South Bristol Voice September 2017

southbristolvoice September 2017 No. 28

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

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• Is it time to think about a residents parking zone? Page 3 • Park festival hangs in the balance Page 4

New landmark for Totterdown

Knowle’s Spencer Bunn, right, ends 200-mile feat with Neil Rutherford

THE LOOK THAT SAYS A new mural by Ollie Gillard at Piglets, to be run by Jayne Brady and her father Kevin. STORY: P9

...Thank God that’s over!

A KNOWLE man has won one of the most gruelling sporting events imaginable – a 200-mile coast-to-coast race across the North of England.

Spencer Bunn completed the Ultra Great Britain at just after 5am on Monday August 21 at Hornsea, near Hull, after running for just over 47 hours Continued on page 3

• Balloon Fiesta photo special Pages 24-25 • A WWI battle and its toll on South Bristol Pages 38-42 PLUS ... Football fans, turn to THE CITY PAGE Our regular visit to Bristol City FC with Martin Powell

Page 46

“absolutely fantastic from start to finish.”

E Matthews – Knowle

oceanhome.co.uk

IN

southbristolvoice

2 Paul Breeden Editor & publisher 07811 766072 paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk Ruth Drury Sales executive 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Editorial team: Beccy Golding, Alex Morss & The Wicked Witch.

Deliveries: Greg Champion

Intro

HOW HIGH IS TOO HIGH? IT’S BECOMING clear that the council is far from standing in the way of developers who want to build high-rises across South Bristol and the city centre.

Officially, no one is encouraging them to put in planning applications for towers of 16 storeys, 18 or even 26. (Yes, that’s the height of the latest bidder for the title of Bristol’s tallest building, on the site of the old ambulance station near Castle Park.)

Yet it seems unlikely that these plans are being drawn up without some knowledge of what planning officers and cabinet members will accept.

Mayor Marvin Rees was

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Next month’s deadline for editorial and advertising is September 20th

elected on a ticket promising more homes and more social housing. His housing chief, Paul Smith, has welcomed the Castle Park plan, which is three times as high as an earlier plan but has twice as much affordable housing (though still only 20 per cent, half the council target).

We’ve had the same message from developers: only by building tall can we give Bristol the social housing it needs.

The trouble is, South Bristol residents don’t want skyscrapers. They may be acceptable in the city centre, but the plans so far proposed for Bath Road and Bedminster Green have few backers locally.

It’s time for the council to come clean and explain to us what its policy on tall buildings is – and where it thinks they will be acceptable.

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September 2017

n BRIEFLY n HOPES are high that a new future for the Totterdown Centre can be revealed soon. The Voice understands that a property deal is due to complete as this issue hits the streets. It will mean that for the first time in decades, most of the Wells Road building will be in the control of people with a common vision for its future. At present, the Women’s Workshop and flower shop Floriography and its Healing Courtyard are the only occupants, with the rest of the building and its shopfronts derelict. More news next month. n MEMORIES of Brislington are the subject at Knowle and Totterdown Local History Society on Friday September 8.

A talk from Brislington resident Jonathan Rowe is accompanied by photographs uncovered in a house clearance five years ago.

It’s at Redcatch community centre on Redcatch Road at 7.30pm.

Members pay £1.50, visitors £3.

• knowleandtotterdownhistory. org.uk

n A TEDDY Bear Tea Party takes place on Saturday September 9

at Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Road, with music, singing and storytelling. Kate Donnelly (The Little Music Band) will be leading the party in the garden, or inside if the weather isn’t good. All ages welcome. £5.50 per child including picnic box, adults free (cafe open). Children must be accompanied by an adult.

11.30am-12.30pm, £5.50.

• zionbristol.co.uk n THE BARRINGTON Court flats on Wells Road, Totterdown, are to have their car park enclosed by metal railings. A black metal fence, 1m high, has been approved by planning officers to enclose the car park, leaving only the vehicle entrance unobstructed. A gate will be fitted to the pedestrian entrance on Knowle Road. n THINK you know it all? Prove it by joining the weekly pub quiz at the George on Wells Road, every Sunday from 9pm. It costs £1, with three prizes each week.

Profits are donated to charities such as St Peter’s Hospice and Guide Dogs.

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: Surgeries will be held on Friday September 15 and 22. Call 0117 953 3575 for an appointment.

My councillor?

Post: You can write to all councillors at Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle

Email: Cllr.Christopher.Davies@ bristol.gov.uk Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem leader) Email: Cllr.Gary.Hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 0117 985 1491 or 07977 512159 Lucy Whittle Labour, Windmill Hill Phone: 07392 108805 Email: Cllr.Lucy.Whittle@bristol.gov.uk Jon Wellington Labour, Windmill Hill Phone: 07392 108804 Email: Cllr.Jon.Wellington@bristol.gov.uk

USEFUL NUMBERS Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000 Waste, roads 0117 922 2100 Pest control and dog wardens 0117 922 2500 Council tax 0117 922 2900 Housing benefit 0117 922 2300 Social services 0117 922 2900

Police Inquiries 101 Emergency 999 Fire

Emergency 999 Inquiries 0117 926 2061 NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUMS NOTE: These meetings are on hold due to council cutbacks.

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. We strive to conform to the NUJ Code of Conduct for journalists: • nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code 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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September 2017

n NEWS Bunn’s big run Continued from page 1 from the start at Southport in Lancashire. The race is almost eight times longer than a marathon.

In a remarkable piece of sporting solidarity, he chose to

southbristolvoice share his victory with runner Neil Rutherford. The pair had been jostling for the lead for the first 170 miles until they decided that neither of them wanted to take the glory from the other.

A spokesman for the race – one of the toughest sporting events in the world – described

how Spencer and Neil were looking for every possible advantage early in the race.

“At one of the checkpoints, where they are allowed food, one of the volunteers asked if they would like some beans on toast.

“Spencer said yes, but Neil, who is used to cold food on

3 winter mountain races, opened a can of cold beans and ate them quickly to try to get ahead!”

Spencer, who lives in Buller Road, is a running fanatic. He takes his dogs with him when he trains, but he often has to bring them home when they tire – before he goes out for more.

Wake up to the coming crisis in the Bath Road Funnel, council bosses told RESIDENTS in Totterdown and Arnos Vale have banded together to ask the council to consider the impact of future developments along Bath Road, where as many as 3,000 new residents could arrive in the next few years.

Bath Road is one of the busiest in the city, and the Arnos Vale corridor has few public amenities, yet it is being expected to absorb hundreds of high-density homes.

Now a report, called the East Bristol Funnel, has been produced by Totterdown residents group Tresa and Arnos Vale Residents Association.

It calls for the council to look at the cumulative impact of all the proposals, and their effect on traffic, parking and services such as schools, doctors and dentists.

It also questions how much a potential extra 1,000 cars a day could worsen air quality – which already breaks EU limits for nitrogen dioxide, according to Friends of the Earth.

London developer Hadley recently unveiled a proposal for a 16-storey tower next to Totterdown Bridge as part of a plan for 159 flats. It comes as Crest Nicholson nears completion of 220 homes in Phase 3 at Paintworks, while 92 more homes will follow in Phase

UP AND EVER UPWARD ALMOST every month brings plans for new high-rise buildings.

The University of Bristol proposes a 25-storey tower on Arena Island to help house 1,000 students at a hi-tech campus.

Other tall buildings are expected to be proposed in the Temple Meads Enterprise Zone, which includes Paintworks and parts of St Philip’s.

The council itself is behind a plan for a 26-storey building on

CALLS GROW FOR PARKING RESTRICTIONS THE TIDE of new developments and an apparent increase in commuter parking is leading more residents to think again about the need for a residents parking zone in Totterdown.

Roads near the city centre off Wells Road and Bath Road already see commuters parking every day.

When a survey was made in 2013, residents were split fairly 4. It’s thought the Majestic Wines site could accommodate up to 150 homes, with 100 more at the ITV Studios, 220 at the former furniture factory opposite Arnos Park, and 150 more at Totterdown Reach – the green corridor along the river between Three Lamps and Totterdown Bridge.

Members of the residents groups have explained their concerns to two council leaders – Nicola Beech, the newly appointed cabinet member for city design, and Paul Smith, the cabinet member for housing.

Cllr Jon Wellington, Labour member for Windmill Hill, said he believes the council is alive to the problems. He said: “There’s a recognition from both cabinet

evenly between those for and against a formal parking zone.

Then, many argued that the arena should pay all the costs of a zone as it was assumed that it would be attracting extra traffic.

Now the arena is delayed until at least 2020 – and probably longer – while pressure on parking continues to increase.

Simon Hobeck, chair of Tresa, said he was in favour of a debate about whether a zone is needed.

“All these developments on our

doorstep are going to cause a parking problem,” he said.

“Gradually things are getting worse, with people parking on corners, which makes it more dangerous and affects visibility.”

He pointed out that mayor Marvin Rees has promised that no new parking zones will be introduced without local support.

Councillors have noticed more people apparently in favour of a parking zone even before the arena is built.

members that the A4 is already one of the most congested roads in the city, and something has to be done if there’s going to be the scale of development proposed.”

However, so far the council has yet to come up with any proposals, such as naming a single planning officer to manage planning in Bath Road.

Currently the council demands relatively few parking spaces from new developments – the Hadley plan, for example, has 42 spaces for 159 homes.

Cllr Wellington wants the

council to look at “more realistic” assumptions of car ownership.

Simon Hobeck, chair of Tresa, who wrote the report, wants the council to consider the impact of so many new residents. Most local primary schools are full.

He asked the cabinet members if they had notified the NHS, for example, of the needs of an extra 3,000 residents.

“Where’s the space to build a surgery and where do you put a school?” he said. “They didn’t really have an answer to that.”

• tresa.org.uk

the old ambulance station site next to Castle Park. Here, its is argued that building higher allows more affordable housing – in this case 20 per cent of the 375 homes.

Developers at Bedminster Green (see pages 6 and 7) make the same point.

Given mayor Marvin Rees’s pledge to build 800 affordable homes each year, it seems a clear sign that tall buildings are seen as a way to achieve this.

• INTRO: Page 2

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

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n NEWS Threat to fun day if it can’t get a permit VICTORIA Park’s most popular event of the year – the park Festival on September 16 – hangs in the balanceafter a change in the regulations for obtaining a licence from the council.

Bristol city council now needs three months’ notice before supplying a permit for many community events – something Victoria Park Action Group did not realise.

VPAG has been turned down for a licence after inadvertently making its request too late.

But after Windmill Hill councillor Jon Wellington intervened, with a special plea to the mayor’s office to see what could be done, the licensing team have asked to speak to VPAG again.

As the Voice went to press, organisers were hopeful that the event on September 16 could be saved.

The event draws hundreds of visitors every year. Attractions include the biggest bouncy castle in Europe, a dog show, and a 5k fun run.

Live music and a beer tent are both organised this year by the newly-reopened Shakespeare pub in Totterdown.

There’s also a barbecue, more food stalls, arts, crafts and the legendary raffle, with prizes donated by South Bristol businesses, which in past years have included a balloon flight.

Check the VPAG website to see if the Fun Day is going ahead: • vpag.org.uk

September 2017

PARKS UPDATE

Parks projects ‘saved’ after U-turn on council cash grab Gym equipment, paths and benches may be on their way after all IN A SURPRISE U-turn it appears that money destined for improvements in parks across Knowle, Totterdown and Windmill Hill can be spent after all.

The fund, of almost £160,000, for parks projects was frozen by the council late last year as part of urgent cutbacks to balance the budget.

Councillors were angry, because the money had already been found as a spin-off from the sale of council land for housing at Salcombe Road, Knowle.

Now it appears the fund has been unfrozen – meaning projects such as landscaping on green space at Salcombe Road with £20,000 for trees and shrubs can go ahead.

The news has not been announced by the council, but Knowle councillor Gary Hopkins said he had been given written assurance that it would happen.

The Lib Dem leader was a fierce critic of the council’s cash grab, calling it “a disgraceful betrayal of local people”.

Now Victoria Park looks set to receive £38,000 for outdoor gym equipment, to replace apparatus that has worn out. Shaun Hennessy, chair of Victoria Park

• Classes in Knowle and Totterdown for 4-7 years and 8-11 years

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WILL A TRUST BE SET UP TO RUN OUR PARKS? THE LABOUR party plan to save money by reducing the parks budget to zero over three years appears less and less likely.

Council officials acknowledge the impossibility of keeping parks open without funding, according to several sources who have spoken to the Voice.

Officially, the idea is still on the table. But Shaun Hennessy, chair of VPAG, one of the biggest of the city’s volunteer parks groups, said he believed an independent trust to run parks was the way forward.

But it is essential that public funding is maintained, he said.

“I know times are tough but the quality of our parks is one of the things we should be proud of in Bristol, and the council should be behind that,” he said.

Cllr Gary Hopkins said that in Redcatch Park almost all the Action Group (VPAG), was delighted – “That’s majorly good news,” he said, after being told of the likely handout.

Redcatch Park will get £35,000 for a larger, redesigned car park that is safer for pedestrians, as well as £10,000 towards a new gate and removal of a diseased stretch of hedge.

The Bommie, part of Northern Slopes, will get £2,200 for paths, steps and boulders.

At Perretts Park, a gate which

PARKS BRIEFS REDCATCH PARK The community garden is going from strength to strength and the café is expected to open imminently. Volunteers have repainted the café trailer from red to green. After a competition to find a name, the café will be called Roots, and a carved sign has been made.

Sales of plants and vegetables are going well – now including a crop of apples picked from the grounds of St Saviour’s convent in St Agnes Road.

MALAGO GREENWAY Plans for a Berry Maze in the formerly neglected space off Brixham Road have taken a step forward after

Redcatch Park: Benefits from the hard work of volunteers improvements, from the new community garden to the 25 benches, were provided by the Friends of the park and local people, he said. “People will do that for their local park, but they won’t do it for the council,” he said.

He said the city’s Lib Dems will press for a share of money from local developments – called CIL money – to be diverted to parks as a guaranteed form of income. can’t be closed will be replaced at a cost of £3,000.

And Zone N, at the end of Bushy Park in Totterdown, will have £30,000 spent on seats and landscaping.

The handouts were agreed by the Filwood, Knowle and Windmill Hill neighbourhood forum, which has been abolished in the council cuts. Any changes to the schemes will have to be agreed by the councillors for Windmill Hill and Knowle. volunteers cleared and repaired a concrete slab to form the base.

More litter picking will take place on September 2.

‘Mock a Maze Day’ on September 9 sees the outline of the maze traced out and the plans unveiled as part of Bristol Open Doors weekend (see page 16).

Construction work will begin on September 23.

VICTORIA PARK hosts an Owl Day on August 26 (for those readers who receive their copy by then).

Secret World from Somerset will bring birds of prey for an afternoon of avian information, arts and crafts and information on feeding wild birds.

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September 2017

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n NEWS

Will cycle plans win through?

VICTORIA PARK NEW proposals for a cycleway through Victoria Park have stirred much less controversy than the council’s first attempt, which was withdrawn after a tide of opposition in January.

The previous plan attracted more than 600 objections, and 400 comments in favour.

As the Voice went to press, the new plan for the £500,000 section of the longer £2.3m Filwood Quietway had drawn about 80 comments, split evenly between for and against.

After listening to objections, the council proposes a 3m-wide route, mainly on existing paths, to be shared by cyclists and pedestrians. This is now the preferred option in London’s royal parks, where it has been concluded that cyclists ride faster on segregated routes.

Rumble strips will be used to alert cyclists to slow at junctions on the path.

It will be lit along the north side of the park where the path runs parallel to the railway.

To protect bats, the lights will be dimmed after 7pm, and may be turned off late at night.

New “K barriers” will allow cyclists and the disabled easier access – though some residents fear a return of youths riding motorbikes through the park.

Some of those objectors who live close to the park seem to have been won over by the new plan.

One woman from Merioneth Street wrote that the new plan was a good compromise. “I think a shared use path will encourage

NORTHERN SLOPES PLANS to take the Filwood Quietway through the Northern Slopes have so far drawn fewer comments than at Victoria Park.

However, most of the comments are objections, with 16 against, and three in support, as the Voice went to press.

The Northern Slopes Initiative (NSI) is against the idea of a 3m shared route along a steep section of the Slopes next to Wedmore Vale. About 120m of path would be widened, and about 300m of new path created.

NSI members objected to the route being lit, and asked instead for CCTV to be installed to combat anti-social behaviour.

One resident of Kenmare Road wrote: “The path shouldn’t be changed at all. Cyclists use it as it is, and if they feel the need to use a well-lit route then why not use one of the two roads either side?

CCTV will discourage fly tipping and drug dealing/abuse in the sensible cycling speeds,” she said.

Others, however, accept it as the “least worst” option. Many pleaded for signs and speed humps to encourage cyclists to slow down.

One Hill Avenue resident wrote: “The Filwood Quietway is not a logical and coherent end-to-end route that will encourage more cyclists to use it.

It does not answer the two main problems facing cyclists in the south of the city –the unsafe route through the St Luke’s Road underpass, and the lack of a convenient crossing over the New

Slick clean-up

Picnic on the hill

MONTHS after an oil spill from a Bristol Waste lorry spread down Brecknock Road in Knowle, the mess is to be cleaned up.

Residents complained that in hot weather the oil become liquid and was easily walked indoors.

It now appears that part of the road will have to be resurfaced.

A Bristol City Council spokesperson told the Voice: ““We have reviewed the site and have instructed a contractor to replace the defective area. We have asked that this job be done as a priority.”

A PICNIC and music are planned for the Cotswold Road Green in Windmill Hill on Sunday September 10.

The Picnic on the Green will have performances from local bands, plus fun and games, starting at 2.30pm.

Entrants are needed for the third annual cherry stone spitting competition.

Anyone who would like to help with entertainment, kids games, face painting, or tea and cakes is asked to call Howard on 07981 486316.

Pinch point? View of a junction on the Northern Slopes route area, but the path should be left alone so as not to be detrimental to the wildlife.”

There was support from another Kenmare neighbour: “This is great news, particularly with the lighting. A lot of dog walkers use the area, and cyclists, nice to see improvements are being made.”

Cut.” The Forward Together pressure group, along with park group VPAG, had asked for the route to be diverted around the park. But the council said all the on-road routes posed problems, being too steep, or plagued by parking.

The council met all of Forward Together’s other requests – except a plea that there shouldn’t be lighting.

The Quietway route is funded by a government grant which must be spent, and the work completed, by March 2018 – or the money will be lost.

Swimming pool deal is finally confirmed JUBILEE swimming pool is finally, officially saved – at least for the next five years.

After months of delay, the council has confirmed it has reached a deal with the pool’s operator, Parkwood Leisure, to run it without subsidy. It had been an open secret for months that the firm was willing to do without the £62,000 subsidy.

Now it has been confirmed that Parkwood will also maintain the building at no charge, unless the costs exceed £30,000 a year.

Nicola Skinner helped lead the campaign to save the pool, gathering 6,000 signatures on a petition which was supported by Liberal Democrat councillors.

She told the Voice: “It is wonderful news. Finally we can all breathe a sigh of relief that it is safe – for now.

“The communication from the council has been disappointingly opaque, confused, and mixed at times. Marvin Rees has personally admitted this to Friends of Jubilee Pool in a recent email. We hope that lessons will be learnt.

“When we began our campaign, we spoke with many residents of Knowle who had lived here for years without knowing the pool was even there.

“If Parkwood could invest in some publicity within the neighbourhood, with a focus on new residents, then we are confident that memberships and usage will increase exponentially.”

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Clinical Psychologists Joanne Weston 07871 863827; Becky Watkins 07730 586725; Peter Walker 0117 344 5101; Camilla Stack 07816 683479. Addictions Counsellor Sarah Walsh 07854 752749. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Sarah Mortimer 07851 307062. Holistic massage Caroline Girgenson 07963 566887.

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

September 2017

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n NEWS ONE TOWER MIGHT NOT BE BUILT AFTER ALL

St Catherine’s Place: The current six-storey block could be revamped instead of building new towers, pictured above THE six-storey office block above St Catherine’s Place shopping centre could be converted into flats as an alternative to the controversial plan to rebuild the site with a 16-storey tower.

It had been assumed that owner Longharbour was going to build the tower block and another nine-storey block next door. Permission was granted for a total of 188 flats – none of them affordable – back in 2015.

Now the site has been sold to a new owner, Firestone Consortia One, which has applied for planning permission simply to turn the old office block into 40 one-and two-bedroom flats.

Howard Purse of community group WHaM welcomed the idea, as, if it was carried out, it would prevent the building of the two much larger blocks.

However, Firestone retains the right to pursue the bigger plan, and the Voice understands it is considering both options.

The St Catherine’s site was advertised for sale late last year with the claim that, if built, the 188 new flats would bring in £2.15 million a year if rented.

BEDMINSTER GREEN

Rollo defends 10-storey plan against residents’ complaints ROLLO Homes, the firm behind plans for a 10-storey block of 207 homes next to Malago Road, has answered points made by around 100 residents at a “lively” public meeting held in June.

Windmill Hill residents said the Rollo buildings would block their views and present a faceless ground floor frontage to the road.

Paul O’Brien, owner of Rollo, said it was a local firm which was responding to residents’ views.

Revised plans submitted to the council now include a commercial space suitable for a café on the ground floor, softening the blank frontage.

Mr O’Brien said he would offer the café for community use.

“We are not a national developer pushing for everything they can get. We provide jobs, apprenticeships and business for the BS3 economy,” he said.

