South Bristol Voice December 2017

southbristolvoice December 2017 No. 31

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

We Sell and Let Property Like Yours

Slow news is good news

FREE EVERY MONTH in Totterdown, Knowle and Windmill Hill WIN WIN WIN PLUS 20% • Hedgehogs found

Tickets to TV comic Nathan Caton

A unique Bristol Advent Calendar

VIP privileges at Bristol Airport

Tangent Books for Voice readers

What’s on, p43

Gifts, p20

Travel, p23

Feature, p25

Arena: New sites are on the cards THE CHANCES of the Bristol arena being built next to Temple Meads are receding after mayor Marvin Rees asked consultants to look at alternative sites.

The giant disused aircraft hangars at Filton are being touted as the most likely new location.

For most of the year, the council has been talking to its contractor, Buckingham Group, trying to pare down costs to meet its £123.5 million budget. It now appears to have turned away from plans for a cut-price arena, believing that a smaller or less flexible venue won’t be a success.

The arena that was granted planning permission in April 2016 can hold 12,000 people for major concerts but can also stage ice shows, smaller concerts and theatre events. “Building the Continued on page 3

OFF

A magical world

dead in park Page 3

VOICE EXCLUSIVE

• Don Cameron on future of the Balloon Fiesta Page 5 SPECIAL REPORT

• Families forced to turn to food banks Pages 6-7 VOICE EXCLUSIVE

• South Bristol tops TV licence dodgers Page 8

HISTORY Mysterious and colourful beings walked the streets of Totterdown at the Front Room Art Trail, including surefooted stiltwalker Shirley Gosling, who even braved the steeper streets, standing 10ft tall.

MORE PICTURES: Page 16

• Who really invented the suspension bridge? Pages 37-40

Wishing everyone a cosy & festive Christmas from all at Ocean Knowle…

Ocean supports the Julian Trust Night Shelter juliantrust.org.uk

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, Martin Powell & The Wicked Witch. Deliveries: Greg Champion

Intro

CLOSE TO THE EDGE IT WILL be sobering for many of us to sit down and think how close we are to a breakdown in our standard of living. One in three families in England are said to be one month’s salary away from losing their home.

Of course, if the worst happens, like becoming too ill to work, there’s a benefits system to fall back on. We’re a civilised nation – right?

Wrong, if the Voice’s visit to the food bank at Victoria Park Baptist Church is anything to go by. We met people who had suffered some common adversities – a father walking out, an agency worker injured so he could’t work, a mum

You can find South Bristol Voice on Facebook and Twitter facebook.com/ southbristolvoice Twitter: @sbristolvoice Next month’s deadline for editorial and advertising is December 12th suffering mental illness. You’d think the fifth richest country in the world would have the systems in place to help people in an emergency, or if they can’t work.

The state ought to be able to provide benefits without weeks of delay. It ought to be able to design a welfare system that isn’t insanely complicated and allows people to be evicted because the paperwork hasn’t caught up.

Above all, it shouldn’t rely on the warm heartedness of churchgoers, volunteers and local businesses to ensure that, in Bristol, in 2017, parents can lay their hands on a few tins of food to feed their children. That we rely, increasingly, on the efforts of charities to feed and to house the most vulnerable, is a disgrace. Isn’t it?

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December 2017

n BRIEFLY n ENJOY carols out of doors in the crisp winter air – we hope – at two South Bristol parks.

St Michael’s church, Windmill Hill, hosts carols in Victoria Park, near Mrs Brown’s café, at 6.30pm on Monday December 18. The next day, December 19, Churches Together in Knowle and Totterdown hold carols in Perretts Park, off Bayham Road, Knowle, at 6.30pm. Refreshments will be served at both. n A CHRISTMAS service in memory of loved ones is held at the Anglican Chapel in Arnos Vale cemetery, from 2-3pm on December 16. Led by Fr Steven Hawkins of Holy Nativity church, there will be the opportunity to light a candle of remembrance, and to write a message to hang on the Christmas tree at the Atrium café. Free, but booking is recommended, via the website or by calling 0117 971 9117.

• arnosvale.org.uk n BONFIRE night at Victoria Park looks safe for future years after the November 5 event was well-attended and passed without

a hitch. Stricter safety rules meant organisers VPAG had to hire security, with a warning that if people let off fireworks the event might be in jeopardy. n PARSON Street primary school holds its Christmas Fayre on Friday December 1, from 5-7pm. Stalls will include flowers, cakes, toys, jewellery, Christmas crafts, books, games and a Santa’s Grotto. Hot and cold refreshments will also be available, and there will be songs

by Handfuls of Harmony Choir. n A NEW neighbourhood group for Knowle will meet in the New Year to replace the forums which were axed by council cuts. Organised by councillors Chris Davies and Gary Hopkins, the first meeting is at 7pm on Friday January 26 at Redcatch community centre. n WINNER of the Your Weight in Butcombe Beer competition in last month’s Voice is Tiina Wastie of Ashton. Winner of the meal at Allspice is Karin Stowell of Knowle.

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: A surgery will be held on Friday December 8. Please 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

December 2017

n NEWS Tributes to Ray POET Ray Webber, who spent the last years of his life in Knowle, died on November 13 in the BRI at the age of 94.

Ray won national acclaim as a poet only after he published his first book, High On Rust, with Totterdown’s Tangent Books in 2016, when he was 93.

Ray Webber was born in

Arena rethink

Continued from page 1 arena to its current design on the proposed site remains highly likely to cost significantly more than the budget available,” the council said.

An arena review by consultants KPMG has now been widened by the mayor to look at alternative venues, different designs and the possibility of private financing.

Both the KPMG report and the talks with Buckingham are expected to be finished in December. The cabinet will debate the findings in January.

In theory, this leaves the mayor on track to open an arena in 2020.

However, if new plans are needed, further delays seem likely.

Former mayor George Ferguson was the prime mover behind putting the arena at Temple Meads. Moving it would be “madness”, he has said.

Filton’s old airfield could swallow an arena and leave room for parking – something in short supply at Temple Meads. Filton is also close to a Metrobus route and Parkway station. But it is in South Gloucestershire, meaning Bristol city council will not reap rewards such as business rates.

southbristolvoice Redcliffe, his father a communist and his mother a staunch Catholic.

These two contrasting belief systems helped forge his determination to Ray Webber find his own voice.

Entirely self taught, he was most deeply impressed by

modernist poet TS Eliot, author of The Wasteland. Later Ray discovered the Beat poets. But his work was never derivative: “I became determined that everything I wrote would be different from everything I read.”

The Guardian called his book “a great yawp to the world – it demands to be noticed.”

• A longer tribute to Ray is on the South Bristol Voice website.

Hedgehog deaths: Will council cuts increase the risk?

TWO HEDGEHOGS have been found, with injuries that could have been caused by a mower, shortly after council workers cut long grass in Victoria Park.

If the deaths were caused by council workers, it seems likely it was an accident.

But the news sparked anger.

One naturalist told the Voice that hedgehogs are a protected species and it is illegal to kill them.

They are protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, as well as being a “priority species” under Bristol city council’s wildlife policy.

The council is understood to have reminded park staff that they should check an area before using equipment that could harm wild animals. There are fears that the deaths are linked to cutbacks in the maintenance of parks.

More areas of grass are being

left to grow long, and the council has been cutting grass as late as November.

The later in the season and the colder it gets, the more likely a hedgehog is to rest or even hibernate in long grass.

Shaun Hennessy, chair of Victoria Park Action Group (VPAG), said members were in favour of leaving some areas to grow wild to support wildlife, but the council had started leaving ever wider areas to grow.

“We do support wildlife areas – the bat population is doing really well, and owls are being heard in the park on a regular basis,” he said.

“We have ongoing concerns about maintenance,” said Mr Hennessy. If the wild areas are helping more hedgehogs survive, then grass cutting would need to be properly managed, he said.

3

Beccy Golding: In a word, the menopause is ‘unpredictable’ A VIDEO clip of South Bristol women talking about the menopause and its effect on their lives is attracting thousands of views online. South Bristol Voice journalist Beccy Golding and friends Rachel Heaton and Lauren Chiren were filmed for the BBC. All three are part of a Facebook support group called Quixotic Women in Menopause.

• bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englandbristol-42024579/hot-old-andhyperactive-the-menopause-in60-seconds

Beach party GET AWAY from the winter chill on December 31 when the Thunderbolt, in conjunction with art shop Craftsman, stages a Beach Ball for New Year’s Eve. There will be beach game, and a prize for the best tropical beachwear, the tackier the better.

A beach-themed photo booth will give partygoers the chance to snap their fancy dress. Outside will be a “tropical chill out area” with cocktail bar and fire pit.

Music comes from local favourites the Dukes of Mumbai and crew of local DJs. Tickets £10 from Bristol Ticket Shop or £12 on the door.

• thethunderbolt.net

NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUMS Knowle Neighbourhood Meeting Friday January 26, 7pm, Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road.

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.

South Bristol Voice Ltd | 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX Co. no. 09522608 | VAT no. 211 0801 76

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

December 2017

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n NEWS CALLS FOR AUDITORS TO LOOK AT CHIEF EXEC’S RAPID DEPARTURE A PETITION has been launched demanding an investigation into the payoff given to departed council chief executive Anna Klonowski, and the way in which she was appointed.

The leaders of Bristol’s Lib Dem, Green and Tory councillors have all asked for inquiries to be made by the council’s audit committee and by its independent auditors.

Ms Klonowski left the council

suddenly in September, after only seven months, saying she had to look after her elderly parents. It has been claimed she had a payoff of £70,000 or more.

Mayor Marvin Rees has so far resisted all requests for an inquiry.

He hit out at councillors who he said had revealed confidential information about the affair, and said all payments to Ms Klonowski were in line with her contract.

The Voice has received answers to questions it put to the council about Ms Klonowski – eight weeks after they were submitted.

COUNCIL CUTBACKS LATEST Asked about Ms Klonowski’s entitlement to notice, the council pointed to her terms and conditions, which mention a six-month notice period.

Lib Dem leader Gary Hopkins said if she had resigned, she would not be entitled to the money.

The Voice asked if votes were taken and recorded properly at a series of meetings of the council’s selection committee. It has been suggested that at an initial meeting a vote was not taken, then a second meeting was called, and a third.

The council did not attempt to

explain what happened at the three meetings. It said: “The discussions and deliberations of the selection committee are confidential. The decision and recommendation of the committee are recorded and per normal process [sic] this is what went to full council to decide upon in February 2017.”

The council did not answer a question asking if Ms Klonowski had stayed at work until the end of September, as claimed.

Petition calling for an inquiry: • taxpayersmoney.weebly.com

Charges for firms who profit in parks DEPUTY mayor Asher Craig has admitted that Bristol’s parks cannot be run on a zero budget.

Cuts plans unveiled earlier this year called for community groups to run parks, with more earned from outdoor events, cutting council spending to zero.

The idea was widely derided as impossible. Now Cllr Craig agrees, and she told a lively full council meeting on November 14 that she has reduced the parks cuts by £1.7bn, and is asking the Government for more help.

However, Bristol Parks Forum, which presented a 4,411-name anti-cuts petition to the meeting, said there was still “a high risk that there will be a drastic cut in the maintenance of parks that will lead to a downward spiral of reduced use and increased anti-social behaviour.”

Cllr Gary Hopkins said the council’s aims for raising money were “wishful thinking”.

“We haven’t seen enough detail yet,” he said. Previous

Zero-budget aim is off the table, but cuts are still severe attempts by the council to sell advertising space on roundabouts had failed, he said.

At Victoria Park, VPAG chair Shaun Hennessy said local firms advertising might be acceptable, but not adverts from bigger firms “changing the face of the park”.

ADVERTS IN PARKS, AND CHARGES FOR ‘BUSINESS USERS’ OF GREEN SPACES PARKS could be used for camping, adventure golf and other activities under new proposals from the council to save £2.3 million.

Advertising and charging more for ice cream vans and cafés are other ideas to plug the funding gap.

The council says it is will keep all parks open and free to use.

Mr Hennessy said he agreed with the principle of charging firms who make profit in a park.

“I think people who are using the parks as a business should, on a moral basis, contribute to their upkeep,” he said. But he questioned how the council would identify all the dog walkers and fitness instructors who work in parks, and asked how it would enforce payments.

One professional dog walker told the Voice she could see the

logic of imposing charges. But she pointed out that it would be easy to charge only the more responsible members of the profession – those who have a council licence to board dogs at their home. Some dog boarders operate without a licence, and in any case no licence is needed to walk dogs, she said.

The council is looking at the idea of a trust to run the parks.

But it has not said how it would find the many millions needed.

Ideas up for discussion in the new consultation, which runs until January 29, include: • Increasing income from cafés and concessions, such as ice cream vans; • ‘Appropriate’ advertising in parks and green spaces; • Charging dog walkers, fitness instructors and other businesses operating from a park; • Fee-paying activities in parks – including inflatables, camping, adventure golf and car boot sales;

It’s not expected that most parks will be opened up for camping, for example – uses like that are probably only feasible on major sites such as Ashton Court.

But major changes of use like a campsite would need planning permission and, whether at Ashton Court or anywhere else, seem likely to arouse opposition.

• bristol.citizenspace.com/ neighbourhoods/parks-andgreen-spaces

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

December 2017

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n NEWS

5

COUNCIL CUTBACKS LATEST

We won’t have to move the Balloon Fiesta, says founder VOICE EXCLUSIVE

Don Cameron expects to keep Fiesta free despite council demands THE BALLOON Fiesta looks set to return to Ashton Court next summer – despite fears that new charges would force it to move elsewhere.

Fiesta founder Don Cameron told the Voice that Bristol city council had “moderated their demands” and he believed the two sides could reach an agreement that would keep the event at its traditional venue.

“I think we have a basis that we can run the fiesta in the coming year,” said Mr Cameron.

It has been clear for several months that the council wanted the fiesta, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors over four days each August, to pay the city for its use of the Ashton Court estate.

The council wants to save £2.8 million from its parks budget.

Mr Cameron, however, has been adamant that any demand

COUNCILLORS BACK LIBRARY RESCUE – BUT WILL IT STICK? THE FUTURE of Bristol’s libraries is uncertain after councillors narrowly backed a move to avoid the Labour administration’s plan of mass closures.

The council wants to shut 17 branch libraries, leaving 10 open, saving £1.4 million.

A full council meeting on November 14 heard a wave of protest against the plans, with three petitions presented totalling almost 13,000 signatures.

Members of the public queued up to denounce the closures.

Under the council plan, Bedminster library and probably Knowle would be safe. But Wick Road, Marksbury Road, Stockwood, Bishopsworth, Whitchurch and Filwood branches are at risk.

Safe: The 2018 Balloon Fiesta for payment would force the fiesta to look for another venue.

The fiesta is run by a non-profit making trust, which has written into its constitution that visitors will not be charged an entry fee.

Asked if the multi-million pound event couldn’t afford to pay for the use of Ashton Court, Mr Cameron said: “It probably makes quite a lot of profit for various Bristol businesses. But not for us!

“It’s run as a non-profit organisation and it’s run by An alternative plan backed by opposition parties would see the libraries passed to a trust, with volunteers brought in to help run them. This plan, proposed by Lib Dem Cllr Arthur Negus, was passed by just one vote.

However, under the mayoral system, a majority vote may not be enough to change policy.

The decision on libraries will be taken by mayor Marvin Rees and his cabinet, probably in December.

Council officials will have to consider Cllr Negus’s ideas. But Lib Dem leader Gary Hopkins said the council was in “turmoil” over libraries because it had failed to consider the trust option for several months even though the Government had backed it.

Now Whitehall funds are on offer to look at the alternative plan, and it would look “ludicrous” if it’s not considered, said Cllr Hopkins.

volunteers who have never been paid in the last 39 years,” he said.

Mr Cameron said the idea of charging an entry fee has been examined briefly over the years, but would be impractical. The sprawling nature of the estate would make it hard to set up barriers, which would also cause delays.

“The fiesta brings in £13m into the city’s economy every year. It gives free entertainment because we don’t charge for entry and we attract hundreds of thousands of people.

“We give the city some really positive PR,” he said.

He said the deal that is nearing agreement with the council does not involve the fiesta making a payment for use of the estate. But the fiesta will pay for some works on the estate which will benefit the council.

“It’s a package of things – we are making some investment in the site,” he said.

The 39th Bristol International Balloon Fiesta takes place at Ashton Court from August 9-12, 2018.

• bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

Warm up on at-risk Green CELEBRATE the season and learn about the Save Our Green campaign on Sunday December 10 when community group WHaM holds its Winter Warmer on Bedminster Green, at the bottom of Windmill Hill, at 2.30pm.

There’ll be mulled cider, carol singing, music and lanterns and lights to place around the green.

WHaM has been planting bulbs on the green and wants to draw attention to development plans for the area which would build on the open space.

“All the mature trees would be destroyed and we would lose an important publicly-owned green space,” WHaM says.

• Facebook: Windmill Hill Malago Community Planning Group

Office to flat THE OWNER of an electrical firm has asked to be allowed to convert his premises at Red Lion Hill, Knowle, into a flat. Tucker Electrical Services has owned 412 Wells Road, next to Bill Pugh’s fishing shop (now shut and for sale) since 1999. Tucker Electrical now wants permission to turn the ground floor into a one-bedroom flat. The first floor is already a two-bed-flat.

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

December 2017

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6

n NEWS

Test tube baby Louise is feted ANDS up: who knew and other allowances of about HOW YOU CAN HELP there was a food bank £240 a week, and she says her

by US doctors VOLUNTEER There were plenty of in South Bristol? Who regular bills “are way over that”.

Benefits delays are driving

LOUISE Brown, the world’s first ‘test tube baby’, is back home in Knowle West after celebrations in the US of the technology which brought about her birth.

November marked the 40th year since the first successful IVF treatment for Louise’s parents.

The anniversary has been marked all over the world: there are now more than six million people born through IVF. As part of the celebrations Louise was guest of honour at the conference of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine in San Antonio, Texas.

She said: “For me it has been a particularly strange time as Louise Brown those cells that divided in a petri dish on November 10, 1977 became me!

“This fuss has been happening all my life. Most of the time I am quietly looking after my children and doing my office job and then something crops up to do with IVF and I am at the centre of attention.

“It has given me a chance to travel, and while in Texas I visited the Alamo and did a bit of sight-seeing as well as meeting thousands of IVF professionals who do a wonderful job helping people have babies.”

ASK A VET:

H

knew that in the fifth richest country in the world, in one of its most productive cities, there are families who sometimes can’t afford to put food on the table?

Luckily, there are food banks – and there’s not just one, but several in our part of the city. The Voice visited Victoria Park Baptist church, which hands out food every Friday from 10am-noon (the others are in our panel).

Many will be shocked that people can end up without enough to eat; perhaps more will find it even more offensive that the principal reason they can’t buy food is that the benefits system has let them down. The Voice spoke to several people collecting food from Victoria Park Baptist church one Friday.

All of them cited delays in getting the benefits to which they are entitled as the reason they needed a handout.

No one is able to walk off the street and claim food: all users have to be referred by social services or another agency. They get food for three days for whoever is in their household who hasn’t got the money to buy groceries.

We have given all the iinterviewees assumed names.

Claire, 33, is a mother of three from the Bedminster area. It seems likely she’s not getting all the benefits she’s entitled to. The father of her children – one at

helpers at the food bank when the Voice visited but more are welcome, especially if you have a vehicle and are willing to pick up donations of food.

