South Bristol Voice December 2015

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LETTERS P17 | PLANNING APPLICATIONS P29 | YOUR MP P35 Shock as GPs face £2m cuts Page 3 Arena: Latest on consultation

Page 5

Are men really afraid to sing?

Page 6 Green Capital: The verdict Pages 8-9

Best gifts made in Bristol Pages 12-13 History: From Waterloo to fossils

Pages 30-32

What’s on & arts

Pages 38-39

Reclaiming the streets

Could Totterdown’s narrow streets be won back from the car? Students are helping to find out. Pages 10-11

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Paul Breeden Editor and publisher

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Editorial team: Beccy Golding and Giles Crosse

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Intro

BY THE time you read this the planning applications for the arena site will probably have been submitted.

It’s to be hoped that many questions will be answered.

For one, will northbound drivers from Bath Road be able to turn at Redcliffe roundabout if they want to drive to Temple Meads?

Official advice is that they will – yet we’ve been told there is a separate aim to reduce traffic near St Mary Redcliffe, which would send drivers up to Old Market

before they can do a U-turn.

For another, how much effort was put into finding extra parking? You can read on page 5 that using hundreds of empty spaces at Avon Meads was discounted because the car park is “designated for customers”.

We were also told: “We do not want to encourage additional car trips by providing a large car park close to the arena.”

If our worst fears are realised, and arena-goers take to clogging Totterdown streets rather than trekking to Cabot Circus, those words could yet haunt the council.

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

December, 2015

News

Poorest will

PATIENTS in South Bristol face losing up to around £2 million in the next five years under plans to reduce funding to GP surgeries in the area.

Doctors at six family practices in South Bristol say the move will lead – at a minimum – to cuts to services for patients and longer waits for appointments.

At a time when several practices in Bristol have struggled to recruit GPs, it adds to the sense of near-crisis affecting the NHS. MP Karin Smyth has joined others in objecting to the plans, which will see extra funding removed from surgeries in deprived communities.

She says the plans should be reconsidered.

Dr Trevor Dean, a spokesman for GPs at six surgeries in St John’s Lane, Knowle, Bishopsworth and Hartcliffe, warned that the redistribution of

Doctors issue protest at loss of £2m for deprived areas of South Bristol

funds “threatens to hit hardest those with the highest health needs.”

The practices worst hit are Crest, in St John’s Lane and Knowle West; Grange Road, in Bishopsworth; Merrywood, in Knowle West; Hillview, in Hartcliffe; and Hartwood, in Hartcliffe. The five are supported by the Lennard surgery in Bishopsworth, which is not so badly affected by the changes.

Dr Dean said: “Our practices provide primary care to the most

How do I get in touch with ...

My MP? Karin Smyth MP By email: karin.smyth.mp@ parliament.uk By post: Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA By phone: 0117 953 3575 In person: Surgery on Friday December 11 at Knowle West Health Park, Downton Road BS4 1WH, from 9.15 am10.45 am. Call 0117 953 3575.

My councillor?

Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem leader) By email: gary.hopkins@bristol. gov.uk By phone: 0117 985 1491 or 07977 512159 USEFUL NUMBERS Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000 Household waste, road maintenance Recycling and waste collections, maintenance of roads and pavements, street lighting, graffiti and fly-tipping, street litter. email: customer.services@bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2100 Pest control and dog wardens Report anti-social behaviour, noise and other pollution, risks to public health and safety (such as food risks), issues with pests or dogs 0117 922 2500

Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle By post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY By email: christopher.davies@ bristol.gov.uk Deborah Joffe Green, Windmill Hill By post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY By email: deborah-mila.joffe@ bristol.gov.uk By phone: 07469 413308 Sam Mongon Labour, Windmill Hill By email: sam.mongon@bristol. gov.uk By phone: 07884 736112

Council tax

0117 922 2900

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0117 922 2300

Adult care & social services 0117 922 2900 Police www.avonandsomerset.police.uk General enquiries: 101 Emergency: 999 Fire

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EDITOR’S NOTE: South Bristol Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation.

Feedback is welcomed: call editor Paul Breeden on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk.

All stories and pictures are copyright of South Bristol Voice and may not be reproduced without permission in this or any other plane of the multiverse.

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lose out if GP cuts go ahead deprived communities in Bristol and the South West.

“It is well known that deprivation is the biggest factor affecting people’s health and creates the need for extra healthcare. In the past we have received extra funding which has been used to employ additional doctors, nurses and other staff to meet this need.

“This funding is now being dramatically cut.”

Karin Smyth, Labour MP for Bristol South, said a review by NHS England had decided that measures of deprivation should no longer be used to set funding for GPs. She believes South Bristol surgeries will lose £2m in funding over five years from April 2016.

A decision about where and how to redistribute the £2m was due to be announced by the Bristol Clinical Commissioning

St John’s Lane health centre: home to some GPs affected by the cuts Group (CCG) as the Voice went to press. However, the Voice understands that the CCG is backing the reduced funding for

deprived areas. Ms Smyth said: “Six surgeries in some of the most deprived areas of south Bristol are worried about the

impact on patients if they lose money on this scale.

“Money that has in the past been allocated on the basis of deprivation will be removed under these plans.

“Local, accessible GP surgeries that deliver high quality health care form a key part of any community, but patients living in some of our city’s poorest areas would find it harder than ever to register with a GP or to get an appointment to see one.

“While others elsewhere may gain from this redistribution, it is not right to rob Peter to pay Paul.”

She said there was still time for the CCG to “act wisely” by ordering that the £2m can be ‘redistributed’ straight back to these areas that would otherwise lose out.

Ms Smyth has been lobbying NHS England and the Bristol CCG on the issue.

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December, 2015

Generator plan draws fire

A

PLAN to install a bank of diesel generators near Totterdown to back up the National Grid has unleashed a tide of objections.

A site off Philip Street in St Philips, close to Feeder Road and the railway, is ideal because it is not near any homes, according to a planning application lodged with Bristol City Council.

But the proposal by London firm Plutus Energy for 48 generators has resulted in 49 objections to the council.

The diesel engines could produce up to 20MW of power to help the National Grid cope at peak times of demand. Such periods are expected to get more frequent as the UK closes down polluting coal-fired power stations and several old nuclear plants are retired.

Plutus says an increased reliance on renewable energy from wind and solar sources will

How the generators would look also mean a need for more backup when there is too little wind or sun. It says the plant would be used for up to two hours at a time, during daylight, for a maximum of 200 hours a year.

But the proposal – one of three, including similar plans for St Werburgh’s and Lockleaze – has met widespread resistance.

Tresa, the Totterdown residents group, is to submit an

GAINES Greengrocers and Food Store

objection. Deborah Joffe, the Green councillor for Windmill Hill, told Tresa: “There’s better energy sources and better fuels.”

She said she had asked council officials for details of air quality in the area. Bristol has in the past exceeded European limits on air pollution, and diesel exhaust contains nitrogen oxide and particles harmful to health.

Cllr Joffe encouraged residents to send their objections to her so that she could show officials the weight of feeling.

One man from Summer Hill, Totterdown, wrote to the council: “I live in an area that will be affected by any form of waste or noise by this project. I am not happy with the possibility that the already large amount of dust, noise and other air pollutants being output by the St Philips Marsh area will be increased.”

Many other objections submitted to the plan are from

residents in Barton Hill, St Philips and Easton. Several objected to the plant being near the St Philips nursery school.

The Summer Hill resident said: “There appears to have been no consideration given to the fact that one of the busiest nursery schools in Bristol, and a children’s services provider just next door, are both located within close proximity.”

Plutus said the nearest homes to the site are in Edward Street and Chatsworth Road, about 450m away off Bath Road opposite the ITV studios. Both noise and pollution would be within acceptable limits, it said.

The generators would use a million litres of diesel a year and require up to four tanker deliveries each month.

A campaign, RADE, Residents Against Dirty Energy is fighting all three generator plans.

• http://radebristol.com

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Best-ever bonfire fun in the park

Enjoying the bonfire in Victoria Park

PICTURE: Julia Shiva

VICTORIA park had its best-ever bonfire event on November 5, according to organisers.

The park’s action group, VPAG, made £500 in donations.

In addition, the parents and friends group at Victoria Park primary school made £1,000.

And St Michael’s Church collected £170 for Ikoba – a school in Uganda which is partnered with St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School. VPAG chair

Shaun Hennessy said: “It was VPAG’s most successful bonfire night to date. The rain stayed away and the mild temperature meant it was a very pleasant night.

“All the traders were exceptionally busy. The fire was as spectacular as ever and a large slice of the community came out to enjoy the night safely and peacefully. Thanks to all who attended and helped out.”

New parking idea for arena as the plans finally emerge

THE planning application for the Bristol Arena is about to be submitted – revealing to residents the final proposals for the 12,000 spectator venue and its surroundings.

Two applications for the £93 million scheme were expected to be published just as the Voice is being distributed in the last days of November.

A second public meeting in Totterdown has been announced where residents can quiz officials about the plans. Six weeks of public consultation will follow.

It has been arranged in conjunction with community group Tresa after an earlier public meeting at Totterdown Methodist church, called at short notice after protests that no local meetings were planned.

For details of the new meeting on December 10, see panel below.

Meanwhile the council is being urged to look at the potential for several hundred extra – and currently unused – parking spaces to serve the arena.

There are hundreds of empty

spaces at the rear of the Avon Meads retail park, says Gary Hopkins, councillor for Knowle and Bristol’s Lib Dem leader.

He was alerted to the opportunity by Dave Woods, a member of the rail union RMTU and railway columnist for the Evening Post.

“We counted over 500 places in Avon Meads alone which appear never to be used,” Cllr Hopkins told the Voice.

He believes there are also other spaces which could be brought to use under the flyover.

Access to the arena could be by shuttle bus along Feeder Road and Cattle Market Road, he suggested. An access from the rear of Avon Meads exists, but is chained off.

He believes Avon Meads would give easier access to the arena than other car parks which have been earmarked, such as Cabot Circus.

The council said Avon Meads car park had not been considered because it is for customers of the retail park. Objections can be

HOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT ARENA APPLICATIONS Monday November 30 – Monday December 21, foyer of Central Library: Exhibition of the key changes to proposals following the pre-application consultation, and key points from the Environmental Impact Assessment and Transport Assessment.

Tuesday December 8, 7-8.30pm, The Junction at Engine Shed, Temple Meads: Presentation of proposals and key changes by members of arena project team, with Q&A. Thursday December 10, 7-8.30pm, Saltcellar, Totterdown Baptist Church: Presentation by members of the arena project team, with an opportunity to ask questions. (Entrance to the Saltcellar is on Cemetery Road, through railings and down steps.)

• Details also at www.bristoltemplequarter.com/arenaconsultation

made as part of the consultation, said a spokeswoman.

• Five construction firms have made the shortlist to build the arena: BAM Construction, Bouygues UK, Sir Robert

McAlpine, Laing O’Rourke and Buckingham Group Contracting.

They will submit bids by December 18 with a decision about the winning contractor expected in February 2016.

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December, 2015

Helping men conquer their fear of the mixed choir ...

WHERE have all the men gone?

Despite the soaring popularity of community singing, that’s what they’re asking in Britain’s choirs, where the women outnumber the men by a large margin.

Now the people behind Bristol’s largest community choir, Gurt Lush, reckon they have the answer – ManChorus – and it’s starting in South Bristol.

Sam Burns, who is leading the new venture, explained: “Boys love singing in primary school but after that they get to thinking it’s not very cool.

“Boy bands are one thing, but singing in a choir is not seen as masculine.

“So after primary school a lot of men never go back to singing.”

But Sam is convinced that a lot of men would love to give their vocal chords a workout if only they had the chance.

“My theory is that there are hundreds and thousands of men up and down the country who are just waiting to be invited in,” he said. “We know blokes like singing – there’s no question.

You just have to listen to a football crowd.

“The question is why they avoid the big mixed choirs so much,” he said.

ManChorus will be men only.

