retail footage – we have consulted local residents and there is a strong view that we have enough supermarkets, but will suffer from the loss of the only large DIY outlet." But 37 people wrote in support of the plans, more than twice the number of residents who wrote in to object. South Gloucestershire Council granted permission for the scheme in February, on condition that the half of the building occupied by B&Q remained designated as non-food store. It said the use of the non-supermarket space would be include "the sale of building materials, timber, joinery and sheet metal, decorating, plumbing and other associated bulky products for DIY, maintenance and improvement; garden related products; furniture, soft furnishings and homewares, carpets and floor coverings; pets, pet food and related products; electrical goods; and motor goods, cycles, cycle products and accessories".

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March, 2021

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Tests aim to help break hold of coronavirus From page 3 People who had no symptoms of coronavirus were encouraged to attend and have a test in order to better trace the virus's spread through specific postcode areas. They included BS37 8, which includes homes between Shire Way and Rodford Way in Yate, plus Westerleigh and Wapley. As well as the mobile testing units, the Shireway Community Centre in Yate was opened as a 'collect and drop' centre, where people could pick up a kit to carry out a test at home, then drop it off to be taken away for analysis. In total, more than 40,000 tests were carried out either at the mobile units or at homes. Figures for the number at each venue are not yet available. The programme was launched by the NHS to trace the VOC202102/02 variant of the virus, which was first detected in the UK in December. It has been designated as a "variant of concern", because it contains a mutation which some scientists think could make it more easily spread and more resistant to vaccines. A Public Health England spokesperson said all positive tests found during the surge testing programme were sent for genomic sequencing, a test to

The mobile testing unit set up on Yate Common during the surge testing programme. establish whether they are cases of the new variant. The process takes around two weeks, and as the Voice went to press, PHE was still waiting to find out how many cases of the variant had been found during the surge testing programme in the area. However, south Gloucestershire Council's director of public health, Sara

Blackmore, said further cases of the variant had been identified in the area from testing of people with symptoms, which are carried out separately to the community surge testing programme. People who took tests under the surge testing scheme were, however, told whether they had tested positive for COVID-19 within a few days.

After the first week, around one per cent of tests were found to be positive. Ms Blackmore said: “I want to send a huge thank you to all of our residents and staff who helped us in completing over 40,000 community surge tests in just two weeks. From COVID marshals to those helping to get tests to the right people, so many people have played their part in protecting our communities." Meanwhile testing facilities for people who have one of the main symptoms of COVID-19 – a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – have been enhanced. A new local test site has opened at Courtside car park, next to Courtside Surgery in Yate, replacing a mobile testing unit at Culvert Avenue, which has closed. And a Rapid Testing programme, which offers quick Turnaround lateral flow tests for people who cannot work from home and are in contact with colleagues and the public, is now open at Yate Parish Hall in Station Road. Anyone who is suffering one of the symptoms of coronavirus can book an appointment by calling the NHS on 119 or visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirustest online.

More than 100 deaths from COVID-19 this year MORE than 100 people from South Gloucestershire have died with COVID-19 since the start of the year. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 103 residents who had recently been diagnosed with the virus had died – 63 of them in hospital, 38 in care homes and two at home – in the six weeks to February 12. The number for 2021 so far is already more than a third of the total of 276 deaths with COVID-19 registered in the area during the whole of 2020. Deaths peaked during the week to January 29, when 43 people died – 22 in hospital and 21 in care homes. Rates of coronavirus infection have been falling through February, as the government sets out the route away from the latest lockdown. During the week to February 19 – the most recent for which figures were available as the Voice went to press – there were 293

cases recorded in South Gloucestershire, a case rate of 102.8 per 100,000 people. That was down from 1,151 five weeks previously, when the case rate stood at 403.7 per 100,000. In the ONS Yate North area there were 5 positive tests in the week to February 18, a case rate of 66.3 per 100,000. In the week to January 14 there were 41 positive tests and a case rate of 544.1 per 100,000 people in the area. In Yate West there were 10 cases, down from 23 five weeks earlier, with 6 in Yate Kingsgate (down from 26), and 8 in Yate South (down from 27). In Chipping Sodbury, numbers of positive cases in the week to February 19 fell to 4, from 12 five weeks earlier. Charfield, Wickwar & Iron Acton saw cases fall from 25 to 6 over the same period. In the ONS Pucklechurch & Westerleigh area, there were 18 confirmed cases in the seven days to February 18, a case rate of

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160.0 per 100,000 people. This was down from 48 five weeks previously, when the case rate was 426.7. In Marshfield, Wick & Hawkesbury confirmed cases fell from 31 to six between January 14 and February 19. A meeting of South Gloucestershire Council's health scrutiny committee heard that outbreaks had peaked in January, after sharp rises in November and early December, with the most significant occurring in care homes, where deaths occurred two to three weeks after spikes of infection in the community. Care Provider Oversight Group co-chair Rebecca Harrold said that, although the vast majority of care home residents and staff in South Gloucestershire had their first dose of vaccine by late January, it was “not completely effective” immediately, so restrictions on visits had remained in place. Meeting report by Amanda Cameron, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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March, 2021

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Robbery charges over fast food raids

'No criminal behaviour' over supermarket incidents

A YATE man has been charged with robbing the town's branches of fast food restaurants Miss Millie’s and McDonald’s. Rudi Batten, of Station Road, was charged with two counts of robbery by Avon and Somerset police. The 22-year-old appeared before magistrates in Bristol on February 9, the day after the second of the two alleged robberies. The first incident happened at around 6.20pm on Sunday February 7, at the Miss Millie's branch in North Parade. Just over 12 hours later, at around 7am on February 8, the McDonald's drive-thru reported being robbed. Nobody was injured in either incident. Police launched a large search of the area, involving the force helicopter, and arrested a man later that day. After his first appearance, Batten was remanded in custody ahead of an appearance before Bristol Crown Court, which is due to take place on March 19. Police have asked for anyone with information about either incident to call them on 101 and quote the crime reference number 5221 027 524. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers, on 0800 555111.

POLICE investigating a report of a man behaving suspiciously near Yate's Tesco supermarket say they found no suspicious or criminal behaviour. Police investigated after two women reported being chased by a man hiding in bushes on Kennedy Way in December and January. The incidents attracted widespread comment on social media. But police later said that, having reviewed CCTV, there was no evidence of anything suspicious. A spokesperson said: "Footage shows a man on the footpath between the bushes near the crossing point. He is walking to and fro while talking on the phone. "His call ends as a woman approaches and he walks back towards Tesco before walking briskly towards and past the woman in the opposite direction to her. She is clearly startled but there is no interaction between them." Neighbourhood Sergeant Terry Murphy said: "After reviewing the entire incident on CCTV we're satisfied that there was no criminal or suspicious intent in this man's actions. We've spoken to the lady, who was alarmed at the time but now accepts there was nothing to be concerned about. "We've also spoken to a handful of other women who have contacted us following social media and news reports of the incident and again no criminal behaviour has been disclosed. "We understand that this sort of report is worrying, but people can be reassured that we've investigated this incident and found nothing of concern."

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March, 2021

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'Selfish' teen fined over Yate rave A TEENAGER from Frampton Cotterell was among the latest people to be fined for obstructing police at an illegal rave in Yate. Josh Samson, of Wylington Road, was one of five men who appeared before Bristol Magistrates Court on the same day to face charges over the incident at the Stover Trading Estate, which was attended by up to 700 people on Halloween last year. The 18-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing police and failing to leave the area when requested. He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £34 victim surcharge. The other men – who had travelled from Bristol, Devon, Oxfordshire and even Derbyshire to attend the rave – were also fined for offences including obstructing police, assault of an officer and criminal damage. At the court hearing in February, District Judge Lynne Matthews said Samson and the other defendants had risked their own health and that of others, including police officers and their families, for their own "selfish gratification" by attending an illegal event where the virus could spread. The court heard Samson had been drinking before deciding to go to the rave after hearing it from his home. He had shouted and sworn at police as they tried to stop him from getting in and escorted him away. After the case Detective Sergeant Harriet Drewett said: “These men were selfish in believing it was acceptable to attend an unauthorised music event during the midst of a pandemic, which has claimed thousands of lives. “Their irresponsible actions on that Halloween evening have left them with a criminal record and hopefully will act as a warning to others.” Four people, from Bristol, Devon and London, were due in court on March 2 to face charges in connection with the rave. Another 15 have already been fined for attending the event, including two organisers who were each fined £10,000 for organising a large gathering in breach of COVID-19 regulations. The police investigation into the rave continues, with police saying they expect to charge more people soon. They are continuing to appeal for help in identifying 37 people they want to question about the incident, with images on the police website.