DONATE GROCERIES Nonperishable items are best – fresh food is often donated by food stores, and sometimes there’s too much. Toiletries are also needed.

GIVE MONEY Send a cheque payable to Victoria Park Baptist Church, Sylvia Avenue, Bristol BS3 5DA. Or transfer funds online to account no. 51703083, sort code 09 01 55 – enter the reference Food Bank.

OTHER FOOD BANKS Refresh 81 East Street, Bedminster BS3 4EX. Food bank every Wednesday 10am-1pm. Also hot meals. 0117 908 6015 • refreshbedminster.co.uk Counterslip Baptist Church 648-652 Wells Road BS14 9HT. 01275 833377.

• counterslip.co.uk/mission/thefood-bank secondary school, one at primary school, and one pre-schooler – doesn’t give her any money for their upkeep. She has worked in the past, but with such young children it’s not possible.

Luckily she lives in a council house, so her rent is lower than it would be if she was renting privately, but her bills are still a problem.

She’s getting by on child benefit

WHY DON’T MY CATS GET ON?

C

ATS are naturally solitary animals, yet a recent survey found that 44 per cent of cat-owning households have more than one cat.

Cats in general prefer not to fight. Instead they use visual and audible communication to avoid physical confrontations.

Sharing a home can be difficult for cats and can result in stressrelated behaviours, such as urine marking or inter-cat aggression.

It’s important to ensure that each cat has access to exit/entry points to the home. The rule of thumb for litter trays, food and water bowls is one for each cat and

one spare. For example two cats require three litter trays, food and water bowls. This gives them more choice and more freedom.

Cats can show aggression subtly, such as blocking each other, staring, spending time up high or hiding, or changes in eating and grooming habits. Aggression can

n NEWS

southbristolvoice

Sophie and Clarke arrive together. They live in the Totterdown area. Clarke was in employment but he’s got an injury which means he can’t work. Being an agency worker means no sick pay. And as a single man he’s a guinea pig for the new Universal Credit, which means no benefits for six weeks.

Sophie is a mum with mental health problems. As we talk, she finds it hard to cope with the hubbub around us. She’s also unable to face up to the electricity bill she owes.

The box of groceries they walk out with is a godsend – as is the advice they get on their money problems from Citizens Advice worker Andy (see right).

Estelle arrives with her three year-old son, Hugo. They were on the brink of becoming homeless, and might have been if Estelle hadn’t sought help from the Compass Point Children’s centre in Bedminster. She’s a citizen of another EU country. She was working but she had to give it up because she couldn’t find

themselves. By scent swapping, you can reacquaint each cat without any physical contact.

This involves rubbing a cotton cloth under the chin of one of the cats and then leaving it in the room with the other cat and vice versa.

Use a door to separate the cats to encourage peaceful coexistence.

Over time, contact can be increased, maybe with cats on harnesses, and given food at separate ends of a large room. Gradually reduce the distance between the cats. Once there is no tension, allow the cats monitored access to each other.

A synthetic pheromone may also be useful – ask your vet.

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

7

more and more people to food banks ‘While we argue about welfare policy, someone has to provide food for these families’

This is the second time she has been to the food bank, and she expects she’ll have to come again.

“This place is brilliant – it makes a massive difference,” she says.

She walks out with a large cardboard box crammed with tinned food, cauliflower, baguettes donated by Tesco, and cereal.

From Highcroft Vets, Whitchurch

be seen between cats that have previously been friendly, often after an event such as renovation in the home, or when a cat returns from time away (such as at the vets).

Aggression can also be as a result of pain or a medical problem.

When a new cat is introduced to a resident cat, aggression can be due to territorial or fear-related issues. To ease the situation, cats should be separated to prevent injury and further damage to their relationship. Avoid punishing the cats for fighting.

Cats use scents known as pheromones to communicate with each other and to reassure

December 2017

Meals in a box: Enough to last a family three days, from the church store childcare. She found a part-time job, and claimed working tax credits, but that stopped because she tried to fill in a form honestly, counted her lunch hour as working time, and was judged to be working over the 16-hour limit.

As an EU citizen, she’s not entitled to income support.

Recently her income was reduced to just child tax credits and child

ADVICE CAN CUT YOUR DEBTS SEVERAL of the food bank’s visitors were able to talk over their money problems with Andy Clark, a money advice caseworker with Citizen’s Advice Bristol.

“I have just seen a lady and I reckon I can get her extra benefit, and cut in half what she owes,” he said. “She has a loan from the social fund that she’s paying at £36 per week – I can get that down to £5 or £10.”

Andy fears the impact of Universal Credit, the all-in-one

benefit, worth a total of £38.50 a week. She almost lost her home because her tenancy required her to work: she had four days to find a job, and she secured one.

Now she needs a box of food to get her and Hugo through the weekend. Hopefully, after three months of trying, she will be given Jobseekers Allowance next week. Hopefully.

THE FOOD bank at Victoria Park was set up five years ago and has seen demand rise steadily, at about 10 to 15 per cent each year.

In the last two years, however, the rate is climbing. There were 720 people helped by the service in 2016 – a 20 per cent rise on the 600 users the year before.

This year, the number was over 800 at the beginning of November, and looks set to rise by close to 25 per cent over the year as a whole.

With universal credit (UC) being rolled out in Bristol, and bringing with it delays of weeks before people receive benefits, the need for the food bank looks likely to increase still further.

Amazingly, when there are five Fridays in one month, which there are in December, some people who are paid weekly will be

assessed as receiving too much, and their UC will stop.

Rev Bassett can understand the justification for some of the new benefits rules – for example, the cap that means that jobless families with lots of children won’t receive more than families who are in work.

But he’s clear that while society is debating the rights and wrongs of welfare policy, some people are being left without resources.

“Someone has to provide food for them”, he says.

Austerity is really taking its toll, he says, making life very difficult for those who fall on hard times.

People facing an emergency like illness or losing a job used to be able to get a grant or a crisis loan from the Government’s Social Fund. Like some other benefits, that has been shunted into the hands of town halls, which don’t have adequate funding and now only make loans, which have to be paid back. “It’s very difficult for these people,” said Rev Bassett.

benefit which is supposed to be fairer and simpler, but where delays in payment have led to many tenants being threatened with eviction.

Universal Credit is now being rolled out in Bristol for single claimants without children. “We think it will have a tremendous impact,” said Andy.

• A money advice worker is at the Food Bank at Victoria Park Baptist church every Friday. Or contact: • Bristol Citizens Advice, 48 Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BL, 0800 138 3442 (debt advice) or 03444 111 444 (general advice).

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December 2017

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8

n NEWS No crimewave at Broadwalk, says manager THE MANAGER of Knowle’s Broadwalk shopping centre has said visitors have no need to worry about their security there.

Alarm was raised on October 30 when a Knowle resident posted on Facebook that she had had to comfort an elderly lady in the shopping centre after her purse had apparently been stolen. The centre’s security staff were not helpful, she said.

The report sparked two other Facebook users to say that they had been robbed of their phones in the centre two days before.

When the Voice first spoke to centre manager Tim Moloney he did not know about the incidents.

Later he discovered that security staff had spoken to the elderly lady, but said she was confused and was not sure when her purse had gone missing.

Police said they had been informed about the loss of the purse, and about one of the phone thefts. They are studying CCTV as part of their investigation.

But they do not have evidence of a wave of thefts at the Broadwalk centre, which was alleged by some Facebook users.

Mr Moloney said: “We are aware of one phone theft, which was an isolated incident, and the loss of the elderly lady’s purse.”

He said security staff can’t report crimes to the police – that has to be done by the victim. The centre has excellent CCTV which can track people from the time they enter to the time they leave the building, he said.

South Bristol is worst in the region for dodging TV licence VOICE EXCLUSIVE SOUTH Bristol is the worst part of the city for TV licence evasion, according to new data from TV Licensing.

The BS13 postcode, which includes Bedminster Down, Bishopsworth, Hartcliffe, Withywood and Headley Park, tops the list of areas of Bristol where the most evaders were caught by TV Licensing in the last 12 months, with 458 evaders.

The area is closely followed by the BS4 postcode, which includes Brislington, Knowle, Knowle West, St Anne’s and Totterdown, where 374 people were caught.

Together, these two areas account for a quarter of the 3,226 evaders caught by TV Licensing between October 2016 and September 2017 in the wider Bristol region with BS postcodes.

Given that each postcode is roughly equal in population, it points to a markedly higher rate of people trying to dodge the TV licence in South Bristol.

Many will assume that this is linked to the area’s pockets of high deprivation – some of the worst in the UK. Other areas of high evasion in the city include Emersons Green, Fishponds, Southmead, Easton, Avonmouth and Hanham.

Across the UK, evasion runs at around six per cent, meaning around 94 per cent of TV viewers are licensed. A TV licence is needed to watch or record live TV on any channel (even though the

Outstanding education and care in a safe and stimulating environment

10 WORST AREAS FOR TV LICENCE EVASION IN BRISTOL Postcode and area TV Licence

evaders caught BS13 Bedminster Down, Bishopsworth, Hartcliffe, 453 Withywood, Headley Park BS4

352

BS16 Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Frenchay, Pucklechurch, Staple Hill

252

Brislington, Knowle, Knowle West, St Anne’s, part of Totterdown

BS10 Brentry, Henbury, Southmead, part of Westbury-on-Trym 254 BS23 Uphill, Weston-super-Mare

210

BS5

Easton, St George, Redfield, Whitehall, Eastville

272

BS11 Avonmouth, Shirehampton, Lawrence Weston

196

BS15 Hanham, Kingswood

189

BS7

162

Bishopston, Horfield, part Filton, Lockleaze, Ashley Down

BS34 Part of Filton, Little Stoke, Patchway, Stoke Gifford

157

Data collected by TV Licensing, October 2016-September 2017

fee is used to pay the running costs of the BBC alone). As of September 2016 you also need a licence to watch or download BBC shows on iPlayer.

Enforcement officers have a database of 31 million homes which shows who has a licence.

They also use detector vehicles which can show if a TV is being used in an unlicensed home.

Some of the lowest rates of evasion were found in BS31, which covers Keynsham and Saltford, which had 54 evaders.

Richard Chapman, South West spokesperson for TV Licensing, said: “A small

minority of people try to avoid paying. In Bristol, we catch the most people evading in the south of the city. While we’d much rather people paid, those caught watching TV without a TV licence can face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.”

Bizarrely, the penalty is much tougher on Guernsey – the maximum fine there is £2,000.

The licence fee of £147 can be paid in many different ways and by weekly instalments over the counter, online, by SMS, by phone or in cash. To find out more call 0300 790 6078 or visit • tvlicensing.co.uk/payinfo

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9

n NEWS Extension must be removed AN ENFORCEMENT notice is to be served on a council officer who put up a roof extension without planning permission.

Richard Fear, who is the city council’s property investment manager, has twice been refused permission for what he described as a dormer window at his home, 3 Haverstock Road, Knowle.

Neighbours complained when they saw the size of the extension, which runs the entire width and height of the roof.

He now has six months in which to remove the extension or lodge an appeal against the enforcement notice.

Pride of place to our artworks

South Bristol views: Cllr Jon Wellington, Rachel Heaton, Jane Vellender and Marvin Rees. Rachel’s painting is top right and Jane’s underneath

Shadow health secretary hits out over pharmacy cutbacks THE MAN who would be in charge of the NHS if Labour was in government visited a South Bristol chemist’s to draw attention to the cuts he says will pile extra pressure on the health service this winter.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, was visibly impressed when he saw the range of services at Bedminster Pharmacy, which has won more awards than any other chemist in the UK in the last year.

“Congratulations on wining all those awards,” Mr Ashworth told owner Ade Williams. “I have been hearing how you and your team go out into pubs offering to check people’s blood pressure.

“We know there’s a large cohort of people out there who don’t know they need support.”

Richard Brown, chair of Avon’s Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC), said Bristol pharmacies are already closing from cuts in government support.

The Lloyds chain has shut 190 shops nationwide.

He said some owners are “clinging on and using their savings” to keep their shops open.

But if only pharmacies can get support for health prevention work – like sexual health and stopping smoking – they can keep people out of hospital and reduce pressure on the rest of the

NHS, he said. Like many chemists, Bedminster Pharmacy delivers prescriptions free – an important service for those who find it hard to get about.

Again like many other pharmacies, it also offers free advice on health problems, from sprains to coughs, and will advise if a visit to a doctor is necessary.

Unusually, Bedminster Pharmacy also offers help in staying warm, backed by Bristol’s Centre for Sustainable Energy.

Being cold in your home is not healthy, but the centre can offer a range of ways to cut energy bills and make your home warmer.

Mr Ashworth said: “Pharmacies play a crucial role in our community. However under the Tories pharmacies are under threat. Hundreds of millions of pounds of Government funding has been cut from pharmacy budgets and the result is many branches across the country could be at risk.

“If community pharmacies have to leave our high street or reduce the services they offer, it will lead to more pressure on GP practices and A&E departments.

“We all know how much pressure A&E is under. We had a very difficult winter last year and all the experts are predicting another difficult winter for the NHS this year.”

VIEWS OF South Bristol are leading the way in an initiative by mayor Marvin Rees to use City Hall as a showcase for Bristol’s artistic talents.

Knowle artist Jane Vellender has contributed a large and eye-catching diorama of Totterdown’s distinctive coloured terraces, seen from Victoria Park.

She painted it on the day last February when Storm Doris churned up the skies in a peculiar light, and to make the point Jane inserted a collage of a newspaper headline about the storm, blended to look like a cloud – a detail which delighted Mr Rees.

An equally recognisable scene was painted by Rachel Heaton, who captured the Art in the Park event in Redcatch park, Knowle, in August 2016.

Mr Rees welcomed the artists and said he hoped to get artwrks from all corners of the city to brighten the walls of City Hall.

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10

n NEWS

T

HE UNIVERSITY of Bristol has been challenged to come up with ways in which it can help Totterdown and other parts of South Bristol meet the challenges of the huge tide of development which is about to sweep the area in the next 10 years.

At a meeting called to discuss plans for a 3,500-student, £300m campus at Temple Meads, a university team heard pleas from the public to help the community thrive in the face of major building plans for the Temple Quarter enterprise zone and beyond.

Simon Hobeck, chair of community group Tresa, which called the meeting, said that as well as the university plan, Totterdown and the Arnos Vale area face a wave of developments in the next few years.

It could mean an extra 3,000 residents in the Bath Road corridor, and 1,500 extra vehicle movements or more, he said.

Mr Hobeck asked the university’s team of four academics, who are leading the

December 2017

UNIVERSITY PLANS

University confronted over WHAT’S PROPOSED? AN outline planning application, was due to be filed by November 24. It’s expected to show: • A campus for “at least” 3,500 students – not the 3,000 spoken about at the public meeting – and 800 members of staff; • Three out of four students would be postgraduates, the rest undergraduates; • A vast, 35,500 sq m, 10-storey academic building on the site of the derelict Royal Mail sorting office at Cattle Market Road – as big as the sorting office; • Also on the Cattle Market Rd site: a 9-storey academic building and two buildings, of 12 storeys and 10 storeys, that could either be for Future Campus programme, if they would move in to acquire the rest of Arena Island if the Bristol arena is not built there.

Professor Dave Cliff, a computer scientist and the

academic use or student flats; • On part of Arena Island, a 24-storey high-rise student accommodation block; • Two further blocks of student rooms, of 11 and 18 storeys; • There would be 1,300-1,500 student bedrooms, and 43,400 sq m of university work space.

• Many buildings may have bars, cafés and shops at ground floor; • Outline consent is aimed for by spring 2018, when detailed plans will be submitted. Final approval is expected by the end of 2018.

• Construction will start in autumn 2019 and the campus will open in summer 2021, wiith building continuing until 2022.

• planningonline.bristol.gov.uk university’s academic lead for the project, said it was possible that the university might take an interest in the arena site if it became vacant, “but we don’t have any inside information.”

HIGHER THAN THE HILL MANY have criticised the plan for a 24 or 25-storey building of student accommodation on Arena Island. It would be the tallest building in Bristol (though other planning applications are expected for still higher buildings elsewhere in the city centre).

The height and the density of the development have been encouraged by the city council, said the university team.

“This is a monstrously tall building,” said Tresa member Julian Noble, “it’s taller than Totterdown hill. Most of us won’t be looking down on it, we will be looking up at it. You haven’t made a good case for it.” And several people pleaded for Totterdown’s unique views to be protected. Jon Ross, new owner of part of the Totterdown Centre, asked if the three buildings on the arena site could be evened up. If instead of 24, 18 and 11

December 2017

southbristolvoice

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n NEWS

UNIVERSITY PLANS

towers and transport issues

BRISTOL IS UK’S TECH No.1

storeys they were all of similar height, “it doesn’t take the brains of an archbishop” to see that the same amount of space could be accommodated, he said.

Unfortunately, said Neil Bradshaw, the programme manager for the campus, there is a major water main under the site, and the buildings probably can’t be built in that way.

STUDENT HOUSING CONCERNS were expressed that half the campus’s students will need to find somewhere to live, as there will be a maximum of 1,500 student rooms built.

“You may not be able to control this, but it may have a major impact on us if a number of houses in multiple occupation are taken over by students,” said Tresa director Anne Silber.

“A lot of houses in this area are let, not owner occupied, so it is going to be an issue.”

Mr Bradshaw said students now seem to prefer to live in city centres, not in shared housing in the suburbs.

The new campus will be mainly for postgraduates on one- or two-year courses, he said.

Cllr Jon Wellington, who chaired the meeting, said it was likely the council would put a limit on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) if the campus goes ahead.

• The meeting was told that there would be roughly 3,000 students but plans seen later by the Voice speak of “a minimum of 3,500” students, with the implication that more could follow.

CASH FOR THE CITY THE TEMPLE Meads enterprise zone could be an important source of revenue for cashstrapped City Hall. But students don’t pay council tax, and the university, a charity, doesn’t pay business rates. “How can you get more cash into the city when we are facing £100m cuts in the next

View from Platform 12: The main academic building, from the station five years?” asked one attendee.

It’s a valid point, said the university’s Professor Rich Pancost, but it’s hoped big firms like HP will want to have a base on the campus, and they will pay business rates.

Mr Bradshaw told the Voice that the effect of the university occupying the site, rather than a commercial user, would have a relatively modest effect on the council’s income.

The new campus will be funded by borrowing – the university will issue bonds to investors such as pension funds.

HELP THE COMMUNITY WHAT will be the benefits of the campus to Totterdown, asked Gina Lewis, head teacher of Hillcrest primary school (who was thanked for providing the venue for the meeting).

The university works with many primary and secondary schools, said Fiona Hyland, a university public engagement manager. It runs Digimasters classes for Year 5s, and has helped pupils make computer games exploring Bristol’s multicultural heritage.

It also works with retired people at the University of the Third Age and will look at creating more degrees which can

be done over several years by people who are working or don’t fit the conventional university entry requirements.

The meeting heard a plea for a new community arts facility at the new campus. “There are lots of creative people in Totterdown,” said a creative writing lecturer. “It’s a real opportunity to have a creative hub which could involve artists, musicians and the spoken word.”

The university has already offered to open up facilities on the new campus wherever possible, such as a gym, a creche, and perhaps a theatre space.

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THE BRISTOL and Bath region is by far the most productive technology cluster in the UK, said Prof Dave Cliff, explaining the need for the new campus.

Even London is a long way behind the hi-tech innovators in Bristol; if London doubled its productivity, Bristol would still keep its first place, he said.

The university and the city council back the Engine Shed business incubator, based in the Passenger Shed at Temple Meads. It was recently granted planning permission to expand into a controversial glass cube on the island site opposite the station.