Ask the vet:

A

Creating a male-only space for the vocally shy

Sam thinks it is probably very intimidating for a man who hasn’t sung in front of anyone for 30 years to walk into a choir of many women where his voice may be very noticeable.

“You have got to be a fairly brave bloke to go in and hold the bass line up more or less on your own!” said Sam. ManChorus will build on the great traditions of the male voice in British culture – the Welsh male voice choirs and barbershop – while being much less formal.

There won’t be the strict dress code of the formal choirs and the songs will be wide and varied, from spirituals to world music and many other traditions.

It will also include some of the new songs that have been written for men to express the modern male condition – the delights of the garden shed and the smell of Swarfega, for example.

There is no audition and it doesn’t matter what standard you are: “This is designed for people who haven’t sung for 30 or 40 years,” said Sam. He

Singalonga-men: The ManChorus aims to get men united in singing believes the formula will be a winner and ManChoir will finish 2016 with around 100 members.

They will mainly sing on their own but it’s hoped they will also contribute at concerts with the 250-strong Gurt Lush singers.

Sessions will be held at lunchtimes on Tuesdays at the Southville Centre from 12.302.30pm and at St Michael and All Angels church on Gloucester

Road on Mondays from 7.30-9.30pm. Trial sessions are free and later ones cost about £7.

“It’s a great sound when you hear 100 men breaking into harmony,” said Sam. “We want the power of the football crowd with the sophistication of a Welsh male voice choir.”

Now there’s an ambition.

• www.facebook.com/BristolMan-Chorus

How can I help my arthritic pet this winter?

s winter approaches and the colder weather sets in, it can often make your pet’s existing aches and pains more uncomfortable, or even highlight that your pet is suffering from arthritis.

If your pet has been diagnosed with arthritis, there are many easy treatments available that can make your pet’s life more comfortable such as pain relief medication, joint supplements such as glucosamine, acupuncture, physiotherapy and heat therapy (or even buying a heated bed).

There are other things you can also do to help: • Ensure they have soft,

comfortable bedding away from draughts.

• Protect your pet from cold and wet weather.

• Help them to avoid slippery surfaces such as tiles and wooden floors.

• It is generally best to exercise dogs little and often rather than one long walk • Try to limit their jumping or climbing on stairs or furniture.

Arthritis is a degenerative

condition affecting the joints and is very common in cats and dogs. In dogs it can display as lameness, stiffness and pain after resting. In cats, the symptoms can be more subtle, such as the reluctance to jump up, less grooming or sleeping more than usual. At our practice we have a popular scheme called the‘Arthritis Club’.

Becoming a member can help to provide your arthritic pet with the extra care they need, including discounted rates on pain relief and supplements, free weight checks, annual blood and urine tests and discounts on diagnostics like x-rays or CT scans. We also

have specialist orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation teams that are available if needed.

If you suspect your pet may have arthritis or you would like to join our FREE Arthritis Club, call Highcroft Veterinary Hospital on 01275 832410 for more information.

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follow us on Twitter @bishopstonvoice 7 bishopstonvoice follow us on Twitter @bishopstonvoice 7 December, 2015 E: news@bishopstonvoice.co.uk bishopstonvoice Advertising Feature E: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk December, 2015 www.southbristolvoice.co.uk 7 southbristolvoice Advertising Feature Celebrate this December Celebrate this December Celebrate this December with our Festival of Frames with ourFestival Festivalofof Frames with our Frames

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December, 2015

News Green Capital 2015: A triumph For some, Bristol’s Year as European Green Capital has been a triumph. Others feel the impact could have been greater. Part 1of a South Bristol Voice special investigation MOST South Bristol residents know Bristol became European Green Capital in 2015; the fact is emblazoned across buses and signage throughout the city. But fewer understand the initiative’s controversies and successes.

As 2015 closes, making sense of Green Capital’s true impact is challenging. Just weeks ago, a Bristol University report claimed that 10,000 jobs could be created if the city invests in wind farms and renewable energy, and savings made of nearly £1 million per day on the city’s energy bills, if momentum created by the year is sustained.

Contrastingly, before 2015 even got started, the Bristol Cable media coooperative

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the real work would be done in communities, by local people, and that has proved to be true.”

Toy appeal: Unwanted toys were collected for an art installation in a £10,000 Green Capital art project at Knowle West media centre claimed nearly half the £1.35m Green Capital grant money was given to organisations with close links to the awarding body.

Green Capital funded more than 187 projects throughout the city in 2015. Andrew Garrad, chair of Bristol 2015 Ltd, is staunch in his defence of the

programme. “A lot has happened in Bristol in 2015. It has been a remarkable year for the city. I am under no illusion that the success of our Green Capital year is due to the efforts of the Bristol 2015 company, or the city council, or any other particular organisation.

“We knew at the outset that

South Bristol’s green connection Mr Garrad highlights South Bristol communities like Knowle.

“Knowle’s green journey started a long time before Bristol won this accolade. Local food projects have been happening here for over 10 years.”

He points to Knowle”s anti-littering campaigns, the number of Knowle residents reusing or recycling their waste, and active travel – walking and cycling – as evidence of intense community involvement in sustainability. “That positive energy will continue long after 2015 is over. The people here truly are in it for good.”

When it comes to assessing impacts though, Mr Garrad says it’s hard to measure in figures.

“We know that thousands of Bristolians have attended events, created art installations, taken part in workshops. We know people have planted trees, improved the energy efficiency of their homes, upcycled furniture and bicycles, greened their streets and enjoyed local food.”

He accepts some of this would

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News or Bristol’s wasted opportunity? have happened anyway, but is adamant Green Capital was the key catalyst. “The ideas and the enthusiasm to deliver those projects were here already and we tried to tap into it.

“It has reached out all over Bristol and we hope and expect that it will provide a long-lasting and powerful legacy, not only in Bristol but much further afield.”

Local realities on the ground Vicky Beckwith is chief executive at Re:work, a Green Capital-funded social enterprise in Filwood Broadway. “We run a furniture reuse shop, a carpentry unit that upcycles donated items and a team of builders who work with local residents to improve energy efficiency in their homes.

“Green Capital has helped at two levels, providing us with money to support initiatives like swap shops, sewing and craft groups, and at a strategic level helping pull together lots of smaller organisations with similar themes.”

She accepts Filwood and Knowle West are areas that suffer from considerable poverty. “But people are passionate about conserving resources. Sometimes when you don’t have much you find creative ways of saving and using what you do have.”

She hopes Green Capital will make this creativity more visible, supporting people to make their area what they want it to be, reducing waste and reusing what they can.

A politician’s view Cllr Gary Hopkins, Liberal Democrat leader on Bristol city council and a member for Knowle, says Bristol’s sustainable journey has been a long one.

“There was huge positive momentum with a large number of individuals and organisations committed over a lot of years,” he said.

“There was also a big chunk of money from the previous government. Given that, the impact has been rather less and certainly less spread out than it should have been.”

Cllr Hopkins believes the year started with a lack of understanding of many existing groups and structures, and of

Sky-high vision: The Skyline walk connecting South Bristol’s many great viewpoints, here at Perretts Park, was funded by Green Capital how to get them on board. He wanted to see the orgainsation “... not hiding the finances; far better and more transparent handing out of grants. Less spin; more substance. If it did not fit the central model it was ignored and sidelined.”

Crucially, he believes Bristol has gone backwards over the last couple of years on sustainable waste management and energy.

“The Bristol Energy company [a council-owned company which aims to cut bills and promote sustainable energy] was delayed by the mayor.

“This, together with the new Government’s abandonment of the environmental agenda, means many energy saving schemes will fall.”

Climate Energy, part of a national company charged with delivering insulation and other measures for Warm Up Bristol, recently went bust, leaving many Bristol households wondering when work they have paid for will be completed.

Bristol Green party said this August that only 0.1 per cent of Bristol’s domestic waste is reused, despite estimates that 40 per cent of discarded large kitchen appliances are still in working order.

In addition, the Bristol Evening Post reported that 200 adults are dying each year in Bristol as a result of poor air.

George Ferguson is considering the idea of a punitive, cash-based low emissions zone in the city centre.

Against these statistics, can Green Capital be called a success? In Part 2 of this investigation next month, we look further at South Bristol Green Capital projects.

Green Capital projects across South Bristol • £15,000 to establish a Bristol South Skyline Walk, launched in May during Bristol’s Walking Festival (pictured above) • Re:Work Ltd awarded £900 for project titled Noel’s Multi-coloured Swapshop • Youth Moves awarded £2,250 for a project, Urban Escape, to develop part of Springfield Allotments, Knowle • Knowle West Media Centre awarded £1,850 for food waste and health project • Knowle West Media Centre and Ludic Rooms awarded £10,000 for arts engagement project (pictured left)

Is Green Capital working?

Bristol’s problems remain stark, reported a major UK waste management journal in June.

“Bristol, the European Green Capital for 2015, saw a four per centage point fall in its recycling rate from 45.3 per cent in 2012-13 to 41.5 per cent in 2013-14”, according to letsrecycle.com. Meanwhile, the

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December, 2015

Is it time for Totterdown to BOLD proposals to change the way Totterdown is dominated by the car are being suggested by a group of architecture students – and they want to hear what residents think.

Called Reclaiming Totterdown, the plans are the most radical ideas to change the Totterdown streetscape since the environmental vandalism of the 1960s tore down many of the area’s Victorian streets.

The proposal has been commissioned by Tresa, the Totterdown residents group, and were presented to a meeting of the group on November 18.

The area affected is the zone of mainly steep streets between Wells Road and Bath Road, including New Walls and Stanley Hill – all affected by narrow roads, a lack of parking and crowded pavements making it difficult to walk or cycle.

Ideas include slowing traffic

Lock and go: Idea for bicycle store and raised growing bed in space taken by a single car by changing the roadscape so it feels more like a pedestrian space, and installing small structures to accommodate bicycles, seating or rubbish bins to make the roads more useful and safer.

Green spaces are another vital

element – the aim is to improve areas like the small park in Angers Road and the community orchard in Park Street, and make stronger links with other green areas such as Zone A on Wells Road.

“We want to produce a

healthier and safer pedestrian environment and reduce vehicular activity,” said Elliott Ballam, a first year masters architecture student at UWE, as the group introduced the plans at the Tresa meeting.

The plans will not make permanent changes to the road – they will all be removeable, so they should not need traffic orders issued by the council.

Ideas include painting the road – with non-permanent paint – to make drivers slow down, and installing “parklets” or small structures by the kerb.

These will reduce parking somewhat but can also help to make it more efficient by marking out spaces more clearly so all the space is used, said Elliott.

A street survey carried out by the four-strong UWE team found that slowing traffic was a high priority for residents.

Another plea was to make

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Totterdown Arts Trail E: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk southbristolvoice [Re] Claiming the Streets

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11

reclaim streets from cars?

Fighting back against the vehicle culture

Colour scene: Making a splash to help people feel more at home on the streets, and coax drivers to slow

Pattern of behaviour: Markings won’t reduce road width, but are aimed at changing the perception of drivers

RECLAIMING Totterdown is seen as a way for the community to fight back after the environmental vandalism inflicted by planners in the 1960s. Then, entire Victorian streets were ripped down and the commercial heart was torn out of Totterdown and thousands rehoused – all for a grandiose plan for a Bristol ring road which was never built.

Habib Patel, one of the UWE architecture students asked to come up with the plans, said history shows Totterdown has often had problems with traffic.

After toll houses were installed on Wells Road and Bath Road in the 1700s, residents destroyed them.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the streetscape was well run, said Habib, with locals claiming that Totterdown’s shops could supply everything you could get in any part of Bristol.

But the destruction of the 1960s revived the area’s rebellious spirit.

“We get a feeling that there is a desire from a lot of residents to take the initiative and change things for the better without breaking the law,” said Habib.

cycling easier. Some residents Angers Road is not much used councillor for Windmill Hill, said they would cycle to town if even though there is a path called it “a very exciting idea.” there was somewhere secure to through it which makes a route “I’m particularly keen on leave their bike. The students to Bath Road. Some don’t realise linking up the parks and making suggest installing lockable bike it is public space, the students more green spaces. Zone A will stores, popular in London. found. definitely benefit, and that A store at the bottom of They suggest lopping some of benefits the whole of Totterdown.

