South Bristol Voice January 2021

southbristolvoice

January 2021 No. 61

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

We Sell and Let Property Like Yours

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Community pub could be saved

Achoo!

Campaigners say that there is “still hope” to save The Windmill after permission to convert the muchmissed pub into flats was revoked

by Bristol City Council last month.

Plans submitted by pub owner Mike Cranney of Bar Wars Ltd were approved in November, but according to a Facebook post by the Save the Windmill campaign group - a U-turn has been made by the local authority following the threat of a judicial review into the way consent was awarded.

The community has been

Read more, page 3

Man and woman charged with detaining child

Banksy mural appears in Vale St, Totterdown, Full story on page 7

Ashton Gate prepares for vaccine roll-out Read more, page 9

Bedminster: A man and woman charged with an offence under the Child Abduction Act 1984 have both been released by the court on conditional bail pending their appearance at Bristol Crown Court on 18 January 2021.

Annmarie Lawton, 29 and Ismail Qurba, 25, both of Bristol, are charged with detaining a child so as to keep him/her from a person having lawful control of him/her.

Lawton has been bailed with

Read more, page 5

We Sell and Let Property Like Yours Tel: 01179634373

Email: Southville@cjhole.co.uk

Web: cjhole.co.uk

IN

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January 2021

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Contacts

Becky Day Editorial director news@southbristolvoice.co.uk (Currently on maternity leave) Ruth Drury Sales director 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Rich Coulter Editorial director 07775 550607 news@southbristolvoice.co.uk Editorial team: Charley Rogers

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 the above number 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

Next month’s deadline for editorial and advertising is January 15

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.

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

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 Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle Email: Cllr.Christopher.

Davies@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 07826917714 Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem deputy leader) Email: Cllr.Gary.Hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 07977 512159 Lucy Whittle Labour, Windmill Hill Phone: 07392 108805 Email: cllr.lucy.whittle@bristol.gov.uk Jon Wellington Labour, Windmill Hill Phone: 07392 108804 Email: Cllr.Jon.Wellington@bristol.gov.uk

Housing benefit 0117 922 2300 Social services 0117 922 2900 Police Inquiries 101 Emergency 999

Follow us on social media:

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All stories and pictures are ©South Bristol Voice (unless otherwise stated) and may not be reproduced without permission.

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News

Plans unveiled for student tower blocks Fresh plans have been submitted to build a series of student accommodation blocks in Bedminster, ranging from four to nine storeys.

Developer Sydney Freed (Holdings) is behind the application, which is the latest proposal as part of the larger Bedminster Green development.

The car-free scheme would see the transformation of the current brownfield site between Dalby Avenue and Whitehouse Lane - currently occupied by a car park, a car repair business and a car sales business - and would provide 837 students beds, plus 680 square metres of flexible workspace, across two buildings.

There will also be "significant improvements" to the River Malago, plus new pedestrian and cycle route links to Clarke Street and Temple Meads.

While the Windmill Hill and Malago Community Planning Group (WHaM) has praised the latter, they say that the development will create an "oppressive wall" and will make the area "student heavy". Dianne James, WHaM secretary, said: "The developers consulted with the community during the development of these plans, but we feel disappointed that we weren’t really listened to.

"The end product has increased in density and massing to provide for even more students than we had expected or been allocated within the forthcoming local plan.

"We like the improvements to the river and the links to Clarke Street. The building heights adhere to the [Bedminster Green] framework maximum of 9 storeys and have been thoughtfully integrated with

A view of the proposed development from Whitehouse Lane looking east

public space and planting.

Unfortunately, when viewed from the nearby Windmill Hill City Farm or from Alfred Road, the buildings create an impermeable and rather oppressive wall of development.

"We had hoped that new development would draw people to the centre of Bedminster, instead some parts of the community are being walled off."

Max Freed of Sydney Freed (Holdings) said: “We have been on a long journey in terms of bringing forward these plans.

“We have deliberately taken our time with the application

in order to engage with the community, stakeholders and council officers to design a highquality scheme that responds to the aspirations of the framework, aligns with the proposed river restoration and infrastructure improvement and delivers muchneeded accommodation for the student population of Bristol.

“The economic impact of the new student population can act as a catalyst to the exciting proposals regarding the regeneration of East Street.

The scheme also provides new employment space on Whitehouse Lane.”

News Campaigners 'still hopeful' that community pub will remain Continued from page 1

How the tower blocks would look from the entrance of Windmill Hill City Farm

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fighting to keep the premises as a pub since it closed before the first lockdown, arguing it is a vital community asset. They raised a total of £170,480 through crowdfunding, but it was not enough to buy it.

As reported last month, pub owner Mr Cranney said that he has tried “extremely hard to retain the building as a pub without success”.

The council’s latest decision to revoke planning approval for two one-bedroom and three two-bedroom flats has since been challenged, Mr Cranney says, but the pub owner declined to comment any further.

The Windmill Hill and Malago Planning Group (WHaM) is in support of the council's decision to revoke approval.

Chair Nick Townsend said: “The local community is delighted with this decision, as we've received around 200 positive comments. Some people commented that it was the best news they had received all year.

The Windmill is at the centre of the Windmill Hill community, and I'd be surprised if any other pub would get this level of support.

“We are now setting up a new support group which is determined to ensure the Windmill stays as a pub for the community, preserving more than 100 years of history.

“We know that already there is one prospective buyer for the pub. It is now up to the owner to finally do the right thing.”

The Voice understands that Mr Cranney can resubmit a planning application to convert the pub. In a post on the Save The Windmill’s Facebook page, the group wrote: “This [decision] does not guarantee it will stay as a pub as a private buyer or pub chain will have to come forward.

“We will keep you updated if there is any more news. There is still hope to save the Windmill and any buyer will benefit from your support.”

The council was approached for a comment but the Voice failed to receive a response.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Rich on 0777 555 0607 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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January 2021

News

New principal for South Bristol secondary school The principal of Wellsway School in Keynsham, Matthew Woodville, is moving to a new post in south Bristol in September.

Mr Woodville will become principal of Bedminster Down School, another of the secondaries in the Wellsway Multi Academy Trust.

Wellsway School will begin the process of recruiting a new principal in January, ready for the start of the next academic year.

Mr Woodville joined Wellsway in April 2016 and has overseen a number of significant improvements, resulting in strong exam results and an Ofsted judgement of Good in 2019. Since September 2019 he has also been executive principal of IKB Academy, a small specialist secondary school that shares the Wellsway site.

He said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to lead such a fantastic school and

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Matthew Woodville, Debbie Gibbs and Gary Schlick.

Below, Bedminster Down School to serve the communities of Keynsham and the surrounding areas. I will be leaving the school with sadness but I am very proud of what we have achieved and know that I am handing over a very strong school to my successor.

“After five years at Wellsway School I feel the time is right for me to broaden my career and I am looking forward to getting to know another school and its community and to returning to Bristol.”

A former lawyer who switched

to teaching because of his passionate belief in the power of education to change lives, Mr Woodville was an assistant principal at Oasis Academy Brightstowe in Shirehampton before moving to Oldfield School in Bath, where he led the school through a particularly difficult time.

Gary Schlick, head at Bedminster Down School since 2006, was appointed director of education for Wellsway Multi Academy Trust in September 2020.

The school is currently led by interim principal, Debbie Gibbs,

who will return to her permanent role as principal at IKB Academy in September.

Malcolm Broad, chairman of the trust board, said: “The trustees were keen to ensure that Bedminster Down School had an experienced principal to lead it through the next phase of its development. We asked Mr Woodville to take on this permanent position and he was pleased to accept the role, which means he can further his career while remaining within our growing family of schools.

“These appointments will set up these three secondaries for great success next year but for now it is business as usual.

"The trustees would like to thank Mrs Gibbs at Bedminster Down School and the interim leadership team at IKB Academy for ably leading their schools this year, at such a difficult time for everyone.

The leaders in all our schools are working tirelessly to ensure students and staff are safe, happy and successful.”

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January 2021

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Save Jubilee Pool

More delay but pool set to reopen in February The Jubilee Pool in Knowle which has been at the centre of local protests over its future since it closed down in last March's lockdown looks set to finally reopen again in February.

Last month South Bristol Voice revealed that Bristol City Council, which had previously said it was going to be too costly to reopen the pool, had had a change of heart.

Local councillor Gary Hopkins said the council has been paying to keep the facility 'safe' but when it was pointed out that these costs are equal to the costs of reopening, the chief executive Mike Jackson agreed that as long as operator Parkwood was happy, there was no reason not to reopen the pool.

It was thought the pool would reopen on January 4 or even before Christmas but operator Parkwood has now confirmed it will reopen on February 1.

In a statement the company

said: "Due to circumstances outside of our control we will now be opening Jubilee Swimming Pool on Monday 1 February 2021, NOT Monday 4 January as originally planned.

"Therefore we will not be taking a payment from (swimmers) in January, and we will be in touch in due course to inform you of the progress of our reopening and any updates on your membership fees. We're sorry for any inconvenience."

The reopening comes after a cross-party group of 15 councillors demanded the site be reopened while its long-term future is decided. Bristol City Council had previously proposed closing the pool amidst concerns about costs.

Protesters say the pool is much loved and the larger facility at Hengrove is neither suitable nor accessible for users.

