The Bristol Six Magazine- April 2017 by Andy Fraser

Hello there and thanks for opening up the new-look Bristol Six magazine. I get bored very easily and need to change stuff around on a regular basis. Usually it is the office furniture or my coffee shop allegiance, but this time it is the look of the magazine. There’s no driving reason or subliminal message behind this, it just felt like the right thing to do. There are a few changes a more informative (and thicker) front cover, a bit more variety on the puzzle page, more editorial content, but much remains the same.

marketing pot with me just give me a shout - full details on page 64. Right, I’m off to try and get to grips with some social media - Facebook, Infogram, Chitchat, that kind of stuff. You may or may not see the results of this next month. In the meantime have a great April - enjoy Easter, I hope you pick a winner at the Grand National and watch out for those pranksters on April 1st. Best wishes,

April, as I suspect I say each year, is my Andy the Editor favourite month as far as the magazine is concerned - spring is here, the area is (and Nacho, our looking sunny, fresh and vibrant (hopefully) own Easter bunny) and with the new financial year come new advertising budgets! So if you are involved in a local business and fancy sharing your

How do you fancy winning £15 in cash just for sending me a text? Yep? Thought so. So here’s the deal. Making sure readers get their copy of The Bristol Nine or The Bristol Six each month is vital, and knowing when you’ve received it is hugely reassuring here at HQ. So to make me feel warm and cosy on this I’d love it if you could simply let me know that you’ve received your copy. And to say thank you I’m going to reach for my wallet (not a common event) and offer up three £15 “thank you’s” to a trio of responsive readers.

with the magazine, so it won’t be answered by a human (You may though get a text message back saying thanks for entering - if I can master the technology of course). And that’s it really - I don’t need your name, just your postcode and the magic word. Then on April 15th I’ll draw three texts at random, delete all the texts received, contact those three winners and pop round with their cash.

Simple. 1) 2)

All you need to do is to text me your post code together with this month’s magic word 3) “Thanks” to the following number - 07546 926 441. Please note, this number to text is 4) not the main number for getting in touch -

Receive magazine Text “Thanks” and your postcode Send text to 07546 926 441 Cross fingers.

Contact Numbers Gas Emergencies 0800 111 999 Electricity Emergencies 0800 365 900 Water Emergencies 0845 702 3797 Avon & Somerset Police Non-Emergencies 101 (new no.) Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 Southmead Hospital 0117 950 5050 Bristol Royal Infirmary 0117 923 0000 Bristol Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital 0117 342 8460 NHS non-emergency 111 Bristol Blood Donation 0117 988 2040 The Samaritans 08457 909090 Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 76975 55 ChildLine 0800 11 11 National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 Telephone Pref Service 0845 070 0707 Mailing Pref Service 0845 703 4599 West of England Care & Repair - help, advice and information 0300 323 0700 Postal Services Cotham Pharmacy & Post Office 9 - 6 Monday to Friday 9 - 1 Saturday Whiteladies Rd Post Office 9 - 5.30 Monday to Friday, 9 - 13.00 Saturday Gloucester Rd Post Office 9 - 5.30 Monday to Saturday Late Post - there is a late post box at the main Post Office sorting depot on the A38 at Filton. Currently the late post is at 7pm.

Lane, Avonmouth are now open summer hours, from 8.00am to 6.45pm, 7 days a week . Bristol City Council The Council website offers residents information about BCC services including council tax, bins & recycling, schools, leisure, business, streets and parking. Visit www.bristol.gov.uk or contact the General Enquiries switchboard on 0117 922 2000. Trains to / From Temple Meads Trains depart from Redland Station to Temple Meads at the following times Monday -Friday 0628, 0645, 0744, 0819, 0852, 0932, 1019, 1052, 1133, 1219, 1251, 1333, 1419, 1451, 1534, 1619, 1650, 1732, 1819, 1914, 1948, 2019, 2154, 2235, 2319 Saturday 0650, 0733, 0819, 0850, 0932, 1019, 1051, 1134, 1219, 1250, 1334, 1419, 1451, 1534, 1619, 1650, 1734, 1819, 1931, 2012, 2154, 2234, 2319 Sunday 1011, 1107, 1207, 1307, 1407, 1507, 1607, 1710, 1809, 1837 Trains depart from Bristol Temple Meads to Redland at the following times -

Local Libraries

Monday - Friday

Cheltenham Road - tel. 903 8562 Mon 1-7, Tues closed, Weds - Sat 11-5

0514, 0548, 0630, 0703, 0803, 0836, 0916, 1003, 1034, 1116, 1203, 1234, 1316, 1403, 1434, 1516, 1603, 1635, 1713, 1803, 1847, 1933, 2034, 2137, 2216

Redland - tel. 903 8549 Mon closed, Tues 11-5, Weds 11-7, Thurs-Sat 115

Saturday

Henleaze - tel 0117 903 8541 Mon-Tues 11-5, Weds 11-7, Thurs 11-5, Fri 1-7, Sat 10-5