Summer Hill would save people the trees on the lower side to What’s not to like?” dragging their bike home. open the space and make it more The students road-tested the 22nd November (this it’s weekend) The team also suggests Date: Sunday welcoming – at the moment idea on Stanley Hill during the 12noon - 6pm cutting the number of refuse bins felt Time: that use is restricted to dog Front Room art trail, and by making them shared.

In walkers Hill, and drunks, said Elliott. reported Location: 35, Stanley Totterdown, Bristol BS4 3BA. that they won many Goolden Street, where many Tresa supporters at the positive comments. of Stanley Hill and Street • To comment on the ideas, houses are split into four flats,Cornermeeting welcomed theFirfield proposals. rows of bins can block the One pleaded for the need to keep search for the Tresa page on pavement. access easy for dustcarts and Facebook or email People at the Tresa meeting other larger vehicles. elliottballam@hotmail.co.uk. welcomed the idea, some saying Another predicted that any that in other European countries loss of parking would be a OASIS ACADEMY MARKSBURY ROAD people are used to making a burning issue. short walk to a communal bin.

But Carolyn Jones, deputy Brand New School! Open for Reception Children One resident of New Walls chair of Tresa, said the plans Building and Achieving Excellence said the estate already has shared could make a real difference to and helpcaused us [Re] the streets!!! bins which he prefers,Please even come along the problems

by Claim traffic in though the council has given him the affected streets. his own.

“Quite a lot of the traffic The students want to declutter problems in Totterdown are not the streets with fewer signs and caused by people who live in making one-ways clearer.

Totterdown, it’s from people They suggested many coming up from Bath Road to improvements are possible to Wells Road, and if we can design green spaces. something so that calm is Zone A on Wells Road could returned, that’s an ideal situation, be replanted and could also host rather than putting up barriers, Come and see us at Marksbury Road, Bristol BS3 5JL a community shop to sell which is against the ethos of what 0117 312 6500 www.info@oasismarksburyroad.org allotment produce, they Totterdown is,” she said. suggested. The small park on Deborah Joffe, the Green

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Christmas gift guide Stuck for gift ideas?

We’ve found some lovely stuff made in Bristol ...

The number by the item tells you where you can buy it 1. Windmill Hill City Farm art shop 2. Greville Wick, North Street BS3 3. Glass Designs & Gallery, North St 4. Health Unlimited, North Street 5. Bristol Blue Glass, Bath Road 6. SS Great Britain shop • Other ideas: Local crafts and food at BS4 Market, School Road, Totterdown, Sunday December 6; Fresh meat from Windmill Hill City Farm; Local art on show in Duchess of Totterdown, Craftisan and Totterdown Canteen, all in Wells Road; Books and memorabilia from Arnos Vale cemetery; Beer made in Brislington,

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December, 2015

Stained glass balloon made on premises in Bedminster Shop 3

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December, 2015

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Children’s temporary tattoos by Dixon Does Doodles, £4 Shop 3

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The Little Book of Bristol by Southville-born Maurice Fells, Winter History Press, £9.99 from Wonderland bookshops and Shop 6 collection, from £18, Bristol Blue Glass Shop 5 Bunting by Brenda Duddington, £20 Shop 1

Ceramic by Tess McDermott, £24 Shop 1

Handmade wrist warmers

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Christmas Services All of the churches in Knowle and Totterdown wish you a very Happy Christmas and warmly invite you to come to any of our special Christmas services and events.

Carols in Perrett’s Park Tuesday Dec 22, 6pm with seasonal refreshments served by COPP, the Community of Perrett’s Park Totterdown Baptist Wells Road Sunday Dec 13, 10.30am Nativity Service with SRUF Preschool Sunday Dec 13, 4pm Christingle Service for children Sunday Dec 20, 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight Friday Dec 25, 10.30am Short Family Christmas Day Celebration Holy Nativity Wells Road Sunday Dec 13, 4pm Christingle Service Thursday Dec 24, 4pm Christmas Eve Children’s Service Thursday Dec 24, 11pm Carol Singing Thursday Dec 24, 11.30pm Midnight Mass Friday Dec 25, 10am Christmas Mass

Totterdown Methodist Bushy Park Sunday Dec 13, 10.30am Church parade & Gift Service Sunday Dec 20, 6.30pm Candlelit Carols Thursday Dec 24, 5.30pm Carols round the Crib Thursday Dec 24, 11.30pm Midnight Communion Friday Dec 25, 10.30am Christmas Service Knowle Methodist Redcatch Road Sunday Dec 20, 6pm Candlelit Carol Service Thursday Dec 24, 4.30pm Crib Service for children Friday Dec 25, 10.30am Christmas Morning service Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Sunday Dec 13, 10.30am Nativity Service Sunday Dec 20, 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight

Thursday Dec 24, 3.30pm Christmas Eve Advent Spiral – A Journey to Jesus Thursday Dec 24, 11.30pm Midnight Service Friday Dec 25, 10.30am Christmas Day Family Service St Martins Wells Road Sunday Dec 20, 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight Thursday Dec 24, 4pm Nativity Play by Sunday School Thursday Dec 24, 11.30pm Midnight Mass Friday Dec 25, 10am Christmas Day Family Mass St Gerard Majella RC Talbot Hill Thursday Dec 24, 6pm Vigil Mass of Christmas with children’s nativity play Thursday Dec 24, 11.30pm Readings and Carols followed by Midnight Mass Friday Dec 25, 10am Christmas Day Mass

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December, 2015

Jolly jumpers tp help the animals MAKE a stand against boring office attire – wear a Christmas jumper to work! That’s the call from Bristol Dogs and Cats Home, who have declared Friday December 11 Silly Christmas Jumper Day. The RSPCA’s Bristol centre is asking workmates, schools, groups, friends and family to get involved. Everyone is asked for a donation of £1 (or more!) to wear their festive jumper.

To find out more please call Harriet on 0117 300 3968.

Correction SEVERAL readers spotted the glaring error in last month’s South Bristol Voice when we misnamed Holy Nativity Church on Wells Road. We called it Holy Trinity – not once, but twice, which is inexcusable. Our apologies.

Street scene: An architect’s drawing showing solar panels on the main roof. The lean-to structure in front

Church can become 6 homes, say planners, despite A FORMER church opposite Victoria Park can be converted into six homes, planners ruled.

The derelict church of St Michael the Less – built in 1886 and linked to St Michael’s church in Windmill Hill but not used for worship since 1956 – will be improved by the plan, the planning officers decided.

Seven residents objected that the scheme at the corner of Hill Avenue and Marmaduke Street

will causeparking problems, will overcrowd the site and will overlook neighbours.

However, planners said the provision of new homes was in line with council policy and the site is not overdrowded. A check on parking places available nearby in the evenings found sufficient spaces, they said.

And a complaint that reinstating an old door in the back of the church will mean a

neighbour is overlooked was dismissed because the room concerned is a kitchen which does not count as a habitable room.

Another complaint that the scheme will rob light from neighbours at the rear is considered “within acceptable limits” according to planners.

However, the developer, Griffin Homes, must inspect the land for contamination as it was used as a filling station and then

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December, 2015

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Competition

15

WIN a meal for two at Banco

of the church will be demolished

objections as a garage and a car store since about 1960.

The church will be converted into three terraced houses of three bedrooms. The corrugated roof in front will be removed.

The terrace on Marmaduke Street will be extended by two three-bedroom homes, and the oddly shaped section at the end of the church will become a two-bedroom house. Four parking spaces will be provided.

THE CHRISTMAS menu is available now at Lounge cafe bars including the Banco Lounge in Wells Road, Totterdown – and two lucky Voice readers can sample it for free.

To start with, there’s a selection of the Lounge’s popular tapas dishes, including patatas bravas with roasted garlic mayo, chorizo with garlic and red onion, and Spanish tortilla.

Other options include hummus with extra virgin olive oil and smoked paprika, and sweet potato and basil falafels with tzatziki dip.

The main courses are more seasonal – but with a twist. Dishes include Sussex turkey and smoked bacon pie, and a winter vegetable and halloumi pie – both with

champ mash, roasted sprouts and carrots, and red wine gravy.

Other mains are roast fillet of Cornish sea bream and pot-roasted cherry orchard pork belly.

For dessert choose between Christmas pudding, salted caramel cheescake, warm chocolate brownie and sticky toffee pudding.

The South Bristol Voice has a two-course Christmas meal for two (excluding drinks) for a lucky winner.

Just tell us: Which kind of turkey is the Lounge serving at Christmas?

Email your answer to paul@southbristolvoice. co.uk by December 3. A winner will be selected at random from the correct entries and notified the same day. Editor’s decision is final.

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December, 2015

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L

S

TER T E

Who can get a parking permit?

Bears help baking: Pudsey bear met Mama Bear at the Mama Bear’s nursery in Totterdown, where a week of events helped raise almost £1,150 for BBC Children in Need. Every class in the nursery took part.

Concert starts campaign for £1m makeover at Victoria Park lodge VOLUNTEERS at Victoria Park have outlined their vision for the rundown park lodge, which it is hoped can be renovated as a new community hub.

The scheme, which would cost more than £1 million, would renew the much-criticised dilapidated toilets but would also revamp the whole building as part of a vision to make more of the heritage of the entire park.

Victoria Park Action Group hopes to create a permanent cafe – currently provided in an outdoor kiosk by Mrs Brown’s.

The lodge would also have a heritage display to show the history of the park, plus a community room which could also be used by schools, for events and art displays. A roof

terrace could provide a viewing platform for stargazing.

There would also be an office and a room for drop-in surgeries by the police.

Bristol City Council is supportive, but has no funds available.

VPAG is targeting lottery funds but will have to raise 10 per cent of the money itself.

An unusual Christmas concert will kickstart the campaign. The Fantasy Orchestra will play Navidad Nuestra – a 1960s folk nativity from Argentina.

It’s at 7.30pm on Monday December 21 at St Michaels church in Windmill Hill.

Tickets are £6.50 for adults and £4 for under-16s from shaun@thehennessys.net.

I WAS interested to read about the introduction of the parking zones in Bedminster. I notice that people doing child care are a grey area. This seems unfair as there may be people depending on them, and they may be unpaid family members, yet they can’t get an annual permit.

This must affect other people too. What about pet sitters who look after people’s cats and dogs?

They have to travel all over the place and it isn’t easy at all to find pay and display spaces in some areas.

The list of people who can get traders permits is mostly those who have to carry a lot of tools – builders, plumbers and so on.

That is fair enough but there are a lot of other people who have to drive to do their job.

JS, Totterdown

Use hospital or risk losing it I AGREE with the MP Karin Smyth when she warns that South Bristol hospital in Hengrove is in danger of being underused. If you speak to people when they need hospital

17

Have you got strong views about what’s happening in South Bristol? Email paul@ southbristolvoice.co.uk, post to Letters, South Bristol Voice, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX or call us on 07811 766072. Please keep letters short. We may edit your letter. appointments they always seem to be off to the BRI or Southmead.

I have just been to South Bristol hospital for an endoscopy and though it is not the most pleasant procedure it was much less stressful having it done there rather than at the BRI. For a start my husband was able to drive me there and park very close and we had a very short wait for my appointment.

You can also get a bus.

I noticed the Bristol Eye hospital has a clinic in Hengrove and there are lots of other specialities too – physiotherapy, X-rays and scans and I’m sure there are others.

I hope people in South Bristol start to use their community hospital more or we will be told it is unneeded and it will be run down.

MT, Bedminster

Bus stop start AT THE moment there are an ever decreasing number of bus stops while the council dig them up, move them, half mend them, do nothing for a week or so and then make some strange changes.

And a month after starting ... there may be a bus stop.

I note also the advertising was up before the stops were usable.

LB, via Facebook

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19

Features Slapstick – a festival of funnies that’ll never go out of fashion THERE’S no keeping quiet about the Bristol Slapstick Festival.