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Local Apprentice Opportunities Plummet “MUST DO BETTER”: is the message from Labour’s Metro Mayor candidate Dan Norris who has condemned the Conservative West of England Metro Mayor for failing on apprenticeships. Latest figures show that during the current Metro Mayor’s term of office the number of new apprenticeships in the West of England has plummeted. There are 1630 fewer in South Gloucestershire, North East Somerset, Bristol and Bath than when the Tory Mayor came to power. The Metro Mayor is responsible for apprenticeship cash and policy but around 65% of small businesses across the West of England have never used apprentices. Dan Norris said “Apprenticeship opportunities in the West of England are at their lowest level in 5 years. That’s not good enough. The Metro Mayor is failing to create the opportunities local young people need. Investing in training will be central to rebuilding our economy after the pandemic. If elected I will be a ‘jobs first’ Metro Mayor.”

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Badminton's supporting role in Bridgerton IT'S the steamy period drama which is gripping millions of viewers around the world. Bridgerton is the most popular drama series ever shown on video streaming service Netflix, and is reported to have been watched by 82 million household subscribers worldwide since its first broadcast on Christmas Day. Look past the acting eye-candy and ostentatious costumes and you'll see a local connection – among the opulent backdrops for the characters' romances and intrigues is stately home Badminton House, near Chipping Sodbury. The story, based on author Julia Quinn’s series of historical romance novels, is set in London in the 1800’s, and follows the fortunes of eight members of the Bridgerton family as they venture out into high society. The leading characters are Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter, who is making her debut on the London scene looking for a suitable husband, and the Duke

Regé-Jean Page as Simon Bassett, Duke of Hastings. Picture: Liam Daniel/Neflix.

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Regé-Jean Page as Simon Bassett, Duke of Hastings and Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton in the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton, partly filmed at Badminton House. Picture: Liam Daniel/ Neflix. of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), a committed bachelor and the catch of the season. Each episode is narrated by the actor Julie Andrews, who is an anonymous newsletter columnist known as Lady Whistledown. Although the show is set mostly in London, Bridgerton was filmed at a variety of locations across England picked because they could provide the right early 19th century backdrop, with different rooms used to create the story's Clyvedon Castle, Danbury House and other locations. The Radio Times reports that the parlour and morning room at Hastings House, the London home of the Duke of Hastings, were filmed at Badminton House, although the exterior is Wilton House in Salisbury. The parlour and grounds at Clyvedon Castle, the Duke’s main

residence, were also filmed with the help of Badminton House, which also provided the interior of the Foundling Hospital in the slums. Badminton House has been the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the 1700’s, and the current Duke and Duchess open it to visitors from time to time. It is possibly best known as the venue for the Badminton Horse Trials. In an interview with BBC News, actor Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, said that filming in South Gloucestershire had been "lovely", as it is an area she knows well, and Badminton House is only five miles away from where her father lives. She said she was "gobsmacked" at the series' success. It has been described by Variety magazine reviewer Caroline Framke as a

"confectionery treat of a show", and executive producer Shonda Rhimes has been praised for what’s known as "colour-blind casting", where black actors are given roles traditionally allocated to white actors. Jinny Howe, vice-president of original drama series at Netflix, said its success is down to our need to escape from our day to day lives, adding: "Romance books have always sold incredibly well. But these stories have rarely made it onto the screen. "Daphne and Simon's 'will they/won’t they' love affair, combined with the opulent costumes and settings, created a world into which members of all backgrounds and ages could escape. "Bridgerton has shown that romance can be smart, dynamic, bold and, yes, universally appealing.”

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March, 2021

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More council tax bills top the £2,000 mark RESIDENTS of eight out of ten parishes in the Yate and Sodbury area will see average council tax bills rise above £2,000 this year. Increases in charges from bodies including South Gloucestershire Council, town and parish councils, the police and fire service mean that a median Band D council tax payer in Yate will be charged a total of £2,149.22 from April – more than £116 up on last year's total of £2,032.80. Total bills faced by Band D taxpayers living in the Sodbury town, Dodington, Iron Acton, Cromhall, Westerleigh and Wickwar parish council areas will also pass the £2,000 mark for the first time: last year median bills had passed £2,000 only in Yate. South Gloucestershire Council's share of the bill is going up by 4.99%, the maximum allowed, to £1,620.39 - £77.02 more than the £1,543.37 bill last

year. Of that rise, 1.99% will go to general services, such as street lighting, libraries and repairing potholes, and 3% will cover some of the growing costs of adult social care. Overall bills vary according to the size of a property – in Yate they vary from just over £1,400 in Band A to more than £4,200 in the highest Band H. The amount residents pay varies according to the area where they live. Town and parish councils such as Yate – the largest in South Gloucestershire by population and budget – charge a precept for their services, which is added on to bills, while there are also "special expenses" charges added by South Gloucestershire. Yate's total tax revenue from residents is rising by 4.82% from £1,334,190 to £1,398,502. Its £182.37 Band D charge is £3.75 or 2.1% up on last year's £178.62, with the difference between the

S106 funding for Disability Equipment at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex (YOSC) YATE Town Council has secured £27,506.87 funding to buy a range of disability equipment to be used at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex. The funding for this project was successfully secured by a Yate Town Council bid submitted to South Gloucestershire Council, who administered the funds through Section 106 (S106) financial contributions from housing developers. Cabinet Member for Communities and Local Place, Cllr Rachael Hunt said: “We are delighted that South Gloucestershire Council has been able to negotiate this funding from local developers to support people with disabilities to participate in sporting activities by providing a range of track and field equipment. Sport and exercise helps people to live healthy lifestyles and can boost mental wellbeing, so it is fantastic that people in the area will directly benefit from this funding. As a council we are committed to improving our communities, with over £10 million having been invested into our open areas and green spaces since 2015, and our total contribution to public open spaces across the Yate area is now over £1 million.” S106 funding awarded for track and field disability equipment will

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percentages down to the increase in households liable to pay council tax over the past year. The special expenses charge for services specific to Yate provided by South Gloucestershire has risen by less than 1%, from £28.66 to £28.83. All Band D taxpayers will pay the police £241.20 in 2021/22, up £13.39 or 5.88 % on last year's precept. Avon Fire Authority's charge of £76.43 is £1.49, or 1.99%, up on last year. The South Gloucestershire budget was described as the "most important in its 25-year history" by council leader Toby Savage when it was agreed in February. The Conservative administration says the more than £400 million spending agreed for the coming financial year puts the district on a firm footing to “recover and rise” from the pandemic, with a wide range

of support for communities, families and young people. The proposals were formally accepted at a meeting of the full council on February 10, with a late amendment by the majority Tory group voted through to divert £120,000 from reserves – including an unspent £100,000 from its Brexit Preparedness Grant – to high streets, focusing on Downend, Filton and Chipping Sodbury. Labour joined the Conservatives in voting to approve the budget, while the Liberal Democrats abstained. The Lib Dems proposed giving the climate emergency greater priority. In an amendment supported by Labour but voted down by the Tories, the group proposed to use the additional £120,000 fro reserves to help the three high streets “build back greener”. It said the priority should be on reducing businesses’ energy