Mr O’Brien said the height was necessary to make the scheme pay and accommodate 20 affordable homes. The social housing is not required, according to a viability study of the plans, but Mr O’Brien promised they will be delivered.

“If people want developers to build social housing, something else has to give. In this case it’s the height,” said Mr O’Brien.

Comparisons with the low-rise Wapping Wharf scheme are unfair, said Rollo. Wapping Wharf was given a £12 million public subsidy by the Homes and

River view: The River Malago as it could be opened up behind the flats off Malago Road. However, it’s possible planners will insist it is fenced Communities Agency in 2013 to pay for 26 affordable homes. No grants are available on Bedminster Green.

Rollo also said the impact on views from Windmill Hill will be limited in the summer, when trees are in leaf. “It will only be in the winter that the buildings will be truly visible,” said architect David Rhodes of Origin 360.

The Rollo site has been redesigned to allow for a future bus lane to be built alongside Malago Road. The 6m wide area will be a tree-lined green corridor until it is needed for the

transport network. There will be roof gardens on the top level, alongside solar panels.

The energy centre alongside the flats is needed to meet planning rules, Rollo said. The plant will now supply heat and power to the Rollo homes only, not to other sites around the Green. Urbis is planning a larger energy centre to supply around 2,000 homes nearby.

Rollo’s answers to questions posed by residents are at • consultingyou.co.uk/plot-01malago-road/responding-toyour-feedback-

ASK A VET: HOW CAN MY DOG CATCH KENNEL COUGH?

T

HE NAME kennel cough can be misleading, as it is not a disease that is only caught in kennels. It can be caught through direct contact with affected dogs or by sharing contaminated objects such as toys or food and drink bowls.

So if your dog is mixing at all with other dogs – in the park, at friends’ houses or with dog-sitters – we would highly recommend the kennel cough vaccination. We usually recommend all dogs have it with the annual booster.

Kennel cough (also known as

infectious canine tracheobronchitis or bordetellosis) is a nasty and highly contagious disease that causes inflammation of the trachea and bronchus in dogs. It is widespread and is caused by several different viruses and bacteria.

Due to its contagious nature, it can spread very quickly among dogs that are kept in close proximity to each other. Most boarding kennels will not accept dogs that aren’t vaccinated against kennel cough.

Symptoms of kennel cough can

include: a dry hacking cough sounding like a goose honk, which often sounds as though there is something stuck in the dog’s throat, as well as retching and a watery nasal discharge.

All dogs can develop kennel cough; however, certain dogs will be more at risk, such as young puppies, older dogs, pregnant bitches, and dogs with low immunity or existing respiratory disease.

If you suspect that your dog may be suffering from kennel cough, book an appointment to

Rob Parry-Hall MRCVS Highcroft Veterinary Hospital, Whitchurch see a vet as there are many possible causes for coughing, and treatment can vary.

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September 2017

southbristolvoice

n NEWS BEDMINSTER PARADE PUT ON THE MARKET IN A SURPRISE move, the owner of Consort House and Regent House, two former Imperial Tobacco buildings on Bedminster Parade, have been put up for sale.

Owner City & Country has planning permission to erect new blocks in the car park behind and build a total of 235 flats – none of

them being affordable housing.

Now it has decided to sell the site, which it is calling Factory No1.

City & Country managing director Helen Moore told the Voice: “Factory No 1 is a very exciting site and a major development opportunity in Bristol. We are marketing the site at present to test market appetite and value; if a suitable bid is not

7

forthcoming however, City & Country will continue to develop the site.”

City & Country has several other major developments under way, including the redevelopment of the former Bristol General Hospital next to Bathurst Basin. It is selling three-bedroom penthouse apartments there for an eye-watering £875,000.

Take a look ar our ideas for a new masterplan, says WHaM THE COUNCIL should look at the community’s own proposals for Bedminster Green because the framework previously suggested is falling apart, says WHaM, the Windmill Hill and Malago community planning group.

WHaM has produced its own planning brief for Bedminster Green, which calls for low-rise development of up to five or six storeys with public open spaces and community facilities such as a doctor’s surgery.

The group says its own brief is the best vision available for the area now that several developers are drawing up plans for parts of the site (see panel).

Ownerships are also changing – St Catherine’s Place has been sold to a new developer who may not rebuild it after all (page 6).

Meanwhile the former

FRAMEWORK UNDER STRAIN THE 800-home framework for Bedminster Green, proposed in 2015 by Clifton-based developer Urbis, has now been overtaken by events, at least in part.

Rollo Homes won a bidding war for Plot 1, the site between the railway line and Malago Road, and put in its own plan for 207 homes in up to 10 storeys.

Rollo did not take part in discussions with Urbis and other developers on co-operating on studies on transport and drainage.

Paul O’Brien, owner of Rollo, had also hoped to develop Plot 4, around Stafford Street and Little Paradise.

Meanwhile several developers have been mentioned in connection with St Catherine’s

tobacco buildings, Consort House and Regent House in Bedminster Parade, have been put up for sale by owner City & Country (above).

This proves that a new approach is needed and WHaM’s own site brief, prepared with the help of planning experts is the best way forward, said WHaM spokesman Howard Purse. The groups has done extensive consultation which has found that people do not want to skyscrapers but are prepared to see high-density, low rise blocks of homes, he said.

Wapping Wharf, just the other side of the river, is a good example of a sensitive inner-city development that isn’t too tall, he said.

Wapping Wharf received a £12 million public subsidy to pay for its affordable homes.

Bedminster should get the Place, the neglected shopping centre which has had permission for a 16-storey tower block for two years but which remains untouched (see panel, page 6).

Urbis has now passed the baton for the framework to the council to co-ordinate. But none of this means the wider vision is dead, said Richard Clarke, managing director of Urbis.

Developers including Consortia One – the new owner of St Catherine’s; Deeley Freed, which owns the NCP car park; and Dandara, which now has an interest in Plot 4, have all agreed to work with Urbis on studies on transport and drainage.

Urbis continues to draw up plans for Plot 5, including a revamped Bedminster station, an 18-storey tower and 300 student homes at Whitehouse Lane.

same treatment, Mr Purse said.

“We keep getting the feeling that we are the poor relation in South Bristol,” he said. But the site has a lot of potential if it is done right, and it deserves public investment, he said.

The council’s cabinet member for housing, Paul Smith, and for city design, Nicola Beech, are studying the planners’ proposals as well as the WHaM brief.

BEDMINSTER GREEN DO WE NEED A DOCTOR’S SURGERY? ONE OF residents’ many pleas to the developers of Bedminster Green has been for community facilities such as a health centre to be included.

However, Rollo Homes owner Paul O’Brien has told the Voice that he does not believe that the NHS will pay for a new doctors’ surgery. After discussions with local surgeries, he has been told there are places for up to 3,000 patients available in the vicinity, many at Marksbury Road.

Because of this, the NHS will not fund further surgeries, he said.

Urbis’s Richard Clarke believes the rising population will bring a need for a new health centre. If all the potential new homes are built there could be 3,000 extra residents, enough to tip the equation, he said. Urbis proposes a new surgery on its site, Plot 5.

Patients in Bedminster are unlikely to agree that there are enough doctors. Complaints of delays of several weeks to see a named doctor are common.

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8

n NEWS Mums launch a new kind of childcare

Mums: Ellie F, Isabel and Ellie B A NEW childcare scheme at Windmill Hill City Farm will allow parents to work while their children are looked after in a nearby creche.

The idea, called Caboodle, comes from three BS3 mums who all struggled to find childcare to fit around their freelance work.

Isabel Kearney, Ellie Freeman and Ellie Bowie believe there are lots of parents in the same boat.

After planning the concept throughout the year, they have created a social enterprise company and are starting with four-hour pop-up sessions at the city farm in Philip Street, Bedminster, from September 11.

Caboodle aims to maximise work time and minimise stress and travel. Under fives are taken care of in the Caboodle creche, while parents can get to work in a co-working space nearby.

Isabel said, “We’ve made it our mission to provide a space for mums, dads and carers to work flexibly, supporting each other to have fulfilling careers and healthy family lives, while their children blossom in versatile, quality childcare.”

• wecaboodle.org.uk

September 2017

Moon Festival brings the Far East alive KNOWLE singer-songwriter Makala Cheung wants to open Bristol’s eyes to the excitement of Chinese and east Asian culture – so she’s organising an entire festival at the O2 Academy.

Makala will launch her own album, Empress, at the Mini Moon Festival at the city centre venue on October 1.

Headline act will be Fifi Rong, who has performed with Tricky and Skepta.

Other performances include Asian hip hop, Chinese lion dance and karate, while stalls will includes origami, calligraphy,

manga, lantern making and dumplings.

Said Makala: “We held a Mini Moon Festival at the Fleece in Bristol a few years ago, where we had a full day of music, martial arts, dance and Chinese and east Asian culture. It was a really enjoyable and exciting day.

Mid-Autumn is a major festival in China and we want to bring that excitement to Bristol”.

Makala Cheung makes electronic pop with a Chinese twist and urban influences, and she is financing her album through crowd-funding. She has

Makala Cheung PHOTO: Marcus Way performed on stages including Bristol Balloon Fiesta, Redfest, Shambala and St Paul’s Carnival.

• Facebook: Mini Moon Festival

Gothic owner: I will live in new house THE OWNER of the Gothic Mansion, the large Victorian house in Redcatch Road, Knowle, has promised that if she is allowed to build another house in the grounds she will live there herself and will not let it out.

Misha Simmonite, who rents out the mansion to holidaymakers and family groups of up to 50 at a time, told the Voice: “I don’t have any intention of letting it [the new house] at all.”

Eight neighbours objected to Ms Simmonite’s application, which replaces an earlier plan for a larger house. One resident wrote in support of the application.

Plans show a grand house on what is now a car park at the corner of Redcatch Road and St

Agnes Avenue, designed to look like the kind of Mock-Tudor stable block that the mansion might once have had. It has leisure rooms in the basement and four bedrooms on the first floor, each with a bathroom, and a therapy pool on the ground floor.

Ms Simmonite says she is registered disabled and finds it hard to get to her flat at the top of the mansion. She says she needs an adapted new home where her elderly parents could also live.

Some neighbours suspect that the house would be let out. One objector called it “a mini palace” which was “overkill” for a disabled person. It should not be allowed without plans for extra parking, he said. But Ms

The new house from Redcatch Rd Simmonite insisted that the new house is for her own use. She intends to install a lift, but was advised to apply for that later, she said.

Parking will not be a problem as there are 10 spaces in the grounds, while the drive will take up to five more, she said.

She has Sjogren’s syndrome – which causes tiredness and muscle pain– plus rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

“I have been struggling for quite some time. I don’t like to talk about this and it’s a shame to have to justify my needs but I hope this helps put neighbours’ minds at rest,” she said.

Royal honour for Blue Glass BRISTOL Blue Glass, the Arnos Vale firm which continues the city’s heritage of blue glassmaking, now has its products on sale at Buckingham Palace.

The Royal Collection Trust has commissioned a sapphire water jug and glass set from the Bath Road company. The new designs are part of the Royal Birdsong chinaware range, which is sold at the Buckingham Palace Garden Shop.

Sharon Crapanzano, Bristol

Sapphire set: The jugs from Bristol on show at the Palace shop Blue Glass sales and marketing manager, said “The team have worked so hard, it’s been such a joy seeing this commission grow.

Not only is it an honour to be producing glass for Royal Collection Trust, but this coincides beautifully with us celebrating our own 30th year in business next year.”

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

September 2017

n NEWS Day of fun at Southlands THE Southlands older people’s home in Knowle hosted a summer party, inviting staff, tenants and local families.

Southlands is an “extra care” home run by Guinness Care, next to their supported housing for older people at Anchor House on Wells Road – site of the former Gaiety cinema.

The Lord Mayor, Lesley Alexander, drew the first pick of the raffle, with prizes donated by local businesses. Many other family-friendly activities took place throughout the day, including apple bobbing, stocks (with wet sponges), a cake stall and tombola – plus foot-tapping entertainment from folk band Rambling Tymes.

“Every resident has thanked me for the work we did with the party – it was worth it to see everyone enjoying themselves.

Jean, one of our residents, said she loved watching the children playing and having a good time,” said team leader, Keely Wood.

The event raised £500 for the Tenants’ Activity Fund, which pays for day trips and visiting entertainment and craft sessions.

Dance from the Angels Academy with Molly McKechnia, Elle Sheppard and Grace Vickers

southbristolvoice

A deli, antiques and Indian tapas all about to open OPENING soon are three new Totterdown businesses as, sadly, we report the demise of another.

Our front page picture shows the eyecatching Gage Graphics mural at Piglets, at the corner of St John’s Lane and St Luke’s Road.

The name recalls its past use as a pub, the Boar’s Head, which closed some time in the 1950s.

It opens on the weekend of September 9 and 10 as a shop full of antiques and retro items, run

by Jayne Brady and her father Kevin, with occasional assistance from Jayne’s three children.

Jayne started trading at car boot sales in 2005 and slowly expanded to trade online. Now she has a 600 sq ft storage room in Southville and a huge variety of stock – from old toys to furniture and curios.

Meanwhile the former Gaines grocer and deli at 172 Wells Road is about to reopen as Fox & West, run by former teachers Lucy Fox and Hannah West.

The pair have been hard at work refitting the shop to make a

deli counter and cafe facilities to add to fruit, veg and groceries.

Lucy said: “Hannah and I have been friends for seven years.

We have had a shared love of food and have been looking for the right place to set up a business.

“Knowing the area well, we felt that we could build on what Jason Gaines had already established within the community and add some new and exciting elements.”

Further up Wells Road at no.

198, the former Duchess of Totterdown tea shop has been transformed into Desi’s. Again, it’s expected to open soon, but no date was set as we went to press.

It will sell Indian food, but tapas style, in small portions. It aims to be a good value place that’s popular with local people, said owner Julius Mall.

The Little Butcher nearby at 170 Wells Road has closed its doors. Owner James Little said he was closing “for the time being” for personal reasons after a year and a half in business.

Still moving

they love. It’s on September 9 and the second Saturday of every month at Victoria Park Baptist Church, Sylvia Avenue, from 10.45-11.45am. It costs £7 a time. Details: email nevertoooldtodisco@gmail.com

AGE IS no barrier to those who join Never Too Old To Disco, which aims to reconnect those who don’t care how old they are to beats

9

Steam views to last all year

Steam scene: Midsomer Norton A MEMBER of Bristol’s Forster family, who have had relatives involved with the railways ever since the dawn of the steam age, has produced a unique calendar to continue the family tradition.

Martin Forster is son of Cecil Forster of Broadfield Road, Knowle, who featured in the Voice last year. We told how Cecil had traced his ancestors back to Jonathan Forster, builder of one of the first steam locomotives, Puffing Billy, in 1813.

Cecil found 23 members of the family who had designed, built, driven and maintained trains until the present day.

Now Martin, an accomplished artist, has released a calendar full of paintings of steam trains in Somerset and Dorset.

It’s on sale at £10. Martin also does large prints at £30, and greetings cards at £1.75. For details call him on 07866 598687.

Mr Songwriter TEXAS musician Eric Taylor, who has written songs for Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle among others, performs at Zion in Bishopsworth Road on Wednesday September 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets £12/£10.

Achieve Senior School Open Morning – Saturday 23 September Junior School Visiting Morning – Tuesday 3 October

Find out more at redmaidshigh.co.uk

0117 962 2641

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September 2017

n NEWS

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n NEWS a part of the Knowle community.

Rovers priest He is not daunted by being a Bristol Rovers fan in a part of town where City fans dominate. who believes “I believe that Bristol City fans also have souls needing to be that City fans saved,” he says, tongue in cheek.

Holy Nativity has always been church”, or Anglo-Catholic, also have souls “high since it was founded in 1871. This REVEREND Steve Hawkins, who is about take the reins at Holy Nativity church in Knowle, could be putting his feet up if he chose.

Father Steve officially retired two years ago from the neighbouring church of St Martin’s, further up Wells Road .

But despite helping out by holding services at churches including St Mary Redcliffe, he found he missed being a day-today part of the community.

Now he’s looking forward to the service on September 21 when he will be licensed in his role by the Bishop of Swindon.

Father Steve is a long way from the old-fashioned picture of a stern presence in the pulpit – he’s a large, cheery man with a long list of passions who says he is determined to make the church

means that services include much ritual and swinging of incense.

That is not about to change, but Father Steve says that as well as treating the holy communion with reverence, there is also a place in the service for humour, and for making people feel that they are part of a big family.

In his younger days at Holy Nativity he was himself the thurifer – the name for the official who swings the thurible, which contains the incense. He says it is “an absolutely brilliant job – I always tried to create enough smoke so that people couldn’t see the altar!”

He’s also a member of a shanty singing group, a keen sports fan, a former caver and rugby player, and a huge fan of rock music – he goes to

Wild children

Flats plan draws more objections

Exploring: Wild Child sessions for under-5s on Northern Slopes THE CHANCE to run wild in the outdoors in safety is on offer to under-fives in Knowle from September 5.

Avon Wildlife Trust begins My Wild Child sessions on Northern Slopes every Wednesday during term time, with activities such as wild art, mini-beast hunts, songs and storytelling.

Sessions are from 1-2.30pm and start at the Bommie on Northern Slopes – the entrance at 105 Wedmore Vale.

• avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/ mywildchild

A FOURTH attempt at getting planning permission for a threestorey block of flats on a derelict Totterdown plot has run into more opposition from neighbours.

Crossman Homes of Bath has been trying since 2015 to get approval for nine flats, mostly one-bedroom, on the corner of Goolden Street and Bathwell Road, without any car parking.

A plan submitted last year drew 74 objections. The council’s city design team recommended that it should be withdrawn because it was too overbearing.

The new plan is still for three storeys, opposite the much

Father Steve Hawkins: “Christians are pretty normal people” Glastonbury most years.

You may also recognise him from the TV: he featured on a BBC series four years ago called Some Vicars Tell Jokes where he did so well he was offered a voiceover on a butter commercial!

A lifelong Bristolian, Father Steve knows the area well. He was born in St Anne’s and brought up in St George. He was a teacher of physics for 10 years at Wellsway school in Keynsham, and he’s very interested in the

relationship between science and faith – something on which he’s given talks in the past.

Father Steve arrives a year after the departure of Father Chris Kinch, who left to take a commission as an army chaplain.

Sadly Father Steve won’t get to live in the expansive vicarage in Lilymead Avenue – that is likely to be sold by the diocese.

He will commute from his home in Brentry, where he lives with his wife Caroline and King Charles spaniel Doris. He has four children and six grandchildren.

As well as being parish priest at St Martin’s for seven years, and before that at St Anne’s, he has also been chaplain to Bristol Rovers (naturally) and to the Normandy Veterans Association.

That’s been important as it helps demonstrate to others that Christians “are pretty normal people,” he says.

“We don’t need more Christian organisations, what we need are more Christians in organisations,” he says.

“That doesn’t mean Biblebashing, it just means living out our faith in a practical way.”

Fiddling the Irish way

smaller two-storey terraces of Bathwell Road. The block is now set back from the road, but not far enough, say objectors.

“The height is totally out of keeping with the area”, wrote a resident of Stanley Hill.

A change to the design, by inserting a flat roof on the corner, “will look totally bizarre”, wrote a resident of Goolden Street. And expecting none of the potential 22 residents to have cars “is just naive”, added the resident. Other objections include the impact on views of Holy Nativity church, and the dark, overshadowed courtyards behind the flats.

EVER wanted to learn Irish fiddle tunes the traditional way, by ear? Southville Strings is a friendly group that meets every Monday from September 11, from 6.30-7.30pm, at the Hen and Chicken in North Street.

Tutor Viv Baker has been playing and collecting traditional Irish tunes for many years, being taught herself in the Donegal style. She teaches the group a tune a week (or half a tune if it is a difficult one).

The group is not for complete beginners – fiddlers need a basic knowledge of finger positions and holding the instrument.

The cost is £8 for the hour.

Contact Viv on 0779 126 9335 or Viviennefbaker@gmail.com.

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September 2017

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n NEWS Make sure you Gardening claim what’s kids put the yours, says MP PEOPLE in South Bristol will get a chance to meet money experts to check they are receiving all their financial entitlements.

The Money Entitlement One Stop Shop event has been organised by Karin Smyth MP at the Withywood Centre, Queens Road BS13 8QA. It’s on Friday September 15, 10.30am-12.30pm.

The Labour MP said £16 million a year in pension credit, and upwards of £20m in income support, goes unclaimed by Bristol residents each year.

Karin Smyth said: “Too many people miss out on money that is rightly theirs, so I am again bringing together a number of Bristol’s finance experts to give practical first-hand advice.”

Advice will be available from Citizens Advice, the Department for Work and Pensions, Care and Repair and others.

boot in

THE GOOD GARDENS scheme for BS4 was once again a blooming success with almost 50 streets taking part.

The event is so well supported that there were more people offering to help with judging than there were streets available.

This year’s children’s competition was for plants in footwear, with lots of welly-boot mini-gardens springing up all over the area.

Organiser Ruth Drury said: “Due to a print error we got double the amount of window stickers – 1,500 – so we went rogue, awarding wherever we can see beauty!

“There has been so much positive feedback and lots of newbies already keen to sign up for next year.” There were three

Otis, 2, and Ada, 6: Prize footwear display in Jubilee Road, Knowle

Heath, 8, and sister Nell, 5, at the winning garden in Bayham Road

children’s prizes of vouchers for the Freedom trampoline centre in Mead Street, Totterdown. First were Otis and Ada Cooper-Kenny of Jubilee Road, Knowle; second was Imogen Mochan of Upper Sandhurst Road, Brislington, and third Dottie Woodhouse of Talbot Road, Knowle.

