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At the FREE review meeting we’ll take as long as you need to consider what is best for your particular situation. Then we offer clear fixed prices with no hidden costs.

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Lasting power of attorney: acting as an attorney

So, you’ve been asked to be an attorney… but what does that mean?

If someone has appointed you using a lasting power of attorney (LPA), you can make decisions on their behalf once the LPA has been registered. That person is known as the ‘donor’, and you are their ‘attorney’. You don’t need any legal experience for this. Whilst still able, you should assist the donor to make their own decisions wherever possible.

There are two types of LPA – ‘health and welfare’ and ‘property and financial affairs’. Sometimes the same people will be attorney for both types of LPA, sometimes not. There may be more than one attorney responsible for making decisions and the donor will specify whether you need to agree on the decisions you’ll make (jointly), or whether you can make decisions with another attorney or on your own (jointly and severally).

The donor can include specific instructions within an LPA but it’s a great idea to talk to the donor to understand how they would like you to act in their best interests in different circumstances. For example, regarding charitable giving, plans for their money and how they would like to be cared for if they became ill.

What happens if you can no longer act as someone’s attorney?

There are many reasons an attorney can cease to act on a donor’s behalf – they may decide they don’t want to anymore, may lose mental capacity, perhaps they were a spouse or civil partner and the relationship subsequently ended or they have died.

When someone is arranging LPAs, we would always suggest they indicate ‘reserve’ attorneys just in case so ideally, if you aren’t able to act for them, there will hopefully be a backup.

As award-winning vulnerable customer champions, we’re well-placed to help you plan to prepare for the future, whatever that may hold. We can help to organise LPAs and also help to guide attorneys to ensure they are supported in making financial decisions in your best interests.

If you would like to have a relaxed chat about your financial circumstances, or to arrange LPAs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call 0117 3636 212 or email office@haroldstephens.co.uk.

Richard records regular video updates on a range of later life financial topicssearch ‘Harold Stephens IFA’ on YouTube.

www.haroldstephens.co.uk

This month we visit the middle east and specifically the nation of Iran, home to one of the oldest continuous major civilisationsone that dates back to 4000BC. Most Iranian recipes come under the moniker of Persian, Persia being the country’s historic name.

Out of your kitchen will come a Persian favourite known as Tahchin Morgh, an attractive, delicious, savoury (with a hint of sweetness) rice cake, with heady aromas of saffron and turmeric. Like a pineapple upsidedown cake, this dish is inverted after cooking and served crusty side up. This crust is known as “tahdig” - translated literally as “bottom of the pot” - and is a crunchy caramelised feature of the dish. It is best cooked in a glass ovenproof dish so you can see during cooking when your tahdig is ready - not something I’ve ever said before. It contains a layer of cooked chicken but I daresay you could tailor the dish to accommodate any specific dietary requrements.

Tahchin Morgh

Ingredients - feeds 3-4 people (it’s quite rich)

• I white onion

• 4-6 chicken thighs, boned and skin-off (or 2-3 chicken breasts)

• 350g (dry weight) basmati or long grain rice

• 3 egg yolks

• 150g (small pot) plain yoghurt

• 50g dried cranberries / dried sour cherries, roughly chopped

• 3 tbsp roughly chopped pistachios

• 3 tbsp cooking oil

Iran Fact File

• 2 tbsp melted butter

• big pinch of saffron

• 3 tsp ground turmeric

• salt and black pepper

Method

1. Crush the saffron with the back of a spoon or in a pestle and mortar then add to half a wine glass full of warm water. Stir and allow to steep.

2. Slice the onion finely, and chop the chicken thighs into smallish bitesize pieces. Add the chicken and onion into a saucepan together with a wineglass full of water. Sprinkle in the turmeric, add a punch of salt and a couple of twists of pepper, stir, bring to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until all the water has evaporated (5-10 mins max). Set to one side.

3. In the meantime put the rice into a big saucepan, add a pinch of salt and a tsp of cooking oil. Stir together - the oil will help the rice not to stick. Add in twice the amount of water as there is rice (for me that’s seven glasses of water to three and a half glasses of dry rice). Bring to the boil, stir again, reduce to a very gentle simmer and place the lid on. Leave to simmer for about 6 minutes until partially cooked. Remove from the heat, drain the rice in a colander and set to one side.