This celebration of the world of silent film and all it inspired was the dream of a Totterdown film fan 15 years ago – and now it’s an international success.

Organiser Chris Daniels of Somerset Road is slightly awed by how much his brainchild has grown – and how many famous names it’s attracted on the way.

From its beginnings with Have I Got News for You’s Paul Merton, who supported the festival through its early years, the guest list now looks like a roll call of the greats of British comedy.

From Michael Palin to the Goodies, from Rob Brydon to Chris Addison; Omid Djalili to Griff Rhys Jones; stars of the small screen are more than ready to come to Bristol every January to pay homage to the silent stars who inspired them.

Sometimes the link is obvious: the Goodies, who were among the most popular TV comedians of the 1970s, were fond of physical comedy and often used elaborate set-ups such as a giant kitten that stalked London.

But many other stars are eager to popularise an art form that’s perhaps comedy at its most pure.

For Chris it is a journey that began in the early 1990s when he took a course in film studies at the University of Bristol.

“We were shown lots of silent films and I was just blown away.

I thought, why doesn’t everyone love this stuff?” said Chris.

Like many, he remembered seeing Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and other silent comedy stars on TV as a child. But he realised that since then they had disappeared from the small screen.

And in any case, these films were big in every sense: made to be shown on a big screen with live musical accompaniment. For a large part of the 20th century, cinema was the world’s biggest art form. Charlie Chaplin was the most recognised face in the world as early as 1914.

Without sound, and with very limited black and white camera technology, film actors needed particular skills to project their

Oh, so many famous names

Victoria Wood: Pictured at Slapstick 2015 with director Chris Daniels

Biggest names in comedy back a unique festival role onto the flickering screen.

But for comedy, film allowed stunts that had never been seen before, from the high-speed risky antics of Buster Keaton to the choreographed man-with-plank routines of Laurel and Hardy.

Chris wanted to save these classics from being forgotten. He proposed to the Watershed that they try some screenings, with the support of Paul Merton, a longtime fan of the silents.

What began as Bristol Silents in 2000 attracted 1,000 people.

Now called the Slapstick Festival, it comprises more than 20 events at the Colston Hall, St George’s, the Arnolfini and the Watershed.

Supporters in 2015 alone included Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, Barry Cryer, Victoria Wood, all three Goodies, Griff Rhys Jones and Stephen Fry. Chris believes today’s stars support the festival because the traditions of silent films have been carried on by many of them.

The late Eric Sykes, who won a Slapstick award for excellence in 2009, made his own tribute with his multi-award-winning silent film The Plank in 1967.

One constant of the festival is a gala screening of a silent

classic, with music by a full-size orchestra. In January 2016 it’s the 1921 Chaplin classic The Kid, with guest host Robin Ince.

Hiring orchestras and presenting fragile old films on the latest digital equipment is not cheap, however. Chris estimates that the real cost of a gala show is £40 per audience member, yet tickets cost £10 to £25.

The difference is made up by support from Bristol’s animation giant Aardman and the British Film Institute and patrons from the Goodies to Michael Palin who often give their time free. (But more help is needed: see right).

Bristol’s own Stephen Merchant is hosting a Top Comedy Moments event.

“Today’s stars give audiences a new perspective on the films,” said Chris. They get the audience involved too – on January 24 for example Barry Cryer will lead a “kazoo-along” to a rare Felix the Cat and another animated short.

And it is always appreciated: “Time after time, the hosts of the gala evening say, ‘What a lovely audience!’” said Chris.

He thinks it’s because the festival is a unique occasion.

“These films are not on the TV any more so this is the one way that audiences can engage with it. There’s nothing like it – there isn’t anyone alive like Chaplin, and he made his films for the big screen and a live orchestra.

“I feel this is my life work – this is where my heart is.”

THE 2016 Slapstick Festival from January 21-24 has more famous names than you could ... er ... shake a stick at.

Marcus Brigstocke quizzes Aardman writers about Shaun The Sheep; The Goodies share anecdotes and clips from their TV show; gag master Tim Vine salutes his hero Phil Silvers (aka Sgt Bilko); and Dad’s Army actor Ian Lavender and music legend Rick Wakeman talk about their passion for Buster Keaton before introducing two of his films to live music featuring guest Adrian Utley of Portishead.

• Details of all events at www.slapstick.org.uk

Help keep the slapstick flying THE Slapstick Festival is the biggest, the best, in fact the only slapstick festival in the world. It costs a fortune to run, and it needs to raise £5,000 to: • Protect rare film prints • Cover rising venue costs • Include world class music • Commission new scores • Improve projection quality • Keep tickets affordable If you become a Slapsticker rewards include tea with the Goodies, VIP and backstage tickets and the chance to get custard-pied by a celebrity!

To find out how to be part of the festival, search ‘slapstick’ at: www.kickstarter.com

Win tickets!

SOUTH Bristol Voice has two tickets to see live music and classic comedy from Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden on January 24. To win, tell us who is leading the kazoo-along on Sunday January 24?

Email your answer to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

by December 15.

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December, 2015

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Making a dazzle in a pop-up event on Wells Road were Alison Knight and Amanda Brett, part of dance troupe Shameena. It’s a Middle East and Eastern Europe influenced dance that aims to bring cultures together – performed in aid of Nacoa, www.nacoa. org.uk, for children of alcoholics

Hats were the theme of Front Room better to explain their appeal than K Jane Eveleigh. “I love hats because the way someone looks, as well as

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Music is a part of Front Room with venues including Bocabar and the Oxford. Here, Graeme Moncrieff at the Shakespeare

One aim of this procession led

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Paul on 07811 766072 or Emma or Hollie on 0117 908 2121.

December, 2015

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looks at you,” she said. Bristol was a major hatmaking centre in the 18th C, thanks to good wool and water. Jane carries on the tradition and also advises on the right hat for every kind of head shape.

Ant Beever, fond of depicting discarded metal objects in different ways, was one of many artists reporting a brisk trade over the weekend

s year’s trail was to get people involved. There were free art classes, a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and a d by the Quangle Wangle hat – inspired by an Edward Lear poem – from Oxford Street to Arnos Vale

Front Room Art Trail featured 150+ artists; it’s Bristol’s oldest art trail and many say the best

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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Columns Opposition to parking schemes is fading away

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S WE turn our attention to Christmas festivities, December is also a time when people think of those less fortunate.

With that in mind, I am pleased to be able to announce our bold new Bristol City Council initiative to invest £5 million in a fund to purchase properties to house those who have been homeless or are at risk of homelessness.

The scheme will see up to 80 one and two-bedroom properties purchased in Bristol that will be available at affordable rents.

The intention is that households will be able to stay in this accommodation for two to three years and, during this time, will be helped to make progress in their lives.

A very different announcement includes another key milestone for the Bristol Arena,

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The Mayor’s view Each month Bristol mayor George Ferguson shares his take on South Bristol life which is one step closer to delivery after the council held a bidders’ day for contractors interested in building the venue.

Five shortlisted contractors were invited to attend a site visit earlier this month to find out more about the tender process.

The companies that attended the day included: BAM Construction, Bouygues UK,

December, 2015

Sir Robert McAlpine, Laing O’Rourke and Buckingham Group Contracting.

Bids will be submitted by December 18 with a decision about the winning contractor expected in February 2016.

Finally, Bristol’s residents’ parking scheme (RPS) programme is set to finish in the New Year when the Spike Island scheme goes live.

Spike Island is the twelfth and final RPS area to be approved in the current programme and follows Southville.

The rollout has done what I hoped it would, with opposition generally fading once a scheme goes live, and a number of residents and traders reporting that they have been pleasantly surprised. We continue to learn from experience and welcome requests for changes as we reach each six month review.

Even in its reduced form the RPS is undoubtedly improving the local environment as well as helping to encourage a switch to public and active transport.

As I suspected would happen, the strongest representation I now get is from some of the areas that asked to be left out of the scheme pleading to come back in.

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December, 2015

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Bristol Dogs & Cats Home We’re still a haven from frozen streets

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HIS time of year is always the hardest for the residents at Bristol Dogs and Cats Home. When the nights draw in and the temperature drops, it’s down to our staff to be on hand 24/7 to provide expert care (and lots of cuddles) to help them through – but we can’t do it without your support.

We have launched our Winter Warmer Appeal, which aims to raise funds to heat our kennels, catteries, small animal unit and exotics house, and help provide balanced and nutritious meals for our residents – many of whom require adjustments to their meal plans to keep their weight up during the cold months. A donation would be much appreciated by our animal friends this winter, whatever you can spare. Your donation will

But we need help to keep all the animals warm in the winter

also help us provide a safe haven and veterinary care for the lost and unwanted pets we will rescue from the freezing streets this winter.

Protecting animals during the cold, winter months is so important to us. Bristol Dogs & Cats Home was founded when Edward T Parker found a stray puppy following him down the street, during a snow storm in the winter of 1886. Seeing the

Police update

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AM pleased to report the south of Bristol had one of the quietest Halloween and Bonfire Night periods for years.

Traditionally, these times of the year can be busy for police teams due to anti-social behaviour and people intent on causing trouble.

However this year, the pro-active approach taken by neighbourhood teams, who worked in partnership with the fire service and stepped up patrols in hotspot areas, paid off.

I hope that this joint way of working can continue so that local people can enjoy community events, without the fear that a small number of people will ruin them.

One crime type which has increased slightly recently is theft from motor vehicles – there have been eight in the past few weeks in the Windmill and Knowle beat areas. In most of these cases, a window has been smashed and items such as sat navs left in glove boxes have been stolen.

I would urge everyone to make sure they take everything out of their car when they lock

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Snug as a bug: Shadow shows off his blanket

puppy cold and hungry, with no home to go to, inspired him to create the sanctuary that now allows us to care for thousands of animals every year.

Our aim is to continue to help any animal who finds themselves in the same position that desperate puppy did, 128 years ago. To find out more about our

appeal please visit www. rspca-bristol.org.uk or call our fundraising team on 0117 300 3968. Donate today by texting WARM22 £5 to 70070 (you can substitute the £5 with the amount you would like to donate) or visit www.justgiving.com/ bristoldogs. Thank you for your support!

With Sgt David Deakin, Broadbury Road police station

Don’t make it easy for thieves at Christmas up, including items from the boot, because if someone breaks into the main body of the car, they can easily access the boot.

Leave gloveboxes open to show there is nothing in there and never leave bags on the seats, even if there is nothing valuable in them. If you want to be extra careful, leave the back seat down so it is obvious there is nothing in the boot worth stealing.

If you’re out and about doing Christmas shopping, please don’t come back to your car to put shopping bags in your boot and then leave again. We do know that some thieves wait in car parks for people to do just this, they then break into the car when you have returned to the shops.

You may have seen members of my team in Marksbury Road Open Space and Victoria Park

Too tempting: A bag left in an unattended car is liable to be stolen over recent months, with the mobile police station. At these events, we encouraged people to register their phones on www. immobilise.com, the national property database. If your valuables are logged then we have a much better chance of returning them to you if they’re stolen. If you are organising any community events during the festive period and would like us to attend to help log your

valuables, please get in touch via the website or by calling 101. And don’t forget to log all the new goodies Santa brings you.

I would like to wish all the residents of Totterdown, Windmill Hill and Knowle a very merry Christmas and a peaceful new year. We will of course be on duty keeping you safe during the festive period, so please do come and say hello if you see us out and about.

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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Features

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December, 2015

How we came bouncing back

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The Missing Piece is a book in which people tell how they dealt with a life-changing experience. On this page, Helen Sanders from Southville tells us how she learned to cope after her threeyear-old son survived a major brain tumour

IS he going to die? Please don’t tell me he’s going to die.’

The walls were inching closer.

A little like in Star Wars where Princess Leia and Han Solo are in the crusher. In my crusher, I was staring at a picture of my son’s head. This brain didn’t look right.

It didn’t take a doctor to tell me.

This golf-ball-sized tumour was pushing his eyeball out of his head. He was three years old.

How can this doctor be telling me my only son has cancer?

