South Bristol Voice - Bedminster June 2019

southbristolvoice

June 2019

June No. 442019

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www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

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Great Greta!

Greta takes up residency in North Street, painted by legendary artist, Jody

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish environmentalist, has come to North Street.

Not in person … but in the form of a giant climate-change themed mural, painted by legendary artist Jody, on one of Bristol’s most iconic walls for street art, the Tobacco Factory.

Although Upfest has taken a break for this year, the thoughtprovoking artwork has been painted as part of the Upfest Summer Editions, which will see a series of artists painting murals along North Street and surrounding areas.

It also honours the Tobacco Factory’s sustainable ethos as it celebrates 25 years on the high street.

The mural depicts Greta – who has become famous for campaigning and raising awareness about climate change among young people – half submerged in water, with a polar bear swimming beneath the surface.

Behind her is a polar ice cap and a doomsday-like sky.

“I wanted the sky to look doomy and impending, to reflect the message behind the mural – that we’re all facing a crisis,” says Upfest veteran Jody.

“Climate change doesn’t just affect a certain group of people, it

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• CHURCHYARD TO RECEIVE FACE-LIFT P7

• IN PICTURES: WILD OUTDOORS DAY P11 • VANI’S DEVOTION TO FEED THE HOMELESS P13 • FEATURE: FOOD & DRINK IN YOUR AREA P16

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

IN

June 2019

southbristolvoice

2 Becky Day Editorial director 07912 484405 news@southbristolvoice.co.uk Ruth Drury Sales director 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Rich Coulter Production director 07775 550607 info@southbristolvoice.co.uk Deliveries: Greg Champion

Intro NICE TO MEET YOU! We might be a bit biased, but we think South Bristol is a great place to be … whether it’s living here, working here or simply just visiting here. We’re sure many of our readers would agree with us too.

South Bristol has a wonderful sense of community – everyone looks out for one another, and while all communities have their own challenges, South Bristol folk are never afraid to stand up for one another and for what they believe in.

There is always so much going on – people,

Independent Community News Network member Twitter: @sbristolvoice Facebook: southbristolvoice Next deadline for editorial and advertising: June 18th organisations and businesses working tirelessly to bring others together, to inform, entertain and celebrate, and the Voice is a testament to that.

And that’s why we are thrilled to be the new team behind the Voice and we thank Paul Breeden, its former editor and publisher, for the brilliant job he did, establishing the paper … he’s left behind some big boots to fill!

Ruth Drury continues her work for the Voice as sales director and has been joined by co-founder of the Voice news magazine series Richard Coulter, and long-standing reporter and editor for the Voice, Becky Day. We look forward to seeing you out on the patch!

HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH ...

My MP? Karin Smyth MP By email: karin.smyth.mp@ parliament.uk By post: Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA By phone: 0117 953 3575 In person: Call 0117 953 3575 for an appointment.

My councillor?

Post: (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 Informal meeting for community activators/volunteers, to share experience, ideas, hopes. May 15, Tobacco Factory, 12.30pm, hosted

by Action Greater Bedminster.

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: news@southbristolvoice.co.uk or by post: 111 Broadfield Rd, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2UX or by phone: 0777 555 0607.

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.

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n NEWS

Greta comes to North Street

Continued from page 1 affects us all.

“Something like this crosses all language barriers, all age barriers, all cultural barriers … it’s a very clear message. I’ve not had one person ask me who she is ... Everybody knows, because she’s very much in the news at the moment, and I really like that.”

Jody – who is renowned for his figurative and photorealistic style – has painted many walls across Bristol, however, the Tobacco Factory wall is the biggest and most challenging one yet, he says.

“When I was offered the wall, we spoke about doing something relevant, with a strong message behind it. Then Greta’s name came up, and I said, ‘stop there’.

“She’s not just a great advocate for climate change, but also for young people, particularly those with Asperger’s and autism. There’s something about the way she goes about things – she’s fierce and fearless and I wanted to capture that in the mural.”

Jody says that, so far, the response to his mural has been largely positive, and the amount of phone notifications he has been receiving, with people messaging him and tagging him in their photos of the mural, has been a testament to that. “People are fascinated in the process,” he said. “They love to see it evolving.”

Speaking to Jody about the challenge of painting a mural on

Greta starts to take shape. Photo by Neil James Brain

this scale, he said: “You have to simplify everything – you do the block colours and then add more and more detail.

“My art teacher always said to me, it’s 90% looking and 10% physically drawing. I spend a lot of time, stepping back, checking what I’ve done and taking photos on my phone.”

Jody, who started painting on May 16, was completing the mural at the time South Bristol Voice went to print – on the weekend Tobacco Factory was celebrating its 25-year anniversary.

Ex-mayor and architect George Ferguson, who bought the building in 1993 to save it from demolition, said: “We wanted something that was connected to youth and the environment, to reflect the ethos of the Tobacco Factory, and Jody came up with a great answer.

“It’s looking to be a really good piece and it’s very recognisable – it’s a great way to celebrate 25 years of the Tobacco

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“I’m full of adulation for young people these days – and they are personified by Greta.”

Speaking about Upfest Summer Editions, festival founder Steve Hayles, said: “The response to Upfest Summer Editions, crafted with Posca, has been great and we’re really happy to continue to bring world class artists to Bristol in a year that we are having a break from the main festival.

“We love to see art comment on topical issues and this new piece by Jody we hope will help to create more conversations on the issue of climate change and its effect on our community. We hope that his work will resonate with the people who come to see it and inspire some to learn more about the issue.”

For announcements on when new artwork is being produced throughout the year, search @Upfest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Decision to block billboard appealed A decision to refuse a digital advertising screen in Bedminster has been appealed by the applicants.

Maxx Media Ltd’s application to replace the existing 6-metre wide screen in Sheene Road with an LED digital smart screen was met with almost 60 objections and refused on the grounds that it would have a ‘detrimental impact on visual amenity’.

A petition, attracting over 1,500 signatures, was also launched by Adblock Bristol and called for the council to automatically reject any applications for new billboards as part of its Local Plan.

However, an appeal was lodged by ECE Planning, on behalf of the media company, who say that the visual amenity of the area would be improved and enhanced by replacing the existing ‘tired’ display, which is opposite a Lidl supermarket.

A resident who lives near the Sheen Road site, Barney Smith, said: “Bristol council planners have recognised that these advertising hoardings are both a safety hazard to road users as well as being giant eyesores in the city landscape.

“Being brightly lit they can be seen from miles around at night.

Just because they make money for big business doesn’t stop them from being giant bits of unwelcome litter.”

The appeal, submitted on May 17, has now been validated by the planning inspectorate. It is not yet known when a decision will be made.

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

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n NEWS

Centre closure leaves groups ‘high and dry’ People from the blind and visually impaired community say that they are being ‘left out in the cold’ after a Bedminster centre, which has been in use for over 25 years, closes its doors to the public.

The building, in Stillhouse Lane – a road running parallel to Bedminster Parade – is being refurbished into a regional centre for the Guide Dogs for Blind Association, who purchased the building from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) last April.

It was originally purposebuilt in the early 1990s for the Bristol Royal Society of the Blind (BRSB) but was transferred to the RNIB after the BRSB became part of the national charity in 2000.

Guide Dogs for the Blind will be taking full use of the building once refurbished, meaning that the centre will no longer be open to the public for community groups to meet.

The centre closed on May 24 and is expected to reopen next spring.

As reported in February’s issue of South Bristol Voice, a protest was staged by centre users over the loss of the building and its services.

Despite RNIB’s plans to secure a similar venue to Stillhouse Lane, an alternative has not been found.

The RNIB office is instead relocating to the Paintworks, in Bath Road, and after seeking clarification from the charity, it will only have meeting room space for RNIB-led meetings.

The braille class is the only

The centre in Stillhouse Lane is used by people from the local area

group from the centre that will be accommodated at RNIB’s new premises in Arnos Vale.

Alternative spaces have been sought for other RNIB groups – the basketry group and the X2 social group will now be accommodated at Windmill Hill City Farm.

The charity says that it is working with the farm to explore “how to best support the groups in the long-term”.

However, at the time South Bristol Voice went to print, one group, which has been running information afternoons for people with visual impairment for the last 15 years, had still not found a home.

A user of the group said: “We have been left high and dry, with nowhere left to go, with little or no vision.

“This centre was perfect for us – people knew their way around here. It will be difficult for other places to accommodate us.

“I’ve known these people for years. Our meetings gave people with visual impairment a chance to meet one another. It’s a shame that this could all drift away.”

Another member said that the centre used to be a thriving place, but had “gone downhill” in recent years, which had driven people away from the centre.

They said: “Every day of the week, there would be activities

going on throughout the day.

There was a shop where you could buy essential kit. It was somewhere you could go for advice – now we have nowhere to go for that kind of help.”

Paul Sullivan, secretary of the pressure group Bristol and District Visually Impaired (VI) Voice, said that he has become “disenchanted” with the RNIB and is “disappointed” that an alternative community hub has not been secured.

He said: “Our sorrow is that this fantastic building is being turned into a kennel and that local visually impaired people are being left out in the cold. This is a great loss and we will be sad to see it go.”

Anela Naz, who is also part of the VI Voice group, said: “There’s a lot of fear, anger, worry and disappointment among the community.

“We don’t all have guide dogs so won’t be able to use the new centre. Everyone seems to be in limbo – nobody knows what is going on or where we’ll be, and nobody has been willing to talk to us to try and find a solution.”

Anela, who has been involved at the centre since it opened, said: “There are a lot of memories in this building – it will be a massive loss.”

In a statement released on the RNIB website, Stephen Weymouth, RNIB network manager for the South West, said that the Paintworks was “the most accessible premises” from a

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n NEWS list of options, and although the move was not just for financial reasons, he said that it cost “less than half the cost of the alternative sites considered”.

He said: “Like all charities, RNIB has a limited budget and we have to make sure every penny we spend goes as far as possible.