Winner of the top prize, a meal at The Knowle pub, was the Chequer family at 15 Bayham Road, Knowle. Mum Jen paid tribute to the house’s former owner, Anne Wilson, who laid

out the garden – “I feel like we are just maintaining it!” said Jen. Lots of local firms sponsored the awards: Birchwood Medical Practice, Brislington WI, Griffin Electrical, Briz-Graphics, Floriography, Gardenology, AZ Services, Vision Garden Design, Nick White Landscaping, JAC Landscaping, The Knowle pub, Owen IT Solutions, Matthews estate agents, Whitehall Garden Centre and South Bristol Voice.

• More pics on the Voice website.

• Facebook: BS4 Good Gardens

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September 2017

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13

n NEWS Billie Holiday met Bessie Blues: ladies first How HMO in Bath Smith, at the harbourside venue on Thursday September 28.

The A KNOWLE duo are taking their Road blocked first commercial blues singers to multi-media event bringing to become household names were life two of the greatest female women. The show is at 7.30pm. blues singers to the Watershed. by planners For tickets, at £10 and £8, call the Vocalist Natalie Davis, with Dave Merrick on guitar, will perform When Ladies Sang the Blues:

box office on 0117 9275100 or Dave Merrick on 07505 461892.

20-somethings wanted to help with health study RESEARCHERS at the University of Bristol are calling on 24- to 26-year-olds living in Knowle, Totterdown and Windmill Hill to take part in one of the most detailed health studies of its kind in the world.

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, also known as Children of the 90s, is an internationally-renowned research study, following the health and development of more than 14,000 families with a child born in Bristol and nearby between April 1991 and December 1992. Researchers have used the data collected over the last 25 years to help answer important questions on key health issues, including asthma, childhood obesity, and dementia.

Almost 4,000 young people have already attended the most recent data collection clinic, Focus@24+, and taken part in a series of cutting-edge tests, including blood pressure, liver and lung function checks.

Now, with the Focus@24+ clinics drawing to a close this autumn, the Children of the 90s team is keen to hear from anyone living in the area who was born in or around the city in 1991/2 and who would like to play their part in building an even more detailed picture of the health of their generation.

To find out more, please call 0117 331 0010, email info@ childrenofthe90s.ac.uk or visit the website: • childrenofthe90s.ac.uk.

Q&A: CHILDREN OF THE 90s; WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

of health and social outcomes using Children of the 90s data, by researchers all around the world.

Name: Ross Lives: Knowle Role: Study manager

What does your role within Children of the 90s involve?

Planning and costing new data collection studies, overseeing the ethical approvals for the study, organising the annual questionnaires, managing communication with participants, and leading a brilliant team of staff.

Why is the Children of the 90s project so important?

Because it is the most detailed study of its kind anywhere in the world. It is truly unique in helping us understand the environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors that affect a person’s health and wellbeing, and it is based in Bristol!

What research discovery are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the sheer variety, quantity and quality of our research output – it’s too hard to pick out a single finding for me.

There have been more than 1,600 academic publications on all kinds

What advice would you give to someone thinking about taking part?

Please do. You’ll be contributing to something that is unique, proudly Bristolian, and will improve the health of future generations. You’ll be part of a wider group of 14,000 families who all share something extremely special, and the best way to celebrate this is by taking part!

THE USE of a large house on Bath Road as an HMO, or house in multiple occupation, has been blocked by planners.

The council’s enforcement team found that 156 Bath Road, which is almost opposite Totterdown Bridge, was already being used as an HMO, with eight residents. On hearing that it was planned to increase the number of tenants to 10, the council asked the owner to make a retrospective planning application.

Planners said two of the bedrooms on the second floor have no windows at all, and overall the accommodation is substandard. The house has seven bedrooms and one lounge-kitchen.

Though the rooms meet minimum space standards, “the level and quality of outlook for future occupiers is

A house at 156 Bath Road where the owner wanted 10 people to live

poor,” said the planning report.

The plan proposed putting decking over a small area at the from of the house to provide room for recycling bins and cycle storage.

But this would cut the light reaching one of the basement bedrooms giving it a “poor quality living environment”, said planners.

Totterdown residents group Tresa objected to the plan, calling the accommodation inadequate.

There have been concerns from Tresa, and others, that the arrival of a new university campus at Temple Quarter will increase pressure for more large homes to be converted to bedsits.

REMEMBER US? BORN 1991-92?

WE’D LOVE TO SEE YOU AGAIN Book a Focus@24+ visit now!

Phone us: 0117 331 0010 Text us: 07789 753 722 Email us: info@childrenofthe90s.ac.uk www.childrenofthe90s.ac.uk/focus24 Get a shopping voucher as a thank you.

All travel costs reimbursed.

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

September 2017

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14

n EDUCATION New head for primary school MARKSBURY Road’s primary school has promoted its deputy principal, Clare Robinson, to be its head.

The school is run by Oasis Academy and opened, in a new building with a single class, in 2015. Since then applications have risen and it is now admitting two classes in each year. It is expected to reach capacity in 2021.

Clare has been deputy head since the school opened. The school’s executive principal, George Franks, has moved to the nearby Connaught academy.

Clare Robinson said: “Over the last two years we have worked hard to make the academy a place of warmth and support, where every child receives an exceptional education.

“As each year passes we welcome a new group of young minds and it is exciting how far we’ve come in such a short space of time.”

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This month, the Academy welcomes a new Principal, Sam Williamson, who comes from successful leadership of an academy in Kent.

Sam, who will work closely with the CEO of Venturers Trust, Dr Hilary Macaulay, said “I am passionate about ensuring all young people have high quality educational experiences, enabling them to develop interests and aspirations that lead to brilliant futures for themselves and their families.” Sam can see enormous opportunity for the Academy to become a community hub. She

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September 2017

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Advertisement feature

n EDUCATION

for young people of all abilities

A-level results celebrated

ST KATHERINE’S SCHOOL: IT’S NOT ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’ IN EDUCATION

S

t KATHERINE’S believe there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to education. We focus on the whole child, encouraging high levels of achievement, resilience and individual character.

Sixth form results broke records this year. The number of students achieving A*-B grades at A level jumped to 49 per cent, an all-time high, with 78 per cent of students achieving A*-C, another school record. The overall pass rate was 98 per cent.

Coupled with students achieving Distinction grade in vocational subjects, 57 per cent achieved A*-B grades or equivalent.

Armed with these excellent results, our Year 13 students are moving on to future success. The majority secured their first choice university while others choosing

Jumping for joy: St Katherine’s A-level students celebrate their results higher level apprenticeships are starting careers with various employers including Network Rail and North Somerset Council.

Rated Good by Ofsted, who praised our “deservedly high reputation for high-quality work in several areas” and “outstanding level of care and support for students”, we provide a great education for young people. From being the first non-selective school in the South West with five

students awarded the prestigious Arkwright engineering scholarship, to The Leaf, our award-winning restaurant and hospitality learning facility, we constantly strive to give students a dynamic, inspiring education.

For more information call 01275 373737 or email mollerj@ skdrive.org. Check our Facebook (St Katherine’s School) and Twitter (@stkathsschool) or: • stkaths.org.uk

ACROSS Bristol, 96 per cent of students achieved at least three A-levels at grade A*- E. At City of Bristol College 85 per cent achieved at least three grades A*- E, especially welcomed as the college has just come out of special measures.

St Brendan’s College saw 97 per cent of students pass.

At Merchants’ Academy there was a record number of A and B grades and 92 per cent of students got into university, six at Russell Group universities.

St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School saw 32 per cent of students getting the highest grades of A*- A. Nine students from the school are heading to Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Bristol Cathedral Choir School is also celebrating as a third of all results were A* or A grades, 65 per cent A*- B, 82 per cent A*- C and 100 per cent A*-E.

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

September 2017

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n NEWS

Doors open onto Bristol’s secret places EVER wanted to see what’s underneath Temple Meads station? Or visit the film studios where Sherlock is made? Or perhaps discover the charms of a South Bristol church you’ve never been in?

Your chance comes on the weekend of September 7-10, when scores of venues all over the city reveal themselves to the public.

We list just the ones in South Bristol. Others include the University of Bristol Botanic Garden, the Clifton Rocks Railway, and many more – consult the website for details.

There are also tours such as a Georgian Walk, a Medieval Walk and a tour of the port.

Many events require booking – check the website before

Spooky: Redcliffe Caves making a visit.

Redcliffe Caves Phoenix Wharf, Redcliffe BS1 6SW. Spooky, almost endless network of caves excavated from the 15th century onwards for glassmaking. Take a torch.

St Mary Redcliffe Colston Parade, BS1 6RA. This Gothic masterpiece has been a site of worship for over 800 years. Discover links to poet Thomas Chatterton, hear musical performances and explore works of art from medieval times.

Canopy & Stars at Crane 29 Harbourside, BS1 4RW. One of the harbour cranes transformed into a treehouse.

Robinson Building Norfolk Place, Bedminster BS3 4AE. The former Victorian printworks, now flats.

Look out for the historic frieze with scenes of the printing process.

Bristol Waste Company Depot

Albert Road, St Philips BS2 0XS. Wonder where your rubbish goes?

Recycling, refuse and street cleaning.

Temple Meads Tunnels Tour Station Approach BS1 6QF. See the air raid shelter and the vaults used to service the station and trains.

Brunel’s Engine Shed Station Approach, Temple Meads, BS1 6QH. Now an innovation centre for new tech businesses.

Ashton Gatehouse Blackmoors Lane, Bower Ashton BS3 2JL. Newly refurbished, the Gatehouse was designed by Henry Wood as an entrance to Ashton Court.

Bottle Yard Studios Whitchurch Lane BS14 0BH The studios have hosted Sherlock, Wolf Hall, Trollied, The Crystal Maze and Poldark.

Bedminster Quaker Meeting House Wedmore Vale BS3 5HX. Garden is a wildlife haven.

Ashton Court Gatehouse: Newly restored

Filwood Green Business Park Also in South Bristol: Holy Nativity Church Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2AG Windmill Hill City Farm Philip Street BS3 4EA Zion Community Space Bishopsworth Road, BS13 7JW. Filwood Green Business Park Filwood Park Lane BS4 1ET Malago Greenway Berry Maze Brixham Road Open Space BS3 5LQ Bristol Vintage Bus Group Flowers Hill, BS4 1NH St Luke’s The Evangelist Church Hill, Brislington BS4 5AZ Bristol Blue Glass 357-359 Bath Road, Arnos Vale BS4 3EW Arnos Vale Cemetery Bath Road BS4 3EW Brunel’s Other Bridge Cumberland Basin, under Plimsoll Bridge, BS1 6XL • bristoldoorsopenday.org.uk

Bridge Learning Campus

Building brilliant futures together Open evening: Tuesday 26 Sept 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Quiet open morning: Saturday 30 Sept 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Call 01173534472 or visit www.bridgelearningcampus.org.uk

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September 2017

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17

n NEWS

Hundreds apply for acting roles IT’S NOT every day that a new theatre company is created in Bristol – so it’s not surprising that the announcement of a new troupe of players at the Tobacco Factory has caused excitement.

Only days after the news was announced in late July, more than 100 applications had been received, and hundreds more are expected by the time applications close on September 11.

The theatre is recruiting 14 actors to perform two plays from next February to May – Shakespeare’s gory tragedy Macbeth, and 20th century American playwright Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge.

Lauren Scholey, the theatre’s executive director, told the Voice that they are determined to tap into Bristol’s undiscovered talent.

Lauren Scholey: Tobacco Factory wants to find undiscovered talent “It’s really important to us that rather than going back to some of the actors that we know and love, or to some of the top agents, we want to go to some of the people in Bristol that we might not know about,” said Lauren.

“We really are committed to finding new faces and new talent.”

The opportunity has come about because the theatre has a new gap in its schedule, caused by the decision of Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory – who have been performing there every spring since 2000 – to move its two annual shows to the autumn.

More than a third – 36 per

cent – of the Tobacco Factory audience lives in BS3, and Lauren said the support of the local community is very important.

Unusually, the theatre pays 80 per cent of its costs from ticket sales – many theatres only manage 50 per cent.

Just three per cent of funding comes in grants – from the Arts Council and the city council – with 17 per cent mainly coming from a core of 20 large donors.

“When people buy a ticket for a show, we are really, really tight on our overheads, so we can retain a lot of that money for making new shows,” said Lauren.

The company will visit schools and other groups in South Bristol and beyond to open up the world of the theatre to more people.

For the next year, only those with professional acting experience will be recruited, but it’s hoped that in future young actors can be trained up.

Performers who have come to theatre through unconventional routes, or who haven’t performed classical work, are welcome.

• tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Supper songs KNOWLE welcomes Kate McNab and John Teller for an evening of their favourite songs at Redcatch Community Centre on Saturday September 9.

Kate is a presenter of oral history shows such as Doodlebugs and Bogeymen, while John’s credits include Bergerac, and he plays the vicar in The Archers.

The show is at 7pm and is presented by Entertaining Local Knowle. Tickets are £7.50, including a ploughman’s supper, from Broadwalk News.

• elknowle.wix.com/elknowle

Short cuts

BRILLIANT ideas explained in 15 minutes – that’s the concept behind 5x15, the Tobacco Factory event where five speakers each get 15 minutes on stage.

5x15 returns to the North Street venue on October 2 when speakers include comedian and author Viv Groskop and food historian Dr Annie Gray.

Visit Oasis Academy Brislington

Open Evening Thursday September 21 5.30-8pm Principal’s address 6pm, 6.45pm and 7.15pm

Open Mornings September 25, 26 and 27 and October 5 9.30-11am Saturday September 30 11am-1pm Tel: 0117 377 2055 Hungerford Rd, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5EY @OABrislington www.oasisacademybrislington.org

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

September 2017

southbristolvoice

18

n YOUR MP

KARIN SMYTH Labour MP for Bristol

We need to help youngsters get ready for the world of work

I

’VE WRITTEN previously in this column about how Bristol South sends fewer young people to university than any of the UK’s other 649 constituencies. In a city with the wealth and talent that Bristol has, it’s an unacceptable statistic.

We need to improve things, but it’s also important we ensure there are other high quality avenues for our young people, including good apprenticeships. Yet 80 per cent of apprentices here are in retail, health and social care, and business administration – which lead to lower wages than other types.

There’s a big job of work for us all to do to turn things around, which is why opportunities for young people is among my highest priorities as your local MP. Key to improving all this is raising aspiration, and ensuring our young people get

a breadth of exposure to the world of work.

Good quality work experience opportunities for school and college students are pivotal. As a parent I know the value they’ve been to my own kids.

For employers it should be about introducing young people to real-life working situations, investing time with them to help

them learn, and giving them hands-on opportunities. If you’re a local employer and don’t already offer work experience perhaps you can help. We all owe a duty to our young people.

Practising what I preach, this summer I’ve taken on a few work experience students in my constituency office. It was rewarding: they tell me they learned a lot (we did too), and I’m very grateful for what they did.

One thing that struck me when taking on these young people is that whereas some employers think it’s a bureaucratic process, it actually wasn’t … all the more reason to ask more firms to take people on in this way.

In my regular meetings with local businesses, I’ll continue to encourage them to take on work experience students where they can.

I’m keen to know about young people’s views about the quality of work experience opportunities they get in South Bristol. I also want to know about the support they’ve received – both from employers and from schools and colleges in helping them source these opportunities. You can get in touch with me using the contact details on page 2.

I’m of course also interested to hear parent and carer experiences of the processes as they’ve affected members of their family. I look forward to reading thoughts and views.

ity mun Comearning L

Do you have a view about education in your community?

Are you concerned about the character of your local young people?

APPLYING FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR

SEPTEMBER 2018?

Visit our campus, see what’s on offer and meet our teachers and students on:

Thursday 14th September 6-8pm Saturday 7th October 10am - 12noon For more information visit www.bedminsterdown.com or call 0117 353 2800 Bedminster Down School, Donald Road, Bedminster BS13 7DQ

@bdownschool

Do you think your local schools should engage more with the local community?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then we would love to hear from you!

We are looking for local people to act as a key link between the community, our schools and parents, and to join us as members of our Academy Councils.

We have Oasis Academies across Bristol Oasis Academy New Oak (primary), Connaught (primary), Marksbury Road (primary), John Williams (secondary) and Brislington (secondary).

If you’d like to know more, please contact Sam.Russe-Jones@oasisuk.org or call 07977 516 552

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

September 2017

n FEATURES

southbristolvoice

19

BREWED ON YOUR DOORSTEP

The Belgian brewhouse of South Bristol Not all ale is brown and flat, as a new brewery is proving

brewery, prefabricated in Germany to make beers mainly inspired by Belgian traditions.

But where the Belgian beers we know in the UK are often strong in flavour and heavy in alcohol, the Lost and Grounded brews are mostly much lighter and more subtle, clean tasting but with intense flavour.

Confused? You need to try one.

Alex offers a taste of Hop-Hand Fallacy, his take on a Belgian farmhouse ale. “We decided that we wouldn’t just use hops, we would use a bit of coriander. We wanted to make a beer that was floral and vibrant,” he says.

The result is something unique – probably in Britain, anyway – an ale that’s something like a wheat beer, refreshing but with the flavour of the coriander and also orange peel. It’s a middling 4.4 per cent strength, so is more approachable for most people than one of the super-

strong Belgian beers.

More conventional – but a world away from the mass-market lager brands you see on football shirts – is the Keller pils, Lost and Grounded’s best seller. At 4.8 per cent, it’s stronger but not overpowering, and has an extraordinary depth of flavour.

This is partly because it’s brewed for longer than most lagers, and it’s aged on yeast in much the same way as champagne.

In fact the lagers are more complex to make – they are left to sit at very precise temperature steps for short periods of time.

Each recipe is different, but each brew also contains a secret ingredient – an injection of lactic acid, a special German strain of bacteria kept alive in a pressurised tank. A different dose for each brew helps adjust the PH, or acidity, and gives a precise control over the flavour.

Alex first gained control of a

brewery at the Little Creatures brewhouse in Fremantle, Western Australia. They’ve also brewed in Tasmania, Brisbane, Melbourne and Brussels, landing in London in 2012, where Alex become brewing director at Camden Town Brewery.

London didn’t feel like home, though; they found it oppressive.

It was on a weekend visit to Bristol that Annie said to Alex, in a pub: “Can you hear that?” “Hear what?” he said. A roomful of people laughing, was the answer.

They realised Bristol was the city for them: the countryside reminds them of Tasmania, Annie’s home turf. When they started making plans for their own brewery in 2015, there was only one place to go.

Using all their savings, and investment from the Australian backers of Little Creatures, the shiny beer factory in Brislington is the result.

They join a rich collection of South Bristol brewers, from Brislington’s tiny but dizzyingly productive Incredible Brewing Co, to established names such as Bristol Beer Factory in Ashton and Moor Beer in St Philip’s.

Brewing is an egalitarian enterprise – beer, after all, brings people together – and Alex and Annie plan to make all their employees shareholders once the company is out of its infancy.

There are seven employees now, making up to 10,000 litres of beer a week. But the factory could make 60,000 litres, and that would need 30 staff.

For now, the focus is on getting the beer on sale. With Britain’s notorious pub contracts which make it hard for landlords to buy beer freely, that’s a tough challenge, but the message about South Bristol’s Aussie-Belgian brewhouse is spreading.

• lostandgrounded.co.uk

BRISTOL CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL September 15-17

WIN SOME BEER!

WHERE TO BUY

A SIX-pack of Lost & Grounded brews, worth £15, goes to the first reader we pick at random who can tell us: What’s the secret ingredient of Lost & Grounded lager?

Answers by Sept 19 to paul@southbristolvoice. co.uk or 18 Lilymead Ave, BS4 2BX. Over-18s and residents of BS3 and BS4 only.

YOU can buy Lost and Grounded at: Pubs/bars: The Old Butcher’s, North St; The Old Bookshop, North St; Bristol Beer Factory Tap Room, North St; Wild Beer, Wapping Wharf; Crofters Rights, Stokes Croft; Small Bar, King St; Strawberry Thief, Broad St; Barley Mow, St Philips; Green Man, Kingsdown.

Sometimes at the Tobacco Factory.

Shops: Southville Deli; Corks, Avery’s.

L

OST and Grounded. Funny name for a brewery – there are plenty of others in South Bristol that aren’t so mysterious. Bristol Beer Factory – you know what goes on there.

Moor Beer – there’s no mistaking what they make.

Why the unusual branding for what is actually one of the city’s biggest independent brewers, based in a £1 million facility on Whitby Road?

Co-owner Alex Troncoso explains that the name is the story of his journey over the past 20 years, with his partner Annie, from brewing beer in their kitchen in the 1990s to today, where they’re running a gleaming, enormous stainless steel brewhouse. Lost – because they have been wandering the world for 20 years since leaving their native Australia; grounded – because it’s sensible and secure.

I ask which one of them embodies the sensible epithet: “That’s aspirational,” he laughs.

Lost and Grounded is indeed a curious melding of business sense and lofty ambition.

There’s not an oak cask in sight: Instead there are rows of 5,000 litre and 10,000 litre stainless steel tanks, connected to an automated cleaning system and computer-monitored so the contents of each vessel can be minutely-controlled.

