South Bristol Voice December 2018

southbristolvoice

December 2018 December 2018

southbristolvoice

No. 43

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

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We Sell and Let Property Like Yours

The best news in South Bristol by quite a long way

FREE EVERY MONTH in Totterdown, Knowle and Windmill Hill Who do you know who deserves a treat this Christmas?

WE HAVE a Christmas hamper to give away, courtesy of some of our generous South Bristol businesses. And we want to give it to someone who could really do with a lift this Christmas.

We want readers to nominate a person they know who has had a difficult year and could use a treat – or perhaps someone who spends all their time helping others and doesn’t get the attention they deserve.

Our hamper contains wine, biscuits, treats, flowers and festive goodies – as well as some practical items like an umbrella and a free bicycle service! Donors are Greenwoods estate agent, Floriography, Sully Cycles and Fox & West.

If you’d like to nominate someone to receive this great prize, email paul@ southbristolvoice.co.uk by December 12 (or use the other contact details on page 2). We’ll make sure the winner gets their hamper by Christmas.

WHY IS A MICHELINSTARRED CHEF TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN IN FOOD POVERTY IN SOUTH BRISTOL? The shocking truth: 6

INSIDE • WITNESS APPEAL OVER SEX ATTACK 3

Hidden need: Josh Eggleton

A NEW CROSSING

Let us tell you why we need one The Smith-Zausner family reveal their very lucky escape – but will the next family be so fortunate?

Page 7

• BROADWALK: TOO TALL, OR THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE OUR SHOPS? 4-5 • NO-THROUGH WAY IS POLICE HEADACHE 9

• I BUILT MY HOUSE, BUT NONE OF IT’S MINE 11

• GIFT GUIDE: HOW TO KEEP IT LOCAL 13-15 • Planning 17 Letters 18-19

READER OFFERS

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YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE page 5 10% off fitness classes 10% off Minipotters

Wishing you a warm & cosy Christmas, from all at Ocean estate agents oceanhome.co.uk Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

page 3 page 14

IN

December 2018

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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

Independent Community News Network member Twitter: @sbristolvoice Facebook: southbristolvoice Next deadline for editorial and advertising: December 12th

Intro

should go no higher than six storeys. Moorfields, and Knowle’s councillors, are clear that any development that is much smaller won’t be viable.

Make no mistake, something needs to happen.

The Broadwalk car park has concrete cancer and may last only two years. Are people prepared to accept this major scheme – the biggest proposed in Knowle for decades? Or do we risk the car park failing, and the centre sinking into an unstoppable decline?

THE £100m QUESTION WHAT will it take to save the Broadwalk shopping centre?

That’s the question that poeple in Knowle, and everyone else in South Bristol who depends on this still much-valued venue, must decide.

The owner, Moorfields, is ready to spend £100m rebuilding it, retaining all the current users who want to stay (shops, gym, snooker hall and so on) and crucially, attracting new, more upmarket retailers, including a supermarket.

The price is a dense housing development on top, of 420 flats in up to 10 storeys. Some neighbours are saying this is far too much, and the developers

A SOBERING READ MANY of you turn straight to the Wicked Witch column when you open your Voice. Indeed, as one reader said recently, it’s the only thing she reads. But if you’re not a regular fan of the column, turn to page 23 – this month’s is a moving read.

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: Call 0117 953 3575 for an appointment.

My councillor?

Post: You can write to all councillors at City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR. Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle

Email: Cllr.Christopher.Davies@ bristol.gov.uk Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem deputy leader) Email: Cllr.Gary.Hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 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 Pests, 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 NEIGHBOURHOOD MEETINGS Knowle Community Forum; tba at the Knowle Park Centre, The Square, in the new year.

COMPLAINTS Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get things wrong. We always try to resolve issues informally at first but we also have a formal complaints procedure. If you have a complaint about anything in the South Bristol Voice, contact the Editor using the details below. We aspire to follow the the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code.

Further details of the complaints process can be found on our website (below) or can be obtained by contacting the Editor by email: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or by post: 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX or by phone: 07811 766072. southbristolvoice.co.uk/complaints-procedure All stories and pictures are ©South Bristol Voice (unless otherwise stated) and may not be reproduced without permission in this or any other plane of the multiverse.

South Bristol Voice Ltd | Co. no. 09522608 | VAT no. 211 0801 76

December 2018

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n NEWS

n BRIEFLY

Woman fights off sex attacker in Totterdown street POLICE have been mounting extra patrols in Totterdown after a woman managed to fight off an attacker when she was sexually assaulted.

Officers are hoping that people who visited one of the three pubs nearby may have seen something which could help their investigation.

The woman, who is in her 20s, was attacked at about 9.45pm on Monday November 12 as she walked down Henry Street.

She did not see the man, who grabbed her from behind and touched her sexually.

The woman fought off the attacker, who eventually ran away.

Det Insp Dave Lewis said: “This was a frightening ordeal for the victim and I’d like to reassure the local community that a full investigation is under way.

“During the incident, the victim fought back, resulting in the offender running off, but as she didn’t see her attacker she

hasn’t been able to give us a description.

“We’re asking for the public’s help. Were you in the Henry Street area around 9.45pm on November 12? Did you see or hear anything suspicious?

“There are pubs in the local area, so we’re hoping anyone visiting them may have information which could assist us.”

The New Found Out and the Shakespeare pubs are in Henry Street, while the Oxford is a short distance around the corner.

“We’re carrying out extra patrols in Totterdown to reassure the community and if anyone has any ongoing worries or concerns, please speak to an officer in the neighbourhood policing team.”

If you have information which could help the inquiry, please call Police Investigations on 101 and give the reference 5218252368.

You can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.

Piano appeal

needed to fix the piano’s wobbly legs and restore the woodwork.

Lucy is playing at St Michael’s from 4-6pm on Sunday December 2 and Saturday December 8. She is also raffling one of her own keyboards for the cause. tinyurl.com/WHillPiano

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n TICKETS are still available for the Comedy & Carols evening at Redcatch community centre on December 7. There’s a full line-up of professional comedians and festive treats, in aid of the roof fund at Victoria Park Baptist church. tinyurl.com/ComedyCarols

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ANYONE worried that they may be missing out on benefits or other money they are entitled to can get free advice at an event organised by Bristol South MP Karin Smyth.

Experts from the Department of Work and Pensions, Citizens’ Advice, South Bristol Advice Services, and Bristol city council’s Welfare Rights and Money Advice Service will be on hand to answer questions.

It will also be a chance for people to keep on top of the latest changes to rules for tax credits, pensions and benefits, including universal credit, which is causing people in South Bristol increasing problems, according to the MP. The event is from 10am12 noon on Friday November 30 at the Gatehouse Centre, Hareclive Road, Hartcliffe BS13 9JN. • Your MP: Page 38

n OH YES it is – the Totterdown panto is back! This year’s show at Totterdown Baptist church is Marvellous Mythchief. When Rex Roofer and his smelly fairy sidekicks Blew and Stinkerbell steal the village’s treasure, Statman and Uni the magic unicorn come to the rescue.

Can they get the treasure back, and will Max the dog behave on stage? Plus a contest for the best-dressed hero or mythical creature in the audience. Shows at 7pm on Friday December 13 and 3pm on Saturday 14. Tickets £5 adults, £3 children, on the door or from tbc.org.uk

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

H

December 2018

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n NEWS Is opposition starting to grow against shopping centre plan for 420 flats?

BROADWALK & TALL BUILDINGS

Broadwalk meeting packed

December 2018

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n NEWS

out by residents

A

COMMUNITY meeting has uncovered a huge appetite for debate about a £100 million plan to redevelop the Broadwalk shopping centre in Knowle.

A public gathering called by two residents of Ryde Road, the cul-de-sac likely to be most affected by the scheme, resulted in Redcatch community centre being packed out on November 13 with about 200 people attending, with some standing after the supply of chairs ran out.

Laura Chapman, who organised the meeting with neighbour Lizzie Burgess, said she was amazed at the turnout – the meeting was announced on social media just six days before.

Objections centre on the size of the proposed development – 420 flats in up to 12 storeys.

Laura showed the meeting

BROADWALK & TALL BUILDINGS 1,255 spaces, she says, and in Liverpool 1,812.

Bristol city council, however, asks developers to provide less parking to discourage use of cars.

Laura and several of her neighbours in Ryde Road, which is enclosed by the shopping centre, fear their homes will be overshadowed by the new flats and overlooked, even after some of the windows have been angled away from the houses.

BUT IS CHANGE VITAL?

The new development shown behind ‘landmarks’ including Godzilla (whose real height is unknown)

A developer’s view of the proposal, seen from inside Redcatch Park

slides revealing the scale of the development, showing the proposed 38.5m 12-storey block in comparison to Cabot Tower at Brandon Hill (32m) and the Statue of Liberty – not much taller at 47m, without its pedestal.

As the Voice went to press, more than 105 people had lodged objections to the plans, while 20 people had written to the council

to be so big – or have so little parking. She wants to see no more than six storeys.

“We think the area can accommodate 100-200 flats,” she said. “If [low-rise] developments like Wapping Wharf and Paintworks can work in this area, explain to us why it can’t work here.

“This is a massively dense

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BEFORE

5

AFTER

in support, and six made neutral comments.

A rough-and-ready poll by Laura on Facebook found that 157 people would support the shopping centre being revamped without any flats, but only 47 people backed the plan with 420 homes. There would be 420 parking spaces – about 260 for shoppers and 180 for residents.

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development. There’s so much research that shows that living in high rises, above six storeys, is detrimental to mental health, to children’s development, to community closeness and general wellbeing.”

She also believes the parking will be completely inadequate. A scheme of the same size in Leeds would be required to provide

Bedminster Green –

consultation by Christmas

A FRAMEWORK plan for the whole of Bedminster Green will be released by the end of the year, the Voice has been told.

It follows months of delay while the council has negotiated with the four developers wanting to build an estimated 1,300 homes on five plots around the Green.

Residents have long protested

landowners across five development sites in Bedminster Green, who are jointly developing a framework to put forward a comprehensive vision for this part of Bristol. Proposals are being developed for a consultation on the framework document later this year and details will be released soon.”

The consultation will put a stop to any planning applications for the Green being considered.

It means Rollo Homes’ plan for

OBJECTIONS FLOOD IN

Providing unwavering standards and traditional values for 36 years

About 20 per cent of the homes would be for affordable rent.

However, levels of opposition are below those for the 22-storey tower block on Bedminster Green (see below) where 211 objections have been lodged with only a handful – four – in support.

Laura says people are hungry for information about the scheme and do not understand why it has

The developer, Moorfields, says a major redevelopment of the shopping centre is essential to prevent its demise.

The 70s-built Broadwalk centre has been in decline since 2012, when it lost the Co-op supermarket. It now has several other units vacant, including the large Store 21.

Under the previous owner, Frogmore, the centre fell into administration and is now owned by recovery specialist Moorfields.

It discovered that the multistorey car park was cracking up and is unlikely to survive more

MORE than 200 objections have been made to the 22-storey rebuilding of St Catherine’s Place shopping centre in Bedminster by developer Firmstone.

Among them is a statement by Cllr Jon Wellington, the Labour member for Windmill Hill, some of which overlooks the Green.

He said the giant block “in an area with 4-5 storeys is far too great a shock to the environment”.

He also slammed the absence of any social housing – ‘“I have heard the developer’s reasons for not including any affordable housing and I do not accept them,” he said.

The plan had also ignored the soon-to-be-released framework for the whole of Bedminster Green, he added.

that there was no oversight of how the whole vast project would fit together.

Back in July, the council said a framework should be ready by September - but talks with the developers have clearly dragged on much longer than expected.

A Bristol city council spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work with Also objecting is Southville Green councillor Charlie Bolton, who called the lack of affordable homes “completely unacceptable”.

Cllr Bolton argued that it would be possible to get 800-1,000 homes on the Green in low to mid-rise buildings similar to those at the harbourside.

Those representing hardpressed traders in Bedminster’s East Street were more supportive.

George Grace, manager of Bedminster’s Business Improvement District (BID), said the BID board was “strongly in favour” of development provided links are enhanced to East Street, bus routes are planned to support traders, and car ownership is restricted. The BID holds no views on heights, he said.

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

215 flats on Malago Road, which were submitted more than 18 months ago, will be further delayed.

The controversial plan for a 22-storey block at St Catherine’s Place will also be put on hold until after the consultation.

It’s not clear what form the public consultation on the framework will take.

The council will not lead it – that will be up to the four developers – Dandara,

Firmstone, Deeley Freed and Rollo. But the council was unable to say who was leading the arrangements or what it expected to happen – whether there would be public meetings, exhibitions, or Q&A sessions.

Nor is it clear how long the consultation will last – although if the plan was to be announced before Christmas, with talks lasting just two or three weeks over the holiday period, protests could be expected.

than a few years – perhaps as few as two. Cllr Gary Hopkins, Lib Dem member for Knowle, said: “If a scheme like this doesn’t go through, the shopping centre will drift into decline and could get knocked down.” If the car park is condemned, it would cost £3.2m to knock down, according to Moorfields figure.

“We need the retail in the area for the general health of the community,” he said.

He does not think the developer is being greedy in proposing so many flats – in fact he is worried that council planning officials will think Moorfields is being too optimistic. The developer is aiming for 15 per cent profit – some developers aim for 20 per cent – and Cllr Hopkins fears the council could itself reduce the amount of affordable homes to make the scheme more viable.

Objectors have also cited the impact on Redcatch Park, where trees beside the car park will be removed, and a new plaza with bars or restaurants will overlook the open space.

However, the Friends of Redcatch Park welcomed the plan. Its chair, Alex Lingham, is hoping the developer will pay for a new park pavilion as well as play equipment for older children, upgrades to benches and a contribution towards the Community Garden Project.

The planting alongside the car park is mainly to screen the ugly building, he said, and it could be replaced by a new natural play area, retaining the stone wall.

Comments can still be made – the plans can be seen at tinyurl.com/broadwalkplan • Intro: page 2 • Your councillors: Page 24

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

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6

n NEWS New help for families with weight issues FAMILIES wanting to lose weight, learn how to eat healthier and get active in 2019 can take advantage of a new programme of activities.

Called Alive ’n’ Kicking, the project is free for families where children aged 11-16 are above a healthy weight. Families can learn about healthy eating and nutrition, take part in fun physical activities, and learn how to shop and cook more healthily.

Nine-week programmes start in late January at Hengrove Leisure Centre and The Park Centre, Knowle. For details, email bristolank@everyonehealth.co.uk or call 0117 942 2602. ank.uk.com

Green Saturday GREEN Saturday is the new Black Friday, according to Bristol Waste, which is selling off electrical goods saved from landfill. On sale from 10am-12 noon on Saturday December 1 at the Albert Road depot will be TVs, stereos, games consoles, radios, vacuum cleaners and DVD players – all tested for safety and under £40. Proceeds go to charity, the APE project will offer free bike tune-ups, and The Reusery will show how to make jewellery out of old electronics. tinyurl.com/GreenSat

Tree survey HOW MANY different kinds of tree does inner-city Totterdown have? Members of community group Tresa want to find out, and are seeking volunteers to make a record of the trees in their street or public space. Find out more by emailing hello@tresa.org.uk

December 2018

December 2018

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n NEWS

Children are going without decent food, chefs reveal AS MANY as one in four children in Bristol suffers at some point from food poverty – and help needs to be extended to every school in the city.

That was the startling message as chefs from some of Bristol’s top restaurants got together to support FareShare, a charity which is helping thousands of children, including many at South Bristol schools.

Among them was Josh Eggleton, who lives in Totterdown and is the guiding light behind the Michelin-starred Pony and Trap at Chew Magna as well as being a partner in several Bristol restaurants including Root at Wapping Wharf and Yurt Lush at Temple Meads.

The chefs gathered at Bristol fruit market at St Philips on November 13 to kick off a week in which they visited schools, mixing up breakfast smoothies and encouraging children to make healthy food choices.