“Our motivation for the move is not only financial. It is estimated that there are over 11,000 people with sight loss in the Bristol area who could benefit from the support and connections that RNIB offers.

“We have to think of new and creative ways to reach more people, so we can provide the information, advice and support they need to live the life they want to lead.”

He said that the charity “remains committed to working collaboratively with other local

5

and national organisations”.

Annie Wilson, Guide Dogs for the Blind’s regional head of operations for the South West, said: “Guide Dogs and RNIB work closely together when we feel we can collaborate to achieve both of our missions.

“As separate charities, with individual missions and aims for supporting people who are blind and partially sighted across the UK, there are some areas we collaborate on, and some that we each specialise in.

“We are very excited to see the site development come to life, and once we re-open we will hold an open day to give the local community, supporters, volunteers, and our service users the opportunity to take a tour of, and learn more about how we will use the Regional Centre.”

Jamie, who is believed to live off Winterstoke Road, saved the life of a Southville woman and she would like to thank him for his bravery.

The resident was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and Jamie was there to speak with her and help her to safety.

The woman recalls that it was his birthday, May 20. Speaking to the South Voice Bristol, she said: “I’ll never forget him. He was in his 20s, tall and slim with short blinding

hair. He needs recognition for his bravery, I want to thank him.”

If you are Jamie, or know Jamie, get in touch by contacting the South Bristol Voice at news@ southbristolvoice.co.uk or call 07912 484405.

• If you, or someone you know is struggling to cope, Samaritans offers a free confidential helpline that you can call at any time on 116 123.

How to become a place of safety Could your business or organisation open its doors during times of emergency?

The council is calling on local businesses, faith leaders and organisations to register as part of the Community Places of Safety scheme.

The appeal follows the recent Speedwell fire, which saw over 90 properties evacuated.

Over 200 venues are already registered across Bristol, a dozen of which are in the Bedminster, Southville and Ashton Gate area.

However, the council is looking for more venues to sign up.

The place of safety will ideally have: 24 hour access,

disabled access, toilets, heating and basic kitchen facilities.

In the event of an emergency and an evacuation is required, registered locations will be staffed by trained volunteers and will be a place of shelter for members of the local communities.

If you have a venue that might be suitable to be used as a Community Place of Safety, contact the council’s Civil Protection Unit via emergency. planning@bristol.gov.uk A map of the places registered in the local area can be found at bristol.gov. uk/people-communities/ community-places-ofsafety

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n Garden Sofa - the heart of every garden living space. If you don’t want to buy new, re-purposing pallets into seating is both environmentally and budget friendly. There are lots of pallet sofa tutorials online and pallet-sized cushions can be bought on eBay.

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Bristol interiors stylist Kyla Magrath takes the indoors outside with her garden living space. Soft furnishings and reclaimed pieces create a cosy and rustic look (photo by Kyla Magrath)

Ice-cream boss banned from dealing with staff, indefinitely The boss of a well-known ice cream business, who operated vans across Bristol and a shop in Bedminster Parade, has been handed a Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order.

Salvatore Lopresti, 75, of Long Ashton is now barred from dealing with staff in any business indefinitely.

He did not contest the order at a hearing on Wednesday 8 May. Mr Lopresti was due to stand trial after facing charges relating to modern day slavery and assault occasioning actual body harm, but these were dropped because he was ruled unfit to stand trial.

Charges against his son, Robert Lopresti, who he operated the business alongside, were also dropped.

The Bristol Cable instigated the investigation into the firm after one of their reporters went undercover to work for Lopresti’s ice cream and property business.

Making the STRO order, District Judge Matthews said: “I have read the papers which the police have given me. Having

read those I am sure that there is a risk that you will commit a human trafficking or slavery offence. I am sure it is necessary for me to make this order.”

He warned Mr Lopresti that disobeying the order could mean he goes to prison and ordered him to pay £225 in costs.

Following the hearing, DC Dale Morgan said: “Police, working with Bristol City Council, Bristol Cable, Hope For Justice, HMRC, Unseen and other agencies identified a vulnerable man working for Mr Lopresti’s firm.

“This man was referred to services providing accommodation, safeguarding and support. He is now living in another part of the country.

“A Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order has been successfully applied for in this case.

“We’ll always thoroughly investigate allegations of modern slavery offences and remain committed to using all the legislation available to us to protect vulnerable people at risk of being exploited.”

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

June 2019

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Club welcomes members Work starts this autumn to revive churchyard new Would an older relative benefit

n NEWS

A Southville church is teaming up with university students to transform its churchyard into a positive and welcoming space for the local community.

St Paul’s Church in Southville Road is drafting in the help of students from the University of the West of England (UWE) to carry out the project, which is due to start this autumn.

A community grant of £3,000 has been secured from UWE for the project, with the help of church member and researcher at the university’s centre for transport and society, Jonathan Flower.

Detailed plans for the scheme are yet to be revealed and will be drawn up in August.

As published in the November issue of South Bristol Voice, St Paul’s Church – which is often used as a cut-through from South Bristol to Goal Ferry bridge – has been plagued with anti-social behaviour in its churchyard and at the end of last year, a serious

sexual assault was reported.

CCTV has since been installed, which church minister Revd Nick Hay says has impacted positively on the area.

But he recognises that improvements need to be made to make the churchyard a more positive space.

Curate Jacqui Kean, who is leading on the project alongside Jonathan, said: “While we have no idea of what we want the space to look like yet, our vision is that we want it to be a

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space that offers hospitality and somewhere that brings hope.

We want our church to be a beacon of love within the local community.”

As part of the project, the church will also be collaborating with Seeds of Change – the initiative behind the harbour’s floating garden – to explore the narrative of the area and how this can be reflected in the improvements made to the churchyard.

from some regular company?

The Monday Club at the Southville Centre is welcoming new members.

The group, organised by BS3 Community charity, runs every Monday, 10am-4pm and is a social club for older people.

Guests can enjoy lunch, entertainment, craft, trips and talks. Some recent activities have included pottery, a boat trip around Bristol harbour and a talk from a local author.

Depending on what activities people wish to participate in, there are various options for morning, morning and lunch, just lunch, lunch and afternoon, just afternoon. These options are offered at different pricing levels.

Head along for a free trial before deciding if the club is for you.

For more information, visit the centre or ring Barbara or Ruth on 0117 9231039.

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n NEWS

Secret garden trail set to inspire

Explore Bedminster’s beautiful hidden green spaces as part of an exciting secret garden trail this month.

Bedminster’s Secret Gardens open weekend, as part of the Blooming Bedminster project, runs Saturday, June 15 - Sunday 16, 12-5pm.

Dozens of homes and community venues have signed up

to showcase their gardens.

All you need to do is look out for the flags to find the way into each of the gardens opened.

Organisers suggest a donation of £2 to be given at the first garden and you will be given a sticker to show you’ve given your support.

More details can be found at: bloomingbedminster.org.uk

n PET STORY OF THE MONTH

Pavlos’s dogs

Delicious food and ‘good vibes’ Lovers of Latino grub will enjoy a fun and family-friendly food festival coming to Southville.

Holy Cross Primary is hosting the free event ‘La Buena Onda: a Latino Food Festival’ on June 16, 12-4pm as part of Bristol Food Connections.

It is being organised by parent Michelle, who owns Latino Street Bites.

On sale will be traditional foods from Chile, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico, as well as Latino-

themed drinks.

Students’ artwork will be showcased and there will be traditional and modern Latino music playing throughout the day.

There is also traditional Latino dancing and tortilla making workshops.

For more info contact: info@ latinostreetbites.co.uk or www. bristolfoodconnections.com/ whats-on

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My black French bulldog Betty and her sister Loulou used to belong to Pavlos, the Crown Prince of Greece when he lived in London SW3.

When he and his family went back to Greece, they left Betty and her sister with the their butler. The butler had no room, so they were passed to

my girlfriend, who passed them to me. They both have their passports still registered with Pavlos. No wonder they came with such fancy collars! Guess this means they are downwardly socially mobile living with me. I can’t understand why they can’t speak Greek or French though.

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9

A Tale of Two Marathons ... cross-Channel challenge sees friends raise £7k for charity

Just running one marathon is a challenge, but three friends – two of whom live in South Bristol – have raised thousands of pounds for causes close to their hearts after completing two, in two weeks.

Running both London and Paris marathons, Jack Callow, 30, Will Carter, 29, and Will Langdon, 30, raised a total of almost £7,000 for the British Liver Trust (BLT), which supports families affected by liver disease, and I CAN, which helps children with speech and language difficulties.

Friends since university, Jack, from Southville, and Will Langdon, from north Bristol, raised £5,130 for BLT, with a substantial donation from Bristol-based accountancy practice recruitment agency, Clark Wood.

They ran for the charity in memory of Jack’s dad who sadly passed away from a liver related illness when Jack was just sevenyears-old.

Will Carter, who lives in Bedminster, raised over £1,700 for I CAN, with a generous donation from his employer, Phineas, which is based in the Paintworks in Bath Road.

Having struggled with difficulties with his speech throughout his childhood, Will was delighted when the charity offered him a last-minute place to run London.

In order to reach their fundraising targets and having all

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L-R, Jack Callow, Will Carter and Will Langdon taking a selfie during the London Marathon

run marathons before, the friends wanted to take on the extra challenge of running another marathon two weeks before, so they signed up to Paris.

They each completed the Paris marathon in outstanding times – Will Langdon achieved a sub-

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three-hour marathon, crossing the line in 2.59, Will Carter finished with a personal best of 3.06, as did Jack with 3.20.

Feeling the effects of Paris, the trio ran London marathon at a slightly slower pace, managing to complete the first half of the race

together.

Will Carter met Jack and Will Langdon through playing football and have bonded over the years over their love of running.

Will Carter said: “Competing in the London Marathon has always been a dream and having struggled with my speech as a child - and to a lesser extent as an adult - it was amazing to have an opportunity to represent I CAN at the London Marathon.