Further from the image of a real-ale micro brewery it is harder to get: and the content of these gleaming tanks is definitely not warm, brown and flat, like a traditional English pint of bitter.

That’s because Lost and Grounded is a continental

BREWHOUSE SESSIONS JOIN an afternoon of beer and food on Saturday September 2 from 12noon-7pm at Lost & Grounded, 91 Whitby Road, with guest beer from London’s Brew By Numbers, food by Alp Mac, and music from DJ Joe James spinning soul, 60s rhythm ’n’ blues and ska. Entry is free; a brewery tour, which includes three half-pint tasters, is £12.

• Facebook: lostandgrounded

Not an oak cask in sight: Alex and the £1m German-designed brewery

THIS festival started last year at Motion on Avon Street and features Lost & Grounded and other Bristol brewers, including Moor Beer, Good Chemistry and Left Handed Giant, all based in St Philips.

• bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk

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

southbristolvoice

20

n WEDDINGS

Advertisement feature

September 2017

n FEATURES

Mel’s big idea has

Planning your special day

W

HETHER you’re thinking about a winter wedding, or planning further ahead, Arnos Vale has the ideal location.

Set in 45 acres of woodland close to the heart of the city, it’s a unique wedding setting.

There’s a Woodland Wedding venue set under the trees.

Alternatively, the stunning Anglican Chapel and picturesque, newly-renovated Spielman Centre, provide two more choices.

Unlike other centres, the three venues can be combined for church and civil ceremonies, continuing right through until late at night with the reception.

There’s also wholesome food on site from Kate’s Kitchen, which operates the cemetery’s highly-rated café, open every day.

Twilight weddings are another possibility. To find out more, call 0117 971 9117 – or visit the Wedding Fair at Arnos Vale on

Arnos Vale: Unique location October 8, when a range of local and innovative wedding providers will be there to give you advice.

For wedding flowers with a special touch, visit Floriography in the Healing Courtyard at 152 Wells Road, Totterdown.

Vera and her team pride themselves on bringing the beauty out of locally-sourced and ethically-grown flowers.

Floriography is not like other flower shops: if you would like something natural yet out of the ordinary, call 0117 329 2720.

Save the date...

WEDDING FAIR Sunday 8th October ~11am-3pm

Bristol’s Woodland Wedding Venue www.arnosvale.org.uk/weddings bookings@arnosvale.org.uk | 0117 971 9117

Mel Bound: Stunned when 75 women turned up to the first meeting

“I

WAS always very active, before kids.” Mel Bound told me, “I was confident in work, travelled, worked hard.

But I struggled to adjust to being a mum. Then when Lylah (now seven) was eight months old I slipped a disc.” The surgery and rehab took three years.

“All the active things in my life disappeared. I was inactive, isolated and lost confidence.

Then my physio said there was no reason why I shouldn’t start running again.”

The trouble is, she found, running clubs tend to clash with children’s bedtimes. “I thought ‘I need to find another mum to run with.’ I put a post on my local Facebook page – BS3 Connect – and the thread went crazy! I suggested we meet outside Greville Smyth Park in Ashton. It was a dark and wet Wednesday in November – and 75 women turned up! They were streaming in from all directions! I thought ‘Are they coming to meet me?’”

“It was unexpected but it was a lightbulb moment. They were all feeling the same way. We just ran down Coronation Road and back – everyone was euphoric!

“So I set up a Facebook group, called This Mum Runs.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

The numbers are staggering.

Starting from that first run in 2014, so far 16,000 runners in Bristol, Bath and London have taken part in 200 free runs every

What started as a way to get some exercise has turned into one of Britain’s most admired businesses, finds Beccy Golding month. And 60 local mums have trained as running coaches.

Mel has stacked up some weighty awards too – a Be A Game Changer Award from Women’s Sport Trust; one of Sunday Times Maserati Top 100 Disrupter Brands in the UK (one of only seven women); Enterprise Nation’s Female Start Up of the Year 2016; Women in Business New Business of the Year 2017 (Bristol Post), and she’s a She Means Business ambassador for Facebook.

Run England, a group set up to encourage grassroots running, got in touch. They offered Mel money to employ coaches, but she wanted to train women from the community. These RunMakers are qualified and paid to coach – “it’s paid work that fits round the kids.”

Mel also has 250 volunteers – known as Run Angels. They

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September 2017

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21

THIS MUM RUNS

got thousands of mums moving again WIN – FREE SESSIONS WITH THIS MUM RUNS

Running together: Mel and mums in Victoria Park. Social runs are free “and they always will be”, she says attend a formal training programme to ensure that all runs have the same format. “It’s a constant requirement to start new runs – we need five volunteers for each run, each of whom we need to train.” Do contact Mel if you would like to get involved.

The social runs are free “and they always will be. Cost shouldn’t be a barrier.” But it became clear there was also a need for a beginner’s course, with a minimal charge. “We started using [a scheme called] Couch to 5K. But it doesn’t work – it gives false expectations. If you get to the end of the course and can’t do the distance, you think you have failed.” After interviewing women and exploring ways of doing it differently, Mel created the Run 30 programme – eight weeks to go from zero to running for 30 minutes – regardless of distance. It’s proved successful – 3,000 women have been through the beginner’s course.

It has become a real community. “All the women in it, their stories and how their lives have changed – they empower each other. I’ve been the catalyst but they do it themselves.” Mel shared a couple of those stories – a woman in her 70s whose daughter was bullied because her mum was overweight. “She started running, now she regularly does 10K, and she and her daughter go orienteering

together – it’s been life-changing for the whole family.”

Another mum, from South Bristol, had post natal depression. “She fell in love with running – became a coach – inspired her mum to join the programme. Then her husband, a PE teacher, asked if I could take the programme into his school – I had 750 kids run for 20 minutes non-stop for the first-time ever!”

I asked about her background.

“I was a strategy director for a brand agency, working with events and marketing companies, challenging them and enabling them to think in a different way.

I’ve worked for tech brands and car companies, and managed teams in New York, Singapore and across Europe.”

It helps that Mel also has a degree in sports marketing, and was head of events at UK Athletics – managing their TV events on the BBC. And her strategic vision means This Mum Runs is continuing to develop. At the end of last year, for example, Mel launched the TMR online store – “t-shirts and sweatshirts with empowerment messages for mums and kids.”

Future developments include an online version of the beginner’s course, with an intended launch next January, and, further along, Mel wants to work with young people, particularly young women – she’s

concerned at how girls are dropping out of sport younger and younger.

More immediately, in August Mel launched Run Strong – a weekly pay-as-you-go class in Greville Smyth park, Ashton.

Developed last summer, this course combines HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), hill and interval training, for those who want their running to get faster and stronger.

“I’ve lived in Southville since 2009 – we moved here from north Bristol when I was pregnant.” Mel is now mum to Lyla, seven, and Raffi, three.

“There are lots of families and children around – we love it.

Bristol, and South Bristol in particular, will always be our heartland.” But the TMR format

This Mum Runs is offering one lucky reader a free Run 30 course: Run 30 For beginners. Coaching & support to go from zero to 30 minutes running. 8 weeks, £5pw.

• To win, just tell us at which park Mel first held her runs? Email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk by September 8.

Other courses offered: Run 60 Build your stamina till you can run for an hour. 8 weeks, £6pw.

Run 30 & Run 60 courses start at 7.30pm September 11 at Victoria Park; September 13 at Greville Smyth Park. Book in advance.

Run 20 For over 55s or those who aim for 20 minutes. 8 weeks, £5pw.

Social Runs 30, 45 or 60 min; Wed 7.30pm, Sun 8am. Free. is being replicated. “We went to Bath quite quickly. It was hard and we learnt loads and slowed down!” A year later, however, in April this year, TMR launched in London. With one location so far, but already 400 runners, Mel has signed a partnership with Women’s Running magazine to help them recruit volunteers.

Mel is, rightly, very proud of creating a safe, sharing community. “I was on a traditional route. But it didn’t make me happy. This Mum Runs is a labour of love,” she said. “I’m showing my kids that doing something you love, that makes you happy and makes a difference in the world, is most important.

I’m showing them that that’s what work should be about.”

• thismumruns.co.uk

Organised in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.

Macmillan Buddies

Spending a couple of hours a week with someone with cancer helping with light jobs around the house and listening can make a difference Call Ruth 07543 248714 to find out how to be involved

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

September 2017

southbristolvoice

22

n FEATURES

WILDLIFE SPECIAL

Which of our open spaces are helping Voice writer and ecologist Alex Morss has been comparing South Bristol’s green spaces for the Big Butterfly Count

I

’M NOT naming names, but certain loyal friends may blow your cover at a critical moment on a wildlife survey. Yet citizen science projects such as the annual Big Butterfly Count are fun and easy for anyone to do – even while out walking your canine companion.

The simple method was to find a pleasant, sunny spot and count butterflies for 15 minutes. I chose to do eight sites around BS3. Armed with a naturalist’s notebook, beckoned by sunshine and, shall we say, a little challenged by my high-speed, photo-bombing spaniel, I paced our parks in pursuit of this summer’s fluttering wonders.

Sir David Attenborough asked everyone to take part in this annual national event, and us wildlife fanciers can’t say no to Him, can we? More than 50,000 surveys have been completed.

Here’s a snapshot of how South Bristol fared for butterflies. How does your patch compare?

RESULTS

My results table (right) is only based on a tiny sample, but it is not a surprise given the differences in habitat quality.

Arnos Vale cemetery trumped my league, with 11 individuals and five species spotted in just 15 minutes, followed by the Northern Slopes in Knowle with seven individuals. Both spots provide important semi-natural habitats, with an ample range of caterpillar food plants and nectar sources over a long season. A busy flurry of bees, butterflies and other pollinators were bustling about in a party of mauve thistles, spires of elegant crimson willowherbs, brambles, mint family favourites, fuzzy florets of hemp agrimony and crowded golden ragworts. Here, speckled wood butterflies were loving that dappled shade.

Other places fared less well,

Above, the comma, the butterfly making a comeback; right, Alex at Northern Slopes with her species chart with fewer butterflies counted where short turf dominated, with fewer nettles and brambles or nectar sources. And why was Redcatch Park so poor? Here, just a few native weeds were clinging on in pavement cracks. I found literally one single twig of bramble, among mostly exotic shrubs and very few nectar sources. This says it all. One single catmint was ablaze with rusty red and gold mint moths, but it was a tiny oasis flanked by a disappointing perspective of concrete car park and short turf, unhelpful exotic shrubs and unappreciated flowerbeds.

In all, I surveyed eight places: Arnos Vale cemetery, the Northern Slopes, Victoria Park, Greville Smyth Park, Dame Emily Park, South Street Park, Redcatch Park, Nover’s Common, and Perrett’s Park. My data have gone to Butterfly Conservation HQ where scientists are analysing thousands of results.

The records are used by the

charity to assess the health of our environment, because butterflies react fast to change, making them excellent indicator species.

Plenty of other South Bristol people took part in this national survey too. In Southville, Ben Barker collated his own and other people’s butterfly records for My Wild Bedminster.

Ben has clocked 13 butterfly species around Bedminster this summer, including speckled wood, red admiral, hummingbird hawkmoth, large white, small white, green-veined white, orange tip, comma, holly blue, small tortoiseshell, ringlet, brimstone and skipper.

THE COME BACK KIDS

Victoria Park saw its first ever record of the small blue butterfly, on the pollinator beds planted by volunteers, along with good numbers of comma butterflies.

Butterfly Conservation told the Voice the warm summer has seen a surge in numbers of

commas, the ‘comeback kids’.

This once-rare butterfly is now a common sight in South Bristol.

There has been a 138 per cent population rise over the last 40 years. It was once restricted to a few counties in the Welsh borders and south-east England and threatened with extinction.

Scientists believe a combination of climate change and the comma’s increased use of nettle as a caterpillar food plant may be behind its range expansion.

MUNCHING CATERPILLARS Although butterfly numbers have crashed in our area over recent decades, local volunteers and school children have been leading the way this summer in trying to turn things around.

Thousands of school children in South Bristol have been busy creating more habitats, thanks to Butterfly Conservation’s Munching Caterpillars project, which is being pioneered in Bristol. Schools still have time to

HOW MANY BUTTERFLIES IN SOUTH BRISTOL PARKS? Whites & yellows Arnos Vale cemetery 3 1 Northern Slopes 3 Victoria Park 2 Greville Smyth 1 Nover’s Common 1 Dame Emily Park 1 South Street Park 1 Redcatch Park Perrett’s Park 2 Location

Blues 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Large colours* 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0

* Large colours: Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock

Browns** 6 5 1 2 1 1 1 0 2

Burnet moths 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Comma 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 11 7 6 6 4 3 2 1 4

** Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet

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September 2017

n FEATURES

southbristolvoice

butterflies to thrive?

Who’s willing to help Alex make more Highways for Hedgehogs?

H Above, the oak beauty (PHOTO: Megan Lowe); inset, mint moth on catmint ask for a visit from the project by contacting project officer Matt Brierley on mbrierley@butterflyconservation.org School grounds across South Bristol are now enriched with a range of special plants that are prefect for caterpillars and other pollinators.

I teamed up with Matt as part of South Bristol Voice’s My Wild Bedminster school visits, and we saw a huge amount of enthusiasm from the children.

Matt and one of his volunteers, UWE student Riley Cook, recounted one visit to Holy Cross RC primary school in Bedminster, armed with forks and spades.

Matt and Riley delivered an assembly for all the children, and were met by a surprise: “As a kid I went to a Catholic primary so I know all the words to “If I were a butterfly”. I never imagined I’d have a whole school sing it at me

though!” said Matt.

He added: “Plants duly planted, a fortnight later I was back, seeing what the kids had remembered and keen to see what caterpillars they’d caught as ‘homework’.

“They’d been a pleasure to meet… but would they remember what a moth uses its antennae for? I brought up a slide of a fairly drab moth. ‘Oh!’ said a child, unable to contain themselves: ‘Look! The oak beauty!’ It wouldn’t surprise me if that child remembered that 30 years from now.”

• If you missed taking part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, you can still add your records to our My Wild Bedminster iSpot page, where anyone can post photos of wildlife spotted in BS3, here: • ispotnature.org/communities/ uk-and-ireland/view/project/ 711283/my-wild-bedminster

FEED THE BUTTERFLIES EACH butterfly species needs specific food plants. To help a range of species in your garden, Butterfly Conservation recommends making room for some of these: long grasses, nettles, bird’s foot trefoil, kidney vetch, garlic mustard, honesty, buckthorn, honeysuckle, thistles, burdock, sloe, sorrel, wild thyme, holly, ivy, primrose, broom, rock rose, agrimony, nasturtium and heather, yarrow, wild marjoram, betony, ox-eye daisy and lavender.

More advice: • butterfly-conservation.org/ files/caterpillar-food-plants.pdf

23

ERE’S a prickly predicament - maybe you can help? Voice writer and ecologist Alex Morss has appealed to residents to make a small hole in their garden wall or fence before the autumn, as she steps up efforts to make South Bristol more hedgehog friendly.

Alex has been caring for rescued hedgehogs for rereleasing back into their urban habitat, but points out that they cannot be released locally unless more habitat is made available.

“In this area they rely on a patchwork habitat of connected gardens, so a small effort, by making a 13 x 13cm hole in your garden wall to give them access, can multiple their food and shelter sites many times over,” said Alex. “This makes a huge difference to their chance of success. Each hog needs to be able to roam a very large area to meet its needs. Hedgehog populations have fallen significantly but you can easily help improve their outlook.”

She has put letters through doors near her home in Windmill Hill and appealed on social media for people to make a hole for a Hedgehog Highway – basically knock out one brick or make a fence gap.

Her hedgehog recovery effort supports local hedgehog rescue charities and follows on from a project run last year with Avon Wildlife Trust in which many

10 WAYS TO HELP HOGS

Wild chicory and long grass in Perrett’s Park PHOTOS: Alex Morss

1. ACCESS: Really important! Make a wall/fence hole 13 x 13cm, or leave your gate open.

2. SHELTER: Make safe hiding places under sheds, piles of compost, leaves and sticks, wild scrubby corners.

3. POISONS: If hedgehogs can get in your garden, please don’t use slug pellets or pesticides. Even organic ones are bad for hogs.

4. INJURY: Be mindful when mowing or digging to avoid accidental injury to hidden hogs.

Recovering: Minnie broke her leg residents borrowed special tunnels to survey the hedgehog population - confirming they are living across the area.

She said: “In recent weeks we’ve been caring for Houdini, a poorly juvenile male hog, who was determined to escape once he was fit and healthy again, which was great to see, and he has now made his way off into the night. We are still looking after Minnie. She broke her leg in a mousetrap, but is doing well and has now built herself a cosy nest in my garden. She too will go back to the wild when she is ready.”

More advice here: • hedgehogstreet.org • @hedgehogsociety • Avon Wildlife Trust will give a Hedgehog Highway plaque to anyone who makes a new access for hedgehogs. To claim your plaque, just ask Alex. She’d also like to hear from you if you have seen hedgehogs in BS3 or BS4.

Email info@alexmorss.co.uk

Highway hero: A free plaque is on offer to hedgehog helpers 5. FOOD: Hogs eat caterpillars, beetles, slugs and worms, but also happily eat poultry flavour cat or dog food if you leave some out – not fish or dairy.

6. PONDS: Must have sloping sides so hogs can climb out if they fall in.

7. DOGS: Supervise night visits to the garden.

8. BONFIRES: Check bonfires before lighting them.

9. SACKS: Hedgehogs love hiding in sacks and rubbish piles, so check carefully before you move them.

10. FREEDOM: Make sure no hogs get trapped in your garden.

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

September 2017

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n BALLOON FIESTA SPECIAL

FIRST PRIZE

Roger Turner adds extra colour to North St SECOND PRIZE

Laura Lyons was roused by her four-month-old baby at 4am, a

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Stunning sunset: Alison Thiru’s shot (above) was taken from Ashton Court so wasn’t eligible for our photo competition, sadly

The 39th Bristol International Balloo Fiesta saw 334 balloons take to the Novelties included several new spec shapes made by the world’s leading balloon manufacturer, Bedminster’s Cameron Balloons – including Busb a member of the Queen’s guard from Buckingham Palace, left

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

September 2017

southbristolvoice

and took this from Bedminster Down THIRD PRIZE

By Eloïse Brochot-Sharpe, 7

Picture perfect balloons

T

HE WIND wasn’t as kind to South Bristol residents as it sometimes is at Balloon Fiesta time. Over four days of ascents from August 10-13, people from Bedminster to Knowle often got only distant views of the aviators after they ascended from Ashton Court.

But it didn’t seem to dent the enthusiasm of the entrants to our annual balloon photo competition.

And it did nothing to deter a record entry to our other competitions.

The star prize, a champagne balloon flight generously provided

by First Flight, was won by Joanne Weston of Stillhouse Lane, Bedminster. She was one of scores of readers to answer correctly that the quantity of air held by First Flight’s Tribute balloon is 210,000 cubic feet.

Four other winners will share a collection of Cameron Balloons clothing and items including a wind cheater, hi-viz vests, Cameron on skies. baseball caps and a fantastic book about Bristol’s aviation heritage. cial They are Cinzia Apreda of g Nelson Street, Bedminster; Shirley s A Bear of Brighton Terrace, bie, Bedminster; Matt Burns of m Richmond Street, Totterdown; and

Rachel Sandeman of Bristol South End, Bedminster.

Bedminster seems to have done very well for prizes – but rest assured all our winners are picked with a random number generator – there’s been no favouritism!

It was difficult to select the photo winners from so many great entries but those who will receive their prizes from our generous sponsor Greenwoods estate agents are: 1st £25 Roger Turner for his enhanced view down North Street; 2nd £10 Laura Lyons, who caught a perfect V-shape alignment of balloons from Bedminster Down; 3rd £5 Eloïse Brochot-Sharpe, aged 7, who took her view from her bedroom window in Queensdale Crescent, Knowle Park.

As always, our competition was only open to pictures taken of balloons flying over South Bristol – not for shots taken in Ashton Court itself. But we couldn’t resist sharing Alison Thiru’s stunning sunset image of First Flight’s Thatcher’s balloon taken at lift-off.

Alison used a filter on her picture but admitted: “I had no clue what I was doing with the filter – I just tried it. I’m a snap it and shove it on Facebook kind of girl!”

25

YOUR PICTURES

Distant view from Knowle of lift-off, by Jez Pendleton

CLEVE HOUSE SCHOOL & LITTLE CLEVE NURSERY www.clevehouseschool.co.uk For boys and girls aged 2-11 years

W COME AND MEET THE CHARACTERS AT CLEVE HOUSE! Come and see us at 254 Wells Road, Bristol BS4 2PN

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

H

Write to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk LETTERS or to 18 Lilymead Ave, BS4 2BX

Parking spaces are a fantasy TOTTERDOWN bridge plans: So the developers of the old car wash site at Totterdown Bridge have identified parking spaces near the site, have they? This is pure speculation if not a fantasy for planning permission.

No doubt they will get what they want, as every development in South Bristol does, as they employ more expensive lawyers than the council can afford. How else can you explain Crest Nicholson’s eyesore at the other end?

As for the student flats at the Grosvenor which are going to be ready by the end of the year, could I please have the name of the builder as I am having a loft extension done, not started yet, and my wife wants it by Christmas.

As far as I can see no one has touched that building for years.

Steven Dawson, Totterdown • WHAT on earth is our skyline going to look like in a few years?