The cross-party group, which includes six Labour councillors,

wrote to city mayor Marvin Rees in late October (before the most recent Covid lockdown) saying it was “unreasonable” to keep the pool closed for “no good reason” while waiting for the Labour administration to make a decision on the future of the pool beyond 2022.

The 15-member cross-party group was set up as a result of a Labour amendment during a heated council meeting in November where members debated a 4,700-name petition from campaigners.

The amended motion called on the mayor to extend the public consultation by a month and task the working group with finding potential solutions, such as the community buying the pool to run themselves.

Mr Rees has publicly backed this option, which officers had previously ruled out.

Cllr Hopkins said: "This is the third time in 12 years that I have

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been involved in the fight to stop Labour from closing our pool and as well as the short term reopening we are planning the longer term to take it away from the danger of ill informed political decisions.

"It is concerning that we got far more recognition of the public health benefits from the commercial operator than we did from the council, whose duty it is to improve public health."

Parkwood Leisure is contracted to run the pool until March 2022.

Cllr Jon Wellington comments on Page 35 >> Man and woman charged with detaining child From Page 1 conditions including to live at an address outside the Avon and Somerset policing area and an overnight curfew monitored electronically.

Qurba has been bailed to an address within the Avon and Somerset policing area.

His conditions include not going into Bedminster and an overnight curfew monitored electronically.

The child, an eight-year-old girl from Bristol, is safe and well and the family is being supported by specialist police officers and other agencies Officers are grateful to the public and the media for sharing their earlier appeal to help trace the child. They continue to ask for your help and support in considering the welfare of the child.

A force spokesperson said: "Everyone is asked to avoid intruding on the families of those involved and any speculation on the case in social media in view of the active legal proceedings."

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Rich on 0777 555 0607 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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News

Banksy mural blows in to Totterdown street Residents of Vale Street, Totterdown were greeted by more than a frosty view last month – they had a Banksy mural on their doorstep.

The mural, a seasonal design with maybe a Covid twist, depicts an elderly woman sneezing, as her false teeth fly out.

The image, entitled 'Achoo', was verified after it was posted on Banksy's official website.

Vale Street has already received fame due to being the steepest street in Britain with an almost 22 degree gradient.

Residents said they couldn’t believe their luck One local, who lives almost opposite, said that even though she was awake all night, she didn’t hear a thing but said: "It's awesome. We love it."

Crowds gathered all morning to see the painting while they waited to hear from the artist himself if it was a genuine Banksy mural.

With concerns around protecting the mural, a London

based firm launched an initiative to protect Banksy artworks.

The Vale St property, owned by Aileen Makin, is now protected by a Verisure monitored alarm system and integrated Arlo cameras which

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have been installed to watch over the masterpiece and give the homeowners peace of mind.

After being trusted to protect this 'important part of British art culture,' Verisure and Arlo say they will now offer this bespoke ‘Banksy Protection Package’ to future verified Banksy works.

A company spokesman said: "Created in response to previous Banksy artwork that was targeted and destroyed by vandals due to lack of security, the Verisure and Arlo initiative offers a 24/7 professionally monitored alarm and camera installation for future families and their homes that are targeted by the mystery artist. This custom created package includes a round-theclock response team who, within one hour of receiving an enquiry, will dispatch a expert to install a complete security system to

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Horacio Perez, UK Operations Director at Verisure said “The property owners found themselves in a unique situation where they must now protect their property in a way they had never considered before.

"Thanks to the installation of Verisure security, they now have the best possible protection for this iconic artwork and peace of mind knowing that the artwork and their home is safe from vandalism and thieves with round the clock security.”

It was reported that Ms Makin had been planning to sell the house before the Banksy appeared and that those plans were still going ahead.

South Bristol Voice attempted to speak to Ms Makin but without success.

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January 2021

Letters to the Editor

Email your letter to news@southbristolvoice.co.uk or post to 111 Broadfield Rd Knowle Bristol B42UX Please keep letters brief, no more than 250 words - we reserve the right to edit letters n THREE cheers for Redcatch Community Garden and thank you to all the helpers and volunteers who help to run it.

They have kept going through all the bad weather and trials of the pandemic. Always cheerful and glad to see us. My friend and I (both in our eighties) have used the park to get out into the fresh air and for exercise to keep us mobile. We had a lovely surprise one day while queuing at the coffee kiosk. The lady who was serving told us that the young man in front of us had paid for our coffee. That made our day and brought the Christmas spirit to us in these sad, dark days. I have also used the park to meet with family recently for my grandaughter's 21st birthday.

Keep up the good work and long may it continue.

Mrs J Ashton, Whitchurch

n IN HIS December letter welcoming the approval of the Little Paradise plans, Otis Murch takes a swipe at WHaM. WHaM’s primary aim has always been to try to ensure that residents are informed about major development proposals for the area.

If Mr Murch has lived in Windmill Hill for only three years, it is likely that he first heard about plans for Bedminster Green from a WHaM leaflet pushed through his letter box.

Most residents are in favour of development but many of them question the scale, density and restricted use of the buildings being proposed. Mr Murch credits WHaM with too much clout.

We have no power to turn anything down. We would simply like our neighbours

to be aware that there is a very real chance of a wall of development, including ten or a dozen buildings between 25 and 50 metres high, extending from Malago Road, around Bedminster Green, and on into Dalby Avenue.

Roland Oliver, Windmill Hill, WHaM committee member n THE DEATH of 9-year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in London attributed in part to air pollution has shown the harsh and saddening consequences of failing to tackle air pollution in our cities. Despite encouraging steps forward during the Covid-19 pandemic, air pollution is rising again.

There are several groups campaigning locally on this including the recently formed Liveable Neighbourhoods

Southville and Bedminster group. Liveable Neighbourhoods would allow people to drive to their homes, receive deliveries and allow pedestrians/bikes to get through freely but limit through traffic.

I’m pleased that the council is starting to take this with the seriousness it needs with the consideration of Dean Lane, Greville Road and Upton Road for targeted improvements.

If you support the campaign for safer, healthier and more liveable neighbourhoods, join us on Facebook, ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods for Southville and Bedminster’ or email liveable.bs3@gmail.com.

Tom Phipps, British Road, member of Liveable Neighbourhoods for Southville and Bedminster

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January 2021

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9

Covid-19 news

Ashton Gate stadium prepares to tackle Covid Ashton Gate stadium is gearing up to facilitate the mass roll-out of the newly-approved Oxford vaccine.

At the time the South Bristol Voice went to print, it was being reported in both regional and national press that the home to Bristol City FC and Bristol Bears would be welcoming people to receive the jab against Covid-19 in the coming days.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Ashton Gate is one of the confirmed 40 large-scale vaccination centres facilitating the administration of the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, which gained approval on December 30.

In a tweet (pictured, right) posted by Ashton Gate stadium boss Mark Kelly, he wrote: “Great news that the Oxford vaccine has been approved. @ashtongatestad should be now able to facilitate the Bristol / Southwest hub @ BristolSportLK.” In last month’s issue of the

Voice, we reported that the stadium was one of the massvaccination centres identified in a report published by the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust (UHBW) board.

Local NHS bosses revealed between 75,000 and 110,000 people across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucester will be receiving vaccines every week until April 5.

The over-50s, and front-line health and care workers would be among the first to receive the jab.

The Oxford vaccine is in addition to the Pfizer injection, of which more than 600,000 people had received the first dose by Christmas. It was first administered in the UK, outside of trials, on December 8.

The new jab will be easier to deliver as it can be stored at refrigeration temperature.

The Pfizer jab must be kept at minus 70 degrees before being administered.

A view of the proposed development from Whitehouse Lane looking east

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January 2021

News

Father pens poems in memory of daughter - and hopes to help other parents dealing with loss

By Charley Rogers Speaking to Aran on the phone, you wouldn’t guess what he’s been through. Confident and affable, Aran is more than happy to chat, and I can hear cheerful sounds of home in the background – his daughter giggling, and life going on.

But Aran has experienced a unique trauma. On Boxing Day 2016, his first daughter with wife Carla was born sleeping.

To process the loss, Aran started writing poems, using his love of hip-hop as inspiration to express his grief. “I got to the stage where I realised I had to get [the emotion] out, or I would struggle and suffer even more. I didn’t plan it, I didn’t think about it, I just started writing.”

This is how Aran’s book ‘For the Love of Lentil’ – named for his daughter – started. “When we found out we were pregnant, we looked up the baby’s development, and saw that at that point she was about the size of a lentil,” says Aran. “So I started calling the bump that, and it stuck.”

Aran is originally from South London, and Carla is from Sardinia. Their move to Bristol, away from family and friends, was influential in the creation of the book. “We first moved to Bristol around three months after Lentil passed away,” says Aran. “Carla had to keep going to work and I didn’t know anyone, so I used to just go to the park and cry, and try to get out what was eating me up.”

Aran continued to write to express his grief, loss and love for Lentil, and after three years ended up with a collection of 87 poems. “Each one of the poems shows how I felt in that exact moment. I went back and worked on a couple, but they weren’t planned – they express the feelings I had at the time.”

Carla also suggested that Aran’s poetry could help others.