“I think it’s really important to make sure the ambitions of children with speech problems isn’t limited due to communication difficulties ... this was why I wanted to run for I CAN. “Even though we all had sore legs after Paris, running the London marathon was incredible, the support over the whole course was fantastic and being able to run it with two close friends made it even better.”

Jack said: “To have run Paris and London in memory of my dad is something I’m very proud of, but to have been able to do it with two of my closest friends is just special.

“The support we received was truly incredible, and the memories will now last us a lifetime. The celebrations at the finish line weren’t bad either.”

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10

n NEWS

CLIMATE CHANGE

We We WeBuy Buy Buy Houses Houses Housesthat that that need need needrenovation renovation renovation •• •No No No Fuss Fuss Fuss •• •No No No Delays Delays Delays •• •Quick Quick Quick Sale Sale Sale •• •Cash Cash Cash paid paid paid •• •All All All property property property types types types considered considered considered •• •No No No Estate Estate Estate Agency Agency Agency fees fees fees •• •We We We cover cover cover your your your Solicitors Solicitors Solicitors costs* costs* costs*

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southbristolvoice

11

n WILD OUTDOORS DAY

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM

Families go wild for farm outdoor day Wild, outdoor fun was had by all who joined Windmill Hill City Farm for its annual celebration of nature.

Camp fire cookery, story telling, sushi making and nature crafts were just some of the fun-filled activities on offer at the farm’s Wild Outdoors Day on May 18. There were a number of interesting food and market stalls and live music played throughout the day.

Children could also get up close to nature with special wildlife walks and pond dipping.

Top right, Japanese sushi making demo with Masuyo. Above, interactive natureinspired storycrafting with Wild of the Words. Bottom right, toddler waves magic nature wand, made with Kids Cre8.

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June 2019

southbristolvoice

12

n NEWS

Beard today, gone tomorrow ...

Simon’s close shave for children’s ward BEFORE

AFTER

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Left, Simon before the shave and right, afterwards wtih hairdresser Steph from Bangshanky

It was a fine beard by anyone’s standards - but it’s gone now, and poorly children in Bristol will benefit.

Simon Mitchell from Bedminster, a staff nurse at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, agreed to have his pride and joy shaved off last month to raise money for the hospital’s Bluebell Ward, the neurosciences ward where he has worked for seven years.

He said: “A year ago my friends raised a lot of money for my partner Cath after her passing and now it’s my turn to do the same.

“Hopefully all my friends and family will agree this is a big deal as my beard has been part of my identity for a long time and there are a lot of people in the hospital who have never known me without a beard.”

Simon’s beard was shaved

off by Steph, a hairdresser from Bangshanky.

Previously Cath’s friends and colleagues donated £1,500 to Above & Beyond in Cath’s memory.

Karlie Evans, community fundraising officer for Above & Beyond, said: “A huge congratulations to Simon for planning this event and raising money for his ward with Above & Beyond.

“A beard or head shave is a fantastic way to raise money for charity.”

To sponsor Simon go to: www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/simon-mitchell20.

For more information on Above & Beyond go to: www. aboveandbeyond.org.uk.

As we went to press, Simon had raised nearly £600, well over his £500 target.

BS3 Helping Others needs your help A group - which prides itself of helping others in the community by connecting people that need support with those than can offer a hand - is looking for someone to voluntarily lend their time.

BS3 Helping Others needs a keen volunteer to help compile and update a list of community projects in the local area.

If interested, email bs3helpingothers@gmail.com

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

June 2019

southbristolvoice

13

n NEWS

Inspired by her late grandmother, Vani is committed to feeding the homeless For Vani Unny, helping to feed the homeless is just a natural way of life.

The Bedminster mum is one of a group of volunteers who feed homeless people and who have been presented with a High Sheriff’s Award, recognising their services to the community.

Denis Burn, Somerset’s High Sheriff, praised the team at Feed the Homeless during a gala evening.

Vani, who moved from Kerala in Southern India to Bristol, seven years ago, joined the charity to commemorate her late grandmother.

She prepares meals with the help of her eight-year-old son, Aditya Pillai, and said: “In our culture we have a long tradition of feeding the hungry.

“In India, before we close the gates when it gets dark in the evening, we ask if anyone wants food. Those who can afford extra food give it away.

“My grandmother believed in this tradition of feeding the hungry any time of the day and I decided to join the charity in her memory on the anniversary of her death.”

Naseem Talukdar set up the charity in February 2016 and thanked volunteers for all their hard work.

He said: “Thanks to their dedication we are able to support homeless people throughout the year.

“Homelessness can happen to almost anyone. We recognise we are more fortunate and have somewhere warm to live, someone to spend our time with and food to eat.

“It’s important to help others who are less fortunate and show them the care they deserve as humans.”

The charity has become part of the World Association of Chefs Society, which aims to give back to their communities, and continues to expand across the South West.

High Sheriff Mr Burn said: “The volunteers give up their

in Kingswood before they retired, said: “Anyone can fall into homelessness. I’ve seen scientists, corporation-workers, those who have made bad investments or those who’ve had a relationship breakdown end up on the streets. It could be due to mental health issues or losing their jobs.

“I think prevention is better than cure. We see photos on social media and it looks like people are leading perfect lives when in reality we all face challenges. It’s important to speak out and reach out if you think someone may need your help. It’s easier to help stop people slide down than to help them get out of homelessness.”

The team have also worked to help people transition from homelessness to living in accommodation and have also reconnected family who were previously estranged. n For more information and to get involved, visit feedthehomeless. org.uk or email Naseem@ feedthehomeless.uk You can follow them on facebook.com/fthBristol or twitter @fth_Bristol or instagram fthBristol n The photo represents four generations of Vani’s family: grandmother Sreedevi Amma, mother Shoba Unny , Vani and her son, Aditya Pillai, who is now 8 years old and helps with the meal preparation.

own warm houses, even on the most unpleasant of evenings, to bring a hot meal to people sleeping rough.

“There are also volunteers who prepare the food and organise the event, so it runs smoothly. They are all deserving of recognition and thanks.”

The homeless people that Feed the Homeless visit include teenagers who had been in care, those with disabilities and no support network, some who had suffered relationship breakdowns and others with addictions.

Naseem Talukdar, whose parents ran an Indian restaurant

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

southbristolvoice

14

n THE MAYOR Share ideas to help our libraries

T

LETTERS and pro

Please k

MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

he challenge facing library services in Britain is a well-known story. Nationally, almost 130 were closed last year, while spending by local authorities on public libraries fell by £30m, meaning a 12% reduction in the last four years.

This reflects the financial pressure local authorities are under as our budgets are reduced in the name of austerity while demand for our services increases.

However in Bristol, thanks to commitment and hard work to bring our finances under control, we’ve been able to turn the page and invest in our library service as we look to modernise the offer.

In July last year we committed to keeping all 27 libraries across the city open and pledged to work

with community groups to explore sustainable options for the future of the service.

As part of this we conducted a library technology review to look at the systems and technology to make sure the service is supported by resilient, sustainable equipment. At our most recent cabinet meeting we accepted proposals to purchase 35 new portable kiosks and other supporting hardware. This £705,000 investment will mean we can offer alternative payment methods such as contactless, provide library users with more payment choices, and meet modern expectations.

I am also pleased that we have been able to extend Central Library’s opening hours. It will now be open 52.5 hours a week, including late night opening on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We understand the importance of the Central Library for many people all across the city, so as part of our drive to improve the library service, we wanted to make sure it is open when people need it most.

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Across the country there were 182 million books issued to almost 8 million active borrowers in 2017/18, and libraries continue to provide key services for local communities. But we know that we need a new chapter in how we understand how our libraries are used if they are to thrive. What residents want from them is changing, and the service needs to adapt to this. We want to hear from community organisations, current and potential library users, businesses and councillors. The idea is that we work together to find the best possible solutions.

We are looking for people to come forward with workable ideas for their local library – we are open to discussing new ideas and are keen not to stand in people’s way. This will be different in each area as it needs to be individually tailored to each community.

If you have an idea or suggestion I ask that you contact your local councillor to find out more. Contact details on page 2.

Development ruining our area I’ve just read in the latest edition that the go-ahead has been given for 94 flats, shops and restaurants at Brewery Court and that councillors decided to ‘overrule the 180 statements of objection from the public’.

It is obvious that in Ashton/ Ashton Gate, all residents’ concerns about over-development, high rise out- of- place buildings, concerns about traffic flow, pollution levels and especially parking are of no consequence whatsoever and developments are given the go-ahead whatever we think, whether that is at Brewery Court, Cumberland Village or Bristol Sport.

We actually live here and have to put up with all this, and far from making the area more enticing to people, it will make it less as amenities and quality of life suffer.

The parking alone will be

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June 2019

horrendous and no one seems remotely interested or takes seriously our frequently voiced concerns, especially given that in the recent unofficial survey local councillors carried out, 97% of respondents said that parking on match days or other events at the stadium was a huge issue.

How is this kind of development going to help that?

It’s unlikely any thought has been given to more school and nursery places, or doctor’s surgeries, community centres etc either - all of which are either over-subscribed or non-existent.

Housing is not everything, and neither is money; community is, and this one is fast being ruined by over-development.

Had there been any kind of low cost, affordable housing included, that at least would have been something.

Councillors seem by this vote to have made it quite clear that any decision can and will run roughshod over local concerns.

I have already sent the gist

Please keep as short as possible, Writeletters to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk and provide postal address. or to your 18 Lilymead Avenue, BS4 2BX of this letter to our local city councillors.

Rachel Hall Ashton Gate (address supplied)

Let’s encourage walking in BS3 ‘Neighbours United’ is what we are calling the next phase in our effort to make BS3 more easily walkable, especially for those pushing buggies, riding in wheelchairs or having sight impairment.

This project also encompasses our efforts to make the area more attractive to wildlife and to rebuild links for people who are socially isolated.

Perhaps it will reduce air pollution, too!

We are already talking to people in a handful of streets about how, given the chance, neighbours might get together to ‘redesign’ the street.