A 25-storey tower near Temple Meads – how will that affect our views? I notice that none of the pictures produced by the university give a perspective from Bath Road or Totterdown.

And now 16 storeys next to Totterdown bridge. It must be as tall as the hill it stands next to.

But it’s not just these two plans

we have to worry about. Don’t forget, each permission granted sets a precedent for the next developer.

D Norris, Totterdown

Let’s keep it local if we can IT’S GREAT to see in your last issue that the Totterdown Centre might be on its way back to life.

It sounds as if those behind the idea intend to preserve the community spirit that inspired it in the first place.

I hope so. It’s good that nearly all the empty shops that we had on Wells Road a few years ago have now been filled, and mostly by local traders too, which is very welcome.

But if there is money to be made here, you can be sure that big business will sooner or later be attracted in. Already there have been moans from some that Costa are taking over the old Britannia building society opposite the Broadwalk.

I say, fair play to Costa if they were the only ones willing to invest in the building.

But what else will the next few years bring? We have got used in Knowle and Totterdown in the last few years of having our pick of lots of independent traders. I hope that they don’t get muscled out by the big high street chains when the rents start going up.

V Alison, Knowle

n FEATURES

We’re alive to problems in the park – but keep us informed E’VE recently seen an increase in complaints about anti-social behaviour in and around Redcatch Park. As a team, we’ve been working to combat the issue and our patrols have increased to try to match the peak times in which this behaviour is reported to be taking place.

While carrying out patrols around the park, a number of residents have approached us to

report their concerns about the nature of this behaviour and the impact it is having on such a great local asset.

We can’t stress enough the importance of calling police at the time of any incidents which leave you feeling concerned for your safety. Remember, you don’t have to give your details if you would rather remain anonymous. The more calls we get, the more we can do to put in place plans to help address the issue.

Remember these top steps when contacting police: • If an incident is in progress, call 999. If it’s about something which has already happened and doesn’t put you in any immediate danger, call 101 or report it online.

They lifted the Iron Knowle’s Allan Schiller was the youngest soloist ever to perform at the Proms

I

T’S HARD to be a child prodigy: so many young talents can’t sustain the appeal they had in their youth.

But in Knowle, Allan Schiller is still performing the most challenging classical music more than 60 years after his first solo role in front of an orchestra.

How did an ordinary boy from Leeds make his name at the age of 10, win an education with the first rank of musical educators and then – unheard of – spend two years honing his skills in Cold War Moscow?

Luckily the curious can find out, because Allan has just published a short but entertaining book outlining his extraordinary life, from the concert stage in Leeds, to the world-leading Moscow Conservatoire, to a career of recordings, concerts and TV appearances all over the world.

Music really did come easily to Allan. Aged six, he saw an automated pianola, and thought it would be fun to create music

POLICE REPORT

W

September 2017

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26

just by pumping the pedals.

When he started piano lessons, he found it came naturally, and he learned much faster than his sister, five years older.

It was a quiet but steely determination that helped Allan find the limelight, and then thrive in it. Aged seven, he was already performing in the under-12s section of the Harrogate Music Festival. It was after that that his parents realised he needed a first rate teacher, and they found Fanny Waterman – a hard taskmaster.

She regularly reduced other young pupils to tears – not with blows, but with harsh words.

Allan determined that he would never cry, either during or after one of Fanny’s lessons.

Instead he soaked up all she taught him: endless repetitions of scales and passages. Fanny was not satisfied until Allan could not only play each piece from memory, but could start from any bar, and remember each hand separately.

With this rigorous discipline, he was learning each new piece with confidence.

This was vital when Sir John Barbirolli, principal conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, asked him to be the soloist with the Hallé, playing a complete Mozart concerto at Leeds Town Hall.

Sir John called Allan, when he

With PCSO Richard Higbey Broadbury Road police station • Take yourself away from any escalating situations and try to hide to get away from the offenders.

• You can give information to us online or call the non-emergency number 101. Or, to give information anonymously, call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or contact them through their website below – they never ask for your name and cannot trace your call.

• crimestoppers-uk.org

T

ogether with teams across the force, we’re working hard to prevent burglaries taking place, especially as some of you jet off to sunnier destinations.

It’s always worthwhile

speaking to trusted neighbours or friends who could perhaps park a vehicle on your driveway to make it look like someone is home.

Timer switches on lamps and even a radio are also a cheap and easy way to achieve the same – especially as the nights start to draw in. Also, do remember not to leave bins and recycling boxes out, and avoid sharing holiday plans and pictures on public social media.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to register any of your items on www.immobilise.com so if the unfortunate does happen, your items will be registered and can prevent them from being lost forever.

Until next time, PCSO Richard Higbey

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September 2017

n FEATURES

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27

KNOWLE’S ACCLAIMED CONCERT PIANIST

Curtain so that I could perfect my music was aged only 10, “the best thing I have heard in my career, and that began in 1911.”

In his book Allan says: “I am often asked what it felt like to walk out on stage in front of 1,400 people with a 70-piece orchestra behind you at the age of 10. I don’t think it bothered me one bit.”

Fanny taught him so well, he said, he felt totally sure. He revelled in the attention, and the chance to play with nationallyranked musicians.

Quickly he was signed up for the National Youth Orchestra and found himself playing at the Edinburgh Festival and attracting media attention.

But that meant nothing to Allan’s headmaster at Leeds Modern senior school, who told Allan on his first day that his musical ability would win him no special treatment.

His public performances were rationed, but it didn’t stop Allan playing with the Liverpool Philharmonic and then, aged just 14, becoming the youngest ever soloist at the Henry Wood Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

This level of acclaim could not be ignored, and eventually Allan was given an afternoon off school each week to practise the piano.

It was clear that music would be his career, and at 16 Allan moved to Henley to live with his new tutor, the leading concert pianist Denis Matthews. By now Allan had made his first recording, and he was taking live broadcasts in his stride.

Denis allowed Allan to develop his own style but after two years, both agreed he needed to study abroad. Italy, New York, Paris, Vienna; all were considered until Allan went to see the Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter in London. Critics were sniffy, but Allan was bowled over: Moscow was the place he wanted to study.

S

oviet Russia in 1962 was a shock to Allan, even after the austerity of post-war Britain. Moscow was full of queues and its shops empty.

At first Allan was shy, especially as he had to practise in a student flat full of other performers. But perhaps Fanny’s training was still at work: Allan’s tutor, Viktor Merzhanov, didn’t make him build a new technique

Allan at home at his piano: the same Steinway he has owned since 1964 from scratch, as he did with other pupils. Gradually Allan’s confidence grew until one day Merzhanov – who had no English and must have learned the words specially – pronounced at the end of a Beethoven sonata which Allan played from memory: “That was excellent.”

Once again Allan was the centre of attention, often a guest at the British and US embassies, where he met visiting celebrities such as the actors Paul Schofield and Diana Rigg. However, the main attraction for the students was the lavish food and drink.

The early 1960s was a time when many in the West looked up to the Soviets’ message of equality. But to Allan, observing Moscow’s endless queues, ram-packed buses and the underpaid, fed-up workers, it was an empty appeal.

“I realised that Communism, for all the wonderful ideas that it promotes, doesn’t really work,” he said. “It doesn’t allow individuals to work for themselves and create their own world.

“They were always having to do as they were told, and consequently you got very poor workmanship and lack of interest

in their work.”

Yet those whose skills were valued – top-rank musicians, engineers and scientists – had much better living conditions.

It struck Allan that in the Soviet Union, classical music was much more popular than at home. “Even the ladies in the cloakroom were interested,” he said. “It helped that the tickets were so cheap, and people could afford to go to the concerts.”

Moscow made Allan a rounded performer with his own style, and he went on to perform countless recitals, concerts, broadcasts and recordings, and feature frequently in the press and on TV. Along the way he taught music, from the Barbican in London, to Manchester and Glasgow. A series of chances led him to Bristol, where Allan was an early supporter of St George’s – now one of the nation’s best-loved concert halls.

Divorce from his first wife led Allan to settle in a flat opposite the NatWest bank in Clifton. This was to prove crucial: when Allan met Rosemary, a tall, attractive divorcee at a dinner party, he found out she worked at the bank. He was smitten, and the

next morning he kept a close eye on the bank. When Rosemary looked up, he waved, and as soon as the bank was open Allan was inside, waving a £5 note and asking Rosemary for some change.

“It was our first laugh together, and I doubt there hasn’t been a day since when we haven’t loved each other’s company,” he wrote.

They married in 1988, and soon settled in Knowle – where their neighbours still appreciate the gentle tinkling of the piano whenever Allan is practising.

In recent years Allan has enjoyed a new challenge, playing to audiences on cruise ships, starting in the 1980s with P&O and more recently with Cunard.

Some classical performers might look down their noses at playing to such an audience, but Allan found it an inspiration.

“The pleasure comes from people coming along to a classical concert for the first time,” he said.

Cruising has helped Allan and Rosemary explore the world.

But, as Allan admits in his book, there are other distractions on a cruise. If a whale is spotted from a window, he can see his audience drift away.

And the pianist is assumed to be an all-weather performer – the piano, after all, is fixed firmly to the floor. The piano stool, unfortunately, is not, and more than once in rough weather Allan has been lifted clean into the air – though so far he has always landed where he started!

These days Allan is playing fewer concerts, but there are always events in the diary. He is playing a duet with long-term partner John Humphreys in Yorkshire in September, with more events in November.

If you’re lucky, though, you may catch him playing the small grand piano that’s in the atrium at Southmead hospital – a typical gesture of generosity from Allan to the city that’s been his home for almost 40 years.

• You can buy Music Made Me: The Allan Schiller Story for £10 (plus p&p) from Allan at 14 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX or at • musicmademe .co.uk

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

September 2017

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WE’RE IN KNOWLE TWICE A WEEK!

CAR PARK KNOWLE CRICKET CLUB opping Opposite Broadwalk Sh Centre BS4 2QN Wednesday 8am to 2pm Friday 8am to 3pm YOU CAN ALSO FIND US AT ELM TREE PUB CAR PARK Bishopsworth BS13 3NR Thursday 8am to 3pm STOKERS PUB Gipsy Patch Lane BS34 8LU Thursday 8am to 4pm QUEENS HEAD 29 Lower Hanham Road, Hanham BS15 8QP Friday 8am to 3pm YATE SHOPPING CENTRE Next to McDonald’s & Yate Leisure Centre, West Walk, Yate BS37 4AX Saturday 8am to 4pm, Sunday 9am to 3pm

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MARK’S MOBILE BUTCHERS – NOW IN KNOWLE! “After 25 years of working as a mobile butcher, I know how to get the best meat at the right price, so if you fancy saving money come and visit one of our sites.”

Mark Pearce SPECIAL OFFERS* • 2kg fresh chicken breasts £10, or 5kg £20 • 2 family-size crackling pork joints plus 12-15 pork steaks only £20 • Family beef joint and 5 steaks £20 • Boneless leg of lamb and lamb steaks £20 • 4 sirloin steaks £10 or 9 for £20 BBQ packs available * Join our to see latest weekly offers

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29

n NEWS

Free chicken for everyone spending £5 at new butcher A NEW mobile butcher’s is visiting South Bristol every week – and it’s making a special offer to Voice readers.

Mark’s Mobile Butchers is offering a free whole chicken to readers who cut out the voucher from their advertisement on page 28, and spend more than £5.

Mark has been a butcher for 25 years but he only started his

mobile business last year – and already it’s expanding fast.

He has two large mobile butcher’s shops on the road, visiting Knowle twice a week and Bishopsworth once a week, as well as other locations in Hanham and north of Bristol.

Mark and his partner Vickie, who run the firm together, aim to supply quality meat in quantity,

at the best prices. Vickie explained that they decided to launch the business after a year of turmoil with family illness made them realise they wanted to be more in control of their working lives.

Mark started butchering as a Saturday boy in Pool, Cornwall, and progressed until he owned three butcher’s shops in the

county. Later he moved to Bristol and worked for other employers before deciding to strike out on his own.

Vickie has a background working on communications for a law firm, and she has been responsible for making sure the business has a strong presence online and on Facebook.

• marksmobilebutchers.co.uk

A faithful steed deserves a bit of care

I

F YOU have a bike and a car, as I do, you may be resigned to the fact that the car needs regular doses of expert care to keep it going. The bike, though, seems to take care of itself – unlock the shed and there it is, ready to roll to the furthest reaches of Bedminster or Brislington.

However, after two years on this regime of neglect, the trusty SBV pushbike was starting to protest, issuing clicks and squeaks that weren’t there before. Time to visit Matt Sully, who, at his Wells Road bike shop in Knowle, runs regular maintenance classes for the keen but ignorant rider.

What follows is a summary of his wisdom. If you want the full version, and learn how not to be stranded miles from home with a problem you can’t fix, sign up for a future session (£15), or get in touch with the Family Cycling Centre in Hengrove, which also runs all kinds of maintenance and advice sessions.

A clean bike is a happy bike My bike has not known the caress of a cleaning rag in two years. That should change, says Matt. A simple wipe of the wheel rims removes dirt that stops the brakes working effectively.

Worse, caked-on grime and grease on the chain traps grit which wears both the chain and the gears. There are two ways of cleaning: patiently, with a cheap toothbrush or similar: or by using a degreaser. (Or Matt or any good cycle mechanic can dismantle the whole chain assembly and clean every part.)

Don’t make a boob of your lube Chains and gears need lubrication. But forget the can of WD40 and the 3-in-1 oil that lurk under your sink, says Matt.

No such thing as a freewheel: Matt examines the neglected Voice bike WD40 disperses moisture and just makes matters worse, long-term; while 3-in-1 oil is too thick for bikes. Ideally, use a thin bike lube oil on the chain in summer, and a thicker one in winter, when salt and grit on the roads cause wear and corrosion.

A little and often You might need to clean and lubricate every few days in the winter when there’s grit on the road; less often in summer. But it will prevent your bike getting into the state mine was in.

Buy from a bike shop, not a discount store Matt’s replacement brake and gear cables cost £5. In a discount store they might be £1. The difference? Cables from a bike specialist are stainless steel: they won’t rust, so they stay supple without seizing or stretching.

Matt pointed out that I had two cheap cables and one good one fitted to my bike. The cheap ones are showing signs of wear and won’t last the winter; so I’ve invested £10 in a pair of good ones. It beats any garage bill for

the simplest of car jobs.

Be prepared to spend a little As I’m learning, bikes are not an entirely free mode of transport. If you don’t want to service them yourself, reckon on £100-£150 a year for a specialist to do it for you. Compare that to the cost of running a car, or even a daily £4 bus ticket, and it

begins to look like good value.

Learn how to fix a puncture Wheels are now mostly easy to remove. Matt doesn’t bother with puncture repairs: too often the patch will come off under pressure. A new inner tube is quicker and more certain. Oh, and don’t use a metal tyre lever: it can damage the tube or the tyre. A plastic one gives enough leverage.

Ride it with kindness Don’t stand up in the saddle, says Matt. It’s one of the ways you put undue strain on the rear hub and chain set – and you waste effort anyway as the bike thrashes from side to side.

Anticipate hills and change down gears early: it takes less effort, and it’s kinder to the bike than a late, sudden change which can cause so much strain that components can twist or break.

Paul Breeden • sullycycles.com 306 Wells Road BS4 2QG • betterbybike.info Family Cycling Centre, Bamfield BS14 0FE

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

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INVITATION

CJ Hole Southville invite you to accept our offer of a free sales or lettings valuation.

To arrange an appointment, please telephone the office or call in personally.

If you have instructed another agent on a sole agency and/or sole selling rights basis, the terms of those instructions must be considered to avoid a possible liability to pay two commissions.

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n THE MAYOR

MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

Shocking food poverty among children shows the scale of need in the city

Y

OU MAY have seen advertised a Rally for Bristol I am holding on September 9 on College Green, Bristol, working with trade unions, the People’s Assembly and other organisations.

This is aimed at promoting the need for greater investment in cities, as they are at breaking point when it comes to adult and children’s social care and council-provided services. I hope that you will be able to attend.

As a group of 10 core cities, representing the biggest economic drivers outside of London, we are also presenting a ‘green paper’ to the Government calling for more investment and

more powers. We don’t just want to campaign for more money for services, we need funds and powers to grow an inclusive economy with more housing – including affordable

homes – sustainable diverse jobs and a transport system that provides connectivity.

Elsewhere, I am pleased that we were able to host a recent Feed Bristol event with businesses and partners at City Hall to look at tackling food poverty within the city.

Food poverty is defined as the inability to afford a healthy balanced diet, which is strongly associated with people on a low income.

Shockingly, more than 25 per cent of children in Bristol are classed as living in poverty; it’s a statistic that highlights the scale of the problem we are dealing with. If we want to tackle it we will need the help of organisations from around the city.

Poor nutrition in early years undermines people’s health and their academic and skills development. This affects the young people we rely upon for a healthy economy. With food prices on the rise and the wages frozen and reducing in real terms, this problem is one that is only set to get worse.

I was glad to hear at the Feed Bristol event that many practical conversations are already taking place and I hope this momentum continues to start improving the lives of some of the city’s most vulnerable people.

If you are a local business who thinks you can help, I encourage you to keep an eye out for other events and get involved.

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September 2017

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32

n COLUMNS In witch I question normality ...

S

CRAPPY Little Dog entered our world two years ago, as I was reminded by her Facebook page (I am that sad). Two whole years of craziness.

I can remember those first few hours: she sat on the rug and stared at me, accusingly. Seriously, she had the saddest eyes framed by enormous crazy eyebrows that seemed to say “Why? Why did you pick me? I wanted to go with the couple from Cirencester!”

She is not a normal dog despite being completely and utterly spoilt; she sleeps on our beds, often stalking through the house before deciding who is worthy of her company. She is served the finest doggy food, which is given a

Who is the THE Wicked Witch? WICKED Watch out for WITCH the dog that winks at you ...

OF KNOWLE

cursory sniff, a narrowing of the eyes, then a look that says “Really?”

She sighs, jumps onto Himself’s lap, where they both look at me from beneath matching mad eyebrows, her smugly and him: “Told you not to get a dog’”.

I love walking, which was one of the main reasons for getting a dog. Himself has no cruciate ligaments, well that’s his excuse, and my teens would not be seen with me outside (oh the shame).

So now I can march off through the countryside without looking like a weirdo (people avoided me before

– it’s true, even when I smiled!)

However, there is a small stumbling block: Scrappy is not keen on going out. The jingle of her harness will send her flying under my bed, her tail sticks out and she shakes.

Once she is caught, harnessed and out of the door she loves it, or does she? Scrappy has done her best to kill herself twice and get rehomed once. She ran out of Redcatch Park and into a surprisingly empty Redcatch Road with me in hot pursuit. She disappeared at Arnos Park, finding herself at the Dogs Home, cussing her microchip.

But the best ever was jumping off a cliff! I can hear the collective sharp intakes of breaths – bad doggy owner. In my defence we had hiked this cliff walk numerous times, she always stayed near.

Honest! Until the day I was walking

Down on the Farm News from Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster

T

Yearly cabbage HE JOHN James Bristol Foundation is a charitable trust which supports many charities across Bristol.

Philanthropist John James, who died in 1983, started from humble beginnings and was actually born on Phillip Street in Bedminster, where the city farm now is – there is a blue plaque in his honour on the back of the farm’s volunteer building, which faces out onto the road.

In August, members of the John James foundation, including his daughter Joan, visited the farm and donated a display board, created by the foundation’s archivist, all about John James’s life, including a mention of the farm and the

with the girls (the dog makes it acceptable to be seen with me).

One minute Scrappy was trotting by my heel, the next she was gone.

I peered over the edge of the cliff, and spotted her miles below me. A little black dot scurrying about. What the hell? It was quite a drop, that tapered down to the beach. I volunteered to stay on the cliff as a marker clinging to a tree and the girls ran down to her rescue (a 20-minute sprint). She was totally fine, not a scratch on her. Having ridiculously large ears, she must have floated down.

So Scrappy has survived two years. I am not sure how. As I type this she is sitting on the knee of Himself (annoyingly her favourite person) watching me and she just winked. She did! Definitely not normal.

• windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk

September 22, 10am-12noon.

Cost: £9 members/£12 nonmembers (children free). Price includes coffee and cake plus craft activities for the little ones.

Freelance dads welcome too. annual cabbage which the farm sends as a thank you for his support. The board will be put up in the new café for all to see.

City farm cocktails Renowned local forager Andy Hamilton is running a Gin Safari on September 16, 6-8.30pm.

There’ll be a foraged cocktail waiting for you on arrival. After a talk on the flavours used in gin you’ll go foraging for ingredients in the farm’s gardens, before

Andy Hamilton: Forage for gin making your own gin using the botanicals that you’ve gathered. £45. Likely to fill up quickly!

Freelancers at the farm September’s Freelance Mum session is with marketing expert Debs Penrice. That’s on

Shout out for stall holders The farm’s Autumn Fair is on Saturday October 7, from 11am-5pm. As well as music, activities and the Farmbar, there will be a market. The farm wants to support local producers and creators, fair trade or environmentally-friendly products, and local environmental and ethical organisations. If this applies to you and you would like a stall – £20 for the day – contact simone.dougall@ windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk.

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September 2017

southbristolvoice

RSPCA UPDATE

33 From Bristol Dogs & Cats Home

New space to run and play will help our dogs to be better socialised

W

E ARE delighted to have officially unveiled our brand new indoor exercise area. In August we held a special volunteer thank-you event where we opened the new space to our staff, supporters and volunteers. The ribbon was cut by Kathy Lowe, one of our longestrunning volunteers.