“Carla thought the poems were very powerful, and that perhaps they’d be able to help other dads, other parents, that have gone

Above, Aran. Below, the front cover of Aran's book of poems, For the Love of Lentil

through this.” So Aran chose 18 of the poems for a collection and sent it around to different charities and publications.

“I sent the PDF to an American baby loss charity called The Tears Foundation,” he says.

“It’s like the US version of Sands.

They have a group in every state and I managed to find contact emails for them, so I hope it will help some other people.”

The poems have a raw, visceral quality, and though they are sad, they are the product of love, says Aran. “The pain that I’ve felt is because of the love I have for Lentil. The book is the experience I have of my daughter, and so for me it’s a beautiful thing.

Aran and Carla are open about their experience with Lentil, including with their second daughter, Indigo, who is now almost three. “She knows who Lentil is, that she’s her big sister,” says Aran, “and I’ve shown her the book with the handprint on the cover. When she’s a bit older, I’ll share the poems with her.” Indigo’s name is inspired by the fact that she is a ‘rainbow baby’ – a child born after the loss of another. “She’s our rainbow baby, and Indigo is the 7th colour of the rainbow.”

Unfortunately, losing Lentil was not Aran’s first experience of familial grief. When he was two years old, Aran’s little brother Gillan passed away of cot death aged only two months. He says that Lentil’s passing helped him understand his parents more.

“Now I’ve been through this as a dad, I understand them a bit better – what they were going through.”

But despite being able to channel his grief through poetry, Aran believes there is not enough support for dads who lose babies.

“It’s all about the mums,” he says, “and I can understand that, but there needs to be more help for men as well. Because any dad who has been through this will tell you – there is no care for us. And even if there was, your priority is your baby’s mum, because they’ve carried the baby. The Willow Tree in Bristol offers counselling for couples and I often went with Carla, but otherwise I didn’t receive any specific help.

“In the past few years, however, there has been some change. For example, Sands United has done some incredible work to help bring dads together, and it has been a lifeline for many around the country.

I hope my poems will keep my daughter’s name alive and contribute to raising awareness for men’s mental health after stillbirth and baby loss.”

Although the pain never goes away, says Aran, working through it with something like poetry can help. He plans to keep For the Love of Lentil in

circulation for anyone who might find it beneficial, and hopes that it will help open up conversations about support for dads.

For the love of Lentil is available for download from the Bristol Sands website here: bristol.sands.org.uk/news/lovelentil-fathers-poems If you have been affected by the loss of a baby or child, these charities may be able to provide support: Bristol Sands bristol.sands.org.uk/ 0808 164 3332 Bristolsandschair2@outlook.com The Lullaby Trust www.lullabytrust.org.uk/ bereavement-support/ 0808 802 6868 support@lullabytrust.org.uk The Willow Tree Centre www.thewillowtreecentre.org. uk/baby-loss-support 01454 324080 contact@thewillowtreecentre. org.uk

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January 2021

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News

Primary's alternative flu vaccine for Muslim pupils

by Charley Rogers Hillcrest Primary School in Totterdown has secured an alternative flu vaccine for Muslim children, after hearing concerns from the community.

The standard flu vaccination for children in the UK is administered via nasal spray, known as Fluenz, and includes pork-derived products. This is of concern for many Muslim families, as generally pork products are considered impermissible under Islam.

An injectable vaccine, without porcine gelatine, is available in the UK for adults and older children.

Juliet Fleming, who works in the school office at Hillcrest Primary, observed that Muslim families were not getting answers to their questions about the vaccinations, and decided to take action.

She told the South Bristol Voice: "When I saw families being passed from pillar to post

Juliet Fleming and Zaheer Shabir without getting any answers, I thought I have to stand up and try to do something.”

The flu vaccine in UK schools is administered by a company called Sirona, but upon querying the company about the availability of the injectable, adult vaccine for younger children, families were directed to enquire with local GPs. GPs in turn referred the families back to the schools, which resulted in a ‘loop’ of frustration.

Juliet says: “Muslim families have been declining the nasal spray flu vaccine for years, but obviously this year everyone is on a higher alert. I was hearing

these families’ stories, and I thought ‘this is discrimination’.

"Not all sects of Islam oppose the nasal vaccine, but since the pork-free version is available, I wanted to see if I could find out more about that.”

After going through the same ‘loop’ as the families, Juliet wrote to MP Karin Smyth, and received a prompt reply from her office. “Someone in Karin’s office immediately contacted the chief executive of the NHS Bristol clinical commissioning group (BCCG), and received a prompt response confirming that younger children could have the injectable vaccine. They forwarded me the response from the BCCG, explaining why there had been an issue and what was being done.”

Juliet was delighted with the result. “It just goes to show that sometimes, standing up and getting your voice heard actually works,” she says. “I’m very excited about the outcome.”

Zaheer Shabir, a parent and former governor at Hillcrest Primary, and Assistant Imam at Bristol Jamia Mosque in Totterdown, says: “I have two children at the school who were both offered the nasal flu vaccine, and the forms clearly stated the vaccine contained porcine gelatine. I contacted the school to discuss an alternative vaccine, and then contacted my GP surgery and the Sirona team.

“I was lucky to have the support of Hillcrest Primary through Juliet, who contacted our MP, in turn launching further discussions with Sirona as to whether the injectable flu vaccine could be provided to school children. This could not have been achieved without the positive engagement with Hillcrest Primary.”

Zaheer says he recommends any concerned parents to contact the immunisation team on 01275 373104 to arrange an appointment for their child.

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News

New store offers more space for extra treasures

By Charley Rogers Mon Pote is one of those stores you just can’t help going into, its window filled with treasures that catch the eye.

Starting out originally as an online business, owner Anna Clements opened the physical Mon Pote shop in 2016, and has been a North Street staple ever since.

She told the South Bristol Voice: “We’ve got a lovely local customer base, and we’ve managed to grow our social media following, so we also have a reach beyond BS3. At this point, we have just run out of space not only for the customers to come in and browse, but to be able to develop the product ranges we want.”

This led to Anna looking for a bigger unit to house Mon Pote, and when Hobbs Bakery announced it was closing its North Street branch back in September, she seized the

opportunity.

The new store has been open at 217 North Street since December 2.

During lockdown, Anna and her staff had to pivot to selling entirely online – a very involved process. She says: “We’ve always sold online, but since the physical shop opened in 2016, it has been our main source of income.

Selling entirely online takes a lot of time, as of course you need to do all the packaging and logistics.

But we managed it.”

Anna says Mon Pote will continue to sell online, but that she is very excited to start the next chapter for the store in its

Inside Mon Pote's new store in North Street new home. “We’ve been getting it ready, and were finally able to open our doors the day after lockdown ended, so it’s been a strange time, but we’re excited.

“We’re lucky that the community in this area wants its high street to be varied and interesting. They’re very good

at supporting local independent shops, so we’re really grateful for that.” More information visit www.monpote.co.uk.

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January 2021

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MARVIN REES, Mayor of Bristol

A hopeful new beginning: let’s kick-start 2021

H

appy New Year! 2020 has tested our city’s resilience and I am still humbled by the outpouring of community support that residents of Bristol showed each other during what was an extraordinarily difficult year. So I would like to wish all of Bristol’s residents a happier, healthy and hopeful 2021.

As the Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out across Bristol, we start the year with optimism. But that doesn’t mean that this year is a clean slate. The virus is still with us and the damage that it has inflicted on of our community, our mental health and on our economy requires continued and sustained effort for us to build back better, greener and more inclusive than we were before.

One way that we can support our community this year as we recover from the pandemic is to buy locally and support our local high streets whenever we can. Our already struggling high streets were dealt a further blow as people’s shopping habits changed. Our challenge is to re-imagine our high streets and transform them into community hubs as well as shopping centres.

As part of the Love Our High streets pilot we’ve been allocated £275,000, which we’ve used on improving East Street in Bedminster

and will look to roll out across as many of our 47 local high streets as we can.

With further investment and our collective support we can breathe new life into our high streets, supporting an inclusive economy.

Another issue we know is troubling Bristol’s families is employment. Our economy lost at least 8,000 jobs last year and our retail, hospitality, aviation and creative sectors were hit particularly hard.

The job contraction and reduced opportunities left many, especially our young people, feeling deeply worried for their future. Our city risks a pandemic legacy that increases inequality if we don’t act to combat it.

One of the ways we are providing opportunities to young people in Bristol is through our engagement with the Kickstart scheme. This government-funded programme offers six-month work placements to 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit.

At the time of writing we have received applications for 136 potential placements across the city and we are expecting to see our first placements start this January. They will be working in a variety of industries in Bristol, including creative, digital, marketing and hospitality sectors.

If you’re an employer who would like to improve your business and take on young and enthusiastic staff you can find more information through our website: bristol.gov. uk/business-support-advice/guide-to-thebristol-kickstart-scheme.

Bristol City Council is setting an example for the city by offering a range of Kickstart placements, apprenticeships and internships that pay the Real Living Wage. Our young people missed out on a lot last year; let’s make up for that with jobs and opportunities this year.

So here’s to a happy new year, an inclusive economic recovery and a hopeful future for everybody in Bristol.

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January 2021

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Local History

In pictures: Boyhood in wartime, 1940s

We are thrilled to share more photos with you from Bedminster resident, John Powell, who worked for the Wills tobacco company for 64 years. This month, South Bristol Voice reporter Charley Rogers has collated photos from John's boyhood during the early war years.