What that really means includes things like ensuring recycling bins don’t obstruct the pavement,

15 Write to news@southbristolvoice.co.uk or to 111 Broadfield Rd, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2UX

helping each other with front garden improvements, getting an agreement about car parking rules, perhaps introducing bits of art and other ways to get people to think of ‘their’ street as really theirs and not just somebody else’s problem.

Of course, a street party or Playing Out would be a good way to kick this off. If you are interested, please contact me on mywildbedminster@virginmedia. com .

Ben Barker, Secretary, BS3 Wildlife Group

Diabetes - get the right advice There are 12.3 million people in the UK at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. It’s a serious condition that can lead to devastating complications.

But most of these people don’t know they’re at risk at all, or what they could be doing to reduce it.

Forums in South Bristol

ousing lH

G

Invoet l June ved

rums Fo

Local Housing Forums for Bristol council tenants

Getting the right advice and support is essential, and now you can get this advice while doing your weekly shop.

Our partners at Tesco offer a free Type 2 diabetes risk assessment service at their pharmacies, including Brislington.

The expert pharmacy team there will help you understand your risk of Type 2 diabetes, and advise you on what to do next.

Once you understand why you’re at risk, you can take steps to reduce it.

So if you’re worried about your risk of Type 2 diabetes, why not speak to the Tesco pharmacy team next time you’re in store or, alternatively, use Diabetes UK’s free online Know Your Risk tool at www.riskscore.diabetes.org. uk/.

Finding out your risk of Type 2 diabetes could be the most important thing you do today.

Phaedra Perry Diabetes UK South West Regional Head

Loc a

keep letters as short as possible, ovide your postal address.

southbristolvoice

2019

Area 5: Wednesday 19 June 2019, 6.15-8.30pm Area 6: Thursday 13 June, 2019, 6.15-8.30pm

Bedminster, Brislington East, Brislington West, Knowle, Southville, Windmill Hill At: City Hall Meeting Spaces First Floor - 1P 09, City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR

Bishopsworth, Filwood, Hartcliffe & Withywood, Hengrove & Whitchurch, Stockwood

At: Withywood Centre, Queen’s Road, Bristol BS13 8QA

Are you a council tenant in the areas listed above? Please get involved in your June 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) 3521444 or email tpu@bristol.gov.uk. All details at: www.bristol.gov.uk/LocalHousingForums.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

southbristolvoice

16

n FOOD & DRINK

Celebrating food and Twenty-five years of age with Talking Tables serving the community

C

ome along on Thursday 20th June for a fun feast at Windmill Hill City Farm Café, as part of this year’s Bristol Food Connections festival.

Sit down with other guests and chat the night away over a Mexican and South American feast.

The night is inspired by

Talking Tables, a local cookery project for people aged 50+, funded by Bristol Ageing Better and run by LinkAge Network and three of Bristol’s City Farms.

The evening will be staffed by local people who took part in the project and the food will be inspired from recipes they cooked, using farm produce where possible.

Join us between 7pm – 10pm. The Café bar will be open.

Vegetarian and meat options available.

Tickets are just £6pp and are available online at bristolfoodconnections. com/events/a-feastwith-talking-tables/ or from the reception at Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, BS3 4EA.

Tobacco Factory

Raleigh Road, BS3 1TF W: tobaccofactory.com T: 0117 902 0060 In the heart of the Southville and Bedminster community, the Tobacco Factory Cafe Bar offers an exciting, modern menu with a healthy use of fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

The extensive menu suits all tastes and times of the day, from brunches to small plates and

with main dishes plus Buddha boxes, Sunday roasts and more – a great menu for flexitarians and vegans alike.

At weekends, flatbread pizzas are served from the sunny outside Yard Kitchen Bar - where a full alfresco experience can be enjoyed from Friday to Sunday.

They’ve recently embraced the field to fork ethos and have their own farm near Backwell – Five Acre Farm – where they are growing their own produce for the menu. The farm also has a stall at the Sunday Market every week.

The original casual dining experience on North Street, Tobacco Factory spearheaded the regeneration of the high street and is this year celebrating 25 years in the community.

A FEAST with Talking Tables

A celebration of food and age

Thursday 20th June 2019, 7pm - 10pm Windmill Hill City Farm Café, Philip Street, BS3 4EA

Sit down with other guests to enjoy a feast of Mexican and South American food, and chat the night away.

Tickets only

£6pp

Inspired by Talking Tables, a local cookery project for people 50+. The evening will be staffed by people who have taken part in the project and the food will be inspired from recipes they cooked.

Our menu offers refreshing twists on bistro classics, modern brunches, small plates and our deliciously healthy Buddha bowls.

On weekends, dine alfresco at the outside Yard Kitchen Bar where we serve flatbread pizzas straight from our pizza oven.

All ages welcome. The Café bar will be open. Vegetarian and meat options.

Tickets available from Windmill Hill City Farm’s reception or online at www.linkagenetwork.org.uk/feast LinkAge Network is the working name of LinkAge West of England Ltd. Charity No. 1143816 in England and Wales. Company No. 07403291.

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

June 2019

southbristolvoice

17

n FOOD & DRINK

Keeping the local community fed and watered The Steam Crane

4-6 North St, BS3 1HT W: thesteamcrane.co.uk T: 0117 923 1656

W

elcome to The Steam Crane, a real community hub steeped in local history located

on North St in Bedminster.

We are a public house and restaurant that hosts a diverse range of cask ales, craft and cider, offering wholesome yet refined homemade cuisine with a focus on championing fresh ingredients and flavour. Beers from great local brewers ‘Bristol

Beer Factory’ and ‘Arbor’ can often be found on tap, whilst never ones to exclude we also offer an extensive range of fine wines and spirits. The coffee isn’t half bad either!

Serving a range of a la carté dishes, humble pub classics and a renowned Sunday roast, everything is made in house, from focaccia and our signature burgers to Turkish delight and truffles. Please be our guest and stop into your local for a quality pint in our large beer garden or a delicious meal in our restaurant.

• WIN a 2 course a la carte meal and a bottle of house wine to be enjoyed on select days* by answering the following question.

In 1827 an animal was kept in a cage at the back of the steam crane and used as an attraction.

What was the animal? a) Lion b) Tiger c) Bear Send your answer to news@ southbristolvoice.co.uk by Monday, 17th June to be in with a chance of winning! *Prize can be claimed 6-9.30pm Weds/Thurs/Fri/Sat or Sun 12-4.30pm.

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50% OFF FLATBREAD PIZZAS AT THE YARD KITCHEN BAR TOBACCO FACTORY VALID ON ALL SUNDAYS IN JUNE 12-2PM Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

southbristolvoice

18

n YOUR COUNCILLORS Southville

M

y cat has a sense of

thousand a year. Given that 25% of the population have cats, it works out that Southville generates 1.5m cat food pouches per year.

Anyway, I thought I’d investigate cat food pouches. I googled the two major suppliers.

One came up with some nambypamby statement about ‘reducing the amount of packaging it uses’.

The other said it would participate in a pet food recycling scheme.

Following the link, it came up with a list of addresses of people or organisations who had volunteered to recycle the cat food pouches and act as collection points.

There was one in Bristol, and lo and behold - its in Southville.

So the good news is, I’m going to start recycling the cat food pouches.

The person who has offered the recycling is a star of the local area whose name begins with ‘E’.

She’s great.

entitlement.

It makes her a bit annoying.

Anyway, she Charlie has several habits, Bolton which normally Green involve her being Southville awake, when I want to sleep, having a miaow which is impossible to ignore (wasn’t there research which mimicked babies?), strolling into the room and scratching the best chair, and the ability to eat no more than nine pouches of cat food out of any box of 12.

The most frustrating thing, though, is the amount of waste.

All those pouches of cat food going in to the bin. As an unashamedly middle class environmentalist, I do dislike chucking stuff away and it amounts to a significant portion of our rubbish.

If you assume 3-4 pouches a day, that works out as 21-28 per week and therefore well over a

How to contact your councillor: p2

T

he issues that fill most of my inbox are housing and parking. These issues combined when a major Stephen residential scheme Clarke at Ashton Brewery Green (beyond Mark’s Southville Bread) came to my planning committee recently. Many residents who wrote to me said the buildings were too tall and they were concerned about the pressure on parking. The scheme was passed but I listened to residents and voted against it. We need homes but we also need to listen to people who live in the area already.

Stadium Parking We currently have some respite from the football and rugby crowds at Ashton Gate during the close season. Unfortunately, we now have to worry about the five major concerts planned in the stadium for the summer. I am concerned about the likely traffic chaos. Surely now is the time for the council to open

up the 1,600 (often empty) parking spaces at Long Ashton Park and Ride for stadium visitors?

As I write this I am still waiting for a response from the Mayor to our parking and road safety study.

An overwhelming percentage (82%) of residents in the area south of North St (the area around Friezewood and Carrington Rd) said they desperately needed a parking scheme to protect them from overflow from Southville.

Please act now!

Local Plan The Bristol local plan, which will decide how the physical environment of Bristol will develop over the next 20 years or longer, is currently being revamped. There are some areas that really concern me; for example, in various places around Bristol the Green Belt is being ‘nibbled at’ to create new space for housing. We need more homes but not at the cost of our precious green spaces.

Come and meet me on the first Saturday of the month at 10.30 to 12.00 outside Southville Deli.

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June 2019

southbristolvoice

n YOUR COUNCILLORS Bedminster

T

he House of Commons’s cross-party Transport Select Committee has reported on the state of the bus Mark market in England Bradshaw outside London.

Labour This follows a Bedminster comprehensive round of evidence-taking, including that provided by the Bristol and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

The report calls for radical action by government in setting a national bus strategy something currently lacking in the deregulated bus market (outside London anyway). The full report is here: www.publications.parliament. uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/ cmtrans/1425/report-overview. html.

The MPs ask for greater access by councils to franchising powers (like London where TfL is the transport authority, yet it does not own a single bus) and also local authority-owned bus companies.