The building measures a massive 294 square metres, making it our largest ever indoor off-lead area for dogs. The space can be used all year round, and it is filled with some very exciting equipment that the animals can explore and interact with.

The area will be used for training by our behaviourists and animal care assistants, as well as an area where families can be

introduced to dogs they are considering adopting.

“This new space will make an incredible difference to the welfare of the dogs in the home”, said Jodie Hayward, animal home manager.

“Before we acquired this space, the largest space where dogs could run off-lead was considerably smaller. This massive area will allow the dogs to exhibit natural behaviours that aren’t always possible in the kennel environment. It will also

Tested and approved: Henry was one of the first to try the new area allow us to mix more dogs together and increase their chances of becoming more sociable animals and open up their re-homing opportunities.

“We see so many dogs come into us who haven’t been socialised and their owners unfortunately cannot manage them. It falls to us to then

prepare these dogs so that they are ready for a new home, and our new space will make this a lot easier for us.”

We have lots of lovely animals waiting patiently for their forever homes. Could you offer them a second chance at a brand new life? Begin your search here: • rspca-bristol.org.uk

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September 2017

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September 2017

n PLANNING APPLICATIONS 14 St Martins Gardens BS4 2NJ Non-material amendment following planning permission 16/06676/F: Demolition of garage and erection of two bedroom two storey house; proposed amendments to windows and doors and additional rooflight. Granted 12 Copse Road BS4 2HZ T1: Fell a large, damaged ash tree on border adjacent to Arnos Vale cemetery. T2: Fell ash tree in centre of garden. Granted 10 Ketch Road BS3 5DQ Erection of deck structure and re-positioning of steps to rear. Granted subject to conditions 17 Almorah Road BS3 4QQ Rear dormer window and insertion of roof light in front roof slope. Granted 24 Kildare Road BS4 1PS Attached two storey dwelling.

Refused 26 Eldon Terrace BS3 4NZ Details in relation to condition 5 (Suds) of permission 15/03320/F: Construction of 2 bedroom house on land to the rear of 26 Eldon Terrace.

Granted 3 Mascot Road BS3 4PP Demolition of utility room and erection of single storey side extension and roof over existing garage. Granted 61 Stoneleigh Crescent BS4 2RG Single storey side and rear extension. Hip to gable and rear dormer roof extensions.

Granted 47 Melbury Road BS4 2RR Single storey rear extension.

Granted subject to conditions 60 Kingshill Road BS4 2SN Two storey and single storey rear extension. Pending consideration 18 Tennis Road BS4 2HG Remove rear conservatory and side garage, replace with single storey rear extension and two storey side extension. Granted subject to conditions 38 Beckington Road BS3 5EB Single storey side and two storey rear extension to semi detached house including raised

southbristolvoice

deck overlooking rear garden.

Pending consideration Filwood Park, Hengrove Way Details in relation to condition 12 (Travel plan) of permission 17/00684/M: Reserved matters application following outline approval 12/00352/P for the erection of 150 residential units and a new park with appearance, landscaping, layout and scale to be considered. (Major application). Pending consideration 5 Greenleaze BS4 2TJ Two storey rear extension. Granted subject to conditions 378 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QR Crown lift hornbeam to 3 metres and crown reduce to 1 metre away from boundary wall.

(TPO 1310). Pending decision 93 Hawthorne Street BS4 3DA Rear single storey infill extension and replacement of lean-to extension. Pending consideration

35 Knowle, Totterdown, Windmill Hill

134 Broadfield Road BS4 2UZ New two storey house attached to 134 Broadfield Road.

Pending consideration

first floor storage area (Use class B8) into community cafe (Use class A3). Removal of condition No 4. Pending consideration

146 Sylvia Avenue BS3 5BZ Two storey side extension and single storey rear extension.

Pending consideration

13 Eldon Terrace BS3 4NZ New dwelling. Pending consideration

56 Redcatch Road BS4 2EY Single storey side and rear extension and roof extension.

Pending consideration 3, 4 and 5 Hill Avenue BS3 4SF Details in relation to condition 3 (Drawings) of planning permission 17/02463/F: Removal of roof over Nos 3, 4 & 5 Hill Avenue and the addition of second floor accommodation in a roof extension. Pending consideration 7 Winton Street BS4 2BW (rear of Patco) Details pursuant to conditions 2 (Sound insulation) and 3 (Cycle parking) of planning permission 14/02187/F: Change of use of

13 Kenmare Road BS4 1PD Single storey front extension.

Pending consideration 47 St John’s Crescent BS3 5EL Single storey rear extension.

Pending consideration 137 Parson Street BS3 5RB Erection of two storey bus workshop and mess facility, installation of vehicle fuelling and bus wash facilities, reconfiguration and extension of bus parking layout, and extension of the opening time of the depot to 2am. Pending consideration • The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planningonline.bristol.gov.uk

12 Maidstone Street BS3 4SW Single storey extension to rear. Pending consideration Land at Knowle West Baptist Church, Newry Walk Demolition of existing building and erection of six 3- bedroom dwellings, with landscaping and parking. Pending consideration 121 Glyn Vale BS3 5JE Two storey side extension with roof works and porch. Pending consideration 4 Donegal Road BS4 1PL First floor extension to side with open carport below. Granted subject to conditions 358 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QL Extend driveway. Granted subject to conditions 57 Stoneleigh Road BS4 2RH Single storey rear extension and single storey side extension to provide one flat; detached garage. Granted subject to conditions 33 Tyning Road BS3 5DF Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear by 6.0 metres, of maximum height 2.9 metres with eaves of 2.8 metres.

Pending consideration

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

September 2017

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36

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

A

ROUND a year ago, the mayor announced an emergency freeze on spending, and cut all local Gary decision-making.

Hopkins He took away local Lib Dem wellbeing funds Knowle and attempted even to seize money from local planning gain.

We have partly won the planning money battle but the fight on that still continues.

What mattered even more to us locally was the proceeds of a sale of council-owned land in Salcombe Road in Knowle, the vast bulk of which was to be spent on local parks. Plans were drawn up with, at the top of the list, a new play park and landscaping for the remaining part of the open space next to the new shared ownership housing and the new Knowle Park school playing field.

There was considerable anger when this money was seized, and

Knowle

Chris and I have been pressing the mayor and his deputy repeatedly on this ever since.

We have, with the support of the Bristol Parks Forum, finally won our battle and we now have it confirmed that the cash which was lost has been made available again. A number of schemes that were cancelled are now back on including the improved entrance and car park at Redcatch park, but the most important of the lot is the promised improvements at Salcombe Road.

New residents will start to move to the shared ownership housing next month and I will be working with them, with existing residents in nearby roads and the school, to set up a friends group for the open space and agree the designs.

I will be working with the parks forum and party colleagues to ensure that the present administration’s policy of completely cancelling all funding for parks is dropped, and is replaced with a sensible sustainable model.

How to contact your councillor: p2

B

RISTOL in Bloom is a very worthy organisation that involves hundreds of volunteers who make their Chris neighbourhoods Davies nicer places to Lib Dem be in. It is not Knowle just about a few hanging baskets, pleasant though these can be.

It used to get a modest grant from the council but this has recently been abolished. Bristol in Bloom always made a lot of their money from commercial sponsorship. In particular they would get a company to sponsor city roundabouts and put their names alongside the planting.

A few years ago the then mayor announced that this was an area where the council could also raise money. B in B helpfully sent in their sponsors’ details, but of course nothing was done.

They are now worried the council is on the point of giving an exclusive deal to a commercial

company, who will sell the sponsorships and exclude them, depriving them of any income.

A suggestion of allowing them to continue with some of its existing sites has so far been rejected. This is because a business with money raising as its sole objective will get a higher level of sponsorship and does not want to be undercut.

If these plans are not modified we will see Bristol in Bloom in serious danger of going under, and a rapid spread of commercial sponsorship boards on our roundabouts, spreading to grass verges. It was not all that long ago we had a Bristol mayor who supported B in B, the city won the national Britain in Bloom title and collected international awards. Great for our tourist image as well as for the morale and pride of the people.

B in B also encourage, support and present awards to the many volunteers working in our streets, parks and open spaces. The city’s reputation for being green and colourful could be lost.

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September 2017

southbristolvoice

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

A

MONG the many cuts proposed in the council’s neighbourhoods consultation, the end of funding Jon for 40 of the 80 Wellington school lollipop Labour people across the Windmill Hill city is the one that has been most controversial.

While the crossings at Victoria Park primary school on St John’s Lane and Wedmore Vale are to be retained, the crossing on Wells Road that serves children at Hillcrest primary school is proposed to be cut, on the basis that it is already managed by an engineered crossing.

I spoke to several parents about the importance of the service to their children’s safety, and attended their demonstration held in July to speak to more parents. I saw the dangerous nature of the road at that time of day. Even with dozens of children and parents in

Windmill Hill

attendance, holding placards and banners, I saw one car driver jump the red light.

I met with the local police beat manager for the area to discuss the crossing and he provided me with the details of an exercise the police conducted last summer to investigate the incidences of cars running red lights or driving dangerously.

The police recorded and pulled over five cars that had run the red light on one morning. In his opinion, had the crossing patrol not been present, an accident may have occurred and a child hit.

I have been gathering this evidence and will present it as my response to the consultation.

I have discussed this with the mayor’s office, and with the cabinet member for neighbourhoods, and the cabinet member for education. I also raised what I considered to be faulty evidence about the average speed of cars and the lack of meaningful options in the consultation at the

37

How to contact your councillor: p2

neighbourhoods scrutiny committee, on which I sit.

The consultation will be closing as you read this, and it has to be stressed that this is a consultation and nothing is set in stone. I very much hope that a solution can be found to retain the service.

In common with all government departments and the police and health service, local government is facing huge cuts in the coming years from the Conservative government, which is continuing to pursue its approach to deficit reduction through deep public spending cuts.

The recently published medium term financial plan produced by Bristol City Council shows that of the £106 million in cuts we have to make by 2022, £44m of savings remain to be unidentified. This includes the assumption that there will be a five per cent increase in council tax every year, the maximum that can raised through local taxation without a referendum. This will

mean more unpalatable cuts in the coming years to our services unless the funding to local government changes. To this end, mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees, along with fellow council leaders of all nine core cities, has produced a joint Green Paper calling for more investment in cities so that we can meet the needs of our citizens. This will be presented to ministers on September 12. It is absolutely vital that this is acted upon.

Ahead of this, Bristol Labour Party, trades unions and other groups are holding a demonstration in Bristol on September 9 to highlight the impossible financial situation we are in as a city, and to call for an end to austerity politics.

Aside from causing untold misery to people that need the services that councils provide, it is also short-sighted and simply stores up problems down the line for other services, such as the health service and police, who will have to pick up the pieces.

• Cllr Lucy Whittle is away.

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38

n HISTORY The daily dripfeed of tragedy from the hell that was Passchendaele

O

NE HUNDRED years ago during World War 1, the arrival of the daily post was something to be feared for many South Bristol families.

Almost every household had a relative serving on the Western Front in France and Belgium; if they didn’t, they would know someone who did. And three years into the Great War, there would have been few families who hadn’t been affected by the arrival on their doormat of War Office Form B. 104-82.

This was the notification that a man was killed – or missing in action. (It usually amounted to the same thing: tens of thousands of men were swallowed up in shell craters and their remains never found.) The families of officers got a telegram.

A century ago, the British Army was in the middle of the Battle of Passchendaele, one of the most infamous in the whole war. Such was the death toll that Form B. 104-82 was arriving almost daily on a doormat somewhere in Totterdown, Knowle, Windmill Hill, Southville, Bedminster or Ashton.

A glance at our table of deaths during the battle (below) tells its own tale. We can only imagine the impact. The numbers are stark but they don’t tell the whole story: of 55,000 recruits from Bristol in World War 1, about one in 10 – 5,000 or 6,000 – were

SOUTH BRISTOL’S DEATH TOLL AT PASSCHENDAELE Summary of 92 South Bristol deaths during the Battle of Passchendaele, July 31-November 10, 1917.

Details: rank, age, any medals, battalion and regiment, location of memorial, address, next of kin.

Compiled from the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission • cwgc.org

September 2017

The horror of the trenches brought home One answer to the slaughter of soldiers during World War I was to enlist men under the army’s 5ft 3in minimum height. This recruiting poster is for the Bristol Bantams, the 14th Gloucestershire Regiment.

After the slaughter of the Somme in 1916, hundreds of new recruits were needed, but once in France many Bantams were found to be too weak to serve as soldiers, and were rejected.

Was World War I a colossal waste of life, or a valiant struggle to save democracy? Either way, South Bristol families were on the front line, and counting the cost killed. We have identified 92 from South Bristol alone who were killed during the Battle of Passchendaele.

In fact, it wasn’t really one battle, or even a distinct event, except in the mind of its architect, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. To those at home it was one more punctuation in the continuous round of grim letters and telegrams from the Western Front.

It’s common now to talk of World War 1 as a colossal, even criminal waste of life; a conflict that shouldn’t have happened, led by bumbling generals who wasted men’s lives by the million.

It seems amazing to us that such suffering could be endured.

But it was, and with massive popular support across Britain (even though in Russia and Germany it sparked revolutions,

Listed are names of all those killed during the battle who lived in, or had parents living in Knowle, Totterdown, Windmill Hill, Bedminster, Ashton or Southville. It may not be complete; it does not include those who died later from their wounds.

Men were buried where they died, hence most of the World War 1 dead in Arnos Vale cemetery died of their wounds in Bristol.

and the French army only just avoided a calamitous mutiny).

Yet at the beginning of the war there was huge opposition from the Left, in Bristol and across the country. As well as men dying in the trenches, there were South Bristolians who refused to fight on principle. This is a story we’ll tell another time. asschendaele was an insignificant village in Flanders, but it became the focus of a three-month battle that cost half a million lives – up to 300,000 British troops (including Canadian and other allies) and 200,000 Germans.

It wasn’t much of an objective: the village occupies a ridge a few miles east of Ypres.

But a little height was a great advantage in the stalemate of trench war: it allowed the

Germans to see the battlefield and direct their artillery.

One of the Allies’ few obvious successes in 1917 came on June 6, when two years of digging by British miners and the planting of a million pounds of explosive resulted in a huge explosion which wrecked the German defences on the Messines ridge, also near Ypres. British soldiers walked in and took over the valuable ridge. Prime Minister Lloyd George heard the explosion from Downing Street.

Field Marshal Haig wanted more. Despite the loss of hundreds of thousands of men in battles such as the Somme the year before, Haig was convinced he could deliver the breakthrough blow that would lead to the end of the war.

No one else believed him – not Lloyd George, not French

• Memorials: BCC Bard Cottage Cemetery; BNMC Brandhoek New Military Cem; BRSMC Benin Rd South Mil Cem; CMC Coxyde Mil Cem; DAC Duhallow ADS Cem; DCC Dragoon Camp Cem; DMC Dozinghem Mil Cem; GBC Godewaersvelde British Cem; GC Gwalia Cem; MMC Mendingham Mil Cem; NIFC New Irish Farm Cem; RBC Roux British Cem; TCM Tyne Cot Memorial; VNMC Vlamertinghe New Mil Cem; YMG Ypres Menin Gate.

• Key to units: Dev Reg Devonshire Reg RAMC Royal Army Medical Corps; RF Art Royal Field Artillery; RFC Royal Flying Corps; RG Art Royal Garrison Artillery; July 31 1. Private Frederick Edwin James Clarke 37, 2nd Bn Dev Reg. YMG. Husband of Amy Maria Clarke, 11 Regent Street, Bedminster.

2. Gunner William Ernest Lumber 22, 61st Div. Ammunition Col RF Art. YMG.

P

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September 2017

southbristolvoice

n HISTORY

39

The horror of the trenches brought home and then Italy before returning to France in 1918 – by when most of the Bristol volunteers had been wiped out.

Also in Flanders was the 14th battalion, known as the Bristol Bantams – formed of men who had once been rejected by recruiting officers because they were too short, at under 5ft 3in.

Many recruits were trained at the White City at Ashton Gate – a vast exhibition site built in 1914 and then turned over to war use.

T

Hard labour: Men of the Gloucestershire Regiment transporting stones for road making over a temporary bridge at Zillebeke, near Passchendaele, on October 5, 1917.

PHOTO: By permission from Imperial War Museums

T

commander Foch, not even Haig’s own intelligence staff. No one could fight the Germans and the Flanders mud, said Foch.

Yet some action from the British was needed. The French army was reeling after its own debacle, an offensive in April planned by its leader Nivelle which advanced 600 yards instead of the six miles Nivelle promised. Losses were so great there was mass mutiny; 100,000 French troops were court martialled and hundreds shot.

Gaps in the French front line were left undefended, though the Germans seemed not to realise.

But while French morale was being rebuilt, with extra leave and more rations, Haig saw a chance to make his mark on the course of the war. He would not only take the remaining high ground east of Ypres, he would roll up the Belgian front and strike for the Channel coast, seizing vital ports and vital railway lines.

housands of Bristolians were in the front line and many would go “over the top” for Haig. Bristol’s local regiment was the Gloucestershires, but in the south of the city many joined the Somerset Light Infantry.

Volunteers also joined the South Midland Field Ambulance, the North Somerset Yeomanry, the South Midland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, and 127 and 129 Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery (these were the heaviest guns) and the South Midland Royal Engineers (these included the sappers who dug mines under enemy trenches).

The Gloucestershire regiment started the war in 1914 with two battalions of professional soldiers, the 1st and 2nd; it ended in 1918 with 24 battalions. Each battalion had about 1,000 men, divided into four companies of about 230 men plus a headquarters staff. Each

Brother of James Henry Lumber, of 53 Raleigh Road, Southville.

August 2 3. Pte John Norton Adams 29, 7th Bn South Lancs Reg. YMG. Husband of Frances Adams, 121 Somerset Terrace, Windmill Hill.

August 6 4. Pte Arthur Reginald Holman 24, 1st/5th Bn Glos Regt. YMG. Son of Mr and Mrs Arthur John Holman, of 62 Cotswold Road, Windmill Hill; husband

of Florence Winifred Holman, of 120 Somerset Road, Knowle.

5. Pte Henry Herbert Whitehorn 34, 7th Bn Somerset Light Inf. DCC. Son of Laura Georgina Whitehorn, St Luke’s Road, Totterdown.

6. Pte Henry Albert Snook 23, 1st/3rd South Mid Field Amb, RAMC. NIFC. Husband of Beatrice M Snook, 87 West Street, Bedminster.

August 10 7. Driver Frederick Charles Lawrence

company had four platoons of about 60 men. Spread throughout the units were medics, machine gunners, grenade throwers and other specialists. Headquarters had cooks, armourers, signallers and even a shoemaker. One chaplain served each battalion.

Massive losses meant that battalions in reality might have as few as 200 men. Drafts of recruits might arrive in 100 or more at a time. To retain the cohesion of the units, no battalion would send all its men into action at once; at least 100 would be retained in case of casualties.

The Gloucestershires’ 1st battalion of regular troops served at Passchendaele; so did the 6th, of Bristol-based volunteers, and the 8th, which we will meet later.

The 12th battalion was known as Bristol’s Own, formed of the first enthusiastic wave of volunteers in 1914. They served at the Somme, at Passchendaele 23, Royal Engineers. YMG. Son of Mr A and Mrs A Lawrence 101 Weare Street, St Luke’s Road, Totterdown.

8. Pte Herbert J Saunders 27, 11th Bn. London Reg, Royal Fusiliers. YMG. Son of John and Sarah Saunders, 99 Weare St, Totterdown; husband of Elizabeth Florence Saunders, 12 Kingston Road, Southville.

August 12 9. Lance Corporal Frederick Thomas Cox 30, Military Medal, 3rd Bn Worcs Reg. CSC. Son of James and Mary Cox,

he Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, started at 3.50am on July 31, 1917. The 8th Gloucestershire were part of 19th Division, itself part of the Second Army led by General Herbert Plumer, described by historian AJP Taylor as “one of the few sensible British commanders”, and architect of the mining assault on Messines.

British tactics had evolved since the Somme. Then, the 1916 battle was preceded by the mother of all artillery barrages, which was supposed to pulverise the German defences and let the Allies walk in. But the Germans had dug in deep, were pioneers of reinforced concrete strongholds, and even when their defences were destroyed, troops sometimes hid in craters under tarpaulins before springing out.

The result was a massacre: 21,000 British dead in a day, for minimal gains.

In 1917, British troops advanced under a rolling barrage of shellfire. Heavy guns rained on the forward German lines until the British advance began, when the big guns were aimed further back to deter enemy reinforcements.

British troops were now armed with more than rifles: each platoon had “bombers” (grenade throwers), rifle grenades and machine guns.

Their advances were planned Continued overleaf 39 Brecknock Road, Knowle.

August 15 10. Serjeant Benjamin James Rees 21, D Coy, 1st/4th Bn Glos Reg. BNMC. Son of Mr and Mrs B Rees, 28 Percy Street, Bedminster.

11. Sjt Charles Henry Vanstone 30, 1st/4th Bn Glos Reg. NIFC. Son of John and Alma Vanstone, 74 Hill Avenue, Totterdown.

August 16 12. Pte Albert Whitehead 27, 34th

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n HISTORY Continued from page 39 meticulously, to various lines on the map. Careful observation, which included the planes of the Royal Flying Corps, was supposed to direct the artillery to fire on any counter attacks.

It all worked, up to a point.