Josh explained: “Every day this week I’m going to be going to different schools where they have breakfast clubs and the reason we do that is that a lot of children that go to those schools are

WHAT IS FOOD POVERTY?

A

2014 study by the 5K Partnership found that one in four children was at risk of food poverty. This doesn’t always mean that children don’t get anything to eat, but often their parents don’t have access to healthy options. Often the problem is a sudden one, caused by a delay in benefits – something

Why are so many children in need of help to make sure they get enough to eat properly?

Council cabinet education chief Anna Keen explains in our video: tinyurl.com/ AnnaKeenFareShare malnourished because the families are not earning enough to support them. It’s a huge statistic – these children do have families but their families are struggling to support them.

“It’s all about education as well – do they know how to supply a balanced diet, do they know what a balanced diet is?”

The events are organised by national charity FareShare which has 100 volunteers in Bristol, helping supply breakfast clubs at 70 schools across Bristol.

Among those being helped in South Bristol are Parson Street primary in Bedminster and the Connaught Oasis academy in Melvin Square, Knowle.

But, as Bristol’s education chief Anna Keen explains in our

video, this help is currently going only to schools with the highest level of need – the aim is to offer FareShare in every school.

It costs only £7 to run a breakfast club for 28 children - partly because all the food FareShare hands out is donated.

Much of it is surplus from wholesalers but also sources such as missed deliveries from Ocado, which have to be returned.

FareShare surveyed Bristol schools this year and found that, while many have a breakfast club, many run on a shoestring and don’t offer much variety. And in holiday time, all help stopped.

Now FareShare is helping 1,500 school children around the city region every school day, and 2,000 over the holidays.

that is likely to get worse with the rollout of Universal Credit across South Bristol.

Club, and by providing volunteers.

Individuals can also help FareShare, which has a warehouse at St Jude’s near Cabot Circus. It has around 100 volunteers, and all the food is donated by big suppliers, which means it is run on a shoestring and can provide a breakfast for only 25p. Details at: faresharesouthwest.org.uk/ bristol-chefs-big-breakfast-week

HOW YOU CAN HELP

F

ARESHARE is asking companies to consider sponsoring its work – for example by linking with a local school, where they could help pay for a Breakfast or After School

Near miss for Finn, 4, sparks call for new road crossing A KNOWLE family are calling for a new pedestrian crossing on Wells Road after their four-yearold son narrowly escaped serious injury when he was hit by a motorbike.

Finn Smith-Zausner is recovering well after his collar bone was broken in the accident on October 19. But parents Ben, an environmental consultant, and Rebecca, a project manager, are only too aware how much worse things could have been.

Now they have started a petition calling for a new crossing on the 250m-long straight stretch of Wells Road between Redcatch Road and Beaconsfield Road.

Rebecca had taken Finn and his one-year-old brother Theo to Redcatch Park and was returning to their home in Somerset Road when they decided to cross near Cleve House school, where the traffic was stationary.

As they crossed, Finn panicked and ran from between the stopped cars across the bus lane. Unluckily for him, a motorbike was coming and only just had time to slow to about 15mph before hitting him.

“It wasn’t the motorcyclist’s fault and him slowing down made a big difference,” Ben said. “Finn was wearing his cycle helmet so that took a lot of the impact.”

Finn was taken to hospital in

ASK A VET: Could Brexit affect taking my pet abroad?

HE ANSWER is yes, there is a possibility that Brexit could result in changes to pet passports and therefore we are advising pet owners to think ahead.

If you’re planning to travel to the EU with your pet after March 29, 2019, it is important that you contact your vet for an update of any potential new requirements that Brexit may bring.

We advise that you prepare at least four months before your date

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of travel. The final arrangements depend on Brexit negotiations, which are still to be confirmed, but your veterinary surgery will be able to advise you further.

A cat or dog needs a valid pet passport to come back into the UK to avoid going into quarantine. To get a passport, your pet needs: • Microchip Your pet must be microchipped; your contact details on the chip must be up to date.

• Rabies vaccination Taken at least

21 days before you travel. Don’t leave this to the last minute. Regular booster vaccinations will be required for the passport to stay valid.

• Treated for tapeworm Dogs must be treated for tapeworm 24-120 hours before coming back into the UK. You will need to pay a vet in the country you have travelled to, to administer this.

• Age Your pet must be at least three months old to get a passport.

The vet who issues your pet

passport must be an Official Veterinarian: this means they are qualified to issue pet passports.

Ticks and other biting insects in Europe can pass on diseases to your pet. Therefore we advise you to ask your vet about preventative treatment for these critters before you travel, as well as other factors.

• gov.uk/take-pet-abroad • gov.uk/government/ publications/taking-your-petabroad-if-theres-no-brexit-deal

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

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an ambulance and kept in for observation but has now almost completely recovered from his broken collar bone. But the incident made clear to Ben and Rebecca how dangerous the stretch of road is to pedestrians.

“Talking to other parents, we found a lot of stories of people with near misses,” said Ben. Knowle councillor Gary Hopkins said that the need for a new crossing had been recognised for a while, but since Finn’s accident, it needed to be pushed to the top of the list.

They have already applied for funds from next year’s Community Infrastructure Levy or CIL – money given by developers.

“There’s quite a problem with speed on that stretch of road,” said Cllr Hopkins. There’s a lot of people crossing there to get to the schools, and going to the park.”

He said that if Ben and Rebecca’s petition can gather 3,500 signatures, the issue will be debated by the full council.

Cllr Hopkins warned that gaining wide support for the crossing is crucial, because the plan will go up against others from across South Bristol in competition for CIL funding. A crossing could cost anywhere from £50,000 to £100,000. tinyurl.com/safewellsroadcrossing Facebook: SafeWellsRoadCrossing

Group looking for business links A SOUTH Bristol youth and community group with big ambitions is looking for a new director with business contacts to help it grow.

Grassroot Communities has already run a summer of youth activities in Ashton Vale and is planning projects with young

people in Stockwood to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Future plans including helping dads in Hartcliffe connect better with their families.

Organiser Ben Carpenter can be contacted by emailing info@grassrootcommunities.org.

• More on the Voice website

182a Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2AL Telephone: 0117 977 6330 Book at www.lynnefernandes.co.uk

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

n NEWS

a man. Now women get the Council boss – the current lordSusan can tohonour lieutenant is Peaches Golding – but strangely only the men get allowed to a uniform, complete with sword. reveal her In response, the women in the keep extension job have drawn up their own A SENIOR council official will be allowed to keep the large loft extension he built without planning permission after winning an appeal.

Richard Fear, the council’s property investment manager, had an extension built in the summer of 2016, extending the full height and width of the rear roof of his home at 3 Haverstock Road, Knowle.

When neighbours objected, he was forced to apply for planning permission. Mr Fear said he believed the work was covered by permitted development rights.

He lost three planning applications, an appeal, and an appeal to a planning inspector.

Now he has been told by a second planning inspector that he can keep the extension if he removes its wood cladding, covers it in render, and extends the eaves.

Proud to sponsor the Knowle Park Primary School Christmas Fayre

royal secret

SUSAN DAVIES of Knowle has been sitting on a royal secret she has been dying to share for more than a year – she is to become the high sheriff of Bristol.

But Sue has even longer to wait until she takes up the post – her year-long stint doesn’t start until 2021.

“I was gobsmacked when I was asked,” Sue told the Voice, who can reveal the honour now because it has been confirmed by the Royal Courts of Justice.

Sue was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2015 for services to the community in Bristol. She is also one of several deputy lord-lieutenants, whose role is to support the lord-lieutenant, the Queen’s representative in Bristol.

Historically the roles always went

dress code, which means Sue is now on the hunt for a hat with a white feather.

The high sheriff supports the lord-lieutenant on royal visits and other occasions but also has special duties, said Sue: “Your responsibility is to the judiciary, the police and the courts.

“Originally you would have had to host judges when they were on their circuit of courts around the country!”

Sue and her husband, Knowle Lib Dem councillor Chris Davies, don’t expect to have to provide a bed for any wandering judges.

Sue won’t get any pay for the job and will be expected to host some social events herself.

“The emphasis now is on youth offending and trying to prevent it,” she said. “The high sheriff supports the Bristol Community Youth Project,

New honour: Susan Davies BEM providing sports and activities to keep young people off the streets.”

It’s only since 1996, when Avon county council was abolished, that Bristol has had lords lieutenant or a high sheriff. Before that, Bristol’s odd status as both a city and a county meant that its deputy lord mayor was also a sheriff.

In times past, high sheriff was a royal honour that some people didn’t want. Not only might you have to provide lodgings for the judiciary, but hospitality for the royal court too, which could be ruinously expensive.

December 2018

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n NEWS

Ideas to spend developer cash

Crime is falling in Windmill Hill

RESIDENTS of Totterdown and Windmill Hill are being asked to think of projects which will benefit the community.

A pot of money called the Community Infrastructure Levy – cash from developers, known as CIL – will be divided up in the spring. About £300,000 was shared between six South Bristol wards this year, from Bedminster to Brislington.

Windmill Hill councillors Jon Wellington and Lucy Whittle must decide which schemes to put forward for 2019. This year £25,000 is going to Perretts park for play equipment and £50,000 to the skate park at Victoria park.

The most urgent need is for road improvements, residents at the Windmill Hill Network agreed. Road schemes were not eligible for CIL funds this year due to a shortage of highways officials – though it’s hoped that may change in 2019.

RECORDED crime in the Windmill Hill ward has fallen by 20 per cent, with the number of offences in the last 12 months dropping from 1,176 to 936.

PC Brett Worthington, beat manager, told the Windmill Hill Network (WHiN) on November 14 that most categories of crime had fallen in the area, including violence, arson and criminal damage, theft and burglary.

Offences on the increase included possession of weapons – up 400 per cent – though the rise was from one offence to four.

Sexual offences rose six per cent, to a total of 34 crimes. Five offences were by a 13-year-old Knowle boy, who was sentenced to 16 months by magistrates in October after he admitted touching women sexually on five occasions.

• More details on the crime picture in Windmill Hill on the Voice website.

Police unable to stem Totterdown tide of ratrunners

THE POLICING priority for Windmill Hill is trying to stop ratrunning drivers going the wrong way down Cambridge Street.

Many Totterdown residents complain bitterly that it is difficult to leave their homes in the morning because of the congestion caused by drivers trying to cut through from Cambridge Street to Wells Road.

This move is forbidden between 7-10am – though there is no barrier to prevent access.

“Sometimes I literally can’t drive away from my house for 10 minutes” one Totterdown resident told the Voice.

Police say they don’t have the resources to patrol there all the

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December 2018

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8

time – but when they do, dozens of drivers are stopped from making the illegal manoeuvre.

“One PC turned away 32 cars in 20 minutes the other day at about 8.20am,” beat manager PC Brett Worthington told the Windmill Hill Network (WHiN) on November 14.

He added: “The last time we did an operation there we had eight officers dishing out tickets – and we ran out of tickets within an hour. It does send a message for a while, but it soon starts up again,” he said.

Police are talking to the council about other methods of enforcement. A camera or one-way system have been suggested.

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

10

December 2018

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December 2018

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n NEWS

A TOTTERDOWN MAN who built his own house in a pioneering self-build scheme which was supposed to put him on the ladder to home ownership has been left with nothing despite pursuing his claim for more than 25 years.

Derrick Palmer of St John’s Lane says he has been cheated by the housing association which owns his home – but which he believes should be his by now.

Derrick, 51, was just 19 when he joined a group of fellow young black Bristolians to form Bankole, a housing association intended to empower them to build seven houses for them to live in.

All seven were from disadvantaged backgrounds and stood little chance of ever buying a home on the open market.

But with the support of William Waldegrave, then Conservative MP for Bristol West and a cabinet minister, Bankole gained access to two plots of land next to the mini roundabout in St John’s Lane. The land had been cleared in the destruction of part of Totterdown to build a ring road which was later aborted.

With help from Kingdomwide, a bigger Bristol-based housing association, a Housing Association Grant of almost £200,000 was agreed.

The seven young men began building the homes under supervision in summer 1991, learning building skills on the way. Their year of labour was to be rewarded with a share of the equity of at least 20 per cent.

Bankole needed a loan to fund their works – but Kingdomwide said this would be interest-free and could be repaid as part of their rent once the homes were finished in October 1992.

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Derrick Palmer outside the St John’s Lane house that he helped to build in 1991-2.

Its owner, Places for People, refused to comment on his allegations

Roll on 26 years, and things have not turned out as planned.

None of the seven self-builders owns a single brick on the site.

Derrick is one of only two who still live there. With his neighbour, Desmond Stanley, he rents his house from Places for People, the large housing association whose predecessors acquired the site in 1991 just before work started.

The story of the homes is complex – but Places for People would give the Voice no explanation. Its spokesperson, from a Manchester public relations firm, said only: “We have liaised extensively with Mr Palmer over several years, in order to find a resolution to this matter. We have explained our position to the fullest extent and

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0117 977 6171 Albert Crescent, Bristol BS2 0SU www.stphilipsmarshnursery.co.uk

Albert Crescent, Bristol BS2 0SU www.stphilipsmarshnursery.co.uk 0117 977 6171

therefore do not consider it appropriate to comment any further.”

Derrick Palmer says Places for People (then known as North British Housing Association, NBHA) changed the rules once it took over the site in 1991. It charged interest on the loan made to the self builders.

When the homes were finished, it cited delays by the builders, and said increased costs had wiped out any surplus value in the homes. There was no equity for the builders – but they could have an assured long-term tenancy, it said.

Derrick accepts that relationships between some of the young builders broke down, and there were delays. But they caught up – and the only

VOICE COMMENT

D

ERRICK Palmer’s claim that he has been cheated out of the house that should have been his by now is a complex story. The truth is something that probably only a court could decide.

But is it right that Places for People makes no public attempt to answer such serious allegations?

This is a group providing 40,000 homes, largely funded by public money. The Voice suggests that if a public body such as a council refused to comment in this way it would be seen as unacceptable. Could Places for People not try again to bring this 26-year long dispute to a close?

deadline was missed after NBHA took on the landscaping.

Places for People has told the builders they have no right to any equity. Despite this, Derrick says he has twice been offered a 25 per cent stake in his house. In 2008 he was told the house was worth £150,000 and he could only get his money if it was auctioned. But a reserve value of just £100,000 was put on the house, and Derrick backed out, saying the deal was unfair.

Another deal in 2015 broke down for similar reasons.

Over 26 years, Derrick has refused to give up his fight. He is now planning the latest of a long series of legal challenges.

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

n CHURCH NEWS

I

WONDER what you believe about Christmas? People speak about the “real meaning”, and perhaps when are churches are so beautifully full at our carol services, or on Christmas Eve, we are all trying to capture something of a meaning and purpose to the chaos of the build up to one day.

For those of us with a Christian faith, there’s another purpose. It’s when we remember

Thought for the month

Regular Services

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Bedminster Church of Christ

298 St John’s Lane BS3 5AY Minister: Jason Snethen 07795 560990 churchofchristbristol.org Sunday 10am Bible Hour for all ages; 11am Worship; 5pm Worship; Tuesday 7.30pm Bible study; Thursday 10am Coffee morning; Friday 3.45-5pm After-school; 7-9.30pm Youth group.

Q

Bedminster Quaker Meeting House Wedmore Vale BS3 5HX

Clerk: Chrissie Williams 0117 923 0020 bristolquakers.org.uk Sunday Worship 10.45am; 2nd & 4th Sunday Children’s meeting; 2nd Sunday Shared lunch.

With Rev Becky Waring, St Martin’s Church the story of a vulnerable baby, born to refugees, in the only shelter they could find because everyone else had turned them away. It’s the story of God himself, loving and believing in Church of the Nazarene

Broad Walk, Knowle BS4 2RD Pastor: Matthew Norris 07967 199995 bristolnazarene.com Sunday 10.30am Sunday Service; Wednesday 6pm Kids Klub; Thursday 7pm Youth club.

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Holy Nativity Wells Road, Knowle

BS4 2AG Fr Steve Hawkins 0117 971 2496 Facebook: Holy Nativity Knowle Sunday 10am Parish Mass; Friday 10am Weekday Mass.