4. In a large bowl, mix together the yoghurt, egg yolks and the saffron water, then add half the cooked rice. Stir well to ensure the rice and yoghurt is well mixed and nicely yellow.

Location: Western Asia, with land borders with Iraq and Turkey (to the west), Azerbaijan and Armenia (north-west), Turkmenistan (north), and SAfghanistan and Pakistan (east) and coastal borders with the Caspian Sea (north), and Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf (south)

Capital: Tehran

Population: 86.7 million

Official Language: Persian (Farsi) generally and Arabic for religious affairs

Comparative size: Iran is almost 7 times the size of the United Kingdom

Currency: Iranian rial

Interesting? The Iranian weekend is Thursday (our Saturday) and Friday (our Sunday).

5. Take your glass over proof dish, add in the remaining cooking oil and swirl around the bottom of the dish - this wil stop the tachin from sticking, allowing you to turn it out with a flourish.

6. Carefully spoon the yellow saffron / yoghurty rice into the glass oven dish then firm down evenly with the back of a spoon.

7. Onto the yellow rice base spread the chicken and onion mix evenly, and then scatter two thirds of the chopped cranberries / sour cherries on top.

8. Now carefully spoon the remaining plain white rice over the top of the chicken / cranberry layer and again smooth out with the back of a spoon.

9. Finally drizzle the surface of the rice with the melted butter. Cover the top of the dish with foil and then place into the oven, pre-heated to 200C or gas equivalent.

10. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and check to see if the bottom of the tahchin is browning up (this will be the crispy top when it is turned out). If necessary return to the oven for another 15 minutes by which time it should have turned golden brown. As with toast, you can always leave the dish to cook a little longer if you fancy it a little crustier / crisper. the ever-busy Whiteladies Road, AGC is a great place to sit and eat, socialise and generally relax. On the warmer days to come it will be possible to sit outside on the wide terrace and watch the world go by, but until then sitting at a table in the window is the place to go. The picture windows allow light to flood in, adding to the feeling of space already given by the high ceilings and the generously spaced tables. Yes, it is a very agreeable place to be - an experience enhanced by the classy decor, the friendly and attentive staff and the attention to detail in everything Ben and his team do. From the best locally sourced ingredients to fine china, linen tablecloths, stylish cutlery and comfy upholstered seating - everything tells you that this is a place to come not just to eat but to dine.

11. Remove the dish from the oven then carefully invert the tahchin out onto a warmed serving plate the same size or larger plate - it should drop out easily.

12. Garnish with the remaining cranberries / cherries and the chopped pistachios and serve.

“Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper” is the oft quoted mantra of mid 20th century nutritionist Adelle Davis - a food rule I tend to ignore, indeed regularly reverse. Recently though, Mrs F and I had the opportunity to indeed breakfast like royal patriarchs, visiting the very splendid new Aqua Grand Cafe on Whiteladies Road.

In its former guise as one of the well known and popular Aqua restaurants it was a favourite of ours (and indeed many friends) so we have been intrigued to see its successor emerge. And now it has - a classy cafe restaurant heavily inspired by the menus and style of the great cafes of Paris. Owner Ben Smithson, trained in the arts of the Maitre ‘D at the Savoy Grill on the Strand, has long wanted to bring the joy and splendour of the classic French dining experience to Bristol, and is undertandably proud and excited about his new venture - in premises that once housed the legendary Colleys Supper Rooms.

So, let’s deal with Aqua Grand Cafe first as a place to visit. Set on, but well back from,

That said, it isn’t pretentious or stuffy, and if all you want is a coffee and croissant mid morning, a classic English afternoon tea, or a lush Croque monsieur when “le munchies” kick in at any time, you are as welcome as anyone coming along in the evening to enjoy an a la carte menu that features such classics as coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon and Dover sole meuniere.

So, to the food.......

When it came to our breakfast we decided to mix it up a bit - with a light bite followed by “always hard to resist when on the menu” scrambled eggs. My opener was a bit of a gamble on my part - unknown-to-me Bircher Muselli - and Mrs F had a top notch fresh fruit salad. I wasn’t sure the gamble was going to pay off as my muselli arrived looking not dissimilar to a type of porridge - my breakfast bete noire. In a sense it was - rolled oats with hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds and sultanas steeped overnight in milk - but which to my surprise was one of the most delicious things I’ve had to eat in a long while. It certainly was enough to kick off the day in fine fashion - and helped sustain me until tea time.

brioche for the good lady. Both were predictably great, helped in part by the extraordinary colour of the scrambled eggs. When asked what the chef had added to the eggs - a dash of paprika maybe - the answer was a resounding “nothing”, the eggs were from Clarence Court, the RollsRoyce of egg suppliers and which have the richest, golden yolks you can imagine. Boy were they tasty.