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1. Victoria Park School 1942 – Just after this picture was taken, John was evacuated to Axemouth, Devon. John is sat front row, third from left.

2. Church choir c.1940s – John with his choir at St John’s Church. The church had recently been bombed, and this procession took place through the shell of the building.

3. Church parade c.1940s – John (front, centre) taking part in a church parade outside St Hugh’s in Lynton Road in the 1940s.

4. St Hugh’s Church, Lynton Road – No longer standing, St Hugh’s Church was a mission church of St John’s, located in Lynton Road in Bedminster.

John recalls huddling in a corner of this church during one wartime evening song service as bombs attacked the city.

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January 2021

Local History

Evacuated, March 1941 - July 1943 We continue our serialisation of Memories of a Bristol Boyhood

by Knowle resident John Fletcher. This month, John's provides a fascinating glimpse into his temporary life in the countryside – and the impact being an evacuee had on his school education

H

aving lived all my life in a Bristol council house, I was not used to anything on the scale of our new accommodation. Not only did the house look huge but it was surrounded by its own grounds.

The large gates stood to the left of the house and the drive was flanked by a grass tennis court.

On the right of the drive was ‘The Rookery’, a house of grand proportions consisting of three stories and a basement.

Behind the house were further out-buildings and a large walled garden which contained beside a vegetable plot, an orchard with not only the usual apple, pear and plum trees but fruits I had never heard of such as medlars and quince.

As I have mentioned we were introduced to this new life

by Sister Edith Fielder whose old school friend was the only child of The Rookery’s owner, Mr Charles Kelsey. The contrast between Sister Fielder and Miss Dorothy Kelsey could not have been more marked. Whereas

Miss Fielder was small, quietly spoken with a friendly manner used in her occupation to instil confidence and put young mothers at ease, Miss Kelsey was a very large lady with a loud voice and a very dominant manner, and very much in charge of the house. Unfortunately for me she made it quite clear from the start that she did not like small boys and insisted that I should not attend the local village school, which would have meant that I would be around the house during lunch breaks and arrive home early in the afternoon, but that I should be sent to school in Clevedon, which was about three miles away. Our feelings were mutual and we both made concerted efforts to ensure our paths never crossed.

One incident encapsulates our relationship. I was learning to play the recorder at school and would practise in our servants’ quarters at the back of the house, but Miss Kelsey could still hear my ‘music’ and unbeknown to me insisted that my mother should hide the instrument from me. I suppose, in retrospect, that I can understand her attitude as I think my repertoire consisted of the hymn ‘Now the Day is Over’ and the first part of the National Anthem.

Not quite up to concert pitch.

An illustration of Mr Charles Kesley, owner of The Rookery and retired Knowle dentist, artist, craftsman

Our servants’ quarters consisted of a large living room at the back of the house which was quite warm and comfortable and contained a box with bells to indicate all the rooms where a ‘servant’ might be required to attend. My mother and sister shared a bedroom on the first floor while I had a very small room up in the gable end of the top floor. This floor contained only storage space and box rooms.

Mr Charles Kelsey was a retired dentist who had his practice in Knowle Road, Bristol, which incidentally was only about half a mile from the home from which we were ‘bombed out’. Besides being a good dentist, Mr Kelsey was a very accomplished artist. He was a leading member of the Bristol Savages who were, and still are, a group of the most talented local artists, musicians, actors and other dignitaries, each category of member being depicted by the colour of the feather they wear in their lapel.

Mr Kelsey had three other claims to fame in the artistic field. Firstly, he was talented enough to have paintings hung in the Royal Academy; secondly his dental skills enabled him to produce a mouth attachment for one of the first handless painters, who hold paintbrushes in their mouths; and thirdly he was very competent at using precious metals and gemstones.

He designed and made the intricate jewelled medallion which is still the badge of office of the President of the Bristol Savages and is worn by the current president when attending functions. Mr Kelsey looked every bit as an artist was traditionally depicted. He was a dapper man, always impeccably turned out – he had silver hair, a goatee beard, a moustache which was waxed and twirled into long

spikes and his hands were long and immaculately manicured. He looked very much like an elegant version of Agatha Christie’s character Hercule Poirot.

The interior of the house was well proportioned and solid, very Victorian with heavy dark wood and antique furniture and the fittings reflected Mr Kelsey’s artistic nature. He was probably well travelled as a number of objects were of the classic Greek and Roman influence. As one would expect, the walls were covered with paintings in a wide range of styles, some with very ornate frames. Mr Kelsey was a great collector of ‘objects d’art’ and the house was full of every form of interesting item, presumably collected on his European Grand Tours. You can imagine that the house cleaning and all the cooking was more than a full time job for my mother, but she was grateful to have the job as our life in Bristol would have been hard to contemplate. My sister Joyce, then in her early teens, was a great help to our mother and really took the part of a second (unpaid) servant.

The Kelseys always dined using the very best bone china and it was my mother’s worst nightmare that she or Joyce would break an item which would have been irreplaceable in war-time Britain. The most delicate of the china items were Mr Kelsey’s moustache cups.

These cups had a very fine china bridge positioned across the cup which ensured no liquid came into contact with his moustache.

The cellar covered the whole area of the house, divided into several rooms. A lot of old items were stored in the cellar but I

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Local History did not venture down below very often as it was home to various rats and vermin. Luckily the catching of these was the responsibility of the gardener.

One part of the basement I did visit on rare occasions was the section covered with slatted shelves on which the orchard’s fruits were stored for winter use.

Very rarely I was tempted to take an apple and by moving the remaining apples to cover the gap the resulting space was easily covered up.

My memories of the two and a half years our family spent at Tickenham would be very different those of my mother and sister, for whereas their time was spent almost entirely working around the house, my time was the complete opposite.

As I was not overly welcome in the house, I was able to spend my whole leisure time discovering the wonders of the countryside which gave birth to my great liking of wild birds, butterflies, flowers and trees. Immediately opposite the Rookery was the newly built Rookery Farm owned

by Farmer Ford, his wife and two children, Michael who was the same age as me and his sister Mary who was about two years younger. I quickly made friends with Michael and after a short time was accepted on the farm as almost part of the family. About one hundred yards from the farm was the Burleton’s market garden which was the home of two boys.

Brian was a year older than me and Eric a year younger. These two boys, Michael Ford and myself formed a close friendship and spent most of our free time together.

Having become used to the very restricting diet of wartime city rationing, where if any form of unrationed food became available long queues would form and quite often people would join a queue not knowing what the resultant product was, it was a very pleasant surprise to be part of the country lifestyle.

Tickenham was the ideal place for an eight year old boy to spend a couple of years, being situated on the main road from Bristol to Clevedon, but being a complete country village. To the north of the main road were wooded hills leading to Cadbury Camp, an

The Rookery, Tickenham, near Clevedon, where John lived from February 1941 - July 1943. Such a change from his Bristol council house. His bedroom window is shown on the third floor rear Iron-age fortress of about seven acres with two rings and ditches as fortification.

To the south of Tickenham spread the huge low-lying area of Kenn Moor. Two small rivers – the Land Yeo and the Middle Yeo – flowed east to west from Nailsea until they entered the Bristol Channel at Clevedon.

These two rivers were the scene of our playtime during the long summer days. The Land Yeo also contained pockets of orange clay and this proved ideal for modelling. We would construct groups of buildings and sometimes bring lead soldiers to the site to enact small war fights.

It may seem that my time in Tickenham was one long round of pleasure but, as with most things, the ups are balanced out by the downs. For me over this period the downs were mainly concerned with my education, or lack of it. I had arrived at Tickenham having had a very good start to my schooling at Knowle Park Infants School where I was bright enough to stay in the top groups. When I arrived in the country and I was not allowed to attend the local village school, which I think would have suited me, I was sent to Clevedon, a three mile bus ride away. Over this period Clevedon was the destination for many evacuee children, some, like me, came individually and some were in complete classes or even schools. My sister was very lucky in that quite by coincidence

her whole school, Bristol Central Commercial School, moved to Clevedon and she was able to join in without a break. Because I was a lone evacuee I was not as able to fit in to the situation so from February 1941 to July 1941 I was shunted back and forth three times between two schools. Eventually at the start of the term in September 1941 I was allocated a place at All Saints School but in a class which was entirely made up from the Roman Catholic school of Our Lady of Donors which came from Paddington, London. It took me quite some time to fully understand the London accent.

In the summer of 1942 Our Lady of Donors School decided it was safe enough to return to London. This of course meant that I had once again to change schools. The school I was sent to was in the centre of Clevedon next to the fire station. It was not a large school and consisted of only two classes. The head teacher, Mrs Page, ran the teaching to her own pattern which seemed to consist of nature studies and walks (collecting rose-hips for syrup was encouraged by the government), and music lessons (in which we made our own recorders from bamboo stems with cork mouth pieces) with a little bit of the ‘three R’s’ thrown in. Being war time paper was in very short supply and we always wrote in pencil so that the use of a rubber enabled the paper

to be used again; quite a lot our work was done on a blackboard with chalk. I had a very enjoyable year at that school but perhaps not the most productive from the academic stand point. Lunch breaks were my worst periods.