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Knowle Methodist Church

Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP Rev Andrew Orton Facebook: SBMCT Sunday 10.30am Worship and Junior

TOTTERDOWN BAPTIST CHURCH Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 3DF Sun Dec 2 Sun Dec 9 Sun Dec 16 Sun Dec 23 Tues Dec 25

10.30am Morning Service 6.30pm Evening Service with Lord’s Supper 10.30am Nativity Service 6.30pm Evening Service 10.30am Morning Service with Lord’s Supper 4pm Candelit Carol Service 10.30am Morning Service 4pm Christingle Service 10.30am Christmas Day Family Service

VICTORIA PARK BAPTIST CHURCH Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA Sun Dec 2

Sun Dec 9 Sun Dec 16 Sun Dec 23 Tues Dec 25

10.30am Christmas Unwrapped Family Service 10.30am Christingle Service 10.30am Christmas Unwrapped Family Service 10.30am Christmas Unwrapped Family Service 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight 10.30am Family Service

KNOWLE METHODIST CHURCH Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP Tues Dec 11 Sun Dec 16 Sun Dec 23 Mon Dec 24 Tues Dec 25 Sun Dec 30

7.30pm Christmas Concert with St George’s singers 6pm Carol Service 10.30am Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Communion with members from Totterdown 10am All-Age Christmas Celebration 10.30am United Service at Knowle Methodist Church

his creation so much, that he chose to join them.

It may be that you don’t see your story bearing any relation at all to this story.

It may be that you could speak about having a spiritual experience, being moved by something beautiful, feeling something like awe and wonder, feeling connected to someone else on a level you can’t describe – but that you wouldn’t use God

or Jesus in the way you talk about that experience.

There is so much that we don’t yet know, and can’t yet understand. But this is a story that began with a promise, offering all of humanity the chance of a fresh page, a new chapter, just by believing in Him. The wonderful story of Christmas doesn’t begin when we believe in God. Christmas began, because He believes in us.

Church (Fun Sunday; Minnows for pre-school children).

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Totterdown Baptist Church

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Totterdown Methodist Church

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St Martin’s Wells Road, Knowle BS4

2NG Rev Becky Waring 0117 977 6275 Facebook: stmartinschurchknowle Sunday 8.30am Holy Communion; 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays 10.30am Holy Communion; 2nd Sunday 9.30am Rise and Shine: informal service, breakfast; 6pm Holy Communion; 4th Sunday 10.30am Family Communion.

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St Michael & All Angels Vivian

Street, Windmill Hill BS3 4LW Rev Andrew Doarks 0117 977 6132 stmikechurch.co.uk Sunday 10am Family Service; Wednesday 10am Family Communion

Celebrate

Christmas

at your local church KNOWLE & TOTTERDOWN TOTTERDOWN METHODIST CHURCH Bushy Park, Totterdown BS4 2AD Sat Dec 1

Sun Dec 9 Sun Dec 23 Mon Dec 24 Tues Dec 25 Sun Dec 30

10am Christmas Bazaar Good food and bargains 10.30am Parade and Gift Service led by Jenny Clarke; Children’s gifts for the Matthew Tree Project 6.30pm Traditional Carol Service, Christmas music from 6pm 5pm Carols around the Crib 10.30am Christmas Morning Celebration led by Rev A Orton 10.30am United Service with Knowle Methodist Church

ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS CHURCH Vivian Street, Windmill Hill BS3 4LW Sun Dec 9 Sun Dec 16

Mon Dec 17 Sun Dec 23 Mon Dec 24 Tues Dec 25

5pm Christingle Service 10am Joint Communion at St Francis (no service at St Michael’s) 6.30pm Carol Service 6.30pm Carols in Victoria Park 10am Joint Communion 5pm Christmas Eve Crib Service 11.15pm Midnight Mass 10am Christmas Family Service

Wells Road BS4 2AD tbc.org.uk Sunday 10.30am Morning Service; 2nd Sunday All-age service; 6.30pm Evening service (entrance Sydenham Road).

Bushy Park, Totterdown BS4 2AD Rev Andrew Orton Facebook: SBMCT Sunday Family Worship 10.30am; 1st Sunday Sunday School.

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Victoria Park Baptist Church

Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA Rev Brendan Bassett 0117 977 2484 victoriapark.org.uk Sunday 10.30am Service includes groups for all ages, and adults; coffee 11.30am. 2nd Sunday Parade Service; 3rd Sunday Communion .

ST MARTIN’S CHURCH Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QL Sun Dec 9 Sun Dec 16 Mon Dec 24

Tues Dec 25

4pm Remembering at Christmas 6.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols 4pm Crib Service: children invited to dress as an angel or shepherd 11.30pm Midnight Mass 10am Family Communion

December 2018

southbristolvoice

HOME GROWN

n GOING VEGAN

Mon Dec 24 Tues Dec 25

6pm Carols by Candlelight 6pm Kids Klub Night of Nativity 10.30am Christmas Food Bank Harvest to Counterslip Food Bank 3.30pm Advent Spiral 10.30am Christmas Day Service

Eat Your Greens

Handmade gifts and art from local makers at Windmill Hill City Farm

156 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AG 0117 239 8704 Facebook/Instagram: Eat Your Greens Bristol

I

Scarlet Shakes

T’S NOT any kind of hardship to eat plant-based food, and Eat Your Greens is here to prove it.

Looking at chef Babs Greaves’ Persephone colourful and imaginative dishes, It’s not about giving anything up, even hardened carnivores are but gaining new taste adventures Coelho known to salivate. varied regular menu from the On the regular autumn menu, the mains include homemadedolls &giant Handmade giftsBeasty Breakfast to EYG waffles, a daily lunch bowl with gnocchi with sunflower seed, sarahjaneosborne9@gmail.com roast veg, and seasonal soup. spinach and sun-dried tomato Everything is available pesto, fresh rocket, crispy oyster gluten-free, and queries about mushrooms and locally-grown allergies and food intolerances mixed leaf salad.

Greeting cards are positively encouraged – the If you want a burger, the EYG persephone-coelho.com aim is for everyone to enjoy. For version is made with smoky a different treat, there’s a special sweet potato, roasted red onion three-course vegan menu when and turtle beans, with pineapple the Pitchfork café hosts a pop-up rose harissa relishToohoi mayo, lettuce, event on November 13. Details sliced tomato, smoky gouda will be on Facebook and (vegan) cheese, hand-cut chips or BD Designs Instagram – booking is advised. side salad. Daytimes there’s a

EXCITING WAYS WITH PLANT-BASED FOOD Contemporary fashion Facebook: Toohoi

Felt bowls, hangings, material boxes, bags & cards

Tues Dec 25

4pm Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Mass 10am Parish Mass on Christmas morning

BEDMINSTER CHURCH OF CHRIST 298 St John’s Lane BS3 5AY Sun Dec 9

Sun Dec 23 Tues Dec 25 Tues Jan 1

Children’s Prince and Princess Party: details 07795 560990 5pm Evening of Traditional Carols 2pm Don’t be alone for Christmas!

Community Christmas Dinner. For reservations call 07795 560990 10.30am New Year’s Day Service

CAROL SERVICES Sat Dec 8 Fri Dec 14

Tues Dec 18

Broadwalk Shopping Centre 4pm Redcatch Community Garden, Redcatch Park 6.30pm Perrett’s Park

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

Poppy Ceramics Butternut squash is among vegan dishes, which also include pizzas

Homeware & jewellery poppyceramics.co.uk

Totterdown Apothecary

Natural skincare & home products

CHI

totterdownapothecary.com

brendaduddington@gmail.com

Willow Bloo

Carny Valley

HOLY NATIVITY CHURCH Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2AG Mon Dec 24

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Let us show you how exciting vegan food can be

CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE Broad Walk, Knowle BS4 2RD Sun Dec 16 Wed Dec 19 Sun Dec 23

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Handmade ceramics Facebook: Willow Bloo

Eco-friendly rain capes carnyvalley.com

Eva Glass Design

Glass window art, homeware & jewellery

evaglassdesign.etsy.com Fully licensed plant-based cafe with day / evening menus. Sunday roasts, breakfast & brunch, local beers & ciders.

HOME GROWN 156 Wells Road, Totterdown Clothing, fine art, prints & cards, jewellery, baby bibs, ceramics, woodwork, lamps,

0117 239 8704 | DOG soap, FRIENDLY bags, scarves, peg dolls, felt-work, stationery, hair accessories and more.

Open 10am-10.30pm Wednesday-Saturday 12-5.30pm – Sunday roasts Our shop is next to reception at Windmill Hill City Farm @eatyourgreensbristol Open 7 days a week, 10am-4pm Philip Street, Bedminster BS3 4EA

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

December 2018

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n GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS

ADVERTISING FEATURE

December 2018

A Mini Potters party could be the perfect Christmas treat this holiday

Bespoke hampers at Fox & West

Emma Seville: Vouchers available

pre-fired pottery, paint and advice in a clean, cosy and relaxing environment. Your creations are then dipped in glaze and fired in their kiln for a hard-wearing, professional finish.

It’s fun and easy for both children and adults. Either pop in and see them or phone to book an appointment and they’ll be happy to chat about what you’re looking to create.

They’re also a great place for parties for both kids and adults!

The studio is available for Christmas work parties or if you

have not stood still since opening more than a year ago. They have already refitted the shop and they are constantly adding new lines.

As Christmas hurtles towards us, they may also be the ideal place for an unusual gift.

From bespoke hampers made up to your requirements, to eco bamboo goods, food-based and locally-made beautiful jewellery, homewares and beauty products, Fox and West have something to suit everyone. Look out for special offers over the Christmas period to keep you merry and bright!

Emma Seville

Create beautiful, bespoke gifts and keepsakes at Mini Potters pottery painting studio We’re now taking bookings for Christmas!

Find us at Windmill Hill City Farm.

just fancy doing something a little different with your friends.

You have exclusive use of the studio for 2 hours and you get a free glass of bubbles when you arrive!

Fox & West

172 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AL 0117 300 9086 foxandwest.co.uk Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm OX and West is now firmly established as a deli and café but owners Hannah and Lucy

F

We’re full of gift ideas!

FROM bespoke hampers made up to your requirements, to delicious organic chocolates, skincare products and locally-made jewellery, we have lots of ideas to tempt you.

PLUS there will be special offers throughout December – drop in to find out more!

Lucy and Hannah

*Discount does not apply to studio and artwork fees and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Expires 01/01/19

Open Monday - Sunday 10am - 4pm Evening Bookings from 4pm until 8.45pm

07414230477

@minipottersbristol

www.minipottersbristol.com

Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, BS3 4EA

07791 191997 emmasevillecompletewellness.com Instagram @emmaseville14 Facebook @ emmasevillecompletewellness

E

MMA Seville describes herself as “Bristol’s Premier Wellness Coach and Bodyworker”. She offers a wide range of treatments and methods for wellbeing, including wellness and women’s third age health coaching, nutritional therapy, deep tissue massage, holistic massage, reflexology, hot stone massage, pregnancy massage, natural lift facial massage, and Neal’s Yard facials. She is also a Neal’s Yard consultant.

If you’re stuck for choice, or you are looking for a Christmas present, she offers gift vouchers.

Emma is qualified for each treatment – her website gives details.

Practically Perfect

foxandwest172 Fox & West foxandwest.co.uk

Bristol’s Premier Wellness Coach and Bodyworker

Hire our studio for your Christmas work party and enjoy a free glass of bubbles for every painter!

10% off your pottery with this advert*

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Practically Perfect: Santa will be in his grotto

Mini Potters

M

15

n GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS

Our independent traders have everything you need for the festive season, whether it’s food, gift ideas or a night out Sessions at Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster 07414 230477 @minipottersbristol minipottersbristol.com Monday-Sunday 10am-4pm, evening bookings until 8.45pm INI Potters is a pottery painting studio based at Windmill Hill City Farm, where children and adults can paint pottery for fun, and create beautiful keepsakes or bespoke gifts for any occasion.

Their friendly team can help you capture your little one’s hands and feet on pottery and in clay. They also offer hand-painted artwork for that personal touch.

Jess and the team provide

southbristolvoice

• Vouchers Available Wellness and Women’s Third Age Health Coaching, Nutritional Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Holistic Massage, Reflexology, Hot Stone Massage, Pregnancy Massage, Natural Lift Facial Massage, Neal’s Yard Facials, Neal’s Yard Consultant. emmasevillecompletewellness.com

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

Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Knowle BS4 2QU 07831 721337 Facebook: practicallyperfectbristol Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm REAMING of a green Christmas? Christmas doesn’t have to cost the earth with Practically Perfect’s range of pre-loved, new and handmade

D

Bristol Blue Glass: A snowy bauble for the tree toys, books, clothes and essentials. Santa will be in his grotto from December 15.

Bristol Blue Glass

357-359 Bath Road, Arnos Vale BS4 3EW 0117 972 0818 bristol-glass.co.uk Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm

B

RISTOL Blue Glass make a huge range of glassware and decorations at their Bath Road studio and shop, and you can find out more at their Christmas Open Day. It’s on Saturday December 1 from 10am-4pm. There’s free entry, mulled wine, mince pies, and talks and demos all day. You can blow a bauble for just £15 – no booking necessary.

Eat Your Greens

156 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AG 0117 239 8704 Facebook/Instagram: Eat Your Greens Bristol Wednesday-Saturday 10am10.30pm, Sunday roasts 12-5.30pm HRISTMAS is coming at Eat Your Greens and it’s an opportunity to find out how exciting plant-based food can

Eat Your Greens: Winter roasts on the menu plus the regular favourites be – just like every other time of year!

There’s a special festive menu on served at 1pm on Sunday December 23, with a few extra twists to the usual Sunday roast.

On the menu will be nut roast, maple-glazed carrots, Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, braised cabbage, caulifllower cheese (that’s vegan cheese of course), plus dessert and a cracker. All for £20 – very good value.

Locally-made mulled apple juice and other festive drinks will be served in the run-up to Christmas. Plus, the venue is available to hire for small parties.

On the regular winter menu, the mains include chestnut, apricot and root vegetable gratin served with dauphinoise potatoes, red wine gravy and roasted carrots, plus mushroom stroganoff with smokey tempeh rashers.

Of course all the regulars are on offer, including the EYG burger and the daytime menu, including the infamous Beasty Breakfast, EYG waffles, a daily lunch bowl with roast veg, and seasonal soup.

Everything is available gluten-free, and queries about allergies and food intolerances are positively encouraged.

EXCITING WAYS WITH PLANT-BASED FOOD CHRISTMAS ROAST DECEMBER 23 JUST 15 PLACES Book soon!

C

Practically Perfect PRE-LOVED, new & handmade Toys, Books & Clothes

Christmas won’t cost the earth at Practically Perfect!

Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Wells Road,Knowle

Fully licensed plant-based cafe with day / evening menus. Sunday roasts, breakfast & brunch, local beers & ciders.

156 Wells Road, Totterdown

0117 239 8704 | DOG FRIENDLY Open 10am-10.30pm Wednesday-Saturday 12-5.30pm – Sunday roasts, bookings only @eatyourgreensbristol

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

December 2018

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16

Down on the Farm News from Windmill Hill City Farm Festive evening

HAVE A HAPPY DAMP FREE NEW YEAR

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N THURSDAY December 6 the farm is holding a magical evening of festive fun, from 4.30-7.30pm. There will be mulled wine, mince pies and festive fare, as well as games, crafts and Christmas spirit galore for all the family.

At 6pm you can get in the festive mood with campfire carols featuring Breakout Voices Choir in the farmyard.

The Home Grown shop will spill out into the foyer for a late night shopping experience of unique, locally-made items. There will also be a fantastic range of foodie and homeware gifts to buy in the café.

From 4.30-5.30pm, the spellbinding storytellers from Wild of the Words will be hosting an interactive story-crafting session in the barn, bringing Hans Christian Andersen’s story of The Steadfast Tin Soldier to life. This needs to be booked separately – see the website.