continue the Town Council’s work in partnership with operators of the site, YOSC Ltd., in providing accessible facilities and equipment to ensure a more inclusive, equal experience for all members of the local and wider community. The equipment being purchased includes eight 8 racing wheelchairs, adaptive equipment for discus, javelin and shot and equipment for diverse indoor activities including boccia, weights, mats and also guide rails and navigational equipment. Yate Town Councillor Karl Tomasin, a member of the YOSC Facilities Project Steering Group, commented: ‘As part of our continued commitment & aspirations to provide sports facilities & opportunities for all through our partnership with YOSC, we are pleased to be able purchase a variety of equipment for para & disabled athletes to use or have a go for the first time, as soon as it’s possible to welcome users back to YOSC.’ We thank everybody involved in the S106 funding application process and look forward to seeing even more people using the equipment during their time on site. To find out more about the disability equipment and the sports available at YOSC, please contact YOSC Ltd on 01454 326600.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021 costs and CO2 emissions, and providing more electric vehicle charging points. Lib Dem Dodington ward councillor Louise Harris told the meeting: “The point of the climate emergency is that it is an emergency and that requires action now – we can’t afford to wait a year or two." The amendment was criticised by Conservatives as “too prescriptive” for the three different high streets. Labour tabled its own amendment, allocating £50,000 to start a pay modelling review to ensure the council’s lowest paid staff receive the Real Living Wage. Deputy group leader and Staple Hill councillor Ian Boulton said the Tories, who have controlled the council since 2015, had broken a pledge made when it was under no overall control to pay the living wage, and that 500 employees had fallen back into poverty pay. Cllr Savage said: “The Real Living Wage is a laudable aim but it is difficult to see where the funding is going to come from unless you’re looking to cut

front-line services." The amendment was voted down, with the Lib Dems abstaining. Cllr Savage said the coronavirus pandemic had “ravaged” the country’s finances and the council's budget was “shaped by a single overriding aim to put South Gloucestershire in the best possible position to recover and rise”. The authority will be hiring consultants to come up with ways to plug a £16.3m financial black hole by 2024/25. The budget includes a £1m council tax support package for those who have missed out on previous help, £102,000 of “surge” funding to expand welfare debt advice, more support for domestic violence victims and £1.3m to increase wages of the lowest-paid council staff. It also devotes £1.2m to launch phase two of the council’s Recovery Curriculum preparing schools for the return of classes after lockdown. A further £468,000 will be used to create a youth employment hub to address

solving your legal problems ...locally For You:

For Your Business:

Band D council tax bills 2021/22 Parish/ area Frampton Cotterell

Parish budget

Parish precept

Special expenses

Total council tax*

£344,369

£133.19

£12.00

£2,083.21

Cromhall

£22,330 £71.29 £1.04

£2,010.35

Dodington

£280,000 £118.09 £49.19

£2,105.30

Iron Acton

£56,313 £94.42 £1.37

£2,033.81

Little Sodbury

£520

£1,947.88

Rangeworthy Sodbury

£12,500 £37.61 £3.84 £274,052 £128.22 £20.57

£1,979.47 £2,086.81

Westerleigh

£87,296 £58.46 £4.47

£2,000.95

Wickwar

£49,187 £59.50 £14.66

£2,012.18

Yate

£1,398,502 £182.37 £28.83

£2,149.22

£9.86

n/a

*Total bill is parish and special expenses charge, plus South Gloucestershire, police and fire charges. Figures from South Gloucestershire Council and Local Democracy Reporting Service the increased number of young people not in education or employment.

Budget meeting reporting by Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS USERS of a Yate park are divided over a developer's decision to block an entrance used by people living on a nearby road. People living on Gravel Hill Road say the entrance from the road onto the park by the Autumn Brook housing estate has been blocked with young trees and a fence by housebuilder Barratt without anyone asking the people who used it. They say they wanted a gate installed to enable cyclists and families to continue to use the route from Gravel Hill Road, and that people now have to walk longer on a road which has a 60mph speed limit and no pavements. But Barratt says it added the new section of hedge in response to safety concerns, and families living on the Autumn Brook estate say the entrance was a safety hazard for children using the nearby play area. They say they have been asking Barratt to close it for years, and although planning permission for the work was given last October, it was not

Park entrance blocked after safety fears raised carried out until after a toddler ran onto the road earlier this year. Helen Andrews, who lives on Gravel Hill Road, says she and her neighbours were not aware planning permission was being sought, or they would have requested that a gate was installed because of the impact on runners, cyclists, walkers and families. She said: “I have grandchildren who used that entrance. Teenage children used to walk through there to school and will now have to do the whole length of Gravel Hill Road. They are putting themselves at risk walking with no pavement.” Emma Butler, who lives on the estate and has been campaigning on behalf of residents, said part of the fence

used to block the entrance had been damaged since it was installed. She said: “Hopefully until the trees are established it will stop the little kids going through. We would have been happy with a gate or something more solid. There’s an exit further on down – it’s not on the nice path, but it is another way in.” Barratt Developments plans to repair the damage. A spokesperson said: “The safety of local people is our number one priority and when residents raised concerns about the potential danger of the entrance to young children, we discussed this with the local authority and decided to test wider local opinion through a planning application, which was

The newly-blocked park entrance approved. “We are sorry that closing the gap has inconvenienced some people locally, who have to walk a bit further to get to the play area and open space, but there is safe access to the site around 100 metres further up Gravel Pit Lane which is a public right of way.”

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS

From here to Myanmar in memory of Captain Tom CHILDREN, staff, parents and even pets have taken part in a collective drive to raise money for a foundation set up in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Yate Academy set a target of raising £1,000 in aid of the foundation set up in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore, the centenarian whose fundraising efforts during the first coronavirus lockdown inspired the nation. And as the Voice went to press, they had more than doubled that target with a grand total of more than £2,500. The school had decided to cover the distance from Yate to Myanmar, formerly Burma – a distance of more than 6,600 miles, because Captain Tom was stationed there during the Second World War. Deputy Head Tom Killigrew, whose grandfather also served in Burma, came up with the idea.

Yate Academy pupils with exercise bikes used in the charity challenge He said: “Along with most people, we were really sad to hear the news about Captain Sir Tom Moore’s passing. "He’d been a huge inspiration for so many people at a difficult time and we wanted, as a school community, to recognise that. "We’ve set up weekly challenges for the students throughout lockdown, and this

seemed like a great opportunity to tie these things together whilst making a positive difference.” The school community was given the creative freedom to come up with its own ways of covering the distance, so they have been cycling, rowing, rollerblading, walking, running and scooting. Head teacher Izzy Ambrose

said: “It has been fantastic to see our school and wider community join together to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. It has also been a great way to keep all our spirits high during the lockdown. "Sport and physical exercise is something we really value at Yate Academy- it keeps us fit and helps improves mental health.” “To mark children’s mental health awareness week, we wanted to do something which not only raises money for a great cause but also keeps our children feeling happy. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has donated or participated in clocking up the miles to Burma!” Donations can still be made to the Yate Walking in Sir Tom's Footsteps page on the Virgin Money Giving website, at bit. ly/3bG4bMu. For more details of the Captain Tom Foundation visit captaintom.org.

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n NEWS YATE'S Halfords store is to close in March. Notices have been placed in the windows of the store in Yate Shopping Centre's West Walk, and customers on the mailing list sent messages informing them that the last day of trading will be March 12. The company is asking customers to visit its branches Filton or Cribbs Causeway, which are eight and 12 1/2 miles away respectively. It says the closure was part of a programme of closures first announced last summer. A spokesperson said: "We were always planning to exit a small percentage of our stores and this includes our retail store at Yate. "We are working hard to support all of those affected and are hopeful of being able to offer those colleagues one of a wide range of new service-orientated roles at alternative locations. "The next nearest stores are in Cribbs Causeway or Filton and we look forward to welcoming customers at those." The closure comes as retail

yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

Halfords shuts, as shops prepare to reopen

Halfords in West Walk, Yate stores which had been forced to close during the latest lockdown prepare to reopen on April 12. Yate Shopping Centre has welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on

February 22. Centre Manager Andrew Lowrey said: “It is very encouraging and great news that there is a clear path to getting things back to normality, subject

to favourable conditions moving forward. "The timetable as laid out by the Prime Minister gives all businesses a clear programme to work to so that the Centre is fully operational by early summer. “Furthermore, with all restrictions hopefully being lifted by late May, we hope that we will be able to stage a summer programme of activities. "In the meantime, businesses can start to plan ahead with confidence and the knowledge that by mid-April non-essential shops and leisure will hopefully be re-opening, mid-May could see hospitality and other establishments able to start trading again with life getting back to normal by late June. “It’s great news and let’s hope ‘lockdown’ becomes a word of the past!”

