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February, 2019 Issue 48
FREE EVERY MONTH IN YATE, CHIPPING SODBURY & SURROUNDING VILLAGES
You are all amazing School is improving
Ofsted says Brimsham Green School, led by Kim Garland, above, is making encouraging progress. PAGE 6
Long wait
More than half of patients at a Yate surgery have to wait more than a week to see a GP. PAGE 10
Royal visitors
WHEN a Chipping Sodbury chef and his family suffered a double blow in the space of a few weeks, the community rallied round to help. Dave and Shamsi Kabbara were devastated after doctors told Dave that he needed a lung transplant. Weeks later he lost his job working at Amigos Mexican restaurant, which shut at short notice. The couple have been effectively living in hospital and have struggled to pay the bills, with
neither of them at work. But a crowdfunding drive launched by friends to help the family through their difficult time has so far raised more than £6,000. Shamsi says the family has been “blown away” by the support they have received. She said: “I’ve never ever seen anything like the GoFundMe. Dave and I were just in tears.” Full story: Pages 2&3
The Princess Royal has met the volunteers who saved Yate Outdoor Sports Complex from closure. PAGE 17
A white elephant?
Concerns have been raised that the West of England Combined Authority is not involving the public enough. PAGE 39