In those days schools closed down completely and no one was allowed to stay in the buildings or play-ground for one and a half hours. Everyone was expected to return to their homes or in the case of evacuees to their lodgings.

As I was about three miles away from home there was nothing left for me to do but to take a packed lunch. The problem was, where to eat it.

On most days my salvation was the railway station which was situated in the middle of Clevedon. On most winter days I was able to get onto the station unobserved and to find a seat well away from the office where the on duty porter would be. Most days I would be left in peace to eat my sandwiches but on rare occasions a more officious porter would ask me to ‘move along please’.

Disaster came when it was time for me to sit the eleven plus examination to see if I was suitable for grammar school. I was reasonably bright but I had not anticipated one factor which was to prove my undoing. During the war we had always written in pencil but the exams required the use of pens and ink. Being lefthanded I was a little awkward anyway but as I held the pen my fingers were too low down the pen holder. The weather at the time was very warm and the heat of my fingers drew the ink up the pen with the result that although I’m certain most of my answers were correct they could not be easily deciphered for all the blots and smudges that covered the pages. Needless to say I was not accepted for grammar school education.

We would love to hear similar tales and see photos from the period.

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January 2021

Advertising feature

A

mba House has been busy behind the scenes, putting the lockdowns and restrictions to good use by working on its transformation. The vision? To become your local destination for food, entertainment, creativity and well-being.

Our iconic building in the heart of Totterdown is a relaxed space aiming to bring the community together, which couldn’t be needed more after a socially distanced 2020. So if you're tired of the sofa and watching box sets, follow us on social media where we will launch exciting events and workshops to get you socialising again, when it’s safe to do so.

In need of an event space? We welcome you to get in touch with our team to find out more!

To further drive our vision forward, we are delighted to announce that we’re collaborating with Chloe Hunt’s Sundial Kitchen –North Street’s destination for ethical, low-waste catering for the past two years. The Sundial Kitchen is reopening as an innovative café at Amba House, with Chloe and her partner, chef Paul Lusmore, at the helm.

Both have been working in the Bristol food scene for many years, and are excited to bring their inspiring and lovingly made food to Totterdown. The café will have an ever-changing seasonal, low-footprint menu, serving vegetable-driven breakfasts and lunches, cakes, and cafetieres of locally roasted Triple Co coffee.

Chloe and Paul are keen to involve the community in the café, and will be looking to host local groups for coffee mornings and events, as well as having plenty of space for people to work, read and relax. They will also be offering their catering services and event expertise to weddings, film nights and pop-ups at Amba House.

Here’s to 2021!

Keep in touch

Amba House @ambahousebristol The Sundial Kitchen @thesundialkitchen www.thesundialkitchen. co.uk

We're looking forward to seeing you in 2021

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News

Share your views to help shape your local roads Three south Bristol roads have been earmarked to receive funding from the local authority, as part of "bold" city-wide plans to improve walking and cycling journeys.

Residents and businesses are being asked how investment could be used to enhance Greville Road/Upton Road and Dean Lane.

Potential changes could involve alterations to the road layout or traffic direction, widened pavements, timed or consistent traffic restrictions, new bike lanes, additional seating, better lighting, resurfacing, or more greenery.

There are 13 roads in total across the city set to receive the funding and they were chosen following suggestions from the public during lockdown.

These plans follow the major improvements made during the summer to the city centre, which involved pedestrianising the Old City, installing new bike

Dean Lane is one of the local roads earmarked to receive funding as part of city-wide plans to improve walking and cycling journeys lanes and closing Bristol Bridge and Baldwin Street to through traffic to give priority to buses, pedestrians and cyclists.

A spokesperson from Bristol City Council said: "[The] council is using a variety of different funding steams for these improvements. Primarily we are using Bristol’s allocation from the £3.7m secured from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund, which was set up in response to the pandemic.

"Our exact figure is yet to be confirmed but it will cover the majority of the work and in addition the council plans to contribute up to ÂŁ130k, using savings made from other recent transport projects.

"We will have a clearer idea on the costs of each potential project after we have engaged with the communities and started work on designs. The engagement will launch for the Southville roads in January."

Mayor of Bristol, Marvin

Rees, said: “We are taking bold action to create a better, more connected future for everyone and to help Bristol emerge from this crisis in a more inclusive and sustainable way. All of the streets earmarked for change are more than just roads – they are vibrant hubs where people of all different backgrounds and cultures come together. It is essential any change works for the benefit of everyone in the community so we are asking for ideas from local people.�

Surveys are expected to launch in January and will be available online and distributed across households and businesses. The council is also liaising with local groups and organisations to gather views.

For more informaion, visit: bristol.gov.uk/roadchanges If you do not have access to the internet please write to: Transport Engagement Team, PO Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE or call 0117 9036449.

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News

If you go down to the woods today ...

Gatehouse Green Learning Trust, with several schools in South Bristol, is celebrating after becoming the first provider in the Bristol area to be accredited by the Forest School Association.

This recognition means parents can be assured that children and staff in the trust’s five schools have access to the highest quality forest school experience.

Forest school is a learning approach based in a woodland or natural environment with trees.

It offers participants regular opportunities to develop self-confidence and esteem through hands-on learning experiences. Its roots reach back to early years pioneers in outdoor learning in Scandinavia.

Helen Prewett, the trust’s forest school leader, has worked hard to establish the provision, initially at Luckwell Primary School, pictured, and to fulfil the six principles of the FSA Recognised Forest School

Provider scheme, which ensure that high standards of health and safety and education are met.

She is bursting with ideas for sharing Luckwell’s good forest school practice in GGLT’s other primaries, Compass Point and Ashton Vale, its secondaries Ashton Park and Redland Green, and beyond as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

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Point, like Luckwell, have on-site forest school areas, for use by children in all year groups, and the trust has exciting plans to develop a forest school site at Ashton Park for use by trust students and others.

“We are so thrilled to have become a Recognised Forest School Provider and it is frustrating not to be able to work across the sites straight away,”

she said. “However, the months of lockdowns have really reinforced the importance of the natural environment on people’s wellbeing, so we feel sure that having this in our schools will be something families and prospective parents will value.”

Stuart McClelland, executive headteacher at GGLT, said: “The children really love their regular forest school sessions and our staff are committed to the benefits this child-led learning brings. Being a recognised provider literally puts on the map – parents can find us on the publicly searchable Forest School Association website.”

Gareth Wyn Davies (CEO of the Forest School Association) said: “We congratulate Gatehouse Green Learning Trust on becoming an approved ‘good practice’ provider.”

To find out more, visit the GGLT website or the Forest School Association website www. forestschoolassociation.org

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KARIN SMYTH, MP for Bristol South

T

Pollution is an issue for metro mayor

here has been much coverage in recent weeks of the death of nineyear-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in 2013. Ella and her family lived adjacent to the South Circular Road in Lewisham, and she had suffered from chronic seizures, being hospitalised 27 times before her tragic death.

Ella’s story is making headlines now following a Coroner’s Court finding that air pollution "made a material contribution" to her death. The finding came after an againstthe-odds fight from Ella’s family, and will have repercussions far beyond the boundaries of the London borough where the Adoo-KissiDebrah family lived.

The air pollution problems we have here in Bristol South are well documented, but often discussed in the abstract. We need to change the way we think of air pollution - and remake the solutions to fix it in Bristol.

A good start would be a move away from using our city centre as a starting point for projects to improve air quality. Road closures in the city centre, for example, have localised benefit and work as a statement of intent, but end up causing problems in other parts of south Bristol.

We need action that ensures benefits are

felt by everyone; we can’t just shift vehicle movement away from the city centre to other parts of the city.

There also needs to be a genuine acknowledgement that, like so many other health and societal problems, poor air quality hits the poorest hardest. Worryingly, responses in other parts of the country have had at their heart solutions that similarly disadvantage those most in need of support.

Clean air zones and low emission areas are grand in principle, but not if you cannot afford to replace the old car you rely on for your livelihood.

And the simple truth is that while many

people in south Bristol can walk to the shops, to school and the park, they can’t walk to work. Local people working in Avonmouth, Emersons Green or Aztec West have no realistic public transport options open to them. They must drive to survive.

One reason that action on this has stalled so badly is the lack of a region-wide, coordinated approach. This is a Bristol-wide problem - but pollution isn’t just Bristolgenerated. It is, in short, a problem almost designed to be tackled by our Metro Mayor.

This has not happened for the past four years, saddled as we have been with a Metro Mayor who has been passive to the point of self obsolescence.

But in recent months, we have seen metro mayors in other parts of the UK show real leadership - and we need that sort of leadership here.

While I have reservations about the Metro Mayor role in principle, for as long as its there, it needs to deliver. And air pollution could be the issue that the next incumbent defines themselves by.

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

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January 2021

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News

Greens put brakes on airport expansion plans Green councillors are celebrating after a party motion passed at December's full Council meeting commits Bristol City Council to opposing Bristol Airport expansion, overturning the administration’s previous position of supporting the plans.

The change of view by a major stakeholder is particularly significant as the Airport’s expansion plans, having been rejected by North Somerset last February, are currently being reviewed by the planning inspectorate following an appeal by the airport.

The decision has been described by activists as a test case as Bristol Airport is the first of many regional airports planning expansion, and also represents a test of the government’s commitment to carbon targets under the Paris accords.

