South Bristol Voice Bedminster March 2019

southbristolvoice

March 2019 March 2019

southbristolvoice

No. 41

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

1

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DESPITE waves of criticism from community groups and members of the public, a document drawn up by the would-be developers of Bedminster Green is set to be adopted by the council as a guideline for the expected 1,500 homes to be built there.

Consultation on the developers’ Framework document – conducted over five weeks, but spanning the Christmas holidays – aroused widespread dismay at the prospect of high-rise blocks surrounding the Green.

A typical comment read: “There doesn’t appear to be any joined up thinking, just lots of very tall buildings, which are completely inappropriate for the area.”

The consultation was published on February 26 and Continued on page 6

Lighting up our lives

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There may not have been quite so many colourful windows on display in Bedminster and Southville during Window Wanderland from February 22-24. But the quality was still high and families enjoyed trekking the streets to find the best.

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INSIDE

Critics queue to slam Bedminster Green plan

But it’s the only way to ensure standards, says cabinet chief

• WHO WANTS TO LIGHT UP THE NIGHT? 5 • ARRESTS AFTER FOOTBALL VIOLENCE

5

• CLEAN AIR PLAN IS STILL NOT READY

11

• HISTORY: MOBS ATTACK WOMEN AS THEY TRY TO WIN THE VOTE 29-33

STOP PRESS

HALIFAX TO CLOSE WILL A CINEMA MAKE Firm urges residents to back plan for Bedminster IT ALL WORTHWHILE? cinema – but doesn’t mention 22-storey tower: p3

m ve

As the Voice went to press, news came in that an East Street bank is under threat. More on page 3

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

IN

southbristolvoice

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

Intro CHANGING OUR WAYS THE ENTIRE world, and not just South Bristol, is having to face up to the potentially enormous changes that we will face if we are to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.

There is no longer any real scientific dissent: climate change is already happening.

But the statistics that filter down to us can be quite confusing.

On page 10, we present one study that finds carbon emissions (which cause global warming) in Bristol are falling; another which says they are the highest per person in the UK. The difference appears

Independent Community News Network member Twitter: @sbristolvoice Facebook: southbristolvoice Next deadline for editorial and advertising: March 20th to be explained by the huge emissions from Bristol’s ports (ships use a very dirty form of fuel oil) and aircraft.

As individuals, we can’t do much about the global shipping business. But we can choose to fly less often.

According to environmental scientist Angela Terry, that’s one of the most effective ways in which we can reduce our own impact on the planet.

But what about the economic benefits that Bristol Airport brings, many will cry, and the thousands of jobs it provides?

That’s the kind of dilemma we will have to address in the years to come – but quickly, if we are to meet Bristol’s target of zero carbon emissions by 2030. What will our political leaders recommend?

March 2019

HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH ...

My councillor?

Post: (all councillors) City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR. Celia Phipps Labour, Bedminster

By phone: 07469 413312 By email: Cllr.celia.phipps@bristol.gov.uk Mark Bradshaw Labour, Bedminster. By email: Cllr.mark. bradshaw@bristol.gov.uk By phone: 0117 353 3160 Stephen Clarke Green, Southville By email: Cllr.stephen.clarke@ bristol.gov.uk Charlie Bolton Green, Southville By phone: 07884 736111 By email: Cllr.charlie.bolton@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 Action Greater Bedminster AGM, venue TBC, Wednesday March 27, 7pm. greaterbedminster@gmail.com

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.

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

That’s music to my ears!

That’s music to my ears!

March 2019

southbristolvoice

n NEWS

Cinema plan wins supporters – but most aren’t from BS3 Cinema supporters writing to council are more than 2:1 from other parts of Bristol THE PEOPLE of Bedminster are debating whether they want or need a cinema after an operator was announced for a new picture house in the controversial St Catherine’s Place development.

Scott Cinemas, which runs the Henleaze Orpheus in North Bristol, is encouraging its customers to write to planners in favour of the new scheme.

“It’s fantastic to see these plans to regenerate this part of Bedminster – and I have no doubt our cinema will be vital in the area’s renaissance,” said Scott Cinemas director Dan Harris.

“We jumped at the chance to be involved. Bedminster is probably the only area of Bristol where the majority of local residents need to travel into the city centre or much further afield to visit the cinema.”

When the Voice posted the news on Facebook, some readers welcomed it. One said: “Scott Cinemas are great – we drive from BS3 to Henleaze to go to their cinema as it’s so reasonably priced. It will be great to be able to walk to see films locally!”

Another said: “I’d love to have a cinema so close by.”

Others queried the need for a new cinema, saying some

existing screens aren’t well used.

“There’s lots of cinemas close by, we really do not need another one! Showcase, Showcase de Lux, Odeon, literally walking distance or a short drive,” said a reader.

The £3 million new cinema would have Dolby Atmos sound and 4k laser projection in all three screens, and a bar-café.

A post on Scott Cinemas’ website urges people to write to the council in support of the planning application by Firmstone to rebuild the tired St Catherine’s Place shopping centre with 271 flats. Scott doesn’t mention the 22-storey tower which would be built above the cinema. Since then, 36 people have written to support the plan – 10 of them from BS3 and 26 from other areas of Bristol.

Representatives of Bedminster’s beleaguered traders are backing the cinema plan and the developers’ Framework.

George Grace, manager of the

traders’ Town Team, said: “The developments around Bedminster Green are key to the future of East Street. We all know that many high streets have been impacted badly by the internet and other forces. If we are not careful these places, where communities meet and mix, will disappear entirely.

“It’s time we looked forward, and one of the solutions is to provide more homes so shopper demand is within easy walking distance. If approved, the Bedminster Green Framework will help achieve this.”

• A pilot study under the Love our High Street initiative has been given £25,000 to look at how to rejuvenate East Street, Bedminster Parade, Cannon Street and part of North Street.

• Bedminster Green update: 6-7

3

n BRIEFLY Council threat to new gym n THE LUXE super-gym, which opened last year in the former Bedminster Library in St Peter’s Court, has not renovated the listed building in line with its planning permission, according to the council. Luxe is under threat of enforcement action. The gym’s owners dispute they have done anything wrong. n GET LITTER picking with members of Ashton Vale Together on Thursday March 7, meeting on the corner of Silbury Road and Ashton Drive at 10am.

The group’s next meeting is on Tuesday March 12 at Ashton Vale Community Centre ,6.30-8pm.

Details: 07840 680516. n THE PLAN for a homeless centre in Spring Street, reported in the last Voice, has won planning permission. Charity Help Bristol’s Homeless plans 15 temporary container homes.

HALIFAX SET TO CLOSE THE HALIFAX at 103 East Street is to close on May 23, the bank said, “in response to customers’ changing needs”. The number visiting the branch fell 16 per cent in a year, it said, though use of the Self Service zone rose seven per cent.

The nearest Halifax will be in Broadmead. Banks remaining in BS3 are Nat West in North Street, HSBC in Cannon Street, and TSB Santander, and Barclays in East St.

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March 2019

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n FEATURES

Curing your ills without any pills THERE are some ailments a doctor can’t treat with drugs, yet they can have a major effect on the course of our lives.

Loneliness, a feeling of isolation and a lack of purpose are all too common and can often make people feel unwell enough to go to their GP – who may be unable to offer many solutions in a 10-minute consultation.

Now a new idea is on offer in doctors’ surgeries across South Bristol which could change all that – social prescribing.

Social prescribing is for anyone over 18. It’s like a visit to a GP, except that you don’t see a doctor, you see a “community navigator”. And they don’t write out prescriptions for drugs – they point you to activities and support

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING Healthy outlook: A new activity is often the best cure for life’s ailments

that can help to change your life.

Worries about money can seem overwhelming, so the service can link you to help with getting the right benefits or sorting out unpaid utility bills.

“If people are socially isolated there is often a reason for that,” said Celia Phipps, one of three community navigators working with BS3 Community, the charity based at the Southville Centre.

“Very often we have to go through their practical difficulties to get to the real nub of the problem,” she said.

If someone is seriously ill, they will be referred for NHS help. But they might benefit from something much simpler – help with losing weight; or advice on

benefits from South Bristol Advice Centre; support for carers from the Carers Trust, or small grants for the over-60s from the Bristol Benevolent Institution.

“People often leave feeling that a weight has been lifted from their shoulders,” said Dawn Lockhart of BS3 Community.

If people want to find useful things to do, they can be pointed towards volunteering, perhaps at a cultural event such as the Bedminster Lantern parade.

People may want to return to work but lack confidence or skills – a scheme called West of England Works, based at The Park centre in Knowle, can help with this.

Bristol is at the forefront of the social prescribing revolution,

WHY SOCIAL PRESCRIBING?

A

LMOST one in five visits to a GP are for something non-medical. People feel ill because they are isolated or need more out of life. A community navigator can point them to services to help with anxiety, money problems, benefits, wellbeing, support for carers and more. And they have the time to listen: appointments last an hour.

HOW CAN I GET HELP?

A

SK the receptionist at your GP practice for an appointment with a community navigator – most South Bristol surgeries can arrange this. trying to save the NHS time and money and help people to help themselves when medicine isn’t what’s needed. A study by the University of the West of England in 2016 found patients using the service had improved wellbeing and mental health. They also visited their GP less.

March 2019

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n NEWS

Arrests follow trouble at Swansea game

Who wants to light up the night?

THE PEOPLE of BS3 are being asked to Light Up The Night next autumn as a way of remembering their loved ones.

British people are famously bad at talking about death, yet in countries such as Mexico, Poland and Spain, there are annual days where people go to cemeteries to celebrate the lives of the departed.

George Grace, the organiser of Bedminster’s event, was so moved when he saw hundreds of candles lighting a Polish cemetery that he decided to bring the tradition to Bristol.

Light Up The Night will happen in St Paul’s churchyard, Southville, on Saturday November 7.

George stressed that it’s not a religious occasion – it will be open to everyone, of whatever

FIVE Bristol men have been charged following violence at the Bristol City vs Swansea City match on February 2.

Ryan Greenslade, 26, from Brislington, Christopher Dennett, 36, from Totterdown, and Paul Villis, 48, from Portishead, are all charged with causing fear or provocation of violence. Kevin Morrison, 32, from Knowle, is charged with breaching a football banning order.

All have been banned by the the club from attending matches.

Greenslade and Dennett are due to face magistrates on March 21 while Morrison and Villis will appear on March 28.

Matthew Leggett, of Midsomer Norton, has been charged with racially/religiously aggravated harassment. He will face Bristol magistrates on March 29.

Bright idea: How St Paul’s in Southville could look. This is Lodz, Poland belief, to light a candle and think about their loved ones.

“When you go past a graveyard on All Saints Day in Poland, you can see hundreds of candles – it’s really lovely and incredible peaceful.

“We are not very good at death in this country and I thought this might be quite useful to quite a lot of people.”

George (who is also manager of Bedminster traders’ Town Team) is seeking businesses to sponsor the idea so that the churchyard can be filled with light,

and the event is widely promoted.

Rev Nick Hay, the minister at St Paul’s, is enthusiastic about the idea. “A lot of people aren’t into religion but they are spiritual, and it’s a way to tap into that,” he said. “We hope to have thousands of candles lighting up the place.”

The church will be selling candles for the event, and will have people on hand who are trained listeners, “so people can unburden themselves if they want to”. lightthenight.site

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March 2019

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n NEWS Continued from Page 1 was set to be given to the council cabinet on March 5 – just as this issue of the Voice is published.

As the cabinet, led by mayor Marvin Rees, is all Labour, there may be little dissension in accepting the document.

The value of the Framework has been questioned again and again. Three developers submitted planning applications for high-rise blocks before the consultation was even assessed.

And two of those three plans breach the height limits set in the Framework for each plot – even though the same developers helped draw up the limits.

But Cllr Nicola Beech, the cabinet member for city design, told the Voice that the Framework is the best way forward.

“This is the best possible way of bringing the four developers together and building a new community between Windmill Hill and East Street which delivers the mix of homes that we need,” she said. Once the Framework is accepted by the council, it can be used as a

BEDMINSTER GREEN

March 2019

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n NEWS

BEDMINSTER GREEN

‘What use is the Framework?’

Public comments on the Bedminster Green Framework • “No high rise. It’s very, very simple.

In a recent poll, over 80 per cent of Bristol residents were opposed to high-rise building. No one likes them and no one wants them.”

• “It should be in keeping with the beautiful old buildings like Wapping Wharf.”

• “This is not a new urban quarter. It is part of Bedminster and Windmill Hill. It shouldn’t be changing the area, and it will as it will tower above the existing communities.”

• “This questionnaire is skewed to give a pro-developer response. It is not a fair representation of the wishes of the community.” yardstick when the planning applications are assessed, she said.

The council has secured some changes to the Framework –

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Bristol Civic Society: “Mass of tall buildings would have a detrimental effect on the surrounding modest townscape.” Council should “establish a development consortium; a public-private partnership to bring forward integrated development. Is the Green big enough as a communal space relative to size of the new community? Private amenity space shouldn’t just be balconies.”

BS3 Planning Group: “We largely align with the Civic Society’s response. We do not welcome student accommodation – students spending little and having only a transient interest in the area.”

Windmill Hill & Malago Community Planning Group: “Need overarching, enforceable Framework that sets out a realistic

scale of development and ensures benefits. Concerned that there is a lack of firm rules or commitment for development. Collaboration between developers and the council is needed to ensure the delivered set of sites and infrastructure suits the needs of the existing and future communities.”

Windmill Hill City Farm: “Buildings adjacent to the farm around 9 storeys is a major concern as they would cause significant overshadowing and undermine the Farm’s purpose. The Green will be compromised by 10-18 storey (or more) buildings on all sides. Part of the development should be put under community management. A Malago Green corridor could extend from the Farm, surrounded by a village of community business units.”

including what may be a vital change to a height limit.

Previously, on land zoned as mid-rise, for 6-9 storeys, some taller elements were allowed of 10 storeys or more if they were “set back from streets, to create a varied roof line or to step up towards framing the Green”.

Now the mid-rise sites are clearly marked as 6-9 floors, with no provision for “stepping up”.

That would seem to rule out A2Dominion’s plan for blocks of 10 and 12 storeys on the old Pring & St Hill factory site.

Also apparently breaking the Framework height rule is the Firmstone plan for a 22-storey tower framed by 12-storey blocks, in a plot where the lower portions should be 6-9 floors.