Engine Shed is one of the world’s most successful business incubators. Hi-tech firms, often a spin-off from university research, start with one or two people.

When these start-ups expand they often want to stay rooted in the harbourside and Temple Meads area, where there is a pool of hi-tech expertise.

Many larger tech firms have a presence in the city centre – vacuum cleaner maker Dyson has its software office here. The Future Campus is designed to meet the challenge of new technologies – both in designing them and in helping cope with the changes they bring.

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n NEWS Continued from page 11 pattern of work in the next three decades. Some jobs you need a degree for now, a machine will be able to do in 15 years,” said Prof Cliff.

Already announced for the campus is a £43m Quantum Technologies centre in the new field of quantum computing.

A TRANSPORT HUB ONE OF the attractions of the Temple Meads site is that it is next to a major railway station, soon to be redeveloped (though Brunel’s Grade 1 listed buildings, and their views, are protected).

The new Metrobus and road changes will help make the campus an easy place to get to by public transport. The university is viewing it as “car free”.

But Temple Meads is only “half a transport hub,” said Tresa member Julian Noble. “Everything including Metrobus goes north – they have forgotten that we are to the south, we haven’t even got a safe and viable cycle route.”

The university is talking to the council and Network Rail about

UNIVERSITY PLANS

transport issues, said Mr Bradshaw. It’s hoped to open up new walkways, including along the harbour, and to have a tunnel leading into Temple Meads station from the campus.

PARKING AND TRAFFIC THE CAMPUS for 3,000 students and several hundred academics has virtually no parking except for disabled spaces. Students and staff will be strongly encouraged not to drive there, said the university team.

This did not stop residents voicing fears.

As well as students, “we are going to have retail outlets, offices and the general public [visiting the site] and they use cars!” said one woman.

Another said that if there is a theatre, that will attract more car-users.

“Totterdown is already used as a park and ride,” said Tresa director Rebecca Mear. Residents sometimes can’t park anywhere near their homes and emergency vehicles can’t get through, she said.

Prof Cliff said he lived in

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Aerial view: One of several new images in the outline application Southville, which had similar problems until a resident parking scheme was brought in, which he thought worked very well.

The university has offered to pay towards a residents parking scheme near the campus – a measure that seems to be getting increasing support.

Cllr Wellington invited residents to contact him if they had concerns about traffic, parking, or anything else connected with the scheme.

MORE CHALLENGES

THE university could put its expertise behind research to find solutions to some of the

problems that new developments will bring to Totterdown and South Bristol, Prof Pancost said.

He was responding to a plea to do something about the number of lorries using the A37 as a short cut through Bristol.

“The air quality is appalling on the Wells Road – this is a very low-lying area,” said another.

Prof Pancost said he thought there would be lots of students who would love to look into issues if it seemed research could show benefits to the community.

Could the university design a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists to remove them from the dangerously narrow walkway on Wells Road? This impassioned plea won support from the hall.

The arena plans called for a Bath Road Promenade – a walkway from Temple Meads to Three Lamps. But the need for bridges over the railway and the river mean the bill is certain to be millions of pounds.

Before construction can begin, the council has to demolish the sorting office and clear a possible cholera burial site underneath.

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December 2017

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THE WEST OF ENGLAND STRATEGIC PLAN

New roads and rail for South Bristol in £6.5m study by the West’s new mayor New airport links and South Bristol orbital road may be on the cards PROPOSALS by the new West of England Combined Authority (Weca) could bring about new rapid transit systems along the Bath Road through South Bristol, and from the city to Bristol airport.

These are among two potential schemes being examined in a £6.5m investment to look at the feasibility of a range of transport and housing schemes – several of which will affect South Bristol.

No details are available of exactly where any of the new transport schemes or homes would go, and each will take many years before they become reality.

But Weca mayor Tim Bowles, elected in May, has two main goals. He wants to build 105,000 homes across the region of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, by 2036.

The region also needs to spend more than £7.5bn on transport infrastructure in the same period – twice the amount being spent at the moment.

The schemes being considered

OBJECTIONS TO HENGROVE HOMES

OUR HEAD OFFICE IS ON YOUR Temple Meads DOORSTEP

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HENGROVE residents are objecting to council plans to build between 1,700 and 2,000 homes on Hengrove Park.

“Development proposals for Hengrove Park were meant to include a large high quality park.

Instead new development options double the number of houses, covering most of the park and leaving only land that can’t be developed,” said Andrew Gamlin, co-chair of Hengrove and Whitchurch neighbourhood planning forum. A 2014 local plan envisaged 1,000 homes.

“The consultation timeline is too short and far less than when

for their viability include: MetroBus orbital route Bristol city council will lead a £250,000 study on a Metrobus route between Whitchurch and Hengrove.

There could be a Park & Ride at Whitchurch and a link to the A38 to Bristol Airport.

New route to the airport Bristol airport could double in size, but is being held back by poor transport links. A rail or rapid transit link, maybe with underground sections, will be examined in a £350,000 study by Bristol city council.

Temple Meads A revamp is long overdue and £2m will be spent looking at options for new platforms and a tunnel link to the new Bristol university campus.

A4 corridor Bath & NES council will spend £460,000 looking at improvements to the A4 between Bath and Bristol. A new link from the A4 Keynsham bypass to the A4174 ring road could cut traffic on Hicks Gate roundabout. There could also be a link between the A4 and A37, and the Hicks Gate Park & Ride could be moved.

Hengrove Bristol city council plans 1,500 homes at Hengrove. It will spend £800,000 looking at improving William Jessop Way and new junctions at Hengrove Way and Bamfield. building a house or extension,” said Mr Gamlin.

The plan also lacks community facilities. “South Bristol has been neglected for many years with pressure on health centres, schools and nurseries, and Hengrove library is to be axed,” said Mr Gamlin.

The forum has drawn up an alternative master plan which shows 1,400 homes, a large park and community facilities.

It also warns that transport links will not cope with the new homes. “The existing infrastructure just will not cope. The Metrobus alone will not be the saviour of South Bristol’s transport needs.”

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‘KEEP OLD RAIL ROUTE FOR CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS’ A CAMPAIGN has started to turn a disused South Bristol railway line into a walking and cycling route.

The Callington Road link, as it is known, runs from Whitby Road in St Philips to Callington Road in Brislington.

Resident Andy Hamilton has started a Facebook group, Brislington Railway Path, to gather support, and it already has 161 members.

He says it would encourage cycling and provide a safe off-road corridor, as well as maintaining a haven for wildlife.

He’s considering starting a petition to boost the campaign.

However, Weca’s joint transport

study for the region has other ideas – it proposes to turn the route into a relief road between the A4174 ring road and the A4 Bath Road.

This would free space on the Bath Road for a rapid transit link – presumably a Metrobus.

The new link would help ease access to new homes planned near Whitchurch and Keynsham.

The new route could include a segregated cycleway – but plans are still at a very early stage.

Meanwhile, scores of residents have objected to a planning application for a battery storage site next to the old rail route.

It has been reported that batteries in up to 100 shippingcontainer-sized units would help balance fluctuations in the National Grid.

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n NEWS

December 2017

Films and fun for Christmas CHILDREN are invited to get creative for Christmas with South Bristol’s children’s theatre and arts group, Brave Bold Drama.

At a Christmas Creativity Day on Monday December 18 from 11am-3pm, anyone can drop in and try making Christmas cards, decorations and gifts. It costs £2 for the first child, £1 for siblings.

On Thursday December 21 from 10.30am-3pm there’s a screening of The Polar Express and train-themed crafts.

And on Friday December 22 from 11am-3pm there’s a Crafty Christmas Fair, with hand-made gift stalls, face-painting, Christmas photo booth, seasonal music from the Hartcliffe and Withywood Choir and a visit from Santa!

The events are at Creative Workspace, in Queens Road, Withywood BS13 8LG, which has a café selling drinks, snacks, home-made cake and lunches.

Facebook: Brave Bold Drama

December 2017

n NEWS

southbristolvoice

15

Bike hangars still dividing opinion in Somerset Road

Kamil lived in fear of the neighbour who killed him

THE SEEMINGLY innocent issue of whether to install two bike stores in Somerset Road, Knowle, is still without a solution in sight.

Two rounds of consultation have failed to point to a decisive majority either for or against the bike hangars, to store 12 cycles.

Supporters say they will make it easier for people to cycle, by giving them somewhere secure to store their bicycle instead of taking them inside the road’s narrow Victorian terraced houses.

Others object strongly to the loss of parking spaces on the road.

Two petitions are circulating, one for and one against the hangars. Now Knowle’s Lib Dem councillors Gary Hopkins and Chris Davies have asked everyone with a view to write to them, so that they can report back to the council. So far, the council has

Stabbing victim had complained of threats for years

ruled out putting the hangars on the corner of Copse Road after residents there objected.

In a council consultation carried out in the summer, eight Copse Road residents were against the move, with five in favour.

Overall, 26 households in both roads supported the idea, with 18 opposed and two undecided.

But only 60 people from the near 200 households responded.

Cllr Gary Hopkins said he could see that the hangars give some advantages, but he wants to know what people think. So far the opinions he has been sent are split about 50:50.

The Lib Dem leaflet given to each house in the road also gives information about getting a car club to put a shared vehicle in the road – a move which Cllr Hopkins says could lead to the

removal of up to 10 cars. It’s not clear where the hangars might be placed now.

One supporter of the hangars, Jonathan Wright, said: “We can’t go on living in a city that exceeds pollution limits.” Two bike hangars will not solve everything, but might start a process of encouraging people to cycle, he said, adding that some residents in flats are unable to have a bike.

An opponent of the scheme, who didn’t want to be named, said: “The argument is that they will encourage cycling. How? By watching a select few parking their bikes every day, knowing I will never get a space? I think I would be more encouraged if there were better cycle routes. “ Views on the issue can be sent to Cllrs Hopkins and Davies – their addresses are on page 2.

JEFFERY Barry, the paranoid schizophrenic who murdered his Knowle housemate in a savage attack, has been sentenced to 23 years at Bristol crown court.

Meanwhile further shortcomings have been exposed in the social care system that failed to protect Iraqi asylum seeker Kamil Ahmed, the man Barry killed in the sheltered house they shared in Wells Road.

Barry, 56, who is being held in the secure mental hospital Broadmoor, will serve at least 23 years before he is released. He had claimed he was not responsible for his actions, but a jury decided he was guilty of murder on October 17. He was sentenced on November 10.

The court case exposed multiple missed opportunities that could have saved Mr Ahmed.

Barry was released from psychiatric care on July 6, 2016, and killed and mutilated Mr Ahmed just hours later. Staff at the Milestones Trust, which runs the home in Wells Road, tried to get an injunction to stop him returning to the house, but failed.

Barry was allowed to return to the house unsupervised. He killed Mr Ahmed at about 1am.

In court, a psychiatrist said Barry should not have been

Jeffery Barry

Kamil Ahmed

released by a mental health tribunal.

Barry had threatened and attacked Mr Ahmed over several years, and told staff he wanted to be “notorious”, the court heard.

Yet the men were allowed to continue sharing the same house, which was unstaffed at night.

A serious case review will meet next year to consider the failings that led to the tragedy.

Mr Ahmed, 48, lived in fear of Barry, one of Mr Ahmed’s friends has told the Bristol Cable newspaper. In an interview that can be seen online, Adil Jaifar, a translator for Bristol Refugee Rights, said Mr Ahmed raised his fears about Mr Barry with his carers many times.

“He was really afraid and scared for his life,” Mr Jaifar told the Cable’s Zuzana Pohloudkova.

“There was not one month that he did not bring the subject up.”

After one occasion when Mr Ahmed was attacked by Barry, Mr Ahmed tried to take matters further with the police. But a police officer did not show up to an appointment, said Mr Jaifar.

After the attack, Mr Ahmed would not open his door to anyone he didn’t know. “If he

Festive garden

knew that Barry was in that house [on July 6] he would not have gone back there,” said Mr Jaifar.

Mr Ahmed had physical and mental health problems after being tortured by the regime of Saddam Hussain in Iraq. He was placed in the Milestones house so he could receive support.

But weeks before his killing, Mr Ahmed’s case was reassessed, and he was told he would have to leave the house, Mr Jaifar said.

In a bitter irony, Mr Jaifar said that shortly after being told that his friend had been killed, he received a call from social services telling him that Mr Ahmed would be allowed to stay in his flat after all.

• thebristolcable.org/2017/11/ watch-behind-the-death-ofkamil-ahmed/

A FESTIVE host of attractions mark the Redcatch Christmas Fair in the new Redcatch community garden on Sunday December 10 from 12noon–6pm.

There will be carols, mulled wine and mince pies at 5pm. Santa will be in his grotto, there will be market stalls, Sausagenius, willow weaving with Sarah Edwards, Bristol rocks painting, teapot cocktails, a tombola and music from DJ CHRIStmas.

• Facebook: Redcatch Community Garden

Soul waves A NEW radio station is to launch in South Bristol on December 6.

SoulTrain Radio DAB will broadcast on the digital spectrum from its base at Hengrove’s Bottle Yard studios. It will play Motown, soul, rare groove, jazz and funk 24 hours a day. It has grown from the long-running Bristol club night of the same name, founded

by Paul Alexander in 1992.

• soultrainradio.co.uk

CHAMBERLAINS KITCHEN & FURNITURE ESTABLISHED 1991

Door, Window, Double Glazing Repairs & Locksmith Service

A Genuine Local Tradesman Speak to Martin: Mobile 07812 098080 Office 01275 350096 Handles, Locks, Hinges, Misted Double Glazed Units Replaced, Cat Flaps, Gaskets & Seals Supplied & Fitted

Absolute Lock Service

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

We can manufacture and fit your bespoke kitchen, working with you on a 1-to-1 basis.

Reliable & Friendly service Visit us at our workshop or call us on

01761 490468 chamberlainskitchens.co.uk Pensford Hill, Pensford, BS39 4JR

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

December 2017

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n NEWS

*More pictures on the Voice website

FRONT ROOM ART TRAIL*

Tarim and Kate take tea at Fanny Tingle’s in the Healing Courtyard Fern, 15, and teds in Africa appeal (see text)

Tim from Dinewithi looks legendary serving soup on Wells Road

Emily of disabled group Artists First; right, photographer Helen Rattin

Have you noticed damp, woodworm or dry rot issues in your property?

FAIRYTALES, Myths and Legends was the theme of the 17th Totterdown Front Room art trail, which attracted thousands to see more than 200 artists of all kinds.

Special mention to Fern Jameson, 15, (above left), whose gran knitted teddies to help send her on an Ashton Park school trip to Africa. You can donate at: • paypal.me/inspiration2018

Far out: Annabel Glassby with painting made with ‘acrylic pours’

Grave: Karin Smyth meets Year 5 pupils debating Anglo-Saxon burials

MP quizzed by Hillcrest pupils

Penetrating damp repairs Structural timber repairs Woodworm treatments Cavity wall tie repairs Waterproofing

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01179 115456

www.petercox.com

17

n NEWS World’s only berry maze takes fruit AFTER months of hard work, the Malago Greenway Berry Maze is a reality.

November 17 saw dozens of volunteers take the final step – planting more than 230 soft fruit plants which will eventually grow into a maze up to 4m tall.

Bristol South MP Karin Smyth was one of those lending a hand.

Though she admitted she is not naturally green-fingered, under instruction from organiser Raluca McKett she planted a jostaberry – a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry.

Ms Smyth declared herself truly impressed with the project.

She heard how the volunteers have overcome several obstacles over the year. Some vandalism has been repaired, and even the discovery that the ground was full of buried car parts didn’t stop work. Members of the Good Gym

Hearing over pub’s hours

We did it! From left, organiser Raluca McKett, Cllr Jon Wellington, Liam Blackford, Jackie Smith, Karin Smyth MP and Tom and Patrick Rainey shifted tons of rubble from the plot off Marksbury Road – site of a former scout hut which burned down about 40 years ago.

The area has been negelected ever since and became a prime spot for flytipping. It’s hoped the

new project will encourage people to take pride in the area.

Raluca believes it is the only maze planted with soft fruit in the world – she can’t find any others anywhere on the internet.

• Facebook: @TheBerryMaze2017

A HEARING to decide whether a Knowle pub will be allowed to serve alcohol until midnight each night is to be held by councillors.

The licensing sub-committee will decide a request from Charlie’s Bar, Wells Road, to extend its hours from 11pm to midnight.

Landlady Melody Taylor said the move will bring Charlie’s into line with other local pubs and she only wants to use the extra hour on Fridays and Saturdays.

Cllr Chris Davies is objecting to the move, saying he has had “a series of continuous complaints for many years from residents regarding noise, urinating and bad language, from those exiting this pub late at night.”

Melody Taylor said staff work hard to control customers’ behaviour and would respond to any complaints.

The licensing meeting, which is open to the public, is at 10am on December 7 at City Hall.

KNOWLE & TOTTERDOWN

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December 2017

MP KARIN Smyth got the VIP treatment at Hillcrest primary school when she was given a tour on which she saw almost every activity in which the children take part – from history to art and from PE to English.

And she learned that the Totterdown school now looks more like a secondary school on two days a week, with pupils moving to different classrooms and taught by specialist teachers.

It’s a very unusual system for a primary schoool, but there are a wealth of benefits, said head

Gina Lewis, including children having a high quality teaching of a broad curriculum.

Ms Smyth was quizzed by Year 6 pupils, who have been practising debating skills.

Questions ranged from “How did you feel before the General Election?” (“Nervous and worried, but I decided I was going to go out there and persuade people to vote for me”) to more taxing queries on climate change and Brexit.

• See more questions Ms Smyth faced on the Voice website.

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

TOTTERDOWN BAPTIST CHURCH Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 3DF Sun Dec 10 4pm Christingle Service Sun Dec 17 6.30pm Carol Service Sun Dec 24 10.30am Morning Service Mon Dec 25 10.30am All Age Christmas Celebration Service ST MARTIN’S CHURCH Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QL Sun Dec 10 9.30am Rise and Shine Gift Service with breakfast Sun Dec 17 6.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight Sun Dec 24 4pm Crib Service. Children invited to come dressed as an angel or a shepherd 11.30pm Midnight Mass Mon Dec 25 10am Family Communion

KNOWLE METHODIST CHURCH Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP Sun Dec 17 6pm Carols by Candlelight Sun Dec 24 10.30am Crib Service Mon Dec 25 9.30am All-Age Christmas Celebration TOTTERDOWN METHODIST CHURCH Bushy Park, Totterdown BS4 2AD Sun Dec 10 10.30am Toy service & Parade Sun Dec 17 6.30pm Candlelit Carol service Sun Dec 24 10.30am Service for Christmas Eve 5.30pm Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Communion Mon Dec 25 10.30am All-Age Christmas Celebration

CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE Broad Walk, Knowle BS4 2RD Sun Dec 10 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight Wed Dec 13 6.30pm Night of Nativity Sun Dec 24 10.30am Christmas Eve Family Service Mon Dec 25 10.30am Christmas Day Service HOLY NATIVITY CHURCH Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2AG Sun Dec 24 4pm Crib Service Sun Dec 24 11.30pm Midnight mass Mon Dec 25 10am Christmas Day Mass CAROLS IN THE PARK: Perrett’s Park, Bayham Road, Knowle BS4 2EA Tues Dec 19 6.30pm Carols and refreshments

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

December 2017

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n YOUR LOCAL CHRISTMAS GUIDE Do you want to make Christmas a bit more personal? Give your money to a local business, and buy something unique?