Southville Green Councillor Steve Clarke, pictured, played an important role in the initial

campaign against airport expansion, working with activists and councillors across multiple councils, and proposed the motion at this afternoon’s meeting.

He said: “It’s great that we’ve been able to persuade the Labour Administration to change its position on this.

"It shows the value of having elected Greens in the Council

to speak up for our climate commitments. It’s quite simple really – if a Council supports airport expansion, which will cause over one million tonnes more carbon dioxide emissions, it is not taking the climate emergency seriously.

"As the motion notes, I will be writing a letter to the planning inspectorate formally opposing the airport’s appeal and expect

the Mayor to support this.”

Councillor Jerome Thomas, the other proposer of the motion, added: “This news is really significant – the Airport’s expansion is the biggest carbon decision for the region in decades, and Bristol Council has now sent a strong message that Bristol Airport expansion must not go ahead.

"There was a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure Labour’s cooperation and I’m glad we could eventually agree on wording that still changes our council’s position on this issue.”

VET BLOG with Avon Lodge Family tribute after fatal collision The family of a 34-year-old man diabetes, arthritis, heart disease 2021 goals who died following a collision on and high blood-pressure.

Winterstoke Road in Bristol have More-over excess fat causes for your pet released a tribute. a pro-inflammatory state,

Amy Jennett, clinical director at Avon Lodge It’s that time of year where we start thinking about our goals for the year ahead.

But what about our pets?

How can we keep them at their happiest and healthiest?

Keeping our pets at their optimum body weight is extremely important. Excess weight contributes to joint pain and leads to development and progression of diseases like

exacerbating inflammation.

Approximately 60% of dogs are overweight, meaning our appreciation for optimal physique has become some-what skewed.

I would encourage you to familiarise yourselves with species specific body condition scoring charts.

If you need advice, we offer weight clinics and would love to teach you how to accurately score your pet and provide management strategies and ideas that suit you and your pet’s lifestyle. For our Pet health club members these are free!

Sending New Year blessings Love Amy

Patrick Hegarty, right, from Knowle, died when the car he was driving was involved in a collision with a van at around 7.45am on Wednesday 9 December.

His family have released the following statement:“We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our eldest son Patrick Hegarty. A gentle giant loved by his family and all who knew him.”

Costs to rise after bridge repair delay Repairs to a major bridge over Bristol’s floating harbour have been delayed and the council is facing a 40 per cent hike in the cost of the multi-million pound project.

Redcliffe Bridge, from the Redcliffe Way roundabout, is designed to be raised and lowered so boats can pass underneath but it has not been fully operational since 2015.

Bristol City Council had budgeted £3million to repair the bridge and was expecting to award a 16-month contract in September this year. But it is having to find another £1.25million to fund the project, which is not expected to finish until March 2022, two months later than planned. The council’s ruling Labour administration approved the extra cash and the new timeline at a meeting last month.

A cabinet paper setting out the details of the project said the on-site works were expected to start in April 2021.

The bridge will have to be completely closed to all traffic – including pedestrians and cyclists – for ten weeks over September to November.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Rich on 0777 555 0607 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

southbristolvoice

24

January 2021

News

How Freddie took steps to support those in need Compass Point Primary School in Bedminster was able to make sure vulnerable families in its community have enough food during the lockdown and over the Christmas break thanks to the efforts of a caring nine-year-old pupil.

Freddie Coombs decided to do a sponsored walk to raise money for food for people in need after hearing that some children faced missing out on free meals.

His mum Sinead said that even though he “despised” walking, Freddie was determined to complete 20,000 steps around the school’s field at South Street park.

His aim was to raise £100 – a target he has smashed.

As the Voice went to print, his JustGiving page had reached £549.

Sinead said there was still time for people to donate to Freddie’s appeal, which can be found at http://www.

justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ sineadcoombs “I am very proud of what Freddie has done and I hope it will encourage more people to support this cause,” she said.

Linda Brown, headteacher at Compass Point, said the school would buy supermarket vouchers with the money raised so that families in need who did not qualify for council-funded support could be helped.

She praised Freddie for his kindess. “He always thinking of others and how he can help,” she said.

Freddie was inspired to do the walk by the footballer Marcus Rashford’s successful campaign to persuade the Government to put more money into providing food at holiday times for children who receive free school meals.

And in return, Freddie was rewarded when news of his effort was shared on social media by the Manchester United forward.

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January 2021

southbristolvoice

25

News

Sweet! 'Kind' cupcake donation gives hospital staff and patients a real boost Staff and patients at a south Bristol hospital have been enjoying a donation of delicious cupcakes, thanks the generosity of a kind-hearted, local couple.

Pabs Uddin and Kayleigh Norman, from Brislington, were due to tie the knot in April 2021, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions the couple cancelled their big day.

They were unable to get a refund on the money they had put down for their wedding cupcakes, so instead decided to deliver the treats to staff at South Bristol Community Hospital (SBCH).

The delivery was co-ordinated

by Above & Beyond, the NHS charity for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW).

Pabs said: “Unfortunately our wedding needed to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

We couldn’t get a refund from the baker so instead we thought why not give as many cakes as we could to our local hospital.

“Words cannot describe how grateful we are to all the staff in the hospital and also how brave the patients have been whilst they are trying to recover during these challenging times. This is our small way of hopefully putting a smile on a few faces.”

Jana McClelland, manager at SBCH, said: “Patients and staff were absolutely delighted with an incredibly kind donation of cupcakes by the lovely Pabs and Kaleigh.

“Most of our patients spend a significant amount of time in hospital and with the current climate, many of them have not seen their families in a long time.

“Staff and patients alike had a lovely morale boost. It was such a thoughtful and kind donation.”

Project to benefit local organisations needing help Community project BS3 Helping Others is teaming up with the High Sheriff of Bristol as part of a new initiative which connects organisations in need of support, with charities and volunteers, who can help.

AskingBristol – launched

by High Sheriff John Manly – is now in its second phase of development and involves a trial working across BS3.

He approached BS3 Helping Others to recruit organisations and ‘Buddies’ – people who help the organisations to find support – across the local area.

If you are an organisation which would benefit from some assistance, or are someone who would like to share your knowledge and understanding of our local area, email bs3helpingothers@gmail.com.

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Amy Barnard-Smith, Above & Beyond’s hospital partnerships manager, said: “Staff and patients were so grateful and it was our pleasure to be able to make this happen.”

To find out more about donating to your hospitals visit: www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk.

News in brief n EIGHTEEN bottles of apple juice, harvested from Manor Woods Valley's community orchard, have been donated to local foodbank, Carpenters Food and Support, with a further six bottles supplied to a local food raffle in Bedminster Down.

The juice was produced in partnership with Cotswoldsbased apple juice and cider makers Bushel + Peck. n BLOOMING Bedminster is considering running a front garden trail either in late spring or early summer 2021. All gardens would be viewable from the street If interested in taking part, email: bloomingbedminster@gmail. com n VOLUNTEERS behind the project to make Dame Emily Park more age-friendly are calling on senior citizens to complete their survey: forms.gle/ TDvi1LC6fBDiSqP39

a Brighter F ing utu d l i re Bu

Sunshine

Pre-School Quality care and education for children aged 2 ½ to 5 years Places available during term time at: St Gerard’s Hall, Buller Road, Knowle BS4 2LN St Martin’s Hall, St Martin’s Road, Knowle BS4 2ND Our pre-schools are led by qualified teachers and have dedicated outdoor learning spaces. We provide regular Forest School experiences, visits to our allotment and around the local community.

Both our settings are rated Outstanding by Ofsted www.sunshinepreschool.org.uk sunshinepreschool@hotmail.co.uk

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Rich on 0777 555 0607 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

January 2021

southbristolvoice

26

ADVICE FROM A PHARMACIST

with Ade Williams

Getting the NHS care you need on time?

Your Bedminster Pharmacy can help

O

ne thing that frustrates members of our community is the hassle of navigating through the NHS - to get the care needed quickly. Systems that were strained before COVID, sometimes now buckling.

How can we all work together to make things better? The first thing to note is that nothing pains NHS professionals: pharmacists, nurses, GPs, clinical and administrative colleagues more than knowing people cannot reach us for the help we desperately want to provide.

This is the reason all of us work well beyond our contracts: late working is an everyday norm. I know that regularly calling or visiting patients after hours is something we all do. It is undoubtedly not more dedication but better solutions needed. Starting the journey right is critical. I would suggest that anyone who needs to order their repeat medication contact their local pharmacy.

We all have processes to manage this. Put in

Ade Williams of Bedminster Pharmacy discusses how pharmacies can help people with a variety of health conditions, and ease pressure on the NHS medicine request at least seven days before you run out. If you do run out, don’t panic, speak with your pharmacist.

Emergency medicine supply may be possible. 650,000 visits to A&E and over 18 million GP consultations every year could ideally happen in your Community Pharmacy.

The NHS is now better linked-up to do this safely. So, if you contact NHS111 or a local GP, you may get a formal referral to

0300 323 0700 info@wecr.org.uk www.wecr.org.uk Previously known as We Care & Repair, we have over 30 years of experience

We specialise in:

As always, we agree all decisions together after considering the safest and best option for you. Part of a local network of NHS Clinicians, Bedminster Pharmacy is committed to being a conduit of inclusion and excellence in this community.