So far, three planning

applications have been submitted

by A2Dominion, Dandara and Firmstone. None will be considered until the council has agreed to the Framework, though A2Dominion optimistically hopes to be able to start work in July.

WHaM, the Windmill Hill community planning group, says if the Framework does go before the council cabinet on March 5, it will give no time for discussion. “I just wonder what the point of the Framework is – they have broken it anyway,” said WHaM chair Nick Townsend.

Allowing the developers to draw up their own rules was like “foxes taking over the chicken coop”, he said. Bedminster Green now faces the prospect of being surrounded by 10 buildings of more than 10 storeys, he said.

The view from Alfred Road, Windmill Hill, of blocks proposed so far

What next?

AS LONG suspected by some, it seems there could be hundreds more homes to come in the Whitehouse Lane area. No plans have emerged, but the Voice understands developers are testing the water and exploring land deals. The council owns several of the industrial plots here and so could influence development more than it has on Bedminster Green. There is an upper limit of 1,500 homes

WHAT’S PROPOSED Points emerging from the Framework • A resident parking scheme may be needed for surrounding areas – it is not clear if this includes Windmilll Hill.

• Whitehouse Street to be blocked, or made one-way, at junction with Windmill Hill – restricting the choice of routes for residents of the Hill.

• The car park at Little Paradise may get an extra level to replace spaces lost at Hereford Street.

• The River Malago could be

for Bedminster Green. But there is a target in the draft Local Plan for 2,200 homes for central Bedminster. Many of the remaining 700 homes could be in the Whitehouse Lane area.

The Parson Street area has also been explored for highdensity housing but is not expected to see the same scale of development.

More will emerge when the Local Plan is updated later in March.

• Western Harbour plans to be unveiled soon: page 12 opened up, and Malago Road improved, with £6m of CIL money from the developers.

• Developers will be asked for at least 20 per cent affordable housing. On one council-owned site, Plot 5, this will be 30 per cent.

• Public money may be needed to revamp Bedminster station.

• New cycle routes are planned, segregated if possible.

• Most of the homes proposed so far are one or two-bedroom flats.

Critics say this is unbalanced.

Developers say it is to offset the large number of terraced houses already in the area.

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March 2019

southbristolvoice

March 2019

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9

n NEWS ‘Franchise the buses’ plea

Illegal home owner loses bid for new planning permission Giant graffiti above Wells Rd Co-op

B R E AT H TA K I N G

DEALS Until 31st March

THE OWNER of the bungalow built illegally in the back garden of a South Bristol home accepts that he may have to knock it down.

Landlord John Fry has been given three months to demolish the two-bedroom home he built behind 152 and 154 Marksbury Road, after an appeal to a planning inspector failed.

Mr Fry, who says he owns more than 50 properties in the area, does have planning permission to build a 6m square garden room.

Instead, he built a house with a kitchen-living room, bathroom and two bedrooms. Mr Fry’s plans show the building as 10.07m long, though he says it is only 9m.

In the last month Mr Fry has lost an attempt to win permission for a second “garden room” behind No 152. Planners refused to consider the application,

Illegal: The back garden home because it relates to land already subject to the enforcement notice.

Mr Fry told the Voice: “You’d think people would be in favour of a building that helps Bristol’s homeless crisis.”

He also claimed that it hadn’t been rented out. He said: “The building is an ancillary building.

Even though it looks lived in, there’s nobody living in it.”

Planning documents show that Mr Fry told the council in

January 2018 that the home was being used by the brother of his tenant at No 154, and his family – in other words, that it was not a separate home.

But the report makes clear that council officials didn’t believe him, stating: “The council believes that it was being occupied as a separate residential dwelling at that time.”

The Voice has also established that the home was being rented out separately.

Mr Fry, however, insisted: “It’s in use in connection with the front of the house.”

When asked which house it was being used in connection with, he declined to answer.

Mr Fry, who lives in Dundry, believes that the enforcement notice does not compel him to knock down the whole building.

CALLS for the council to take control of Bristol’s troubled bus services are close to provoking a debate on the issue.

A petition calling for the city’s buses to be franchised has 3,000 signatures – only 500 short of the number needed to call a debate at a full council meeting.

A franchise system – like that in London – would allow the city council, or alternatively the new Weca (West of England) authority, to set fares and timetables.

Routes in South Bristol, especially along Wells Road, attract frequent complaints that buses are late, full or just missing.

Weca and the city council will consult on a new bus strategy later in the year. Neither city mayor Marvin Rees nor metro mayor Tim Bowles has yet voiced support for franchising. Mr Rees has said he has no power to set up a council-owned bus company. tinyurl.com/BrisBusPetition

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

southbristolvoice

10

n NEWS

March 2019

CLIMATE CHANGE

We need a big shift in thinking to meet Bristol is one of the most polluting cities Bristol’s climate goal by 2030 in Europe when air and sea transport is included

‘KEEP AIRPORT AS A REGIONAL HUB’

BRISTOL can meet its ambitious target to become carbon-neutral in just 12 years – but it will take a wholesale shift in thinking by business and political leaders.

In particular, the city’s approach to transport will have to change, says Angela Terry, an environmental scientist who leads One World, a group which urges people to make simple choices to alter their lifestyle in the battle against global warming.

Rapid expansion at Bristol Airport is impossible to square with reducing the area’s carbon footprint, she says.

Two recent studies illustrate the problem. One table, from the

S

OUTH Bristol Green councillor Stephen Clarke has been a major critic of Bristol Airport’s expansion plans.

In articles for Bristol 24/7, he has argued that more flights mean more pollution, and less chance of avoiding catastrophic damage to the environment. “I want the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), shows Bristol’s carbon emissions falling steadily, from 5.9 tonnes per person in 2015 to 3.4 tonnes in 2016. But the BEIS figures exclude the huge emissions from ships at Bristol’s two ports, and the rising air traffic at the airport.

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airport to remain a regional hub rather than expanding because I am desperately worried about Cllr Stephen the extra carbon Clarke emissions and other pollution that will be produced by the extra planes and extra car journeys to get to the

airport,” he wrote. He takes issue with Whitchurch Park Labour councillor Barry Clark (see below), who argues that airport expansion will bring £3 billion of benefits and 10,000 jobs. Cllr Clarke countered that the airport itself estimates that South Bristol will gain just 90 jobs from the current plan to expand from eight to 12m passengers a year, and the economic benefit is £1.4bn.

along with the energy used in items imported from abroad – the picture is very different.

Bristol is the highest-emitting city of those studied in the UK, and the seventh highest in Europe, at 5.9 tonnes per person, according to a paper by a team of international scientists published at nature.com in January.

“Shipping and aviation have had a ‘get out of jail’ card for decades,” Angela told the Voice.

“Airports want to expand because they have never been held accountable for their emissions.”

Bristol Airport has a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 – but this refers to the energy used to run the airport, not the emissions from aircraft.

Voice contributor Alex Morss wrote in an article in The Ecologist in January: “The expansion of the airport would mean a 59 per cent rise in aviation carbon emissions this decade.”

Several dozen protesters from Extinction Rebellion staged a peaceful “die in” at the airport’s arrivals hall on January 19 to draw attention to its plan to grow passengers from eight million in 2017 to 20 million by 2040.

Many in South Bristol welcome the new jobs that the airport’s growth will bring.

Writing in Bristol 24/7, Whitchurch Labour councillor Barry Clark said the plan would bring £3 billion to the regional economy and said: “The innovations of airlines like EasyJet, through more environmentally-friendly planes and fuels, as well as Bristol Airport’s own carbon neutrality target, should be driven forward, not dismissed,” he said.

Easyjet has ambitions to trial

electric airliners by the mid 2020s – though electric planes are in their infancy, mainly limited to two-seaters.

Cllr Clark accused Green councillors who have led the attack on the airport of being “posh people from the city centre” who “sadly seem intent on impoverishing South Bristol.”

Taking a different path and investing in green technology would be far better for the Bristol economy, countered Angela Terry. Many airport jobs are low-wage catering and security posts, whereas jobs in renewable energy would be high-tech and better paid, she said.

If the planet keeps its current path towards 4 degrees C of warming, catastrophe can be expected, and an economic cost of unknown trillions. And it will be the poorest who are affected first, said Angela.

“It’s not as if you have to choose between being green, and having money. You are healthier and better off by being green,” she said.

But merely recycling domestic waste is not enough, said Angela – to make a difference, households need to take bigger steps, such as reducing flights, cutting down on meat and dairy, and insulating the home.

So far no political leader has advocated radical change such as limiting the airport’s real carbon cost. But on February 26, councillors backed a motion put forward by Green councillors calling for an action plan to be drawn up showing how the city will meet its carbon neutral target by 2030.

• 10 tips on how to go green in 2019: onehome.org.uk/lifestyle

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

March 2019

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11

n NEWS CLEAN AIR & CLIMATE CHANGE of young people of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg action after a report by the IPCC, School students HUNDREDS from primary and secondary from Sweden. Up to 1,500 young the international coalition of schools across Bristol absented people marched around the city, climate scientists, said there is from their classrooms blocking traffic at various points just a 12-year window in which to take protest to themselves on February 15 to join the before arriving at College Green. slash carbon emissions and avoid nationwide Youth Strike 4 The protests aim to shock catastrophic wildlife losses and College Green Climate inspired by the actions politicians into taking rapid sea level rises.

Still no date for Clean Air plan as deadline missed – again THE COUNCIL has missed the Government’s second deadline to produce a plan for tackling air pollution – only two months after missing the first one.

Mayor Marvin Rees finally wrote to environment minister Therese Coffey on February 21 – the date she had set for a business case for improving air quality in the city – but he said the delay was “unavoidable”.

There is still no date for the council to produce a clean air plan. But Mr Rees insisted that need not delay actually introducing measures to cut air pollution – which is estimated to cause 300 early deaths a year in the city. That equates to 8.98 per cent of all deaths in Windmill Hill ward, 8.34 per cent in Knowle, 7.95 per cent in Filwood, 8.68 per cent in Bedminster, and 9.05 per cent in Southville.

Most of the harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution on city streets is caused by transport – and of this, the highest proportion, 40 per cent, comes from diesel cars.

It appears that the council concluded it couldn’t bring about cleaner air by the earliest target of 2021 without banning or charging for most older, pre-2016 diesels in the city centre.

Mr Rees seems to think this is an unacceptable solution. He told Ms Coffey that each of two possible options “would produce significant adverse impacts on low income groups, compounding the challenges we face tackling equality and economic exclusion”.

The measures could also undermine the city’s economic strength, he said.

The council has released no figures – but it is easy to imagine that tens of thousands of vehicles could be affected by a diesel ban, or a charge. The most severe effects could be felt by tradespeople. The city of Bath has caused uproar by proposing a

Marvin Rees: Pollution plan would hit poorest worst

Therese Coffey: Told council to produce a case

by February 21

£9 a day charge for diesels.

Mr Rees said he needed to see an equality impact assessment of the measures before proceeding.

He wrote to Ms Coffey: “I would be surprised if you were of the view that I should proceed with a plan that is clearly flawed and explicitly impacts on low income groups and undermines the economy.”

He said the council is looking again at plans to “clean up” buses, taxis and HGVs – a plan previously thought inadequate.

He would also like to make all Bristol buses use zero-emission biofuels – like the pioneering M1 Metrobus, which is run on biogas

by Bristol Community Transport, from a depot in Parson Street, Bedminster.

But there is no sign how new buses would be paid for. Mr Rees would also like to see a scrappage scheme for older diesels – but it’s unclear how this could be funded.

Bristol’s Green party was scathing about the delay, saying Mr Rees was failing to take action while “the burden of air pollution falls most heavily on the poorest people in the city”. The mayor was “avoiding difficult decisions” said Green mayoral candidate Sandy Hore-Ruthven.

But there was some sympathy for Mr Rees’s predicament.

Bedminster Labour councillor Mark Bradshaw, who was ousted

by Mr Rees as Bristol cabinet transport chief in 2017, said the Government “is failing to give

councils the powers to make a difference”. But Bristol “could and should” urgently ban vehicles from idling outside primary schools, and introduce charges for older diesel buses, coaches, HGVs and taxis, he said.

At a meeting on February, 26, Mr Rees said outline plans for improving air quality would be unveiled in March.

He dismissed a Green Party idea to charge non-Bristol residents for driving into the city, saying it would be illegal.

• More on the Voice website

In November, Bristol city council became the first core city in the country to pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Mayor Marvin Rees says his One City plan will help make this happen – though there is no clear roadmap as yet.

Bristol schools varied in their attitude to the event – most primaries in South Bristol told parents their children should be in school. But the Cathedral Choir school backed the protest, and allowed classes to attend.

Bristol Live published an alarming video of a scaffolding lorry which drove alarmingly towards the young people, before being directed away by police.

It was not clear if schools would attempt to fine parents whose children were absent.

Alex Morss, the Voice’s Continued overleaf

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n NEWS Youth march

March 2019

March 2019

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n WEST STREET IN FOCUS

Continued from page 11

Have your say on the Slopes

environment writer, obtained a legal opinion that under the Human Rights Act 1998, children have a right to gather for peaceful protest, and that no one should have to pay for their human rights.

One South Bristol parent said: “I will support my two children striking and having the courage to stand up for something they can see is incredibly important.

“We are in exceptional circumstances. Not enough is being done to prevent the climate change that will affect their future. The threat of a fine won’t stop us, we’ll fight it.”

Bristol South MP Karin Smyth said: “It’s good to see young people speaking out about something they feel strongly about. Climate change is an important issue and it deserves more attention.”

Marvin Rees asked young people to engage with the city’s youth council. He said he would meet the Youth Strike organisers.

THE NORTHERN Slopes Initiative (NSI), the group of volunteers which helps look after the last “wild” part of Knowle, wants to hear people’s views on what should happen there.

The Slopes are surprisingly little known, even to some people who have lived in South Bristol for years. They are the remnants from the days at the beginning of the 20th C when much of Knowle was farmland.

The open space is divided into three – the Bommie, to the east of Wedmore Vale, so named because bombs fell there in the Second World War. To the west of Wedmore Vale is Glyn Vale/Kenmare, the largest of the three areas. To the west lie the Novers and Kingswear – some of which could be opened up to housing, as shown on the council’s Knowle West Regeneration map (link below).

The Filwood Quietway cycle route already cuts through the

Northern Slopes: The Bommie, looking towards Beckington Rd

southbristolvoice

13

Way out West is a neighbourhood delivering change

able to thrive and you can escape the stress and strain of city life.