Of course you do – so here’s our guide to some of the best gifts and treats around

ADVERTISING FEATURE

‘Tis the season to celebrate Wide selection: Some of the gift ideas and local produce on sale at Fox & West, the new deli on Wells Road, Totterdown

Fox & West

Grocer and deli 172 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AL HAVE you been to Fox & West?

It’s an independent shop on Wells Road offering fresh and healthy produce, speciality food, delicatessen goods and a café where you can sit, enjoy a hot drink and a slice of cake and watch the world go by. Products are wherever possible sourced locally or supplied by Bristol stockists. Vegetables and goods are as plastic-free as possible and

takeaway cups and deli pots are “vegware”, which means they can go straight into your compost bin.

The shelves will soon be full with gift items to help you get those foodie presents sorted and make someone’s taste buds tingle with delight on Christmas Day! There’ll be hampers, Black Cow Vodka and Cheese gift sets, Ashridge mulled cider, locally

brewed beer, sustainable bamboo homewares, coffee and tea gift packs and chocolate treats.

The cheese range has been extended for Christmas, and you can pre-order, along with your veg box, ready for your Christmas festivities and collect on a date of your choice. Merry Christmas from all of us at Fox & West!

• Facebook: Fox & West

Tobacco Factory Theatres

Raleigh Road, Southville CHRISTMAS is always busy at Tobacco Factory Theatres and this year is no exception with three Christmas shows for all the family to enjoy. Beauty and the Beast is a magical, mischievous, music-filled marvel of a Christmas show. Full of surprises and delights, and for ages 5 to 105, it reminds us that beauty – and beastliness – are only skin deep.

The Ugly Duckling is especially for ages 2-6 and their families – a warming wintry tale of family, feathers and fitting in.

Filled with joyful storytelling and enchanting live music, it’s perfect for the smallest in your family.

Finally, and so popular that they’ve put on six more shows, local legends Living Spit present a naughty Nativity for ages 16+ at The Theatre Shop, Clevedon as part of Tobacco Factory Theatres Beyond. Gift vouchers and tickets for all shows are available at: • tobaccofactorytheatres.com

December 2017

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n YOUR LOCAL CHRISTMAS GUIDE

19 ADVERTISING FEATURE

South Bristol’s creativity at Christmas Bemmie

Quirky art with a Bristol twist BEMMIE is Robin and EmmaJane Richards, who make their creations on their dining room table in St John’s Lane. The pair hail from the island of St Helena, and some of their colourful posters celebrate their homeland.

But they’ve adopted Bemmie as their name, and the couple’s striking Bristol posters, prints and calendars are now on sale in several locations.

You can even buy their designs as a printable calendar.

And there’s Bemmie wrapping paper too.

Other subjects include dog portraits, cyclists and (shock) other far-flung places such as Bath and Cardiff.

• etsy.com/uk/shop/ BemmiesBazzar • bemmie.co.uk

Colourful Minds

Art and craft for kids COLOURFUL Minds specialises in getting children of four and over to exercise their creativity.

For Christmas, there are three seasonal after-school workshops

Tobacco Factory shows: Beauty & The Beast and The Ugly Duckling on Thursdays at Craftisan, the craft shop and cafe at 186 Wells Road, Totterdown.

On November 30, the workshop is on Christmas Stained Glass Windows. On December 7, it’s on Cardboard Christmas Decorations, and on December 14, Christmas Lanterns. The cost is £5 per session, or £12 for all three. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Call

Bemmie: Bristol wrapping paper

Stained glass: Colourful Minds

Emily at Craftisan to book a place for your child on: 0117 971 3822 • Email: laura@colourfulminds.co.uk • colourfulminds.co.uk

materials that not only look great but are super soft next to baby’s skin, and easy to keep clean.”

The result is a range of super-soft crochet items from baby boots to bonnets, blankets and playmats, some plain and some with striking designs.

All items are made to order, and if you don’t see what you want online, contact Emma.

• etsy.com/shop/stitchingmesoftly • Instagram: stitching_me_softly Continued overleaf

Stitching Me Softly

Super-soft crochet items for baby STITCHING Me Softly was born early this year after the birth of Emma Bassey’s third daughter.

She says: “After struggling to find accessories in the colours and style I wanted I decided to create some of my own. I try to use

Summat Special KIDS AFTER-SCHOOL CHRISTMAS WORKSHOPS November 30th, 4-5pm December 7th, 4-5pm December 14th, 4-5pm Craftisan, 186 Wells Rd, Bristol BS4 2AL

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

Handmade crafts and keepsakes • Facebook: Summat Special Crafts

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

F W

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n YOUR LOCAL CHRISTMAS GUIDE

ADVERTISING FEATURE

December 2017

southbristolvoice

n YOUR LOCAL CHRISTMAS GUIDE

21 ADVERTISING FEATURE WILL YOU GIVE A PRESENT TO A LESS FORTUNATE CHILD?

Stitching Me Softly: Babywear

Summat Special Crafts

Personalised wooden peg families and keepsakes SUMMAT Special, based in Knowle, makes crafts to treasure, like personalised wooden pegs of your family – a beautiful unique keepsake. Also available are famous faces, children’s favourites and pets. How about a wooden spoon with a little white rabbit and your child’s name as a christening memento? Or spoons made as a family off zebra, cheetah, monkey, peacock and tiger? Or Bible scenes? Ruth’s imagination is endless.

Commissions welcomed.

• Facebook: Summat SpecialCrafts • instagram: summatspecialcrafts • Email: ruth@themalago.net

Lucy’s Body Shop at Home

Body Shop goods to buy at home BOOK a Body Shop party with Lucy and do your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own home. You can try before you buy and ask about all the product ranges and gifts while having fun with your friends. Party hosts will get £25 free shopping as soon as party sales top £150, and a 70 per cent discount when the party makes £230, with the amount the host can buy rising as the sales go up.

Lucy’s Body Shop at Home

Summat Special: Family group

Lucy’s Body Shop: Shop at home

Little Red Apple: Simple designs

JJ Felt Crafty: Pictures and craft

Jane Vellender: Learn to paint

JJ Felt Crafty

career. From her home in Knowle she offers courses in art, from painting to printing, which make ideal gifts in themselves, and she has a huge range of items on sale.

She makes portraits of pets and people and has a range of animal brooches. There’s a fridge magnet of her painting of Clifton Suspension Bridge, a balloonprint coffee cosy, and lots more.

• Email: jane@whenartmetcloth. com • Facebook: JaneVellenderArtist/ shop • whenartmetcloth.com

Philip Street, Bedminster WINDMILL Hill City Farm Café is getting stocked up for Christmas with all sorts of festive treats on offer throughout December. The new café is much

bigger and brighter than the old one and on the menu you will find a Christmas twist on the farm’s own sausage rolls – featuring cranberries, walnuts, mushrooms and chestnuts, alongside homemade mince pies dusted with icing sugar.

There is a new hot drinks menu, with lots of winter surprises, including chai and a chilli hot chocolate. Just ask at the counter for the days specials.

In the farm shop you’ll be able to order ham from Sandridge Farm for collection just before Christmas, and a lovely homegrown medlar jelly glaze to go on top.

They’ll also be selling homemade stuffing (meat and veggie), fresh organic veg, Jess’s Ladies’ Extra Thick double cream for your Christmas trifle, and lots of homemade and home-grown foodie gifts, such as chutneys, hampers, and cookies.

There will be Christmas trees for sale in the farmyard, and the farm volunteers are already starting work on beautiful, natural Christmas wreaths to sell at the Christmas Fair on December 9.

To find out what else is happening at the Christmas Fair, have a look at the advertisement opposite.

• windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk

JJ Felt Crafty

JaneVellenderArtist

WIN A BRISTOL ADVENT CALENDAR THERE’S probably never been an advent calendar as stylish – or as Bristolian – as the Bristol Advent Calendar made by Bedminster art couple Robin and Emma-Jane, otherwise known as Bemmie.

We have two to give away to readers who can tell us: Where do Robin and Emma-Jane originally come from?

Answers, with your name, address, email and phone number to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX by November 29. Yes, you Get your shopping done and some treats for you too.

Interested or want to know more? Contact Lucy Woodman on 07970 481131 • Email: lucy.woodman@gmail.com

Little Red Apple

Cards and wooden jewellery EMMA Garland makes greeting cards and wooden jewellery. She keeps the designs “clean and simple” and there’s lots to enjoy.

There are cards with wildly colourful sausage dogs, frogs and sheep to unique jewellery pieces with lightning bolts, birds and star brooches. The wide range of

Little Red Apple Wooden jewellery.

Lovely cards.

The Bemmie Advent Calendar have to be quick – we’ll do our best to get your calendar to you by December 1.

Christmas cards are all lighthearted, from jolly snowmen to a Christmas pudding card reading “Eat, drink and be merry”. She offers free local delivery or collection.

• Email: emma@littleredapple. co.uk • littleredapplecards.etsy.com

Windmill Hill City Farm café & shop

Wall art and keepsakes made with love

Clean, simple design.

• Book a Body Shop party and do your Christmas shopping at home with friends!

• Party hosts can get £25 free shopping and 70% discount!* Call Lucy: 07970 481131 lucy.woodman@gmail.com *Conditions apply

FREE LOCAL DELIVERY littleredapplecards.etsy.com emma@littleredapple.co.uk

etsy.com/uk/shop/JJFeltCrafty CraftieJJ

07596 455323

Learn to paint and draw courses (vouchers available), prints, and luxury handmade gifts JaneVellenderArtist/shop www.WhenArtMetCloth.com jane@WhenArtMetCloth.com

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

Felt wall art and keepsakes JESS is a needle felt artist based in Bedminster. She creates keepsakes, accessories and art – including pet portraits – to suit a range of budgets Everything is crafted from merino and Bergschaf wool and each creation has its own unique character. There’s lots to see on Jess’s etsy shop with items ready to post, but if you don’t see what you want she can also take custom requests.

For more information about the full range, and for details of

The new café at Windmill Hill City Farm is bright and spacious local events Jess will be attending, have a look on Facebook, etsy or give Jess a call on 07596 455323.

• etsy.com/uk/shop/JJFeltCrafty • facebook.com/CraftieJJ

Jane Vellender

Cards, gifts and more JANE Vellender has made art her life after escaping a corporate

EVERY Child Needs Christmas is a campaign which delivers thousands of presents to local children who are in difficult circumstances.

Anyone can help – just buy a gift for around £5, for one of these age ranges: under one, 1-3, 3-5, 5-7, 7-10, and 10-16 years.

Drop it off at one of the drop-off points below, or consult the Facebook page for more.

Or you can follow the links to the Amazon wishlist, and order from there. The campaign has grown from delivering 700 gifts to 5,000 across the BS postcode area in five years.

DROP OFFS: Bedminster Mr Milton (evening preferred), 16 Greylands Road, Uplands BS13 8BE Whitchurch/Knowle Mrs Arshad, Cumberland House, 133 West Town Lane BS14 9EF City centre Nat West, 32 Corn Street BS1 1HQ, UK • Facebook: Every Child Needs Christmas

Celebrate Christmas at your local church WINDMILL HILL

CHURCH OF CHRIST – Jesus is Alive! St John’s Lane Sun Dec 10: 1.30pm Children’s Christmas Party Sun Dec 17: 5pm Carol Service Sun Dec 24: Christmas Eve Devotions: 10am Bible Hour, 11am Breaking of Bread, 5pm Devotional Mon Dec 25: 2pm Community Christmas Dinner – Don’t be alone for Christmas! Spaces limited, book now!

Mon Jan 1: 10.30am New Year’s Day Service For details, contact Jason 07795 560990.

ST MICHAEL’S & ALL ANGELS, Windmill Hill BS3 4LW Sun Dec 10: 5pm Christingle Service Sun Dec 17: 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight Mon Dec 18: 6.30pm carols in Victoria Park Sun Dec 24: 5pm Christmas Eve Crib Service, 11.15pm Midnight Communion Mon Dec 25: 10am Christmas Day Family Service VICTORIA PARK BAPTIST CHURCH, Sylvia Avenue Sun Dec 3: 10.30am Blue Christmas Sun Dec 10: 10.30am Christingle Service Sun Dec 17: 10.30am Family Advent Service Sun Dec 24: 10.30am Family Christmas Eve Carol Service Sun Dec 24: 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight Mon Dec 25: 10.30am Christmas Day Family Service

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

December 2017

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n TRAVEL

n NEWS STOP PRESS

Costa confusion JUST as the Voice was going to press, we were told that the new Costa Coffee branch planned for 316-318 Wells Road, Knowle,

will not be opening. The Voice has been asking Costa about its plans for the former Co-op bank for several weeks. Eventually the firm said in a statement that the café “is not progressing”. Costa said it could not give any more information before press time.

A jetaway you may

Quality care andcare and Quality Companionship Companionship Quality care and Quality care and in theand comfort in theof comfort of Companionship Quality care Companionship your own home your home in the comfort of in Companionship theown comfort of your home in theown comfort of your own home your own home

n TRAVEL

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23

A NEW FEATURE TO GET YOU OUT AND ABOUT

not have thought of

Ruth Drury finds that Frankfurt is about more than banking and Christmas markets

Maritim hotel which is the perfect location for visiting an exhibition at the Frankfurter Messe, just a few paces away. The rooms are spacious, modern and clean with bathroom essentials plus a robe to relax in. Beds are comfortable although soft so beware those with bad backs!

Breakfast is a must-have – RANKFURT is the smoked salmon, champagne, biggest financial centre cooked items, and continental TWO SECTIONS of the Filwood Victoria Park, this time partly in continental Europe. treats are among the options. We Quietway, the £2.3 million illuminated with lights which will Though it’s long been known also ate in one of the three hotel cycleway between South Bristol be dimmed to avoid disturbing for its traditional Christmas restaurants, Classico, where we and the city centre, have been bats, was less controversial than markets, it is becoming an tasted a range of international approved by planners. an earlier plan for a ‘cycling increasingly popular weekend dishes including delicious The route through Northern superhighway’ which was destination. Shops, churches, a gnocchi and crème brulee.

Slopes at Glyn Vale was passed withdrawn earlier this year. mile of museums, contemporary Getting around It was easy to despite opposition from 25 of the Cllr Jon Wellington backed art galleries, skyscrapers, guided walk from the hotel to the tram 29 comments received. the new plan but pleaded for a tours, pastries, sausage and beer line or the underground stations Objectors said 300m of new safe cycling route along St Luke’s are just some of the delights. and travel the city for only a 3m-wide path will encourage fast Road to be given priority.

Getting there You can fly direct couple of euros, which we did cycling and endanger pedestrians.

The council had said the entire to Frankfurt from Bristol with with relative ease. If you struggle Bristol Parks Forum said it would route would have to be built by airlines including BMI in roughly to follow the underground map, change the character of the March 2018 to qualify for 1.5 hours. Frankfurt airport is just ask! Everyone we met was Slopes, and lighting would funding. It has now emerged that clean, efficient and close to the extremely friendly.

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Holiday and respite cover care companies. Our local

Cycle routes to go ahead despite Slopes opposition

December 2017

F

Steve Jones

Smoother passage: The AspirePlus lounge, left, and Fast Track, right

Frankfurt: Historic Romer Platz is one of many great places to wander us some of Frankfurt’s history: many buildings have been made to look old, as much of the centre was destroyed during WWII. Yet the city is beautiful and there’s a lovely public square, Romer Platz, filled with beer taverns, souvenir shops and a well-known patisserie whose apple strudel leaves the mouth watering.

If you are feeling brave you can get some superb views across

Top 5 things to do this winter in Frankfurt 1. Christmas markets run until December 22 at Römerberg, St Paul’s Square, Mainkai (Main Quay), Hauptwache and Friedrich Stoltze Square 2. Attend a church mass – a truly memorable experience 3. Visit the famous patisseries 4. Visit the apple wine district for bratwurst and schnitzel 5. Drink some more Cokeweissbier!

the city from the top deck of the 240m Main Tower for around £7.

Ways to relax The rest of our weekend was spent shopping, eating, drinking and being merry with tasters of schnitzel with the traditional green sauce made from seven herbs (worth a try), very drinkable German beers everywhere you looked, including Coke-Weissbier (that’s Coke mixed with white beer!), and a night spent in the Maritim bar enjoying the magic, laughs and dance skills of their in-house cabaret artiste Jerry.

• Ruth Drury was a guest of Maritim Hotels.

• maritim.com

FLYING TO FRANKFURT BMI REGIONAL flies up to three times daily between Bristol and Frankfurt. Fares start from £96 one way and include 23kg hold luggage, allocated seating, complimentary drinks and snacks, and 30 minute check-ins.

• flybmi.com

WIN A FASTER, MORE RELAXING DEPARTURE IF YOU’RE flying off on a winter break from Bristol Airport, we have a prize that will make your journey a bit more pleasurable.

Courtesy of Bristol Airport and Steve Jones of Travel Counsellors, we have two AspirePlus lounge passes and two Fast Track security passes to give away.

AspirePlus Lounge Located opposite the Cabin Bar, the new AspirePlus Lounge is for adults only and combines contemporary design, luxury furniture and a fantastic range of complimentary food and drinks.

Help yourself to a great range of teas, coffees and soft drinks, or a glass of your favourite tipple.

Create your own hot breakfast roll with crispy bacon, Cumberland sausage or scrambled egg if you are travelling early in the morning, or enjoy a trio of hot miniature pies throughout lunchtime and into the evening.

Bigger meals include a bowl of freshly prepared spinach and ricotta ravioli, and there’s a wide range of drinks at the bar.

Fast Track security The Fast Track channel is a priority service through security, giving you more time to relax in the departure lounge before you fly.

Customers with Fast Track security passes will be given priority service to ensure that waiting is kept to a minimum.

However, there is no guarantee of a maximum waiting time. You must still leave enough time for the usual security and x-ray screening.

HOW TO ENTER TO WIN a pair of AspirePLus lounge tickets, and two Fast Track security passes, just tell us: Where is the AspirePlus lounge located?

Answers by December 12 to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or by post to 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX. You must give your name, address and phone number.

Entrants may be contacted for marketing purposes by post or email by Steve Jones, Travel Counsellor. You will have the option to opt out of future communications.

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Or visit www.rightathomeuk.com/swindon Companionship Transportation and errands Transportation and errands

Helpwashing, with washing, dressing Help with dressing Help with washing,is dressing Every penny ofcareyour booking completely and personal care and personal and personal care Light Housekeeping Light Housekeeping Light Housekeeping protected by our ATOL guarantee.

Meal preparation Meal preparation Meal preparation Medication reminders Medication reminders Medication reminders Call 0117 911 1210 or 07968 972037 Post-operative support Post-operative support Post-operative support Holiday and respite cover Holiday and respite cover E: steve.jones@travelcounsellors.com Holiday and respite cover and much more... and much more... and much more... www.travelcounsellors.com/steve.jones To find out how we can help care for you or your family, call To find out how we can help care for you or your family, call 0117 370 1710 01793 602502

Every penny of your booking is completely protected by our financial trust and ATOL. T: 0117 911 1210 or 07968 972037 E: steve.jones@travelcounsellors.com W:www.travelcounsellors.com/steve.jones

Transportation andQuality errandsCommission. Each Right at Home office is independently owned and operated Registered with the Care

To find out how we can help care for you or your family, call

Or www.rightathomeuk.com/bristol 01793 602502 Orvisit visit www.rightathomeuk.com/swindon Or visit www.rightathomeuk.com/swindon Or visit Registered withwww.rightathomeuk.com/swindon the Care Quality Commission. Each Right at Home office is independently owned and operated

01793 602502

Registered with the Care Quality Commission. Each Right at Home office is independently owned and operated

Registered with the Care Quality Commission. Each Right at Home office is independently owned and operated

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

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

24

southbristolvoice

December 2017

Would you like to feel more connected to your community?