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a Community Pharmacy with your clinical details shared. Why? Pharmacists are trained clinicians, undertaking five years of initial training before qualification.

They are experts at identifying the right treatment choice for you and your loved ones which most times will not be a medicine.

In Bristol, our local NHS is committed to making the most of this broad expertise by allowing pharmacist to issue prescriptiononly medicines for certain conditions without the need for a prescription.

Patients can access this care directly at Bedminster Pharmacy for: • Urinary Tract (Water) Infections – Females aged 16-64 • Impetigo – Adults and children aged 2 and over • Hydrocortisone – Children aged 1 to 10 and use on the face in patients over 1 year • Chloramphenicol drops and ointment to children aged from 31 days to under 2 years

CONTACT US TO FIND OUT MORE. 0800 772 3575 bristoltravelclinic.co.uk

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

January 2021

B

southbristolvoice

THE WICKED WITCH OF KNOWLE

27

In witch it's all a bit embarrassing

ack in December, Himself was working in Chew Magna. A familiar chap was telling him all about his new tractor.

Mr Tractor was obviously very pleased with this purchase and went on to say that he was looking for someone to dress up as Father Christmas, sit on the tractor’s trailer and cruise around the local villages throwing presents at passing children. Eying Himself up and down, Mr Tractor smiled broadly. “You would be perfect,” he exclaimed. “You’ve got the beard and wouldn’t need padding out. What do you think?”

“Well,” Himself growled, sucking in his stomach. “There are a couple of flaws to your plan, I was traumatised by Father Christmas when I was younger, and I don’t particularly like children.”

When Himself was a hormonal 14 year old he had gone to the garden centre with his Mum to pick up a Christmas tree. There was a shiny bicycle

on a stand which the bike. This THE WICKED you could win with experience left WITCH OF a raffle ticket. His him disturbed and KNOWLE Mum pushed him anti-Christmas. into the queue, her Hilarious! eyes sparkling. It Himself gives would be a perfect me the best present for his material to write younger brother. in this column. A Grumbling, while ago he was Himself shuffled standing at a petrol forward, standing tall among pump. A van pulled into the bay the mums and young children. next to him and a chap jumped To his bewilderment, he was out, spotted Himself and cried: shepherded onto a small “Hey. How are you? It’s been stationary train carriage where a while…” Himself turned, saw he sat, knees squashed up to his someone he didn’t recognise and chin. A cheery elf called them on started to panic. Mr Forgettable through an enchanted fake forest obviously knew him, asked about where Santa’s Grotto emerged the people he worked with and and the realisation of where he seemed happy to see him. was set in. There was no escape.

Himself stuttered through the He pushed his way through the answers whilst digging into the tinsel, Santa frowned and said: dark recesses of his brainbox to “My, you’re a big one! No need try and figure out who this man to sit on my knee. What would was. Nothing. He blagged it. you like for Christmas?”

“How’s that lad you work with, He remembers being given the tall one?” Mr Forgettable one of those plastic hanging frowned and stated that he didn’t monkey games along with the work with a tall lad. He shook his raffle ticket – they didn’t win head and muttered “you don’t

know who I am do you?” Himself pulled a pained face, shrugged his shoulders and admitted that he didn’t. Mr Forgettable, huffed, turned away and they continued filling their vehicles in awkward silence.

I am just as embarrassing.

I was on my way home from walking Scrappy Little Dog when I saw my neighbour sashaying towards me. She was dressed in tight lycra leggings, a tiny weenie crop top and looked a million Bristol pounds. I stopped and shouted “Hey girlfriend, you look hot, hot, hot. Wow!” whilst waving a hand across my forehead in a pretence of fainting at her gorgeousness. As Miss Bristol sashayed nearer, I squinted, and my smile faded as the realisation slowly dawned that this was not the person I thought it was. In fact, I had never seen her before in my life.

She smiled nervously, taking in my muddy joggers and breakfast stained hoodie then stated, in a strong Russian accent “and you look good too”.

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Rich on 0777 555 0607 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

January 2021

southbristolvoice

28

News Have your say on police precept increase

Welcome to Ashton Sixth Whether you're already at Ashton Park School or studying elsewhere, Ashton Sixth could be the gateway to your future.

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by Stephen Sumner, BBC LDRS reporter for South Bristol Voice Households across Avon and Somerset could have to pay the police an extra £15 next year or see PCSO numbers cut.

Payments to the force are just one part of council tax bills and local authorities are expected to be able to increase their share by up to five per cent after the pandemic squeezed their budgets.

Councillors have warned of a cumulative effect on families who are already feeling the pinch.

Police and crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens has launched a consultation on the mooted 6.6 per cent increase to the police precept to understand the impact it will have.

She told the police and crime panel on December 8: “This is a really big decision, one I didn’t think we’d have to make

this year. We have families that have been extremely hard hit

by Covid. There’s some real fragility in our economy. This isn’t an easy decision in any way, shape or form. We will put up our antennae to capture the public voice."

Panel members were told that freezing the budget would result in a £4.8million deficit next year, requiring 143 police staff and PCSOs to be sacked.

A five per cent increase would allow the force to balance its budget, but a 6.6 per cent hike – the maximum allowed – would allow another 70 officers to be recruited.

The £15 increase would take the police’s annual share of council tax to £240 for the average band D property.

The consultation will be open until the end of January. To respond, visit pcc. policedigital.services/forms/ ops

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southbristolvoice

29

News

Dog with a Bone ... Gromit design to become figurine The Gromit sculpture that stood outside Bristol City’s Ashton Gate stadium will be made into figurine, the Grand Appeal has announced.

The four-legged hero was designed by Bristolian illustrator Hannah Bone, from Totterdown.

The charity behind the worldfamous Gromit Unleashed trail in Bristol announced via social media that Rockin’ Robin will be available to buy soon.

Hannah, 26, an illustrator and designer at Defence Equipment and Support at MOD Abbey Wood in Filton, was approached by the Gromit Unleashed 2 trail organisers in 2018 after they had seen some of her illustrations online.

Hannah jumped at the chance to be part of something so iconic and spent weeks keeping a lid on the design despite constant probing by friends and family.

“I was so honoured to be asked because the Gromit Unleashed trail means so much

Hannah with Rockin' Robin at Ashton Gate.

Inset, her original design to the people of Bristol and brings so many people to the city,” Hannah said.

She spent 34.5 hours painting her Gromit at the Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove before the award-winning trail started in

July 2018. But she had no idea that her sculpture was going to be one of those made into a figurine that Gromit fans can purchase until a friend alerted her to the social media.

Hannah said: “It's so exciting.

"I feel very lucky to have been part of something so special and now I'm able to relive it all again with this release.”

The Grand Appeal’s 2018 Gromit Unleashed 2, featured 67 sculptures of Gromit, his pal Wallace and his nemesis Feathers McGraw.

All are creations of the famous Aardman Animations studios located on the Bristol waterfront.

The hugely popular trail, which attracts families from around the world, sees participants use a map or an app on their phone to explore the city and locate all the sculptures.

The sculptures were later auctioned off in aid of Bristol Children’s Hospital and the St Michael’s Neonatal intensive Care Unit, raising a staggering £2 million.

Although Rockin’ Robin has not been released yet, most of the figurines cost between £35 and £45.

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January 2021

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30

Advertising feature

Welcome to our school - a great place to learn Strong relationships are the key to success at Luckwell Primary School in south Bristol.

We know every child really well and strive to meet each individual's needs.

We have a new Head of School, Lilly Byers, who is supported by a dedicated and committed staff team and by our experienced Executive Head Stuart McClelland. The school also benefits

from being part of the Gatehouse Green Learning Trust, working together to provide the best opportunities for children in our community.

In less restricted times, we would be conducting regular tours of the school at this time of year to show prospective parents the great environment we offer in which their children can learn and grow.

It is important to us to work in partnership with families from the start and throughout their child's time with us.

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

January 2021

southbristolvoice

News

31

HMO clampdown could see restrictions in Totterdown

by Adam Postans, BBC LDRS reporter for South Bristol Voice Totterdown could be part of a clampdown on the rise in bedsits which has been launched in a bid to stem the tide of Bristol family houses being converted and lost to students.

City Council cabinet members approved a new policy that aims to improve communities by restricting the number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) where there are already 10 per cent or more in a neighbourhood. Totterdown now exceeds 10 per cent.

Properties in areas of high concentration will be refused planning permission under the rules, which are the result of years of cross-party work.

Campaigners have hailed it as a victory against the expansion of universities and increase in student shared houses across the city.

Bristol City Council cabinet member for spatial design and city planning Cllr Nicola Beech told a council meeting: “Concentrations of HMOs in neighbourhoods can lead to imbalanced and unsustainable communities and they can damage the character of an area.

“Those harmful impacts are associated with high numbers of

HMOs and affect communities’ overall health and wellbeing.”

She told cabinet members on Tuesday, November 3, that these included reduced community cohesion and engagement, less housing choice, noise and disturbance, loss of privacy and poorly managed properties.

Labour Cllr Beech said areas found to be exceeding the new 10 per cent threshold included Easton, Eastville, Bishopston, Ashley Down, Totterdown and St George West.