?

As a Labour Cooperative Councillor, this is of great interest in redressing the current imbalance in favour of commercial interests. WECA already had some new bus powers and could seek more control over this critical network.

In Greater Bristol, we have more people using the bus but the network here remains weak and capacity (seats) is in short supply to meet the growth. Reliability is hampered by worsening congestion.

The potential to boost integration and capacity exists.

Private companies cannot be expected to do this themselves without a framework of rules and routes set down by the councils, in our area through WECA. So, WECA would become the integrated transport authority most of us wanted and voted for.

Taking both bus and rail powers could smooth the way for physical connections, ticketing, information and fare integration between bus and rail - a massive prize for the Bristol area.

A

19 How to contact your councillor: p2

n update on Clean Streets and there is good news. Bristol Waste now has nine new recycling wagons, Celia and more ordered, Phipps which will allow Labour recycling of more Bedminster items, including small electrical appliances. There is a big push within the organisation to recycle and reuse as much as possible because, at present, 15% of the rubbish collected goes into landfill sites, all of which are in the UK. In the past, rubbish was sent overseas but this has ceased and allows much more traceability of the waste we collect.

The plan is to reduce the amount of rubbish that goes to landfill to 5% by 2030. The Hartcliffe Reuse Centre will be open next year. Bristol Waste is aware that there are areas of operations which need improvement, one of which is the assisted collection service.

This is invaluable for an older or disabled person who cannot put

the bin out, but to find that your bin is consistently overlooked is a real problem. If you have a problem with collection, please report it as soon as it is missed.

Following a successful pilot scheme, new blue bags for cardboard will be issued to households in the summer. They are weighted and will allow for an increased collection of card and paper items.

There are plan to increase the number of places you can take Eco bricks. You can make these at home by stuffing all your plastic film and small pieces into a plastic container. Bristol Waste cannot take them at present but making a brick considerably reduces the amount of plastic put into your black bin.

Many thanks to North Street Gallery for hosting us last month, we enjoyed our stay, but our monthly surgery is moving back to Mezzaluna, West Street, between 11.00-12.00pm on the first Saturday of each month. Do drop in for a conversation or contact us via mobile or email.

New

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

southbristolvoice

20

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HOW MANY ICE CREAMS?

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Can you count how many ice creams there are of each shape?

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© www.123rf.com/profile_KsenyaSavva

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This month: The Human Body

The numbers point you to the letters on a phone keypad

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2 is A, B or C 3 is D, E or F 4 is G, H or I 5 is J, K, or L

Down 1 7866224 (7) 2 26553 (5) 3 5633 (4) 5 4867 (4) 6 6673 (4) 7 7227 (4)

SOLUTIONS Cones: Six

Across 1 79328 (5) 4 7546 (4) 5 43637 (5) 8 849687 (6) 9 327 (3)

EASY for children

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

Lollies: Five

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ADVICE FROM A PHARMACIST

Your local pharmacist can save you from hay fever

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neezing, runny noses, itchy eyes? For 1 in 4 South Bristol residents, this is life as the warmer seasonal weather arrives.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat.

Pollen is a fine powder from plants and trees. Hay fever is usually worse between late March and September, especially when it’s warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest. Is there any help with these symptoms that wear you down daily, making life unbearable, stopping the enjoyment of the great outdoors?

Symptoms of hay fever include: • Coughing

• Blocked nose • Red or watery eyes • Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears • Loss of smell • Pain around your temples and forehead • Headache • Earache • Feeling tired Hay fever will last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after one to two weeks. You can also develop hay ever even after previously never suffering.

Your community pharmacy can help by recommending the best treatment option, compatible with any other medical conditions, pregnancy or prescribed regular medications.

The options available include natural remedies and non-medicinal products along

21

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 with more familiar antihistamine products.

It is also possible to prevent/ relieve hay fever by taking some precautions: · S howering and changing clothes after being outdoors

· S taying indoors, avoid grassy areas when the pollen count is high (shut windows & doors) · Vacuuming regularly · Whenever possible, keeping pets out of the house this time of year ·U sing an air purifier to extract pollen particles · Wearing wrap around sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes when outdoors Poorer air quality from pollution increasingly affects all our breathing now.

NHS England no longer recommends prescribing of many common hay fever remedies, so please know that Bedminster pharmacy team is able to offer lowcost remedies that provide quick and effective relief.

We will also direct you to seek urgent medical attention when necessary. Do speak with us today, remember no appointment required at Bedminster Pharmacy.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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22

n THOUGHT OF THE MONTH

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t was a right pickle. She’d been standing at her gate on the pavement as people hurried past in the Chessels when I happened by her house.

She was a sweet octogenarian OAP, and as soon as I said, ‘good morning’ she beamed, so I stopped for a chat. I couldn’t help but notice the brand new jar of Branston Pickle that she cradled gently.

She told me she had been waiting by her front gate with a

with Minister Jason Snethen Bedminster Church of Christ

cheerful smile hoping someone would say, “good morning”- so that she could ask them to open the jar for her. She’d seen the usual suspects out and about - the cyclist easing their bike

Regular services

n 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.

n Bedminster Church of Christ 298 St John’s Lane, BS3 5AY Minister Jason Snethen 07795 560990 churchofchristbristol.org Sunday 10am Bible Hour for all ages; 11am worship; 5pm worship; Tuesday 7.30pm Bible study; Thursday 10am Coffee morning; Friday 3.45-5pm After-school; 7-9.30pm youth group. n 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.

n St Paul’s Church 2 Southville Road, Southville BS3 1DG stpsouthville@gmail.com Rev Nick Hay 07534 249338 saintpaulschurch.co.uk

into traffic had too much to do, the mum with the double-wide pram had her hands full, the one cocooned by the head phones was oblivious. I know any one of them could have helped her if she’d asked - but she ‘hated to be a bother’.

So, she waited - pickle jar hermetically sealed. Any given day I could easily have been one of those ‘busy’ people.

Three things struck me: 1. E ven ‘simple’ tasks are

challenges if you’re alone 2. M ost days, I’m also one of those busy people 3. I shouldn’t have to wait to be asked before offering to help Each one of us should look out not only to our own interests - but also to the interests of others. That’s what the bible says. I prayed my muscles wouldn’t let me down and with a satisfying ‘pop’ she was free to have a ploughman’s lunch.

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.

n 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.

n 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.

n Salvation Army Dean Lane BS3 1BS 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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23

CELEBRATING 210 YEARS OF THE NEW CUT The New Cut: A muddy marvel of human endeavour n HISTORY

No other city has a New Cut – the vast engineering feat which made possible the largest enclosed harbour in the world. Now 210 years old, it’s much more than big muddy trench, and deserves to be celebrated, writes Paul Breeden ...

Part I of the story of the New Cut

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ONDON has the grand and sweeping Thames. The golden stone buildings of Bath sit beside the tamed and pretty Avon. In Cambridge, languid youths punt away their summers. In each of these English cities, and many more, the river is a golden thread around which people clamour to live, to take recreation and enjoy the unchanging views.

And in Bristol we have the New Cut. Half the time a deep, wide trench of glutinous mud; for a few hours a day, a swiftflowing monster that threatens to rise up and top its greasy banks. Welcoming it is not: who can claim to have seen a vessel braving it? Attempt any form of recreation on it, and you’re likely to require the finely-honed skills of the swift water rescue team who are always on standby at Bedminster fire station, ready with extra-long ladders, climbing harnesses and rubber boats to scoop out any unfortunates.

To many, the New Cut is of little interest – a muddy water feature that they cross every day on their way to work or school.

But it’s more than that. It’s a marvel of human endeavour.

It’s what helped make Bristol prosperous for almost 200 years.

It’s a haven for wildlife.

And – come on – it’s a lot more interesting than those tame, dull little rivers with their neat banks and their

neverchanging scenery. It’s got the second highest tidal flow in the world, for heaven’s sake. It’s on our doorstep.

And it happens to be exactly 210 years since it was put there.

So let’s celebrate the New Cut – one of many things that makes Bristol different.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BRISTOL

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RISTOL is where it is because of its waterways.

It’s close to three rivers – the Avon, the Severn and the Wye – that have been used as trading routes since Bronze Age times. It began as a Saxon town on the high ground we now know as Castle Park, which was then an easily defended island enclosed by the Avon and the River Frome.

Here the castle and the ancient city grew, safe from the high tides of up to 40 feet, yet close enough to the sea for ships to find harbour.

Trade grew rapidly in the 11th and 12th centuries, with ships going to and from Dublin, Wales and other ports in South West England. From the beginning, slaves were carried – until the Norman invasion of 1066, between 10 per cent and 30 per cent of the population were enslaved. Slaves had no rights at all and would be put to work anywhere, though they were frequently shipped to Ireland.

One of Jessop’s 1802 plans (not adopted) for the New Cut, as a shorter addition south of the western portion of the original harbour © Bristol Culture The Normans discouraged the course for the Frome, taking slave trade but did not stamp it it from the north corner of the out and Bristol merchants were city walls to head due south among the main exporters of to the Avon. This created a slaves. new waterway 750 yards long, The chronicler William of through what is now The Centre Malmesbury wrote: “They would to St Augustine’s Reach, between purchase people from all over the Watershed and the Arnolfini.

England and sell them off to On the illustration of Jessop’s Ireland in the hope of profit; 1802 plan [see above] the trench and put up for sale maidservants is shown as “River Frome”. after toying with them in bed The new quays that were and making them pregnant. You built either side of the harbour would have groaned to see the doubled the space available for files of the wretches of people shipping. roped together, young people The cost was huge – £5,000 of both sexes, whose youth and – which is hard to express in beauty would have aroused the today’s values but could be as pity of barbarians, being put up much as £2 billion. It was a for sale every day.” project on the scale of a large Other exports included lead castle or cathedral, and it’s mined from the Mendips, rope, thought there was no other town sailcloth, and wool. The most in the world where so much civil coveted imports were French engineering was taking place at wine, along with fish, leather the time. hides, iron and corn.