You Are Welcome to Attend! On the night before he died, Jesus told his followers to commemorate his death when he said: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Please join us for this annual commemoration on: Saturday 27th March 2021 at 7:00PM Related to this, a special Bible talk “Have You Found a ‘Pearl of High Value’?” will be given worldwide on: Sunday 21st March 2021 at 10:00AM These events will be held by videoconference this year. For further details please contact: yatecongregation@gmail.com or 07587 408058 For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

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March, 2021

yate&sodburyvoice

n NEWS A RUNNING track and outdoor fitness equipment form part of plans to improve sports facilities at Yate's QEII Playing Fields. Dodington Parish Council, which is in charge of the fields off Kelston Close, opposite Abbotswood Primary School, has secured more than £150,000 to improve their sporting facilities. The parish council plans to build a running track and will hold a public consultation to see whether residents would like to see outdoor fitness equipment or a trim trail for the site. The aim is to bring free sporting provision with open access to a part of Yate which does not have it. The £152,146 funding is being distributed by South Gloucestershire Council and comes from contributions made by developers in return for planning permission to build on the sites of the former Rodford Way Primary School and Wapley Care Home. The parish council's community, leisure and environment committee chairman, Chris Zapata, said:

£150,000 upgrade for sports at QEII fields

Aerial view of QEII Playing Fields by Tim Scott. "This funding is the result of a lot of hard work by Dodington staff and councillors, and South Gloucestershire Council. "We still have a long way to go - doing the detailed design, getting the necessary permissions, and appointing a

contractor. "This running track will provide local people with an ideal way to exercise in a pleasant green space, close to home." South Gloucestershire cabinet councillor for communities Rachael Hunt said: "We

are very pleased that South Gloucestershire Council has been able to negotiate this funding from local developers. "The planned running track and additional fitness facilities will be a great addition to the area, and will help local people take part in sports and exercise whilst enjoying the green open space." She said more than £10 million had been invested in our open areas and green spaces since 2015, including more than £1 million in the Yate area. To find out more about the public consultation and project, visit the Dodington Parish Council website www. dodingtonpc.org.uk, or contact the parish council office by calling 01454 866546 or emailing clerk@dodingtonpc.org.uk.

Sports centre for Ridings? A NEW sports centre could be built at Chipping Sodbury's Ridings playing fields – but the organisation in charge wants to know which sports people want to play there. Chipping Sodbury Town Trust is exploring the possibility of building new centre, partly to rehouse the existing football and rugby clubs, whose buildings need an upgrade. But the trust also wants to take the opportunity to extend

the facilities to include provision for a wider range of sports and exercise for residents of Sodbury parish and the nearby area. Now it is calling on residents to say what sports they play and facilities they would like to see, producing an online survey to gather opinions. The sports currently represented are football, rugby tennis, cricket and running, but the trust would like to see if facilities for other sports

including badminton, netball, basketball, dance, gym and keep fit would be popular. As yet there is not timescale or cost for the project. The trust said in a statement: "To assist the Trust with their plans we would like to know what additional facilities local residents would like to see included and more importantly

which of them you and your family and friends would use. "This is your opportunity to have a say in which sports facilities could be available in your local area." To fill in the questionnaire, visit the Chipping Sodbury Town Trust website at www. chippingsodburytowntrust.org. uk.

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS BANKING services provided by post offices could be expanded in South Gloucestershire under plans being considered by the council. A taskforce has asked cabinet members to team up with the Post Office to extend its coverage to more residents, potentially through extra mobile routes and the local authority’s work to revitalise high streets. It comes after scrutiny commission councillors found the ongoing closure of bank branches in the district had left householders and businesses sorely lacking over-the-counter cash and cheque services. A group of councillors discovered that the Thornbury & Yate constituency had lost more than a quarter of its branches since 2015. Barclays quit Thornbury in 2019 and HSBC is leaving Yate this year. Taskforce chairman and Frenchay & Downend ward Conservative councillor James Griffiths told a cabinet meeting that a rapid increase in online banking and the costs of running

Petition to save bank as council looks at alternatives

physical branches was behind the decline. “Post offices provide the greatest coverage of everyday banking services, particularly in rural areas, although this is by no means universal,” Cllr Griffiths told the meeting on February 1. The taskforce report

recommended that South Gloucestershire Council officers should “work with the Post Office to discuss the potential for greater coverage”. This could be through extending mobile routes or enhancing its high street services through the council's “Thrive” campaign to support

high streets. The report also recommended maintaining talks with new venture Avon Mutual, ensuring online banking was part of the council’s drive to tackle digital exclusion and helping to raise awareness of services offered by

post offices and BCU. A petition to save the Yate HSBC branch has been launched by councillors on South Gloucestershire's Liberal Democrat group, who are writing a letter to HSBC's chief executive asking for the decision to be reconsidered. Yate North ward councillor Ben Nutland said: “This bank is a vital life line for many of our local businesses and elderly residents, some of whom aren’t able to do online banking and would struggle to get to either Thornbury or Bristol if the one in Yate is closed.” Group leader Claire Young said the closure represented a potential loss of jobs and a "locally accessible banking service". By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS

New volunteers needed to help plan Yate Relay for Life PEOPLE in the Yate and Sodbury area are being encouraged to think about stepping forwards to join the Relay for Life Yate Committee. Current members need help with planning the huge annual community event, which raises thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK. The committee is hoping to be able to run the event ‘for real’ this year, if COVID-19 restrictions allow. If they don’t, there will be an online event instead. Cancer Research UK South West local fundraising manager Laura Billingsley says the committee is "friendly". She said: "People don’t need to have any particular experience coming into it at all, volunteers tend to join the committee for various different reasons, but

with one purpose – to help us beat cancer sooner. "We’ve got volunteers who’ve had cancer themselves, volunteers who’ve had the experience of a family member or friend having cancer; we rely on our volunteers and our supporters to be able to fund the research that we do, so it’s an

incredibly important role. "Relay for Life is a family festival celebrating the power of the community coming together to help beat cancer and it’s a big event to organise." In its 15 years the committee has raised £612,000 to help fund the charity's research. Laura said: "We are

incredibly grateful to the current committee for their commitment to the cause and hope others will be inspired to join them. "We really couldn’t fund our vital research that we do, without the generosity of our volunteers and supporters." The pandemic has had what Laura describes as a "devastating" impact on Cancer Research UK nationally, with a drop in income of £160 million in the last year – equivalent to what would be spent on 10 years of clinical trials. The committee role involves a meeting once every four to six weeks, and there is no pressure to take on a leading role such as chair or treasurer, because these are currently filled. For more information, call Laura on 07918 035 814.

n PHARMACY NEWS

COVID-19 vaccination Q&A

AT the end January, Abotswood Pharmacy locked hands with other Bristol Travel Clinic colleagues to start providing NHS COVID-19 vaccinations at the Longwell Green Community Centre. Our expertise providing a wide range of vaccinations, especially for travel and also against flu, provided a confident platform for us to undertake this important work. The national vaccination programme is moving at great pace, and people over 65 or who are clinically extremely vulnerable are now being sent invitations to book online using the NHS website or calling 119. How quickly does the vaccine work? Protection starts 12-14 days after the first dose. The second dose is crucial to get the best level of protection, so it’s vital to come back for your second dose. Which vaccine will I get and which is better? You cannot choose which vaccine to have, but each one has been shown to be safe and work well. Research looking at effectiveness has measured them in different ways, so it isn’t necessarily helpful to compare them like-for-like. Does the vaccine contain any animal products? No. I’m allergic to penicillin – can I have the vaccine? Yes, all of them are safe I’ve already had COVID-19, do I still need to get vaccinated? Yes. You may have some level of immunity but this varies and may not last long. Will I be able to pass on the virus to others if I’ve had the vaccine? We don’t yet know for sure, so even after vaccination, it remains essential to follow guidelines around social distancing and hand washing. You will also still need to self-isolate if you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has. How much does the vaccine cost? The vaccine is free on the NHS. It is not available privately so you can’t pay to get it sooner. Don’t fall for any scams offering it for cash.