December 2017

n FEATURES

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25

TOTTERDOWN’S INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER

Tangent Books is one of Bristol’s bestknown publishers, but its list of books doesn’t really make sense, its owner Richard Jones tells Beccy Golding

I

Community Navigators Bristol: a free service to help local people feel less isolated.

• North Bristol: Contact Laura We’ll help you discover what’s on 0117 951 5751 or on locally and give you the laura.t@northbristoladvice.org.uk confidence to take the first step, whether it’s meeting people, • South, central & east Bristol: rekindling hobbies, volunteering Contact Gemma on or learning something new.

0117 440 9100 or community.navigators@nhs.net The service is for people over 50. You can refer yourself or someone else. • communitynavigators.org.uk

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

NDEPENDENT publisher Richard Jones is from Kingswood originally and had no reason to come to South Bristol “unless it was on the way to Wells or something.”

It wasn’t until 1985, moving to a shared house in Richmond Street, Totterdown, that he “discovered a side of Bristol I didn’t know”, and he has lived south of the river ever since.

With his partner Maggie, he has lived in Totterdown, moved to Windmill Hill, then back to Totterdown. “We brought our kids up here – Caitlin was born in the bathroom at Cotswold Road, and Mena was born in the bathroom at Balmain Street!”

Richard’s journey to book publisher has been a steady graft.

He was an apprentice journalist at the Kingswood Gazette, then at the South Wales Evening Post.

Spells on the Western Daily Press and the Bristol Evening Post led to Bath’s Future Publishing, where he was senior editor for its footballl magazines. In 2002, still based in Bath, he set up Faragher Jones, a contract magazine publishing firm, with friend and colleague Steve Faragher. But they “wanted something we could have ownership of. And we thought there couldn’t be much difference between magazines and books.” So, in 2004 they set up Tangent Books, as a side-line.

“We discovered there are no similarities at all – it’s an entirely different industry!”

Tangent became Richard’s main focus when he bought a unit in Paintworks on Bath Road in 2007. “I saw it being built and heard good things.” Since then, his commute is “a 10-minute walk down through Arnos Vale

cemetery every morning – and 30 minutes wheezing up Thunderbolt steps on the way home – the steps of death!”

I asked him about the sort of books he publishes. “One of Tangent’s core values is to celebrate the counterculture alternative, radical culture in Bristol and beyond.” But, in some ways Tangent’s list makes no sense, Richard chuckled. “The only thing is that most books have a connection to Bristol, and a propensity for being about something I had a fleeting interest in at the time – they reflect my lack of focus.”

Perhaps a nicer way to say this is that he’s a bit of a polymath, or Renaissance man, with wide-ranging interests, and his fingers in many pies, including Blah Blah Blah – spoken word events at the Bristol Old Vic and Wardrobe Theatre, which started life as Word of Mouth at the Thunderbolt pub on Bath Road. He’s also joint founder of the Bristol Festival of literature, the Bristol Review of Books (now sadly defunct) and the Bristol Short Story Prize – “I suppose the connection is that

TOP 5 book picks from Tangent • First book: Naked Guide to Bristol, now in its 6th edition.

• Richard’s favourite: Unsettled by Graham Walker, a Big Issue seller.

• Local focus: Totterdown Rising, reprinted this year.

• Best seller: Banksy’s Bristol • Christmas tip: Vol 10 of Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, featuring 20 writers.

• VOICE READER 20% DISCOUNT: enter code SBV in the discount box at tangentbooks.co.uk

Richard Jones: Tangent’s wide variety of books ‘reflect my lack of focus’

Publish and take a stand on something they are all to do with words.”

Richard has also been a key member of the Bearpit

Improvement Group (BIG). BIG coordinates initiatives to make the area, voted the single worst area in all of Bristol, safer and more welcoming. Richard is “particularly interested in the use of art in public spaces, as a way of changing the way people relate to the urban environment, as pioneered by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft.”

And coming back to the present day, “it’s been a busy 2017, and I’ve just started production on the first title of 2018, The Women Who Built Bristol*, produced in partnership with Bristol Women’s Voice”.

Early next year there’ll also be two new music titles, including one on Massive Attack.

Now firmly rooted in South Bristol, Richard described the best things about the area as “the people, the sense of community, the slow regeneration of Wells Road, and Arnos Vale cemetery.”

As a radical, alternative route to work, it’s hard to beat. * Watch out for more on The Women Who Built Bristol in the Voice next year.

Fostering.

When the extraordinary happens.

Bristol City Council urgently needs more foster carers, to be there for over 700 children currently in care in Bristol.

Call the Bristol Family Placement Recruitment Team on 0117 353 4200 www.bristol.gov.uk/fostering fostering.adoption@ bristol.gov.uk /BristolFostering

Foster with Bristol City Council and make a real difference.

www.bristol.gov.uk/fostering

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

26

n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bath Road BS4 3EW Various works to trees, including pruning and removal of small mature trees, to prevent damage and overhanging and fulfil management aims and obligations. Pending consideration First Floor Flat, 46 Arnos Street, Totterdown BS4 3BS Rear roof terrace to first floor flat. Pending consideration 28 William Street, Totterdown BS3 4TT Demolition of conservatory and erection of single storey rear extension. Pending consideration

December 2017

southbristolvoice

243 Redcatch Road BS4 2HQ Conversion of former used tool shop into two bedroom flat and construction of single storey rear extension. Pending consideration 37 Sylvia Avenue BS3 5BX Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear by 5.2m, of maximum height 2.8m with eaves 2.4m high. Granted 11 Kenmare Road BS4 1PD Retention of outbuilding.

Granted subj. to conditions

8 Paultow Avenue, Windmill Hill BS3 4PR Single storey side and rear extension with external terrace.

Rear roof extension. Pending consideration

Car Park, Redcatch Park, Broad Walk Alterations and extension to car park to form a further two disabled parking spaces, six extra standard parking spaces and motorcycle parking area; refurbishment of existing parking spaces. Granted subject to conditions

346 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QL Detached single storey annex in rear garden. Pending consideration

29 Fitzgerald Road BS3 5DG Rear dormer roof extension and insertion of roof lights in front roof slope. Granted

Knowle, Totterdown, Windmill Hill 36 Beckington Road BS3 5EB Variation of condition 2 of permission 17/00531/H: single storey side and rear extension.

Granted subj. to conditions 14 St Martin’s Gardens BS4 2NJ Details of condition 2 (Cycle store & boundary), 3 (Tree protection) and 4 (Construction management) of permission 16/06676/F: Demolition of garage and erection of two-bed, two storey house. Granted 35 Kingshill Road BS4 2SJ Demolition of outbuildings and erection of two storey, one bed house. Single storey rear extension to existing property with external alterations. Refused 25 Bushy Park BS4 2EG Minor external alterations including removal of external staircase and conservatory, works to level part of garden and install fence and railings. Withdrawn 28 William Street, Totterdown BS3 4TT Single storey rear extension to extend

beyond the rear by 4m, of maximum height 3.4m and eaves 2.3m high. Refused 22 Ravenhill Avenue BS3 5DU Lower ground floor and ground floor rear extension.

Pending consideration 70 Dunkerry Road BS3 4LA Rear flat roof dormer with juliet balcony and roof light in front roof slope. Granted 26 Paultow Road BS3 4PS Dormer roof extension and roof lights as part of loft conversion.

Granted 2 Preston Walk BS4 2TP Front porch with WC and single storey side and rear extension.

Refused 51 Stoneleigh Road BS4 2RH Single storey rear extension.

Refused • The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planningonline.bristol.gov.uk

• Advice • NHS prescriptions • Living aid products DID YOU KNOW?

• Including Priory, Wells Road, Knowle West Health Park and Wedmore practices

• KEEPING WARM • STOPPING SMOKING • COPING WITH DISABILITY ... and much more. Ask us!

Follow us on Twitter: @bedminsterpharm

bedminster pharmacy Cannon Street, Bedminster, BS3 1BN Open 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat

0117 985 3388

27

THE RAVAGING OF TOTTERDOWN

Stoke Gifford Retirement Village

An inspiring new

Retirement lifestyle

An ExtraCare Charitable Trust Village

for Stoke Gifford

Opening in late 2018, Stoke Gifford Retirement Village will give people over 55 an opportunity to enjoy an active lifestyle, in a home of their own, as part of a vibrant, supportive neighbourhood community.

Located to the east of Coldharbour Lane in Stoke Gifford, near to the University of the West of England campus, the village will have 261 comfortable new homes all boasting the latest safety and security features.

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust aims to ensure that opportunities to live at the village are affordable to all, and are offering these superb, state-of-theart retirement apartments for purchase, shared ownership or rent.

• That we collect prescriptions from all local GP surgeries, free?

10 national awards in the last year. We work hard to serve the whole community, not just with prescriptions, but with:

southbristolvoice

S E n FEATURES M HO PEN OWW O H S NO

Here the focus will be on staying as active and independent as possible in the company of like-minded friends and neighbours thanks to a host of outstanding social and leisure facilities and activities.

Award winning family-run independent pharmacy

WE HAVE WON MORE AWARDS THAN ANY PHARMACY IN THE UK ...

December 2017

Village Show Homes Open for viewing Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm.

Apartments available to purchase from

£139,975

*

*Subject to availability.

In addition, should you need care, now or in the future, it can be provided in the comfort of your own village home. www.doorexpresssouthwest.co.uk

Need more space?

You’ve already got it -

Maximise the potential under your own roof!

FOR ONLY

£299 YOU GET

• 53 square feet (5 sq m) of usable floor area • A fully fitted deluxe smooth glide aluminium loft ladder • professional installation, inclusive of all cost

ATTIC ALERT

Call Jeff on 0785 6065463 Visit our website at www.atticalertservices.co.uk or e-mail atticalertservices@yahoo.co.uk

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

Come along and have a look around to discover everything this exciting new village has to offer.

Stoke Gifford Retirement Village, Off Coldharbour Lane, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS16 1EJ For more information please call

0117 440 3570

or email stokegifford@extracare.org.uk

or online at www.stokegiffordvillage.co.uk

StokeGiffordVillage Charges will apply. Details of any costs associated with your home, care and village services will be provided as part of your application. The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, registered charity number 327816, is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales as company number 2205136. Its registered office is at 7 Harry Weston Road, Binley Business Park, Binley, Coventry, CV3 2SN. Copyright © 2017 - The ExtraCare Charitable Trust

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

December 2017

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28

December 2017

southbristolvoice

LETTERS ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Family

Co-parenting at Christmas Christmas is just round the corner, but for separated parents it can present a whole host of conundrums. In this article, Chris Miller, Managing Partner of Barcan+Kirby, considers co-parenting during the festive season.

Christmas can present childcare difficulties for ex-couples. Most separated parents won’t be celebrating the festive season together, but both will still want to see their children.

Share + share alike

It’s tempting to ignore this issue and hope it goes away, or to fall back on your usual co-parenting arrangements. However, this can often lead to last minute conflict and uncertainty – and the resulting arguments aren’t likely to lead to a harmonious Christmas break.

Some parents choose to do this by sharing out Christmas and Boxing Day, whilst others opt to let one parent have more time at Christmas in return for similar concessions for the other at New Year.

Christmas is always going to be a tricky time of year for separated and divorced parents. So if you’re struggling to agree co-parenting arrangements over Christmas, we have some tips for you.

Think ahead

When broaching the subject of Christmas with your ex-partner, don’t leave it until the last minute. It’s a lot easier to come to a rational and fair decision in advance rather than on 23rd December when you’re in full Christmas mode.

Be fair in how you divvy up contact time – accept that neither of you should have a monopoly on contact at Christmas and be willing to compromise accordingly.

Whatever you decide, remember to let your children’s other relatives know, particularly your own parents if you know they’re hoping to see their grandchildren.

Plan for future years

Once you’ve agreed an arrangement for this year, it’s sensible to make a long term plan so that the same problem doesn’t crop up every 12 months. Why not consider alternating Christmas and Boxing Day each year?

Talk to your children

Of course, before making a final decision about Christmas, you

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Christmas is always going to be a tricky time of year for separated and divorced parents. should speak to your children if they’re old enough. After all, this is about them spending time with you as much as anything.

Don’t put your kids in the middle and ask them to choose, but if they feel that their opinions have been acknowledged, Christmas will be a much happier time for everyone.

Barcan+Kirby has six offices across Bristol and Gloucestershire and a team of solicitors experienced in all areas of Family law.

Professional advice, simply stated.

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@barcankirby

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

This firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. No: 568743.

29

n NEWS

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

We can do our bit to rid seas of plastic

I

AM SURE most people are aware of the disturbing extent of plastic pollution in our rivers, seas and oceans and often feel guilt and frustration at the needless plastic packaging that comes with almost everything we buy.

A floating “island” exists in the North Pacific, five times the size of the UK, composed almost entirely of plastic waste.

Unfortunately there are five major gyres, as they are called, in our oceans around the planet.

What can we do?

Plastic Free Coastlines is a nationwide initiative that has been around for a while, started

by Surfers Against Sewage, which aims to dramatically reduce the use of plastic and encourage ocean-friendly habits, such as using refillable water bottles rather than buying bottled water.

As part of the campaign I will be working with the community in Totterdown and Knowle to hopefully help bring about positive changes and raise awareness of the contributions that we can all make to reduce plastic pollution.

I’ll also be arranging a number of local clean-ups similar

to the very successful Avon Gorge Beach Clean in October. Watch this space.

Graham Coburn Totterdown/Knowle Plastic Free Coastlines Community Leader, Knowle • sas.org.uk/plasticfreecoastlines

Hip, but maybe not that much A FEATURE on Totterdown history in November’s issue of the Voice says the district is “the fifth hippest [in the UK], according to The Times last year”. True, it was listed at number five in a Times property feature – but this numbering seems intended merely to differentiate each listing rather than signifying a relative merit rating.

Beyond a heading calling all 20 the “best hip places to live”, thus explicitly putting the chosen areas above all others in the UK (did they really research and compare every district in the country, and is coolness even quantifiable anyway?), the Times article does not comment on each district’s individual placing

relative to others.

Finnieston, Glasgow, is No 1 in the list but does not seem to be singled out as hippest UK neighbourhood. Numbering appears just functional, to separate each blurb.

• thetimes.co.uk/article/theuks-20-hippest-places-to-buyjc6wk28px Meanwhile, one of Bedminster’s two Butt butchers’ shops is closing, and one staying open. As Little Britain comedy character Vicky Pollard would say: yeah Butt, no Butt.

Francis Harvey, Hotwells

A much more homely aroma TO ALL our friends in the Totterdown community who have just celebrated Diwali, may I wish you peace, health and happiness for the new year.

While walking my dog it was a joy to smell the fragrant aroma of festival food drifting through the open windows – and may I say it served to mask Totterdown’s omnipresent aroma of cannabis!

Thank you Diwali.

A Totterdown veteran

POLICE REPORT We’re clamping down on ASB in parks and roads

T

HE PAST month has brought its own challenges with various incidents being reported to us here in the neighbourhood police team.

The theme for this month’s column is anti-social behaviour (ASB). Unfortunately, towards the end of October, we had some reports of ASB in Redcatch Park, mainly to do with alcohol. The park is classified as a No Drinking Zone, which means we can seize open alcohol containers and pour the alcohol away. I was also made aware that the ladies’ toilets had suffered minor damage due to arson. Someone had set fire to a toilet roll, then left. Fortunately no one was

injured and the property didn’t suffer significant damage, but this had the potential to escalate to something far more serious.

Our work will continue in the park and the local beat team will be patrolling as much as possible.

We have held discussions with the Community Café, and have plans in place to hold a new beat surgery there. Keep an eye out for posters in the park.

W

e have had further reports of poor parking on St Agnes Walk. I cannot stress enough the need to park considerately. Please be aware of how you are leaving your vehicle. Make sure you leave enough room for larger vehicles to get by, while also thinking about people trying to see up and down the road. The beat team will again patrol the area and if vehicles are considered to be parked poorly, this may result in

Award-winning chippy has new hands at fryer NEW FACES have taken over at one of South Bristol’s best-known fish and chip shops.

Farrows in Wells Road, Totterdown, is now owned and run by Chris Reed and Sam Nakoura.

Under founder John Farrow, the shop has won lots of awards over 20 years, scoring highly in the annual Bristol Post fish and chip shop reader vote, and finishing in the top five of the South West Fish & Chip Shop of the Year 2011.

John Farrow is literally sailing off into the sunset – taking his own boat, which he’s built himself, around Europe.

Meanwhile Chris and Sammy aim to build on the shop’s good name with some innovations.

The premises will be redecorated and the menu revised, with more sustainable fish and more locally sourced food. Chris is also looking at replacing the use of palm oil for frying, which has been linked to deforestation in the developing world.

• More at southbristolvoice.co.uk

With PCSO Richard Higbey Broadbury Road police station a ticket and potentially towing the vehicle away.

W

e have received reports about ASB in the Friendship Road area, as well as criminal damage. Our patrols are continuing and we are working to identify those responsible. There have also been reports of ASB and suspicious activity on the Greenleaze junction with Wells Road. A group of young people are reported to be throwing items at shops, while other reports stated that people are acting oddly in the area. We’re continuing our patrols and have identified some of the people involved.

I will leave you with the good news that we have dealt with a problem property on Somerset Terrace. Officers went to the address last month to speak to two men about a number of thefts. While there, we

discovered suspected class A drugs, as well as scales, cash and phones. A 28-year-old and a 57-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, as well as the theft offences. The younger man has been released under investigation and the older man went before the courts, as he was wanted under a court warrant, and he has now been dealt with. We are working with our partners at Bristol city council over this property.

If you do see anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, please contact us, either online via the Contact Us section of the Avon & Somerset Police website, or by calling 101. We need your help with this type of behaviour so that we can target our patrols and identify offenders.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

PCSO Richard Higbey

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

December 2017

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December 2017

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n THE MAYOR

INVITATION

MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

We must look at every option, but this city is going to get an affordable arena

T

HIS month, the waste enforcement campaign that I launched during my State of the City speech has really started to take effect.

The city’s new enforcement team will be giving out fines of up to £75 to anyone caught dropping litter.

This is part of the serious steps we are taking to get to grips with Bristol’s litter problem. I launched my Clean Streets campaign last year and while we have had a great response from children, community organisations and individuals it is not right that these people should have to sort out the city’s rubbish problems alone. Our team have

been out on the street trying to change Bristol’s littering habit. In the team’s first week of operating they have handed out over 500 fines, which shows the extent of the problem we are dealing with.

By cracking down on the minority who are

spoiling the city for the rest of us we will be able to make Bristol the clean city that it should be. You can find more information about the campaign at the Clean Streets pages of the council website.

Meanwhile the value for money review into Bristol’s arena continues and I have asked for it to be widened to consider all possibilities.

We must consider every avenue when looking at this project. This includes raising private investment, thinking about other sites and considering designs which could be delivered within budget. Nothing is off the table because, one way or another, this city is going to get an arena it can afford.

We have also launched a council wide consultation on our draft five-year plan for the council. This consultation, called Tough Times, High Hopes, will set out our priorities for the direction of the city and will also include some of our proposals to make the savings of £52 million.