The hot second half to our breakfast was scrambled egg on sourdough toast for me, and with smoked salmon on toasted

So, we really did breakfast like kings - and it was a real treat to start our day there. Sadly we were both too full to extend our stay and lunch like princes, and when we return - which we will - we’ll ignore the nutritionists advice, and dinner like kings.

PRIZE DRAW - AQUA GRAND CAFE

Would you like the chance for you and a friend to have breakfast at Aqua Grand Cafe? The team there are very kindly offering breakfast for two from their terrific breakfast menu. All you need to do to be in with a chance is let me know you would like to be entered into the prize draw.

Simply send your name to me here at the magazine - by post to 8 Sandyleaze, WoT, BS9 3PY, email andy@ bcmagazines.co.uk, phone on 0117 259 1964 or text to 07845 986650 - no later than 31st March and one lucky entrant will be drawn at random to go and “breakfast like a king” at Aqua Grand Cafe.

How do we find our way through the new year property market maze?

There are areas of the British Isles, such as loftier parts of the Isle of Skye, where a compass doesn’t work. This anomaly is due to the local geology – a hard, abrasive, magnetic rock called gabbro. Not being able to trust one’s compass is always unnerving - and potentially dangerous.

At the moment the property market is like an untrustworthy compass. The needle should point accurately; instead it is going round and round, making the public uncertain about the correct way to go. Many people are faced with the rotating needle of conflicting information from the Press and Social Media. Some commentators point to falling values, while others disagree. Headlines scream that higher mortgage rates will make it difficult for first time buyers, buy-to-let investors will be selling up en masse, or that in a few short months we will be in a pre-banking crisis, pre-Brexit and pre-pandemic property market Utopia.

Whether you are selling, buying a home, or buying to let, it’s challenging for most to know which way to go. Should one hold off buying or selling in the hope of a better market? But buyers and sellers will be piling in by then, which could mean losing the advantage of bold action now.

The answer to all these questions is to ignore the confused media compass and find a more reliable pathfinder. Enter Howard Independent Estate Agents. You might be astonished to know how much Howard understands about our local property market. After all, our activities are seen in the main to consist of Social Media posts, newspaper ads and For Sale and Sold boards. But at Howard we are like icebergs: ninety per cent of what’s going on is unseen.

Author, Malcolm Gladwell, suggested it takes 10,000 hours (or approximately ten years) of deliberate practice to become an expert in anything.

Over ten years Howard has marketed, agreed the sales and seen through to completion thousands of property deals through markets good and bad, economies booming and busting, in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Howard has also helped families move during the good and the not so good times in their lives. We have advised landlords and investors, looked after their properties, and have secured good tenants regardless of market conditions. At Howard we have learnt what to do whatever the market, and we know what to do now.

So, if you want to know what direction is best for you in the prevailing property market, don’t trust a compass; ask the experts at Howard!

CLIFTONWOOD - FOR SALE GUIDE PRICE £775,000

A three bedroom period terraced property, with stunning panoramic views towards Bristol Floating Harbour and Dundry. Lovingly maintained by current owners with period meets modern twists. Viewing comes highly recommended.

CLIFTON - FOR SALE GUIDE PRICE £220,000

A beautifully presented, one double bedroom retirement flat. An excellent Clifton location and well placed for the Village. Recently installed fitted kitchen and shower room. Spacious living room with open outlook. Double bedroom with built in wardrobes. Communal lounge and gardens. Viewing is highly recommended.

SNEYD PARK - SOLD SIMILAR PROPERTIES REQUIRED

An outstanding three bedroom maisonette. Offering a stylish and well presented interior. Floor area 1622 sq ft / 150.7 sq m. Situated close to the Downs, Whiteladies Road. Scope to extend with relevant permission.