But a much bigger project was All this trade was arriving to be required to keep Bristol as near Bristol Bridge – then a one of the world’s leading trading wooden affair spanning the Avon. ports.

By 1200, there was not enough room either side of the river for THE HARBOUR FILLS UP ships to tie up. So began the first Bristol “new cut” – a medieval RISTOL is where it is excavation that was probably one because it’s a handy place of the world’s biggest engineering to tie up ships. But it’s not projects at the time. ideal, because of that damn tide.

Vessels need to wait for high THE GREAT TRENCH tide before they can leave the Severn and venture up the Avon, he River Frome used to and from the 15th century, there curve around the north are records of ships queuing side of the castle walls, in the Channel waiting for the turning south and then east to water to cover the Black Rocks meet the Avon close to Bristol at Portskewett (near the present Bridge. The ambitious new Severn Bridge). harbour works began in the Their problems of navigating 1240s with the damming of up the narrow reaches of the Avon, so the river could be the Avon, though, were just diverted while the wooden bridge beginning. Even with the help of was taken down and a stone one a pilot, taken on board at Pill, the built in its place. river was treacherous for a ship Then came the really hard at the mercy of the winds. work – the digging of a new Continued overleaf

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T

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24

n HISTORY Continued from page 23 By the 18th century, as ships grew larger, there were more regulations, and the biggest vessels had to be guided along by rowboats crewed by up to 100 men. But it didn’t stop ships being dragged onto rocks or into the mud by the current. The Horseshoe Bend at Shirehampton was a particular hazard.

When they reached the city there were more challenges. They couldn’t just tie up, as at other harbours. The huge tidal range meant that for half the day the vessels were sitting in the mud, often at strange angles. This put strain on the ships’ timbers, and could send the cargoes or equipment sliding all over the place.

It’s well known that the expression “shipshape and Bristol fashion” came into use because of the challenge brought by the tide. But it’s not clear if it referred to the local captains’ habit of keeping everything tidy on board, or whether it meant that a Bristol ship was better built, to cope with the tidal forces.

As the tide flowed, the crews had to adjust the mooring ropes constantly. And they could only load and unload at the top of the tide – which meant long delays and overcrowding at the quays.

Sometimes food could not be unloaded in time, and would rot in the holds.

Notoriously, the Bristol merchants were also involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Slaves were rarely brought to Bristol; rather, cargoes of cheap cloth and cooking implements were shipped to Africa where they were traded for slaves, who were then taken in appalling conditions to work on Caribbean plantations.

The ships then brought sugar and tobacco back to Bristol to complete the triangular – and very profitable – trade, all managed by the Merchant Venturers, who drew up the rules and made charges to the ship owners.

But as the Bristol merchants grew complacent about the fortunes washing in to them on the tide, a new rival emerged.

Liverpool had a harbour that was much easier to reach from the open sea. Its quaysides had plenty of room to unload, the charges were cheaper and,

crucially, the tide didn’t dump ships in the mud twice a day.

By the 1750s Bristol’s status as the biggest English port after London had been lost to Liverpool. What was to be done?

Drink some more port, seemed to be the answer from the Merchant Venturers. The city corporation realised that the chief problem was the tide, and they needed to build a dock where the water level could be kept constant. A plan was produced in 1764, but the merchants weren’t prepared to pay the vast cost.

Other locations were tried: in 1717 a new dock was opened at Sea Mills, where the Romans had once had a port. But it was too far from the city, and failed to attract custom.

Another dock was built near Hotwells, at Rownham Meads in 1765. Its owner was William Champion, a wealthy merchant and inventor whose innovations – such as a process for making zinc at a fifth of the original price – led him to conflict with many other Bristol businessmen.

This was Bristol’s first floating harbour – a wet dock with a lock to keep the water level constant.

However, it could hold only 36 ships, and was still an awkward distance from the warehouses and industries of the city. After five years of poor trade he sold it to the Merchant Venturers for £1,770 (£28m today). He also came up with a plan to make a

larger harbour by blocking the Avon with lock gates at the junction of the Frome – but he could not afford the estimated cost of £37,000 (£600m today).

A CUT ABOVE: THE JESSOP PLAN

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HROUGHOUT the 18th century the best minds in Bristol were trying to work out how to modify the harbour to remove the tides. The great engineer John Smeaton, designer of the Eddystone lighthouse, came up with a plan in 1765, but it was left to one of his pupils, William Jessop, to perfect it.

Jessop was one of the masterminds of the 18th century industrial revolution, spanning the days before and after the introduction of steam power. He designed vast canal networks which connected Britain’s main ports and cities by safe inland routes. He also drew up the first railway – albeit a horse-drawn one, in Surrey.

But he depended on a Bristol churchman for the crucial idea which made the New Cut a success. Previous plans had involved closing off the Avon to the sea. But this would have caused problems with currents from the huge tidal surge. It would also only have given one entrance to the new harbour.

Enter the Rev William Milton, vicar of Temple Church (which still exists, but was

badly damaged in the Blitz – its shell can be seen, leaning like the Tower of Pisa, off Victoria Street). In 1791, he suggested diverting the tidal flow around the city centre by digging a new channel.

This “new cut” would extend from the main entrance to the new harbour at Rownham, through the meadows near Bedminster, past Redcliffe to join up with the old course of the river at Totterdown.

It was a brilliant conception – not only because it dealt with the tides, but because it gave opportunity for extra entrances to the harbour at Bathurst Basin and Totterdown, bringing ships directly to the quays they needed.

Much of this was Milton’s work; however, he was to struggle to get credit for it in the years ahead.

William Jessop, by then a famous name in civil engineering, with the Grand Union canal and many other large projects to his name, was the one to produce a detailed plan in 1802.

He proposed not only the New Cut but a new canal, the Feeder, to meet the river at Totterdown.

The canal would take barge traffic towards Bath and could also be used to regulate the water level in the harbour.

Further upstream, at Netham, was to be a weir at the upper reaches of the tide. The flow of water through the harbour was to be carefully managed to prevent

Loxton Drawing of Bedminster Bridge. Date unknown but probably very early 20th century as there is a tram but no cars © Bristol Reference Library

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n HISTORY

25

n NEWS Gather round for music and tales

Loxton drawing of Coronation Rd foot tunnel: A drawing by Samuel Loxton made some time in the early twentieth century depicts the Coronation Bridge beneath Coronation Road. The drawing shows the north side of the bridge as approached from the Gaol Ferry crossing. The sign for the ferry is shown attached above the bridge arch. Steps are also depicted ascending towards Coronation Road to the right hand side of the bridge. HC1800 © Bristol Reference Library

it silting up.

A huge basin was to be constructed at Hotwells, called the Cumberland basin, with two huge sets of lock gates for the largest vessels. Swing bridges were needed across the basin and the New Cut. It was a brilliant idea. But the city corporation and the Merchant Venturers rejected it.

They didn’t like the cost; and they thought ships would simply tie up in the New Cut to escape the harbour charges.

But Bristol harbour was continuing to lose out to Liverpool and other ports.

Jessop’s plan was accepted in 1803 and the Bristol Docks Company was formed to carry out the work at an estimated cost of £300,000 (about £2bn today).

DIGGING IN

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ECHANICAL excavators had yet to be invented.

Steam power, still in its infancy, could help with the heavy lifting – raising loose rubble to the top of the trench.

But most of the work was done by manpower, with pick, shovel and wheelbarrow – just as it had been when the Great Trench was dug almost 600 years earlier.

There are few records of the

work being carried out, but it was probably done by Irish, Scots and other casual workers, known as navvies (short for navigator, a reference to digging the canals, or “navigations”).

It’s said that some of the workers were French prisoners from the Napoleonic wars. There certainly had been French POWs in Bristol at the time – hundreds of them were incarcerated in Knowle, in the previous century, somewhere near Belluton Road.

But there is no contemporary account that they were put to work digging the New Cut.

This month, Windmill Hill City Farm will be transformed as London’s Campfire Club takes up residence, bringing their unique blend of music and storytelling.

For over five years, Campfire Club has been the way for Londoners to gather in beautiful green spaces and hear amazing artists from across the world.

The Nest Collective, an ‘acoustic folk club’, is taking Campfire Club to Bristol for the first time, giving local people the chance to discover their extraordinary talents.

This will be one of just three special venues across the UK. Support acts for these shows come from the Nest Collective’s new talent development programme Amplify, which is funded by PRS Foundation.

The Nest Collective, founded by folk singer Sam Lee, is a leading force in developing folk music in the UK. For tickets: thenestcollective.co.uk/ campfire-club-bristol

Campfire Club “A wonderland of nature with beautiful music and people” - Jane S “[One] of the best night-time activities in the UK” - The Guardian, 2019 Thurs 6th June: Harri Endersby “...storytelling song-writing at its finest” - The Bubble Vera Van Heeringen “This lady oozes class” - fRoots Thurs 13th June: Sam Lee “Britain’s most inventive folk singer” - Songlines Thurs 20th June: Alasdair Roberts “...beautiful, literate and compelling” - BBC Radio 2 Thurs 27th June: Ye Vagabonds “A labyrinthine treasure trove” - Irish Times Brighde Chaimbeul “Unique, exciting and forward looking” - The Quietus

Will Writing & Estate Planning

How did the hundreds of navvies fare at their work? How did they get on with the good folk of Bedminster, whose town they were dividing from the city of Bristol? We’ll continue the story in next month’s South Bristol Voice.

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

Sources • A Celebration of the Avon New Cut Compiled by Katie White, Southville Community Development Association, Fiducia Press, 2006 • www.bristolfloatingharbour. org.uk • www.engineerswalk.co.uk/ ewalk.html

We have a Bristol-based team of trained will writing consultants who provide a home visiting service and can take your instructions in the comfort of your own home.

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

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

26

n WHAT’S ON Monday June 3 n Learn about volunteering opportunities with BS3 Helping Others, 6.30-8pm at the Tobacco Factory. BS3 Helping Others advertise charities in the BS3 area that need volunteers.