This follows on from our Your Neighbourhood consultation earlier this year where we laid out plans for wide-reaching proposals. The results of this are due to be considered soon by me and my cabinet.

To have your say on our plans and review our savings proposals please head to our website at: • bristol.gov.uk/corpstrategy

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32

n COLUMNS In witch my plans backfire

O

H I DO love Halloween.

Obviously. This year I went to my friend’s house where me and lots of cackling witches set up camp in her front garden. Oh we had a laugh springing surprises on those brave enough to enter. In fact we had more fun than the children!

Back at home, however, things were not so happy. I had dressed up my house, purely to win a competition for most creepy house (I didn’t win, damn it). But by dressing my home I was inviting people to come a-calling. This was a big issue as Himself would be alone: he doesn’t like people. So I had a cunning plan – I left a little poem on my bin, blocking entry: This witch has flown up the road, To turn small children into toads,

Who is the Wicked Witch?

She flies too high to be seen at this time of year ...

OF KNOWLE

Do not knock – my house guests bite, But if you want to give her a fright Track her down, up the road – don’t be shy “Wicked Witch, Wicked Witch” you must cry, Be nice and scary, and if you’re quick Sweets will be thrown – unless it’s a trick?

Perfect, thought I. Nobody will knock, and all those darling little children will come looking for me.

Much later, it did cross my mind that only one girl had turned up shouting “Wicked Witch, Wicked Witch,” but I was too busy trying to make small tots cry to ponder why.

When I flew home, buzzing from sugar pinched from passing small people, cackling with the joy of Halloween, I found Himself sitting in darkness. My pumpkin had been blown out. “All night,” he growled, “kids have been shouting through the letterbox calling for you.”

I was confused, my poem was clear. I read it again. Oh dear. I had underestimated the little angels that live round here. Adding “unless it’s a trick?” had prompted them to break through the barricades and attack my front door, causing the house to rock and Himself to turn up the volume on the footie he was trying to watch. Not even an offer of a stolen lollypop could appease him.

The other thing that has Himself shaking his head in disbelief is that I am now an Assistant Beaver Leader. How did that happen?

Having endured years of those little witches clubs known as Rainbows

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

O

Spot check N NOVEMBER 9 the farm café and nursery had an impromptu visit from the Bristol City Council health inspector. Both the café and the nursery kitchen retained their 5-star hygiene rating, confirming that all farm food prep areas are well looked after, clean and sparkly.

Tall trees Christmas trees are on sale at the farm from December 1. The trees are locally-sourced and all around six feet tall. There are two varieties available - Norway spruce (traditional) at £25, or Nordman fir (non-drop) at £35. There is a £5 discount

for farm members – bring your membership card - pay at reception or in the café – all proceeds help to support the charitable work of the farm.

Mull it over The farm Christmas Fair is on Saturday December 9. Festive delights include homemade gift workshops, a magical wishing tree, festive wreaths, farm produce, gifts, and of course,

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and Brownies, I had forgotten what a joy boys are. I have helped out my Akela friend a few times with her cub pack, a night full of uncomplicated energy and fun.

When this friend asked if I could help out at the Beavers I thought, “Why not?”

Oh my. An hour entertaining a gaggle of 6-8 year old boys (and a couple of girls) is hard work. One session, the head Beaver Lady was away. My carefully planned craft activity kept them entertained for about five seconds. When I turned to see what the little cherubs were up to, there was a Beaver tied up with a rope, being pulled around the floor at speed by a few others, another was lying on his mate, and to top it off someone turned out the lights just as the parents turned up. Carnage. The next week Beaver Lady was back (I hugged her tight) and a crazy calm was restored. Phew!

• windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk

open to all, and all cost less than £100 for 10 sessions, with concessions available for those on a low income. These regular courses are all very popular so booking early is recommended.

For more information and to book visit www.enrolonline.wea. org.uk or call 0300 303 3464.

Tree-mendous value: Local trees some warming mulled wine and mince pies. Noon-4pm, adults £2, children £1.

Of course you can!

January will see the start of a whole range of WEA courses at the farm – including pattern making (for beginners or intermediates), art, exploring colour and paint, reading and writing poetry, jewellery making, stained glass, yoga and complementary therapy.

These 10-week courses are

southbristolvoice

RSPCA UPDATE

THE WICKED WITCH

December 2017

STOP PRESS – late news The farm was nominated in two categories in this year’s VOSCURs – Bristol’s social impact awards which celebrate the voluntary and community sector, and are voted on by the public. The farm was nominated in the Happy Healthy Bristol Award and the Community Venue of the Year Award.

Voting closed on November 17 and winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday November 30 – we’ll see how the farm did then.

Winners will be announced here: • voscur.org/content/ voscurs2017

33 From Bristol Dogs & Cats Home

We want to treat all our animals this Christmas

W

E’VE launched a special Christmas Day appeal to make sure that no cat, dog or small animal feels left out this Christmas Day. While the majority of pets across Bristol will be enjoying a warm Christmas Day snuggled by the fire or in front of a Christmas movie, some animals won’t be so lucky. For animals in kennels, Christmas Day is just like any other day – no presents, no turkey and definitely no Santa.

It’s time for that to change!

We want you to bring some festive fun and joy to the many animals who will be without a family this year. It’s estimated that over £250 million will be spent on Christmas presents for pets alone this year – would your pets like to share with an animal in need? We’re asking supporters to create special Christmas shoe

It’s not fair that humans get all the presents, is it?

boxes for the animals without homes so that come Christmas Day, they’ll have a special delivery too.

It’s really simple. All you have to do is: • Take a shoe box; • Fill it with treats and toys for a cat, dog or small animal; • Decorate it in a festive fashion, and label what type of animal the box is for; • Drop the box off!

You can leave your gift box at

Box of fun: You can make up a gift box for a cat, dog, or small animal Bristol Dogs & Cats Home, either by dropping it in at the home itself, at the clinic or at the admin office (the entrance is round the corner in Victor Street). Or post it to: Admin Office, RSPCA Bristol, 48 Albert Road, St

Philip’s, Bristol BS2 0XA. If you prefer to make a monetary donation, you can donate via our website or by sending a cheque to Bristol Dogs and Cats Home at the above address.

• rspca-bristol.org.uk

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THE CLOSURE of Dance Voice, the charity which provided dance training and therapy for a wide range of people, including those with learning differences, has been met with sadness.

The charity closed due to financial difficulties in October, after meeting for almost 40 years

at the Quaker Meeting House and Jubilee Hall in Wedmore Vale, Lower Knowle.

This leaves the two meeting spaces looking for new users. If you know of a group which needs a community space, contact Barney Smith on 07929 727 259 or barneysmith47@gmail.com.

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Visit us or call for advice and to book in a free site visit. Free parking: Glenavon Farm, 331 Bath Road, Saltford, BS31 3TJ 01179 243898 / 01225 874422 Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

December 2017

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34

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

O

NE OF the first things that mayor Marvin Rees did when taking office was to part company Gary with chief executive Hopkins Nicola Yates. The Lib Dem compensation Knowle bill for the Bristol taxpayer was around £200,000.

We then had a temporary chief executive at a cost of around £1,000 a day. After that there was a controversial recruitment process after which Anna Klonowski was appointed. She had been working at the council for over a year, in finance.

Bristol, like other councils, has a long and thorough process for appointing senior officers, to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and that Bristol finishes up with the very best person for the highly-paid job.

The proper procedures were not followed and councillors from Lib Dem, Conservative and Green parties that sit on the

Knowle

human resources committee have asked the audit committee for a full investigation. The same three councillors, including yours truly, have asked the council’s independent auditors to investigate the departure of Ms Klonowski, seven months after her appointment, with a reported payout approaching £100,000. If we believe the mayor’s stated reason for her leaving, she was not entitled to any payment.

During the past year around 20 senior officers left the council and many posts have temporary occupants. The mayor has admitted that managers are reluctant to come to work in Bristol, and comments made to me by departing managers tell of a very unhappy ship.

There are signs already that the mayor will try to block investigations so a petition has been raised (see web link below).

This goes right to the heart of accountability and good practice with your money, so please support the call.

• taxpayersmoney.weebly.com

How to contact your councillor: p2

W

E SAW one of the most important meetings of full council for some time on Chris November 14.

Davies Having cancelled Lib Dem the September Knowle meeting, because of what turned out to be nonexistent meetings between the Bristol Labour leader/mayor and the Government, there was a huge backlog of business, especially from many public protestors about libraries and parks.

This meant that important reports such as the vast increase in ombudsman findings against the council, and the appointment of the chief executive, got brushed aside. Even the vital regional spatial plan, which gives the outline of where 100,000 houses and infrastructure will go in the West of England, got a very short debate. If uncorrected by government inspectors, this will be a disaster for the Wells Road

corridor, with massive housing at Whitchurch and Hengrove and the cancelling of the A37 park and ride. The A37 would just become a car park – but only Lib Dems and a few Tories spotted the problems and voted against.

Lib Dems have worked closely with the well-informed and sensible Bristol Parks Forum (see their website) and supported their call for the mayor and his assistant Asher Craig to abandon their mad ambition to cut all funding for parks. There is now some sign now of a retreat.

On libraries, we heard many sensible public submissions, and the Lib Dem motion to demand change to the mass closure plans got support from the Tories, most Greens and two Labour rebels – well done Brislington for defying their whip. With some Labour abstentions, this was enough to overturn the Labour majority who were instructed to oppose the rescue plan. We have to hope that the mayor and cabinet listen to reason, but sadly this lot are the wrong people to run this city.

December 2017

southbristolvoice

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

O

NCE again the proposed Bristol arena is in the news, and once again it is not because Jon construction Wellington has begun.

Labour The contracted Windmill Hill construction firm has come back with a quote that is unaffordable based on the current design and the capital available.

However, the other news is that it appears that not only will construction not be on schedule, it may not even be on site. In extending the scope of the latest ‘value for money’ assessment to include alternative sites and private funding, mayor Marvin Rees has suggested that an alternative, possibly in Filton, might be considered instead of the current site at Temple Meads, which is in my ward.

The arena is a constant presence when discussing traffic, transport, housing and parking

Windmill Hill

infrastructure for the local area with residents or council officers.

Discussions are framed with reference to the expectation of a 12,000 capacity arena being built a few hundred metres away from Totterdown in the next four or five years. Now, it seems this may not be the case after all.

I know this is a view that is not universally popular, but I think that if Bristol is to have an arena then the city centre would be the best location, as long as public transport to connect the site to the rest of the city is vastly improved.

Many people now go to concerts and gigs as a day out.

Sending people on a bus to Filton is unlikely to be quite the same draw as a show situated in the heart of the city, as is the case with Cardiff’s arena and stadium.

It’s no good building an arena just because we said we would – it has to be something that improves our cultural offer and ultimately brings jobs and prosperity to the city.

T

35

How to contact your councillor: p2

HE ISSUE that has dominated council business since the 2016 election is the budget. We face Lucy severe financial Whittle problems, which Labour is why some Windmill Hill services are being cut. Bristol is not alone.

The other core cities, including Birmingham, Cardiff and, Manchester, are also facing hardship. The cause has nothing to do with the cities themselves, but with the Government.

The three main sources of income for councils are council tax, business rates and money from the Government. All of which comes from Bristolians, including the money from Whitehall; we pay for it in income tax, national insurance, VAT and other taxes. The Government’s contribution to Bristol’s budget is one of the fairest ways to collect taxes on our behalf, because taxes like income tax are “progressive”,

which means those who earn more pay more. Council tax is a rather basic form of taxation, which is not based on ability to pay, so it would be unfair if all Bristol’s income were raised this way.

In 2014, council services cost each Bristol household £1,878 (the total budget for the whole of the city is £352.5m, divided between 187,660 households). Of that £1,878, £1,036 came from the Government (55 per cent) and £823 from council tax.

In 2015 the Government changed the way councils are funded. The Government now returns much less of the money it collects from Bristolians. This year the average spending for each household on council services was £1,739, but Whitehall’s contribution was only £215 – just 12 per cent. The difference in just a few years is stark. In effect, the Government has taken £821 away from each household. That money will not now come back to Bristol, and the council has very hard choices to make about how to spend the budget it has left.

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36

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December 2017

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n HISTORY SARAH GUPPY, INVENTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

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37

I

T WON’T have escaped the eagle-eyed reader of these pages that most of the protagonists we feature are men.

We are dealing with history, after all; and the modern world teaches us that opportunities for women are still not equal, so we shouldn’t be surprised that, in the Victorian era, there weren’t too many Bristolian women who were celebrated as having made an impact on the city.

When we meet an exception like Sarah Guppy, then, it’s tempting to go overboard.

Inventor, investor, unafraid to speak her mind, and filthy rich, with a gigantic fortune she had helped to make herself.

Sarah Guppy lived in South Bristol in grand style, in one of the few great houses to be found on this side of the river, Arno’s Court. Here she came up with all manner of inventions, 11 of them patented, such as a method of keeping ship’s hulls free from barnacles, and domestic appliances such as a tea urn which also cooks eggs, and a bed that doubled as a home gym.

Only last year, however, did Sarah Guppy take a long-overdue step towards posthumous fame, with an entry into the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, written by Dr Madge Dresser, associate professor of History at the University of the West of England.

Since then, she’s been widely

Brought back to life: Sarah Guppy, the alleged creator of Clifton Suspension Bridge, as played by Kim Hicks in a production in 2006. The show is returning in 2018 – see p39 PHOTO: Zuleika Henry/Show of Strength

A bridge too far?

The South Bristol pioneer and Clifton’s engineering wonder of the modern world celebrated, with articles in the local and national press, and much discussion of her legacy online.

But was Sarah Guppy everything that was claimed of her? Have some commentators been guilty of projecting on to her their desires for a female hero of the Industrial Revolution? In short, was she really the brains behind the Clifton Suspension Bridge, robbed unfairly of her share of the credit by that interloper from London, Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

R

eading certain headlines might give you the impression that Sarah Guppy has been treated appallingly by history.

“Recognition at last for the mumof-six who designed Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge – not Brunel” was the headline in the Bristol Post on March 15, 2017.

“A Bristol mother-of-six has been unmasked as the TRUE designer of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Sarah Guppy has been added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography with the revelation that she – and

not Brunel – was the brains behind the plans,” began the Post story.

The Daily Telegraph averred, on May 30, 2016: “The female engineer behind Bristol’s iconic bridge: Mum-of-six handed plans to Brunel because she said women must ‘not be boastful’.”

And the Daily Mail asked: “Was the Clifton Suspension Bridge really designed by an unknown mother-of-six?”

Can they all be right? Has a pioneering female engineer, almost the only one of her age, and a South Bristolian to boot, been robbed of her reputation as the designer of one of the world’s most famous Victorian landmarks? Should, perhaps, there be a university named Guppy rather than Brunel?

Spoiler alert: not really. (As is sometimes the case when a Daily Mail headline poses a question, the answer is No.) But Sarah Guppy deserves more fame than she has – and her story is just as interesting, if rather more complicated, than the headlines.

S

he was born Sarah Beach in Birmingham, one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution, in 1770. Her family were wealthy and had made their money from the sugar trade in the West Indies – an industry which depended for its success on slavery. This, of course, was not young Sarah’s fault, and the same was true of many other wealthy families in 18th C England, but the fact that her family fortune may have its basis in slavery was not mentioned in the tide of celebratory articles about her.

What is clear is that Sarah was interested in far more than the expensive frocks and carriages which preoccupied so many well-off women of the time.

Her father owned a brass factory and it’s not too fanciful to suppose that, if she showed an interest in the family business, he took her to nearby Coalbrookdale to see one of the wonders of the world – the first bridge made out of iron.

Sarah was 11 when the Coalbrookdale bridge was opened, spanning a 100ft gorge with the height necessary to allow ships to pass underneath.

Plans had been proposed to build it in stone or timber but none fitted the brief as well as the Continued overleaf

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

December 2017

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38

n HISTORY SARAH GUPPY, INVENTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE Continued from page 37 revolutionary cast iron design, which allowed a single span with a minimum of material. It proved its worth when it was the only bridge on the River Severn to survive the torrential flood of February 1795.

A bridge like Coalbrookdale was, for its day, as innovative as the first smartphone. Innovation was something Sarah clearly admired. When in 1795 she married a wealthy Bristol merchant, Samuel Guppy, it was to be the start of a partnership that was truly inventive, and they began filing patents almost straight away.

It’s never been clear how much of a contribution Sarah made to the patents for inventions that were registered in her husband’s name. There may have seemed little point in putting a patent in her name as at the time a woman couldn’t legally own property independently of her husband.

The year after they were married, Samuel Guppy patented a method of making copper nails.

It may sound a trivial achievement, but it may have been crucial to the survival of Great Britain.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Royal Navy was Britain’s main defence. In 1780 the nation was at war with the USA, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Invasion was a real threat, which continued through the reign of Napoleon in France.

The Royal Navy had the world’s most powerful fleet of ships – but they were rotting.

Attacks from barnacles and woodworm could weaken a ship and affect its handling. Coating

THE NAME SOUNDS FAMILIAR …

T

HE GUPPY is one of the most popular species of tropical fish kept in captivity – and it comes from the Guppy family of South Bristol.

Robert Lechmere Guppy was a nephew of Thomas Guppy, one of Sarah’s sons. He lived in Trinidad, where he caught several specimens of a small fish he believed was unknown to science.

Only an inch or two long, the males were smaller and more brightly coloured than the females. He sent specimens to the Natural History Museum in London, where his friend, Dr Albert

scene, and Sarah became a well-known commentator and author – but not always in terms that would find favour today.

She wrote books for children, but despite her own abilities she had decidedly odd views (to our eyes) on the position of women.

She founded a society to look after women servants – but it seems to have been on the basis that charity was all they deserved. Sarah believed that working women were paid too much, and their salaries should be reduced.

Closer to modern sensibilities, though, was her campaigning on behalf of animals. She wrote to Revolution: The Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale, built when Sarah was 11 the earl of Liverpool, who owned the giant Smithfield meat market the hulls with tar or even lead wooden hull without costly and in London, asking that it be stopped some of the rot, but then complex internal bolts. closed on the ground of animal it was discovered that copper was The Guppys found the answer cruelty. She believed that driving even more effective. It was light, – though it took eight years to animals through the streets of it offered no resistance to water, perfect it. Their patent was for the city to be slaughtered was and it kept out the rot. By the end “The art or invention of cutting cruel and unnecessary, and she of 1783, no fewer than 393 ships and heading nails by two several called for a new system of local of thee fleet were clad in copper. engines.” (An ‘engine’ here markets where animals could be This was tremendously means an industrial machine, not transported more easily, and expensive – a vital step for the a device like a car engine.) people could find work, and buy navy, but out or reach for most In 1804, as the invasion threat what they needed, nearer their commercial ship owners. Hence from Napoleon grew, the Royal homes. She wrote: “Man where the phrase “copper bottomed”, Navy bought the patent from the his interest and convenience is used to describe an expensive but Guppys for £40,000. This is the served (generally speaking) feels very safe investment. equivalent of £3.2 million today, little for any animal, but if Then it emerged that after allowing for inflation. But observed their eyes sufficiently attaching the copper with alloy adjusted for the size of the indicate that they do severely bolts to the iron bolts inside the economy at that time, and the suffer both in mind and body.” ships’ hulls was causing relative wealth it gave to Samuel She was describing the ideas of corrosion. This was another and Sarah, it is worth an animal suffering, and of food threat that couldn’t be ignored. astonishing £230m. miles, before the environmental Copper bolts were developed, Certainly, in their time the movement was born. which removed the risk of Guppys were among Bristol’s electrolytic reaction with the super rich. They lived in its most he innovation which iron, and the entire navy was prestigious locations – at led to the new copper refitted, again very expensively. different times having houses at nailed had been made in The opportunity was obvious Prince Street and at Queen Square. co-operation with an American for anyone who could work out a At some point after their industrialist, James Finley, who way to fix copper sheets to a windfall from the navy they had a a factory in Newburyport, moved into even grander Massachusetts. The Guppys set surroundings at Arno’s Court. It up a London operation to market had been built in 1760 for the their wares, and Sarah spent Quaker industrialist William part of her time managing the Reeve, who, perhaps not business in the capital. coincidentally, made his money Her next-door neighbours in smelting copper. Reeves also fashionable Cheyne Walk, built the strange Black Castle, a Chelsea, were the Brunel family giant folly the other side of Bath – the visionary engineer Marc, Road made of blocks of slag from wife Sophia Kingdom and son A guppy: named after the family his copper foundry in Crew’s Hole.