Calls to beef up enforcement Rules that are supposed to crack down on rogue landlords and problem tenants in bedsits cannot be enforced, a Bristol City Council meeting heard.

A web of laws governing homes in multiple occupation (HMOs) that local authority housing, planning and environmental health departments can use is too complex and needs to be “simplified dramatically”, scrutiny councillors were told.

And City Hall’s neighbourhood enforcement team is too small to combat any but the most serious breaches despite hundreds of homes in the city being identified as hazardous or in disrepair, officers admit.

It means countless residents’ complaints about noise, rubbish and parking are not dealt with satisfactorily.

A report to communities scrutiny commission members said there were now almost 14,000 HMOs in Bristol, a rise of about 4,000 in the last nine years, and they would continue to grow as the universities expanded.

Commission chairman Cllr Anthony Negus said property regulation breaches were tolerated much more than a youngster committing a minor offence in the street and that “every possible mitigation and ways out are given to landlords”.

City council private housing and accessible homes manager Tom Gilchrist replied: “The reality is that taking a landlord to court, using the complex legislation that housing is, takes officers out from doing what property licensing is which is around improving standards.

“Property licensing is about improving conditions for tenants, it’s not just about the big stick approach of prosecuting landlords.”

“The supplementary planning document provides a much more explicit definition of something having a harmful concentration on a community,” she said.

“HMOs play a really important role in our city’s housing mix but the control and quality standards of those is also really important to successful communities.”

The policy also prevents homes being “sandwiched” between HMOs and sets higher standards for housing conditions, including room sizes, sound insulation and bin and bicycle storage.

Green Cllr Clive Stevens, who worked with Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative councillors to develop the document, said afterwards that universities’ “unmanaged growth” in Bristol was having an impact on the

:

housing market, creating high rent and poor quality accommodation.

He said: “Not enough halls of residence means too many conversions of homes into HMOs, making it harder for everyone else to find accommodation.

“In parts of Bristol an over-concentration of HMOs has also created conflict between residents and students and led to complaints over noise and waste.

“I’m really glad this new policy was approved at cabinet.

“It will lead to a more balanced housing mix in Bristol that works for long-term residents, students and others.”

Caroline Dix, chairwoman of campaign group Action for Balanced Communities (ABC), which was formed by residents in 2015 in response to rapid university expansion, said it was a “real step forward for communities throughout the city”.

She said: “It will make a difference to so many residents in the long term.

“With protection from an unchecked spread of HMOs and limitations on numbers in any area, more homes will be available for families and couples, and the negative impacts on communities of having high-density clusters of HMOs will be reduced.

“Although this doesn’t stop the harm in areas of the city that are already oversaturated with HMOs, it has firmly put the brakes on the situation getting any worse.”

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32 JANUARY 2021

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2021 21

Test your knowledge of 2020 with our New Year quiz 1. Which Chinese city was the first to go into an unprecedented lockdown due to the coronavirus in January?

2. Who won the US Presidential election, eventually?

3. What did Prime Minster Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds name their baby?

4. Who did Rishi Sunak replace as Chancellor of the Exchequer earlier this year?

5. To which town did Dominic Cummings drive to test his eyesight after being infected with coronavirus?

6. In which city will the postponed Olympics be held in 2021?

11. Who won the FA Cup final?

12. Which wedding anniversary did the Queen and Prince Philip mark in November?

13. In May, it was announced a former British Army officer was to be knighted after raising money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday. What is his name?

14. Which two members of comedy double acts passed away this year?

15. Which two military events marked their 75th anniversaries in 2020.?

16. Which country faced one of its most devastating wildfire seasons?

17. Which new bank note entered circulation 7. Which two singers performed in the Super in February and features the face of artist JMW Turner?

Bowl half-time show?

8. Which film won Best Picture at the Oscars? 18. Who was the winner of I'm A Celebrity . . .

Get Me Out Of Here?

9. Which company became the first to 19. Name The Body Coach who kept us all fit launch a private, crewed spacecraft? during lockdown?

10. On which social media platform did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce 20. EastEnders celebrated which they were stepping down as senior Royals? anniversary in February?

Answers: 1. Wuhan; 2. Joe Biden; 3. Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson; 4. Savid Javid; 5. Barnard Castle; 6. Tokyo; 7. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira; 8. Parasite; 9. SpaceX; 10. Instagram; 11. Arsenal; 12. 73rd; 13. Captain Tom Moore; 14. Eddie Large and Bobby Ball; 15. VE Day and VJ Day; 16. Australia; 17. ÂŁ20; 18. Giovanna Fletcher ; 19. Joe Wicks; 20. 35th.

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News

Cemetery heartened by public's generosity Following the launch of its Christmas appeal, Arnos Vale Cemetery has raised over £9,300 (at the time of printing).

The charity, which runs the 45-acre site in Bath Road, announced its appeal at the end of November, calling on the public to support the much-loved historic gem following a difficult year.

Its income relies solely on the generosity of the public, plus private and public events which have had to be cancelled this year due to Covid.

A small team of staff and dedicated volunteers are behind the day-to-day running of the cemetery.

In a recent call for donations, Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust said: “This last year has

proved to be difficult for us all.

“As a small charity we have experienced worry and apprehension about how the pandemic will impact us.

“However, we have been greatly comforted by the incredible support, kindness, respect and care you have shown.”

Each donation to the charity will help preserve the cemetery for months and years to come.

To donate, visit: bit. ly/3rGMAuZ

Celia Phipps Labour Bedminster

T

he New Year is here and we hope that this will be a very different one to the old year past. Whilst the virus remains a challenge to all of us, the vaccine will become more widely available over the coming months and offers a return to more social interaction.

2021 brings change with it and there are several new housing developments proposed for the Bedminster area, many of which will come to committee for decision. The first Development Control Committee is on January 13 and the second, 27 January.

In addition, the Bedminster Green site will also expect altered and new proposals to come forward.

You will be able to see the plans coming to the meetings on the Bristol City website, under Planning Applications and all meetings are public. It is helpful

to the process if comments and statements about any development are made via the planning portal, as this helps to gather both positive and negative local opinion. You can attend the meeting too, all held by Zoom at present.

Each new development brings a levy back into the community, some of which we hope to see directed towards the Liveable Neighbourhoods initiative and green spaces.

Following the tragic accident on the Winterstoke Road, we are pushing for an urgent review of this junction which has been of concern for some time. The risk remains high and we do not want any future serious incidents.

The high, and very visible, mast which appeared behind Gerald Road in Ashton is a temporary fix whilst other mobile phone masts are repaired. The Enforcement Officer who visited the site will keep us updated on progress and the timeline for removal.

Do continue to contact us either via email, phone, or our Facebook page.

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Views from your local councillors Gary Hopkins Lib Dem Knowle

W

e now, after delays, have a clear reopening date of 1st Feb for Jubilee pool.

We have to thank the many campaigners and supporters who have been so helpful in getting us to this point against all the odds.

We also have to thank the management of operators, Parkwood who have shown great commitment, flexibility and faith in the community in getting us where we now are.

With a council administration determined on closure and looking the other way when facts were repeatedly put in front of them, there have been a lot of barriers to overcome. It has often been like dealing with a 2-yearold on a bad day.

Great credit goes to Parkwood for absorbing extra costs associated with COVID compliant operating which they have agreed to because of confidence in local

support. I think it says it all that after Parkwood agreed a niggardly offer from council management and started reopening arrangements, the council put out a misleading press statement saying they were still trying to haggle Parkwood down on terms.

Whether this was deliberate misinformation or casual incompetence we will probably never know but it comes from the same team that were adamant in 2017 they were not committed to closing the pool when it was so written in black and white in their council budget papers.

The pool is very important for public health but there has been no evidence of acceptance of this from the council administration.

Tier 4 or a national full lockdown could still get in the way but if it does we will press for reopening as soon as it is legal to do so.

We all need to support our pool no matter which long term ownership/management option is chosen to preserve its long term future.

Let’s all have a better 2021 than 2020.

Jon Wellington Labour Windmill Hill

T

he cross-party group of councillors local to Jubilee Pool in Knowle have continued meeting to try and find a way to keep the pool in public use. The council had initially planned to close the pool following the operator, Parkwood, handing back the contract owing to Covid related losses.

However, the council has since made a financial offer to Parkwood for the shorter term period to cover for these losses.

Parkwood had yet to respond at the time of writing, but we very much hope they will accept the council’s offer and reopen the pool as soon as restrictions allow. (Editor's note, see Page 5) The group has also considered options for the medium and longer term future of the pool including the possibility of a community

takeover, and we will be presenting a report with recommendations ahead of January’s cabinet meeting.

Airport expansion: We have received a lot of correspondence about the plans to expand Bristol Airport. This is a complex issue and a balance has to be made between the needs of the local economy - the airport is a huge source of jobs - and our responsibility to the environment. North Somerset council’s planning committee rejected the application to expand the airport, and now the airport’s bosses are appealing to the Planning Inspectorate.

Last month Labour councillors were pleased to join Green councillors in passing a motion at opposing this appeal. While I accept some of the arguments for expansion, railroading it through without local support is not the way to do it. Local planning authorities need to be able to control what is built in their areas and I will be writing to the Planning Inspector to voice my opposition to the airport's appeal.

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