Games include guessing the weight of the Christmas cake,

December 2018

n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Knowle ward: Awaiting decision 17 Jubilee Road, Knowle BS4 2LR Single storey rear extension.

finding the key to unlock the box containing a bottle of fizz, festive tombola and lots more, suitable for all ages.

Party time

I

F YOU hold a children’s party at Windmill Hill City Farm, Mini Potters offer an activity clay pack for those who are looking for something for everyone to do.

The pack includes clay, rollers, boards, sponges and pottery tools. For printing in clay they have cars, shells, pasta, buttons, cutters and building blocks. The packs can be pre-ordered for pick up on the day. They cost £5 per child – just bring all the equipment back clean afterwards. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk

1 Green Walk BS4 2SY New 1 bed dwelling.

6 Beckington Road BS3 5EB Demolish garage, construct two storey side extension; alterations to rear windows and doors; decking with steps to garden.

77 Wingfield Road BS3 5EG Part two and part single storey side extension, to include demolition of rear shed structure.

southbristolvoice

Windmill Hill ward: Awaiting decision 37 Brecknock Road BS4 2DE Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear of the house by 6m, of maximum height 3.1m with eaves 2.5m high.

48 Nutgrove Avenue BS3 4QF Demolition and replacement of single storey rear extension.

11 Gwilliam Street BS3 4LT Cellar conversion and single storey rear extension.

Knowle ward: Decided

18 Lilymead Avenue BS4 2BX Side and rear dormer roof extensions.

469 Wells Road, Knowle BS14 9AG Additional storey to convert bungalow into two storey dwelling. Refused

11 Bushy Park BS4 2EG Extension to detached garage, including first storey, to provide garage, store and home office.

34 Leighton Road, Knowle BS4 2LL Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear of the house by 5.8m, of maximum height 3.6m with eaves 2.74m high. Granted

274 Redcatch Road BS3 5DT Variation of condition 2 (List of drawings) following permission 18/01254/H: Single storey rear and side extension, to add first floor extension to side.

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Knowle, Totterdown, Windmill Hill

15 Hill Avenue BS3 4SH Two storey rear extension and loft conversion, front roof extension.

a physiotherapy practice (Use class D1). Granted subject to conditions

2 Green Street BS3 4UA Single storey rear and side return extension at lower ground floor.

Lower ground level to front and install double doors on bay.

30 St Johns Lane BS3 5AD Change of use from shops (Use class A1), financial and professional services (Use class A2) betting office, launderette or mixed use with dwellinghouse, to residential (Use class C3).

25 Paultow Road BS3 4PS Hip to gable roof extension, rear dormer window and second floor rear extension above outrigger.

Withdrawn

184 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AL Variation of condition 3 (Opening hours 8am-7pm) following permission 18/04170/F: Change of use from shop (Use class A1) to physiotherapy practice (Use class D1).

Windmill Hill ward: Decided 184 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AL Change of use from a vacant shop (Use class A1) to

55 Quantock Road BS3 4PQ Side return extension, basement excavation and internal alterations. Granted subject to conditions 1 Cotswold Road North BS3 4NL Alterations and extension to allow change of use from joinery workshop to residential.

Granted subj. to conditions 160 Bath Road, Totterdown BS4 3EF Change of use of ground floor shop, and basement level excavation, to create two 1-bedroom flats. Refused • The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planningonline.bristol.gov.uk

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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

December 2018

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LETTERS and provide your postal address.

Please keep letters as short as possible,

Whitewashing of a fascist

I

’M WRITING in outrage about your history (that word needs inverted commas) article about Lt Col Daniel Burges (South Bristol Voice, October). Your unnamed writer was incapable of extolling Lt Col Burges having been awarded the VC for bravery at the Somme and for refusing to send his men over the top to their deaths, without seeking to play down his membership of the British Fascisti.

Indeed, the second part of the four-page article is nothing less than an apology for British fascism and those who joined its ranks. The article also seeks to mitigate Britain’s role in the Boer War where 46,000 Boers (over half of whom were women and children), along with 20,000 black Africans, died in Lord Kitchener’s concentration camps.

The writer also tries to play

down British fascism, suggesting it could be viewed as “Conservatism with knobs on”.

“Mosley’s British Union of Fascists had gathered no more than 40,000 members in 1934.”

That seems like 40,000 too many, to this reader.

“This racism was of a more subtle kind,” says your writer, when comparing British Fascists to the Nazis. Really? The writer also describes the General Strike of 1926 as when “the trade unions tried to paralyse the country.” The General Strike was declared when one million British mine workers were locked out of their mines by owners seeking to reduce their pay by 13 per cent and increase their hours.

Hardly the ‘Bolshevik revolution’ your writer is alluding to, but rather manual workers uniting to stand up for their rights.

Several opinions expressed in this article beggar belief. I completely object to being presented with this inaccurate, biased reading of history that seeks to mitigate fascism,

MATHS AND ENGLISH

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Write to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or to 18 Lilymead Avenue, BS4 2BX colonialism and the state oppression of workers rights. If SBV is planning on continuing to disseminate right-wing propaganda, alongside its more benign local news and listings, then please count us out of your delivery round.

RV, Southville

I

’M WRITING on Remembrance Day to object to the whitewashing of a British fascist which appeared in the October issue. The strapline which appeared on every page was “A War Hero ... and a Fascist”. It was disturbing to see the words “hero” and “fascist” used together.

The article argued that the British Fascisti were “inspired”

by Mussolini, whose racism was supposedly “of a more subtle kind” than Hitler’s. But there was nothing “subtle” about Mussolini’s racism. In 1919 he invented the doctrine of “spazio vitale”, which claimed Italians could colonise the Mediterranean area by any means they chose because they

were racially superior. This was the equivalent of Hitler’s “Lebensraum”. He saw Slavs as racially inferior, famously saying in 1920 that “I would say we can easily sacrifice 500,000 barbaric Slavs for 50,000 Italians....”.

Claiming Africans were inferior to Italians, he “pacified” Libya by removing up to 100,000 Libyans into concentration camps from 1922 onwards.

He later deported tens of thousands of Slovenes, many to death by starvation in concentration camps, and attacked Abyssinia, where he destroyed whole communities and used poison gas. Mussolini also claimed Serbs were conspiring with Jews.

The brutal implications of Mussolini’s racism were well in evidence by 1923, when Burges joined the British Fascisti. So why present an apology for either of them?

Today we see a massive rise in racist assaults, with thousands joining fascist-led rampages through London this summer,

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southbristolvoice

LETTERS and provide your postal address.

Please keep letters as short as possible,

many of the marchers displaying swastika tattoos and giving sieg-heil salutes. The last thing we need is an article in our local free newspaper whitewashing a local fascist who supported Mussolini’s blackshirts. Such whitewashing is a slap in the face for the brave Bristolians who in the 1930s resisted British blackshirts on our city’s streets and those who fought against Mussolini and Hitler in World War II. LC, address supplied • Response from Voice editor Paul Breeden: I’m very sorry that two readers have interpreted the article on Lt Col Burges (which I wrote) as making excuses for fascism. That was not my intention. In the absence of any evidence as to what Burges thought, I did not think it fair to make assumptions about him.

All we know is that he joined the first British fascist party in 1923. It was anti-immigration, anti-bolshevism and pro-empire, and many of its members were anti-semitic. But it is described by several historians as a pale reflection of the movements in continental Europe – for example

by Stephen Dorril in Modern History Review, February 2018.

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December 2018

IS THE increasing trend to blame and charge motorists to enter Bristol under the guise of air pollution and damage to the environment a slick con to rival the Kray brothers, bearing in mind vehicles have to pass an exhaust fumes test for an MOT? I accept vehicle emissions will contribute to some air pollution, but in context, traffic fumes are just one part of many reasons for climate change and air pollution.

The air we breathe travels from around the world, proved by the brown dust at times blown into the UK from deserts in far-off Africa, or the volcanic ash from Iceland which caused severe air transport disruption at UK airports a few years ago.

Air pollution is a worldwide problem, and serious effort to deal with this growing menace will only be taken when world governments face catastrophic consequences for their

That is not to excuse Burges or anyone else: of course fascism is vile; I would have thought that was apparent from the article. I could see no evidence that Burges was a Nazi sympathiser; he may have been, but that would be hard to square with his role recruiting for the army in WWII. The reference to a “more subtle kind of racism” was not meant to contrast Mussolini with Hitler – clearly both were genocidal – but to distinguish the British Fascisti from their continental counterparts.

I can’t agree with the complaint that the article supported colonialism in some way: I detailed the deaths in the British concentration camps, and Kitchener’s indifference to them.

Both readers chose not to take a formal complaint (details of our complaints procedure are on page 2), but the article was shown to members of the Voice’s independent resolution panel for their views. None of the members agreed with the two readers’ interpretation of the article. One member thought my description of the General Strike as an attempt to “paralyse the country” was unfair. Other members thought this was a reasonable description.

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

This is a lifeline for Knowle MY PARTNER and I moved to Bristol six years ago, priced out of London and in search of a vibrant city with a slightly lower bottom rung on its property ladder. Later I left my teaching job and bought a shop in Broadwalk shopping centre.

We’ve had that shop a year now and in that time we’ve seen our business grow, though the shopping centre itself has become quieter and quieter. When we heard news of the redevelopment we were simply elated: at last, the lifeline the shopping centre, and Knowle itself, so desperately needed was in reach.

Knowle is one of the most deprived areas of the UK: jobs are hard to come by; funding is scarce; resources are stretched and even life expectancy is lower than the national average. This community is crying out for investment, employment,

enrichment. And with the redevelopment at Broadwalk, I think it can have that. The creation of this structure, marrying the two disparate sides of Knowle, would knit together the communities and help spread the wealth. Jobs would be created. Homes too. And the increased population would add to the money flowing back in to the area.

Yes, there would be a period of upheaval. Noise and diggers and traffic jams. But that would be over in a matter of months.

The transformation will last lifetimes and make a very real difference to generations of people in and around Knowle.

But it won’t happen unless the people of Knowle are behind it.

So please, I am begging you, add your voice to the planning application.

You have a real chance to make a difference to so many in your community. Don’t throw it away.

Laura Owner, Practically Perfect

populations. Meanwhile our politicians want to clobber motorists with a pollution charge to improve air quality, while at the same time authorising thousands more tons of air travel exhaust emissions into the skies above us by giving the go-ahead for massive airport expansions near where millions of people live. Are we being taken for mugs?

Gerald Gannaway Broad Walk, Knowle

A tall storey IN THE past few years there have been a number of proposals for high rise apartments near Bedminster Green.

A developer puts forward a plan. The community objects.

The developer makes minor adjustments. The community objects again. The developer gives up, sells the land. The sequence is repeated.

If a development other than high rise were to be offered, we could move forward and have much needed homes.

Kay Oliver, Bedminster

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

December 2018

southbristolvoice

n THE MAYOR

MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

We want to make Bristol’s air cleaner for all – but Whitehall must support us

A

IR POLLUTION is a public health crisis, with Bristol being one of many UK cities in breach of legal limits.

Estimates suggest that in Bristol around 300 deaths every year are attributable to air quality, with many more suffering poorer respiratory health.

Whitehall has placed a requirement on us to develop a Clean Air Plan to reduce harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution.

Our plan will look at ways to improve air quality, including investment in public transport and cycling, changes in traffic management, greater use of existing regulatory powers such as taxi licensing, and ways to support and encourage a shift to

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cleaner vehicles. We are working through all the options, taking into account the costs, and anticipating the consequences of each. A failure to do this would not only risk a disproportionate financial impact on those least able to pay, it would also risk the plan

failing to deliver the improved air quality it was designed for.

Around this, we are still working through feasibility studies for a mass transit system including underground/overground. This would be transformational, offering a chapter change in Bristol’s transport system and a genuine alternative to private car use.

But it’s not enough for central government to set a standard and then walk away without lifting a finger to help. Success in tackling poor air quality will be dependent on adequate funding.

At the Global Parliament of Mayors, Bristol hosted the first-ever joint meeting of the UK’s Core Cities and Metro Mayors. Air quality was an agreed area for us to focus on.

As city leaders we are on the front line of the battle for air quality and we are committed to real delivery.

We are calling for government action in two areas to enable us to protect the people we represent from an avoidable threat. First is to make an additional £1.5bn investment in the Clean Air Fund (taking the total to £1.75bn) for local authorities and cities to use in mitigation. Secondly, a national targeted vehicle renewal scheme, prioritising help for the least well off. An enhanced Clean Air Fund will be the decisive factor in determining success or failure for this national issue.

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Come and see us at The Tile Studio, 450 Wells Road, Bristol, BS14 9AF To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

Filwood Community Centre, Barnstaple Road, Filwood, Bristol BS4 1JP

If you are a council tenant in the areas listed, come and discuss local housing services with your landlord. Get involved in your new Local Housing Forum.

December’s meeting topic: anti-social behaviour. Free tea & coffee provided.

Travel expenses can also be reimbursed. For further information contact: Tenant Participation 0117 352 1444 or email tpu@bristol.gov.uk.

All details at: www.bristol.gov.uk/LocalHousingForums.

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

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December 2018

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December 2018

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December 2018

southbristolvoice

n COLUMNS

INVITATION

In witch my life is a rollercoaster

M

Y BROTHER is a rock god.

He was finishing a European tour at the O2 in Shepherds Bush, London. I decided to support him by grabbing some tickets, taking Cherub and my 84-year-old Mum – a girly road trip.

The gig was amazing. Over 1,200 fans, it was rammed and people sang along. I was incredulous. One young thing shouted: “I love you, Rock God!” That made me snort.

We booked into a hotel. On the door was a sign: Cleaner Wanted.

Oh dear. The room was grim, bins were unemptied and the previous occupant’s towel hung on the door.

We decided not to look closely at the sheets and did the only thing you can do – giggle hysterically.

The next day we were up early

Who is the Wicked Witch?

She’s the one ... well, you’ll have to read on but something was amiss. My gorgeous, happy Mum was acting strangely. She would not talk to me and her face was odd. In the car I kept sneaking her looks, knowing something was very wrong but not wanting to believe it. I called Himself who told me to stop messing about and get her to hospital.

She was eventually admitted to High Wycombe hospital and there she stayed for a week with a stroke, pneumonia and a couple of blood clots joining the party. It was surreal, like we were in a badlyacted episode of Casualty. My dad was collected, and we spent hours

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sitting around her bed looking at each other, repeating our “Why so far from home?” story to the many NHS staff we encountered.

I saw the good and the bad side of our fabulous NHS. From the loud and abrupt consultant who ushered us behind the curtain to ask if we wanted to bother with resuscitation, to the nurse whose name was Lovely and was exactly that.

Resuscitation was not required.

Mum was discharged from intensive care and sent home, mainly because we begged for it, and there were simply no beds anywhere.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Mum is not my mum any more.

What we have is a shell of her. A lost soul. She made herself a breakfast of cornflakes, milk and six teabags – interesting. Dressing herself in a jumper, cardigan and a vest on top – could be a new fashion. My once chatty and

humorous Mum who sparkled is now silent, empty and flat.

I watch, strangely detached, as my proud Dad (a former army captain), struggles to cope. His bottom lip quivers when we say our goodbyes. They stand side by side, watching me drive away. I reach the corner and wave, tears burning behind my eyes, as only my Dad waves back. Life can be a little bit rubbish sometimes.

H

ang on. I can’t leave it there.

Making you all depressed and gloomy when it’s nearly Christmas. My Mum would be cross with me. So, some happy news.

Rock God has become a dad again.

He has twin boys who are 11 and they now have a late surprise arrival of a little girl, who is perfect.

We are born, we die and we hold on tight in the middle. It’s a rollercoaster and I love it.

Sam’s big idea is to shake up the inside of your fridge

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

DID you know that the average family wastes up to £700 in year in food they throw away? One dad from Knowle got so fed up with the groceries that were going to waste in his house, he came up with a product for storing leftovers safely – and now it’s on the brink of becoming a national success.

Sam Hearn took his invention Shake’n’Store onto a Channel 4 show for entrepreneurs, Buy It Now, in April.