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ABBOTSWOOD PHARMACY PROUDLY HELPING PROVIDE COVID-19 VACCINATIONS TO PROTECT SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE AT THE LONGWELL GREEN COMMUNITY CENTRE

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS

Overruled decisions mean 207 new homes can be built

A NEW estate of homes surrounding Yate Town Football Club's ground can now be built, after a council committee overruled a previous decision to refuse planning permission. The 118-house development by Redrow Homes next to Engine Common was given the go-ahead less than three weeks after a scheme to build 89 houses on land around 250 metres away was approved, which means a total of 207 new houses are now set to be built in and around the village on the outskirts of Yate. Approval for both schemes has been given by South Gloucestershire Council's spatial planning committee, in each case overruling a lower committee's refusal. The council's strategic sites delivery committee had rejected the Redrow scheme, saying that Yate's "urban sprawl" would swallow Engine Common if it was built – but as that decision went against a council officer's recommendations, the higher committee was asked to reconsider the plan and approved it by 4 votes to 3 on January 25. Yate Town FC supported the plans, as the developer promised to pay for new floodlights, fencing and other improvements

The site of the new homes if they were approved. Representing the club, Mark Thorne said it was struggling to raise funds for a new community building and multiuse games area, which would make a “massive” difference to the club, and the developer’s financial contribution would be “fundamental” to those plans. He said: “After a really challenging 2020, this year looks set to be another difficult one, and we need all the help we can get.” The club's ground in Lodge Road will be almost completely surrounded by the new housing estate, on four fields north of Iron Acton Way, next to Dyer's Lane.

Redrow's agent Matthew Kendrick said the new homes would be built within a year. A planning officer said the extra housing, including 42 affordable homes and six self-build properties, was in a “particularly sustainable location” and outweighed the harms of building in the countryside against council policy. Opponents, including 84 residents, three local councillors, Yate Town Council and Iron Acton Parish Council, said the “speculative” development would “violate” the local plan, be “car-dependent” and would blur the lines between Yate and Engine Common. Speaking on behalf of local residents, Andrew Beard said: “If you approve this today on short-term benefits, what you will do is deliver long-lasting generational change to the loss of countryside and you’ll have done it outside of your local plan process.” The nearby 89-home plan from Newland Homes was given formal approval on February 4 by the council's development management committee, which had originally rejected the scheme but was told to reconsider after the spatial planning committee said it could go ahead. By Amanda Cameron, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n YATE HERITAGE CENTRE

Yate 100 years ago David Hardill looks at how the years after World War One found the town in a state of flux. IN the midst of all the First World War centenary events over the last few years, it is tempting to forget the general effects the war had on local parishes and what remained the same. The aftermath of war is rarely obvious, and some elements of local life remained the same, at least on the surface. Yate was no different in this respect. The years 1917 to 1920 would transform Yate from being a rural and industrial parish, punctuated by farms, mines and quarries, to one marked by modern, heavy industry. Yet, in 1921, lasting effects were still a few years away. Before that year, many aircraft and army personnel would have been seen on Station Road. German POWs camped on Westerleigh Road were also working on local farms and around Station Road. By March 1921, the centre of the parish must have felt eerily empty. The vast Aircraft Repair Depot on Station Road, the centrepiece of the local war effort, had employed over 1,800 military personnel, but they had departed by June 1920. The local POWs had finally been dispersed back to the Continent. The wartime industrial infrastructure must have appeared a sad reminder of the conflict. Little did local people know that, within four years, George Parnall would move in to manufacture aircraft there.

The casualties of war would also have been foremost in the minds of many. January 2 1921 saw the erection of the memorial lychgate at St Mary’s in Yate, following on from the memorials at Westerleigh and Chipping Sodbury. The new memorial hospital on Station Road, later the maternity hospital, was about to open its doors in the full knowledge that existing health services had been insufficient to cope with wartime casualties and the modern needs of health and medicine. While there is little local evidence of Spanish Flu in Yate in 1918, it was inevitable that many local families would have lost loved ones to this cruel pandemic. Some of the major changes wrought by war were not yet obvious or had yet to be realised. Many of the patterns and rhythms or Edwardian times returned. Station Road pubs like the Swan and Railway Hotel remained part of the fabric of social life. Chapels and churches could welcome back returning military personnel. Many pillars of the local establishment remained popular. By 1921, the reverend Maddox Ford was a long-established rector of 25 years, while Ernest 'Gaffer' Brown, too, was a veteran head teacher of Yate Church School of some 18 years. He had seen his stature grown during the war years, reading the letters of soldiers on behalf of local families. Colonel Peter Burges, of Ridge House, a long-standing 'worthy', was the leading advocate of the new war memorials in the area at this time. Although the area was

denuded of many young men, life had to go on. Family businesses continued. The Boulton Brothers butchers of Station Road, grocer Mark Bateman and EG Forrest, baker, both of North Road, went on as before the Great War. Fast forward 16 years, and the original Aircraft Depot has two major companies Parnall Aircraft and Newman Industries, occupying the site, The memorial lychgate at St Mary’s in Yate was mass producing erected in 1921 aircraft gun turrets industrial community of large and bomb shells companies, garages, cinemas and for the war effort. newcomers. Yate had become a modern,

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March, 2021

yate&sodburyvoice

n NEWS

n ADVERTISING FEATURE

'I didnot realiseI wasEuropean'

Nick's big ride WHEN Nick Look wanted to help a charity club he attends, he didn't let lockdown stand in the way of a big challenge. Nick, 39, decided to cycle the distance from John O'Groats to Land's End on an exercise bike to raise money for Keynsham Mencap, which provides leisure and social opportunities for 150 people with learning disabilities and autism. Nick, who has Down's syndrome, is a member of the charity's Club 25 for adults, and wanted to support them because he enjoys the events and holidays they organise. The charity has had to suspend its regular events because of coronavirus restrictions but is continuing to organise activities and fitness sessions over Zoom and make sociallydistanced visits to members. Nick usually lives in Yate but is staying with his mum during lockdown. Having started cycling on the exercise bike for a couple of hours a day at her house in Pucklechurch to keep fit, Nick decided to attempt the equivalent of the 840 miles it takes to cycle from one end of the country to another. He aimed to complete the challenge by Easter and raise £500 in the process. But not only is Nick pedalling more than 30 miles a day, he is racking up hundreds of donations, and had already raised more than £3,700, including gift aid, as the Voice went to press. Nick said he decided on the challenge because he was keen to continue to exercise, which had helped him lose five stone over the past two years. He said: "I don’t find it hard at all – my bum gets sore, but only occasionally!" Nick has been boosted by the comments and good wishes he has had on social media, which he said "make me cheerful and make me feel proud of myself". He added: "I am totally amazed at people who sponsored me, who have been so generous giving so much money for Mencap." Nick's love of music, particularly from the 60s, and James Bond films has also been helping him through lockdown. His mum Rosemary said Nick had been a member of Keynsham Mencap's "brilliant" volunteer-run clubs since he was eight or nine years old and had carried on attending after leaving home to live independently 15 years ago. She said: "We are all astounded at people’s generosity." Amanda Leonard of Keynsham Mencap said all the money raised would go straight to supporting members. She said: "This is an amazing amount of money and we are truly grateful." To donate online, visit easydonate.org/NICK For more information about Keynsham Mencap visit www. keynshammencap.org.uk

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

HELP is on hand for EU nationals and their families who live in South Gloucestershire. They now have less than 100 days to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to be able to continue living and working in the UK. Home Office figures show that not everyone knows they need to apply: 11,360 EU citizens living in South Gloucestershire have made the application, out of an estimated 17,000. After applying, 98% of successfully achieved either pre-settled or settled status. The multilingual team at Southern Brooks Community Partnership is raising awareness and giving individuals across South Gloucestershire support with all aspects of the EU settlement scheme. EU Brexit Development Coordinator Tamara Smith said: "Time is running out. So far we've helped many successful applicants, but we see a lot of cases where people didn't realise they need to apply. "Today we ask friends, colleagues, employers and neighbours of EU nationals to highlight the urgent need to apply and their right to remain in the UK. "We can support individuals through their application, but after June 30, people who have lived here for decades are at risk of becoming irregular migrants overnight." One mother of two, who had moved to the UK from Germany as a child in the 1940s and is technically a German national, said: "I did not realise I was European; I would never have thought Brexit applied to me." Groups likely to be excluded include older people, young people in care, children born here to EU parents, domestic violence victims (including those with an EU ex-partner) and temporary workers. Free multilingual support with applications is available from Southern Brooks Community Partnerships for South Gloucestershire residents by calling 07929 787 473 or emailing euss@southernbrooks.org.uk.