“Those who are more adventurous are able to forage for wild fruits, or discover natural habitats where birds, animals and plants live.

“A space where the pace of life slows down, spaces where you can breathe the fresh air while standing in the lungs of South Bristol. It is places like the Slopes that we can easily take for granted and they are not missed until they are gone.”

• northern-slopes-initiative.co.uk • tinyurl.com/knowlewestplan

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ROM its beginnings as a Roman road to the busy A38, West Street has seen many changes in its colourful history.

In Victorian times the Argus and Malago coal pits were sited on the street – hence the Jolly Colliers pub, and the mine manager’s cottage at the corner of West Street and Argus Road.

The first Bristol Co-operative Society shop was started by West Street miners, who also established the Bedminster Congregational Church (now the United Reformed Church) on the corner of Stanley Street. Heal’s Funfair on the corner of Argus

Slopes near Glyn Vale. Requests from NSI to install CCTV, and to protect wildlife by not installing lighting, were rebuffed by the council. The Quietway work is MY WILD Child sessions are for almost complete. pre-school toddlers to have fun The volunteers’ plan states: outdoors on Northern Slopes.

“Imagine if we had a nature They’re at the Bommie on reserve on our doorsteps. A place Wednesday from 10-11.30am.

Paynes where you are safe to wander Find out more at Shipyard freely, which is clean and with avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/ beautiful views. Where wildlife is Proposed mywildchild Massing

Wild adventure

Road is still remembered by many local people.

More recently, the neighbourhood has experienced mixed fortunes at the hands of developers, and an increase in traffic. In 2010 the action group Way Out West (WOW) was formed, determined to revive pride in this neglected South Bristol neighbourhood. Artworks and planting, street trees, bike racks and refurbished stretches of pavement were soon in place.

Longstanding and new businesses joined the group, making sure that West Street is represented on the board of the Bedminster Business

ADVERTISING FEATURE How things were: A prize bull shown off by Clarke’s butchers in West Street at around the time of the First World War

Improvement District.

A pop-up museum in 2016 attracted hundreds of stories and photos – many of which can be seen on the West Street Stories Facebook page.

WOW raised £168,000 to re-develop South Street Park, and it has recently taken over the management of Bedminster Community Choir.

The street is also home to volunteer-run initiatives South Bristol Toy Library and BS3 Repair Cafe. Currently plans are underway for a much-needed

Bedminster Youth Club, to be run in partnership with BS3 Community.

People power has made all of this happen: find out how you can get involved at Way Out West’s AGM in the URC Hall on Monday March 25 from 7pm. way-out-west.org Facebook: WOWBS3 Twitter: WestStreetBS3 • Thanks to Bristol Beds, Argus Fish Bar, Mezzaluna and Dear Old Thing for supporting this page.

Visuals

n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Bedminster ward: Awaiting decision 20 Silbury Road BS3 2QD Demolish lean-to; new two storey side extension; two storey and single storey rear extension.

Former Mercedes Garage, Winterstoke Road BS3 2LG Details of condition 19 (Noise) of permission 17/01789/F: Self storage unit, use class B8.

4 Beryl Road BS3 3DH Single storey rear extension.

Bower Ashton Studios, Kennel Lodge Road BS3 2JT Remove holm oak.

81 North Street, Bedminster BS3 1ES Details of conditions 2 (Flue details, noise attenuation) and 3 (Odour management) of permission 15/00348/F. Former Rowland Stone Yard, Clanage Road BS3 2JX Demolition of buildings.

Bedminster ward: Decided 96 Swiss Drive BS3 2RW Demolition of single storey

Emerging plans respond to the local context providing a sensitively designed residentialled development of 179 homes and live/work units, retaining the boundary wall whilst opening up views across to Spike Island and Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The proposed form of development seeks to create an architectural rhythm along the river’s edge and includes the potential use of gallery spaces on the western façade.

The increased permeability of the site for the community, including a walkway through the site along the boundary wall, will create a welcoming space to the community and those passing by.

The development of Paynes Shipyard has been shaped to create a catalyst for wider development of the Western Harbour growth area along Coronation Road without prejudicing future development proposals.

The famous ARGUS FISH BAR

Bedminster, Southville, Ashton, Ashton Vale & Bower Ashton

extension; new single storey side and rear extension. Granted subject to conditions 5 Duckmoor Road BS3 2DD Conversion of part-ground floor shop to a self-contained flat.

Granted subj. to conditions 85 Chessel Street BS3 3DJ Loft conversion with rear dormers, roof extensions, 3 roof lights, window, Juliet balcony and skylight. Single storey side/ rear infill extension with 5 roof lights, bifold doors, new roof to existing single storey. Granted 21 Parklands Road BS3 2JW Single storey side and rear extension. Granted subject to conditions 42 Silbury Road BS3 2QF Front, side and rear extension and outbuilding (kennels).

Granted subj. to conditions Southville ward: Awaiting decision St Paul’s Vicarage, Southville Road BS3 1DG Cherry plum, diseased: fell.

Cypress: fell. Cherry plum, bay,

What a traditional fish and chip shop should be

SHIPYARD PLAN CREST Nicholson has revealed plans for 179 flats in buildings of up to nine storeys in the old Paynes shipyard on Coronation Road – currently home to Bristol Metal Spraying Ltd. A planning application is expected by the end of the year. It has been designed to fit in with a future 2,000-home elder: remove to enable rebuilding of wall. Holly x2: trim to wall.

Forsythia: reduce to 2m. Cherry plum: re-shape to 5-6m height.

8 Osborne Road, Southville BS3 1PR Single storey rear extensions and associated works.

89 East Street, Bedminster BS3 4EX Extension of upper floors to provide 3 flats.

21 Alpha Road BS3 1DH Single storey side and rear extension, demolition of garage.

Southville ward: Decided Victorian House, Coronation Road BS3 1AA Row of 10 lime trees: reduction in height by

Sketches of the waterfront flats scheme for Western Harbour – early ideas for this will be revealed in late March, says the council.

• More on the Voice website

Existing view from Spike Island View 1 from Spike Island

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1.5-2m, removing regrowth and dead wood. Granted 50 Bedminster Parade BS3 4HS Conversion of rear storage building into dwelling. Granted subject to conditions

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Existing view from Spike Island View 2 from Spike Island

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Existing view from Coronation Road View 3 from Coronation Road

• 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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Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk Existing view from Spike Island View 4 from Spike Island

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March 2019

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n WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS

Now women lead the way as entrepreneurs Take a look at some of the inspiring local businesses which are led by women Like Sew Amazing

204 North Street BS3 1JF 0117 963 4333 info@likesewamazing.com www.likesewamazing.com EWING blogger, YouTuber and business owner Sarah McKenna set up an online fabric shop in April 2018, giving up a 20-year career in marketing and client services. After years of

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sewing as a hobby, Sarah decided she wanted to focus more on a vocation that would not only mean setting her own rules, but also allow her to immerse herself in the creative work that she adores.

After a few successful pop-up shops, Sarah had the confidence to open a bricks-and-mortar store due to demand for more creative spaces in the Bristol area.

It is not just a shop: there is also a studio offering workshops to help people learn to sew, knit, master macramé and take up all sorts of other crafty pursuits.

Sarah is certain that hobbies such as a sewing really aid well-being, mental health and body

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Sarah McKenna: Believes sewing is more than a pastime, it’s good for mental health

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March 2019

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n WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS

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n HEALTH FOCUS

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Supported: That’s how Bump to Cradle want to make expectant mothers feel

Healthy, organic and delicious: BGK delivers restaurant-quality food positivity. “There’s nothing like having a couple of hours to just focus on an achievable task and have something tangible to show for it”, she says. “Our workshop schedule will start running at the end of March and we can’t wait to get Bristol sewing!”

Sarah believes: “Bristol needed an independent fabric shop, stocking high-quality dressmaking fabrics. Sewing has seen such a resurgence over the last five years and more and more people want to be able to make unique clothes that actually fit them. As fabric is such a tactile medium, it’s important for people to be able to feel and see it.”

Women in Trades

Facebook: Bristol Women in Trades

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HE DEMAND is there for more women trade workers. Customers are asking for female plumbers, electricians, decorators, etc.

Numbers are slowly creeping up but gender stereotypes continue to have a huge influence over career choices. Through greater visibility and representation, hopefully more young women will consider a career on the tools. This group is a space for women in Bristol who are working in the trades, or are interested in finding out more.

Bump to Cradle

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bumptocradle.com UMP to Cradle want all mothers-t0-be to feel confident and supported.

The idea is that antenatal classes should be relaxed and sociable but also truly informative – delivering evidence-based information from highly trained and experienced experts. Bump to Cradle offers a comprehensive course, superior to traditional antenatal classes, packed with up-to-date, balanced information.

Your pregnancy, labour and the first few months with your newborn can be an anxietyinducing and challenging time

and Bump to Cradle strive to ensure that you feel as prepared and as confident as can be.

Learn from midwives, physiotherapists, maternal mental health specialists, obstetricians, anaesthetists, paediatricians, feeding specialists, sleep consultants and, of course, from each other as you are guided through the later stages of your pregnancy, birth and beyond.

And did you know that Bump to Cradle offer midwife-led hypnobirthing courses and postnatal feeding workshops in Bristol too? Find out more and book your spot at the website.

Women in Trades

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In alliance with sister Changing food perceptions and promoting base • Restaurant-quality food made plant by company Functional Fitness a chef withby 10+our years experience; Bristol, the aim is veryquality health-food prepared Restaurant chef with over 10 y • Low environmental impact, by focused: using ingredients at environmental Low impact, we reuse and recyc re-using and recycling; their best to nourish customers • Changing food perceptions and produ Supporting local suppliers and seasonal while still delivering on taste. promoting plant-based eating; As a former chef at Bristol’s • Balanced and nutritious food famous Soukitchen, Ash drew with seasonal ingredients; much inspiration from working • Local organic suppliers. with Souk’s chef Darren. The

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

March 2019

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n FEATURES

25 YEARS OF THE COMEDY BOX

I laughed so much I knew I had to make this my business

D

THE GREAT UNKNOWNS

A young Graham Norton: “You should have your own Channel 4 show”, Steve Lount told him after he appeared at the Comedy Box as an unknown.

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professional comic doing 30 minutes, plus a club host or MC. Most multi-act comedy nights give only 20 minutes to each performer, even the best-known act.

In 1998, Steve was invited to check out the upper floor function room of the Hen & Chicken pub in North Street, Southville. This was before the Tobacco Factory Theatre, or any of North Street’s trendy eating places had made their mark. “I looked at the room – it was an empty shell with a tiled floor and concrete stairs.

“It sounded like an echo

17

n COMPETITION

T

HE Comedy Box’s two 25-year celebration gigs are both sadly sold out already.

The Silver Uberglee (geddit) part 1 features Bristolian Mark Watson and former Bristol resident John Robins, plus guests, on March 13.

Part 2 of the show on March 14 is hosted by Jon Richardson, who 10 years ago was a regular compere at the Hen & Chicken. He will MC a show commemorating 25 years of the Comedy Box, in aid of St Peter’s Hospice.

We have two pairs of tickets to one of the Comedy Box’s regular Stand Up for the Weekend events.

Choose from headliners Pierre Novellie on March 16, Dane Baptiste on March 23 or Nigel Ng on March 31.

Superhero: The Comedy Box was the setting for a 1999 Spiderman comic strip, in which Peter Parker tries – and dies – as a standup. It was drawn by Mark Buckingham of Clevedon. Club owner Steve Lount is shown bottom left

NE OF Steve’s delights is finding new acts who make a hit with audiences – like Omid Singh, a US comic currently in the UK, who headlined at the Comedy Box on February 3. “I saw him on YouTube and I took a gamble – and he was good!”

Though he was unknown to anyone in the audience, Omid has cut his teeth on the tough US comedy circuit, where support acts often aren’t paid, and he went down well in the headline spot at the Hen & Chicken.

Steve took a chance with another complete unknown back in 1995, when the Comedy Box was still at the Bristol Flyer. He booked a comic called Graham Norton to replace another act who had pulled out at short notice.

Steve remembers: “It was a

n FEATURES

southbristolvoice

WIN TICKETS TO THE COMEDY BOX

A show by comic Sean Hughes gave Steve Lount so much joy he opened his own comedy club – which 25 years later is a legend in the stand-up industry ID STEVE Lount have any idea, when he started hosting his own stand-up comedy nights in Bristol in 1994, that he would still be at it 25 years later?

He did not – but right from the early days of what was then called alternative comedy in the 1980s, Steve realised he wanted to be a part of that world. At the time he had been producing fringe theatre, and harboured dreams of becoming a filmmaker.

But he soon became a frequent visitor to the London alternative comedy scene.

Steve vividly remembers one packed gig in the late 80s – held in a dingy venue, with the young, fresh-faced Sean Hughes holding forth atop a beer crate in the corner. “I was laughing so much I almost had an out of body experience,” he said. “The rest of the room was cracking up too. It was such a joy. Nothing I had been involved with had matched that experience, and I was thinking, this is the future.”

Scroll forward a few years, and Steve was managing comedy gigs at the Watershed, which were hosted by Bristol’s entertainment magazine Venue.

Then, in 1994, Steve started a sideline – his own gigs, under the Comedy Box name, at the Mauretania, the Park Street pub.

A 12-week run was packed out and the future looked good – until a story in the Evening Post revealed that the Mauretania had suddenly closed!

A new home was found at the Bristol Flyer on Gloucester Road, where Steve honed his own formula for a good comedy night out. Unusually for UK comedy clubs, he began giving his headline acts longer 45 minute slots, supported by one other

March 2019

PHOTO: Phil Guest, Creative Commons

booking agent who recommended him. He did a fine job, although he was a little rough around the edges – but it was unmistakably the Graham Norton we know now.

It wasn’t until several years later, after he had become a household name, that Graham wrote in his autobiography that the Comedy Box was the first place he did a proper stand-up set in a comedy club. Prior to this he had only done solo performances at the Edinburgh Fringe.

“If I had known that at the time I probably would never have agreed to book him!

“And now I tell anyone who is prepared to listen what I told him at the time: ‘Graham,’ I said. ‘I can see you hosting your own show on Channel 4.’ And I meant it too.”

chamber – but what I liked about it was that it was completely self-contained, with its own entrance, bar and toilets, and had a low ceiling and a clear view from every position. It had the potential to be a great room for comedy.”