I was recovering from major surgery. As a result of that surgery, my son was my only child and would be my only child.

It now feels like all this happened in a different time and place and not seven years ago.

Today my son is alive. I’d like to say alive and well but when you blast radiotherapy at a child’s brain at the age of three, well it’s safe to say there’s going

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to be some collateral damage.

Doctors warn you. If your son survives this, this and this will all happen. At the time, you only take on board what you need to be able to get through the next hour, day, perhaps the next week.

Yes, we are not surprised by what the doctors call late effects, as they did tell us over and over again. Cataracts, no growth hormone, learning disabilities, early or late puberty, increase in secondary cancers, increased risk of skin cancer, cancer will return if her drinks or smokes, and many other life altering things.

We do what we need to, in order to embrace the life-altering aspects of the past, bounce back and create a new life. I’m not saying it always felt like this.

I will be honest. The January after our son finished treatment, my husband wanted to go back to work. Weekly community nurse visits and hospital trips were all in hand and we’d also managed a few days in Disneyland Paris.

My husband wanted to return to work and I just didn’t get it. I was fuming that he didn’t want to spend every waking moment with our son.

What if today was the day the cancer came back? What if his oncologist calls today and says he’d like to see us ASAP? Yet my husband’s at work being ‘normal’?

For two years, this is how the cancer controlled my head. It controlled my every cell.

I am not too sure what happened, but I realised my husband was living life. I was so peeved at him for being normal and carrying on.

It didn’t quite go like that for me. I made sure our son slept with me every night. Yes, he wasn’t sleeping well and yes, he had many nightmares.

I wanted to ensure that each time I woke up, I could check if he was still alive. Was he still breathing? Were his cute little hands still warm? I think we’re talking maybe 10 to 20 times a night that I’d wake up to check he was still with us.

Somehow as the days, weeks and months went by, my brain was ridding itself of this control.

Of the cancer. I perhaps woke five times a night. This reduced to once or twice. Then my son

Helen Sanders: ‘I had to move on’ went into his own room and my husband and I returned to our own bed.

I began, slowly to realise that maybe we will be the lucky ones.

Some children do survive, so perhaps our son is the one? As this small hint of a thought that luck was on our side grew bit by bit, and the guilt subsided ever so slightly, I started to realise that I had a tremendous choice.

I could live life. A new life. Or live life suffocated by cancer. Or mourn the life we had.

The choice was obvious. I owed it to the families and children who had also been told that their child had cancer. Plus, the cancer may still return so what was I doing letting it control me so much?

I had to grab life by the scruff of the neck, stop being so angry with everyone for having normal lives, and move on.

My husband had to return to work. I now get that. It took me two years.

My thoughts then were ‘he can’t die’. My thoughts now are that he must live, live life well, and with purpose. Otherwise all this heartache, all the tears, all the stress to him, my husband and me, his grandparents, aunts and uncles and everyone around us, it would have been pointless.

If you’re going to love, you may as well do it with purpose.

• Helen Sanders is managing director of Bristol recruitment firm Wingrove Taylor. She has copies of the Missing Piece book to sell with all the proceeds going to Starlight Children’s Foundation. Contact her at helen@wingrovetaylor.com

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December, 2015

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Features

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as life wore us down Sharon Critchlow from Totterdown describes her determination to help build a multimillion pound business despite struggling with that most basic of life skills – reading

S

HARON Critchlow has helped build a successful accountancy business in Bristol despite a major handicap in her life – she struggled with reading. Held back by her schooling, many goals that most of us find easy have been major obstacles for her. But it’s only made her more determined …

GROWING up in a small seaside town in the South West I had great summers, countless days on the beach and all the fun experiences that happen when you are a teenager.

I also had an ineffective education. In the beginning I didn’t realise this. The bullying didn’t help, the lack of teaching staff didn’t help, but I always felt something else was missing.

I was shy, I didn’t like to say I didn’t understand and while my confidence grew in many areas, I couldn’t bring myself to admit it, but at 16 I struggled to read.

In the 1980s exams weren’t necessary to get a job. My parents were pleased with the few exams I passed. And I was all too aware that at times mum had three jobs and dad worked 12 hours a day. For them, life was a struggle to provide for us.

Watching people enjoying the yachts in the marina, having the freedom to experience the world on their own terms seemed an unrealistic dream for me.

At 17 I had a breakthrough: I had an eye test and became the owner of some lovely large bright green glasses. I will always remember the tears in my eyes; for the first time in my life I could read the billboards on the railway platform.

I confess to feeling cheated, but I resolved to tackle the reading issue. It was a slow

process but daily reading practice ensued and reading is now one of my true pleasures in life.

At 18 I left education with low grades in my A levels. I had started to believe that my lack of success was because I had reached my intellectual limit.

I had energy and enthusiasm, but was facing an impossible task. I didn’t want a life of financial hardship. With reading not my strong point I went for numbers. I decided to be an accountant.

I quickly learned that not everyone will share your vision.

Over 100 letters to accountants and solicitors yielded two interviews, at one of which they appeared most disappointed by my female form. In fact, I only got replies to letters signed ‘S Critchlow’, and none to those ending ‘Miss S Critchlow’.

I also learned that having the name of my school on my CV was a hindrance. But persistence paid off. I took a job as a filing clerk with an accountancy practice and filed documents really quickly, so they would have to teach me something new.

Brick wall Then I moved to a small firm of accountants. University wasn’t an option for me, so I studied for professional qualifications as I worked, and hit a brick wall. The books were huge! My ability to learn from them was small!

One year on and I had passed one exam, with 14 left to go. I asked my employer if he would fund some weekend courses.

In the end it took nearly four years but I’m so glad that I went.

I met a trainer who showed me how to learn without rewriting the book, and how to give examiners what they wanted.

This was a revelation.

I practised past papers and the mind-mapping technique of using diagrams to organise information and before long, armed with large sheets of paper and colouring pens, I mastered it.

It took me 18 months to pass the next four exams and two and a half years to pass the next 10. I passed the final three after only three months of study. At 23 I qualified as an accountant with the Association of Chartered

Sharon Critchlow: Found talents Certified Accountants. At 23 I could not have predicted that over the next 20 years I would go on to pass more exams, become a member of a number of prestigious organisations and alongside my partners build a multi-million pound business.

What I learned about myself in those years would see me through many tough times ahead. I learned much more than accountancy.

I learned that: • There is no such thing as setting the bar too high – just keep yourself on track with bite-sized achievable goals.

• Years of not seeing the blackboard at school gave me a wonderful talent to remember the spoken word. This is really useful in meetings!

• I could have been written off at age 18. While the professional exams were much harder than A levels, I learned that exams at school tend to be content-based, while professional exams award more marks for understanding.

My true talents are in problemsolving. When I see people who struggle with lower level exams I tell them to stick with it.

• Learning is not a linear thing; you can have a breakthrough at any stage.

• Those who succeed aren’t always those with natural talent; more often they wanted it the most.

• Be patient with those who do not see your vision. It says everything about them and nothing about you – unless you decide to own it.

• Sharon Critchlow lives in Totterdown and is a Bristolbased business consultant.

News

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Love in a box from school to war zones CHILDREN from Cleve House School and Little Cleve Nursery wrapped up some ‘love in a box’ for other children who live in countries affected by war.

The youngsters joined in with the Operation Christmas Child – Samaritan’s Purse appeal and collected a total of 56 boxes.

Children filled shoe boxes with a ‘wow’ toy and other fun gifts, hygiene items or stationery supplies. Some added a letter and a photo and donated a small sum to cover the postage.

Craig Wardle, headmaster of the school in Knowle, said ‘The love in a box appeal provides children with gifts and much needed support at a time when we have so many presents and much to be grateful for.”

The anti-Xmas office party FED up with winter already?

Hate Christmas parties? Want to make new contacts in the creative industries?

Knowle West Media Centre in Leinster Avenue has read your mind and arranged Would Like To Meet: The Anti Xmas Office Party on December 10, 6.30-9pm.

It starts with a performance of summer holiday nostalgia by Tom Marshman, titled A Place in the Sun, and continues with an evening of conversation, sangria and networking.

Seasonal jumpers are out, Hawaiian shirts and shades are encouraged. It’s aimed at artists, makers, designers, researchers, filmmakers, photographers, coders, activists and producers.

Details: 0117 903 0444 or email martha.king@kwmc.org.uk

Balloon party KNOWLE and Totterdown Local History Society hosts a light-hearted look on Ballooning at its Christmas meeting and celebration at 7.30pm on Friday December 11. The talk is by Stuart Burroughs, director of the Museum of Bath at Work. It’s at Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle.

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

southbristolvoice www.southbristolvoice.co.uk Reports from your councillors – Knowle 26

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TRY to avoid trips to London, as I much prefer Bristol, but occasionally a visit to Parliament Gary is necessary. One Hopkins, recent trip was to Lib-Dem, lobby communities Knowle secretary Greg Clarke for the right for Bristol not to have an elected mayor.

After launching a petition we were pleasantly surprised to get all-party local support and that was the message that I delivered with Baroness Barbara Janke, who had got an amendment passed in the House of Lords. We persuaded the minister not to try to overturn it in the Commons.

This is about the principle of local choice, not a commentary on the present mayor, and could not happen overnight in any event. The second journey was for an awards ceremony for the National Joint Utilities Group.

They represent all those electric, gas and water contractors who

dig up our roads. A couple of years ago I got a motion passed in council that led to a groundbreaking deal with the companies to reduce unnecessary disruption. Bristol is very congested and there is a huge amount of work being done.

Trench sharing, time-saving techniques and better communications have prevented things being even worse.

The Bristol scheme won a national award and is now starting to be copied and NJUG asked me to be a judge this year specialising in reducing disruption. Plenty of good new ideas, some of which will come back to Bristol City Council.

I also took a tour of St Philips gathering data for a sensible alternative for arena parking.

Interesting also to hear at full council the mayor responding to outraged residents and councillors about parking near Southmead hospital, saying there should have been a planning condition to provide protection. I could not agree more!

BUSY BEE Day Nursery

December, 2015

How to get in touch with your councillors – page 2

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AST year, as many will remember, new park byelaws were put on hold by the mayor due to pressure from Chris many councillors, Davies, who were Lib-Dem, concerned that Knowle what had been proposed did not adequately cover all that was required.

Following review these byelaws are being actioned again.

At full council I put my permitted two questions to the mayor. One applied in particular to Broad Walk, which incidentally is a conservation area, where we receive more complaints about vehicles driving onto the wide grass verges, churning them up, and parking, than any other local issue. These are regularly lodged as complaints with both the police and council officers, who reply they are simply powerless to do anything. I requested an assurance that this oversight be rectified with the introduction of

a byelaw, not only for this site, but for similar areas around the city. My second question related to cars, left for indefinite periods in parks car parks, without permission or reason. Again officers are powerless to do anything to remove them, as there are no regulations covering this situation.

The mayor responded to my first question by talking around it but with no answer. Then I had to remind him to answer my second question which by that time had evaporated into the ether! Similar obscure non-reply.

I have since spoken to a city director to ask them to examine and include these two new byelaws. I am entitled to a written reply to confirm they are fully understood and will be, hopefully, adopted for the city.

On a happier note, another 6,000 bulbs have been planted by the Community Pay-Back team, funded by Clean and Green, to bring even more spring colour to Broad Walk and parts of the path in Redcatch Park.

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To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Paul on 07811 766072 or Emma or Hollie on 0117 908 2121.

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk southbristolvoice Reports from your councillors – Windmill Hill

December, 2015

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E: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

HEN you read this, we should have learned from George Osborne how he’ll make Sam £20 billion of cuts Mongon, over the next four Labour, years. It’s expected Windmill that local services Hill will bear the brunt with the largest share passed down to councils and police forces. The 30 per cent cuts made to local government budgets by the coalition have been well documented, with the impact being seen through the closure of libraries, day centres, respite care and children’s centres.