Isambard Kingdom (IKB) , born Our engraving on p39 shows in 1806. It was the start of a Guenther, named the species the grand house and its folly in relationship between generations Girardinus Guppii in his honour in 1803, with fields of sheep grazing of the two families.

1866. However, we now know that in the foreground, looking like a The Clifton Suspension Bridge the guppy had been discovered rural idyll – though in reality the was a long way from being the twice before – in Venezuela in steam and stench of the factories first of its kind. The Chinese had 1859 and in Barbados in 1861. and tanneries of St Philips were developed the idea centuries The scientific name is now only a short distance away on the before, and the Tibetan saint and Poecilia reticulata. But guppy is other side of the New Cut. bridge-builder Thangtong Gyalpo much more memorable – and Samuel and Sarah were built eight simple suspension that’s the name that has stuck. leading lights of the Bristol social bridges in the 1430s, with a

T

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

December 2017

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n HISTORY SARAH GUPPY, INVENTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

Sarah’s home: Arno’s Court and the Black Castle (left) in about 1803 walkway of planks suspended by iron wires.

In Britain, a suspension footbridge, the Wynch bridge on the River Tees, was erected in 1741. By the 19th century bigger, wider bridges were required.

The man who developed the idea in the US was the Guppys’ collaborator, James Finley. Like Sarah, he was a self-motivated, untrained inventor – his first career was as a lawyer, then a judge. But where Sarah was patronised as a woman dabbling in engineering, Finlay was lauded as a man who got things done.

And indeed he built the first modern suspension bridge, the Jacob’s Creek Bridge in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, 1801, with a wide, stable deck, suspended from chains and trusses.

The evidence is that Sarah

learned from Finley lessons that he did not appreciate. He designed between 20 and 40 chain bridges, but not all of them survived. It’s now thought that he didn’t make enough allowance for the stress of ‘live loads’ – the weight of people and the impact of storms and snow.

Finley’s Chain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill, Philadelphia, built in 1808, collapsed in 1816 under a heavy weight of snow.

And his Dunlap’s Creek bridge in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, built in 1809, collapsed in 1820 during a heavy snowfall when a six-horse wagon was crossing.

Was Sarah aware of the shortcomings of Finley’s design when she filed – in her own name – a patent for a suspension

SARAH GUPPY – BACK ON STAGE IN 2018 THE SHOW of Strength theatre company, based in Bedminster, which makes dramas that bring history to life, has already put Sarah Guppy on the stage.

Back in 2006, for the 200th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s birth, Sarah’s role in the Brunel story was told in An Audience With Sarah Guppy.

Sarah Guppy was then little known except to a few students of the period. Show of Strength founder Sheila Hannon, has worked with Prof Madge Dresser of UWE to uncover details of

PHOTO: Bristol Museums © Bristol Culture

bridge in 1811? Her design was for a method of “erecting and constructing bridges and rail-roads without arches or sterlings, whereby the danger of being washed away by floods is avoided”.

Her innovation – as always with patents – was in the detail.

According to the official website of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, she described “a system whereby vertical rows of piles (eg tree trunks) were driven deep into the ground and fixed together by a frame so that they would be capable of resisting water erosion. On this secure base the bridge piers were to be built.

Several chains would then be placed or secured on top and drawn tight to create a platform and a deck built on top.”

The difference Explaining her ideas: Kim Hicks as Sarah Guppy in the 2006 show, An Audience With Sarah Guppy. A new show is to be staged in 2018

Sarah’s remarkable life, including new material to be featured in an updated production next year.

Called Sarah Guppy: The Bridge, The Bed, The Truth, the new show will open in autumn 2018.

The Daily Mail version of the Guppy tale, headlined “Was the

Clifton Suspension Bridge really designed by an unknown mother-of-six?”, is “patronising and inaccurate,” wrote Sheila Hannon.

“The time seems right to bring Sarah back to set the record straight,” she said. • showofstrength.org.uk

between this design, and the bridge which was eventually built over the Avon gorge, is obvious.

Sarah Guppy designed a bridge which sits on piles in the riverbed; what we eventually got was a bridge anchored in the cliffs high above the river.

But it can’t be denied that the Guppy patent had an influence on the long-running debate about how to bridge the Avon gorge. A crossing had been planned since 1753, when businessman William Vick bequeathed £1,000 in his will towards the project (now worth £139,000 after inflation but, in purchasing power, worth closer to £18m).

Plans came and went, many of them hampered by the Admiralty’s insistence of a clearance of 100ft under any bridge to allow tall ships to pass.

This may have been what prevented Sarah from pushing her design for use on the Avon.

She is known to have made detailed models of her design, and to have invested in the fund to build the bridge.

But when the time came to submit plans to the competition to build the bridge, she didn’t act.

So where do the stories come from that she gave her plans to Brunel, and that she is the real genius behind the bridge?

We have seen that she knew the Brunel family as neighbours.

She probably got to know Isambard as a child, and though she had six children of her own, it’s possible that in London she was living apart from them.

Sarah is said to have had a fiery temper, and the London home may have been a refuge from a failing marriage.

She had also written children’s books; is it too fanciful to think that she read them to young Isambard, and discussed the latest in bridge design with his father Marc? She was aware of the innovations of her business partner, Finley, in the US, and obviously thought she could improve on them.

The tale of Sarah’s influence also stretches to another great engineer, Thomas Telford. He erected the Menai suspension bridge across the treacherous Menai Straits to Anglesey in 1826. He had asked permission to use the benefits of Sarah’s patent, and she gave it freely.

The Menai bridge sits on piers set in the water, so appears close Continued overleaf

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

of money for her own needs – that her ideas should be used for public benefit.

This was after she had come up with yet another sensible idea which no one else had thought of, writing to the Great Western Railway to suggest planting willow and poplar trees to stabilise rail embankments. It’s a practice still used today.

Her last patent, in 1844, was for a method of caulking ships’ hulls to stop leaks.

Her collaboration with the younger Brunel was a long one, and the attachment passed to her second son, Thomas, who became an engineer who worked

SARAH’S INVENTIONS • Copper nails to fix copper sheathing to ships – worth a fortune to the Royal Navy (patent filed by her husband Samuel); • A ‘teasmade’ – an urn for tea or coffee that also cooked eggs and warmed toast; • A method of piling suspension bridges to make them more secure; • A new type of candlestick that allowed candles to burn longer; • Sprinklers – an 1842 system to put out fires with pipes full of water (filed in the name of second husband Richard); • An exercise bed – a bed with drawers and bars for a workout; • A portable oven; • A plate warmer; • A tobacco-based remedy for foot rot in sheep; • A fire hood – a safety device for stoves.

Workout zone: The exercise bed had pull-out drawers which functioned as steps for on-thespot exercise, plus various bars for pull-ups and other stretches.

It was just one of 11 patents filed in Sarah’s name or the names of her husbands.

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SUDOKU

Can you find 40 rivers hidden vertically, horizontally or diagonally?

Each horizontal row, each 2x2 square and each column must contain all the numbers 1-4.

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Q J S N K B I V Y E L L O W K Q R V C

Q S I Y E K H N M G E V P N K H Z R O

I L E W R T X J D J D Y U J I D I D L

E U C I J D N J L U M C O N G O E V O

H F Y I N U A M I E S F E G I R E O R

U O I B G E G R E E N R I V E R H L A

D V B L Y L R W Y K D X T T T U G G D

S P K U T A S L H A O K N I A G R A O

O S K Z W O B D R I O N G N D L M O R

N O M A M U R R A Y T R G O G A U R U

N U D M K E A F Y P I E H G Z T B I J

C D E B P U H F Y S V E R O G H A N O

Y I A E C P M Y E L B E N I A A N O R

C F M Z Y H A A N Q T O O V V M G C D

TXT PERT

G E F I T R P N I G E R R N U E I O A

U L B P T A U G S W Q Q A F I S R C N

L G E I K T T T E K J C N P A R A N A

R H O N E E R Z Y P O P G G A N G E S

P G V Q A S A E X P X O E D A N U B E

EASY for children

2 3 1 4

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SOLUTIONS

in 1811. The coins are now rare – there’s a Guppy penny on eBay at the time of writing for £100.

I

f we conclude that SarahGreen River Guppy was not the creator Huang of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, it should not diminish Hudson her in our minds. She was without a doubt one of the Indus world’s best-informed experts on Irrawaddy bridge design in the early 19th C, Jordan and her influence on the Brunels and their success may well have Lena been considerable.

Mekong The families were very close: the younger Brunel painted Murray portraits of Sarah and of her Niagra children at Arno’s Court in the 1830s. Quite apart from that, she Niger was a prolific inventor, and not a Nile fanciful one.

She was a writer for bothOb children and adults, a poet, a Oder social campaigner and a mother to six (even if she didn’t do the Orange dutiful thing and preserve their Orinoco inheritance). She may not fit neatly into the story we would Parana like to tell about her. But whose Po fault is that? Not hers.

Rhine Sources Rhone Article on Clifton Suspension Bridge Seine website: • cliftonbridge.org.uk/didSomme sarah-guppy-design-cliftonSyr Darya suspension-bridge Sarah Guppy: Bridging the past to Thames the present, by Show of Strength Tigris theatre producer Sheila Hannon: • institution-engineering- Ubangi designers.org.uk/Article/ Volga Features/sarah-guppy-bridgingthe-present-to-the-past White River Was Sarah Guppy the real inventor Yangtze of the Clifton Suspension Bridge?

Article for BBC History magazine by Yellow Bristol journalist Eugene Byrne: • historyextra.com/article/ feature/was-sarah-guppy-realinventor-clifton-suspensionbridge Blog by Colin Salter, descendant of the Guppy family: • talltalesfromthetrees.blogspot. co.uk/2012/02/samuel-guppy1755-1830-makes-tidy-penny.html

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WAHT’S MY PRESENT?

£1.7m in spending power.) Two years later Coote collapsed in Park Street and died, having burned away most of his inheritance, leaving only £200.

We are left with a picture of an extraordinary woman who didn’t seek for herself the fame which in our age she would have had thrust upon her.

Indeed, despite her many achievements, she didn’t think it was right that she should get too much recognition. “It is unpleasant to speak of oneself – it may seem boastful, particularly in a woman,” she wrote. She also believed – perhaps because she had plenty

A pretty penny: The Guppy coins may have been used to pay staff

PUZZLES Adult puzzles sponsored by GOOD BRAIN GANG

Children’s puzzles sponsored by CRAFTISAN

Parcel a is the car, b is the submarine and c is the aeroplane.

AT THE height of success for the Guppy family business the company was – quite legally – minting its own coins.

It forged penny, halfpenny and farthing (quarter penny) coins, which could be exchanged for coins of the realm at its premises in Bristol and London.

It’s not quite clear why: according to science writer Colin Salter, a descendant of the family, some industrialists had started making their own coins to pay their workers because there was a dire shortage of currency in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. But the coin famine is thought to have ended with the opening of the Royal Mint in 1809, and the Guppy coins were issued

n TAKE A BREAK

TXT PERT

S

arah Guppy was clearly a phenomenon. She was a prolific writer, campaigner and inventor. She filed 11 patents, some of them in her own name. She invented a bed that doubled as a home gym, with bars to pull up on and drawers that made steps.

She designed a tea urn, patented in 1812, with attachment which could cook eggs, and a compartment to keep toast warm.

In later life Sarah became a semi-scandalous figure when, seven years after her husband’s death in 1830, she married Richard Eyre Coote, aged 39 – 28 years younger than her. She didn’t tell her six children in advance, though she was farsighted enough to get Coote to sign a prenuptial agreement to protect her considerable fortune.

It didn’t work. Coote proved to be a waster, a dreadful gambler who burned through Sarah’s money. In 1842 she could no longer afford the upkeep of Arno’s Court and she moved out, to 7 Richmond Hill, Clifton. She had enough money, though, to buy the land opposite the house, which she insisted should be for the benefit of residents, and it still remains a green space.

Sarah died in 1850, leaving a legacy of just £500 (£49,000 today, after inflation, but worth

closely with IKB. Thomas helped design the Great Western Railway from London to Bristol and shared Brunel’s vision that the line’s ultimate destination should be the United States; he was also Directing Amazon Engineer on Brunel’s great Brahmaputra ocean-crossing steamships, the Great Western andColorado the Great Britain. As for the Congo suspension bridge, neither Brunel nor Sarah lived to see Danube it: it wasn’t opened until 1864, and by then even Brunel’s Elbe design had been considerably Euphrates changed.

Ganges

SHE EVEN MADE MONEY

41

Across2 Gravy, 6 Stew, 7 Nut, 8 Grapes, 10 Oil, 11 Rye. Down 1 Sausage, 3 Raw, 4 Venison, 5 Staple, 9 Pie.

Continued from page 39 to the Guppy design. A story in the Bristol Mercury in 1839 said the bridge had used Guppy’s patent without charge. But the Guppy patent talks about driving piles into a riverbed, whereas the Menai piers were built on bedrock – not quite the same thing.

There was another difference, too: both Guppy’s and Finley’s designs used chains, but the Menai bridge, like most suspension bridges after 1820, used flat iron links, which were more rigid.

In 1830 Telford made his own proposal to bridge the Avon Gorge using two huge piers set in the riverbed.

But his design didn’t win – victory went to the Brunels, who had already built suspension bridges elsewhere. They proposed a vast, 700ft span across the cliff tops. (Later it emerged that Marc Brunel thought this too big a stretch, and advised his son Isambard to add a central pier – but his son ignored him.)

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n HISTORY SARAH GUPPY, INVENTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

December 2017

Amazon, Brahmaputra, Colorado, Congo, Danube, Elbe, Euphrates, Ganges, Green River, Huang, Hudson, Indus, Irrawaddy, Jordan, Lena, Mekong, Murray, Niger, Nile, Ob, Oder, Orange, Orinoco, Parana, Po, Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Somme, Syr Darya, Thames, Tigris, Ubangi, Volga, White River, Yangtze, Yellow, Yenisey, Yukon, Zambezi

December 2017

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WHAT’S MY PRESENT? Can you trace which Christmas present is in which parcel? Answers above

a

b

c

This month: Food

Yenisey The numbers point you to the letters on a phone keypad Yukon Clues 1

Across Zambezi 2. 47289 6. 7839 7. 688 8. 472737 10. 645 11. 793

Down 1. 7287243 3. 729 4. 8364766 5. 782753 9. 743

2 is A, B or C 3 is D, E or F 4 is G, H or I 5 is J, K, or L

6 is M, N or O 7 is P, Q, R or S 8 is T, U or V 9 is W, X, Y or Z

2

3

4 5

6

7

8

9 10 11

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December 2017

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An unnerving place for an innocent delivery driver REVIEW: The Bat’s Ball: A Gothic Celebration, Arnos Vale cemetery HE GUESTS were a striking lot – there was a Twilight (the movie) contingent, all long hair, frock coats and cheekbones; there were steam punk and Victoriana influences, floor-length frocks with ruffles and bustles, top hats of various heights, monocles and brocade; and there were good old-fashioned 1980s goths too – eye-liner and pointy boots – the colour black being the uniting factor.

Lit outside by night lights and lanterns, the Anglican chapel looked stunning in the nearly full-moon light. With a glass of red wine on arrival, guests milled

T

Street, Bedminster. The legendary Krautrock band, formed in 1971 in West Germany. £19.80, 7.30pm.

• fiddlers.co.uk Saturday December 2 n Christmas Craft Fair Ashton Vale primary school, Avebury Road, 11am-2pm. Lots for children to do and make, plus a Lapland Café, stalls and raffle.

Free entry. n Martin Stephenson & the Daintees The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown.

Stephenson is reunited with the band with whom he made his first impact with 80s debut album Boat to Bolivia, which they have now rerecorded. 7.30pm, £18 on the door.

• thethunderbolt.net Until December 29 n Affordable Art Fair Tobacco Factory bar OPEN from 12noon to midnight, the Tobacco Fctory team have invited some of the most popular local artists to exhibit a selection of affordable art. Come and find an awesome artwork for a very reasonable price, from Bemmie, Creative Art Force, Fiona Clabon, Peskimo, Susan Taylor, Tobias Illustration & Viva Los Muertos.

Right, Carved phone case from Tobias Illustrations

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n WHAT’S ON

n WHAT’S ON Tuesday November 28 n Jazzata presents Dana & Susan Zion, Bishopsworth Road. “Dana and Susan Robinson explore rural America with elegant simplicity, their rich, intimate harmonies are supported by Dana’s powerful guitar and fiddle playing and Susan’s delicate, sometimes funky, sometimes haunting, mountain banjo sound.” £12/£12, 8pm.

• zionbristol.co.uk/events Thursday November 30 n Beauty and the Beast Tobacco Factory theatre. The Tobacco Factory’s Christmas shows rarely disappoint those looking for something with a bit more imagination than the traditional pantomime. This production of the classic French fairy tale opened last Christmas in Cambridge to sellout houses.

It’s billed as a mischievous and music-filled Christmas treat.

Until January 14, tickets from £9.50 for some schools performances, to £20; family of four £62.

• tobaccofactorytheatres.com n Play Knowle West Knowle West Media centre, Leinster Avenue. Join KWMC from 6.30-8.30pm for an evening of fun and gaming. Play new games made by local creatives, explore the gaming test space, and get help with any tech you’re having trouble with. Free drinks too. To book a place call 0117 903 0444 and ask for Martha or Rachel.

• kwmc.org.uk Friday December 1 n Christmas Food and Gift Market Zion, Bishopsworth Road. Christmas puddings, sweet treats, artisan breads, beer and cider gift packs, gifts, cards, calendars, jewellery and more.

10am-1pm. Café open all day.

• zionbristol.co.uk/events n Faust Fiddlers Club, Willway

December 2017

Stunning: The cemetery setting around listening to music, checking out the artwork from local artists, or just hanging out – it seemed like a lot of these folk were old friends, loving the chance to dress up and catch up. Down in the crypt, members of the local Mexican community created a beautiful Dia de los Muerta – Day of the Dead – exhibition, including calaveras – loving but cheeky poems about late loved ones. In another part of the crypt, you could get a Tarot reading from Spider.

The Bat’s Ball, billed as a Gothic celebration, was the brain-child of, and hosted by, bat specialist Dan Flew, former grave digger, who n Georgia Lewis and Friends Saltcellar Folk Club, Totterdown Baptist Church, entrance off Cemetery Road. A welcome return to the Saltcellar for this young, exuberant and musically versatile trio. Entry £5 or £3 for floorsingers. Hot drinks and refreshments on sale; BYO alcohol.