Carpet, a stage, lights and a PA system were installed, and the Comedy Box’s new venue finally opened in 1998. “We started with a fanfare and we got full houses – but back then, the downstairs bar at the Hen and Chicken was pretty rough and some comedy punters were put off from coming back. But we could see that

neighbouring developments like the Tobacco Factory and the original Lounge Bar were also pioneering the regeneration of North Street as a place to visit for leisure and entertainment. So we kept on, and gradually built back our audience.

There have been a few bumps along the way – including worries in 2006 that the Hen & Chicken would be turned into flats or a supermarket! Steve considered moving the club to Park Street, but he decided to stick with North Street and he doesn’t regret it. Happily, the Hen & Chicken was then bought

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

by its current owners, who were keen to keep the Comedy Box residency, and gave Steve a 10-year contract – a deal he extended in 2017, meaning comedy fans are assured the Comedy Box will still be with them for at least another eight years.

The venue has recently been revamped as the Hen & Chicken Studio, with new decor, bar, toilets and PA. To name the performers at the Comedy Box is simply to list the biggest names in comedy of the last quarter century – almost all have played there on their way up, and many still do, or return to play for Steve at larger venues such as the Tobacco Factory, Redgrave theatre or the Old Vic. Steve’s summary: “Those early years saw the likes of Peter Kay, Dara O’Briain, Ed Byrne, Jimmy Carr, Milton Jones, Bill Bailey, Lee Mack and Al Murray the Pub Landlord take to the stage. Ten years ago it was the turn of Russell Howard, Jon Richardson, Reginald D Hunter, Sarah Millican, Rhod Gilbert and Micky Flanagan to become the next household names. In recent years the new darlings of comedy are now Katherine Ryan, Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe, Tom Allen and Ellie Taylor.”

It’s unfair to ask him to single out his favourite, but Steve has fond memories of the late lamented Jeremy Hardy, who he first booked in 1992. He had recently booked him to play Bristol Old Vic last September,

Headliner: Pierre Novellie

Oscar winner: drama Green Book

Anniversary edition: Alien

Just tell us: Which performer filled Steve with joy and made him realise he wanted to be in the comedy business?

Answers by email to paul@ southbristolvoice.co.uk, or by post to Comedy Box Competition, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX,

by March 12.

Win free tickets to the cinema!

African-American classical pianist, in a racially-charged tour of the Deep South of the US. They forge a friendship that’s moving and revealing.

Or you might prefer to revisit a cinema classic on its 40th anniversary – the original Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver.

SOME COMEDY BOX FAVOURITES

Ellie Taylor

Jon Richardson

Russell Howard

Sara Pascoe

O

UR COMPETITION for tickets to Cineworld last month was so popular we are running it again! So if you were unlucky last time, have another go.

Cineworld in Hengrove is South Bristol’s biggest cinema with 12 screens, showing up to 14 films a day, which means there’s a movie for every occasion.

And now tickets at Cineworld are only £5 – for every showing.

Among the films you may be able to choose from (depending on the date) is Green Book, winner of the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the true story of Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), who takes a job as a chauffeur for Dr Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), an

WIN FREE TICKETS To celebrate, we have a pair of Cineworld tickets valid for any film to give away.

To win, just tell us: How much do tickets cost at Cineworld Hengrove?

Send your answer by email to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk, or by post to SBV Cineworld competition, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX. Not open to employees of the Voice group or Cineworld. The first two correct entries drawn at random on March 12 will win.

The editor’s decision is final.

but he was too ill to perform. “He was one of the most effortlessly funny comedians I have ever seen – he would be scribbling notes backstage and he’d be there in his cardigan and just amble casually on and just talk for two and a half hours and be hilarious.”

Also missed is Sean Hughes, who died of cirrhosis in 2017. “He was an absolute professional on stage – he would turn up sober but he would want a bottle of wine after the show!” Steve says with a smile.

The Comedy Box is not Bristol’s only comedy venue, but no other has consistently provided a home for great comedy for 25 years. It’s known and loved not only by thousands of comedy fans but by hundreds of comedians. As one headliner told Steve recently: “The Comedy Box is legendary on the stand-up circuit.”

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

March 2019

southbristolvoice

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n NEWS What can I put in recycling?

CAN YOU put greasy cardboard in your recycling box? What can I do with crisp packets? What happens to the plastic that is recycled by Bristol city council?

These questions will be answered at a meeting called Recycling And Waste: Mythbusting And Information Sharing. It’s hosted by Action Greater Bedminster at Windmill Hill City Farm in Philip Street at 7pm on Thursday March 14, and features Ed Troughton from Bristol Waste and Stacy Fordham from Zero Green.

AGB’s annual meeting is on March 27; venue tba.

Facebook: Action Greater Bedminster

The people’s museum opens DO YOU collect something? Does your collection stay hidden away most of the time? The team at Zion community centre in Bishopsworth want you to show it off at a weekend event they are calling The People’s Museum.

Collections of kettles, WWI memorabilia, Spice Girls collectables, Dinky toys, maps of the world or anything else are welcome. Zion’s Jess Wright said: “The People’s Museum is a showcase of the everyday, the collections that never reach museum status but deserve a bit of love and attention!”

Opening times are 11am-4pm on Saturday March 16 and Sunday 17. zionbristol.co.uk

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Berry Maze ready to get growing SOUTH Bristol’s unique Berry Maze has flourished through its first full year and now people are invited to sample its attractions for themselves.

The maze of soft fruit plants is the result of years of effort by Raluca McKett and supporters on the Malago open space, between Marksbury Road and Lynton Road.

It’s not only created a community garden that provides food for all, it’s also transformed a neglected, bramble-infested patch of rubbish-strewn ground.

The Maze has also survived vandalism – but it needs frequent attention to keep it thriving.

Raluca said: “Despite the terrible weather, the ongoing vandalism and the persistent weeds, it has survived its first year and is going from strength to strength! And if you don’t believe us, what better way to find out what’s going on than visiting it?”

The Malago Greenway Project is organising the first litterpicking event of the year on March 23, from 10am-12.30pm, starting at the maze and covering the green space around it, including the much-abused River Malago.

“The building and supporting of the maze in its first year drained all our resources last year, so sadly we had to put the litter-picking on the back burner,” said Raluca.

“However, this year we are back in business and we are

March 2019

Stadium gigs to host 34,000 RESIDENTS who live close to Ashton Gate stadium will get a personal escort through temporary road closures to their homes during the mega-concerts this summer. The stadium has permission for audiences of 34,000 at gigs by the Spice Girls, Muse, Rod Stewart and Take That in May and June.

• More on the Voice website

Votes for a tube Some of the piles of rubbish cleaned from the site since 2016 hoping to get many of our neighbours on board, so we can all enjoy a clean, beautiful park.

“Fly tipping continues to be a massive problem in the area and we have taken steps to collaborate with Bristol Waste and the city council to resolve it, but things take time. Meanwhile, we will carry on organising events and appeal to the local residents to help us clean our park”.

The event will be a very inclusive one, with lots of children’s litter-picking kits available, free fruit for everyone, and even some games for tired little hands!

“No matter how small or big, strong or weak, slow or fast, there will be a job for everyone. The only thing that we advise is for people to bring strong footwear, be it boots or wellies, to prevent accidents”, said Raluca.

You can find the Berry Maze online, including on YouTube: tinyurl.com/berryYoutube spacehive.com/the-berry-maze

FANS of a possible underground network for Bristol can vote for it – or other transport schemes – in consultation by the West of England Combined Authority.

Other options in the Joint Local Transport Plan include more Metrobus routes, new railway stations and making highway space for public transport, walking and cycling.

The public are asked how they would pay for the plans, costed at up to £8.9 billion, whether by road pricing, a workplace parking levy, a council tax increase or business rates. Consultatation is open until March 20. tinyurl.com/WecaSurvey

Tax rise set n COUNCIL TAX will rise by 3.99 per cent from April, after Labour voted through its own budget on February 27 without the backing of other parties on Bristol city council. No new cuts were proposed, and children’s centres and libraries will be kept open until at least 2020. One per cent of the rise is for social care.

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

n NEWS

THE LATEST happening at Bedminster’s new art space, Caraboo, is a tribute to South Bristol’s make-believe royal figure with a similar name.

Princess Carabou, real name Mary Baker, was a public sensation in 1817 when she said she had been kidnapped Mary Baker by pirates from an island called Javasu, and had escaped to swim ashore in the Bristol Channel. Baker died in Bedminster in 1864.

The new exhibition, also called Javasu, draws upon points in history when new ideas, such as sea monsters and the discovery of the pineapple, triggered the public to wonder about faraway lands.

It includes video, interactive sculptures and text, mainly by Bristol artist Savinder Bual, and is at the gallery in Stafford Street from March 30 to April 28, open Thursday-Sunday 11am-5pm.

There’s also unique music on the opening night, March 29, with an experimental show from 6.30-9pm by Pete Bennett and the Pineapple Orchestra.

On Sunday March 31 there’s the chance to talk to artist Savinder Bual from 12 noon-1pm.

There are more events during April, including an evening with blues singer Joe Strouzer and the Pineapple Orchestra on April 11 at Friendly Records, North Street. carabooprojects.com

BY ALL means save the whale and defend the Amazon, but what about Bedminster in 2019?

Parts of BS3 are among the least ‘wild’ in Bristol, with fewer birds, butterflies and bats than elsewhere, but the BS3 Wildlife Group is trying to increase both numbers and the range of species in our gardens and public spaces.

They have been monitoring local garden birds: not surprisingly, there seem to be lots of blackbirds and blue tits around, and 17 species of butterfly were reported in 2018.

But the group wants to go beyond what’s here now and attract more. One idea is My Wild Street. This is a project that Avon Wildlife Trust pioneered in East Bristol. The idea is that people in a street (though probably not everyone) get together to make their front gardens more wildlife friendly.

That means ensuring that there are flowers that are pollen or berry rich, chemical poisons are avoided, and some untidy bits are left where small creatures can hide. Discussion between neighbours is going on in several streets including Merrywood and Osborne roads in Southville and Hebron and Churchlands roads in Bedminster. We hope to announce several Wild Streets by the spring. The BS3 Wildlife Group is also working on My Wild Park, and Dame Emily and South Street have signed up. Much of Dame Emily is hard

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

Community helped pay for blind centre

Wild corners: A goldcrest, photographed by Julia Gresty on February 17 in the Windmill Hill orchard off St John’s Lane surfaces with skateboarding and games areas. Grass is mainly short: good for football, bad for grasshoppers. Dame Emily supporters are working with the two universities to find corners of the park that can be planted for insects to raise a family.

The Bedminster Patchwork Group is also on board. Its volunteers have cleared and planted two orchards and five community gardens on abandoned land. These are now My Wild Community Gardens and Orchards. The orchard on Windmill Hill has joined in too.

The Wildlife Group are also talking to local churches. Which will be the first to go for My Wild Churchyard? My Wild Roof, anyone?

If you would like more information about My Wild Bedminster 2019 and, especially, if you would like to help make our neighbourhood more wildlife friendly, contact the BS3 Wildlife Group at MyWildBedminster@ virginmedia.com.

Ben Barker, Secretary, My Wild Bedminster

Could you help to support adults in your area to learn to read?

I READ with interest your article on the protest at the blind centre in Bedminster. Can I correct you on some facts about the centre?

It was built by the former owner, Bristol Royal Society for the Blind (BRSB), in 1993, not the RNIB. It was opened by Princess Margaret on the 200th anniversary of the society’s founding. The building cost was £1.4m but there were other significant costs, such as land reclamation from an old glue factory site, along with refurbishment costs.

It must be noted that a large part of the £1.4m was raised by local people, as the intention was to use the centre for wider community use. BRSB also owned the Bristol Royal Workshops for the Blind and Maytrees Home for the Blind in Fishponds.

Due to poor management decisions and failed funding initiatives over the following six years, only the Blind Centre remained in 1999, and it was sold to the RNIB for a nominal £1. One of the first things the RNIB did on taking ownership was to stop outside community activities taking place there.

A little known fact was that while BRSB sold equipment on behalf of the RNIB, the society did not receive any discount on these goods from the RNIB. I was the Information Officer for BRSB from 1987-1994.

Jim Williams Friezewood Road, Ashton

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southbristolvoice

n THE MAYOR

MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

Minister can see we’re delivering the homes the region needs

I

WAS pleased to meet housing minister Kit Malthouse MP last month, along with representatives of neighbouring authorities and the metro mayor Tim Bowles.

We used the opportunity to demonstrate the collaborative work under way in the region to build homes and communities.

I first met Kit when we were both on the BBC’s Politics Live programme last year. I was able to ask him to visit Bristol and see what we are doing to deliver the homes we need, in line with my pledge to build 2,000 homes a year, 800 affordable, by the year 2020. On the day-long visit, we discussed the progress we are making on our region’s Joint Spatial Plan – our planning document setting out our delivery of 105,000 new homes across the city region by 2036. The plan also sets out supporting transport infrastructure we will

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need to make sure these new homes don’t contribute further to the congestion we know is already such a problem.

We also used the opportunity to highlight our upcoming bid to the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund. If successful, this investment would be used to unlock development in the area around Temple Meads railway station, reinvigorating this gateway to the city and meaning jobs and homes are positioned in the most sustainable

and accessible places.

A high point of the visit was watching the ongoing demolition of the old sorting office.

This eyesore next to the station has been a blight on the landscape for too long. I was delighted to start its demolition, which means a new chapter for the Temple Quarter. It will also deliver the entrance the city deserves, regenerating the area with thousands of new homes and jobs. I was pleased the minister could see the potential for the site which, as well as creating a brand new university campus, will unlock new routes to the station and open up vital links between East Bristol and the centre.

As well as sites in Bath and South Gloucestershire, the minister was shown the Elderberry Walk and Glencoyne Square developments in Bristol. Both demonstrate our commitment to affordable housing and mixed communities.

After decades punching below our weight, Bristol and the region is gaining the reputation with government that it can deliver and work together to get things done.

Following this, I was honoured to be asked to speak and present an award at the Homes England Staff Awards. This was a great opportunity to represent Bristol to the government agency tasked with ‘Making Homes Happen’. I am pleased Bristol is making homes happen too.