Less well publicised are the 25 per cent cuts made to police budgets, with another 25 per cent expected. These cuts are coming home to roost: police increasingly lack the resources to both prevent and solve crimes. For instance crime in our Neighbourhood Partnership area is up 18 per cent since last year, while crimes

being resolved are down by five per cent. Most worryingly the largest rise has been in violent, racist and sexual crimes.

Even this is likely to be an underestimate as we all know many crimes go unreported. The council used to survey residents on whether they’ve been a victim of crime, in order to allocate community safety resources.

Inexplicably the mayor removed this question from the quality of life survey last year. To make sure the council and police know the true extent of crime and anti-social behaviour in South Bristol please report any non-emergencies by calling 101.

Next May, as well as voting for a new mayor, we’ll get the chance to vote on our Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) who is supposed to provide local accountability but has made no difference to the performance of the police and is a waste of money in times of austerity. I hope our next mayor and PCC prioritise protecting our communities and most vulnerable residents.

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EWS that a company wants to site 48 diesel-powered electricity generators in St Deborah Philip’s is Joffe, concerning many Green, residents. As a Windmill Green, I am wholly Hill opposed to these plans. Burning diesel produces pollution which is dangerous to health and is unnecessary and inappropriate. The Green councillors will resist these power stations coming to Bristol.

I was alarmed by news that City of Bristol College is in financial trouble. Nothing could be more important for our society and economy than investing in education and skills for young people. I have worked in further education and I know how staff are struggling to deliver courses in basic and vocational skills in a climate of chronic underfunding.

I am trying to establish what responsibilities the council has

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for this sector and how councillors can scrutinise it. We hear a lot about schools at scrutiny meetings but very little about FE. As I mentioned last month I have also been investigating how footpath maintenance has been chronically underfunded over the past few years. It is estimated that we need £12m to bring all pavements up to standard in Bristol. Unfortunately cuts in funding from central government will make this impossible and our pavements (and local roads) can be expected to deteriorate over the coming years. I fail to see how this can be a sensible economic policy.

On a brighter note I welcome two new initiatives called Child Friendly Cities and Age Friendly Streets. These aim to increase the influence children and older people have on decision-making and to make urban areas safer and more appropriate for people of all ages. You can find out more at Bristolchildfriendly city.blogspot.co.uk and www.agefriendlystreets.org.

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December, 2015

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Planning applications 42 St Johns Lane BS3 5AD Prior approval for single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear wall of the house by 3.02 metres, 3.98m maximum height with eaves 2.6m high. Prior approval not required 61 Fitzgerald Road BS3 5DH Proposed conservatory to the rear of the property. Granted subject to conditions 44 Barnstaple Road BS4 1JG Creation of detached single garage. Granted subject to conditions 70 Crossways Road BS4 2SP Application to approved details in relation to condition 2 (Hard and soft landscaping) and 3 (Protection Fence(s) ) of permission 12/03082/F: Proposed single storey side extension to create staff room for office building. Granted subject to conditions 11 Montgomery Street BS3 4SE Retrospective application to

retain the single storey rear extension. Granted subject to conditions 36 Pylle Hill Crescent BS3 4TN Installation of raised decking platform on rear elevation with 1.8m high screening to both sides of platform. Refused

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254 Redcatch Road BS4 2HJ Erection of two storey detached house on land to the rear.

Pending consideration 131 Broad Walk BS4 2RT One 2 bedroom flat, one 1 bedroom flat and one 2 bedroom bungalow. Pending consideration

19 Queensdale Crescent BS4 2TN Single storey rear extension and single storey front porch.

Granted subject to conditions

26 Brecknock Road BS4 2DD Lawful Development Certificate for a proposed loft conversion with rear dormer roof extension.

Pending consideration

1A Bayham Road BS4 2EA Addition of new window in first floor of rear elevation.

Withdrawn

17 Stoneleigh Road BS4 2RH Two storey dwelling on land to rear with access from Stoneleigh Crescent. Pending consideration

37 Fitzgerald Road BS3 5DH Erection of rear extension.

Pending consideration 463 Wells Road, Knowle BS14 9AG Proposed rear extension and conversion into four contained flats. Pending consideration

100 Redcatch Road, Bedminster BS4 2HQ Appeal against an enforcement notice issued by the City Council on 09/10/2014 for an alleged breach of planning: change of use from a mixed C3/Sui Generis use comprising a self-contained flat

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to second floor and 9 bedroom House in Multiple Occupation to a mixed C3/Sui Generis use comprising a self-contained flat to second floor and holiday accommodation. Appeal allowed Unit 47, Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Redcatch Road BS4 2QU Change of use of ground floor from retail (Use Class A1) to gymnasium (Use Class D2). Pending consideration 29 Somerset Road BS4 2HT Proposed rear extension.

Granted subject to conditions 6 Maesknoll Road BS4 2HF Single storey extension and replacement of side extension.

Granted subject to conditions • The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planning online.bristol.gov.uk

Will Writing & Estate Planning

Run on: Kids in Victoria Park show that jogging isn’t just for grown-ups

It’s more fun if you run with friends NO fewer than 66 young runners took part in the first Windmill Hill junior parkrun in November, and now the event takes place every Sunday in Victoria Park at 9am. The 2 km event is free for THE CHRISTMAS Fair at Windmill Hill City Farm on Saturday December 12 will show off the new garden which has been under construction during the autumn. There will also be a grotto where childen can be photographed plus live music, family activities and present ideas galore. There will be stalls, a barbecue and Christmas trees for sale. Entry £1.

• www.windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk

runners aged from four to 14. To take part, see www.parkrun.org. uk/windmillhill-juniors.

It offers an opportunity for all the family to get involved, either as runners or volunteers.

A Will lets you protect your family’s inheritance and decide how your assets are shared out –

if you don’t make a Will, the law says who gets what.

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History

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December, 2015

The Waterloo veteran who

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ILLIAM Lonsdale occupies a quiet corner of Arnos Vale, almost hidden near the eastern wall next to the Catholic cemetery. His monument is not very readable and his importance is betrayed only by a modern sign: “William Lonsdale, 1794-1871. Fought at the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo. Leading geologist.”

That hardly leads you to a full appreciation of the man. For Lonsdale, if hardly a scientific celebrity, was an important figure in the 19th century’s titanic intellectual efforts to understand the natural world.

He was a vital brick in the wall of knowledge whose most famous architect was Charles Darwin, but which was in reality built by a host of other figures.

Great men like Darwin depend on those who toil just as hard, but in the shade. Darwin is often thought of as having invented the idea of evolution.

He didn’t – it was widely discussed from the 18th century.

(What Darwin discovered was the principle that evolution works through natural selection – but that’s another story.)

Well before Darwin’s time, people were turning up fossils which looked like present-day life forms, but were clearly different.

And simple observation suggested that many current animals are related to each other, and that breeding can change an animal quite dramatically through several generations.

But how to explain all the

Tales from the Cemetery

Every month we tell a story from Arnos Vale Cemetery

Soldier turned geologist who cracked the secrets of ancient life fossils that look like nothing that’s alive today? And how to understand the layers of rock beneath our feet which contain these fossils?

Do they show us a chronological picture of history, going further back in time the deeper we dig?

Why then do we see some kinds of rock on the surface in one part of the country, but buried deep somewhere else?

What could have happened to force deep, old rocks to the surface?

And why do we find rocks in layers that swoop up and down?

Shouldn’t they all lie flat?

These are just some of the questions that natural scientists were asking themselves at the end of the 18th Century.

So how did William Lonsdale take his place in finding some of the answers? How did that help

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Spiritual home: the Bath Literary Institution Charles Darwin? And why did it help his life as a geologist that Lonsdale became a soldier?

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illiam Lonsdale was born on September 8, 1794, probably in Bath, the younger son of a silk merchant, William Lonsdale from Skipton, Yorkshire, and Mary Wagstaff, who came from Hingham Ferrars in Northamptonshire. It may well be that Mr Lonsdale found a ready market for his silks among the fashionable set in Bath.

They were not a wealthy family, though: aged just 14 William the younger signed up to the army, joining the 4th King’s Own regiment of foot as an ensign “without purchase”. This meant his family didn’t buy him a commission – amazingly to us now, rich families could buy their sons places as army officers.

William was on the lowest rung of the commissioned ranks: if he had bought his way in, it would have cost £450 – a small fortune, but less than half the price in a prestigious regiment such as the Guards.

Little is known about his war service – but we know plenty about the campaigns he was part of, including the long-running Peninsular Campaign, where the Duke of Wellington’s brilliance as a tactician became famous.

Wellington was leading British, Spanish and Portuguese armies in a seven-year attempt to clear the Iberian peninsular of Napoleonic rule.

It was a bloody, intermittent conflict, with the British staging

PICTURE: courtesy BRLSI

annual campaigns from Portugal, assisted by Spanish partisans who harried the French.

But the French might was not broken until in 1812 Napoleon led his Grande Armée into the folly of his assault on Russia.

Wellington chose this moment to attack the French army in Spain, concealing most of his forces at Salamanca behind a ridge, and scoring a devastating victory that led to the temporary liberation of Madrid. Spain was freed in 1814 and the next year saw Napoleon’s last stand at Waterloo.

Lonsdale was by now a lieutenant. We don’t know his part in the battle – though one report said he was the only officer in his regiment to survive uninjured.

Wellington won a famous victory but the bloodshed and the sheer horror of the battle were enormous. The French, whose artillery was pulverising the Allied armies almost to ruin, appeared likely to win the day until a Prussian force fought their way to the field and routed the Grande Armée.

Heaven knows what horrors the young lieutenant saw that day – he was still only 20 – but history records that after the battle he found a bugle among the carnage. It is still part of the regimental collection in Manchester, inscribed with its maker’s name, W Sandback of Rathbone Place, London.

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ike many soldiers, Lonsdale left the army in 1815, the Allied powers considering –

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History

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31

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aided a scientific revolution

rightly, as it turned out – that removing Napoleon would entitle Europe to a long break from large-scale warfare. He retired on half pay – meaning he could be recalled to duty if needed – which amounted to only a couple of shillings a day.

Perhaps his low income is the reason why he moved in with his mother in Batheaston, six miles from Bath. It was on his walks into the city from this village that he first started collecting fossils.

Fossils were becoming something of an obsession for the amateur naturalists of the period.

Science was being advanced by such men as Lonsdale, retired army men or clergy with time on their hands, as they turned to subjects they found around them – birds, trees and the landscape.

Bath, with its soft, easily worked sandstone, was a magnet for those wanting to know what secrets were buried in the ground.

It was also a city of wealth and leisured gentlemen, who had founded the city’s Literary and Scientific Institution in 1819.

It’s said that Lonsdale “became a geologist through hearing the conversation of two ladies about a fossil” at the Literary Institution, according to the History of Geology of 1910.

“He determined to investigate the neighbourhood.” Starting, we assume, on his walks to and from Batheaston, he began gathering specimens.

Being a military man – a part of a modern, professional army where organisation, precision and the use of technology had been essential to defeat Napoleon – he brought a methodical

Polyzoa from Las Palmas, from Sir Charles Lyell and examined

by Lonsdale © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

approach to his collecting.

He may also have known that the new science of geology had influenced the battle of Waterloo.

The army recognised that knowledge of the landscape was valuable in predicting how troops and horses could move around, and also where to find water.

Many of the papers published on geology in the 19th century were by military men. And many of the first to get jobs that related to geology – like Lonsdale – had an army background.

He followed a great predecessor in Bath, William Smith, who had drawn the first geological map, and made the first table of the order of rock structures underground.

Lonsdale built a collection of 1,000 geological specimens from around Bath, and prepared and classified them all. This led to him becoming the first honorary curator of the Bath Literary and Scientific Institution in 1825.

Timescale It was becoming accepted by those that studied these geological layers that they had built up over great eons – longer, it was whispered, than the timescale of the Earth’s existence given in the Bible.

Moreover, there were fossils of creatures being found that weren’t mentioned when Noah took all the animals onto his ark to escape the flood. And was it possible that the only events that had moulded the landscape were those listed in the Bible?

Geologists like Smith and the great Charles Lyell were beginning to list the strata and recognise which were the oldest, and where movements had changed or slanted their order.