STOKE BISHOP - SOLD SIMILAR PROPERTIES REQUIRED

An exceptional first floor apartment offering panoramic views. A spacious and well-presented interior. Private balcony, with storage, garage, and guest parking. Communal gardens with drying area. Two double bedrooms with built in wardrobes. No onward chain.

Digital Voice and the landline phone switch-off It’s arguably the biggest social project since analogue television was retired some 10 years ago: the UK’s telephone network is also going digital. The telecoms industry has even set a deadline that’s backed by the UK government –the old copper network will be switched off at the end of 2025.

If you weren’t aware of plans to switch off the PSTN (public switched telephone network), you aren’t alone. When telecare provider Taking Care did a survey they found that 91% were unaware that all phone lines would become digital by the end of 2025.

Digital Voice is the name BT, the UK’s biggest landline provider, uses for its digital voice service. You may also hear digital voice services referred to as ‘VoIP’, ‘IP voice’ and other branded versions such as ‘Sky Voice’ or ‘TalkTalk Voice’. Digital voice services are the future of landlines – they work using broadband connections rather than copper phone lines.

Your landline provider will get in touch with you when it’s coming to the time for you to migrate. They might call the new service Digital Voice, IP voice or a branded version such as ‘Sky Voice’.

BT has already migrated hundreds of thousands of customers to its Digital Voice service. It and other providers are currently focusing on offering digital phone services to customers when they switch broadband providers or upgrade to full fibre broadband. If you switch provider, you may also be offered the option to eschew a phone line altogether – previously something only offered by a handful of providers.

If you don’t want to change to a digital phone service, in many cases you won’t have to upgrade just yet: traditional phone services will continue to work for a couple of years. But from 2023, traditional phone services won’t be offered to new or recontracting customers, and by December 2025 they will be withdrawn entirely.

So what happens when you are switched over?

In most cases, the changeover will be simple. While some phones might require an adaptor, many will continue working (particularly DECT cordless phones) – you’ll just have to plug yours into your router or a new socket. Older phones might need to be replaced. It’s likely that providers will offer a new model, but it might come at a cost. Some people might need a new or upgraded router, supplied by their provider. You’ll be able to keep the same phone number and you’ll also still have to pay for calls in the same way.

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Conservative Councillors for Westbury-on-Trym

Geoff Gollop

Sharon Scott

Steve Smith

•Cllr.geoffrey.gollop@bristol.gov.uk

•0117 903 9946

•Cllr.sharon.scott@bristol.gov.uk

•07584 182792

•Cllr.steve.smith@bristol.gov.uk

•07769 285 266

& Henleaze or write to us at City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR

• Westbury Hill car park. To join our campaign against car park charges please register at wotcarpark@gmail.com

• The planning committee decision for St Christophers may be put back to the 26th April. We support the concerns of 600+ local residents. You can still comment- see scanbristol.org

• Buses Stop. From 1st April the 10 and 11 buses will finish at Southmead Hospital and no longer serve UWE and Parkway Station

If you are involved in any local events that are of a charitable / “not-for-profit” nature, including social groups, support networks, fundraisers, school events, concerts, talks, clubs etc, and would like some free publicity do please get in touch. Listings of up to 60 words per month will be published free of charge. From now on if your event / club / choir etc is “for-profit”, rather than charitable in nature, then the total cost of a monthly 75-word listing will be £50 + VAT for six-months or £75 + VAT for 12 months. You may change your listing without further charge at any time. To be included, or for more details, please get in touch - andy@bcmagazines.co.uk, 0117 259 1964 / 07845 986650 or write to 8 Sandyleaze, WoT, BS9 3PY, and I will be more than happy to help. If you have a dated event that is in the first half of the month you are strongly advised to get it listed in the previous month’s magazine as no guarantee can be given that the magazine will be delivered by the date of your event.

• Aikido for Kids: Westbury Aikido Club offers lessons for children, on Sunday mornings during term-time, at the Scout Hall (Northcote), Great Brockeridge BS9 3TY. See www.westburyaikido. club for more detail, or email reenee@ westburyaikido.club. The first lesson is free, so come along and give it a try!

