n NEWS Spot Yate and Sodbury in TV drama

A NEW gritty BBC drama which was partly filmed in Yate and Chipping Sodbury has hit TV screens.

Rain Dogs, featuring Cotswolds actress Daisy May Cooper, raised eyebrows during filming last summer. Old sofas and broken down cars led to reports of fly-tipping on Sodbury Common, but they turned out to be props for filming.

The backs of houses, shops and garage blocks in Abbotswood also feature in the series – but blink and you might miss them.

The eight-part drama started on BBC1 in April, and all episodes are available on the BBC iPlayer service.

Based on the book Skint Estate by author Cash Carraway, and made by Killing Eve producers Sid Gentle Films, it follows the ups and downs of a family with money problems - Daisy May’s character is described as “a woman who appreciates the glamour of the gutter but would do anything to

Yate Town Council Update

keep her daughter, Iris, from it”.

The Voice has been watching to spot local landmarks –including some that have been transformed to give the right “run down” effect.

You have to wait until episode seven to see them, when Daisy May’s character Costello and her daughter find themselves stranded by a roadside and are given a lift from a man with a horse and cart along a country road which appears to lead into a run-down housing estate.

Yate Town Council announce the launch of the Yate Ageing Better Dementia Café, at the Pop Inn Café.

Yate Town Council is delighted to announce the launch of the Yate Ageing Better Dementia Café, opened 14 April 2023, 1.30pm until 3pm, at the Pop Inn Café in Yate Shopping Centre.

The Dementia Café invites those with dementia and their carers, to enjoy free refreshments and friendly company, on the first Friday of every month. If you are living with, or caring for someone with dementia, we hope to see you there! We encourage you to share this exciting news with friends and family, and to send us ideas for ways our community can help those affected by dementia.

The scene was filmed on Horton Road on Sodbury Common - but the houses and flats in the background don’t really exist and have been superimposed.

Later in the same episode, and in the following one, several scenes take place on a dilapidated housing estate. Mostly filmed in behind shops and houses in Abbotswood, the production crew brought in extra signs, boarding, graffiti and old cars to get the look they wanted.

Local photographer Sue Swanborough took pictures of Daisy May - best known for writing and starring in BBC comedy This Country - during filming.

After watching the series Sue said: “There are small glimpses of our area but it's still exciting to watch, just to say I was there.

“Tough subject - but Daisy May is a great actress.”

Sodbury Mayor James Ball visited the set on Sodbury Common after the reports of fly-tipping.

He said: “I managed to spot a couple of the locations once the programme was aired on TV.

"It's good to see local areas being utilised for these types of programmes - hopefully, they'll return.”

Viewers may also recognise scenes filmed under the M32 in Bristol and under the Prince of Wales Bridge at Severn Beach.

Community Engagement Assistant Work With Ukrainian Guests

Alona came to the UK in April 2022 and has been employed as a Community Engagement Assistant at Yate Town Council since November 2022. The main purpose of her role is to help Ukrainian guests in Yate settle into a new life and become part of the community, to spend time together and find new friends, and also to help them resolve different problems and answer queries.

During this time, Alona has organised many different events;

• Monthly movie nights at the Armadillo Venue;

• The Family Club at St Mary’s Youth Centre;

• Seasonal events including a Christmas lunch and Easter Eggs Pysanky Decoration Workshop;

• Two Services of Commemoration to mark a year since the invasion of Ukraine;

• A special event for Ukrainian women, in partnership with 1st Impressions, which provided business style clothes and interview coaching to women wanting to work; info@yatetowncouncil.gov.uk

• The Ukrainian cultural and photographic exhibition with a special Ukrainian historical talk was held at Yate Heritage Centre.

Alona is currently working on creating a Ukrainian Hub in Yate with South Gloucestershire Council.