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n LOCAL MP

Delivering the best schools is an absolute priority

S we look to build back better and recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and with our children returning to their vital studies back at school, investing in South Gloucestershire’s education is more important than ever. It is an absolute priority to deliver the very best schools for our children. I am thrilled that our campaign to deliver a new secondary school in Lyde Green has succeeded, having now secured the necessary funding through the Government’s Free Schools Programme. With the communities’ support we took this campaign directly to the Secretary of State for Education and held a debate in the House of Commons to get the bid over the line.

Having identified and secured a suitable site, plans for the new 900 place secondary school can now move onto the next important stage, with planning permission set to be determined imminently. The school will have 900 secondary places, so that children in Lyde Green, Yate, Sodbury, Pucklechurch, Frampton Cotterell, Coalpit Heath and the neighbouring villages can attend a brand new school nearer home. The new school will focus on engineering and digital technology across all age groups, developing employability skills for older students, and will also provide an inclusive environment for children with autism. Locally, we are not just seeing investment for new schools either, as maintenance work

YATE: 01454 837677

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

has been announced for many of our rural schools including in Frampton Cotterell, Old Sodbury, Iron Acton, Wickwar and Rangeworthy. Building this Lyde Green Secondary school is a key part of our positive plan for schools and family life in South Gloucestershire. This is alongside ensuring that we get our fair share of school funding, building two new primary schools in Yate, redeveloping Castle School in Thornbury, building a new special school at Marlwood, improving special needs provision and ensuring the implementation of £79 million of repairs and upgrades for South Gloucestershire schools. As a local father educated in state schools in South Gloucestershire, I am determined

Luke Hall MP writes for Yate & Sodbury Voice

to deliver my positive plan for our schools: building new schools, delivering the very best resources, technology and buildings for our children to learn and thrive in.

MOBILE: 07922 069253

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS

Coloured gates will help navigate park THE gates of Yate's Kingsgate Park have been given individual colour schemes to help people with dementia or sight loss find their way around. The bright, freshly-painted red, blue, green, orange and yellow gates are intended to help make accessing the open space for people with dementia less confusing and stressful. It will also help people who have issues with their sight. Each entrance to the park has a differentcoloured gate: red for the Elmwood entrance, blue for Kenilworth, green for Scott Way, yellow for Sunningdale and green by Troon. The transformed entrances are part of Yate Town Council’s Yate Ageing Better initiative. Councillor Sandra Emms, a member of the Yate Ageing Better health and wellbeing steering group said: "We want to say a big thank-you to the town council estates team for painting the gates at the entrances to Kingsgate Park. "The coloured gates help all people (including those in different stages of living with dementia) to get around and continue enjoying our beautiful park. "This is part of our ongoing commitment

• Trusted reputation • Huge choice of doors, worktops appliances, sinks & taps

The yellowpainted gates at the Sunningdale entrance to Kingsgate Park to making Yate a Dementia Friendly Community." The Yate Ageing Better campaign is also hoping to gain the town recognition as an "age-friendly community" by the Centre for Ageing Better. This means that all sectors of the community are working together to

change the physical environment, such as housing and outdoor spaces, and the social environment, which includes volunteering and leisure, to help people to live more active lives in their old age. For more information email Yate Town Council at info@yatetowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01454 866506.

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March, 2021

n PETER'S VISION

Myopia matters myopia! Now I’ve not changed prescription since my mid teens, which as a 70s child does mean I have a superb collection of 1980s glasses - think big brown plastic (thanks Dad for that!) that I can still wear. Great for the retro look, or even the odd fancy dress party, but nothing I can wear to work under any circumstances! Seriously though, increasing myopia does matter. The risk of eye health problems increases if your myopia developes past a certain point. The exact dioptric value of the myopia is not as much of a concern as the growth and thinning of the key part of the eye, the retina. In the past there was not thought to be much that can be done about myopia development. The good news is that we now have more options to offer you than ever before. I’ve talked before about Ortho-K, the overnight vision correction, as well as daily disposable contact lenses that

ANOTHER month of lockdown goes by, and with the vaccine rollout gathering pace I can sense a feeling of hope in the air. Of course I think the usual signs of spring help us too! Whether it’s the new shoots from the bulbs, the warmth in the air or the lighter days I think taking time to appreciate the little things can make such a difference to us all. One thing that we’ve been aware of for many years, and is perhaps gaining traction as more treatment options are becoming available, is myopia. Now for those of you who haven’t swallowed an Optometry encyclopedia, myopia is short sight in everyday language. Those of us who are short sighted need glasses or contacts to see in the distance, which for example can be watching TV or driving. I really should add a note for parents here; just because your child can see an aeroplane in the sky or an animal in a field doesn’t mean that they don’t have a degree of

can help slow down myopia. The exciting news, drum roll please… is that we now have a glasses lens option too. This really is quite exciting news for our younger patients who decided against contact lens wear, and previously had no clear option to help slow their myopia progression. If you’d like to know more about this for yourself or those you love just visit our website and click the Myopia tab. We’ve a dedicated email address on the website you’re welcome to use to contact us if you have any concerns or questions about myopia. Don’t forget, whether you’re myopic or not, we’re still here when you need us six days per week. For eye care, advice, glasses and contact lenses just get in touch and we’ll be happy to see how we can help you. Times are tough for many of us, and as a thank you for choosing us for your eye care we’re continuing to offer to help

you in return with a glasses voucher with your extended eye exam. Just ask about our ‘look in to help out’ offer. 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.

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Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

March, 2021

yate&sodburyvoice

n MOTORING

A guide to pre-owned cars with Richard Cooke

Second-hand Style No cars, no lamp posts – go off road in spring

WITH apologies to Tom Lehrer (he’s still alive!), spring is not yet here. And life, of late, has been neither skittles nor beer. However spring does, without fail, get me dreaming about motorbikes. Riding in temperatures of less than 10 degrees is painful, but in spring…each year I try and justify buying a bike, an objectively insane notion given that my demographic is right in the sweet spot of over-confidence and intensive care. Or worse. But what about off-road bikes? No cars in the way, no buses or lamp-posts to hit. No concrete, kerbs or pedestrians. Off-roading is heaven, and off road bikes become my favourite thing in the world by April. Funny thing is, no-one seems to buy them any more. Peak sales for off-roaders in the UK was the late 80s and throughout the 90s, which coincided with the main manufacturers getting these bikes just about ‘right’. They looked ace, were lightweight, powerful and well built for trail riding. Such machines are now attracting high prices as nascent classics, which makes me feel old. It also makes me pleased, now that others are starting to recognise how good these bikes are. So this month I’m sharing my top 4 springtime ‘classic’ off road bike recommendations with you. First a word of warning: twenty years ago I bought a ‘D’ reg (1987) Honda XR600R for

£850 from an architect in Putney. It is this month’s picture, and it is wonderful. I do not recommend this bike to you. It was never officially imported here, and for good reason. The ‘600’ figure, like all numbers I mention below, represents the engine size, so 600cc. This is too big and powerful for the sort of riding you will do off road in the UK. Bikes this size are built for the outback of Australia, fire roads of California and, in my case, the under-construction mud of the new A120. It was kick-start only – never again. If you dropped it, both carburettors flooded and it had to be left to stand for five minutes before it would start again. I loved that bike, but I wouldn’t buy it again and nor should you. Better to go smaller and lighter, for the narrow trails and steep muddy banks that you will be riding on. First up the Yamaha DT125. Two stroke, powerful when derestricted, very attractive to thieves back in the 90s. Kurt Benson rode one in Hollyoaks. An incredibly cool bike for a 17 year old. However, two strokes are pretty anti-social, and they need a load of maintenance if thrashed. So my remaining choices are thumpers rather than screamers. Next up is the Suzuki DR350. Probably the best compromise here, as it works nicely on-road as well as off. Softly sprung, enough

power (c.30hp) without being too much and an electric start on some models. Much better looking than the DR400 that replaced it. I don’t think there is a better bike to learn to wheelie on. Recommended. However, for the same power and a bit less weight try and track down the mean green Kawasaki KLX250. Stick to the original 1990s version, with the rectangular headlamp. I rode the current model a few years ago, and it just didn’t have the manic power delivery of the earlier nut-job 90s effort. If you want serious power and all your neighbours to hate you, look to the Kawasaki KDX range. Two-stroke insanity, with 40hp and properly feather-weight. The winner, and the bike I should have bought instead of the

XR600, is Honda’s XR400. Same bike but less weight, an electric start (hooray!), officially imported so plenty of supply, and enough power to ride on A-roads if required. They aren’t cheap though – prices reflect how good they are. Remember, motorcycles don’t depreciate like cars do. This bike is simple enough to service at home, with all the mechanical parts accessible. Honda just build their bikes better than the competition, with superb design, fit and finish. The flip side is a reputation for being a bit boring, but trust me, Honda XRs are anything but. Get out there! What to pay: Honda XR400 1996-2003 - £3,000.