Local Housing Forums for Bristol council tenants

ousing lH

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Invoet lved

Forums in South Bristol Area 5: Wed, 20 March 2019, 6.15–8.30pm Bedminster, Brislington East, Brislington West, Knowle, Southville, Windmill Hill At: Wick Road Library Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HE

Area 6: Thurs, 28 March 2019, 5.45–8pm Bishopsworth, Filwood, Hartcliffe & Withywood, Hengrove & Whitchurch, Stockwood At: Hartcliffe Community Centre Hareclive Road, Bristol BS13 0JW

Are you a council tenant in the areas listed above? Please get involved in your March Local Housing Forum – your opinions help us make decisions! Book a place and have your say on how the council housing service is run. Travel expenses can be reimbursed, plus free tea & coffee is provided. 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

rums Fo

Art inspired by Bedminster’s fake princess

LETTERS Let’s make our neighbourhood a bit wilder

March 2019

Loc a

March 2019

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southbristolvoice

March 2019

March 2019

southbristolvoice

ADVICE FROM A PHARMACIST Why is it worth getting the chickenpox jab?

C

HICKENPOX. You may be alerted to it by a message on a parent forum, or a letter from the nursery or school. You may have a child with unexplained spots or a confirmed diagnosis.

What do you do?

NHS England’s Help Us Help You campaign says that community pharmacies like ours are the ideal place to visit to manage this and other minor illnesses. We can help with diagnosing and managing symptoms such as itch, loss of appetite and a high temperature.

So why vaccinate against

chickenpox? Chickenpox commonly affects children, but when adults catch it, the symptoms are usually worse.

It starts with red spots that can appear anywhere on the body. The spots fill with fluid that blister and may burst. They might spread, or stay in a small area. The spot cycle can repeat itself.

You can catch chickenpox by being in the same room as someone with the disease, or from contact with their clothes or bedding.

You can also catch chickenpox from someone with shingles, if you have not had chickenpox before.

Chickenpox is infectious from two days before the spots appear until they have crusted over, usually five days later. It takes one to three weeks from the time you were exposed to chickenpox for

Obituary

Christine Lillington: ‘She gave much to South Bristol’

Christine Ann Lillington 1935-2019

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HRIS Lillington, a volunteer administrator of the unique University of Withywood, has died aged 83. She represents a rare generation who lived all their life in one parish. With her husband, Michael, she gave much to the community of South Bristol.

From an early age, Chris was a photographer and some of her photos and poems were published in the Bristol Evening Post.

Born in Valley Road, Bedminster Down, as a young girl she loved to go for picnics with friends, or go with the milkman on his rounds on a Saturday morning. She met Mike when she was a teenager and they went on cycle rides.

She trained as a secretary and joined Bristol Women’s Cricket Club. She played two seasons but said that when she dropped a catch at mid-off at Cheltenham Ladies College, that was the end of her cricketing career!

Chris and Mike were married in July 1957 at St Oswald’s Church, Bedminster Down, with

a guard of honour from the Scout band. For most of the 1950s their lives centred around scouting.

Their small house in Headley Park was filled with their four children Ian, Ann, Matthew and Kay. Once they were all at school, Christine started a business making hot pants – the dining table and floors covered with patterns and rolls of Crimplene!

Chris took a part-time job as the administrator of the National Federation of City Farms, helping it develop a new hub next to Windmill Hill city farm. She also did admin for her husband and sons as they started their own businesses, moving from a manual typewriter, to word processor and later a computer.

Grandchildren arrived, and proud grandma would travel to visit them – even to Australia.

Chris volunteered for the Malago Society, and then the University of Withywood, as

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with Ade Williams Ade Williams of Bedminster Pharmacy shows how pharmacies can help people with a variety of health conditions, and ease pressure on the NHS the spots to start appearing.

You’ll need to stay away from school, nursery or work until all the spots have crusted over. Many airlines will also not allow you to fly with chickenpox.

Bedminster Pharmacy offers private chickenpox vaccination at a low cost for children and adults.

You can still get vaccinated even after coming in contact with someone who has chickenpox.

Some useful tips ­­ to deal with unpaid full-time assistant to legendary South Bristol historian Anton Bantock. Anton sent ragged bundles of paper from all corners of the globe, recording his travel adventures in tiny script, which Christine transcribed.

From the 1990s to 2014, the charity raised £250,000 towards education in developing countries.

Mother, grandmother to 10 and great-grandmother, she will be greatly missed. Martin Powell • A longer version of this obituary is on the Voice website.

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

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the itch include wearing loose clothes, cutting children’s nails and putting socks on their hands at night to stop scratching.

If you have chickenpox, do not be around pregnant women, newborn babies or people with a weakened immune system, as it can be dangerous for them.

All adults who think they have chickenpox or suspicious spots should seek medical attention, especially anyone in the vulnerable groups mentioned above.

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n YOUR COUNCILLORS

G

March 2019

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24

OOD grief.

I write this as Theresa May says we may not get a “meaningful vote” on Brexit until Charlie 17 days before we Bolton leave the European Green Union. And at Southville the same time I hear reports of the Government setting aside money for food shortages.

This comes a week after our young people have demonstrated at the lack of action on climate change (to be met by a pretty smug response from the Bristol mayor).

I find I am alternately horrified at the way in which our political class (of which I am a junior member) has let us down, and also feel the need to apologise to the young (yes, all of them) at the way in which my generation has really dropped them in it.

Housing – sorry, we got ours, then pulled up the drawbridge.

Southville

Final salary pensions – you should read about them in your history books. Welfare state – sorry, doctors are there for us oldies. And climate change. Yes, climate change.

Well, some of us tried, but somehow mobile phones, computers, dishwashers, overseas holidays, more clothes, more things seemed to take priority.

In my case, I haven’t flown since 2006, have loft insulation, double glazed windows, try to cycle and walk as preferred modes of transport, have a renewable energy provider, eat a largely vegetarian diet, recycle religiously – but I still have a carbon footprint way in excess of the one I should have.

And of course you have the likes of Trump who think climate change is an inconvenience.

So I applaud our young people for taking to the streets. It gives me a rare moment of hope in an overall environment of disinterest. But you’ve got a hell of a fight on your hands.

Looking for a solicitor?

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So our friendly legal experts are always on hand to provide common sense advice at a fair price.

If you’re looking for help with any of the services here, we’re the people to talk to.

F

How to contact your councillor: p2

IRSTLY, I write in praise of Window Wanderland.

Amid all the political doom Stephen and gloom, this Clarke is an excellent Green community Southville initiative that gives us all moments of pleasure as we stroll around the area.

I especially love to see the youngsters excited and buzzing to be up beyond their bedtimes.

We have such amazing creativity in this area but usually it remains hidden; this is a time when it becomes really visible!

I attended a workshop looking at the future vision for East Street as a shopping destination.

The planned new cinema and large number of one or two bedroom apartment blocks is likely to mean that the character of the area will change drastically over the medium term. The numbers of new people moving in will be welcome news to the

traders, but whatever changes are about to happen, East Street must continue to cater for the existing shoppers, many of whom are on a tight budget and are looking for good value.

Developers outside the main Bedminster Green area have also been busy with Paynes Shipyard on Coronation Road and Brewery Court beyond Aldi, on the other side of North Street, also moving closer to planning decisions. I would love to hear your opinions on these developments.

On the vexed subject of parking: the four local councillors have recently completed a parking survey and we plan to publish the results shortly.

Please drop me an email about anything council-related I might be able to help you with; for example parking, fly-tipping or council housing. Charlie and I hold a surgery outside Southville Deli on the first Saturday of the month from 10.30am-12 noon if you want to come and chat about anything, or just put a face to a name.

✚ Family law ✚ Commercial ✚ Medical negligence

n YOUR COUNCILLORS BS3 Traffic and Parking Survey HANKS to the many local people who shared their views in our Mark survey. We are Bradshaw working on the Labour findings and will Bedminster publish a report soon, as well as speaking to council officials about the issues raised and potential solutions.

We are working with colleagues across Bedminster and Southville wards to gain a complete picture of the challenges.

Bus stop parking A plea to people who park at bus stops: you are preventing elderly and disabled people from getting on and off the bus! In some places (Ashton Drive is one example) the bus can’t get close to the pavement so has to stop in the middle of the road. Would you be happy to see your relative struggling on and off the bus? You can call the council on 0117 903 8070 to report cars parked at bus stops.

T

Bedminster

Air quality We all know toxic air is a killer and the recent meeting between city and regional mayors was a positive step. While ministers keep telling Bristol to meet air quality standards, the Government itself is failing to give councils the powers to make a difference.

And let’s not forget that the Government has been forced into publishing yet another strategy on air quality by the EU. Why not a national diesel scrappage scheme to help less affluent people and small traders get rid of older diesel cars and vans? Sadly, electric and hybrid vehicles remain expensive and charging points are few. Meanwhile, this health emergency persists. Bristol could and should move ahead urgently with a ban on vehicle idling outside primary schools, and restrictions, including charging, for older diesel buses, coaches, HGVs and taxis – these are readily identifiable and businesses can plan for updating their fleets. These were the original proposals in 2016-17.

B

25 How to contact your councillor: p2

RISTOL city council won the Best Small Business Friendly Council award for a variety of Celia projects including Phipps helping small and Labour medium-sized Bedminster enterprises (SMEs) to access apprenticeship funding, engaging with almost 2,000 high street companies through our Business Improvement District programme and, at a challenging time for skills, providing regular Jobs Fairs and delivering sectorfocused training in partnership with employers. Good news and let’s hope that our area benefits.

It is very likely that your council tax will be rising in the next year, as decided in the budget meeting in February. This will help the council to pay for the services it provides, and in particular support the needs of those in need of health and social care services, in the face of reductions in funding from

national government. Some of the increase will also help breach the gap in funding reductions in the fire service.

We recognise that it is not always easy for some to find the payment required, indeed, Bristol is commended as a good example of a local authority which is progressive in its approach to citizen support. The use of enforcement agencies has reduced by 22 per cent, with much greater emphasis placed on tackling the reasons why non-payment of council tax has occurred. Our council tax reduction scheme supports those on low incomes. If you are finding payment difficult, contact the council tax team as soon as possible on 0117 922 2900.

This month will see the AGM of Action Greater Bedminster and the next phase for the local Community Infrastructure Levy – money from developers for local projects. We will choose our priorities at the meeting on March 27 but the deadline for proposals is Friday March 15.

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n CHURCH NEWS

K

EEN-eyed readers will have noticed that the entries for all the other churches below are marked with a cross, except for Bedminster Quaker Meeting which uses the Q logo of the Religious Society of Friends – the official title of Quakers. Does this mean that Quakers are not Christians?

Well, yes and no.

Quakers started among the many religious and political

Thought for the month

Regular services

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March 2019

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Bedminster Church of Christ

298 St John’s Lane BS3 5AY Minister Jason Snethen 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 Graham Davey, Bedminster Quakers

groups that were active in the turmoil of the middle of the 17th Century. The early Quakers dissociated themselves from the Church of England but were firmly rooted in the Christian tradition.

Over the last 350 years, more emphasis has been placed by St Aldhelm’s Church

Chessel Street, Bedminster BS3 3TT hello@staldhelms.org Minister Rev Nick Hay 07534 249338

staldhelms.org

Sunday 10am Morning service, informal with mix of traditional and contemporary songs. Creche, Sunday school, refreshments; House groups meet on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, 7.30pm.

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St Paul’s Church

2 Southville Road, Southville BS3 1DG stpsouthville@gmail.com Rev Nick Hay 07534 249338

Quakers on how we should live our lives, rather than study of the Bible or theological debate.

While many Quakers today would still call themselves Christians, some are Universalists and are interested in exploring the common ground between the major religious faiths. All Quakers, however, recognise that there is a spiritual dimension to life and that this awareness is present in everyone.

Meeting for Worship every Sunday morning is based on stillness. Quakers may use the time in different ways but the spoken contributions are often linked to a theme which guides one’s thoughts. Essentially it is a time of waiting on God, seeking inner stillness and strength. We try to discern together how we should respond to a fractured society in this country and a world where too many still suffer.

saintpaulschurch.co.uk Sunday 10.30am Worship is a mix of contemporary and traditional with groups for children and young people.

Also: 1st Sunday 9am Traditional Communion Service; 2nd Sunday 7.30pm Praise and Prayer; 4th Sunday Sunday Sessions in Rope Walk pub.

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St Francis Church 279 North Street, Ashton Gate BS3 1JP

staldhelmsandstfrancis.org.uk Priest-in-charge Rev Andrew Doarks 0117 963 9121 Sunday 10am Communion or Morning Worship; 1st Saturday 10am Open church; Thursday 10am Eucharist.

Victoria Park Baptist Church

Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA Minister 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.

Salvation Army Dean Lane BS3 1BS

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Corps officer Ben Ellis 0117 966 4952 salvationarmy.org.uk/bristolbedminster Sunday 10.30am Morning Worship; 11.30am Kids Alive!; 5pm Evening Worship.

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29

n HISTORY BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY Violence, mob rule and arson on the road to women winning the vote

I

T’S SO obvious to us now that we do not debate it: should women have the vote? Of course they should; it’s taken for granted almost everywhere in the world.

Last year we celebrated the centenary of parliamentary votes being granted to women in the UK, in 1918. It’s easy to imagine that this was the result of the nation coming to its senses: a period of campaigning which eventually convinced politicians to end an obvious injustice.

But it wasn’t like that at all.

Women’s right to vote was one of the most contentious issues ever to split the nation, right up there with Brexit.

It didn’t just divide opinion, it brought widespread violence onto the streets, and Bristol was one of the centres of dissent.

Bristol suffered more damage during the struggle for female emancipation than during any terrorist campaign.

A century ago, Bristol was largely a Liberal city, known for its enthusiasm for reform; yet it was the scene of several violent confrontations and arson attacks.

Women, it should be said, were overall the main victims of this violence, although this was not how it was presented in the press.

What was it like, a century and more ago in Bristol, at the centre of this storm? Let’s start, exactly 110 years ago, at Temple Meads.

A

UGUSTINE Birrell, the Liberal MP for Bristol North, arrived at Temple Meads for a weekend in his constituency on March 5, 1909.

He was an important man: the Cabinet’s Chief Secretary for Ireland at a time when Home Rule for the island was a burning political issue.

This Liberal government was one of the most progressive governments this country has

The suffragette campaign brought waves of destruction to Bristol. Yet it was women who were the greater victims of violence and mob attacks, finds Paul Breeden had. In 1908 it had introduced old age pensions, a revolutionary move which meant that for the first time in British history, ordinary people over the age of 70 did not have to fear ending their life in destitution.