Anyone or any charity interested in volunteering, come along for a coffee and chat and pick up one a directory to find all the latest volunteering opportunities in BS3.

Facebook: BS3 Helping Others Tuesday June 4 & Thurs 6 n Much Ado About Nothing performed by The Three Inch Fools at Windmill Hill City Farm, 7pm. A rip-roaring comedy of quarrels, deceptions and a frustratingly stupid man called Dogberry. Expect a fast-paced, musically-driven show, using all sorts of different instruments, plenty of multi-roling and many a quick costume change along the way! Price, £9 (U18s), £17 (full price), £41 (family ticket). Run time, 2.5hours. bristolshakespearefestival.org. uk Wednesday June 5 & Friday 7 n Much Ado About Nothing performed by The Three Inch Fools at Windmill Hill City Farm, 7pm. Armed with all manner of musical instruments, The Fools present an inventive take on Shakespeare’s infamous Scottish play, accompanied by an original folk inspired soundtrack. Expect a fast-paced, musically-driven show, using all sorts of different instruments, plenty of multi-roling and many a quick costume change along the way! Price, £9 (U18s), £17 (full price), £41 (family ticket). Run time, 2.5hours. bristolshakespearefestival.org. uk Thursday June 6 n Songs of the Sirens exhibition launch at Caraboo Projects, Printworks, running June 8 - July 7 and features work of four artists Verity Birt, Victoria Lucas, Jake Moore and Solveig Settemsdal. carabooprojects.com Saturday June 8 n Jon Buckeridge at Redcatch Club, Redcatch Community Centre, Redcatch Road. Jon is an outstanding, theatrical storyteller and a classically trained actor with piercing eyes, malleable physicality and electric stage energy. The format will be an open mic followed by Jon Buckeridge. Performances,

June 2019

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7.45pm - 10.30pm.Entry, £8 (cash only) and £3 for open mic performers.

BYO alcohol with teas and coffees for sale. redcatchclub. vistaprintdigital.com Tuesday June 11 n Manor Woods Valley Group meeting at Zion Community Arts Space, 7pm - for local residents and everyone who enjoys Manor Woods Valley to have a say on how it might be maintained and developed for the benefit of wildlife and people. n Live broadcast of Romeo and Juliet at Big Screen Bristol in Millennium Square, 7pm. Enjoy free culture on your doorstep as Romeo and Juliet is broadcast live from the Royal Opera House onto the screen in Millennium Square.

Wednesday June 12 n Mr Gotalot’s Pop Up Shop at Zion, Bishopsworth Road, 11am. Interactive storytelling adventures for 1 to 6 year olds! Facebook: Zion Bristol n Time to Move Enjoy a new gentle exercise class for older people at Knowle Methodist Church hall, 2-3.30pm. Cost is £5, with “Time to Move” instructor Michelle Kusnierek.

A great exercise to music class suitable for all, including standing and seated, followed by a cup of tea and friendly chat.

Supported by Bristol Ageing Better, “Kick Start” programme.

Creative Workspace Withywood, BS13 8LF creativeworkspacebristol.co.uk Fridays in June, 10.30-12pm Make gift cards, £3. For 55+ Sat 1st June, 11am-3pm Half term art workshop, £2.50 per child Fri 7th June, 11am-3pm Pre-school Pyjamarama stay and play. Wear PJs! £2.50 per child Tues 11th-Wed 12th June, 11am-3pm Craft, stories & songs for under 5s. £2.50 per child Thurs 13th June, 11am & 1.30pm How to Build a Rainbow, early years theatre £2.50 adult/child Fri 21st June, 11am-3pm Live music for Make Music Day UK, FREE Sat 22nd June, 11am-3pm Great Get Together Community Lunch, £5/£3.50

Call 07981 756965 or email timetmove5@gmail.com Thursday June 13 n Ashton Vale Together walkabout/litter pick meet at the junction of Swiss Road and South Liberty Lane, 10am-2pm.

Saturday June 15 n Summer Serenade at St Anne’s Church, Salisbury Road, BS4 at 7.30pm, to raise money for Christian Aid. Performances by Nightingale Valley Community Choir, Arnos Vocale, local guitarist Adam Khan and directed by soprano Anya Szreter. Tickets £6 each from Ken Rea 07400628049 or Gill Luxford 01179858378 or on the door. n Stress free family meal times at the Sundial Kitchen, St. Francis Road, BS3 1JP, 11am1pm. As part of this year’s Bristol Food Connections, Sarah Alder of Kitchen Titbits will be joined by Dr Elizabeth Roberts, an expert in child nutrition, to explore why mealtimes can be a battle ground and share some winning tactics.Tickets are £20 and can be purchased via Kitchen Titbits’ website. kitchentitbits.co.uk n Children’s Festival at Zion, Bishopsworth Road, 10.30am - 4.30pm. Enjoy a day out for the whole family - there will be face-painting, music, singing, craft, circus skills, magic and more. The cafe will be open serving breakfast, brunch and lunch plus hot and cold drinks and snacks. Kids £6 (under 18 months free) /adults £8 and family tickets are £25 (3 kids and 2 Adults). Facebook: Zion Bristol n Summer Fair at Redcliffe Nursery School & Children’s Centre, 11am - 3pm. Enjoy a day of fun, food, games, live music and a huge raffle ... not forgetting face painting and bouncy castle.

Adult, £1; kids, free. Additional tickets to the raffle are available before and on the day from reception or any PTFA member.

Follow us on social media for regular updates. Facebook: Redcliffe PTFA Saturday June 15 - Sunday 16 n Bedminster’s Secret Gardens open weekend, 125pm. Your annual opportunity to nose around other people’s gardens or maybe you want to showcase your own garden? bloomingbedminster.org.uk Sunday June 16 n La Buena Onda - a Latino Food Festival at Holy Cross Primary School, Dean Lane,

The Rising Sun live music listings - June Saturday, 1 - Will Killeen Sunday, 9 - Lewis Creaven & Patrick Farrell Saturday, 15 - Benny J Saturday, 22 - YMF Friday and Saturday from 9pm Sundays from 4pm The Rising Sun community pub in Windmill Hill, BS3 4LU 12-4pm. Free admission. Enjoy delicious, traditional foods as a Latino-themed bar. Latino dancing and tortilla making workshops. For more info contact: info@latinostreetbites. co.uk or bristolfoodconnections. com Monday June 17 - Weds 19 n Tall Storeys / The Flats on Palm Street at Acta Community Theatre, 7pm - 8.40pm. The community divides as new tower blocks are planned in Riverside; much needed housing, or a monstrous carbuncle? There are all sorts of neighbours on Palm Street, but what will happen when they lose the heart of the flats? All tickets are £3 from www.acta-bristol. com or by calling 0117 9532448.

Thursday June 20 n Battle of Waterloo at Bristol Indoor Bowling Club, Ashton Vale, 7pm. A social evening and benefit, featuring a history presentation of the great battle using models, toy soldiers and scenery. Come and find out about Ashton Vale Together (AVT). Meet the members and be amazed by a visual feast of models. All proceeds to AVT Local residents group chris@puppetsonline. co.uk.

Saturday June 22 n Get Growing Garden Trail Open Day at Zion, Bishopsworth Road, 10am - 3pm.

To celebrate Zion’s 8th birthday, the centre is opening the doors of their community garden. Explore with a garden trail and enjoy snacks and refreshments from its cafe. FREE ENTRY, all welcome.

Facebook: Zion Bristol n Tom Jones tribute act at Zion, Bishopsworth Road, 7.30 - 10.30pm. Argubly Wales’ finest Tom Jones tribute act, Alex Jacobs has a voice that can match the rich baritones of the master himself and sing songs

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

June 2019

n WHAT’S ON Musical lives up to magical reputation Review Matilda the Musical Bristol Hippodrome by Ruth Drury ust two nights into the Bristol part of the Matilda the Musical tour and the audience was bustling with excitement. All around, I could hear people discussing all manner of topic: the scary bits, Miss Trunchbull, the child actors and their stamina, and would it be as good as the book?

But the audience need not have worried.

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda the Musical was a fantastic stage show with sadness, cheer, nastiness, and chocolatey goodness. Each and every actor truly put on a show and the standing ovation at the end was well deserved.

The songs – brilliantly written

by Tim Minchin – were sung beautifully and choreographed to

J

MS Pilates with Debs Every Wednesday, 1-2pm at Brave Move Fitness & Wellbeing Studio in St Luke’s Road, BS3 4RX Contact Debs for more information, to book a place and to discuss access and requirements. The first term’s costs (running until June 26 ) are covered by the MS Society.

The class will then continue at a fee from July 17.

T: 07919 050126 E: debs@bodyandbreath.uk from Tom Jones’ past six decades of hits! Show followed by disco, full bar throughout, over 18s only. Facebook: Zion Bristol n Get Growing Garden Trail & Litter Pick at The Malago Greenway Berry Maze, 10am - 1pm. See how the berry bushes, forming the maze, have grown! You can have a tour of the maze, pick berries and join in the planned litter pick of the area. There will also be arts and crafts activities for children. malagocommunity@gmail.com.

southbristolvoice

27

perfection without distracting from the clever sets or the story itself. ‘When I grow up’ was my favourite, with my heart leaping as the older cast members swung out over the audience. It was memorable and a perfect addition to the narrative.

A couple of strange twists were included – Russian mafia, acrobats, escapologists and ballroom dancing but these didn’t detract from the story we all grew up knowing and loving.

Matilda – played by Olivia Cleverley – was wonderful, just the right amount of sass and courage, encouraging us to believe that, while standing up for your beliefs and taking control of your destiny, ‘sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty’. Her school chums were a riot of fun and laughter with particular mention to Bruce (Charlie Garton) for his wonderful chocolate cake scene, Lavender (Lily Van Veen) for the adorable love for Matilda and Hortensia for her fabulous plaits which stood up to Miss Trunchbull’s hammer throwing ability.