• The Arts Society Bristol Would you like to join us for engaging lectures given by specialists in their own arts related field? New members are welcome. The lecture on 14 March is on Arts and Crafts in Cotswold Churches and on 11 April is on Jewellery in the Age of Victoria. Lectures are held at 8pm at Redmaids’ High School, Westburyon-Trym, BS9 3AW. See our website www. theartssociety-bristol.org.uk

• Blaise Community Garden, next to Blaise Museum, is open Wednesday and Saturday 10-2. Originally the walled kitchen garden to the house, it’s now a bustling volunteerled community garden. Free entry, so come and see the flowers, vegetables, trees and ponds. Plants always available on our Plant Table. Got some spare time? We’re always looking for new volunteers. No experience needed, all ages welcome. Our Café serving homemade cakes will be open 10-2 on 18 March and 8 April.

• Book Club Interested in sharing the joy of reading? Our 20 year old Book Club welcomes new members. Would you like to join us? We meet at Amelia Lodge and members homes at 2pm last Friday of the month. If interested please contact Judith Barker jabarker14@gmail.com co.uk/visit

• Bristol A Cappella is an award-winning mixed barbershop chorus who love to sing close harmony a cappella. Rehearsals are every Tuesday at 7:30pm at Victoria Methodist Church on Whiteladies Road. Email membership@bristolacappella. co.uk to come along! For more info, visit our website at www.bristolacappella.

• Bristol All Voices Allowed Choir are looking for new singers, men and women, beginners and more experienced singers, to join us. Rehearsals on Tuesdays, 6.30 –8.00pm at Holy Trinity Church, Hotwells. Contact Chris on 07866 456 776.

• Bristol Bach Choir is delighted to be performing at St Alban’s Church, Wetbury Park, for the first time on Saturday March 18th at 7.30pm. We start with Mozart’s Solemn Vespers, Byrd’s popular Ave verum corpus, 5 Spirituals from A Child of our Time by Sir Michael Tippett, anthems by Stanford and W.H.Harris, and Herbert Howells’ sublime setting of the Te Deum. Tickets: £24 (reserved), £15 (unreserved). Students and under 18s, free (see website for full details). Phone: Bristol Bach Choir Box Office 0117 214 0721 or visit www. bristolbach.org.uk

• Bristol Bridge Club (BBC) has been running free online supervised sessions with some teaching all through the pandemic on Zoom, and will continue to do so every Saturday morning from 10am to 12 noon. To take part, go to the bridge club website www.bristolbridgeclub.co.uk and follow the link “Learn and Play”.

• Bristol Bridge Club weekly “Friendly Thursdays” for members and their guests. Join us for a relaxed pairs handicapped bridge session. Food is served from 6.30pm … followed by bridge around 7.15pm. The winning pair will receive a bottle of wine each. Just turn up on the night!

• Bristol Bridge Club are planning to run another beginners course starting February 27, 2023. It will be on Wednesday evening at 7pm. The cost will be £70 for ten lessons (£90 for ten lessons including a book BFA Beginning Bridge) or £8 a lesson. For further details, please email teaching@bristolbridgeclub.co.uk

• Bristol Brunel Probus Club. Retired? At a loose end? Looking for some friendship and entertainment? You’d be welcomed at our Bristol Brunel Probus Club. We meet every 2nd Tuesday of the month at BAWA [Filton] for lunch & a presentation / talk. Contact our Secretary D Waters on 0117914-5465 for more details.

• Bristol’s Flower Club meets on Thursday afternoons in Henleaze at the Bradbury Hall, 117 Waterford Road, BS9 4BT. Annual membership is great value at £52 with inspiring floral demonstrations, optional creative hands-on practice classes and special ‘flowery’ events and social trips plus 10% discount off plants at Brackenwood Nursery. Check us out on the second Thursday of the month for a Floral Demonstration with doors opening 1.30 for a 2pm start, and the fourth Thursday for an optional hands-on practice session with doors opening 1.15 for a 1.30pm start (every month except Dec and Aug when we take a break). Visitors are very welcome, and entry is £8. Contact Jenny York, Chair HDFC Email yorkjenny2@ yahoo.com or text/call 07880 700270

• Bristol Community Gamelan play the music of Java every Monday at Cotham School from 6.30-8.30. We play by numbers –only 1-6, without the 4 ! So no audtions, no need to read music. If you fancy a different musical experience, contact us via email on keithripley27@gmail.com

• Bristol French Circle / Cercle français de Bristol. Our next session will be our annual Discussion littéraire at 8pm on 9 March at BAWA. We will be talking about Et si c’était vrai... by Marc Levy – these evenings are always a really interesting exchange of views. We will follow that with a hybrid Zoom talk by Brigitte Thibaut, on L’histoire du vignoble bordelais, on Thursday 23 March at 8pm. There will be a petit cours at 7pm at BAWA for those who would like to watch Brigitte’s talk together on the big screen; other members and visitors will watch her presentation from home. Please have a look at our website (www.cfbristol. org.uk) for the programme and updates, and do get in touch with Charlotte Taylor, the President, if you are interested in coming along – she will be delighted to chat with you! charlottejanetaylor10@ gmail.com / 07976 922636.