Now the product is selling steadily on Amazon – and there are hopes that a deal with a major supermarket may be close.

Shake’n’Store is a container with a stepped lip which fits all the usual sizes of food tins. So if you have half a can of beans, or tuna, or sweetcorn, just tip it in, give it a shake, and snap the lid on.

The lid is marked with the days of the week – line up the day with the marker, and you don’t have to remember when you put the leftovers in the fridge.

“It was conceived in a real lightbulb moment,” said Sam, 42.

“I was cooking a midnight snack and after I used some of the food, I grabbed a plastic cup, put it on top and turned it over to shake the food into it.

“My wife looked at me and said, ‘What did you just do?

That’s great!’ It started to develop from there.”

It’s been a hard slog to make the product a reality – the Voice first fe atured Sam in 2015 – and it has taken three years to develop the idea, find a manufacturer and test it with all kinds of foods.

Luckily Sam’s day job is as managing director of Omni, a digital marketing agency based in historic Brunel-era offices at the harbourside. Omni took out a patent on Shake’n’Store, and provided vital expertise.

Even with professional support it’s very tough to get a new product into the shops, and Sam was almost ready to give up when, earlier this year, he got a call from Channel 4, and his moment of TV fame arrived.

He had to pitch the product for 90 seconds to a studio audience.

“That was great”, he said, “30 to 35 per cent of the audience liked it – we managed to secure a deal with JML, an in-store marketing company.” In the studio he also met Gordon McRae, a marketing expert, who is showing the product to several major retailers.

At the moment Shake’n’Store is being made in China – Sam looked for a British manufacturer, but it would have costed at least five times as much. But, if the

Excited: Sam Hearn has turned a late-night idea into a real product that can reduce food wastage idea takes off, he’d like to bring production to the UK. The Shake’n’Store is made of plastic, but it’s not contributing to plastic pollution as it will last for many years – plus while it’s being used, it’s actually saving resources. The lid is silicon, which is safe with all kinds of food at different temperatures. It is recyclable, but more importantly it avoids the use of clingfilm and

other disposable materials.

“At a time when people aren’t trusting recycling so much, if you can do something that helps with the problem of food waste then it’s part of the solution,” said Sam. shakenstore.com

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

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

C

December 2018

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HRIS and I have for years defended Broadwalk shopping centre, despite its Gary weaknesses in Hopkins terms of choice, Lib Dem because it is vital Knowle for our community.

Recently it has become clear to everyone that shopping centres around Bristol and the country are in serious trouble.

On top of this, the Broadwalk car park is likely to be condemned in the near future and will cost millions to demolish. That would kill off our shopping centre for good. So without investment we face, in a few years, a rotting hulk at the centre of our community and a disastrous loss of facilities.

When approached some months ago by developers prepared to invest £100 million in the centre we were surprised.

We did not like some of their proposals, and they changed many. We pointed out the issues

Knowle

with Ryde Road, and they held a series of meetings with residents and further amended the plans.

Residents there will inevitably suffer from some construction noise and opinions vary as to whether the finished outlook will be better or worse than the present ugly car park, but clearly they and everyone in the area will benefit from the boost to property values.

Local responses have varied.

There can be no half development here. The numbers would not add up. The developer’s books are open for planning officers to inspect.

The Friends of Redcatch Park have sent in a supportive statement after consulting members, and of course retailers need the regeneration.

We face two choices for the future of Knowle. It is easy to get carried away by fears but it is noticeable that our traditional local challengers, the Labour party, have also recognised how dangerous it would be to pretend that a pie-in-the-sky, half-size development would work.

W

How to contact your councillor: p2

E LOVE Knowle and we know that most residents do too, but how do we compare? Gary Chris and I have been Davies studying our ward Lib Dem profile, derived Knowle from thousands of questionnaires from the city’s annual quality of life survey.

Parts of the south west of the ward are in the 10 per cent most deprived in the UK, and others have financial challenges. So you might expect people’s satisfaction with life and their neighbourhood to be below the city average. The results show the opposite for practically every measure.

Overall, 71 per cent of Bristolians are satisfied with their parks and green spaces, but in Knowle it’s a staggering 89 per cent. We outperform on satisfaction with leisure services by 62 to 44 per cent. We will keep fighting for improvements to our parks and leisure facilities.

On education, 73.9 per cent of our children leave primary school with a satisfactory level of attainment, against the city average of 61.1 per cent. This is a testament to our great local primary schools, but performance at secondary level slips against the average. In our view this will be rectified by the proposed secondary school at The Park.

We have far fewer small dwellings and families than the Bristol average, but it is in crime that we notice the biggest difference. On every official measure – total crime, burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour – we are at 60-70 per cent of the Bristol average; 13 per cent say they were a victim of crime, compared to the Bristol average of 19 per cent. This is an important stat because it includes unreported crimes.

Perhaps these stats tell us why people want to move to Knowle, and why a developer is putting in such a vote of confidence by investing £100 million into the Broadwalk shopping centre.

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

December 2018

southbristolvoice

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

O

N OUR Windmill Hill Councillors Facebook page or on the council’s website, you can Jon read my statement Wellington to cabinet on Labour the council’s Windmill Hill Urban Living supplementary planning document, which covers tall buildings in the city.

I make no apologies for focusing on the impact on my own ward, as proposals for some huge developments nearby have caused significant local concern, and justifiably so. The advice in this document provides a sensible approach to working with private developers. It recognises that there is an appetite and a need for high density and in some cases taller buildings, but it specifies the situations in which this is appropriate.

I hope and believe that this guidance will motivate developers on Bedminster Green and Bath

Windmill Hill

Road, both of which are on the borders of our ward and affect thousands of residents, to rethink their current proposals. Neither of the two live applications for tower blocks of up to 22 storeys, nor the pre-apps and blueprints I have seen in the previous couple of years, meet with the requirements for the location of tall buildings set out in the SPD. So I am expecting to see more sensible proposals emerge in the coming weeks and months, and I would expect council officers to have a clearer sense of what is and isn’t appropriate for areas such as Windmill Hill and Totterdown. Bedminster Green in particular has the potential to be a fantastic use of land – an example of how to regenerate an area as well as providing high density housing.

This advice in the SPD has the potential to do that, but only if planning officers have the will to implement the advice and resist some of the excessive proposals we have seen put forward in the last couple of years.

O

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How to contact your councillor: p2

N November 13, Bristol city council took the bold step in declaring a climate emergency and setting an Lucy ambitious new Whittle pledge to become Labour carbon neutral by Windmill Hill 2030. This is 20 years earlier than planned, and a decision that was met with cheers from councillors and public alike.

Along with my Labour colleagues, I was very proud to be one of the councillors in an administration that voted unanimously for the Green party motion.

A UN report last month said there are only 12 years left to reverse the effects of climate breakdown. Supporting the motion, mayor Marvin Rees said “It’s not about cities acting alone, it’s about cities acting collectively. National governments are failing.”

The target is much more ambitious than the Government’s target of reducing emissions by

80 per cent by 2050, and it has been recognised that Bristol has already shown foresight and leadership, having met its corporate carbon reduction target three years early.

With transport being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (25.8 per cent) we also now have an opportunity to push forward with more ambitious plans for our transport network, including sustainable transport, re-prioritising our road space, and demand management – all of which had strong support in the Bristol Transport Strategy consultation.

Every February the council sets a budget for the next year.

Since 2010, the Tory government has reduced the amount of money the council receives by over £100 million. We have found millions in savings, but we forecast that we may also need to increase council tax. We are consulting on a number of options for next year’s budget and the details are here: tinyurl.com/bristolbudget2019

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

December 2018

southbristolvoice

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n NEWS It’s a scary kind of pantomime!

Oh no it isn’t ...

A BRISLINGTON drama group are putting the frights on the panto with their new show, Frankenstein the Pantomime.

The show, by St Luke’s Church Players, reveals how Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in Switzerland in 1816, but has all the traditional panto elements – “He’s behind you”, a panto dame, Minnie Matterhorn, and an evil countess. Songs range from The Wurzels to Paloma Faith.

Like many animals, Alfie the Mary Shelley, the poet Lord Staffie prefers the same brand of Byron, and Mary’s doctor John food every day, so supermarket Pollidori all feature, and the vouchers are the ideal gift for him show reveals true-life connections between them, We are grateful for any Bristol and Brislington. supermarket gift cards. You can Shows are on December 6-8 drop them off at our reception or at 7.30pm, with a Saturday post them to: Bristol A.R.C. matinee, at St Luke’s Church Admin Office, 48 Albert Road, Hall, Church Parade, Brislington.

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Our animals will be hanging out their stockings this Christmas Eve in the hope that a supporter might fill it.

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The answers are below – but no peeking until you have finished!

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Bristol Animal Rescue Centre

We have a special festive Christmas message from the animals in our care

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December 2018

n HISTORY STRIVING FOR PEACE IN THE GREAT WAR It wasn’t all God Save the King when war broke out Hundreds of thousands across Europe had vowed to prevent a war in 1914 by calling a general strike – so what went wrong? And how did a cycle shop owner in Bedminster play his part in resisting the conflict which killed millions?

T

HE PICTURE often painted of World War I is of vast armies of loyal conscripts who only wanted to do their duty, however horrific the conflict turned out to be.

But that wasn’t the whole story. Across the country, tens of thousands refused to take part in the war on principle. Many more did whatever they could to avoid conscription.

From early 1916, all unmarried men aged 18-41 had to sign up for war service. In May 1916 married men were included and, in 1918, such was the desperate need for manpower, that men up to 51 were conscripted.

At the outbreak of war, it was not the whole nation which rallied behind the flag. Substantial numbers of people decided they would not fight their fellow man on principle, often on religious grounds. Thousands more had a political objection – as part of the growing socialist movement, they believed that workers in all countries were their fellows, and they should not be fighting each other. The real enemies of the people were the owners of capital who were manipulating conflict and making money out of it.

The weekend before Britain joined the war, in early August 1914, there were anti-war marches across the country, including one in Trafalgar Square attended by 15,000 people. Tens of thousands of people signed resolutions urging Britain to stay neutral. Many could not see why a squabble between the AustroHungarian empire and Serbia, which had been sparked by the

killing of an arch-duke, should require Britain to join in. In fact, pro-war gatherings attracted little support: the Bank Holiday crowd at Buckingham Palace on August 3 numbered about 8,000, half the size of the anti-war rally.

Trade union leaders in Bristol and around the country were calling on workers to resist the conflict. On August 2, Somersetborn trade union leader Ernest Bevin addressed Bristol dockers, then later spoke to an anti-war rally on Durdham Down.

Bevin told the dockers: “English trade unionists are on the most friendly terms with trade unionists across the Continent. It would be insane to fight them simply because there is a dispute between Austria and Serbia.”

And he warned, prophetically: “The South African war would be a mere fleabite compared with a great war in Europe.” He was referring to the Boer War of 1899-1902, in which 55,000 British soldiers were killed, captured or wounded. The First World War was to result in more than 700,000 deaths in the British military, among more than 15 million deaths overall.

The Bristol dockers agreed unanimously to Bevin’s resolution, which called on the Government to “immediately declare its neutrality in connection with the European war and … call a national conference to discuss ... preventing this country from being involved in hostilities”.

The next day both the men’s and women’s branches of the National Union of Railwaymen in Bristol backed the resolution too.

Part II

December 2018

southbristolvoice

n HISTORY

STRIVING FOR PEACE IN THE GREAT WAR Part II

singular unanimity. It was more than an hour before the crowd dispersed,” the paper wrote.

All as it happened, surely; but the paper had a reputation for toeing the establishment line, and any dissension was not likely to be reported. Ernest Bevin’s speech to the dockers three days before was reported in a single paragraph, about a tenth of the space than was given to a report of the Bedminster Allotment Association’s annual show. No wonder trade unionists and socialists believed that the press followed a “bosses’ agenda”.

Emotional blackmail: A recruitment poster, issued before 1916, when men still had a choice whether to join up. It exhorts them to Remember Belgium – implying that their homes and families will be at risk if they don’t step up to defend their country. Germany had sparked outrage when it shot hundreds of Belgian civilians it accused of being fifth columnists

1910-1914: YEARS OF TURMOIL Hidden: The secret chamber under Barker’s shop in the puppet show

TELLING THE STORY OF THE SOUTH BRISTOL COs

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HE NATIONAL Lottery has given Otherstory, the Bristol puppet theatre collective, £4,200 to discover the hidden histories of resistance to WWI in South Bristol.

George Barker’s cycle shop in Cannon Street, Bedminster, is just one location which Otherstory will weave into a puppet history walk next year to help commemorate 100 years since the end of the conflict. The group’s puppet show, Taking a Holiday, tells the story of Barker

Hundreds of thousands of workers across the Continent had vowed to call a general strike if a conflict appeared imminent.

On Tuesday August 4, crowds gathered late at night in central Bristol near the newspaper offices to hear the declaration of war by Britain.

The reaction was not entirely united: while some marched around singing the national anthem, others were shocked and stunned by the news.

Some men had already volunteered for the armed forces.

“The Gloucestershire Royal Field Artillery have recruited to the extent of nearly 100, and are now almost up to full strength,” reported the Western Daily Press the next day, August 5. “The 6th Gloucesters spent yesterday making a route march in the morning through the Easton district, and in the afternoon tactical exercises were carried out in Lady Smyth’s Park, Ashton.

and all the other war resisters who helped people who didn’t want to join the conflict.

In January, workshops will show people how to research the history of war resistance in South Bristol in the war. Professional puppeteers and musicians will help develop a puppet history walk on the streets of Bedminster.

The Otherstory website reveals more (below).

The walk will also be part of Commemoration, Conflict and Conscience, a national festival at Bristol’s M Shed in April 2019. otherstory.org/hiding-placesand-hidden-histories [This was then the name for Greville Smyth park.] Recruits came in excellent numbers through the day – about 60 …”

The 4th Gloucester Territorials recruited about 20 men “although there were a great many who were obliged to wait until the next day.”

News of the British ultimatum to Germany, declaring war unless Germany guaranteed to respect Belgian neutrality, had been received by the newspaper at 11.30pm. “Within a few minutes the sensational news was published in a special edition of the Evening News, and it was received with a scene of enthusiasm that baffles description. The crowd for some moments gave themselves over to a demonstration of the like of which has not been seen before in Baldwin Street, and after their feelings had been relieved by burst after burst of cheering, God Save the King was sung with

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

29

T

he outbreak of war came after four years of industrial conflict in Bristol, with numerous strikes and labour disputes at the docks and other workplaces. One example was the Brislington works of the Bristol Tramways Company, whose grand entrance can still be seen opposite the Arnos Manor hotel. In March 1914, 200 fitters, turners, machine hands, body makers, trimmers and painters who worked on the trams downed tools, refusing to sign a new book of company rules.

The strike lasted until June. It was supported by other unions, though perhaps not as strongly as it could have been, and other workers were found to fill some of the vacancies.

Two weeks after this dispute collapsed, Bristol’s builders and labourers stopped work, demanding a reduction in the length of the working day by one hour in the summer, and a rise in wages to make up for it.

The unions had a strong hand: more than 2,000 turned out to a rally on the Downs.

Three days later, railway workers, miners and transport workers declared that they would support each other’s disputes.

This worried employers and the Government, for it gave the potential for a general strike which could have a big impact on the economy.

Shortly afterwards, 80 women spinners at the Great Western Cotton Factory in Barton Hill, who had been without a union to protect them, joined the National Federation of Women Workers.

They were among the worst-paid workers in the country, earning nine shillings a week (45p in

decimal currency, worth £41 today) and they managed through their action to increase this by two shillings – a rise of more than 22 per cent.

In those days, though, there were dozens of unions, and employers often found one union willing to settle, to undermine those out on strike. In Bristol, the builders’ strike was split when craftsmen such as plasterers, plumbers, painters and others accepted a reduction in the working day of a half hour, with an advance of a halfpenny per hour (0.25p, worth 18p today).

The builders’ branch of the Gas Workers and General Labourers Union rejected the same offer, and joined the builders already on strike for an extra penny an hour.