In addition, eight-hour days for miners, school meals for children, and compensation for injuries at work were all in place by 1908.

The Chancellor, Lloyd George, declared his 1909 Budget would be a “war budget”, in a conflict against “poverty and squalidness”.

It was the first Budget that aimed to redistribute wealth from the haves to the have-nots: by applying income tax, at low rates by today’s standards.

Three of Bristol’s four MPs in 1909 were, like Birrell, Liberals.

The city was known for radical thinking: it had helped lead the fight against the slave trade.

Shouldn’t we expect, then, that these MPs, members of one of the most reforming governments ever, should recognise the justice of giving votes to women?

In a word, no. In a situation that to modern eyes looks simply bizarre, the calls for female

Torture: When jailed women refused to eat, they were force-fed with a tube down their throat or even their nose. Suffragettes said this was torture; newspapers often said the women ‘brought it on themselves’ emancipation were not part of the Liberals’ reform agenda. (The new Labour Party did back the cause, but it had only 29 MPs.) When Elsie Howey and Vera Wentworth, two representatives of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) met Mr Birrell at Temple Meads and asked him to support votes for women, his reply was merely a dismissive “Tut tut.”

Yet women in Bristol, who had taken a leading role in the campaigns against slavery 100 years before, had been calling for women’s votes (or “suffrage” – hence suffragettes) for decades.

A plaque at 3 West Mall, Clifton, marks the home of Florence Davenport Hill who, in January 1868, formed the Bristol and West of England Society for Women’s Suffrage. (Florence, though in her 30s, needed her father’s permission to hold the meeting.) Women were winning

more rights – they were allowed to own property independently of their husbands in 1870, women were first awarded university degrees in 1880, and in the 1890s the first women qualified as dentists and architects.

In Bristol, the suffrage campaigners held meetings in homes in Clifton and Redland, organised petitions and arranged speaking tours throughout the South West.

It wasn’t as if women voting in elections was unthinkable, or untried. In 1869 British women were allowed to take part in elections to local government – provided they owned property and were unmarried. (If they had a husband, it was assumed that he would vote for both of them.)

In 1893, New Zealand permitted women to cast votes in elections to parliament. The next year, married women in Britain Continued overleaf

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30

n HISTORY Continued from page 29 were allowed to vote in council elections; by 1900, more than a million British women had this right. In 1907, the first female MPs were elected, in Finland.

Nowhere did the sky fall in or social order break down.

By 1908, the militant WSPU had arrived in Bristol. Its members were known as suffragettes rather than suffragists because they were willing to take direct action. The union had its own shop in Queen’s Road, Clifton, selling literature and its founder, Emmeline Pankhurst, and her daughter Christabel, were frequent visitors. A rally on Durdham Downs in September 1908 drew more than 6,000 people. But protesters turned up with bells and tin whistles, hoping to drown out the speeches.

Polite requests, such as the confrontation with Mr Birrell MP were getting nowhere. The next intervention by Elsie Howey and Vera Wentworth was more direct.

In May 1909, the pair hid in the organ at the Colston Hall to infiltrate a meeting, where Birrell was making a speech on the Liberals’ radical land taxes.

When Birrell began speaking, they leapt out, shouting “Votes for women!” Other women could be heard outside, protesting through a megaphone.

The next month the debate hotted up still further. Mrs Pankhurst had noticed that the campaign attracted publicity when women were arrested. She declared that any women imprisoned for their beliefs were political prisoners, and should disobey prison rules.

On June 29, two Bristolians became among the first to take up Mrs Pankhurst’s challenge.

This was the day of the eighth Women’s Parliament, a meeting called in London to protest against the Government’s neglect of women’s suffrage. The women asked to speak to the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, and when this was refused, they demanded to present a petition to him at 10 Downing Street.

The previous year, 1908, the Prime Minister had also refused to meet a delegation of women.

Parties of protesters tried to enter Parliament but many were dragged off into side streets by police officers and physically – and even sexually – assaulted.

Enraged, two women threw stones through the windows of 10

March 2019

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

A MIDDLE CLASS PURSUIT?

Lilian DoveWillcox, hunger striker and bodyguard to Mrs Pankhurst.

She is pictured in the garden of the Blathwayt family of Batheaston, where prominent suffragists planted trees

A

LMOST none of the activists in the early 20th C women’s movement seem to have been from South Bristol.

An exception is Lillian Dove-Willcox, one of the celebrated hunger strikers imprisoned for stone-throwing attacks in Whitehall.

Dove-Willcox was christened in 1875 at St Silas church on Feeder Road, St Philip’s, when her parents lived in Bedminster, although she lived mainly in North Bristol – in Horfield, St Andrews and Clifton – before moving to London.

Her father, Alfred Dugdale, was a ship’s captain, which may explain why his daughter was baptised so close to the harbour. But he was in bad health and couldn’t go to sea, so became clerk to Bristol Market.

His wife, Elizabeth, was one of the early Bristol supporters of votes for women, and she passed her convictions on to her daughter.

Lillian married into the wealthy Dove-Willcox family in 1903 but her husband died in 1908 and she quickly turned to activism, joining the WSPU the same year.

Suffragette activity was centred on Redland and Clifton, where ladies held receptions in their drawing rooms. But it was not exclusively middle-class: meetings were held in factories and workplaces, including the Wills tobacco factories in Bedminster.

Working women swelled the crowds that turned out to Bristol rallies and demonstrations, which often attracted thousands. Lillian

Dove-Willcox was imprisoned three times, enduring hunger strikes and force feeding. She became part of the personal bodyguard for Mrs Pankhurst, and also helped to organise suffragettes in Wiltshire.

In 1911 she was one of many women who tried to dodge the census held on April 2. DoveWillcox took a caravan to Salisbury Plain; but a census-taker filled in

the form for her anyway. In 1913 even the Pankhurst family became split over whether arson was justified. Dove-Willcox sided with the militants and joined a socialist women’s group founded by Sylvia Pankhurst in 1913 in London.

In 1926 she joined the Suffragette Fellowship to remember the work of the militants. She died in Ealing, West London, in 1963.

Downing Street. This wasn’t official WPSU policy – but it attracted publicity, and Mrs Pankhurst approved.

The following June, therefore, women were prepared to use “the argument of the stone”. More than 100 women wrote their demands on paper, wrapped around stones and tied up with string. The idea was to use the string to swing the stones and smash the windows, allowing the women to drop the stones inside.

It was meant to minimise risk of injury – though the very idea of women using any kind of violence was shocking to many.

Many government offices around Whitehall were targeted, and among the 108 women arrested were Lillian DoveWillcox, from Bristol, and Mary

Allen, a WSPU organiser for South Wales and a frequent visitor to Bristol.

All were fined for breaching the peace, but Dove-Willcox and Allen were among 12 who were charged with window breaking and imprisoned for 10 days.

All 12 asked for the status of political prisoner at Holloway prison, and when this was refused they broke the windows in their cells and resisted the warders at every opportunity. As punishment they were put into solitary confinement, where they decided that the only tactic left to them was to go on hunger strike.

The Holloway 12 were set free after a few days when prison doctors advised that their lives were in danger. The 12 became celebrated resisters, and were at

a ceremony in London to receive medals from Mrs Pankhurst when the police arrived with warrants to arrest Dove-Willcox and one Theresa Garnett. Both were accused of (and admitted) violence against prison officers.

The pair were imprisoned again, and both were soon in punishment cells, refusing to eat.

When they were released on August 8 they were seen as all the more heroic by their supporters.

On July 30 several Bristol papers printed a letter from Mrs Dove-Willcox after her first hunger strike, in which she said that “a few days of bed and feeding up has quite restored her to health”.

But the Clifton & Redland Free Press could not resist showing its disapproval: “We

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n HISTORY would that our lady friends could see some other way of effecting their ends than electing to go to prison, taking part in hunger strikes, breaking the windows of their cells, kicking wardresses, and otherwise acting as befits not gentlewomen. All good men deplore these things.”

On August 10, the Western Daily Press published a letter, signed A Lover of Justice for Women, who declared “the greatest pleasure” at hearing of Mrs Dove-Willcox’s release after serving only three days of the sentence. The writer added: “We see now what power these women have to make our Government look ridiculous and to set all prison authorities at defiance. How long are the women of the country to be treated in this manner?”

Four days later the Western Daily Press visited the headquarters of the WSPU, as supporters prepared to celebrate the return to the city of DoveWillcox and fellow campaigner Mary Allen. The reporter said he (it was almost certainly a he) “was received with the utmost cordiality”.

“Mrs Willcox will arrive at Temple Meads at about 3 o’clock,” he quoted organiser Mrs Barrett, “and a procession will immediately be formed, with a standard-bearer at the head. All private carriages are to be decorated in the colours of the Union – purple, white and green.”

Mrs Dove-Willcox had found her second hunger strike very difficult, and the Western Daily quoted her words from an article in Votes for Women, the WSPU newspaper. “I was frequently very faint, but I persevered,” she said.

The triumphal return was on September 6, with a procession from Temple Meads. The Western Daily sniffily reported that “at no point was there any evidence of enthusiasm on the part of the onlookers.” Perhaps this was because the weather was foul.

Mrs Dove-Willcox told a reception party in Henleaze that her mother had stood by her “in a magnificent way” throughout her imprisonment.

She said that when she had first read of the suffragettes – a new term coined to describe women who took direct action – she felt there must be something in it to make women prepared to go to prison.

“Women did not know what

31

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

Mob rule: Police survey the ruins of the WSPU shop in Queen’s Road, destroyed by 300 students. Officers did nothing to stop the attack, and the students went unpunished by the university PHOTO: BRO 43207/22/19/20 comradeship was until they had joined the Women’s Union”, she said, to applause. It was the only living movement in England, she added: “People are generally so apathetic; they seem to be interested in nothing but in getting rich.’”

She described how she had overcome her idea that she would never be able to speak in public or do anything which suffragettes did – she had been drawn into the work and had beaten those feelings.

The she urged her fellow supporters on: “Nothing but militant tactics would give them the vote, and if they stopped now the whole thing would fizzle out,” the paper reported her as saying.

I

n November 1909, Winston Churchill arrived at Temple Meads. Churchill was part of the radical Liberal efforts to get the People’s Budget past a Torydominated House of Lords. And though like many Liberals he could see some logic in women having the vote, it wasn’t on his agenda for reform.

In the days before his visit the WSPU had raised the temperature, reminding Bristol that the city’s infamous riots of 1832 had been one of the spurs for the Great Reform Bill of the same year, which gave the vote to some men (not women, of

course). The implication was that a mass protest against Churchill could achieve justice for women.

The day before Churchill arrived, a Nurse Pitman sent her “message” to him wrapped round a brick, through the window of the Post Office in Small Street.

Mary Allen smashed windows at the Board of Trade in Baldwin Street, while Vera Wentworth did the same at the Liberal Club. All three were arrested.

Then, as Churchill stepped on the platform at Temple Meads, Theresa Garnett burst through the detectives protecting him.

Lunging at him with a whip, she shouted “Take that you brute!” It’s not clear if she actually struck Churchill; in any event, a charge of assault was later changed to disturbing the peace. Like Wentworth, Pitman and Allen, Garrett was sent to Horfield prison.

Meanwhile Churchill’s speech at the Colston Hall was interrupted by a man who told the hall that “women have been tortured by the Liberal government”.

But far worse disruption greeted the WSPU when they held a meeting at Colston Hall a few days later. Unlike Churchill, the women and their male supporters were not protected by hordes of police. For some reason the male students at Bristol University were particularly

offended by the idea of votes for women; perhaps they had not got used to the fact that women could now be awarded degrees.

At any event, hundreds of students were able to rush the platform at the women’s event.

This was no youthful prank: though Christabel Pankhurst and WSPU Bristol organiser Annie Kenney had flour thrown over them, another woman was hit in the face and badly injured.

Nevertheless it was the women’s violent protests which attracted attention, and the row split the movement. Some of the suffragist societies stopped supporting the militant WSPU. Near Bristol, the wealthy Blathwayt family of Batheaston left the WSPU; they had been staunch supporters.

On November 26, Vera Wentworth and Mary Allen emerged from Horfield prison.

The Western Daily Press account explains why the suffragettes complained that the so-called Liberals were torturing women.

In the summer, the first women hunger strikers had been released from prison when it appeared their health was in danger. Now they were being force-fed. Only if it appeared they were getting too weak would they be released. The paper reported: “Both the released prisoners Continued overleaf

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32

n HISTORY Continued from page 31 appeared to be suffering considerably from the effects of the treatment they drew upon themselves whilst in Horfield.

Miss Mary Allen, particularly, looked extremely ill, and almost emaciated in her features, whilst it was apparent that she was very weak. Miss Vera Wentworth was also bearing ample evidences of her refusal to take nourishment.”

Note that the paper states that the pair “drew the treatment upon themselves”. But the story quoted Allen faithfully on how she had had her clothes taken off her by force, how she had already been ill when she entered the prison, and yet she started her hunger strike immediately.

“The prison authorities fed me with a tube, through the nose, three times, after which the tube was passed into my throat. This was done twice a day until today,” she said.

“You resisted as much as you could?” asked the reporter; “Oh, yes,” said Miss Allen. “I resisted three times, and then, with four wardresses and three doctors, it

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

was impossible to go further, my strength was fast ebbing away.”

Even this account does not reveal the brutality of the treatment; though Allen told the paper “the nurses and wardresses were very kind to me,” the fact remains that force feeding through the nose or mouth could be very dangerous. Sometimes the patient could choke, or food could pass into the lungs.

Garnett, the woman who had tried to whip Churchill, “was very ill indeed”, Allen said.

Wentworth also said that she was punished for singing.

I

n 1910 there was a lull in direct action while the political parties tried to draw up a Conciliation Bill that would give votes to some women.

When these efforts broke down in November 1911, a women’s deputation to Parliament Square was met with violence from police and male bystanders.

The women were under attack for almost six hours but refused to withdraw, even though many of them were sexually assaulted.

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The event became known as Black Friday – but Churchill, by then Home Secretary, refused a public inquiry.

Days later the Bristol MP Augustine Birrell said he had been injured by suffragettes – though Christabel Pankhurst said he had just twisted his knee.

There was more organised window-breaking in Whitehall.

In January 1912, the Bristol East MP, Sir Charles Hobhouse, addressed a meeting of the Anti-Suffrage League [see panel], which claimed its Bristol branch was one of Britain’s strongest.