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

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.

It's treat time! Mini lemon cheesecakes ONE of the things I used to love, precovid, was if a friend phoned out of the blue and asked if they could drop round. Because of what I do, I always felt I should be able to offer them a little goodie. Now I usually have something appropriate in the freezer but if I didn’t, this was my go-to recipe. Sadly, those spontaneous catch-ups are not happening now, but I know that they will happen again at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future. And frankly, anyway, when you do get that urge for a treat, these little zesty lemon cheesecakes go down a storm.

Cheat’s Mini Lemon Cheesecakes Makes: 8 Ingredients: • Shop-bought round good-quality shortbread biscuits (I like Bonne Maman) - 8 • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon • Lemon curd – 3 tbsps • Cream cheese- 250g tub •Icing sugar- sifted, 3 tbsps Here’s what you do: • Put the biscuits on a board. Brush with the lemon juice. • Use half of the lemon curd to spread over the base of each biscuit.

• Mix any left- over juice and the lemon zest into the cream cheese. • Mix the icing sugar into the lemon mixture until well blended. • Place a small plain-edged cutter around the biscuit and fill with the lemon cream cheese. Put a heaped tablespoon onto each biscuit (placing the cutter over each one in turn). • Share out the mixture between the 8 biscuits. Smooth the top before

removing the cutter. • Chill in the fridge for 20 mins before serving. • Decorate with seasonal sliced fruits if liked. Cook’s Tips: You can ring the changes by using limes instead of lemons; passion fruit – especially when in season in early spring – works well and looks pretty.

Join the Oddfellows for friendship FRIENDSHIP group Bristol Oddfellows is inviting anyone struggling with the impact of spending increasing time alone to join them at one of their regular free online social events. Bristol Oddfellows social organiser Demi Trotman said: “It’s been a hard start to 2021 for many. "Even though we can’t meet up, we still want to bring a bit of friendly conversation, company and comfort into people’s homes. "Having something to look forward to in your day can be a real mood-lifter." Bristol Oddfellows has members from across the Bristol area and meets regularly to socialise, fundraise and to support each other. With face-to-face meetings currently restricted by covid rules, the group has a diary of upcoming Zoom events, which they can

send out to anyone should they get in touch. Some of its public local and national events include: Every Wednesday at 11am – national cuppa and chat. Meeting ID: 988 3920 7187 Every Thursday at 2pm – just-for-fun Thursdays. Meeting ID: 988 3920 7187 Demi said: "If you don’t know where to start with using Zoom, drop the event host a line and they’ll happily talk you through it. "You just need a good internet connection and a device such as a smartphone, tablet or computer." The Oddfellows, a national friendly society with branches across the UK, was set up in 1810 to offer workers and their families insurance should they fall on hard times. It has 309,000 members across 121

For Newsdesk Or Advertising contact 01454 800 120

branches nationwide. As well as offering opportunities to socialise locally and to volunteer, the society continues to provide help to its members through difficult periods, with care, welfare and financial support. A non-profit mutual run by members for members, the society aims to improve the quality of people’s lives through friendship, care and charity. It costs from £25 a year to join as a member. To receive a copy of the society's events diary, contact Demi on 07722 010120 or email demi.trotman@oddfellows.co.uk. Future events are also listed online at www. oddfellows.co.uk/events.

Email: contact@yateandsodburyvoice.co.uk

yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n NEWS

Comic aims to save children from cancer danger A COALPIT Heath woman living with skin cancer has written a digital comic book series aimed at educating young children about the dangers. Maggie-May Hughes, 46, wrote the series R.E.D Squad HQ after surgery on her face left her feeling hopeless about her future. R.E.D stands for Radiation Exposure Defence, and the characters are radiation experts travelling through space, measuring solar radiation to help aliens protect their offspring from harmful rays. Like mumof-three and grandmother Maggie-May herself, they are all redheads and come from countries around the world with high rates of skin cancer. She said: "If I can inspire just one child to embrace these characters and see them as role models for protecting their skin, then that’ll put a wonderfully wonky smile on my new face." Maggie-May noticed a tiny white bump on her lip shortly after her 30th birthday, in 2004. She had a history of sunburn, and the lump grew bigger over the next few years, but she was told it was benign. A single parent with teenage children and a full time student at the University of the

Maggie-May Hughes West of England at the time, money was tight, but she spent a year saving up before seeing a private consultant for a second opinion in 2009. Following her appointment she was diagnosed with a nodular basal cell carcinoma, and had to have immediate surgery to remove the centre of her top lip

from the nose downwards, leaving her "totally devastated". Maggie-May said: “It was in this very moment that I realised I would never kiss anyone ever again. Ever. Period. Now that’s a profound realisation to have at 35. “I was paranoid that I could somehow pass on one of those sneaky cancer cells and, I don’t want to make myself cry here, but I’ve never kissed my grandchildren.” For years Maggie-May withdrew from the world but when COVID-19 arrived last year she realised that life was too short, and wanted to put her experience to use. She said: “I knew that I needed to help prevent future skin cancers because it’s not just physical, there can be long-lasting social and emotional side effects too.” Maggie-May has since been told that she will need further surgery. Her digital comic book series is available monthly from May, which is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. It will raise funds for YPFaceIT.co.uk, a UWE and Bristol University project providing online support for young people with conditions which affect their appearance. More information can be found online at redsquadhq.com.

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yate&sodburyvoice

March, 2021

n COMMUNITY NEWS Yate Rotary Club

Beer festival cancelled IT is with much regret that Yate Rotary Club has reached the decision that the famous and much-loved South Cotswold Beer and Music Festival cannot run this year. As a result, the event's 25th anniversary celebration will be postponed. We cannot be sure of how relaxed the restrictions on public gatherings will be by the time we get to July, and even then, we would be unsure of how many of our friends and acquaintances would want to risk coming to a big event so soon after lockdown. The 25th anniversary of the South Cotswold Beer and Music Festival will now be held at the Chipping Sodbury Rugby Club in July 2022 – all being well!

Laptop and table appeal continues EVEN though the end of lockdown may be imminent and we hope children will not need to access online lessons, there are still families who have no computer at home. This puts children at a

considerable disadvantage as they cannot research school projects on the internet, and they cannot prepare their work as they would wish at home. Our schools are doing a fantastic job, somehow managing

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to teach the children of key workers who have to be in school and, at the same time, providing a curriculum online for the children who are home-schooling. If you have an unused laptop which you would like to donate to a school for use by a child without access to the internet, please get in touch with Yate Rotary Club. We are working with the BBC Computers for Schools campaign, and with Business2Schools, a national charity enabling and promoting a network of donors and schools.

