News in brief

Festival returns

The Filton Community Festival returns for 2023 on Saturday, July 22 and features a range of different music from local acts and bands including Filton Concert Band, Doc Rock, Beacon Rise, Elevation, Outatime, Underground Frets and Kaiju Blue, performing alongside local dance groups including; Stagecoach, Ukelele Filton Players, North Bristol Independent Colour Guard and Tribal Fantasy, plus other clubs and associations.

Fun rides for the children include bungee trampolines, giant inflatables and obstacle courses, football games, side shows, a testing climbing wall and for the younger children, the popular junior Go-Karts plus a Wipe Out inflatable - for the adults to join in as well!

NEW for this year is a special Graffiti arts zone with a professional artist helping budding Banksys!

There will also be sideshows, arts & crafts, and community stalls will offer a wide range of local products and novelties, a beer tent and drinks stalls providing different alcoholic beverages alongside a variety of catering units for food and refreshments.

See poster on Page 32

Primary fayre

Charborough Road Primary School is welcoming the local community to ‘The Pear Tree Fayre’ which promises to be a fun-filled day for all the family.

The Fayre, on Saturday, July 1, will have a variety of traditional fayre games and entertainment, dancing, inflatables, and our huge summer raffle of hampers.

‘The Pear Tree Fayre’, which runs between 12 and 3pm, is being staged to raise money for the school to revamp the library, purchase new play equipment and improve the schools' green spaces.

Children are welcome to enter the Big Bake Off or veg growing contest, plus there will be local dance groups and live entertainment provided by some of our amazing pupils.

Rest assured, the school's head teacher "Mayor Lankester" will be keeping the proceedings proper throughout the day!

For those needing refreshment there will be ice cream, cream teas and savouries available in the ‘Village Bakery’, why not bring a picnic blanket and make the most of the lovely new lawn.

A suggested donation will be welcomed on the door. Please contact CRD.FOS@gmail.com if you are interested in having a stall or would like more information.

See poster on Page 8

Bus struggles

Metro Mayor Dan Norris has revealed he has struggled to book travel on his flagship WESTlink minibus service which launched recently in Filton and selected areas across the Bristol region.

The demand-responsive transport service was launched in April by the West of England

Combined Authority and neighbouring North Somerset Council, with a fleet of minibuses which do not follow set routes but can be booked to take people between bus stops in a set zone.

Responding to claims that there had only been 10 of the minibuses in the Somerset area of the scheme — the “south zone” — on Wednesday June 7, Mr Norris told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “While I haven’t got official figures, I agree that it was a difficult day as when I tried to book a WESTlink myself, there were none available. But I’ve always said this would be a gradual roll out and that WESTlink will need more minibus drivers.”

The on-demand buses were intended as a way to supplement the existing bus service, but bus cuts across the West of England — after a funding row between the Metro Mayor and local councils saw bus services slashed — have left many people in rural areas forced to rely on WESTlink.