British advances on July 31 were further than the Somme, up to 3,000 yards across the Gheluvelt Plateau.

But the day, which started dry, turned to rain. All over low-lying Flanders, drainage ditches had been wrecked by shelling, and over the next two days of rain the land filled up.

Artillery, which was meant to be moved up in support of the troops, could not be shifted. This meant more German artillery survived. Everywhere, initial British gains were much reduced

by German counter-strikes.

“Failure was obvious by the end of the first day to everyone except Haig and his immediate circle,” wrote AJP Taylor. “Men, struggling to advance, sank up to their waists. Guns disappeared in the mud. Haig sent in tanks.

These also vanished in the mud.”

Haig’s hopes of a quick advance dissolved. He dropped talk of a break for the coast: the Ypres ridges became the objective.

The War Diary of the 8th Battalion gave little hint of the drama or Haig’s failure. At the beginning of the battle it was in support, waiting in the trenches.

On August 1 the diary notes only: “Very wet all day.” Three days later, the troops were moved to the front line at Kemmel.

“Shelled 4.30 to 8pm,” notes the diarist. Then, on the 5th, an SOS signal is seen from the nearby Field Amb RAMC. BCC. Son of John Thomas and Jane Whitehead, 47 Sydenham Road, Knowle.

13. Gnr Henry Daniel Garland 19, 5th C Reserve Bde, RF Art. Arnos Vale Cem. Son of Mr and Mrs Daniel Garland, 64 Parson Street, Bedminster.

14. Pte Wellington Joseph Beaven 23, D Coy, 1st/5th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of William Edward and Rosina Beaven, 8 Clarke Street, Bedminster.

15. Pte Arthur Hill 25, 1st/5th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Mrs Martha Hill, 6 Walton Street, Bedminster.

16. Pte Herbert Gommo 18, 1st/5th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of John Bolter and Mary Frances Gommo, 74 Philip Street, Bedminster.

August 17 17. Pte Samuel Henry May 21, 7th Bn

Bogged down: A British tank destroyed at Passchendaele 10th Worcesters “during a hostile attack on Hollebeke. Casualties during relief 3 killed 12 wounded.” That’s it: no names were noted in the diary – unless those hit were officers.

So far, the 8th had lost none of its South Bristolians in the battle. But take a look at our list: the death letters would already have been arriving for Amy Clarke, wife of Private Frederick Clarke, 37, at Regent Street in Bedminster. He was killed on the first day of the battle, serving with the Devonshire regiment.

Killed on the same day was Gunner William Lumber, 22, of the Royal Field Artillery, whose brother James was his next of kin in Raleigh Road, Southville.

The next day a letter was sent to Frances Adams of Somerset Terrace, Windmill Hill, for the loss of her husband, Private John Adams.

And a few days later, on August 6, more families were grieving losses in Windmill Hill, Knowle and Bedminster.

Of this first half-dozen dead, four were never found: they have no graves but their names are inscribed on the giant Menin Som Light Inf. DMC. Son of William and Mary Ann May, 4 Herbert Street, Bedminster.

August 18 18. Pte G Paul 32, 1st/1st Bucks Bn Oxford & Bucks Light Inf. BNMC. No 3.

Husband of Elsie Eleanor Paul, 28 Vicarage Road, Southville.

August 19 19. Pte Harry William Croome 27, 1st/6th Bn Glos Reg. GC. Son of Mr and Mrs J Croome, 18 Exmoor Street, North Street, Bedminster.

20. Sjt Edmund E Burke 26, B Coy, 2nd Bn Royal Irish Reg. LSC. Son of Stephen and Thurza Burke, 17 Friezewood Road, Ashton Gate.

August 20 21. Sjt Herbert John Fox 23, Glos Reg. DAC. Son of Frederick Fox and Hannah

September 2017

The horror of the trenches brought home Gate memorial. This was a typical occurrence.

It’s hard to trace many of the losses of South Bristol men to particular advances or actions during the battle. Most of the time, most units weren’t involved in an attack. They might spend five to 10 days a year in intensive action, with a further 60-100 days in frontline trenches. But this was dangerous enough when the shelling started, and it may account for some of the clusters of casualties, such as the three men killed on August 6.

On August 15, two sergeants (spelled archaically “serjeant” by the regiment at this time) were killed from the 1st/4th Glosters: Charles Vanstone of Hill Avenue, Totterdown, and Benjamin Rees from Percy Street, Bedminster.

Their battalion was part of the 48th Division, about to advance in the Battle of Langemarck the following day. The Germans suspected an attack, and were shelling the lines in advance.

It was probably the attack itself which killed five men the next day from Sydenham Road, Knowle, and Parson Street, Clarke Street, Walton Street and Philip Street in Bedminster.

The 48th Division was among the most successful in the battle, capturing the village of St Julien and later overrunning a key point known as Cockcroft.

Here the tanks, for once, did not get bogged down; with planes flying overheard to drown their engines, the advance was quick and pillboxes overrun, with the loss of 29 men instead of the expected 600-1,000. But losses there were; it’s probably here that Private Harry Croome of Exmoor Street, Bedminster, of Bull (formerly Fox), 11 Nottingham Street, Victoria Park, Totterdown.

August 21 22. Dvr Percy Leonard Packer 28, RF Art. TCM. Husband of Mary Nellie Weeks (formerly Packer), 69 Queensdale Crescent, Knowle Park.

August 22 23. Drummer Arthur John Abner Bridle 24, 1st/6th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Mrs Sarah A Bridle, 11 Tovey’s Buildings, West Street, Bedminster.

24. Lance Corporal Herbert Henry Hoyal 19, 6th Bn Som Light Inf. TCM. Son of Harry and Alice Mary Hoyal, 2 Cromwell Street, Bedminster.

25. Pte Francis Samuel Sterry 31, 2nd/1st Bucks Bn Oxford & Bucks Light Inf. TCM. Son of Charles and Elizabeth Sterry, 3 Eldon Terrace, Windmill Hill;

the 1st/6th Glosters, met his end on August 19.

British losses overall until August 28 were about 64,000.

But Germany thought her losses “unsustainable”: 24,000 casualties and prisoners. Haig knew that the Allies were soon to be reinforced by the entry of the US into the war: Germany would find no fresh troops, and morale in its armies was being ground down by relentless Allied bombardment.

But the Germans still held the ridges, and every advance across the Gheluvelt Plateau was repulsed and then shelled. This helps to explain why the British losses were so constant, even when they were not attacking.

W

hen the big push came for the Bristolians in the 8th Glosters, the battalion diary again gave little away. They had been back and forth from the reserves to the frontline. A frequent interjection in the diary was to mention a Court of Inquiry into an injury.

Details are never given but the suspicion is that the inquiry into Private S Hayle on August 14 was into whether his wound was self-inflicted.

A “Blighty wound”, meaning one that would need treatment in England, seemed to many troops the only way to leave the trenches alive. Battalion diaries are full of such inquiries, but do not give the outcome.

In mid-August the battalion was at Fromentel, behind the lines, rehearsing battle tactics, and preparing for the 57th Brigade sports day. Medals were presented, including the Distinguished Service Cross and husband of Emily Sterry, 48 Winchester Road, Brislington.

August 23 26. Lance Sjt John Gibbs 23, 2nd/6th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Mr and Mrs Gibbs, 102 Aubrey Road, Chessels, Bedminster.

27. Pte Arthur Robert George Hibben 27, 6th Bn Duke Cornwall’s Light Inf. TCM. Son of Robert and Louisa Hibben, 44 Mendip Road, Windmill Hill; husband of Nellie Daisy Phillips (formerly Hibben), 48 Greenway Bush Lane, Ashton Gate.

28. Pte Samuel Charles Meredith 21, 2nd/6th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Mr and Mrs Meredith, 13 Queen Street, Regent Road, Bedminster.

August 24 29. Sgt Albert Zachariah Patch 22, 43rd Coy Machine Gun Corps (Inf ). TCM.

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n HISTORY THE PRESS DECLARES A GLORIOUS VICTORY

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The horror of the trenches brought home

THE EVENTUAL capture of the village of Passchendaele was reported in the Western Daily Press as if a well-laid plan had finally succeeded.

“Dash of Canadians – all objectives gained by midday” read the headline. No mention was made of Allied losses. In fact, those who were hurt were described as cheerful: “The walking wounded coming back are in high spirits,”

said the Western Daily. “They say that our barrage was wonderful – the best they have ever seen – and the reason why comparatively few prisoners have come back is because the Germans would not stay to fight at close quarters.”

A post-war report in the Western Daily Press in July 1919, two years after the great battle, acknowledged the impact on different units of the Gloucestershires.

The 4th/6th battalions, part of the 48th division, “were in many of

those over-the-top stunts, by means of which the enemy was forced back little by little. That Ypres battle was worse than the Somme.

“There were more guns, more shells, more machine guns to be faced than in the Somme battle, and the Germans were good fighters even in those days.

“The result was that, whenever the 4th and 6th went back from the salient, their ranks were greatly thinned – they were not broken but badly bent.”

the Military Cross, to three officers (named) and to seven other ranks or ORs (unnamed).

A point-to-point horse race was held by the 19th Division (part of 57th Brigade); we can assume that was for officers rather then ORs. On August 23 they moved to the coast at Le Wast, but it was wet, so sea bathing was cancelled; the next day was dry, but no buses were available; finally, on the 25th, buses took 150 men for their swim.

On the 31st, at Strazeele, it’s suspected some men had been in contact with diphtheria – how?

It’s not explained, but an examination by a medical orderly seems satisfactory.

In the following days there was more training in a new attack formation, and practice with rifle grenades.

On September 11, the battalion moved forward to Bois Confluent, near the front line at Klein Zillebeke. The next day, 144 recruits arrived – no mention of how they are absorbed, or how well trained they were.

On the 13th, the expanded unit relieved the 8th North

Staffords and the 10th Worcesters. “Enemy moderately quiet,” notes the diarist.

But the attack was coming, and the men knew it. Moved out of the line once more, they rehearsed their new formation again on the 16th and 17th. On the 19th it was back to Klein Zillebeke. “Enemy fairly active,” is the only comment.

Then came the big moment.

At 5.40am on September 20, the 8th advanced. It was the start of the Battle of Menin Road; and once again, early British gains were impossible to hold.

Haig had waited for the ground to dry since the Langemarck attacks, and the planning was meticulous. Every enemy strongpoint had been shelled, and would be pulverised again. Men worked through the night amassing piles of ammunition; plans were laid for a rolling barrage of shellfire that would move 100 yards in front of the troops. Instructions were given to signallers, machine gunners, field ambulances, gunners and pioneers. The level of detail was one which the “old Army of 1914” could not have

dreamed, wrote Everard Wyrall, author of a unit history, “The 19th Division 1914-18”.

The men were all ready by 1.45am, noted Wyrall, and until zero hour, at 5.40am, they lay in the rain without even a tot of rum to cheer them. Finally, the barrage, then the advance.

The 8th took the centre of the field, the 8th North Staffords and the 10th Worcesters either side.

But the Glosters and the Staffords were slowed by boggy ground; they fell behind the protective barrage of the artillery, and the German machine guns opened up.

“Both these battalions suffered heavy casualties from machine gun fire chiefly from a line of dig-outs just north of Top House; owing to the difficulties of the ground, they had to go forward in mass formation, a better target for the enemy,” wrote Wyrall.

Despite this, the Glosters were able to occupy the enemy’s first line. “First objective reached with comparative ease,” said the battalion diary. But from then on, even the Glosters’ record admits difficulties. “On advance to final objective enemy strong posts and snipers dealt with,” it

Son of Albert and Susan Patch, 13 Gladstone Street, Bedminster.

30. Gnr Archibald Edwin Thomas 28, 19th Heavy Artillery Gp HQ, RG Art. CMC. Son of Charles and Mary AL Thomas, 40 Alpha Road, Southville.

August 25 31. Trooper AW Faithfull 25, Household Battn. RBC. Husband of Florence Annie Faithfull, 20 Churchlands Rd, Bedminster.

32. Dvr Gilbert Norman Ford 24, Royal Engineers. TCM. Son of John Charles Henry and Ada Ford, 29 Highgrove Street, Totterdown.

August 27 33. Pte Bert Ballinger 23, 2nd/4th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of William and Julia Maria Ballinger, 27 Dean Street, Bedminster.

34. Pte Alfred Henry Bodley 23,

1st/6th Bn Royal Warwickshire Reg. TCM. Son of Mr and Mrs Bodley, 2 Monmouth Street, Bedminster.

35. Corporal J Connell 23, 2nd/4th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Husband of Mrs J Williams (formerly Connell), 35 Dartmoor Street, Bedminster.

36. Pte Thomas Jenkins 27, Welsh Reg. TCM. Son of Thomas Edward and Caroline Jenkins, 66 St Luke’s Crescent, Totterdown.

37. Sjt Harold Handford 25, Glos Reg. MMC. Son of WS and Frances Handford, 15 Highgrove Street, Totterdown.

38. Second Lieutenant John Sydney Jones 32, 189th Army Bde, RF Art. GBC. Son of Harvey Jones; husband of Lillian Mary Jones, 5 Dryden Chambers, 119 Oxford Street, London. Organist Holy Nativity Church, Knowle.

39. Sjt Stanley W Griffiths 25, 2nd/4th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of A and Rhoda E Griffiths, 70 St Luke’s Road, Totterdown.

40. Pte Thomas Jenkins 27, 16th Bn Welsh Reg. TCM. Son of Thomas Edward and Caroline Jenkins, 66 St Luke’s Crescent, Totterdown.

September 11 41. Gnr Frederick William Samuel French 19, RF Art. GBC. Son of Samuel and Bessie French, 19 Lilymead Avenue, Knowle.

42. Pte Cecil Stanley Tilley 22, C Coy 7th Bn Som Light Inf. TCM. Son of Mrs S Tilley, 35 Garnet Street, Bedminster.

September 14 43. Gnr HC Cooper 29, 261st Siege Bty RG Art, Divisional Collecting Post Cem. Son of Henry John Cooper, 57 Greenbank Road, Ashton Gate.

reads. “Enemy artillery barrage on original front lines and support lines very heavy.”

Then, starkly, a brief list of casualties. Two second lieutenants killed; a lieutenant and a second lieutenant wounded (all named). “Other ranks – 160 missing, killed and wounded.”

At a stroke, a sixth of the battalion is gone. Records show that 53 men were killed between September 20 and the 8th’s withdrawal from the line on the 22nd. Surprisingly, only two South Bristol men were among them: Serjeant Edgar Arnold of Islington Road, Southville, and Lance Corporal CM Higby of Upper Street, Knowle (we’d call it Totterdown).

Wyrall noted that “mud was everywhere – some of the frontline posts were almost impossible for habitation, yet men lived in them; their pluck and endurance were wonderful.”

B

ut that wasn’t the worst day in the battle for South Bristol families. That came on October 9, when nine men from Bedminster, Ashton Gate, Lower Knowle and Southville met their end. Six were from battalions of the Glosters; all are remembered at the Tyne Cot memorial, meaning their bodies were never found.

This was a sub-battle known as the Battle of Poelcappelle, another broad front opened up by the British and French near the Passchendaele ridge. Once more rain and mud made life hell and many wounded men were left stranded on the battlefield.

The 5th Division, containing the 12th Glosters, attacked Continued overleaf September 15 44. Dvr WFJ Sutton age unknown, C Bty. 155th Army Bde RF Art. VNMC. Husband of Violet Sutton, 5 Kingston Road, Southville.

September 16 45. Pte John Powell 40, King’s Own Royal Lanc Reg. VNMC. Husband of Alice Powell, 46 Stevens Crescent, Totterdown.

46. Gnr WJ Williams 33, 153rd Siege Bty, RG Art. Klein-Vierstraat British Cem. Husband of Rosa Williams, 47 Murray Road, Bedminster.

September 20 47. 2nd Lieut Francis John Bright 24, 32nd Bn Royal Fusiliers. TCM. Son of Mrs Sarah Bright, 3 Mendip Road, Windmill Hill.

48. Sjt Edgar Appleby Arnold 26, 8th Bn Glos Reg. Aeroplane Cem. Son of Alfred and Betsy Arnold, 41 Islington

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n HISTORY Continued from page 41 Polderhoek Chateau, but their weapons were clogged by the mud. Nearby, the 48th Division, containing the 1st/4th and the 1st/6th Glosters, took 14 hours to reach the front line through the mud, then sprang straight into the fire of a German division, which had crept into shell holes next to the British line.

Passchendaele village was taken, but then lost. British artillery failed to cut the defences – though the Germans found the impact unbearable, and their morale was weakened further.

It took what became known as the Second Battle of Road, Southville.

49. Sjt Herbert Leonard Willie 30, 15th Bn Hants Reg. TCM. Son of John and Emma Willie, 138 Coronation Road, Southville.

September 21 50. L Corp CM Higby 22, 8th Bn Glos Reg. LHC. Son of Mrs RM Higby, 17 Upper Street, Knowle.

September 23 51. Acting Bombardier Arthur Stanley Brown 26, D Bty, 91st Howitzer Bde RF Art. DCC. Husband of Margaret Brown, 84 Greenway Bush Lane, Ashton Gate.

September 25 52. Dvr Thomas William Cosset 25, C Bty. 240th Bde RF Art. DMC. Only son of Thomas John and Annie Cordelia Coslett, 16 Holmesdale Road, Victoria Park.

53. Pte Wesley George Kingman 19, 12th Bn Royal Sussex Reg. TCM. Son of George and Kate Kingman, 112 West Street, Bedminster.

September 26 54. Battery Sjt Major W Thorne 35, B Bty, 58th Bde RF Art. BCC. Son of William Henry and Emma Thorne, Bedminster.

September 28 55. L Corp S Scadding, 29, 16th Bn King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Liijssenthoek Military Cem. Husband of AMM Scadding, 12 Church Lane, Bedminster.

September 30 56. L Corp Frederick George Sydney 21, 2nd/4th Bn Glos Reg. St Nicholas British Cem. Son of George Sidney, 39 Jasper Street, Bedminster.

October 2 57. Pte Leonard Frank Griffiths 23, 12th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Frank and Alice Griffiths, 50 Aubrey Road, Bedminster.

October 3 58. Pte FL Beard age unknown, Glos Reg. GBC. Son of Mr GH Beard, 12 Montgomery Street, Totterdown.

59. Pte Thomas Hall 33, 1st/5th Bn Glos Reg. DAC. Husband of Kate Packer (formerly Hall), 22 Hengaston Street, Bedminster.

60. Pte Clifford Ernest Keel 19, 8th Bn North Staffs Reg. TCM. Son of William Henry and Amy Lily Keel, 18 St John’s Lane, Bedminster.

Passnchendaele, led by Canadian forces, to take and hold the by-now utterly ruined village and its ridge on November 10.

Haig saw a chance to call an end to the battle and claim his objective had been won. By then dozens more South Bristol families had been bereaved.

Scores more would suffer before the Armistice was signed almost exactly a year later.

The horror of the trenches brought home

t’s commonplace today to say that World War 1 should not have been fought. Many place the blame on all sides, saying it was a conflict between nations fighting only to protect or grow

their colonial empires. Some argue that Britain needn’t have entered the fight; others that the horror of trench warfare and the millions of deaths prove that war must be avoided at all costs.

The counter argument is that it didn’t seem that way in 1914.

The war had real popular support in Britain, and maintained it despite all the hardships, because it was seen as a fight for national survival and the freedom of Europe. Whatever the deeper origins of the conflict, Britain, Belgium and France were not the aggressors on the ground.

Historians will continue to argue the rights and wrongs. But

October 4 61. Pte Ernest Charles Chapman 31, 12th Bn Glos Reg 12th Bn. TCM. Son of Alfred and Annie Chapman, 37 Morley Road, Southville.

62. Pte Samuel John Davey 20, 9th Bn Lancs Fusiliers. Cement House Cem. Son of SJ and AR Davey, 8 Gardner’s Villas, Bishopsworth Road, Bedminster Down.

63. Pte Frederick Keates, 27, 3rd/10th Bn Middlesex Reg. TCM. Son of Mr and Mrs J Keates, 87 Cumberland Road, New Cut, Bedminster.

Machine Gun Corps 64th Bde attd 6th Bn Worcs Reg. Staples Military Cem. Son of George Henry and Emily ER Higgins, Bedminster; husband of Lavinia Higgins, 11 Edward Road, Brislington.

72. Pte Charles William Knights 22, 1st/3rd (West Riding) Field Amb RAMC. Duchy Farm New British Cem. Son of Charles William and Mary Jane Knights, 10 Swiss Road, Bedminster.

73. Corporal William Norman Leslie 20, 12th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of William George and Lily Blanche Leslie,

I

64. L Corp George William Murch, 21 1st Bn Som Light Inf. TCM. Son of EW and Grace A Murch, 17 Herbert Street, Bedminster.

October 6 65. Pte Percy Larkam Summons 27, 9th BnDev Reg. BRSMC. Son of William George and Mary Maria Summons, 1 Victoria Road, Bedminster.

October 7 66. Corporal CF Price 24, C Bty, 59th Bde RF Art. VNMC. Son of George and Susan Ann Price, 82 Parson Street, Bedminster.

October 8 67. Pte Frank Cox 19, 1st Bn Som Light Inf. DMC. Son of James and Ada Mary Cox, 5 Clark Street, Bedminster.

October 9 68. Pte Frederick Caddick 35, 4th Bn Worcs Reg 4th Bn. TCM. Husband of Mrs F Caddick, 11 Agate Street, Bedminster.