• Bristol Friends of WNO invite you to enjoy a variety of talks with glorious music at our new venue, The Apostle Room, Clifton Cathedral (Worcester Road entrance).

Visitors always welcome. Wednesday 15th March 2023 - Some Surprising Fachs. Donald Maxwell looks back on the last forty five years and shares some thoughts and illustrations from favourite roles in his very varied career. 6.45 for 7.15 pm Refreshments available Easy parking. WNO Friends £8, visitors £10. Further information about this and occasional coach trips from Melanie David - Tel: 01934 842014 melaniejdavid@btinternet.com

• Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society’s next meeting will take place on Monday 27 March 2023 at the Apostle Room, Clifton Cathedral BS8 3BX at 7.45 pm (refreshments available from 7.15). Dr Jim Pimpernell will speak on “The Berkeley Estate in the Eighteenth Century”. Offstreet parking available; no 8 bus runs close by. For further information contact johnregstevens@outlook.com (01179 681326 or 07835 846485).

• Bristol Harmony West Gallery Choir & Band sing and play lively church and village music from the 18th century. We meet at St Edyth’s Church Hall in Sea Mills on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. No auditions but ability to read music is helpful. Ring Fritjof on 0117 924 3440 for more information, or see www. bristolharmony.wordpress.com. Please contact before attending so we can have music ready.

• Bristol Languages Tutor: French, Spanish & English Tuition. Qualified teacher with 12+ years tutoring experience. Lessons at home or online. Children, students, adults. Complete beginners, after-school clubs, conversation practice and exam preparation (GCSE, A Level, Common Entrance etc.). Email: BristolLanguagesTutor@gmail.com or Tel. 07825 600 402.

• Bristol Male Voice Choir invite new and returning singers to join us at our weekly rehearsals, every Thursday from 7pm -9pm at St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Elm Park, Filton, Bristol BS34 7PS. We are a sociable and friendly group, singing a wide range of musical styles in our repertoire, and we look forward to seeing you - you don’t have to be a reader of music. Ffi see our website www.bristolmvc.org.uk or us on 07587 143 220.

• Bristol Morris Men practice on Thursday evenings from 8:15pm - 9:45pm in the Sports Hall at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital (QEH), Berkely Place, Clifton BS8 1JX. New members are very welcome, whether you

Council Tax : Will increase by 5% in April. Proposals to remove funding for parks, cut libraries and move Central Library have been dropped. Escalating costs to refurbish the Bristol Beacon (Colston Hall) are a major concern up from £45M to a shocking £132M!

The Downs : Readers will be aware of a new type of anti social behaviour on the Downs. This involves cars and quadbikes racing on the grass. John and Henry have been in touch with Avon & Somerset PCC, Mark Shelford, asking for a crackdown and a greater police presence. As regards the increasing number of van dwellers and associated litter/waste, your local councillors together with the 3 councillors from Westbury on Trym have arranged a meeting with the Mayor. We will report back on this next time.

Voi Scooters: Residents have reported a rise in reckless parking of Voi Scooters on residential roads across Stoke Bishop and Sneyd Park. John and Henry have voiced concerns to Voi and Metro Mayor, Dan Norris. The scooter pilot is being monitored by the Metro Mayor. Please let him know your views. You can contact him by emailing: Mayor@westofengland ca.gov.uk

Your comments, views and questions welcomed these are our contact details:

Cllr John Goulandris Email: cllr.john.goulandris@bristol.gov.uk

Cllr Henry Michallat Email: cllr.henry.michallat@bristol.gov.uk

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Stoke Bishop, Sea Mills & Sneyd Park Matters

City Hall, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TR Tel: 0117 922 2227 have any experience of dancing or none. Call Grant on (0117) 9442165.