On August 7, just after Britain had declared war, the employers appealed to the Bristol workers’ sense of patriotism and suggested that “during the national crisis” the men return to work on the terms offered to the other trades.

The strikers rejected this, resolving at a mass meeting that it was the bosses who should show their patriotic spirit by granting their demand.

Within a few days the bosses came back with the offer of a halfpenny an hour, with an extra halfpenny in January. It was enough to break the logjam: the men, perhaps anxious not to be seen as shirking the war effort, went back to work.

The tide of opinion was

turning towards the war, in Bristol and across the country.

As the days of August ticked by, Germany advanced further into Belgium. Germany claimed it was forced to do this to forestall an attack from France.

But this story was not believed in Britain, and when stories emerged towards the end of August of the German army shooting civilians and committing other atrocities, opinion against it began to harden.

Reports then came in that the British Expeditionary Force, fighting to defend Paris, was in danger of being overrun.

After August 25, the steady flow of volunteers turned into a tide. Bristol’s army recruiting office in Colston Street was packed out, and the Colston Hall was used instead. On September 1, its busiest day, 440 men volunteered for service.

The anti-war voices were drowned out and most trade unions agreed to suspend strikes to aid the war effort. Even the Suffragettes delayed their call for votes for women until the conflict

CAN YOU HELP? RESEARCH is continuing into World War I conscientious objectors in Bristol. If you know anything about the people featured in this article or any other local COs please email rememberingrealww1@gmail.com or phone Jeremy Clarke on 07502 121077.

was over. Though industrial disputes continued, unions largely sought conciliation rather than strikes. The war at least brought plenty of work: the industrial unrest of 1910-1914 was provoked by unemployment combined with inflation, which made it necessary for workers to keep asking for more pay.

THE WAR BECOMES A PATRIOTIC DUTY

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ightly or wrongly, the war was seen in Britain as a defence of civilised values. Recruiting posters made play of the German atrocities in Belgium and implied they would be repeated in Britain if the Western Front wasn’t won.

Yet in Bristol, as elsewhere, support for the conflict was not constant or complete. There were those who didn’t want to kill (the conscientious objectors) and those who didn’t want to be killed – a larger number who dared not voice their fears, but could choose –until 1916 – not to enter the recruiting hall.

News of the German atrocities in August 1914, and the disaster of the Battle of Mons, which almost saw Paris fall, brought a rush of recruits in Bristol.

Many Bristolians had joined up, attracted by the offer of free uniform, food and regular pay: one jeweller’s apprentice said he thought it would be “six month’s holiday at the government’s expense”. It wasn’t: war was hell.

Within weeks, the casualties began arriving at Temple Meads, and family after family learned of the death of their sons.

On November 24 Bristol hit a low-water mark when only one new recruit was signed up.

From then on, a propaganda machine swung into action, trying to cajole and emotionally blackmail men into volunteering.

Some posters appealed to men to join up to support their friends; other implied that those who stayed behind were shirkers; others called on women to urge their men to fight.

As we shall see, there was a core of thousands who refused on principle to fight. But there were many more who would not or could not fight. There were an estimated 80,000 cases of shellshock in the British Army in World War I – men whose terror or nervous exhaustion made Continued overleaf

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

December 2018

southbristolvoice

30

n HISTORY THE SOUTH BRISTOL WAR RESISTERS From Do You Have a Conchie in the Family? compiled by Bristol Radical History Group. brh.org.uk Ages are for 1916 unless stated.

George Henry Baker Stone Villas, Bishopsworth. Knife grinder, aged 36 George Edgar Barker 12 Cannon Street, Bedminster. Cycle agent, aged 39 (1917) Charles H Beer Bedminster Frederick Berriman 19 Hall Street, Bedminster. Printer, aged 37 (1917) Howard Walter Bryan 14 Knowle Road, Totterdown. Clerk, aged 19 Albert Edward Chappell 25 Kensal Road, Windmill Hill. Printer’s/ tailor’s cutter, aged 29 William George Chappell 31 Maxse Road, Knowle. Architect, evangelist, colporteur (distributor of religious literature), aged 33 (1917) Henry John Chard 5 Greenmore Road, Knowle. Builder, aged 40 Richard Dangerfield 14 Ashton Gate Road, Ashton Gate. Order clerk, aged 20

Continued from page 29 them unable to fight.

An estimated 100,000 were deserters – men who ran away from their posts, or dodged the draft and never joined up. The penalty for desertion from the front line was death, and 306 men were shot. One was Alfred Jefferies from St Philip’s, executed by firing squad in France in 1916.

All those executed were officially pardoned in 2006, though some historians thought that was wrong. Many of the men ran away while still capable of duty – “the number of rogues outnumbered those with mitigating circumstances by six to one,” said Cathryn Corns, co-author of Blindfold and Alone, which examined the courts martial of all 306 men shot.

But many will have sympathy for anyone who didn’t want to face death in the hellholes of the Western Front. There were many sympathisers, in Bristol, the

STRIVING FOR PEACE IN THE GREAT WAR Part II

Charles Henry Dowden Primrose Cottage, Bishopsworth Road, Bedminster Down. Ex-employee of Imperial Tobacco, aged 27 MJ Gay Knowle Farmer and farm manager, aged 18 (1918) Francis Edwin Gillard 24 Talbot Road, Knowle. Fertiliser worker, aged 22 Samuel Charles Hall 86 Upper Cotswold Road, Windmill Hill. Clerk and shorthand typist, aged 23 Alfred George Harris Bedminster Thomas Hutchins 52 St John’s Road, Bedminster. Letterpress printer, aged 31 Arthur Isaac Lee 4 Belluton Road, Knowle. Plasterer, aged 34 Frederick Lewis Victoria Lodge, Whitehouse Lane, Bedminster. Grocer’s assistant, aged 31 Walter Henry Christopher Lewis 15 Victoria Place, Bedminster, aged 34 Douglas Charles Livingstone 45 Vicarage Road, Southville John P Livingstone 45 Vicarage Road, Southville. General packer William Borthwick Livingstone 45 Vicarage Road, Southville. Clerk, aged 24 (1918) Albert James Manns 12 Nutgrove

West Country and elsewhere, who formed a silent resistance to the war, an underground network that helped the “conchie” and the deserter alike, hiding them from the authorities, providing them with accommodation, food and money, and moving them around the country to escape detection.

One of them was a Bedminster shopkeeper – George Barker.

BEDMINSTER’S SECRET HIDEAWAY

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eorge Barker is the unusual hero of the theatrical story of Bristol’s resistance to WWI, staged by the puppet company Otherstory.

His actions during the war were extraordinary – though we know little about his life in any detail.

He was born in Clifton in 1878, the eldest of six children.

By 1891 the family was living at 15 Ashton Place, Bedminster, where they kept a grocer’s shop.

The 1901 census finds George’s father, Edward, absent.

Charles Dowden of Bishopsworth Avenue, Victoria Park. Boot and shoe examiner, aged 32 James Henry Marshall 118 Bedminster Down Road, Bedminster. Chocolate operator, aged 36 Alfred Edward Parsons 124 Wells Road, Knowle. Chemist’s assistant, aged 22 Ormond Sidney Pink 9 Dunkerry Road, Windmill Hill. Machinist, aged 27 Albert Edward Plattin 2 Hill Street, Totterdown. Printer, aged 37 (1918) William H Rainey 13 Hill Street,

Mother Kate and her six general mechanic. The house was offspring are living at 23 North also his workshop – the census Street. No occupation is given for states it had four rooms, one of Kate, but George, 22, is listed as them used for working. In 1913 a photographer, working for he moved to a new shop at 16 himself. Photography was a new Cannon Street. This was a step and fancy art, and if George was up – the shop was in the any good at it, it’s possible he was commercial heart of Bedminster, helping to support the family. opposite the Town Hall cinema, Within two years, he was married only the second in all of Bristol to Minnie May. Sadly we know when it opened in 1909. almost nothing about Minnie, The next year he seems to except that she was born in 1893 have found better premises again, in Tollesbury, Essex. because he moved to 12 Cannon By 1906, however, he had Street (though the numbering of become a cycle dealer. His first Cannon Street changed at some premises was at 68 South Street, point, and the address may only moving to 78 South Street in have changed its number).

1908.

He may or may not have His father reappears in the chosen the new shop to help him 1911 census, living with Kate and in one of his enthusiasms. Barker three of the other children, his was one of the earliest members occupation given as a traveller in of the Bristol Speleological MAINTENANCE fancy goods – perhaps he wasPROPERTY Research Society – a cavers’ club. simply away when the censusIt may have been only the second INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING taker called in 1901. in the country, and it was formed FENCING • by PATIOS • LANDSCAPING In 1911 George and Minnie shopkeepers, teachers and were living at 78 South Street, his others who wanted to combine LOG STORES • GUTTERING • FASCIAS job now given as cycle and an exciting hobby with scientific

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Totterdown, Cutter to export clothier, aged 38 (1917) Baden Powell Reinge 27 Oxford Street, Totterdown. Aged 18 (1918) Roland Joseph Reinge 27 Oxford Street, Totterdown. Carpenter, aged 21 Sidney George Reinge 27 Oxford Street, Totterdown. Grocer’s assistant, aged 20 Ernest William Roe 123 North Street, Bedminster. House and ship joiner, aged 30 Ernest Rudman 25 Kensal Road, Windmill Hill. Tobacco cutter, aged 37 (1919) George Sampson 14 Nutgrove Avenue, Victoria Park. Dental mechanic, aged 35 (1918) Gilbert Silverthorne 53 North Street, Bedminster. Proprietor, boot and shoe shop, aged 26 George Abraham Smith 68 Greville Road, Southville. Carpenter, aged 33 George Taylor 32 Dunkerry Road, Windmill Hill. Sausage maker, aged 27 (1917) Arnold Warren, 9 Somerset Road, Knowle. Wood sawyer’s stockroom assistant, aged 23

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December 2018

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n HISTORY research. Several members were from Bedminster – perhaps because the location gave easy access to Dundry Caves. These were proved to have been stone and lead mines started by the Romans. More exciting was Barker’s descent into the enormous Lamb Leer cavern near East Harptree in Somerset.

Barker was the first to make the descent, along with a Mr Capel, son of the local landowner.

Barker continued to be active in the society, exploring and mapping many caves in the Mendips, until the outbreak of war put a stop to the club’s activities. Or did it?

Barker’s new shop had a hidden bonus for a caver. In the yard at the back of the shop was a well. It had been dry for a long time – there had probably been a piped water supply in Bedminster since the 1860s or so. Before then the well would have been a valuable source of clean water, because Bedminster’s streets were notoriously filthy with the waste from tanneries and factories.

The well was 20 feet deep. Its significance to the war effort was a mystery to the people of Bristol until March 15, 1917, when the Western Daily Press published an extraordinary court case.

Barker, it was asserted at Bristol Police Court, was a conscientious objector, and one of “violent speech”. Barker provided little evidence, either to the court or when questioned by police. But, the court heard, when asked if he had answered a policeman who was looking for a conscientious objector that the “Government and the army might go to ****”, he said he might have

31

STRIVING FOR PEACE IN THE GREAT WAR Part II

The women of Britain want their men to join the march to war, declared this hearttugging poster done, but did not remember.

What he could not deny was the hidden chamber. Detective Woods, who visited the shop on March 1, found the top of the well covered with rubbish in the corner of the yard. But under the refuse the well was open – and nine feet down, reached by footholds made from pieces of wood fixed to the stone, was an entrance. Four feet square, this entrance led into an underground chamber nine feet square, cut out of the soft sandstone which

underlies much of Bedminster.

In the chamber were found two hammers, two chisels and a spade. In an outhouse was a generator with a dynamo which produced light for the chamber.

There was even an electric bell, connected to the shop.

It seemed an open and shut case. Barker said he had no religious belief and had told police: “I did it out of sympathy.

There were only two men down there.” According to a PC Jeanes, the previous September, Barker

South Africa after Wheeldon’s trial, where he became a stage psychic, Vivid the Magnetic Man. In 1920, he resurfaced in Weston-super-Mare, still using his cover name of Gordon, to resurrect his act at the Winter Gardens. The staff of the Weston Gazette said, unconvincingly, that “the few experiments he conducted were remarkable enough to suggest a tremendous reserve power given [a] suitable environment.”

‘Alex Gordon’: The Mystery Man resurfaces in Weston in 1920

CUCKOO IN THE NEST?

W

ILLIAM RICKARD may be the man who informed on George Barker.

Rickard – under the name Alex Gordon – entrapped a Derby peace activitist, Alice Wheeldon, in a plot he had cooked up to supposedly poison the prime minister, Lloyd George, in 1917.

Wheeldon’s real crime was that, like Barker, she was hiding war resisters. Rickard was working for a secret military unit that was spying on socialists and peace activists.

Historian Sheila Rowbotham believes he may have entrapped other resisters, including Barker.

Rickard was spirited away to

had been quizzed about an absentee from the army. “He refused to say anything about him, and said the tribunal had served him rotten.”

Before that, a sergeant from the Royal Engineers had visited looking for two conscientious objectors named Platen and Gore. Barker replied that they were in a place where the military could not get them.

It seemed damning. Barker had admitted his sympathies, and had even said to the police he expected he would have to go to prison, asking them, “Make it as easy as you can for the sake of my wife, as she has to get her living here after I am gone.”

Yet despite the authorities’ obvious suspicions that Barker was part of an underground network to hide “conchies” and draft-avoiders, and had been for some time, they could not prove the presence of a single offender.

Barker said he had not been a member of any society opposed to the Conscription Act since 1916, and he himself had been given exemption from the military on business grounds.

The cavern in the well hadn’t been made for hiding anyone: on the contrary, it was made to help members of the Speleological Research Society in “practical exploration work,” he said.

During the work his wife would sometimes call him, and that was the reason for the bell.

About 30 or 40 men had helped him in the exploration, he said, but not all at one time.

For a humble shop owner, Barker was well defended – perhaps with the help of rich sympathisers. He had not only a solicitor, a Mr Nutt-Hamblin, but a barrister, Mr E Wethered, who tried to argue that the charge – of “committing an act prejudicial to the Defence of the Realm Act” was too vague.

The prosecutor, Mr J Green, disagreed – but eventually produced a new wording, that the “defendant constructed, maintained and used an underground chamber at his premises, 12 Cannon Street, Bedminster, for the purposes of hiding and harbouring persons liable to military service”.

At the close, Mr Wethered averred that even if Barker had harboured absentees, the charge had not been made that it was done with the intention of Continued overleaf

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32

n HISTORY WAS THE NATION REALLY ENTIRELY PRO-WAR?

December 2018

STRIVING FOR PEACE IN THE GREAT WAR Part II

T’S A mistake to think that conscientious objectors were universally unpopular,” says Bristol historian Jeremy Clarke, “because one of them, Walter Ayles, was a city councillor. He was sent to prison in 1916 and was released in April 1919.

“Within two months he was re-elected. In 1923 he was elected as MP for Bristol North, so his opposition to the war was clearly not a great handicap to his political

standing. In the same year 15 Labour MPs were elected who had been conscientious objectors.”

But COs could find it difficult to get work after the war. Jobs in the civil service and local government, such as teaching, were advertised with the line: “COs need not apply.”

Ironically, the same 1918 Act of Parliament which gave some women the vote took it away from COs who had been imprisoned.

During the war, people were encouraged to bring shame on those who refused to fight – some men were given white feathers as a

sign of cowardice. In this atmosphere, some families did not talk about a son or brother who was a CO. But others were proud.

The three Whiteford brothers of St George all refused the call-up.

Their father was so proud of their resistance that he got them to pose for a photo after the war.

Earlier this year, Otherstory mounted an exhibition on COs in Bristol Cathedral. One afternoon a woman walked in and was startled to recognise her grandfather in a line-up of CO prisoners held at Dartmoor prison. ”She had never

known that he was a CO,” said Jeremy.

Other families had a vague idea that their grandfather or uncle had resisted the war, but not what it meant, or what it had cost them in human terms.