Lonsdale focused on oolite – the kind of rock which supports Bath. Oolite was formed in tropical seas when tiny grains coalesced – often from fragments of shell – and were covered with later sediments. In Bath this formed light, golden sandstone but it also underpins the Cotswold hills. He believed his predecessors thought the oolite too old; he claimed the traces of metallic ore in the rock showed Continued on page 32

Adeoniform bryozoans, known as moss animals, possibly from the Pliocene period. From the Lyell Collection of Gran Canaria, identified

by Lonsdale as ‘Eschara’ © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

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History

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Fossil pioneer William Lonsdale Continued from page 31 they were younger than thought.

Lonsdale predicted that with better knowledge, these traces could be found in rocks known to be more recent. This theory was published in the Philosophical Magazine in 1827. Next he won praise for colouring the geology of the Midlands on Ordnance Survey maps – themselves a new scientific marvel.

Then in February 1829 he published the first detailed view of the geology for 70 miles around Bath, showing the strata in order and listing the fossils that were found in them.

This was crucial, for Lonsdale believed that the fossils found in a strata could help to date it. This might sound obvious, but the more famous Charles Lyell believed that God had created all creatures at once, and so they would all be found at all levels of

Fossil bryozoans found by Charles Lyell and catalogued and used as evidence by William Lonsdale © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum the geological record.

Science advances by making predictions. Neither Lyell nor Lonsdale lived to see modern confirmation of their beliefs, but theories can be tested over time, and as evidence builds up, one theory or another begins to look pretty solid.

Lonsdale believed the animals found in a rock helped show its age. Lyell predicted that at some point fossils of mammals would

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be found even in the oldest rock layers. Lyell was wrong: we’ve never found mammals in the oldest rocks. If we did, just once, and geologists agreed on the results, the theory of evolution would be rocked on its pedestal.

Lonsdale’s reputation grew.

His friend Sir Roderick Murchison, first met by chance in a quarry in 1825, may have helped him win the prize job of curator and fellow of the Geological Society of London in 1829. Murchison described Lonsdale at their first meeting as “a tall, grave man, with a hammer on his shoulder.”

In 1832 Lonsdale was given money through the society’s first Wollaston award to map the oolites of Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. He showed that the stone slates found in Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire, were equivalent to the Stonefield Slate near Oxford, changing the age that had been given to them.

The slates were full of oysters, confirming their marine origin, and Lonsdale became an expert in recognising ancient corals.

Building on work by Murchison and others in Devon, in 1840 he showed that the age given to limestones there was wrong too. Some geologists asserted these south Devon limestones were from the Carboniferous period (the age when rich tropical forests decomposed into coal), but others lent towards the older Silurian (the age of plentiful sea life but only small, mossy plants).

He found shells resembling species of the Carboniferous – but also Silurian fossils, and others that tallied with neither period. Therefore, he said, neither label was right – they must belong to an intermediate period.

This was controversial,

December, 2015

because it went against similarities in the rocks, and put more weight on the similarity of the fossils. But it gave a prediction which could be tested elsewhere, and sure enough the same fossils were seen in Europe and in North America – and in places where the rock layers were clearer, giving another way of telling how old they were.

Thus a new age was born – known as the Devonian, though it might have been the Lonsdalean.

In the Devonian, which we now put from 419 million to 358m years ago, life on land flourished, with plants covering the continents and evolving roots, leaves and seeds. Fish became very diverse and on land the arthropods – insects, spiders, crabs and the like – thrived.

Now well known in his field, Lonsdale became a valued supporter of Charles Darwin.

Darwin had taken Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology on his round-the-world expedition on the Beagle, and he quickly saw how evidence in the Earth’s layers of rock carried traces of its evolving wildlife.

He gave Lonsdale some of his samples from the Beagle to identify, and his 1844 book on volcanic islands carried an appendix by Lonsdale describing six fossils from Tasmania.

Sadly Lonsdale had retired in 1842. His health was failing but his friends in the Geological Society gave him £600 to return to the West Country and carry on his studies. He was awarded the Wollaston fund in 1844, and twice again. His skills were too valuable to lose – in this period he wrote about American corals in the Tertiary period, and Palaeozoic corals in Russia.

Lonsdale is still respected for his findings. He believed that large quantities of carefully collected evidence were essential to prove that what looked like similar rocks were of different ages, and he could use lots of samples to show the gradual evolution of new species at the same time over a wide area.

Lonsdale did not marry and as we have seen was not in good health. But he lived to the age of 77 and died at his home in City Road, Bristol, on November 10, 1871, being buried four days later at Arnos Vale. He is not a household name; but he has a place in our modern understanding of our world.

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Paul on 07811 766072 or Emma or Hollie on 0117 908 2121.

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December, 2015

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Columns What should we do to help young people aim higher?

O

F ALL 650 UK parliamentary constituencies, Bristol South sends the second lowest number of its young people to university.

For a city with such talent and enterprise, second worst in the UK is a shocking statistic.

It underlines how inequality makes Bristol a Tale of Two Cities, with thriving universities, finance, hi-tech and creative sectors, yet with areas of severe economic disadvantage all too common south of the river.

I fear the Government’s removal of meanstested maintenance grants for students from low and middle-income families will dampen many local youngsters’ ambitions. These grants provide vital support to help students meet living costs at university.

But of course it’s not just those with academic ambitions whose interests need

southbristolvoice

The MP’s view Each month Bristol South Labour MP Karin Smyth gives her perspective protecting. I know many people are also worried about possible changes to further education, which could impact especially hard on vocational and training opportunities.

In an ever-changing economy it’s more important than ever that our young people are equipped with the skills they’ll need in the job market. So the city’s further education is central to a successful future – for young

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consumables for motorists of replacement bulbs, wiper blades and batteries, sourcing from Osram, Valeo and Varta, among others. We also have the tools to repair and maintain vehicles and stock essentials such as oils; cleaning products from car wash items to top range waxes and polishes for the enthusiast; travel aids, from road atlases to sat navs and dashboard cameras.

We provide a broad range of roof bars and fitting kits, including Thule, and cycle carriers. Roof boxes are available to buy or to hire. We can help you fit these,

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people and those looking to retrain for a career change.

But despite all the international evidence showing that the most productive economies invest in their further education, cuts loom here at home. I’ve written to ministers urging their support for our colleges. Timing is key.

Bristol and its neighbouring councils recently submitted a bid to the Government for greater local control over a number of things, including taking on responsibility for skills. If this devolution bid were to succeed, but huge funding cuts went ahead, the rug would be pulled from beneath our young people.

On top of this, the Government is carrying out a series of area reviews of further education nationwide, leading to fears we could face a reduction in courses available locally, forcing young people to travel much further for the training and education they need. South Bristol Skills Academy at Hengrove, which offers vocational training and specialised courses that aren’t available elsewhere in the city – and which only opened in 2010 – could lose out.

I’d welcome the views of Voice readers: whether you’re a parent, apprentice, employer, student, graduate or someone who’s currently at school, please let me know what politicians should be doing to help Bristol’s young people aim and reach higher.

More than 30 years in the Parade: the team at Motaman have all the answers.

Left to right: James, Kyle, Chris & Harry

Business Profile Motaman (Bristol) Ltd. Tell us about your company?

Motaman was established in 1985 and has now been trading at the Bedminster Parade premises for some 30 years.

The manager, James Clark, has been with the company for more than 25 years, starting as a junior sales assistant and working his way through the ranks, accumulating a vast array of knowledge and experience along the way. If James can’t answer your query himself, he will know where to find the solution. Alf Johnson, our resident Geordie and bike mechanic, has been with us for five years and can mend most things on two wheels and Chris Witcombe has particular expertise in the roof box and leisure market. Harry Knowlson-Baker keeps the stock system up to date, along with providing general sales assistance, and Kyle Paulin, the most recent addition to the team, is on hand to help with bike servicing and advice in particular.

What service do you provide to the people of South Bristol?

Motaman supplies the staple

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too. Through our website we can also deliver locally or nationally.

We stock a selection of bicycles, including electric bikes, and have recently been appointed

by Peugeot as dealers for their latest range of electric cycles.

Alongside this, we offer bike servicing and repair.

What is the best part of running your business and working in South Bristol?

We have been a part of the South Bristol community for a generation and have many customers who have been with us from the outset. As BS3

continues to develop we look forward to being part of the growth in our own backyard.

What makes your service different from other companies?

We carry a wide range of stock, which means we can fulfil most customers’ requirements immediately. Our long standing relationship with our suppliers, however, also means we can source less common items more quickly than many competitors.

We also have on-site facilities to make number plates and also to mix paint to the precise specification for any vehicle.

What are your plans for the future of the business?

Our aim is to continue offering exceptional service to our customers in Bedminster and the wider Bristol area. Through our website we aim to increase this service to the South West and the whole UK. If you know who we are, thank you for your support. If not, please come and see us, you will be offered a warm welcome!

Motaman, 94-96 Bedminster Parade, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4HL t: 0117 9666142 e: sales@motaman.co.uk Find us on Facebook, www.motaman.co.uk

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Landlord fined

A TOTTERDOWN landlord was fined £520 with costs of almost £1,900 for breaching his licence for a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

Khurm Arshad, who lives in Weston-super-Mare, faced Bristol magistrates accused of neglecting essential safety works at the house in William Street.

A missing fire alarm and other fire safety lapses “placed five occupants at unacceptable risk of harm”, said Bristol City Council.

Banco drama THREE staff at Banco Lounge in Wells Road, Totterdown, were taken to hospital as a precaution on November 17 after an alarm went off indicating a gas leak.

The bar was cordoned off by police. Tests by a specialist fire brigade unit were contradictory and it was concluded that the alarm in the Banco cellar may have been faulty.

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December, 2015

The unique gift shop everything is made by

L

OOKING for something different for a Christmas present? Something artistic, attractive, and made locally, with love, with the proceeds going to the person who made it?

The Home Grown shop at Windmill Hill City Farm in Phillip Street, Bedminster, may be what you are looking for. It showcases the work of 19 artists, most from South Bristol with a few from further afield in the city.

The appeal is simple, says one of the artists and organisers, Eva Thyghoj: “I think people are fed up with things that are mass produced and they are ready for things that are homemade.”

But that’s not to say that anything on sale is amateurish – everything from illustrations to jewellery is made to a high

Artists get together to show off their creations at Windmill Hill City Farm

standard. The shop has been open for more than a year and now has a huge range of art and gifts, from paintings and photographs to cards and decorated glass.

Art also takes the form of ceramics and creative textiles, jewellery and felt items, clothes and wild food.

Some are quite well known in Bristol such as artist and portrait painter Natalie Faithful. Sandra Moore paints many scenes of Totterdown on her greetings cards but also paints pictures.

Eva’s speciality is handmade

women’s fashion – not surprising, as she was previously a pattern cutter and designer in London.

She said: “It’s all handmade because that’s how I like doing it, though to compete with big manufacturers is difficult.”

Brenda Duddington of Windmill Hill makes art from glass, painted and stained silver, as well as cards and felt work.

Tess McDermott, also from Windmill Hill, makes ceramics that are functional but almost seem hewn from a blue-veined stone.

There’s organic soap from Happy Holistics as well as foraged foodstuffs from Alyson and Nigel Hunt, who keep bees in Downend and sell honey and wax candles among other products.

Earthed Wood make very

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News where hand

solid oak and ash benches and other furniture in an old mill off Feeder Road in Barton Hill.

Eva is one of three artists who take an active role in running the shop. However, all 19 artists who display there take turns to staff the shop for half a day a week.

They pay a commission on their sales and a small rental fee but in return receive most of the money from sales of their art.

The shop is open most of the time that the farm is open – generally 9.30am to 3.30pm in the winter, seven days a week.

There is a waiting list for artists wanting to join Home Grown, but numbers can change quickly, so new applications are always welcome.

Contact thefarmgiftshop@ gmail.com or www.facebook. com/windmillcityfarmshop.