We can collect your device from you, and have the expertise within our Rotary Club to be able to wipe it clean. Then we pass it to a local technician who will re-install the operating system and upload the correct programs. Schools will then identify a child or older student who needs it. If you can offer a laptop or tablet, please get in touch via the website www.yaterotaryclub.co.uk or telephone 01454 321323. Marian Gilpin

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March, 2021

yate&sodburyvoice

n COMMUNITY NEWS News from Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club

Support for people with sight loss

IN these challenging times for us all I was delighted, on behalf of our club, to make a Paul Harris Fellow Award to one of our members, Graham Miller. Paul Harris founded the Rotary movement in February 1905 and Fellow awards in his name are given to members who have made an outstanding contribution within the Rotary movement. Graham served as President of a Rotary Club in Newport before joining Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club about 10 years ago. He has fulfilled numerous positions in our club and has played a pivotal role in many fundraising and community events over the years. Some of our members are volunteering in various roles at the West Walk surgery to support the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination programme. Sean Suleman, one of the founding members of the Blonde Angel Street Team, gave a talk to the club recently explaining the exemplary roles that he and others are continuing to fulfil to support homeless people in the community with food, toiletries, and clothing, particularly important during the very cold weather. The club was pleased to make a recent financial grant as well as clothing and food donations to the Blonde Angel Street Team. In the same vein the club has agreed to enter into a project and to make a financial donation to Caring in Bristol, a non-profit making organisation focused on pursuing imaginative and creative ways with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Bristol and beyond to bring about lasting change. Following our tree planting exertions over the Christmas and New Year period, club members recently planted some fruit trees in Pucklechurch. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 constraints the club has decided to defer its already-postponed inaugural Health and Wellbeing day until Spring 2022. Similarly, our proposed hosting of the visit from our twinned clubs in France, Germany and Italy has been deferred until 2022. A final decision on the staging of our annual and very popular Classic Vehicle Run, scheduled for 27 June 2021, has yet to be taken. Stuart Fraser

TWO local support groups have joined forces to help people affected by sight loss living in the Chipping Sodbury and areas. The combined group, now called the Macular Society South Gloucestershire telephone support group, is one of more than 400 groups across the UK organised by leading sight loss charity the Macular Society. The groups are part of a broader range of telephone and online support services the society has introduced, following the suspension of its face to face activities when the pandemic first hit last year. Support group sessions are run by the charity’s regional managers or volunteers and are open to anyone with macular disease, their families or friends. Calls for the South Gloucestershire Group will be held at 2pm on the fourth Monday of each month, until face-to-face group meetings can be safely resumed. Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK. Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected and many more are at risk. It can leave them unable to drive, read or see faces. There is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 600,000 people, usually over the age of 50. Macular Society regional manager Judy Pride said: “It’s absolutely vital that everyone who needs our support continues to receive it. Although our face-to-face services have had to be suspended for the time being, we are still on the end of the phone and would strongly urge anyone to call us if they do need our assistance." Anyone who would like to call in to the group or needs more information about additional support services available locally should call Tyler Phillips, peer support coordinator for the Macular Society, on 07920 643 710 or email tyler.phillips@macularsociety.org. For information on other services currently available from the Macular Society, call the charity’s Advice and Information Service on 0300 3030 111 or email help@macularsociety.org.

News from Sodbury Town Council SODBURY Town Council has formed a climate group with a view to finding ways to meet the challenges faced by our communities as a result of global warming. The earth’s temperature has increased by 3% in the last 50 years, and it has been largely caused by the release of too much carbon dioxide and methane into the air, creating a sort of blanket over the atmosphere, and starting a whole chain of events which break down our ecosystems, change our weather patterns and threaten the existence of many living creatures. The climate group is setting out to identify things which all of

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us can do to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to promote energy-saving ideas. Initial plans include the promotion of renewable energy installations (solar panels, air source heat pumps, windmills) reduction of waste, planting of many more trees, reducing our reliance on cars and avoiding plastic packaging. If anyone in the Sodbury area is interested in joining this climate group, please contact Sodbury Town Council by email at enquiries@sodburytowncouncil.gov.uk.

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SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Getting around: Major project updates GETTING around in South Gloucestershire is set to be safer, quicker and greener, thanks to major projects which are currently underway. These include: • Cribbs Patchway Metrobus Extension: The bridge move, the heaviest ever bridge lift of its kind in the U.K, has now been completed as part of this project. Once the remaining works are finalised, the metrobus route will travel through the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood, on the former airfield site, and link with Highwood Road at the San Andreas roundabout, next to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway • Wraxall Road roundabout: Work is underway on South Gloucestershire’s first through-about (a roundabout with lanes of traffic through the middle). The improvements will reduce traffic congestion and increase capacity at the busy junction on the A4174 Avon Ring Road • Yate Park and Ride site: Opening later this year, the £3.5 million park and ride on Badminton Road will help reduce traffic by encouraging people to use other travel options such as public transport, cycling or car sharing. It will include 192 parking spaces, 38 electric vehicle (EV) charge points, and secure cycle storage for 46 bicycles. Existing bus routes and

Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure, Cllr Steve Reade next to the new electric vehicle charging hub at Bristol and Bath Science Park in Emersons Green services, ahead of the expansion of metrobus services to the area, will take passengers into Bristol and Yate • Electric vehicle charging hub at the Bristol and Bath Science Park in Emersons Green: the council has installed a 12-charging bay hub complete with a solar canopy, with six EV charge points, as part of the Revive vehicle charging

Land purchased for new Thornbury healthcare facility SOUTH Gloucestershire Council is to purchase the Thornbury Hospital site to support the development of new healthcare facilities. In a landmark agreement with North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), South Gloucestershire Council will secure the land to advance longterm proposals to deliver improved GP primary care, outpatient and social care services for Thornbury. This follows a £13.3 million bid to Government for the redevelopment of the site. It will also provide a new home for the town’s local GP practices, enhanced mental health support, social care and NHS beds and a proactive ‘frailty hub’ which would focus on the elderly community receiving care in their own homes.

network • Links between Lyde Green and Emersons Green: A £6.5 million project to improve pedestrian and cycling routes between Emersons Green and Lyde Green • Flood resilience: The Government has awarded £3.2 million to help improve the drainage of roads in South Gloucestershire. The council is also contributing a further

£500,000 to the scheme from existing maintenance budgets • E-scooters: Following the successful launch of the West of England e-scooter trial, the trial area for the ‘hop-on hop-off’ rental e-scooters is expanding to include areas such as Bradley Stoke, Stoke Gifford and Filton in South Gloucestershire.

Extra funds for Kingswood town centre project KINGSWOOD’S town centre regeneration project has received significant additional funding. The West of England Combined Authority has announced a £7.56 million investment, supported by a further £5 million from South Gloucestershire Council. Together, this matches the £12.5 million secured by the council through the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, announced in December. The funding will pay for: the pedestrianisation of Regent Street; the creation of a new public open space providing opportunities for markets, performance arts and cultural events; traffic re-routing; and promoting cycling, walking and access to nearby green spaces and Kingswood’s local heritage sites. It will also fund the full restoration of the historic Whitfield Tabernacle, which has lain derelict for three decades, to become a cultural and community venue. Finally, the funding will allow the council to invest in property and commercial premises that will directly contribute to the town centre regeneration at a time when the market faces considerable challenges. Local feedback has played a major part in developing a masterplan for Kingswood and the council aims to publicly consult on this more widely in the coming year.

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Think NHS 111 first

Census 2021: Take part

IF you have an urgent but non-life-threatening medical need, make sure you use NHS 111 first rather than going straight to A&E. NHS 111 will help you right away. If you need urgent care, the NHS can book you in to be seen quickly and safely at an appropriate local service such as a minor injury unit or the out-of-hours GP. If you need an emergency ambulance, one can be dispatched immediately. Clinicians, such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists and paramedics, play an increasingly important role in NHS 111. In many cases clinicians in the service can assess patients and provide the advice you need over the phone without having to visit a physical service You should still dial 999 if you have a life-threatening illness or injury. Just think 111 first. When you think you need A&E, contact NHS 111 by phone or online.

HOUSEHOLDS across South Gloucestershire will be asked to take part in Census 2021 this spring. Census day is Sunday 21 March, it is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. Understanding the needs of the nation helps everyone from central Government to organisations, such as councils and health authorities, plan and fund public services across England and Wales. Census outputs inform where billions of pounds of public funding are spent on services such as transport, education and health. Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.

EU Settlement Scheme: reminder

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family members need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK. To be eligible, you need to have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020. The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021. You can apply and find organisations that can help with your application on this website www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

Keep in touch with the latest South Glos news

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Covid-19 news for the local area and council service updates:  www.southglos.gov.uk/covid19newsletter If you are not online and would like a printed copy, please call us on  01454 868009

Businesses can also sign up for weekly updates on

Covid-19, support grants, and other local resources and updates:  www.southglos.gov.uk/covid19businessupdates www.southglos.gov.uk/coronavirus