• Bristol Phoenix Choir If you love singing we would love to hear from you! We are a friendly choir and we enjoy rehearsing and performing great choral works as well as shorter more intimate pieces. If you would like to sing with us please contact Jackie our membership secretary jackie. blackwell410@gmail.com.

• Bristol Phoenix Choir, Saturday 4th March, Clifton Cathedral 7.30pm, will be performing Brahms ‘Ein deutsches Requiem’ and Vaughan Williams ‘Five Mystical Songs’. Tickets through Eventbrite, from choir members or at the door - £18, under 25s £5, under 16s free.

• Bristol Scrabble Club meets every Wednesday at 7.00 pm at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park, Filton BS34 7PS. New members welcome - first visit free so come and give it a try. For further information contact Sheila on 01179570792, 07435316458 or shinett@ blueyonder.co.uk

• Bristol Shambhala Meditation Group offers meditation on Thursday evenings at the Friends’ Meeting House in Hampton Road from 7.15pm until 8.45pm and a qualified Meditation Instructor is available to talk you through the practice if this is required. In addition to meditation practice there is usually a reading, a discussion and a mindfulness of body exercise. Further information at bristol. shambhala.info

• Brunel Sinfonia Spring Concert - come and join the Brunel Sinfonia on Saturday 18th March at 7:30pm at Redland Hall, Redmaids’ High School. We’ll be performing Holst’s The Planets, joined by Bristol Cathedral Choir School. The choir will also perform Music of Stillness by Elaine Hagenberg. Other programme items include Night Ride and Sunrise by Sibelius, and The Space Between Stars by Ella Macens, Tickets available on the door, or in advance from https://www. brunelsinfonia.org.uk/purchase-ticket £15 adults, £12 concessions, £6 NUS and £3 U18s. There’s also a £6 First-timer ticket option if it’s your first time at a Brunel Sinfonia concert.

• Bristol Stitchers - Exploring fabric and stitch. A programme of monthly activities including talks and “Meet and Stitch” sessions, All taking place in Horfield BS7 8ST. Visit bristolstitchers.wordpress.com for more details.

• Clifton Women’s Institute - we’re a friendly bunch who meet on the last Wednesday of the month at Alma Church, Alma Road, Clifton BS8 2ES from 7.30. Anyone interested in coming to a meeting as a visitor is most welcome (£5). It’s not all jam and Jerusalem, and we’re particularly keen to welcome younger members who would like to meet like minded women, mingle with a glass of wine and enjoy some varied and interested talks.It would be good to see you, no obligation to join - just come along and see what we get up to. Our speaker on Wednesday 29th March is Reginald King who will be sharing The History of Keeping Warm in Bed which sounds intriguing! We keep our blog cliftonwi.blogspot.com updated with our forthcoming events. For more information about Clifton WI, please contact thecliftonwi@gmail.com

• City of Bristol Choir warmly invites you to a concert, ‘That Friday Feeling’, comprising 70 minutes of choral music to invigorate, refresh and soothe the soul. The concert is on Friday 24th March 2023 at 7.45pm in All Saints’ Church, Clifton. Tickets include refreshments, served from 7.15pm, £15 for adults, £5 for students and under 18s, available online at www.cityofbristolchoir. org.uk and at Opus 13 music shop, Park Row (0117 923 0164).

• City Voices Bristol rehearse on Monday nights at Red Maids High School, from 7.15-9.15pm. We are keen to welcome new members who would like to join a friendly and sociable group of people who love to sing! Our repertoire extends from rock and pop to choral and musicals. If you would like more information, look at our website www.cityvoicesbristol.org or pop along on a Monday night to the Performing Arts Centre at Redmaids.

• The Country Market now runs from 10.00am to 11.30am every Friday in the Methodist Church Hall in Westbury on Trym. Call Sue on 0117 962 8306 for more details.

• Harold Stephens have organised a ‘Cuppa 4 a Cure’ event to raise money for BRACE

Dementia Research charity on Tuesday 21st March 1pm – 2.30pm at Golden Hill Sports Ground. We will be selling refreshments and cake and also holding a raffle. Contact Amy community@ haroldstephens.co.uk or call 0117 3636 212 to book your free spot.

• Drawing for well-being: an opportunity to step back from the madness of life and engage with nature through drawing.