The Colston Hall was surrounded by police, but they had not learned from the past, because as soon as Hobhouse started speaking, a suffragette began shouting from the organ loft. She was ejected, but then Dove-Willcox interjected from the top of the hall, and proved hard to remove.

Back in London, on March 1 a small army of smartly-dressed women drew hammers from their handbags in the shopping streets of Haymarket and Piccadilly and smashed shop windows in 15-minute relays.

The damage was estimated at £5,000 (£484,000 today). On March 4, the women did the same in Knightsbridge.

The pressure for a political settlement was intense, but a third Conciliation Bill failed.

After Mrs Pankhurst was jailed for nine months, her daughter Christabel turned to arson, attempting to raze the Wiltshire home of the MP Hobhouse.

“There is something that governments care for more than human life, and that is the security of private property,” said Mrs Pankhurst. It was the start, she said, of the Women’s Revolution.

N

ow the destruction really took off. Letter boxes were a target for starting fires or acid attacks to destroy the mail. Many were destroyed in Bristol and Bath over five days in November. Women raised false fire alarms, and started some real fires – always in buildings that were empty and isolated.

In January it seemed another Bill could be amended to give women votes, but when this failed the violence increased.

Phone lines were cut and places like sports pavilions set alight.

Bristolian Lillian Lenton torched a tea house in Kew Gardens.

Bristol was calmer for much of 1913 but trouble kept flaring.

The South Bristol Liberal MP Sir William Howell Davies – who at one point had voiced support for female suffrage – was heckled at a meeting by several activists, who were thrown out. The same happened at a meeting held by the MP Birrell, and this time the hecklers were injured.

In July Mary Richardson tried to drop a petition into a carriage carrying King George V, who was in Park Street on a visit to Bristol.

The police had to rescue her from an angry crowd who attacked her.

On October 22 the MP Hobhouse again goaded Bristol women with his words. In response to a heckler, he said he hoped votes for women would never be introduced.

The next day, the University of Bristol’s new sports pavilion at Coombe Dingle was set on fire. A suffragette leaflet was found nearby with a note: “Business before pleasure. Hobhouse being responsible will pay.”

The university was in theory a place of equality: women had been admitted since it was founded in 1876. In practice, females were outnumbered, and male students were against female emancipation. They had shown their colours when they rushed the stage at the Colston Hall in 1909.

And when hundreds of students grabbed bricks, sticks, axes and inflammable materials, and marched on the WSPU shop in Queen’s Road, the police did not stop them – even though they had been warned of the attack.

The mob of about 300 students broke their way into the shop and wrecked it within eight minutes. They threw a typewriter and a desk out of the window, and started a bonfire of the books and furniture, which soon stopped the traffic. There were two WSPU members inside – one ran out through a rear door, but the other had to jump from an upstairs window. Luckily she was unhurt, and ran away.

Many of the crowd that gathered approved of the student action. The police did nothing, and even the next day, when the students attacked women who tried to clear up the shop, officers would not intervene. They claimed they were outnumbered; but that was not a problem when it came to protecting politicians.

A report in the newspaper

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

March 2019

southbristolvoice

n HISTORY Clifton Society did not attempt to be even-handed. The burning of the sports pavilion had “aroused the utmost indignation,” it stated. It glossed over the mob revenge by making it sound like a student prank, adding: “A large crowd watched the destruction with evident approval.” Telegrams of congratuation had been sent from other colleges, it noted.

The Bristol Times & Mirror called the mob attack an “exciting scene … wonderfully organised” while in a letter to the same paper two students claimed “an attack on a nest of suffragettes is a phase of pest extermination.”

This was chilling language, which implied that suffragettes were vermin that should be eradicated.

The university took no action against any students for their crime, which would probably today be classed as riot or affray, with likely prison sentences of several years.

T

he students failed to curb the suffragette “pest”. On November 11, a 20-room house, Begbrook Mansion in Frenchay, was burned down.

A note nearby read: “Birrell is coming. Rachel Pease [a suffragette arsonist on hunger strike] is still being tortured.”

Two days later, Birrell arrived in Bristol amid a wave of acid attacks on post boxes. At a meeting about Ireland, a man threw a dead kitten at him, saying: “Torture that instead of women”.

Shortly afterwards the boathouse in Eastville Park was torched. A large house in Stoke Road was set alight, along with another property near Bath.

In March 1914, the timber yard belonging to Imperial Tobacco at Ashton Gate was set on fire. It took firefighters from Bedminster and Central fire stations 30 hours to extinguish,

THE ANTI-VOTE BRIGADE

A

NTI-suffrage leagues were set up to voice the view that women did not need, or deserve, the right to vote. Some women proclaimed that they lacked the knowledge needed to vote; others argued that women had natural roles of homemaking and child-rearing, and politics was beyond them. Some found religious reasons why the sexes were different.

The Women’s Anti-Suffrage League had 15,000 members in

33

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

Manhandled: Police arrest a suffragette in London in 1910. Sometimes the police dragged women to side streets and sexually assaulted them even when helped by heavy rain.

The loss was valued at £3,000 (£274,000 today).

Women began to stand up in cinemas and restaurants talking about the torture of women in prison. Sometimes, as on February 19 in Lyon’s café in Colston Street, they were heckled by other customers.

In London, women held another march on May 21, demanding an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace. The police and bystanders were more brutal than on Black Friday; mounted charges were made against the women. Some women fought back with sticks or whips.

When the Lord Mayor opened the grand International Exhibition at Ashton Gate on May 28, a woman interrupted him to talk about torture but was thrown out, to boos and hisses.

The stand-off dragged on until it was ended at a stroke – by the declaration of war against Germany on August 4. The women’s movement mainly threw itself behind the war effort.

Six days later all suffrage prisoners were set free. Many 1909, and in that year its leader, Mary Ward, addressed 1,400 people in Bristol.

Anti-suffragists claimed that if there was a referendum, the people would reject votes for women.

Today their arguments sound bizarre. It was claimed that changing the “natural” roles of the sexes would undermine society and make Britain too weak to stand up to Germany. A cartoon showed a man returning home to find a note from his feminist wife reading “Back in an hour or so”

women saw they would get opportunities to take on men’s jobs for the first time: Mary Allen became one of the first female police officers.

At the war’s end in 1918, many women felt they had been failed when the returning men took their jobs back and treated females once more as secondclass workers. But the justice of their case for votes could not be ignored. The workers, male and female, who had won the war had to be rewarded. The vote was given to all men over 21, and women over 30 who owned or occupied property rated at £5 or more, or were graduates. Only 10 years later, in 1928, did all adult women win this right.

WAS THE VIOLENCE JUSTIFIED?

M

any would say this is the wrong question.

The violence meted out by the suffragettes was mostly aimed at property. Where attacks were made on people – such as the assault on Churchill – they were mostly not intended to

while around him children were in tears, the house in chaos and a lamp smoked dangerously.

These fears were widely shared, along with the view that there were many jobs women couldn’t do, such as soldier, police officer, or anything technical.

The First World War proved them wrong, as women took on many ‘male’ jobs. And with huge social pressure to reward male soldiers with the vote in 1918, women could simply not be left out. The anti-suffrage campaign collapsed.

cause serious injury.

What is certain is that the women received worse violence than they gave. On Black Friday and other occasions, both police officers and male bystanders attacked them viciously, and sometimes sexually, with the intention to humiliate as well as harm them. This went little reported in the press.

Mrs Pankhurst and others saw violence against property, and to a limited extent against people, as the only method that could make female emancipation an urgent issue that demanded attention.

Adopting violence as a tactic split the women’s movement and some say it played into the hands of their opponents. The Bristol students could not have got away with their mob attack on the WSPU headquarters if many of the public – and the police – did not support them.

Yet there has to be some understanding for the view that nothing but violence would work.

Women – and liberal-minded men – had been asking politely for female emancipation for decades, and little had changed.

Women were caught in a bind – if they kept their tempers, as women were supposed to, they got nowhere. If they burst their bounds and adopted violence – even if they tried to avoid injury – they were seen as behaving unnaturally, in a way that somehow made them no longer women. Like Lady Macbeth, perhaps.

Women in the suffragette movement between 1909 and 1914 were doing the unthinkable.

The paradox is that, in the end, their actions made people think.

One conclusion often heard was that women deserved the vote – but they ruined their case by extremism. The suffragettes felt that it was extremism that brought them victory.

Sources: • The Bristol Suffragettes Lucienne Boyce, Silverwood Books, 2013 • The anti-suffrage movement Julia Bush bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/ the-anti-suffrage-movement • British Newspaper Archive Bristol newspapers, 1909-1914 • Caravanning for the Vote Jill Liddington jliddington.org.uk • The Women’s Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide, 1866-1928 Elizabeth Crawford, Psychology Press, 2001

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

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34

March 2019

n Review Southside Stories Tobacco Factory, Spielman theatre HERE were 321 hate crimes in Bristol in the year to March 2018. That’s nearly one a day – and that’s only the ones that were reported. More than half – 156 – were in South Bristol. This shocking statistic shows that, though we can congratulate ourselves on being a strong area

full of community spirit, many people in the area are not able to live their lives free of fear.

Southside Stories, created by the BS13 Theatre Company at the Zion centre in Bishopsworth Road, tells these truths through the real stories of the cast. The performers are a diverse collection of people from the community, many with little or no prior stage experience.

The cast of eight each wear a different colour of the rainbow, reflecting the diversity of BS13. We hear stories from people who have lived in the area all their lives but are still unwelcome in their own neighbourhoods, or get asked ‘But

where are you really from?’; newcomers who are isolated and invisible; people hurt for showing affection for those they love.

Southside is a little like Utopia – a mythical place, somewhere between Hartcliffe, Withywood and Bishopsworth, where the sun always shines, animals can talk and the market is a friendly, bustling place full of songs and vitality. Our cast are transported there while waiting for the always-late bus (a real-life touch) – they don’t know how they got there and they wish that they could get back.

The ensemble work together generously and supportively, while

each gets their own monologue, in song, story, music or poetry. A piece by Marilyn Thomas, about the grace she finds to continue on through adversity, is particularly moving, accompanied by youngster Simeon Wynne on sax.

This is a story of difficulties, lack of access and opportunity. But it’s also about aspirations and building bridges. The fact that this piece of community theatre was able to come out of BS13 and onto a professional stage – and achieved sold-out audiences at the Tobacco Factory – is a shining example of what can happen when people come together.

Beccy Golding

Until March 9 n No Kids Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street.

George and Nir, a real-life samesex couple, take a head-on ride into their fears and anxieties about adoption, surrogacy, coparenting, the environmental impact of childbirth and more.

8pm, matinee Saturday 1.30pm, no shows Sunday-Tuesday.

Tickets from £12. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Tuesday March 5-Thurs March 7 n Playhouse Creatures Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street.

The Southville Players present a bawdy tale set in a London theatre in 1670, after 17 years of Puritan suppression, as women take to the stage for the first time – including a certain Nell Gwyn.

Earthy comedy, containing some strong language. 7.30pm, £9.50. henandchicken.com Wednesday March 6-April 2 Spring Into Colour Tobacco Factory bar, North Street.

Bristol artists Mary Price and Jo Whiteland celebrate spring in a joint exhibition featuring boldly coloured batik art and acrylic paintings. tobaccofactory.com/whats-on Thursday March 7 n International Women’s Day Gig Zion, Bishopsworth Road. Live music from The Funkinsteins, Lady Nade, DJ Tina Hart and Zion’s very own singer-songwriter, Tanya Hazell.

Proceeeds to Babes@Zion, a breast-feeding support group.

7.30pm, £8. zionbristol.co.uk/events Saturday March 9 n Introduction To Digital Photography Knowle West Media Centre, Leinster Avenue.

Delve into photography and learn how to get off the ‘auto’ setting with this one-day beginners’ course. For ages 16+, £65. For details e-mail emma@kwmc.org. uk or call 0117 903 0444. kwmc.org.uk/events Sunday March 10 n Lost Voice Guy Comedy Box at the Tobacco Factory theatre, North Street. The first national tour for Lee Ridley, winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2018, and the first stand-up comedian to use a communication aid. £16, 7.30pm. Sold out. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Monday March 11 n Grow, Eat, Cook – growing food in school gardens Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Session for teachers and school staff on growing and cooking food

at school for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils. 10am-4pm, £95. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Tuesday March 12 n The Power of Chakras & Kundalini Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. Darren Springer invites Sanae Orchi, Dutch TV presenter and Kundalini yoga student, for a talk exploring the chakras, energy points in our bodies. 7.30pm, £12. henandchicken.com

T

southbristolvoice

35

n WHAT’S ON

n WHAT’S ON Homegrown play spins hope from hatred

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Your event could be highlighted like this for just £5. Email ruth@southbristolvoice.co.uk Tuesday March 12-Sun March 24 n Trainspotting Live Loco Klub, Temple Meads A no-holdsbarred theatre production of the infamous Glasgow-set heroin novel. Harry Gibson’s stage adaptation was written before the famous film and is still reeling in audiences in its 21st anniversary year. Over 18s only. £17.50, 7pm Tues-Sun, 8.45pm Fri-Sat. locobristol.com/shows Wednesday March 13 n Typan + Second Self + Cielo Drive The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Typan are Bristol alt-rockers building a loyal following, backed by Second Self, an alternative four-piece from Cheltenham, and Bath indie rockers Cielo Drive. 7.30pm, £5. thethunderbolt.net Wednesday March 13-March 16 n The Class Project Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street. A solo show by Rebecca Atkinson-Lord about class mobility and regional identity, “about always being an imposter and trying to remember how to speak in your own voice”. Tickets from £12, shows 8.15pm. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

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

Friday March 15 n Talking Tables Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Talking Tables, free cookery sessions for people 50+.

First of eight weekly cooking sessions for people 50+ each Friday 10am-1pm. Learn how to cook nutritious and tasty food, and sample farm produce.

Supportive sessions for those who have an interest in food and would like to meet local people.

Booking essential on 0117 353 3042. linkagenetwork.org.uk/ projects/talking-tables n Smack The 80s Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. Dance and soul 80s style, 8pm, £11.