69. Pte Frank F Coombes 20, 1st/4th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Francis and Eliza Coombes, 27 Carrington Road, North Street, Ashton Gate.

70. Sjt Charles H Gillard 23, B Coy, 1st/6th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Robert and Charlotte Gillard, 44 Ashgrove Road, Chessells, Bedminster.

71. Pte Keith Victor Gauntlett 29,

A Bristol Fighter like the one in which 2nd Lt Joseph Duggan of Redcliffe (no.

89 in our list) went missing on patrol near Passchendaele

Normandale, St Agnes Road, Knowle.

74. Pte Arthur Henry Northcott 21, 1st/4th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Arthur and Hester Louisa Northcott, 7 St John’s Square, Bedminster.

75. Pte Reginald Page 21, 1st/4th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of John Henry Joseph Page, 243 North Street, Ashton Gate.

76. L Corp Henry G Shell 26, D Coy, 1st/6th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Son of Henry James and Susan Elizabeth Shell, 29 Upper Perry Hill, Southville.

October 11 77. Pte Frank Wallace John Lyddon 24, Grenadier Guards. DMC. Son of Ceily and Mary Lyddon, 2 Balmain Street, Totterdown.

October 12 78. Pte Albert Edward Hawker 20, 6th Bn Royal Berkshire Reg. TCM. Son of Robert and Elizabeth Hawker, 3 Upton Road, Southville.

October 15 79. Pte Frederick William Brace (Served as Williams) 19, 8th Bn Som Light Inf. Bailleul Cem Extn. Son of Edward and Ada Brace, 20 Regent Street, Spring Street, Bedminster.

80. Pte Frederick Richard Wilsher 19, 8th Bn Som Light Inf. TCM. Son of Richard

it’s hard to dispute the verdict of the French president Clemenceau in 1919, when the Versailles peace treaty was being signed. Asked by the German foreign minister, “I wonder what history will say about all this?” Clemenceau responded: “History will not say that Belgium invaded Germany.”

Sources:

AJP Taylor, The First World War (1963) Everard Wyrall, The Nineteenth Division: 1914-1918 (1932) Bristol and the First World War, Bristol Cultural Development Partnership (2014) Bristol in the Great War, Jacqueline Wadsworth • airhistory.org.uk (Royal Flying Corps losses) and Elizabeth Wilsher, 67 Aubrey Road, Chessels, Bedminster.

October 24 81. Pte Charles Percy Beams 33, 6th Bn East Yorks Reg. LSC. Husband of Emily Elsie Beams, 37 Hamilton Road, Southville.

October 26 82. Pte Charles Ellis 23, Dev Reg. TCM. Husband of Maud Beatrice Ellis, 25 Pylle Hill Crescent, Totterdown.

83. Pte Walter Thomas Green 33, 9th Bn Dev Reg. Hooge Crater Cem. Husband of Mrs AF Green, 125 North Street, Bedminster.

October 28 84. Air Mech 2nd Class Frank Benden 35, 39th Balloon Sect RFC. NIFC. Son of Mr and Mrs FT Benden, 95 Greville Road, Southville; husband of Jessie Louisa Benden, 8 Vicarage Road, Southville.

85. Pte Frederick Victor Holmes 19, 12th Bn Glos Reg. TCM. Brother of Mr L Holmes, 168 Wells Road, Knowle.

October 29 86. Pte William Dalby 35, 1st BnDev Reg. TCM. Husband of Agnes Louisa Dalby, 49 Herbert Street, Bedminster.

October 31 87. Pte F Crease 19, 12th Bn Glos Reg. Hooge Crater Cem. Son of Edward and Alice Maud Crease, 65 Providence Place, Mill Lane, Bedminster.

88. Pte Ernest Farr 21, 2nd Bn Northants Reg. Berks Cem Extn. Son of Mr and Mrs J Farr, 23 Henry Street, Totterdown.

November 6 89. 2nd Lieut Joseph Henry William Duggan 27, 14th Bttn Attcd 20 Sq RFC. Arras Flying Memorial. Son of Thomas Duggan, Redcliffe.

90. Pte Frank Edward Turner 22, 12th Bn Som Light Inf. Beersheba War Cem. Son of William Turner, 41 The Nursery, Bedminster.

November 7 91. L Corp James Lore Prosper 24, Royal Army Service Corps. BCC. Son of Adolph and Elizabeth Lore, 3 Bellevue Road, Totterdown. Native Dublin.

November 8 92. Pte Charles John Collins 21, 10th Bn South Wales Borderers. Ploegsteert Memorial. Son of John Collins, Phillip Street, Bedminster.

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4 2 3

Each horizontal row, each 2x2 square and each column must contain all the numbers 1-4.

Which coloured pattern relates to the blue numbered fractions?

Draw a line from the pattern to the correct fraction.

Clue – the red panels are the numerator, the top number. © www.123rf.com/profile_ratselmeister

This month: Music

2

5

6

10

4

7

8

11

12

SOLUTION

9

3

WORDSEARCH

Yester 6 is M, N or O 7 is P, Q,York R or S 8 is T, U or V 9 is W, X, Y or Z

1

(We don’t usually give the answers to Wordsearch, but this one is hard!)

Down:Taunton 2 729 (3) Tenby 3 843 (3) Tilbury(8) 4 77256478 6 786 Udny (3) 8 76636 (5) Urquhart 10 2586 (4) Wressle 11 3838 (4)

Aboyne, Acre, Affleck, Amberley, Appleby, Beeston, Bere, Blarney, Carew, Chirk, Croft, Crookston, Deal, Donne, Doon, Dote, Dover, Drum, Duns, Edzell, Elcho, Ewloe, Fast, Gylen, Hay, Huntly, Kilchurn, Leod, Lewes, Lymne, Maiden, Maol, Maud, May, Mey, Millom, Moy, Nunney, Odo, Oer, Ogmore, Oxford, Penrith, Piel, Pool, Raby, Raheen, Rait, Sween, Taunton, Tenby, Tilbury, Udny, Urquhart, Wressle, Yester, York

Raby 2 is A, B or C 3 Raheen is D, E or F 4 Rait is G, H or I 5 is J, K, or L Red

EASY for children

FRACTIONS IN COLOUR

The numbers point you to Sween the letters on a phone keypad Odo

Clues Oer Across: Ogmore 1 3738 (4) 4Oxford 767 (3) 5Penrith 5973 (4) 7Piel 247 (3) 9Pool 22637626 (8) 12 62838 (5)

SUDOKU

SOLUTION

Colourfence fencing is guaranteed for 25 years

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)

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Across 1 Fret, 4 Pop, 5 Lyre, 7 Air, 9 Bandsman, 12 Octet Down 2 Ray, 3 Tie, 4 Psalmist, 6 Run, 8 Rondo, 10 Alto, 11 Duet

)

September 2017

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September 2017

n WHAT’S ON Friday September 1 n Ska & Punk Night The Tunnels, Temple Meads. The Superskas relive the golden age of Trojan ska and two-tone with classics from Toots & the Maytals and Desmond Dekker to The Specials. 7.30pm, £14.

•thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Saturday September 2 n Saltcellar Folk Club Totterdown Baptist Church, Wells Road (entrance off Cemetery Road).Two local duos perform for the club’s monthly outing – Jim Reynolds & Hilary Pavey, plus Jan Vaisey & Ian Harvey. Doors open 7.30pm; admission £5, or £3 for floor singers.

• saltcellarfolk.org.uk n Go Go Children Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. All Nighter No 5 with 60s soul, rhythm and blues, and more. 9pm-6am, £12.

• fiddlers.co.uk Sunday September 3 n Kirk Brandon The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. The voice of Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate and Dead Men Walking. After 30 years in music, Kirk is deep into a series of albums called Dutch Masters; the latest features two Theatre of Hate interpretations, a James Bond theme and a country and western cover of a Ry Cooder tune. £10, 7.30pm.

• thethunderbolt.net Monday September 4 n Photography Project Club Arnos Vale cemetery, with Ian Coombs. Monthly sessions from 10am-12noon. Discussion of last month’s images, plus a set activity – this month, it’s Victorian studio photography (costumes provided). Cost: £5, donated to the cemetery.

• arnosvale.org.uk n Launchpad 10.10-11am Arnos Vale cemetery. Launchpad

THE TOTTERDOWN CENTRE IS BACK!

• Floriography by Vera Fallacy • The Healing Courtyard A place to relax

• Bristol Women’s Workshop Practical courses for women

• Fanny Tingle Pop-up café Come and see what we’re up to and find out what else is planned!

142 WELLS ROAD (DOWN THE ALLEY), TOTTERDOWN BS4 2AG 0117 329 2720 | 07495 090560

Performers and artists take over the Hill DON’T miss Art on the Hill, the Windmill Hill and Victoria Park Arts Trail.

It takes place this year on Saturday and Sunday October 7 and 8. Now in its 11th year, it is one of three arts trails in South Bristol and several more across the city.

Visual arts will be on display in open-doors private houses, schools, churches, pubs and Windmill Hill Community Centre between 12noon and 6pm each day.

Performances of music, dance and poetry will take place on Saturday afternoon and evening in the community centre and on Sunday afternoon in Victoria Park. There will be food and drink at the classes are a gentle introduction to letters, numbers and science for 2, 3 and 4 year olds and their parent or carer. Weekly stories, role play, simple science experiments, active games, craft, parachute activities and more. £6; free trial through website.

• launchpadclasses.co.uk n VPAG meeting Bowling Club, Victoria Park. Meeting of the park’s action group, open to all who are interested in the park.

7:.30-9pm, everyone welcome.

• vpag.org.uk Wednesday September 6 n Memories café Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Road. A relaxed and fun meet-up for carers, people living with dementia and those feeling lonely or isolated – free for all, a small donation for tea and cake. Every first Wednesday of the month. E-mail info@zionbristol.co.uk for more information.10.30am-12.30pm • zionbristol.co.uk Thursday September 7 n Pixi Encore The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Pixi Encore burst on to the scene in May 2016 and high-profile gigs include support for the US’s Warrior Soul and Australia’s Massive. £5, 7.3011.30pm.

• thethunderbolt.net

Moody view: Photographer (and actor in ITV’s Emmerdale) Bill Ward was one of the Windmill Hill residents who opened up their homes for last year’s Art On The Hill

community centre, Mrs Brown’s Cafe in the park, pubs and some private venues.

More details in next

month’s South Bristol Voice. See also: • artonthehill.org.uk • Facebook: artonthehillbristol • Twitter: @Art_On_The_Hill

Tuesday September 12 n Andy Parsons: Peak Bull**** Comedy Box at the Tobacco Factory. The Mock the Week Star invites you to stop worrying about World War 3, the NHS and climate change. Ages 16+, £15.50.

• thecomedybox.co.uk Wednesday September 13 n Heather Tobacco Factory theatre until September 16.

“A reclusive children’s writer becomes wildly successful. Her books are treasured across the country. But when a troubling narrative starts to unfold, we find ourselves asking: what matters more, the storyteller or the story?” A short, sharp

play about language, prejudice and the power of stories by award-winning writer Thomas Eccleshare. £14/£10, 8pm.

• tobaccofactorytheatres.com Thursday September 14 n Past Mortems: Life and Death Behind Mortuary Doors Arnos Vale cemetery, 7.30-9pm. Author Carla Valentine, an anatomical pathology technologist, currently researching our relationships with human remains, takes the audience through the procedure of an autopsy. Bar open from 6.30-7.30pm. £10.

• arnosvale.org.uk Friday September 15 n The River Tobacco Factory at the Loco Klub, Temple Meads.

The cavernous Loco Klub – a former ash pit – beneath the Passenger Shed at Temple Meads is the latest off-site setting for Factory Theatre drama. Awardwinning writer Jez Butterworth’s The River was premiered at the Royal Court in 2012. “On a moonless night in August when the sea trout are ready to run, a man brings his new girlfriend to his remote family cabin. But she’s not the only woman he has brought here – or the last.” £10/£8, 8pm.

• tobaccofactorytheatres.com

DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR EVENT? This space could be yours for as little as £14.

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September 2017

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45

n WHAT’S ON Saturday September 16 n Mindful Photography Arnos Vale cemetery, 2.30-4pm.

Use mindfulness, walking and photography to look again at the world around you. “As well as improve your photography skills, the workshop will help you slow down, reduce stress and improve your wellbeing.” Use any camera, even a phone. Cost: £60.

• look-again.org n 10th Anniversary Bash SouthBank Club, Dean Lane, Southville. A free night to celebrate the club’s first decade.

With the Balkany Band and Louis Roger Eboa’s African dance group. Bar, 6pm-late.

• southbankclub.webs.com n Doreen Doreen Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster.

Famed Bristol good-time band back on home turf. £12/£10, 8pm-2am.

• fiddlers.co.uk Sunday September 17 n Jazz with Mark Randall Six Windmill Hill Community Centre, Vivian Street. Third Sunday of every month, 8.30-10.30pm.

• whca.org.uk Monday September 18 n Living with the Lights On Tobacco Factory theatre, until September 22. Mark Lockyer returns to the Factory following his acclaimed performance as Iago in Othello last spring. He brings a quirky one-man show about an actor: “I’ve got myself into a bit of a mess. I keep forgetting my lines. I’ve left my girlfriend and I’m beginning to stink. And I’ve met the Devil.”

Tickets £16/£12, 8pm.

• tobaccofactorytheatres.com Wednesday September 20 n Tresa public meeting Bi-monthly open meeting of the Totterdown Residents Environmental & Social Action group. 7.30-8.30pm, venue to be announced – see website.

• tresa.org.uk Thursday September 21 n Carnival Club The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. The Manchester Evening News said Carnival Club are “reaching out to grasp the ghostly hand of Lemmy’’. £5, 7.30-11.30pm.

• thethunderbolt.net Friday September 22 n Diversity in the arts Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. Does an abundance of free and low-paid internships maintain a middle class workforce in the arts? Discussion with Acta

Festival brings puppets to life HAVE you ever wanted to create your own theatre that you can carry around in a suitcase?

Or meet and touch the mythical Cornish Sea Serpent?

Both these things are possible as the Tobacco Factory hosts 10 days of events during the Bristol Festival of Puppetry.

There’s too much else going on at the festival to give you more than a taste. One of the highlights is the Carnival of Puppets on North Street at 12noon on Saturday September 2.

Among the strange and wonderful puppets on show will be those made by youngsters at the Factory theatre’s workshops for different ages. There’s a session for those aged 12-16 from 2-5pm on Thursday August 30, for those 18 and over on August 31, and for ages 5-12 on September 1. Each session costs £7. artistic director Neil Beddow and panel. Free, 1.30-4.30pm.

• acta-bristol.com n Marketing with Freelance Mum Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Guest speaker Debs Penrice from 27 Marketing advises mums in business how to connect with their audience. 10am-12noon. £9 (£12 non-members), children free. Includes coffee, cake and craft activities for children.

• windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Saturday September 23 n Autumn Equinox Allotment Shindig Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Road.

Share the fruits of your labours, find out more about growing fruit and vegetables on your doorstep.

Live music and bar. 7-10pm, free.

• zionbristol.co.uk n Stand Up For The Weekend with John Hastings & Co Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street. Canadian John Hastings delivers “sharp punchlines delivered through his observational storytelling style”.

Plus guests. 7.45pm, £11.

• thecomedybox.co.uk Tuesday September 26 n Erja Lyytinen The Tunnels, Temple Meads. The “Finnish slide goddess”, according to The Blues Magazine, has recorded in Helsinki, London and Memphis.

Her latest album Stolen Hearts

Weird pets: Cryptid Petting Zoo Kwaidan, on September 3, is an atmospheric piece for teenagers and adults inspired by Japanese ghost stories.

It features life-sized puppets, humanettes, shadows, acting and videos. Set in Japan in the early 1980s, Kwaidan tells the story of Haru, a young woman who comes back to her abandoned childhood home after many years of absence.

In La Causeuse (The Loveseat), was recorded with Chris Kimsey, producer of classic Rolling Stones records. 7.30pm, £12.50.

• thetunnelsbristol.co.uk

Wednesday September 27 n Puccini’s Tosca Tobacco Factory Theatre, until October 14. Opera Project presents Puccini’s intensely dramatic masterpiece, sung in English.

Jealousy, lust, despair and murder impregnate the story of three of the most highly-charged characters in all opera – Baron Scarpia, the painter Mario Cavaradossi and his lover, the singer Floria Tosca. With ENO, Glyndebourne and Opera North principal soprano Kate Valentine, Welsh tenor Robyn Lyn Evans, and baritone Nicholas Folwell, plus 12-piece orchestra. Tickets £38 and £42; £25 for under-25s at some shows. 7.30pm.

• tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Olivia Lathuillie dances and wrestles with her inner demons as she uses dance, mime and objects to revisit memories of a sordid and doomed romance. It’s on September 9 and 10.

Also on September 9 and 10 is Every Suitcase Tells a Story – a two-day workshop for adults with puppet maker Judith Hope.

Participants will turn an old suitcase (provided) into a small, portable theatre, complete with sets and a cast of puppets. The workshop will conclude with a Show & Tell on Sunday at 7pm.

Finally, make friends with some unusual animals in the Cryptid Petting Zoo at 11am and 1pm on Sunday September 10.

Everyone aged four and over gets the chance to interact with some very unusual creatures, including the rare Cornish Sea Serpent.

For times and prices, and details of all the other performances in the Festival of Puppetry, visit the website: • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Friday September 29 n Kettle of Fish SouthBank Club, Dean Lane, Southville.

Meet Bristol’s six-man a cappella singing group with “an eclectic repertoire that ranges from the mellifluously sublime to the wittily ridiculous”. Tickets £8 in advance, £10 on the door. 8pm.

• southbankclub.webs.com Saturday September 30 n Stand Up For The Weekend with Phil Jerrod & Co Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street. Phil Jerrod began his stand-up career underneath an Angus Steakhouse in 2012. Since then he has failed his PhD, walked out of his job and entertained audiences with his elegant rants. 7.45pm, £11.

• thecomedybox.co.uk Sunday October 1 n Antique Vintage & Collectables Fair Ashton Court Mansion, 10am-3.30pm. With 40 stalls: jewellery, china, furniture, memorabilia, pictures, retro items, clothing and more. Cream teas. Entry £2, under 16s free.

Use Kennel Lodge entrance via Portishead Road (A369). n Lee Scratch Perry Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. The reggae legend who kickstarted Bob Marley’s career visits South Bristol. £12/£10, 7.30pm, £24.75.

• fiddlers.co.uk

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

September 2017

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46

n THE CITY PAGE

BRISTOL CITY ROUND-UP

Sponsored by CLEVERLEY BUILDERS – supporting City and the best in building

If Bobby is going to keep this score rate up, we need to find him a new song!

I

A good theme tune is an essential part of goal celebrations, says our new City commentator MARTIN POWELL

T IS goal-scoring that matters most in football so Bristol City’s start to the season with “born again” striker Bobby Reid topping the scoring charts with four in the first four matches is bound to be the big talking point.

But, if the midfielder-turnedstriker is going to keep this up we surely need to think of a new song for the lad. While he was only showing snatches of brilliance every now and then the slightly strident 10-note singing of his name to the 1976 Boney M

MARTIN’S SHORTS • Look out for City old boy Richard Keogh’s return to Ashton Gate as a Derby player on September 16. It was 10 years ago he left after playing 40 games for City. He’s now a veteran and a legend at Derby where he has racked up over 250 games.

• Someone just made a model of the Memorial Stadium out of Lego. Great that the Rovers have got a new ground at last.

hit “Daddy Cool” was OK – but now it is getting frankly embarrassing.

Of course, being Bristol-born he would qualify for the “He’s One Of Our Own”, but Joe Bryan is already firmly established as the keeper of that song and unless someone lures him away before transfer deadline day it just isn’t available.

As £5 million was invested in Famara Diedhou to get the goals, he is also in need of a song for those at Ashton Gate to sing. I have tried out the Aled Jones hit “Pie Jesu” and it fits perfectly with his name, but I have found that even amongst the new all-singing flag-waving section of the South Stand there are not enough Sarah Brightman-pitch voices to make it sound convincing.

A good song is an essential part of goal celebrations and you can rely on the wits of the crowd at Ashton Gate to come up with something. Although Bobby Reid’s efforts this season so far are to be applauded, a new feature on the wall of the Ashton

Bobby Reid: Now showing more than snatches of brilliance at goal Gate stadium shows that he still has a long way to go.

All the players who have scored more than 50 goals in their career for the club are there on plaques – optimistically attached in such a way so that they can be shuffled as new records are broken.

Les Townsend, who scored 50 goals in the late 1940s, is the one they have to beat. In an idle moment I counted up that there are 15 of those mentioned that I have seen play during half a century of trooping down to Ashton Gate on a Saturday or Tuesday for a moan and occasional bit of entertainment.

Pondering on that list I saw

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the great Tom Ritchie is in second place and can’t remember a song associated with the lanky Scottish genius – maybe we were all too busy jumping up and down to bother with a special song in those days.

• The 0-0 draw against Millwall served as a reminder that strikers are currently in short supply with Matty Taylor and Milan Djuric injured, although we got our first glimpse of new recruit Cauley Woodrow. It was a dull game, only livened by the fact that several of my friends who have been watching since the 1970s had to go home and change before the game after the club announced they had banned flares.

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September 2017

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‘I’m very pleased – I like the fact that my Colourfence needs no maintenance, and that cats can’t climb it!’ Mrs Lewis, Bristol

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September 2017