• saltcellarfolk.org.uk n Comedy and Dining with Jarred Christmas Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street. “New Zealander Jarred has a unique style that deftly mixes gags with storytelling, and the ability to improvise and roll with anything that’s thrown his way.” Plus guests. Dining package £30, gig only £11, 7.45pm.

• thecomedybox.co.uk

now leads bat tours at the cemetery and has sole access to some secret areas where rare bats gather. Nervous, he professed he’d had some Dutch courage before making his welcome speech, but he did good and came across as a likeable fellow, his friend then read a poem, full of gothic symbolism,

by Byron, before we joined our groups for an after dark tour of the necropolis.

Janine led us through the graves by torch-light, stopping to tell us about the cemetery, its flora and fauna or the lives of interesting residents. Bizarrely, a Morrison’s delivery van drove in through the main gates and turned up towards the WWI memorial – whereupon our guide, in full goth regalia, followed by her gang of 30 or more black-clad guests, rushed up to the driver and bid her turn back. The driver’s sat nav had told her there was a way through but she did as she was told and reversed back down the path. That must have made a story back at the office. Beccy Golding Sunday December 3 n Red Riding Hood Zion, Bishopsworth Road. A traditional panto for all the family presented

by JDJB Productions. Shows at 12noon and 3pm. Children £4, adults £6, family (up to five) £20.

• zionbristol.co.uk/events Monday December 4 n VPAG meeting Bowling Club, Victoria Park, 7.30-9pm.

Victoria Park Action Group meets every month to discuss matters such as upcoming events, any issues that have arisen in the park, and ongoing projects such as play areas, wildlife areas, mending benches and more.

• vpag.org.uk Wednesday December 6 n Adult Lego Evening Zion, Bishopsworth Road, 7-10pm.

Build your own Christmas decoration, swap mini figures and enjoy a coffee or a drink. £4 entry includes bricks for one decoration to take home.

• zionbristol.co.uk/events n Quiz night Tobacco Factory snug bar. Weekly quiz is £1 per person, 8.30-10.30pm.

• tobaccofactory.com/whats-on Thursday December 7 n A Bit of Imagination Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. “No one bothers with Lucy, so when her imaginary friend invites her into a world of high adventure and fun, how can

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Life ain’t all you hope for

WIN TICKETS TO SEE NATHAN CATON TO WIN two tickets to see Nathan Caton at the Comedy Box on December 1, answer this question and email your name, address and phone number to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk: Which children’s TV hit did Nathan Caton write for?

THE STAR of Mock the Week and his own Radio 4 comedy, Can’t Tell Nathan Caton Nothing, is finding home ownership isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

After years of talking about it, Nathan has moved out of his mum’s house to his own place, but: “I thought it would be all glam with PlayStation parties but it’s not, it’s being by myself paying my council tax and turning lights off so I’m not wasting energy.”

Hence his new show, which he brings to the Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken on December 1, is The Pursuit of Happiness.Would

we be happier if we’d not voted for Brexit? Would Nathan be happier living with his mum? Is the grass always greener elsewhere?

Nathan’s more laidback than many comics and he promises not to be preachy when he debates the big issues of Brexit and Trump.

His biggest break was Mock the Week, his oddest writing episodes

of Rastamouse – the children’s TV adventures of a mouse from the West Indies that was a big hit.

After years of touring and six Edinburgh Fringes, Nathan is a relaxed performer, but also a workaholic. He went on a rare holiday last year, but felt guilty about not working, and nearly staged a gig in the hotel reception.

she resist? A journey of laughs and unexpected turns for all the family, wrapped up in a seasonal message.” Shows 7pm, until December 16. Tickets £3.

• acta-bristol.com n Christmas wreath making Zion, Bishopsworth Road. Lizzie Valentine shows you how to make a Christmas wreath or garland. Step-by-step instructions for you to take home a beautiful arrangement. 7.30pm, £30.

• zionbristol.co.uk/events n From Blues and Gospel to the Great American Songbook The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Natalie Davis (vocals), Dave Merrick (guitar) and Brendan Whitmore (sax) lead two sets of retro jazz and blues with a spoken introduction from Dave on the story of the music. Tickets £7 and £5, 8.30pm.

• thethunderbolt.net Friday December 8 n Mrs Gerrish’s Rear Window Zion, Bishopsworth

Road. Alfred Hitchcock meets Carry on Constable in this original drama. Mrs Gerrish is stuck in a wheelchair after an accident. Studying her neighbours through her binoculars, she grows fascinated by their behaviour until she sees something that makes her blood run cold. Tickets 11, 7.30pm.

• zion bristol.co.uk/events n Traditions of a Victorian Christmas Knowle and Totterdown Local History Society. A talk by Cherry Hubbard, followed by a light Christmas buffet. 7.30pm, Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle. £3 for visitors, £1.50 members.

• knowleandtotterdownhistory. org.uk n Arnos Vale After Hours Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road.

This tour reveals the darker side of Arnos Vale in an exploration of tragic tales, folk customs and funeral etiquette of Victorian society. Bring a torch. Tickets

£10, 7.30pm-9pm. Also on December 15.

• arnosvale.org.uk n Flash: A Tribute to Queen The Tunnels, Temple Meads. A dedicated Queen tribute act playing replica equipment with authentic costumes. 7.30pm, £14.

• thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Saturday December 9 n Indoor Christmas market SouthBank Club, Dean Lane, Southville. The SouthBank’s annual Christmas-spirit-filled daytime market is back from 11am-4pm with a host of stalls, live music all day, hot snacks and free entry.

• southbankclub.webs.com n Christmas Fair Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, 12noon-4pm.

Browse the gifts from the Home Grown Shop, try homemade gift workshops, sample mulled wine and mince pies, campfire cooker sessions and see the Magical Wishing Tree. Plus festive wreaths, farm produce and more.

Workaholic: Nathan Caton

December 8-13 n Vivienne Baker: Paintings Centrespace Gallery, 6 Leonard Lane (off Corn Street) BS1 1EA

Vivienne Baker: Rooted in a real landscape

T

HE PAINTINGS by Totterdown artist Vivienne Baker look abstract, but they often originate from and feature a local landscape, such as the urban birches in Oxford Street and Abbots Pond in Abbots Leigh.

Vivienne makes use of lowtech photographic resources and exploits the distortion that often occurs with low quality source

images. She uses oil on canvas, but applied with untraditional tools such as paint rollers, spray guns and Chinese brushes. Vivienne has

featured in more than 40 exhibitions, 12 of them solo shows.

She has a studio at Spike Island.

• viviennebaker.net

Entry adults £2, children £1.

• windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n HO9909 + Kate Mo$$ Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. Dark experimental hip hop with the aggression of hardcore punk from US outfit HO9909, pronounced HORROR. £13.20, 7.30pm.

• fiddlers.co.uk Sunday December 10 n Redcatch Christmas Fair Redcatch Community Garden.

Santa’s grotto, stalls, carol singing, teapot cocktails, tombola, food and drink, plus willow weaving with Sarah Edwards, vegetarian chilli and soup, Sausagenius, Bristol Rocks painting and Christmas music with DJ CHRIStmas. Suggested £1 entrance fee, 12noon-6pm.

Tuesday December 12 n Aynsley Lister The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Fresh from his accolade as Guitarist of the Year in the British Blues Awards, Aynsley returns to The Tunnels with a new album, Eyes Wide Open 7.30pm, £12.

• thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Wednesday December 13 n Christmas Carol Evening Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road, Bedminster. With poems & readings in aid of the Julian Trust, 7pm.

Friday December 15 n Networking with Freelance Mum Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Guest speaker: Chris Coles of Vin2o, a wine company with a difference. Every bottle of wine sold helps pay for clean water in developing countries.

10am-12noon. £9 members, £12 non-members, children free, includes coffee and cake.

• windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n The Regz Annual Festive Feast The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. A 10th year for this festive event after last year’s sell-out. The Regz claim to be Bristol’s premier show band with nine members and a full brass section, playing everything from Motown to ska. 7.30pm, £6.

• thethunderbolt.net n Adam Kay’s Smutty Christmas Songs Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street. Adam Kay presents an evening of seasonal smut, a sell-out every year since 2008. £12.50, 7.45pm.

• thecomedybox.co.uk n Joey The Lips Christmas Show The Tunnels, Temple Continued overleaf

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December 2017

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n WHAT’S ON Meads. 10-piece Joey The Lips are billed as a funky soul, blues and disco revue. 7.30pm, £11.

• thetunnelsbristol.co.uk n Inner Terrestrials Fiddlers Club, Willway Stret, Bedminster.

London’s Inner Terrestrials are original pioneers of the UK dub punk sound. Support includes the Filaments. £10, 8pm.

• fiddlers.co.uk Saturday December 16 n Natty Daps The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. The ska party band serve up their own festive rhythms. 7.30pm, £5 on the door.

• thethunderbolt.net n Christmas Coffee Morning Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road, Bedminster. With Christmas stalls and refreshments, 10.30am-noon.

Sunday December 17 n Break Out Voices Christmas concert SouthBank Centre, Dean Lane, Southville.

Songs from the adult and the children’s choir. This year the choir is raising money for homeless charity Emmaus. Snack included, bar open from 6pm, tickets £5 (under 18s free).

• southbankclub.webs.com n The Wurzels Xmas Show The Tunnels, Temple Meads. The

Diverse comics stretch the boundaries of funny REVIEW: Comedy Depot’s Stand Up for Diversity, Zion, Bishopsworth HAT Angie Belcher is a cheeky one. Normally when I’m doing a review I keep quiet and try to experience an event as any other attendee would. And you’d think, sitting right at the back, you’d avoid getting pulled in.

But compere Angie is a comedian who doesn’t play by the rules. After asking regular Martin how his week had been, she told him to think of something a bit more interesting as she had a reviewer in. “How’s it going so far, Beccy?” she shouted. “Great,” I returned. And it was. Angie is a welcoming host – newcomers are always invited to share their favourite sexual position, “everyone gets asked” – and she discovered that John and Sam

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CHRISTMAS CRUDENESS

A

FTER their triumphant take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Howard and Stu of Living Spit are back to tackle the other great Christmas story – the Nativity.

Though it’s being staged by the Tobacco Factory, the venue is the Theatre Shop, Clevedon.

With the usual mix of silly songs, pitiful puppetry and more Biblical befuddlement than you can shake a figgy pudding at, Living Spit’s Nativity is billed as a cornucopia of comic Christmassy crudeness. It’s for ages 16+, cider-soaked and dung-booted lads play a genre they invented – Zummerzet Scrumpy ’n’ Western. 7.30pm, £12.50.

• thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Wednesday December 20 n Wych Elm The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Wych Elm “deliver a sleazy, yucky take on lo-fi with messy, fuzzed out guitar squalls dragged straight from the muddy banks of Bristol.” Part of a Christmas special for Auricular Promotions including Renaissance Grrl, Drifft, and Tom O’Shea. £5.

• thethunderbolt.net Angie Belcher: No one escapes, not even the reviewer

were on their first date, they’d met on Tinder, and we were treated to updates in between acts, “marks out of 10 so far, Sam?” As part of Zion’s Diversity month, this Comedy Depot was titled Stand Up for Diversity. And a wide range of comedians there was – perhas a little more diverse than the largely white, working class, 50-plus South Bristol audience.

It’s not that the crowd aren’t prepared to have their boundaries pushed, but but sometimes it seems the comics are not getting quite the usual comedy experience.

Mark Cram is a bisexual bloke with a marine for a brother. He’d just found out his best mate had slept with his ex and kept apologising for being a bit spikey.

His set did need polishing, but there were some golden nuggets

Living Spit: A crude take on the Xmas story PHOTO: Coe Creative

other words, not for the faintWaggy: Spaniel-like Adam Hess hearted. Tickets £14 and you can find the Theatre Shop at Unit 5, Triangle Centre, Queens Square, Kenn Road, Clevedon BS21 6HX • theatreshop.org.uk Friday December 22 n Office Christmas Party The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Come in fancy dress or as you are, for fun and and prizes. With DJ Abes & DJ PM playing 80s, 90s, club classics and Christmas tunes.

Tickets £7 in advance; more on the door.

• thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Saturday December 23 n Comedy & dining with Chris Martin Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street.

Chris Martin is a keen observer and uses his uniquely twisted logic as he tackles earth in his tales of family dynamics.

Amy Mason riffed on her experience of post-natal depression – it was brave, thought-provoking comedy with a happy/sad edge.

Muslim Jamie D’Souza has a white taxi-driver for a dad. As a young Asian man this is not what you might expect, perhaps. He’s also a vegan. A finalist in So You Think You’re Funny 2017, for me, Jamie was the act of the night, quick-witted, with good stagecraft, a natural style, and genuinely funny exploring his heritage.

Rebekah Louise feels like your mate next door but while you’re lulled by her lovely lilting Swansea accent, she sneakily pops in some thought-provoking bits about fat activism, body shaming, relationships and more.

Lynn Ruth Miller, 84, claims to be the world’s oldest stand up comedienne. You might have seen her on First Dates. She’s very funny on getting old, what happens to your body as you age, and being an older person with a healthy sexual appetite. The Zion audience loved her, but maybe it was more because we could relate to her experience.

Beccy Golding

shattering problems. Plus guests.

Dining package £30; gig only £11.

• thecomedybox.co.uk n Glam Harry Christmas Special Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. A 70s explosion of glitter and hair extensions. £11, 9pm.

• fiddlers.co.uk n Dirty Casino Tobacco Factory bar. Free entry to this DJ set by Dirty Casino, aka Private Britton, who has DJed with the likes of Don Letts, playing soul, ska and disco. 8.30-11.30pm.

• tobaccofactory.com/whats-on Sunday December 31 n Let’s Go Disco Tobacco Factory, North Street. Another multi-level spectacular New Year’s Eve party: dig out your platforms and flares as the Tobacco Factory channels the spirit of 70s disco with international headliner DJs, a Studio 54-style nightclub, and Saturday Night Fever-style lit-up dance floor! Plus circus performers, music, street food, a retro photo booth and a tunnel of love. £38.

• tobaccofactory.com/whats-on n New Year’s Eve at Zion Zion, Bishopsworth Road. With a Battle of the Bands, a live set from the Road Zombie and a disco till the early hours. Bar and food. Over 18s only. No sharp heels. Tickets £10 advance, £15 on the door. 8pm-1am.

• zionbristol.co.uk/events n On the Beach The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. It’ll be just like summer at the Thunderbolt for New Year’s Eve, with surf sounds from the Dukes of Mumbai and DJs representing Knowle, Totterdown, Windmill Hill and Brislington. Firepit, a beach bar, and beachwear competition.

Tickets £10 advance, £12 on the door, 8.30pm-1.30am.

• thethunderbolt.net

THE TOTTERDOWN CENTRE IS BACK!

• Floriography by Vera Fallacy • The Healing Courtyard

December 2017

southbristolvoice

n THE CITY PAGE

45

BRISTOL CITY ROUND-UP

Sponsored by CLEVERLEY BUILDERS – supporting City and the best in building

The TV camera is far from being an all-seeing eye

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Sometimes TV can show when the ref has made the wrong call. But it’s not the same as being there, says MARTIN POWELL

ELEVISION and football go together like Gary Lineker and crisps. In December, for those who can’t be bothered to go to Ashton Gate, the TV provides an opportunity to see first hand whether Bristol City can keep up their recent good form.

You can watch no fewer than four matches in one month from the comfort of your armchair or barstool, including league games against Middlesbrough

MARTIN’S SHORTS • FAVOURITE opposition chant of the month came from Crystal Palace singing: “You’re nothing special, we lose every week.”

• AFTER a stutter against Burton Albion and Leeds Utd, Bristol City notched up four straight wins against Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Fulham and Cardiff City – all teams who either currently or recently occupied Premier League places. It shows the young team has the credentials to challenge at the top level.

(December 2); away to Sheffield United (December 8) and home to Wolves (December 30).

There is also a televised game against Manchester (as they keep calling their opposition in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup “Bristol” we will leave it at that, but for those who are confused it is the second highest placed team in Manchester versus the highest placed team in Bristol).

The relationship between football and television is a strange one. The all-seeing camera angles, commentaries, analysis and replays can be fantastic – but it is not the same as the roar of the crowd and the thrill of missing the all-important moment in a game.

I have been known to return from Ashton Gate and watch the whole match from beginning to end again on television to check those vital moments. I’ve also returned home and quietly deleted a recording unwatched.

Television evidence is also increasingly being used after games. City benefitted when Mat Taylor was sent off against Leeds United for the offence of being head-butted on the nose by Gaetano Berardi, who also got his

Not guilty: Mat Taylor was sent off after this incident at Leeds with Gaetano Berardi, but TV evidence showed he was innocent PHOTO: JMP marching orders. Replays showed the referee had not got it right when he judged the pair equally culpable.

A successful appeal meant Taylor was able to play a part in the demolition of Premier League Crystal Palace, spinning to score the first goal and set City up for a 4-1 win and that cup tie against Manchester.

But then City were shocked when Fulham appealed against the sending-off of Aboubakar Kamara. An independent panel watched the TV and decided Kamara was innocent and instead slapped a two-game ban on City’s captain Bailey Wright for “successful deception of a match official”.

It is only the second time such a ban has been imposed, and with the video available on the

internet many people share my view that if it was a deception then Wright is a master at it!

I’m not sure if the retrospective use of television is a good thing. If TV evidence is going to be used, surely it is better to go down the same route as rugby and have a decision made during a game, as long as it is not used to waste time and undermine the referee.

It’s all part and parcel of the game for the referee and those running the line to get things wrong. It’s not science, it is entertainment, and arguing about an off-side has occupied many boring hours of a tedious day.

The Bailey Wright ban shows that even with TV evidence, there is no guarantee that everyone will see it the same way.

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n YOUR MP

KARIN SMYTH Labour MP for Bristol

The lack of social care is a business problem as well as a personal one

I

FERVENTLY believe in representative democracy. I spoke at the West of England Economic Growth Conference at the Passenger Shed in November, alongside Bristol mayor Marvin Rees and the new West of England mayor Tim Bowles. The event brought together politicians and business leaders and looked at how we could work together to achieve economic growth in the wider area (Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset). We talked about transport, skills, housing and infrastructure – all things I am passionate about improving in Bristol South.

But the infrastructure needed for economic growth is much more than roads and railways. It’s more than houses and schools. Although these clearly matter a great deal, infrastructure is also about those things

people need to enable them to contribute and benefit from economic prosperity. My challenge to the conference was to include care, both for older people and children, to infrastructure considerations.

Time lost from work, and the loss of earnings to families trying to cope with inadequate and expensive social care and child care provision, is also a cost to business and the wider economy. But who is taking responsibility for ensuring the services needed are in place? The Government relies

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on the private sector to deliver services and on councils to manage the market. Employers require employees to be ready and able to work. Social care and childcare providers are struggling to recruit staff and stay in business, and consequently families are struggling to find a viable, affordable solution. Both systems are broken.

More positively, I spent an interesting morning at Windmill Hill City Farm in October, meeting with three local mums who decided to set up their own not-for-profit initiative – Caboodle. Caboodle offers a coworking space, lunch and pay-as-you-go childcare option for freelance parents who may not be able to commit to or afford regular nursery care for their babies and toddlers. More at: • wecaboodle.org.uk Such initiatives are to be greatly welcomed and we should encourage more; but the responsibility shouldn’t solely be that of the community. I am a great supporter of devolution done well, and that includes our councils and regional bodies working collaboratively to drive economic growth: there is a lot of opportunity here. However, if we fail to address care, then we are all missing out on a wealth of skills and experience in our local economy. We must work together to address this.

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