Saturday March 16 n Coffee Morning Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road, Bedminster. All welcome, 10.30am to 12 noon. Stalls include cakes, bric-a-brac, books, refreshments. n So Crafty Party Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Two-hour art and craft sessions for children. All materials provided plus a drink, biscuit and fruit. Cost: £12.75 per child (20 per cent discount for multiple bookings). For 6 to 10 year olds. Details: email catherineupton@hotmail. com or call 07881 994 883. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n Redcatch Club Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle. South Bristol’s new folk club presents Si Barron, who has been performing English traditional song nationally for 15 years. Supported by awardwinning singer-songwriter Maaike Seigerist. Doors 7.15pm, £8 (cash only). redcatchclub.vistaprintdigital.com Sunday March 17 n A Play in A Day Tobacco Factory theatre, North Street.

Inspired by the current production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, youngsters get the chance to create their own short performance that will be presented in the theatre at the end of the day. Separate groups for 8-11 years and 12-16 years, start 9.30am, £40. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Monday March 18 n Book Group Windmill Hill Community Centre, Vivian Street. Literary discussions on the third Monday of every month, 8.30pm. whca.org.uk

Industrial chic in a comedy that threatens

Cavorting: Kim Heron as Puck wreaks a dreadful mischief as she leaps about the stage

n Review A Midsummer Night’s Dream Tobacco Factory theatre

I

T’S CERTAIN that Shakespeare never wrote a stage direction: Enter fairies, carrying their queen on a pallet truck.

It’s a mark of how well done is director Mike Tweddle’s reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that these jarring moments only serve to focus our attention on the heart of the play.

It’s easy to think of this as a comedy full of wisps and summer fancies, love potions and a bit of harmless frolicking in the woods.

But the opening moments of this home-grown Tobacco Factory Theatres production jolt us into the threat at the centre of Shakespeare’s text. Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, is grabbed by gun-wielding goons and then forced into a grisly public appearance with her betrothed, Theseus, Duke of Athens.

It’s clear this is not to be a marriage of equals: more Handmaid’s Tale than a fairytale.

And then the clever bit. As Shakespeare wrote it, young buck Demetrius is in love with Hermia – but she loves his rival, Lysander.

And Hermia’s friend Helena loves Demetrius – but he can’t stand her.

In Mike Tweddle’s version,

Lysander becomes female, Lysanda; and Helena turns gender into Helenus. Now the course of true love is between young folk of the same sex. Not only is some of their affection not returned; even if it were, the men in power won’t allow these romances to blossom.

Hermia is told to choose: forced marriage to Demetrius, or death – or a life as a nun.

No wonder a bit of magic is needed, and an escape to the woods. If this Dream sounds, well, a bit gloomy, far from it: there is delight at every turn. The sprite, Puck (Kim Heron) cavorts in delight at the mischief she causes (yes, another gender change).

We laugh with, as well as at, the hapless citizens of Athens who put on a play for their Duke. Bottom, the bumbling star of this mini-play, is turned into a donkey by Puck, who then magically causes Titania, Queen of the Fairies, to fall in love with this ass. Here, Bottom’s donkey ears are on a motorbike helmet, allowing actor Heather Williams to gurn and wring the

laughs even better. The wood is more than a wood, of course, it is a place of craziness, and escape from the harsh rules of Athens. That’s why it fits that the fairy glade here has a touch of industrial chic.

Titania’s bed is a fur-strewn bath, and the clanking pallet truck that wheels her on is part of the fun.

The audience loved madcap Puck dodging Oberon’s wrath, the endless faffing of the amateur players, and the Fairy King Oberon (Luca Thompson) enjoying side-effects from the love potions he administers.

The lovers are magnetic in their attractions, then shock us when the magic turns them to contempt and anger with each other. The nine-strong cast mostly have several roles, and all are excellent.

This is an ingenious, wild and fanciful production. It draws our attention to the life-changing ways in which societies through the ages have blocked our choices about who to love. This isn’t an old-fashioned comedy.

Paul Breeden

Wednesday March 20-Sunday 31 n Intronauts Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street.

Inspired by classic sci-fi movies, Intronauts follows a band of miniaturised people as they are injected into a human body to carry out repairs. But what if your cleaner discovers your dirty laundry? Absurd visual comedy.

Tickets from £12, 8.15pm, 12+. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday March 23 n The Women Who Built Bristol Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. Along with several events at Arnos Vale to mark International Women’s Day, this has sold out, but will be repeated on May 4. Windmill Hill author Jane Duffus talks about her book, The Women Who Built Bristol. arnosvale.org.uk n Stand Up For The Weekend with Dane Baptiste

& Co Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street.

After starring in his own sitcom for the BBC (Sunny D) and a triumphant run at the Edinburgh Festival, Dane Baptiste heads the weekend’s stand-up bill. “A thunderingly charismatic comic”, said the Guardian. £12, 7.30pm. thecomedybox.co.uk Wednesday March 27 Green Screen Workshop n Knowle West Media Centre, Leinster Avenue, Knowle West.

Free event from 12-1pm to explore the world of green screen – using laptop technology to impose your image (or anything else) on a range of backgrounds. kwmc.org.uk/events Saturday March 30 n #WasteNothing Paintworks, Bath Road. Want to stop good stuff going to landfill? Come to see a range of quality electrical

items, wooden furniture and paint, all saved from Bristol’s household waste and recycling centres by Bristol Waste. 10am12 noon, free entry. paintworksbristol.co.uk Saturday March 30-Sunday 31 n Woyzeck Loco Klub, Temple Meads. Spies Like Us present the German classic by Buchner: as a nation wakes up from war, a young soldier grapples with his fragmented mind and tries to care for his illegitimate son and lover. Winner of Theatre Weekly’s ‘Best Physical Theatre Show’ award 2018. 6pm, £10. locobristol.com/shows Monday April 1-Tuesday April 2 n The World Behind The Screen / The Corner Shop Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. A double bill by Bedminster youth theatres. In Continued overleaf

PHOTO: Mark Dawson Photography

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

March 2019

southbristolvoice

36

n WHAT’S ON Continued from page 35 the first, a new cinema has just opened; young people queue to go in; but this is just the beginning of their journey. In the second show, strange things start happening at a local corner shop, but will the detectives work out why before it’s too late? 6.308.15pm, £2. acta-bristol.com Sunday March 31 n Matt Forde: Brexit Through the Gift Shop Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street.

Two days after the date when Britain was supposed to leave the EU, Matt Forde, acclaimed as Britain’s leading political comedian, gives his verdict. £16, 7.15pm. thecomedybox.co.uk n Medicine Creek Tobacco Factory bar, North Street.

Medicine Creek have been playing their whisky-soaked brand of bluegrass and Americana since getting together in Bristol in 2010, playing at festivals including Glastonbury,

Beach Break and Shambala. Free, 8-10pm. tobaccofactory.com/whats-on Wednesday April 3-April 6 n What Does Stuff Do? Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street. Juggler, water-bender and part-time deep thinker Robin Boon Dale draws on his circus skills to offer new ways of thinking about the physical world. Includes liquid manipulation, performance ping pong, and a motivational speech by a man in swimming trunks.

Tickets from £12, 8.15pm. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Regular events

n Iyengar yoga classes.

Beginners welcome. Qualified teacher, equipment provided. £8 (£6 concessions). Centre for Whole Health, 12 Victoria Place, Bedminster BS3 3BP. Class held Monday 7.30-8.45pm. Contact: 07984 039737. n BS3 Repair Cafe Repairs for a donation, plus cream teas and home-made cakes. 1.30-4.30pm,

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last Saturday of every month, United Reformed Church Hall, West Street, Bedminster.

Facebook: BS3 Repair Cafe n Baby Sensory is a learning development programme for babies 0-13 months. Classes are held at the Victoria Park Baptist Church Hall, Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA on Tuesdays. For more information email Sian at bristolsouth@babysensory. co.uk or visit babysensory.com/bristol-south n Womb Sisters pregnancy choir Thursdays, 7-8.30pm.

St Michael & All Angels church, Windmill Hill. £7 drop in, or block booking discount. Email wombsisterspregnancychoir@ gmail.com or visit wombsisters.co.uk @womb_sisters n Folks & Bairns parent and baby choir The Milk Shed, Southville, Wednesdays 1-2pm.

Free taster; £60 a term (12 sessions, pro rata if you join later in term). Email folksandbairns@ gmail.com or visit folksandbairns.com @folksandbairns March 30-April 5 n Aged 55+ and living with cancer? Want to get more active, meet new people and try something new? The Macmillan Activity Week for over 55s takes place across Bristol from Saturday March 30-Friday April 5. Discover the benefits of being active during or after cancer treatment, and try community-based activities for free, including dance, walking football, kayaking and more.

Booking is essential – call LinkAge Network on 0117 353 3042.

BS3 Community Events For the young and older members of our community and everyone in between

Golden Sporting Memories Club Working with Bristol Rugby, BS3 Community runs Golden Memories, a weekly social group on Tuesdays, 2-4pm, which focuses on living well, with time to reminisce about sporting activities and events, followed by a short session of light activity such as ball games, indoor archery or team games. It is free to attend, with free refreshments.

Drop-In Dementia Support Group This friendly group offers an afternoon of company and activity for people living with dementia and their carers. It takes place on the first and third Wednesday of every month, 2-4pm, in association with Alive Activities. It is free to attend and we can help with transport. It’s a chance to meet other people affected by dementia and enjoy refreshments.

Rocking the Boat: 8-week boat building course This is a unique opportunity for people aged 50+ or 16-25.

On Thursdays from 10.30am3.30pm, groups of 6 to 8 people work closely with friendly, skilled experts to build two boats from scratch. The project culminates with a maiden voyage on the harbour. It’s free, and no experience is required. We can also help with transport, but you must live in Bristol.

• For more information about these or other BS3 Community projects, email our community development manager at Ruth.

Green@bs3community.org.uk

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37

BRISTOL CITY ROUND-UP

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Supporting City and the best in building

Wolves result was no disgrace – now we push forward

W

It is no fluke that City are riding high in the table, says MARTIN POWELL. The team is growing in confidence; what will the next few weeks bring?

HEN a current form league table on the internet showed that Bristol City had the best record in Europe, putting them above the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and, well … everybody ... you know that things are going well.

Inevitably all good things come to an end and the astonishing run of 15 games

MARTIN’S SHORTS n SOME 800 Swansea fans arrived late at the game in February, waved a Welsh flag and a few minutes later “football violence flared” inside Ashton Gate. Well, to us veterans of the 1970s it all looked a bit pathetic – these modern hooligans don’t seem to have learned that it is impossible to punch anyone with a mobile phone in your hand. Attempting to kick anyone with designer “trainers” (posh daps) instead of Doc Martens is also pointless. Let’s hope we see no more of that nonsense at what is usually a family-friendly sporting event.

unbeaten, the last nine of them wins, ended at Ashton Gate at the hands of Premier League high-flyers Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The run has provided a platform for the last few months of this season. Having established themselves in the top 10, City have now got to prove they have the stickability to end the season in the top six and clinch a play-off place or, dare we say it, push on for one of the automatic promotion spots.

There is no doubt that this season there is more strength in depth in the squad, but the inexperience of young players like Joe Morrell and Kasey Palmer against seasoned Premier League opponents showed in the first half against Wolves – but a 0-1 defeat was far from a disgrace. With a bit of luck, and a more eagle-eyed referee, it could have been a draw over 90 minutes.

City’s young guns will be all the better for the experience of playing in front of 24,000 fans against some of the best in the business.

It’s that time of year when fans start to study the fixture list

Out of the Cup: Matty Taylor lifts up Josh Brownhill at the final whistle as Wolves end City’s 15-game winning run PHOTO: JMPUK/BCFC and work out just how many points are needed, and how many are achievable. Thankfully this season City fans are looking at the top end of the table rather than worrying about the drop and scraping together enough points to survive.

March and April see games against other sides competing at the top. In March the home game against Leeds and the away game against Sheffield United, and in April Middlesbrough away and home games against West Bromwich Albion and Derby County, are all going to be tough and season-defining.

It’s going to be a thrilling race

to the finish line and City have proved with their run of results that they are not to be ignored by some of the clubs with bigger budgets.

Maybe there is still a lack of a sharp-shooting forward player, and sometimes there is a lack of confidence in going forward, with too many sideways and backwards passes, but results speak for themselves and it is no fluke that Bristol City are high in the table.

With some long-term injuries healing and a growing confidence in the side, it is time to hang on to your hats, City fans, and enjoy the final months of the season.

CITY GAMES: Mar 9 H Leeds Utd; Mar 12 H Ipswich Town; Millwall A postponed; Mar 30 A Sheffield Utd; Apr 2 A Middlesbrough; Apr 6 H Wigan Athletic; Apr 9 H West Brom

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

March 2019

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38

n YOUR MP

KARIN SMYTH Labour MP for Bristol South

Having a job doesn’t mean you aren’t struggling to survive not unemployed in the strict sense of the word, this does not necessarily translate into earning enough to get by. In reality, the average weekly income in Bristol South is below the regional and national average. We have the highest number of people in work claiming benefits in the city.

It’s a topic which comes up frequently at my Money Entitlement events. I’ve chatted to working families – where one or both adults work – who have either a very low basic income or no guaranteed income from one week to the next. Zero-hour and temporary contracts or self-employment does not offer

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TATISTICS released earlier this year showed employment rates at a record high of 75.8 per cent, with Amber Rudd, secretary of state for work and pensions, repeatedly referring to this figure as she bats off criticism of Universal Credit.

Recent figures for Bristol South suggest that less than three per cent of working age adults are claiming unemployment benefits – lower than the UK average of four per cent.

On the surface, this appears to be positive news. But these figures only tell half the story.

Bristol South has a real problem with under-employment. Too many jobs are low paid, part-time or insecure. While people are

the same security as permanent, fixed-hour jobs which pay the Living Wage or more.

Looking after loved ones, whatever their age, can also limit people’s ability to work full-time. When you add in the rising cost of living – energy bills, high rents and the increasing price of food – this means that people are really struggling. Without ongoing affordable social care support, many people are unable to earn a decent wage.

I’ve met working mums in Bristol South, women who are in employment, but whose earnings are effectively cancelled out by the cost of childcare.

For many working families, the roll-out of Universal Credit has added to the problem, and I’m receiving regular requests for help with this.

When the Government claims victory due to employment figures, it ignores the very real struggle faced by many working families. I want to see people in Bristol South have access to the kind of quality, reliable, well-paid work which enables them to cope with the rising cost of living.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to the insecure job market, which is one of the reasons I organised my apprenticeships fair on Feburary 28 – to help link people up with opportunities which can lead to well-paid, secure work in the future.

March 2019

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March 2019

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

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

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