“Part of the reason for us doing this is for people to feel a sense of pride in their ancestors, which they may not have been able to do before,” said Jeremy. “We have met a lot of people who never knew the extent of their forebears’ involvement in the resistance to the war.”

Continued from page 31 assisting the enemy.

The chairman, Mr AJ Saise, declared the the defendant had convicted himself out of his own mouth. But he then went on to fine him £5, or 26 days imprisonment.

The fine was the cost of a cheap bicycle from Barker’s shop.

It was hardly going to cause him much inconvenience – and it was not the heavy penalty which a

man who had been harbouring dozens of army absentees for several years might expect.

It seems the evidence could not be found to condemn Barker of the crimes which the authorities must have been sure he had committed. He was a known socialist and no doubt his opinions on the war were familiar to others in Bedminster. But perhaps he was just too careful.

The various visits from the police

and the military had turned up nothing until 1917.

founders had left years before, frustrated that other residents didn’t pull their weight.

It may be that the couple split up. Minnie, who was born in Essex, returned to the county and died there, in Colchester, aged 54 in 1936.

George Barker died on November 2, 1949, aged 70, at North Leach hospital in Cheltenham. He had been living at 73 Bath Road, Cheltenham. He left everything to Alfred Bonheur, his brother-in-law, another professional photographer, of 20 North Street, Bedminster.

It’s a shame he wrote nothing that survives about his beliefs and his actions in the First World War. Why did he feel so strongly that he was prepared to risk his livelihood to help others avoid military service, when he himself was exempt? What were his relations with his customers, and other people in Bedminster, when most people and almost all of the press were hostile to those who spoke up for peace?

Sources • Remembering the Real WWI Research by Bristol historians: network23.org/realww1 • Bristol Independent Labour Party: Men, Women and the Opposition to War June Hannam, Bristol Radical Pamphleteer No 31, 2014 • Bristol and the Labour Unrest of 1910-14 Mike Richardson, Bristol Radical Pamphleteer No 37, 2013 • Bristol and the First World War Bristol Cultural Development Partnership 2014 • Bristol in the Great War Jacqueline Wadsworth, Pen & Sword Books, 2014 • Should Britain Go to War With Germany? Roger Ball, Bristol Radical History Group brh.org.uk/site/articles/britaingo-war-germany

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S

o how was Barker caught?

He was indeed part of a network of sympathisers in Bristol and around the country who both hid and assisted those avoiding military service.

Some were open in their activities, such as Mabel Tothill, a Bristol woman who gave legal advice and practical help, such as helping imprisoned men keep in touch with their families. She assisted the Reinge brothers from Totterdown, the conscientious objectors featured in last month’s Voice.

Those who provided safe houses and helped the wanted men move around the country, and even to leave it on ships from Liverpool, tried to keep their activity secret. How were the police to gain intelligence? It seems they often used informers.

There is no proof, but one such informer is believed to be Alex Gordon [see panel, p31].

We know little more about George and Minnie Barker. He didn’t join Bristol University’s Speleological Society, which took over from the amateurs’ caving club after the war, and he seems to have left Bristol by 1923.

George and Minnie surfaced again from 1925-1928, living at the Whiteway Colony in Stroud.

This was a utopian community of anarchists and socialists founded by a Quaker journalist, Samuel Bracher, in 1898.

Whiteway was a crucial link in the chain of safe houses for war escapees, and would have been known to George and Minnie.

They appear on the electoral roll there from 1925 to 1928.

It’s not clear whether the communal life agreed with them.

Bracher and some of the other

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December 2018

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33

n WHAT’S ON November 27-28 n Southville Unexplained Club Spielman theatre, Tobacco Factory, North Street. Rosa Eaton, founder and sole member of Southville Unexplained Club, shares her findings from a monthlong investigation into inexplicable occurrences in the area. Expect ghosts, psychic visions, government conspiracies and tragic local history. Age 12+; contains strong language and not for the easily-spooked. £12, 8pm. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday December 1 n Christmas Fair Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road. In aid of Children’s Hospice South West and church funds. Stalls include cakes, perfumery, bits & bobs, books, tombola and bric-a-brac. Father Christmas will be present.

Refreshments. 11am-2pm. n Christmas Fayre St Paul’s Church, Coronation Road. Bouncy castle, lunch, refreshments as well as cakes, crafts and Christmas cards.

Prize draw to buyers of the programme, 50p, 12 noon. n I’m Scared of the Pig on the City Farm Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Windmill Hill. Live performance of poems by musician, film maker and blogger Hazel Winter, formerly of the Blue Aeroplanes.

Hazel’s first poetry collection draws on experiences from playing guitar at Glastonbury festival to “pig-related trauma” at Windmill Hill City Farm. £5, 7.30-11.30pm. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n Saltcellar Folk Club Totterdown Baptist Church, entrance off Cemetery Road. The

Raising a babe in the woods n Preview Beasty Baby December 6-January 6 Spielman Theatre, Tobacco Factory

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HE Tobacco Factory’s seasonal show for younger children and their families is Beasty Baby.

Deep in the winter forest lives a Beasty Baby. What will happen as three people embark on a wild adventure to bring up this mischievous and loveable child? A blend of puppetry and live music from Theatre-Rites, designed to

Six-Five-Specials, a four-piece skiffle band including Saltcellar regulars Pete and Alan. Sadly the last outing for the Saltcellar Club owing to a lack of volunteers.

7.30pm, £5, £3 for floor singers. saltcellarfolk.org.uk Sunday December 2 n Christmas Market Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road.

Free entry to a host of local craft and produce suppliers.

Includes condiments from Ginger Beards Preserves, gin from Boulton Spirit, handmade gifts from Little Paisley Designs, bath and body products from Wildgrove, and more. Food from Sausagenius and Cheesetown Productions. More stalls and parking at Here Bristol (the old ITV studios). 10am-4pm. arnosvale.org.uk/events n Christmas market Tobacco Factory, North Street. With more than 50 food and craft stalls. Plus mulled drinks, local choirs and

We’re living with giants n Preview The Borrowers November 29-January 20 Tobacco Factory theatre, North Street

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HIS Christmas the Tobacco Factory Theatre is turned into a giant adventure playground to tell the story of The Borrowers, based on the muchloved novel by Mary Norton.

Below the floorboards of a large house in Bristol, we are plunged into the quirky, wonky, miniature world of young Arrietty and her family of

Borrowers: Living on the edge Borrowers. Making use of anything and everything they find ‘upstairs’, from cotton buds to crisp packets, string to Subutteo players, the Borrowers are the original up-cyclers. However, their quiet existence is torn apart by the arrival of a family of Human Beans and soon the quiet ticking of

A bit of a handful: the Beasty Baby

create a funny and magical shared experience to warm up those cold winter days.

Running time 50 minutes, for ages 3-6 and their families. A special relaxed performance on December 11 at 10.30am has a more welcoming atmosphere for audiences with additional needs.

Tickets £12, shows at 10.30am, 1.30pm and other times. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Ali & Joe’s Christmas Tree Sale, 10am-2.30pm. Also on December 9, 16 and 23. tobaccofactory.com/whats-on Wednesday December 5 n Christmas Musical Evening Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road. Devised and performed by Tim Lewis & Sheila Furneau. Collection for Charlton Farm, Children’s Hospice South West. 7pm.

Your event could be highlighted like this for just £5. Email sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Thursday December 6 n Festive Evening Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. An evening of festive fun from 4.30-7.30pm with mulled wine, mince pies and festive fare, plus games, crafts and Christmas spirit. Carols at 6pm in the farmyard with the Breakout Voices Choir. Gifts the grandfather clock is replaced

by Hoovers, TVs and the sound of Tom Jones on the radio. Arrietty longs to see what life is like for the new family of giants and her friendship with the eight-year-old Eddie is the opportunity to do just that.

For ages 6+, tickets from £12 (limited availability).

• A Play in a Day Children can create their own Borrowers drama.

December 8 and 15 for ages 11-14; December 9 and 16 for ages 6-10.

• BSL interpreted performance 7.30pm, December 14.

• Relaxed performances for audiences with social needs, 6pm January 9 and 1pm January 10. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

from the Home Grown shop, plus storytelling 4.30-5.30pm from Wild of the Words (book separately). windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n Alive In Conversation: Goodnight Friend Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road, How do we cope with the loss of our pets? A conversation between vet Penny Morgan and death academic Dr John Troyer. 7pm, £5.

Includes showing of a short film, Goodnight Friend, by Rowenna J Baldwin. Second in a series of conversations with people from the worlds of death, dying and bereavement. arnosvale.org.uk/events n Christmas Wreath Making with Floriography Spielman centre, Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. Learn how to make and care for a seasonal wreath, which symbolises eternal love, from seasonal foliage, with guidance from the experts at Floriography of Totterdown.

7-9.30pm, £35. arnosvale.org.uk/events n Garry Starr Performs Everything Loco Klub, Temple Meads. Expelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company due to artistic differences, disgraced actor Garry Starr defies his critics by performing every genre of theatre imaginable, thus saving the performing arts from extinction. Edinburgh Fringe sell-out show 2018. Directed by Cal McCrystal of Mighty Boosh fame. 8pm, £10. locobristol.com/shows

December 6-January 5 n Circus of Marvels Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. “Roll up, roll up for a magical, mysterious adventure, as a rag-tag band of useless acts take on a desperate quest to save the world’s worst circus!” 7-8.45pm. Opening night tickets £5; other shows £9. 7pm and 2.30pm but check website for dates; shows on most days December 6-15 and January 4-5. acta-bristol.com Friday December 7 n Cabaret and Carols SouthBank Club, Dean Lane, Southville. A night of dance, Continued overleaf

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

December 2018

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n Review Sarah Guppy: The Bridge, The Bed, the Truth Hen & Chicken, Southville

W

E KNOW too little about Sarah Guppy, one of the first female engineers, who had an unknown but important role in assisting the Brunels to design the Clifton Suspension Bridge. She was ahead of her time in many ways: she anticipated animal rights (in calling for reform of livestock markets) and women’s rights (in protecting her fortune from her second husband with a pre-nuptial agreement).

Sarah Guppy had plenty to shout about, had she not believed: “It is unpleasant to speak of oneself – it may seem boastful, particularly in a woman.” Guppy’s reticence to

Continued from page 33 song and entertainment to raise money for Shelter. South West Dance Theatre serve up a festive cocktail of ballet, ballroom, contemporary and tap, with special guests, in a feast of music and live acts. 7-10pm, £11. southbankclub.webs.com n Fun Quiz St Paul’s Church, Coronation Road. Teams of 4, £5 per person including light supper, 7.30pm. n Ollie Barton & the

blow her own trumpet has been quietly forgotten in this spirited production by Sheila Hannon, founder of Bedminster theatre group Show of Strength, pioneers of local, original historical drama.

Kim Hicks plays Guppy, only too happy to explain her love of engineering as a form of artistry – the kind of art that seeks the simplest, most elegant solutions.

Born in 1780, Guppy was inspired by her entrepreneur father, who, crucially, educated her in the same way as he did his sons.

She married a Bristol factoryowner and they made a fortune protecting Royal Navy ships from shipworm with their patented copper nails. They lived at Arnos Court – today a hotel in Brislington, then a grand country house.

But what was such a talented woman to do when she might study as hard as a man, but couldn’t take a university degree?

Too often, as she tells us, she was simply ignored, or chose to avoid a fuss – as when she let Thomas Telford make use of her patent for bridge design when he built the Menai suspension bridge.

This show was first performed for the Brunel 200 celebrations in Movement + Awakening Savannah + Wisenheimer + Fall From Ruin + Spiral Key The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Oli Barton, a Mensa-rated genius inspired by the spirit of Syd Barrett, fronts The Movement: “tortured, menacing, kinky, smart, and as deliriously entertaining as watching an elephant juggling bowling balls riding a tricycle”.

Support includes Swindon hard rock band Awakening Savannah.

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southbristolvoice

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n WHAT’S ON

n WHAT’S ON A voice at last for Sarah Guppy, the woman behind a landmark

December 2018

INSULATION UPGRADES

Sarah Guppy: Inventor who had a hand in a Clifton landmark PHOTO: Zuleika Henry

2006 but has been rewritten with some contemporary asides.

“What on earth is going on with that Metrobus?” Guppy asks us, appalled that our low-tech bus system isn’t finished after 12 years – twice as long as it took to build the Floating Harbour in her lifetime.

She makes more swipes at our treatment of Temple Meads station, and our inability to keep Bristol’s buses running, which draws laughter.

But she wins the biggest reaction when acting her enthusiasm for laughing gas, the nitrous oxide formula which the young inventor Humphrey Davy shared with the bright set of Bristol as a recreational drug before anyone used it as an anaesthetic.

There are poignant moments 7pm, £6 on the door. thethunderbolt.net n The Thinking Drinkers Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street.

An intoxicating bar-hop through history, from the symposiums of Ancient Greece to the classic British boozer via Wild West saloons and Victorian gin palaces. Includes, allegedly, five free drinks. 8pm, £16, or £36 with dinner package at Hen & Chicken (available on selected December Comedy Box dates). thecomedybox.co.uk December 7-December 30 n Shesus & The Sistas: The Gift of Presents Speilman theatre, Tobacco Factory, North Street. “Shesus is a multi-gender reincarnation Miss-iah. The Sistas are genuine twins.

Together they are here to heal you.” A trio of fools deliver something between cabaret, comedy, a carol concert and therapy. Ages 18+. Tickets from £12 (limited availability). tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday December 8 n Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade The annual spectacular procession along North Street, Cannon Street and

when she describes her affection for the Brunels, first father Marc and then his son Isambard, who was a frequent visitor to her house.

Did she really have a soft spot for Isambard, as she hints here? She did marry her second husband, 28 years her junior, shortly after Isambard had found himself a wife.

Isambard built both the Great Western Railway and the SS Great Britain with the help of Guppy’s son Thomas. Sarah hints that her son was the brains who kept Brunel on budget, and that her ideas were crucial to the Clifton suspension bridge.

Oh, and the bed. Guppy’s “exercise bed” was one of 10 patents she was behind, along with a breakfast-maker, improved drain pipes and a superior candlestick.

We can’t really know Sarah Guppy. But we can celebrate her achievements. Once again Show of Strength have convincingly brought history to life, and made thought-provoking entertainment from real events.

Paul Breeden showofstrength.org.uk • There’s a feature on Sarah Guppy is in our December 2017 edition, viewable at issuu.com/southbristolvoice British Road, 4-7pm. Starts at St Francis Church, North Street and finishes with fireworks at South Street Park. site.bwlp.org.uk n Winter Fair Redcliffe Nursery School & Children’s Centre, Ship Lane, BS1 6RR. Hot food, warming winter drinks, games and crafts for all ages plus face-painting. Visit Elsa in her Frozen Castle. 11am-3pm; adults’ £1 entry includes a raffle ticket, children free. More info on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @redcliffeptfa n Jamaican Christmas Zion, Bishopsworth Road. Christmas Never Too Old To Disco Love to dance, but don’t know where? Feel the disco beat once more and reconnect with the old tunes you know and love at this fun, relaxed class.

Charles Padfield Centre, Victoria Park Baptist Church, Sylvia Avenue, BS3 5DA. Second and fourth Saturday of the month, 10.45-11.45am. £7, no booking!

Find out more from Zoe at: nevertoooldtodisco@gmail.com

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

It’s Hell down here, but also rather fun HE Underworld (according to ancient Greek legend) is the place you go when you die, if you were not always good in your life. In Acta’s version, mortals may not even realise they’ve died until they arrive at the river Styx and pay

Charon the boatman to cross (unless you have no money, in which case he’ll moan a bit and then let you over for free), with his sister Eris making sarky remarks on your way across.

Then it’s time to meet the eternally-exasperated Hades and his shiny queen Persephone. Her plot line involves her planning a secret surprise for Hades, bagging the most promising newly-arrived mortals to be her assistants.

Hades has three incompetent demons who, fed up with boring tasks and not enough demon-ing, escape to the Overworld.