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37

Meet Santa and feed the deer at Ashton Court

Wide appeal: Laura Whittington (textiles) and Eva Thyghoj (clothing)

CHILDREN will get the chance to meet Father Christmas and help him feed the deer when he visits Ashton Court on December 23.

After feeding the deer, he will join families for a Christmas party in the mansion where he will be handing out presents.

Ashton Court ranger Mark Cox said: “Father Christmas is obviously very busy at this time of year. In the rush he sometimes forgets to keep an eye on his reindeer and they wander off.

“Obviously he needs his reindeer to make his important Christmas deliveries. We’re always happy to help him look for them, but we need helpers.

Ideally small, child-sized ones.”

Tickets are priced at £10 for adults and £15 for children; email acm.events@bristol.gov.uk or call 0117 963 3438.

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HEALTH

Shelley Jones B.A., Dip Ac. CPR5, PRM

Perfect Balance Reflexology & Reiki • Stress and anxiety • Womens health & fertility • I.B.S • High blood pressure • Depression • Fatigue • Many other conditions treated

Appointments: 0117 972 8131 Harrowdene Road, Knowle, BS4 2JJ

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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T: 07811 766072

What’s on

southbristolvoice

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

Thursday November 26 The Light Princess Until January 10. The Tobacco Factory’s major Christmas family show, inspired by George MacDonald’s fairy tale about a princess who lives without gravity. Her windows are forever closed, she can’t run free and light-hearted. How can she find happiness? With original music

by Verity Standen. Ages 6+.

Preview tickets from £8, full £15-£19,concessions £11-£15, family tickets £45 -£60.

• www.tobaccofactory.com Tuesday December 1 Southville Gardening Club’s Christmas get together to have fun and socialise. There will be a quiz, a raffle, a hands on craft activity, mulled wine and snacks. Lots of friendly chat and sharing a love of gardens.

7.30-9pm, St Paul’s Church, Coronation Road, Bedminster.

• southvillegardeningclub@ gmail.com Thursday December 3 West Street Carols and Lights Celebration, 6pm, with the Bedminster Citadel Salvation Army Band, and mince pies and mulled wine provided by West St traders. Elves expected!

Friday December 4 Christmas wreath making at Arnos Vale cemetery, 6pm.

Also on December 13. Join florist Laura, a Bristol based floral designer from The Pink Peony, to learn how to make a traditional wreath and decorate it with natural foraged materials and accessorised with seasonal decorations. All materials included. Price includes mulled apple juice and mince pie.

Tickets £15.

• www.arnosvale.org.uk Tropical Storm, a new pantomime by Totterdown Community Players – billed as the zaniest panto in Bristol!

7pm at Totterdown Baptist Church, Sydenham Road, Bristol, BS4 3DF. Also on Saturday December 5 at 1pm & 4pm.

Adults £5, kids £2. All proceeds to Filwood Hope Centre.

Booking recommended – email totterdownpanto@gmail.com • www.facebook.com/ totterdownpanto Saturday December 5 Christmas Craft Market, Southville Centre, 11am-

A bit of Christmas chaos: Kid Carpet and the Noisy Nativity

The joy of Christmas chaos THIS Christmas Kid Carpet & The Noisy Animals promise to take the family on a journey of silliness and mischief at the Tobacco Factory.

Will the Christmas story ever be the same again and more importantly, where can you get a surfboard in December? Will there be room in the Travelodge? And why is there a golden eagle in the dressing room?

This lively show mixes live music, theatre, comedy, puppetry and animation.

New tracks from electro-pop musician Kid Carpet include Jungle Bums, The Holly and 5pm. Enjoy a relaxed Christmas shopping experience with inspirational, unique gift ideas: enamel jewellery, silver jewellery, handmade toys, vintage home wares, millinery, accessories, children’s clothes, decorations, cards, crafts, art and much more.

Entrance free, cafe open 11am4.30pm.

• www.southvillecentre.org.uk Christmas Coffee Morning at Bristol Dogs and Cats Home, Albert Street, St Philips, 10am-12pm. Organised and run by volunteers, this is a chance to pick up last-minute gifts and enjoy the festive season, raising money for the animals in the home. With books, hand-made cards, home-made cakes, brica-brac, raffle & refreshments, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

• www.rspcabristoldogsandcatshome.org.uk

the Eyeballs and Surfing at Christmas.

Kid Carpet says: “My experience of Christmas shows is that they usually attempt to be wholesome and safe. I think there is a place for something wilder that embraces the the joy of watching your kid singing the wrong words to carols.

Hopefully in doing so we will rediscover why we really celebrate at this time of year.”

It’s for ages 3+, from December 2 until January 3. Tickets cost from £6 (previews) to £30 family tickets.

Saltcellar Folk Club, Brian Peters – a passionate folk singer able to tackle big songs and a multi-instrumentalist who is one of England’s leading exponents of the anglo concertina and melodeon (button accordion) and a skilled guitarist as well.

Totterdown Baptist Church, Wells Road, Bristol, BS4 2AX • www.saltcellarfolk.org.uk • www.brian-peters.co.uk Celebrate Mikołajki (St Nicholas Day) at Marksbury Road Library, Bedminster, 4pm6pm. The whole community is invited to come to the party and

December, 2015

learn about this Polish custom.

You can meet Santa, and there will be gifts for children, seasonal music and stories, and festive food. Booking is essential.

Tickets are £2.50 for children, adults are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Contact the library on 0117 903 8574 or Magda on 07824 086829 or email magdalena. kowalik-malcolm@bristol.gov.uk to book your place.

Ali & Joe’s Christmas Tree Sale, Victoria Park. Quality Nordmann Fir Christmas trees in all sizes, 10am-4pm.

Also December 6, 12 and 13, same times. Reserve a tree at aliandjoes@gmail.com • www.facebook.com/aliandjoes Sunday December 6 Hillcrest Primary School Christmas Fair, 12-3pm. The event includes Santa’s Grotto, Christmas crafts, face painting, stalls, raffle, childrens’ choir, refreshments and mulled wine.

Monday December 7 Victoria Park Action Group meeting at the Bowling Club, from 7.30pm to 9pm • www.vpag.org.uk Tuesday December 8 Living Spit’s A Christmas Carol Bristol duo Howard Coggins and Stu McLoughlin deconstruct Dicken’s Christmas classic with silly songs, pitiful puppetry and more Dickensian daftness than you can shake a selection box at. Until January 3 at the Tobacco Factory’s Brewery theatre. Tickets £13 (£9 concessions available until December 17) • www.tobaccofactory.com Thursday December 10 Table tennis, St Martin’s Church Hall, 42 St Martin’s Road, Knowle BS4 2NH, 2.45pm4.15pm; £2; bats and balls provided, and tea; next session Thursday December 10 and 17.

Usually every other Thursday. All abilities welcome. For details call Chris on 0117 971 3280.

Any Trouble + The Ravons, The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown, 7.30pm-11.30pm.

Any Trouble were a favourite on the legendary Stiff Records label in the 1980s and moved to EMI before splitting in 1984. Their reunion was well received, so they recorded an new album. £10/£12 • www.thethunderbolt.net

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Paul on 07811 766072 or Emma or Hollie on 0117 908 2121.

December, 2015

E: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

What’s on

southbristolvoice

Friday December 11 Raising the Roof – an unusual Christmas concert in the Anglican chapel at Arnos Vale cemetery, 7.45pm. Rousing gospel tunes, no carols, with Bath Community Gospel Choir to fundraise for Arnos Vale Charity Trust. Mulled wine and mince pies, licensed bar. Tickets £7 • www.arnosvale.org.uk

1DB, at 8pm. Music includes David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, Mumford and Sons, Beyoncé and Christmas songs. Director Tom Jones. In aid of Changing Tunes.

Tickets £10 (£6 under 18s) from admin@outtheremusicbristol. co.uk or 07866 587424 and on door (doors open from 7.30pm) • www.outtheremusicbristol. co.uk

Saturday December 12 Christmas fair, Windmill Hill City Farm, 11-4pm. Live music, Santa’s grotto, Crystal Grotto, chestnuts & mulled wine, trees for sale, children’s activities, BBQ and Christmas market. You can pre-order Christmas trees on 0117 963 3252 and pick up on day of fair. £1 entry.

• www.windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Christmas party, Windmill Hill Community Centre, Vivian Street. To include pensioners’ Christmas lunch, a kids’ party, and entertainment into the evening.

• www.whca.org.uk

Thursday December 17 South Bristol Wellbeing Choir Christmas Concert, 7.30pm, St Michael & All Angels Church, Vivian Street, Windmill Hill. A night of great music, refreshments and nibbles.

Donations welcome.

Monday December 14 Carols in Victoria Park led by members of St Michael’s Church at 6pm next to Mrs Brown’s cafe, Victoria Park.

Wednesday December 16 Out There Music Christmas Show South Bristol Community Choir will be performing a at Southbank, Dean Road, BS3

Friday December 18 Churchlands family carols and Christmas readings with the Bedminster Citadel Salvation Army Band, 6pm, South Bristol Christian Centre Car Park, corner of West St and Churchlands Road. Mulled wine and mince pies.

The Regz Powerful 10-piece band inspired by 60s and 70s soul, funk, pop and rude boy ska.

7pm-11.45pm, The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Tickets £4/£5.

• www.thethunderbolt.net Saturday December 19 Classic Christmas carols at Arnos Vale with Bristol Chamber Choir in the glorious

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Victorian surroundings of Arnos Vale’s chapel for a traditional musical medley sing-song at 5pm. Minced pies and mulled wine. Familiar favourites and lesser-known carols. Tickets £5.

• www.arnosvale.org.uk

Monday December 21 Festive music with The Fantasy Orchestra Presenting Navidad Nuestra (an Argentinian folk nativity from the 1960s) and other festive music to celebrate the solstice. 7.30pm, St Michael’s Church, Windmill Hill. Tickets £6.50 adults, £4 under 16s from shaun@thehennessys.net, or £7.50/£5 on the door. In aid of Victoria Park Action Group’s bid for funding to renovate the Park Lodge.

• www.vpag.org.uk Tuesday December 22 London Calling – Joe Strummer remembrance night in memory of the Clash frontman at The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. 7.3011.30pm. £6 • www.thethunderbolt.net

Friday, December 25 Christmas Day Gathering at The Thunderbolt 12-3pm, Bath Road, Totterdown. Join the Thunderbolt’s annual Christmas bash with the irrepressible DJ C Badd who will spinning the classics for all tastes.

• www.thethunderbolt.net Thursday December 31 Steampunk Circus Ball, Tobacco Factory from 7.30pm.

The factory is taken over by circus and fire performers, contortionists and burlesque, live bands, DJs, podium performers in the Café Bar, Some Like It Hot-inspired Speakeasy in the theatre bar, and Indian-inspired oddness with Bombay Bazaar in the Thali Cafe. Outside, the mini Big Top will be home to DJs and circus acts, plus there will be a hot food court. Produced in collaboration with Cirque Bijou, Food and Theatre and Thali Cafe.

Tickets £35 • www.tobaccofactory.com New Year’s eve party, Windmill Hill community centre, Vivian Street. Special licence allows non-members to attend. Children allowed.

• www.whca.org.uk The 45s, The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown.The 45s are a world class power pop trio who mix the best in Motown, soul, rock and blues with an edge. 7.30pm £10/£12 • www.thethunderbolt.net

Wishing for Winter: Is it a tale told by Gran to a little girl – or could it be true?

WHAT would happen to the Christmas season if Winter went missing?

The seasonal show at Acta theatre is an original festive story of when Spring, Summer and Autumn go on a mission to find Winter before it is

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too late, with a little help from some unusual characters they meet along the way. Wishing for Winter is at Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster, from December 10-17. For all ages.

Tickets £3.

• www.acta-bristol.com

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

southbristolvoice

T: 07811 766072

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

December, 2015

last orders for pre-christmas delivery

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Opposite Temple Meads Station | Bristol | BS1 6PL Opening Times: Mon - Sat 9.30am - 5.30pm | Sun 10.30am - 4.30pm Free parking at rear | Tel: 0117 934 9200 | www.branchesofbristol.co.uk