Miss Trunchbull was played by

Elliot Harper to perfection, from start to finish. His stature, costume and acting talents all worked seamlessly together to produce a marvellous Pam Ferris equivalent. I found his portrayal to be much less hateful than the original for which I was grateful, having always feared the original actress.

Mr and Mrs Wormwood (Sebastien Torkia and Rebecca Thornhill) were comical with occasional disturbingly

Regular events

folksandbairns.com n The Rising Sun Singers community choir. Tuesday, 11.30am-12.30pm at the Rising Sun pub, Windmill Hill. Free taster/pay termly. Facebook: @RisingSunSingers n Arnos Vocale every Tuesday, 7.30-9pm at Paintworks, Bath Rd, BS4 3AS. For singers who love classical vocal music, great jazz standards and beautiful international folk songs and more all in 4-part arrangements and above.

Experience of choral singing and

n Baby Sensory is a learning development programme for babies 0-13 months. Classes at the Victoria Park Baptist Church Hall, Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA on Tuesdays. For details email Sian at bristolsouth@babysensory. co.uk or visit babysensory.com/bristol-south n Folks & Bairns parent and baby choir at The Milk Shed, Southville, Tuesday, 2.15-3.15pm & Wednesday, 1-2.

Free taster/pay termly. Email folksandbairns@gmail.com or visit Sunday June 30 - Thursday July 4 n The Steampunk Mistress and the Time Machine at Brunel’s ss Great Britain ... brought to you by Show of Strength Theatre Company and Closer Each Day Company. HG Wells has left his wife to live with his young, scientifically-minded mistress. He’s writing his first novel and if it fails he’s finished.

The pressure is on. But luckily it’s the Age of Steam and we can rely on a machine, can’t we? Tickets £16/£12 concession. Booking ssgreatbritain.org.

threatening moments from Mr Wormwood, but his regular referral to Matilda as a boy softened the image with some nice comedy.

In summary, go to see Matilda.

It is not recommended for under 6s, and I agree, but it was a fun and fabulous night out, worthy of its ticket prices.

Matilda the Musical is on at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday, June 8.

Photo by Manuel Harlan

reasonable sight-reading ability preferable but come for a free trial session where we can all see if it’s a fit! £5 each thereafter.

For more details Contact Anya Szreter szreter.afm@icloud.com / 07720390275 n Never Too Old To Disco Join us this informal, fun class and get dancing to all the old fave tunes. 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month: June 8 & 22.

10.45-11.45am, £7. Details: nevertoooldtodisco@gmail. com Victoria Park Baptist Church Hall, Sylvia Avenue.

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All classes at Windmill Hill Community Centre

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

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n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Bedminster ward: Awaiting decision 95 Luckwell Road, BS3 3ET Notification of prior approval for the erection of a single storey rear extension that would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 4 metres, have a maximum height of 3.3 metres and have eaves that are 2.2 metres high.

95 Smyth Road, BS3 2DR Demolition of existing single storey extension and erection of new single storey side and rear extension.

73 Avonleigh Road, BS3 3JA Loft conversion and rear dormer with the ridge line raised.

27 North Street, BS3 1EN Change of use of part of building to residential accommodation.

33 Foxcote Road, BS3 2DA Side return extension with an additional first floor extension above existing single storey.

Ashton Park School, BS3 2JL Application for a Certificate of Proposed Development . - Change of use of caretakers house to ancillary office to the existing school.

Barken Cottage, BS3 2JS Refurbishment and conversion of existing workshop / garage to include accommodation for semi-independent resident.

102 Aubrey Road, BS3 3EU Single storey extension.

2 Argus Road, BS3 3PA Application to approve details in relation to condition 2, 3, 4 & 5 of permission 16/04363/F Redevelopment of former scrap metal yard to provide 5 x 3 storey dwellings.

2 Argus Road, BS3 3PA Application to vary condition No.16 attached to planning permission 16/04363/F. Redevelopment of former scrap metal yard to provide 5 x 3 storey dwellings.

Bedminster, Southville, Ashton, Ashton Vale Southville ward: Awaiting decision 75 Birch Road, BS3 1PE Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for a Proposed use or development Loft conversion with rear dormer.

42 Islington Road, BS3 1QB Application for a Certificate of Proposed Development - flat roof rear ‘dormer’ roof extension.

5 Ashton Gate Road, BS3 1SZ Application for a Certificate of Proposed Development - Loft Conversion with flat roof rear ‘dormer’ extension and 2no. front roof lights.

8 Bath Street, BS3 2EF Application to approve in relation to condition 2, 3 & 4 of permission 17/03710/F Proposed 2 storey 2 no. bedroom dwelling.

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AP Autocare, BS3 4BL Proposed erection of car wash and spray booth canopies, at the side of existing garage workshop.

• 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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137 East Street, BS3 4EL Erection of new shopfront and layout of ground floor retail unit.

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1 Hardy Avenue, BS3 2BP Application for a non-material amendment following consent granted under app. 18/05406/H

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June 2019

southbristolvoice

n THE CITY PAGE Sponsored by I. Tube

29

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

Ifs and buts and what might have been for City faithful In MARTIN POWELL’S last column of the 2018/19 season, he says that an injection of experience may be needed if team is to become a top 6 contender

B

ristol City achieved a creditable eighth place in the Championship league table, but studying it shows just how close they came to glory.

If they had beaten Derby 1-0 in the final home game of the season instead of losing 0-2 the team would have been involved in the play-offs to reach the Premier League.

Fans will also be able to name countless other ifs and buts throughout the year which would have changed things.

If only that shot hadn’t hit the post; if only the referee had spotted that offence; if only that pass hadn’t gone astray or that striker had not snatched at that opportunity, the final table could have looked very different.

But City line up once again in the Championship next year – arguably one of the most exciting and competitive leagues in Europe and fans are now looking at the inevitable summer personnel changes. Players will leave and others will join and maybe next year an improved squad will get among the prizes.

Long-serving goalkeeper

Frankie Fielding has left after a frustrating season of injury and illness. He was certainly a character who will be missed.

Eros Pisano, the Italian full back, leaves taking with him his lively and enjoyable chant to the tune of “The Music Man”.

The Chelsea loan players, Dasilva, Kalas and Palmer, who propped the squad up quite nicely, go back to their Premier League masters with rumours that City might be able to bring some of them back for next season – maybe this time as signings.

But the real excitement lies in the question: who will the City bring in? There are a lot of young fringe players who deserve a chance and maybe we shall see some of them coming through and getting involved at first team level – Freddie Hinds, Zac Vyner and Joe Morrell spring to mind.

But really the squad needs an injection of experience to add to that youthful enthusiasm – a few players who have played at the top of the Championship and in the Premier League.

They will certainly need another goalkeeper; a midfield general and a striker – arguably the inability of anyone to hit 20

Frank Fielding has been a long-serving member of the BCFC squad – he was part of the 2014/15 double-winning team. He done a lot of work for the Children’s Hospice South West, of which he is an ambassador.

PHOTO: JMPUK/BCFC goals this season was the biggest reason for not clinching a top six spot.

I’d love to see some familiar faces come to Ashton Gate: Jack Butland (Stoke City) is wanted

by Premier League sides but wouldn’t it be great to bring him back to his native Bristol; Tammy Abraham would solve the striker issue without a doubt. I’m sure both would be reassuringly expensive – but the rewards of reaching the Premier League are high enough to justify such bold moves.

Well, we can all dream. More

likely the City scouting network will uncover someone we have never heard of but who we can all pin our hopes on when the new season rolls around once again.

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FINAL WHISTLE n This is Martin’s final column of the 2018/19 season, which promised so much but just fell short at the end.

He’ll be back in August to preview the new season with all the hope and anticipation which goes with that!

Part of

CLEVERLEY BUILDERS 01179 780 350 @cleverleybuildersltd

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

June 2019

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n YOUR MP

KARIN SMYTH

Changing laws to keep us safe

H

elping families in Bristol South is an important part of my role as MP. This can take a number of forms, one of which is campaigning with families to raise awareness and secure necessary changes to legislation.

There are two key campaigns I’ve been working with local families on in recent years - trailer safety and air rifle safety.

My work with the family of young Freddie Hussey, who died after being hit by a trailer in Bedminster in 2014, has led to the creation of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Trailer and Towing Safety. It’s an important step in securing the necessary changes to help address this issue. Freddie’s parents, Donna and Scott joined me in Westminster for the first meeting of the group in April, where we looked at the journey so far and established the focus of this cross-party group. It also saw the launch of the National

Towing Working Group Towing Framework, pictured. We’ll be meeting again in the summer to look at the government’s report into trailer safety.

This follows two trailer summits in Bristol South, one of which was attended

by Road Safety Minister Jesse Norman; and an amendment to the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act which should improve how data is captured around road incidents involving trailers and towing.

Until now, we don’t really know the full extent of the problem - though we know that what happened to Freddie isn’t an isolated incident and that more lives have been lost due to poor trailer safety. Raising awareness

n LOCAL SERVICES

AERIALS

Labour MP for Bristol South

is a big part of this campaign.

An important part of this is the DVSA’s #towsafe4freddie campaign and the National Trailer and Towing Associationsupported free trailer checks.

I’ve been working with another local family, whose son was shot in the head with an air rifle when he was just a baby - leaving him with lifechanging injuries. We’ve been raising awareness of the risks of air rifles and exploring what might be done to improve safety in this area. We helped inform the now overdue government review on what areas needed looking at - this included trigger locks and possible licensing, as has been introduced in Scotland. It’s now been over a year since the announcement of a review, in response to my debate in the House of Commons. I’m pushing for an update on this and will share the outcome of the review once it is released. Watch this space.

If you have something that you need help with, please do contact me via the details below.

Twitter: @karinsmyth Facebook: KarinSmythMP Website: www.karinsmyth.com

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June 2019

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n LOCAL SERVICES

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Advertising on this page is very cost-effective. Call Ruth on 07590 527664

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INVITATION

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

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

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

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