A broken-up couple who hate

each other are forced to live together in hell, provoked by a naughty demon who relishes her task of making the afterlife difficult for them. Meanwhile, the sister of a dead soul sacrifices herself so her sister can live, and a pair who run a coffee shop also end up on the wrong side of the Styx. These four are sent on a mission through a labyrinth, set by camp maze keeper Daedalus, competing for two spots back up above.

I imagine the cast had a lot of fun this year, improvising and sharing ideas to create this performance – it’s certainly fun to watch. I particularly enjoyed

watching Viking-like Jake Bristow as the guard, Nathan Clark as Build, the ever-so-softly spoken big-guy superhero, and Phoebe Shakespeare as Tmona, the fluffy, dopey, coffee-shop-owning animal lover. It transpires the reason she’s in Hades is – most unexpected plot-twist that made me laugh out loud – in her spare time she’s a hit man!

Phoenix theatre is Acta’s youth theatre for people aged 16–25 years, from all across the city.

They’ll start working on their next production soon – new members are welcome.

Beccy Golding acta-bristol.com

the Jamaican way with music from Troy Ellis, a live DJ plus Jamaican food from jerk chicken, rice and peas to veggie curry and plaintain and dumplings.

Cocktail bar and Christmas surprises. 8pm-midnight, £8. zionbristol.co.uk/events Sunday December 9 n Christmas Market SouthBank Club, Dean lane, Southville. Stalls from local makers and artisans. Ideal for gift shopping and a glass of mulled wine. Live music, café and bar, 11am-4pm. southbankclub.webs.com Tuesday December 11 n Christmas Concert Knowle Methodist Church, Wells Road, Knowle, 7.30pm. St George Singers, carols and other festive music. Admission free. Collection in aid of Brace, the Alzheimers research charity, fighting dementia.

Wednesday December 12 n Out There Music Bristol Christmas Show SouthBank Centre, Dean Lane, Southville.

Festive celebration with songs performed by South Bristol Community Choir and the Chamber Choir followed by carol sing-along. Doors 7.30pm for 8pm, bar. Tickets £10 on the door, under 18s £6.

Details by emailing admin@ outtheremusicbristol.co.uk or call Tom Jones on 07967 200082. outtheremusicbristol.co.uk n Pressed flower and wood tealight holder workshop Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Design and make tealight holders, ideal for Christmas presents, using natural materials – pressed flowers and leaves, twigs, pine cones, feathers and raffia.

Ticket £17.36, includes materials and a glass of prosecco. 7-9pm. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Friday December 14 n My brother Colin Pillinger: from Bristol to Mars! Knowle and Totterdown Local History Society, Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle, 7.30pm. A talk

by Pat Lindegaard, followed by a Christmas buffet. Members pay £1.50 entry fee, visitors £3. knowleandtotterdownhistory.org.uk Saturday December 15 n Christmas Coffee Morning Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road. With Christmas stalls, 10.30am-12 noon. n Christmas Market Filwood Community Centre, Filwood Broadway. Range of stalls offering refreshments, handcrafted products and gifts.

Digitally-designed and laser cut Christmas cards and decorations, jewellery, homewares, artwork and other items from independent makers. Hot drinks and festive food from local suppliers. Free entry, families welcome. kwmc.org.uk/events n Stand Up For The Weekend with Stephen Bailey & Co Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. Stephen Bailey’s friendly, open brand of gossipy humour has won him new friends as the support act on sell-out tours

with Katherine Ryan and Jenny Eclair. Plus guests. 7.45pm, £12. thecomedybox.co.uk December 15-December 16 n Reindeer on the Roof Zion, Bishopsworth Road.

Hodgepodge Theatre Company presents the adventures of Darcey, who wakes up to find a reindeer on the roof – but no sign of Santa. How can she help her new reindeer friend get back to Lapland? Tickets £8 adults, £6 children, £30 family (2 adults and 3 children). Shows at 11am and 3pm, duration 1 hour 10. zionbristol.co.uk/events Sunday December 16 n Christmas Carol Concert with Bristol Chamber Choir Anglican chapel, Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. Festive refreshments on sale from 5.30pm; £8, 6-8pm. Sold out, but check for returns. arnosvale.org.uk/events n Christmas Quiz & Party Bedminster & Southville Labour Party, Southbank Club, Continued overleaf

n Review The Underworld Phoenix theatre company, Acta theatre, Bedminster

T

Orphans ahoy at steamship festive frolic December 9-11, 21-22 n Preview Steamed Brunel’s SS Great Britain

C

OMBINING off-the-cuff humour and Dickensian charm, Steamed looks like no other Christmas show in Bristol this year – especially as it takes place on the SS Great Britain.

Brunel’s great ship is the setting for a part-improvised

festive comedy- drama, featuring endearing orphans, steam ships, steam trains, figgy puddings and the odd music hall number.

Each show is created by the performers from audience suggestions. It’s been created by Closer Each Day, the theatre company behind Bristol’s cult Improvised Soap Opera, claimed to be the world’s longest-running improvised narrative, performed at the Wardrobe Theatre in Old Market every fortnight.

Shows are suitable for age 10 and above and last 90 minutes, with an interval. Tickets include entry to SS Great Britain tinyurl.com/brunelSteamed

www.doorexpresssouthwest.co.uk

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

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December 2018

n WHAT’S ON A moving journey in someone else’s shoes n Review Semites Loco Klub, Temple Meads

T

HE LOCO Klub is in the railway arches beneath Temple Meads – rough and ready, with compacted earth underfoot, exposed bricks, and quirky oddities for decorations, as befits a venue co-hosted by the Invisible Circus and ArtSpace LifeSpace. The first arch is the bar area, carpeted, with saggy sofas to slouch in, before we

Continued from Page 35 Dean Lane. Fun, games and festive treats, with a quiz at 7.30pm and prize raffle. Funky dance music, comedy MC, socialising and bar. Suggested donation £3. To attend, please email bedsthlabour@gmail.com.

All welcome, 7-10.30pm. n The Wurzels The Tunnels, Temple Meads. The Wurzels, formed in 1966 by Adge Cutler, the Bard of Avonmouth, still play good-time Zummerzet Scrumpy ’n’ Western. £12.50, 7.30pm. thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Tuesday December 18 n West Street Carols With the Bedminster Citadel Salvation Army Band, outside Mezzaluna/ Tesco, 6-7pm. Mulled wine and minced pies.

Thursday December 20 n Ceilidh with Bowreed SouthBank Club, Dean Lane,

are guided by torchlight through the next tunnel and into a third, where tiered seating overlooks a stage area.

We are warmly welcomed, and invited to take our shoes off – they are placed in a long line at the back. When the show begins our shoes become part of it – a pair is selected at random and placed on stage. A spotlight shines and one of the cast step forward, placing their own feet next to the shoes.

They tell the real, personal story of a Palestinian – their connection to the land, their family’s history.

Another pair of shoes, another spotlight, another story – this time an Israeli – their connection to where they stand. My shoes were the first pair used – it felt very moving, seeing my empty pair of shoes, hearing another’s story – Southville. An evening of dances from all over the world, as well as high-octane entertainment. £10 in advance, £15 on the door. southbankclub.webs.com Friday December 21 n The Nightmare Before Christmas Anglican Chapel, Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. Several screenings of this modern Christmas classic at Arnos Vale have sold out but check for returns. This one starts at 5pm, tickets £10. arnosvale. org.uk/events Saturday 22 December n The Official Christmas Show with Robert White & guests Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street.

Robert White – a Britain’s Got Talent 2018 finalist – is the only gay, quarter-Welsh comic with Asperger’s on the British comedy circuit. With some festive lines,

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n THE CITY PAGE

Real stories: Semites has accounts from Palestinians and Israelis truly a representation of walking a mile in another person’s shoes.

The show features stories, told in different ways, of people who live in Israel and Palestine – both peoples who are Semites, linked by their linguisitic roots.

The verbatim disclosures were gathered on location by writer and actor Ben Nathan. His performance partner is Lara Sawalha. Each speaks these gathered words with presumably. £15, 7.45pm. thecomedybox.co.uk Monday December 24 n Family-friendly Christmas Eve The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Three short sets of Christmas-inspired electro-acoustic stuff including Totterdown punk popsters Everything Else and Thunderbolt maestro Dave’s band, The Disorderlies. Mulled wine, cider, festive snacks, free entry, 4-8pm. thethunderbolt.net Saturday 29 December n The End of the Year Show with Carey Marx & guests Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street.

Celebrate the last Saturday of the year with morally-dubious Carey Marx, elegant rants from Phil Jerrod and the viperish wit of Sally-Anne Hayward. 7.45pm, £12. thecomedybox.co.uk Monday December 31 Retro Electro The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Five-piece 80s covers band play classics from Depeche Mode to Prince, David Bowie to Gary Numan. 8pmlate. Admission: £15 advance, £20 on the door. thethunderbolt.net n Steppin’ Out – 80s party Tobacco Factory, North Street.

Every 80s musical genre is covered in the Tobacco Factory’s big celebration. Headline DJ is Bill Brewster, who began his career in the 80s and was a founder of Fabric, supported

by Bedmo Disco Records, JimmyTheTwin and Spinthief.

authenticity and humanity. At times they break out, telling stories about how the production was created and how they felt.

We hear from activists and farmers, yoga practitioners and combatants, we hear from people who have never spoken to anyone from the other side, we hear about barriers, and we hear from members of groups who work to bring the sides together, to remember each other’s humanity.

After the show ends, we hear the spotlighted shoe-quotes again, this time with a photograph projected on the wall of the real person who said it – it makes us laugh, we feel affection, fondness.

Finally we hear another quote – yes we can step into another’s shoes – but first we must step out of our own.

Beccy Golding There’s hop-hop and electro at a Big Top Block Party hosted

by Boogie Truckers, tropical grooves and African drumming in the Thali, with “back-to-back 80s bangers” upstairs in the theatre bar in Tooty Fruity’s Guilty Pleathers. Plus street food (included in the £40 ticket), a retro photo booth, dance-offs, walkabout, neon & UV face paint and other surprises. tobaccofactory.com/whats-on

Regular events n Walking Netball Wednesday 12.30-1.30pm at The Park centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, £4.50; Dance Fit fun fitness class for over 50s £4, Monday 11am-12 noon, Park centre, £4.50, also Wednesday 10.30-11.30am at United Reformed Church, Wick Road, Brislington. Also Dance Variety at The Park centre: learn dances from waltz to Bollywood! Basic steps. No partner needed. Over 50s, £5, Monday 1-2pm. Details from Cressida on 07808 581739 or 0117 939 1672. n Danceblast “Bristol’s most exciting dance school.”

Every Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday: juniors, 3-4 years 10-11am, 5-6 years 11am-12 noon, 7-9 years 12 noon-1.30pm, 10-11 years 1.30-3pm, 12-13 years 2.154.15pm at St Francis Church Hall, North Street, Southville. Sunday: seniors 14-18 years 1.30-4.30pm, Tobacco Factory studio. Call Anne on 07984 069485. danceblast.co.uk

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

Sponsored by CLEVERLEY BUILDERS

37

BRISTOL CITY ROUND-UP Supporting City and the best in building

The pitch is looking lovely, shame about the activity on it

W

ISE old newspaper editors would always advise those reviewing local amateur dramatic shows: “If you can’t think of anything good to say about the performance, praise the scenery”.

On that basis Ashton Gate was looking good for the game against Preston North End. The pitch was beautifully trimmed and the stands freshly washed with rain. Most of the amateur dramatics came from the Preston players running the clock down after former City man Callum Robinson side-footed in a chance in the first half.

Southmead hospital really need to get in touch with the Preston medical staff as they appeared to sort several major head injuries in only 20 minutes with just a hold-all. The players were only able to walk slowly to the side of the pitch, but after treatment they were able to sprint back on seconds later.

Their efforts paid off with a 1-0 win.

On the back of defeats against Reading and Stoke City this was poor stuff from City. Reading and Preston will surely be among the lower reaches of the table and are the sort of teams that points need to be gained from.

In a season that has seen Boris and Jo Johnson resign because they can’t work out how to exit the EU, City’s Lee Johnson is sticking at the task of trying to exit the Championship at the top end. Recent results mean that his tactics come under the microscope

Preston and Reading are the kind of sides we should have taken points from, says MARTIN POWELL as well as the players’ abilities.

Against Preston the line-up of five defenders didn’t work. Three substitutes failed to change the direction of the game and Johnson’s best decision was when he reorganised the ball boys to try to stop some of the Preston antics whenever the ball went out of play.

Football fans will put up with poor entertainment if it is a good result but recent games have not been that entertaining and the results poor. Let’s hope that all at City get their act together to ensure that Ashton Gate is once again a tough place for opposition players to practice their histrionics and rudimentary First Aid displays.

Josh Brownhill, formerly of Preston, forced a save with a free kick but other than that City’s best chance came when a Preston defender back-headed towards his own goal. City’s forwards showed little endeavour and the best

Lee Johnson: Tactics under scrutiny at Preston game PHOTO: JMPUK/BCFC players on show were goal-scorer Robinson and Daniel Johnson (I suspect no relation of Boris or Lee) in the Preston midfield.

A glance at the fixture list is unlikely to provide much comfort for those wanting to see a win in BS3. Millwall arrive at the beginning of December and the last home game before Christmas is against Norwich, who are riding high at the top of the table.

The lure of Christmas shopping may well be too much for those delicate souls who have to head for the exits whenever City go two goals down.

What nobody wants is for Bristol City to slip into pantomime season with the scenery still looking better than the players.

MARTIN’S SHORTS n THERE was much handwringing after a planned minute’s silence to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War somehow turned into a minute’s applause. I’m sure those remembered would have been greatly amused.

It was a lovely touch that City planted seven trees at the training ground to remember the players who died in the conflict: Edmund Burton, Albert Edwards, Allen Foster, Ernie Gadsby, Harry Gidea, James Stevenson and Tommy Ware.

CITY GAMES: Nov 28 A Ipswich Town; Dec 2 H Millwall; Dec 8 A Birmingham City; Dec15 H Norwich City; Dec 22 A Derby Co; Dec 26 H Brentford; Dec 29 H Rotherham Utd

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

n YOUR MP

KARIN SMYTH Labour MP for Bristol South

It’s time we stopped using universal credit to penalise disabled people

I

T’S SOMETHING I’ve written about in the South Bristol Voice before, but we’re now starting to see many more worrying issues with universal credit here in Bristol South.

Until now, it’s mostly been single men applying for universal credit, due to the way the rollout works, but I’m receiving calls from more and more families struggling to cope with the transition to the new single benefit.

Universal credit was designed by the Government to replace a series of welfare benefits such as housing benefit, job seekers’ allowance and working tax credits, creating a single payment. Last year, we saw issues with

people expected to get by with no money for weeks while their claim was processed, with people being saddled with huge phone bills for calling the helpline and, if they could afford to call, finding poorly-trained staff at the other end unable to help them with their queries.

While the Government has taken limited steps to address some of these problems, it has done nothing to help the thousands of disabled people and those suffering with

n LOCAL SERVICES

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ill-health who are worse off under Universal credit. All recent concessions have been for people who are able to work.

There are 5,798 people currently claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA) in Bristol South; people who have proved to the Department for Work and Pensions that their long-term disability or ill-health means that they cannot work and need financial support.

There is still no recognition or understanding that many of these constituents will never work again. They do not need incentives or sanctions to work. The DWP agrees that they cannot work, but universal credit offers them no benefit, only a loss of income.

Surely it is time to halt the migration of anyone currently claiming ESA and allow new claimants with an illness or disability to claim that benefit. We need a proper rethink about how we support those who most need our help. In ignoring these concerns and persisting with the migration, the Government is creating added stress and anxiety for vulnerable people, many of whom already suffer with mental health problems.

I will not stop raising this issue and will do what I can to help people navigate the confusing world of universal credit. If you’re having trouble with the transition to Universal credit, please do get in touch and my team will try and help you.

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Previously

Instruct us by December 31st 2018 and we’ll give you

HERE TO GET

31st December

you

THERE

December 2018