0603, 0634, 0716, 0803, 0834, 0916, 1003, 1034, 1116, 1203, 1234, 1316, 1403, 1434, 1516, 1603, 1634, 1716, 1803, 1903, 2034, 2140, 2216

Recycling and Household Waste

Sunday

The Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Avonmouth and St Phillips on Kingsweston

0908, 1023, 1123, 1223, 1323, 1423, 1523, 1623, 1652, 1753

As it is April it seemed appropriate to have humour as the theme to the Prize Wordsearch this month - so you are looking for comedians and comediennes. Listed below are twenty of my favourites past and present. Nineteen of the names have been hidden in the wordsearch grid, leaving one who missed out. Just find out which funny man or funny women isn’t in the grid and let me know. The names can be hidden forwards, backwards, up, down or on a diagonal. Send the name of the missing person in to me - post to 8 Sandyleaze, WoT, BS9 3PY, email andy@bcmagazines.co.uk, text 07845 986650 or phone 0117 259 1964 - and if you are

correct your name will go into the hat to win a £20 gardening voucher. Right, here are the names you are looking for Norman Wisdom Frank Skinner Dara O’Briain Omid Djalili Pamela Stephenson Eric Morecambe Sarah Millican Lenny Henry Josh Widdicombe Victoria Wood

Arthur Askey Jack Dee Dawn French Vic Reeves Billy Connolly Milton Jones Frankie Howerd Ronnie Corbett Tim Vine

Jo Brand

Would you rather spend time doing something other than your home cleaning?

The second in an occasional series looking at some of my personal favourite buildings across Bristol takes us to the top of Park Street to visit what I think is the most imposing building in the city - the Wills Memorial Building.

on the project. The building, of which the bell tower is the most visible part, was commissioned as a memorial to Henry Overton Wills, benefactor to Bristol University and its first Chancellor, by his sons George and Henry. Built of reinforced concrete faced with Bath and Clipsham stone, the Wills Tower itself stands 215 feet high, which from a lofty perch atop Park Street explains it’s imposing presence. Still a working building in the Bristol University’s estate, the Wills Memorial Building houses the Schools of Law and Earth Sciences, as well as being the venue for banquets, weddings and of course graduations. And as I type this the doors are about to open on the latest of Luke Jerram’s urban installations, the giant suspended moon that you will have seen inn the news.

Stunning in any light, solid, intricate and dominant, the Wills Memorial Building always reminds me of Tower Bridge in London - not just for its architectural beauty and its reputation as being genuinely iconic (when so many things these days are mis-described this way) but also because it isn’t as old as I think it should be. Tower Bridge was constructed at the very end of the 19th century and the Wills Memorial came along in 1925, a ten year construction period interrupted by war and with a final bill of just over half a million pounds. I suppose it is the neo-Gothic style that makes it seem older, and it was designed to emulate the beauty of some of the much older university buildings in Oxford and Cambridge. The Wills Memorial Building was designed by Sir George Oatley, the revered Bristolian architect who lists St Edyth’s Church in Sea Mills and St Monica Trust HQ on the Downs amongst his other works, and who was knighted for his work -

To fully appreciate the scale and grandeur of the Wills Memorial Building I can heartily recommend taking the guided tour of the building, a visit that is currently the number 3 attraction in Bristol according to Trip Advisor. Tours take place on the first Saturday of the month (every half hour between 11am and 1pm), occasional other Saturdays at 1pm, and on the first Wednesday of the month at 12.15pm and 12.30pm. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and cost £5 for adults and £4 for concessions. All proceeds go towards the Wallace & Grommit Grand Appeal to help support Bristol Children’s Hospital. To be sure of a place it is probably best to contact the tour guide, the very excellent Gary Nott, on 0117 954 5219 or email Gary at towertours@bristol.ac.uk. Given the age and altitude of the building the tour may present some difficulties for people with limited mobility but don’t let that put you

off. With prior notification access is possible using the lift to enough levels to be able to visit the ornate Grand Hall, the historical Council Chamber and the beautiful libraries, all well worth a visit. Go higher still, by way of 100 steps, and you will be able to visit the belfry where â&#x20AC;&#x153;Great Georgeâ&#x20AC;? sits, all nine and a half tons of him - time your visit well and you may be stood next to the bell as it tells Bristol the time. And a further 100 lungbursting narrow steps upwards and you will emerge out onto the rooftop, with stunning views down Park Street, across to Brandon Hill and up over Bristol Grammar School towards the new Southmead Hospital on the near horizon. Not for those with a dislike of heights, but Bristol from on high is always fascinating, and although it was raining on the day of my visit the views across the city were worth the effort of getting to the roof. The Wills Memorial Building - visit it, climb it, love it.

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The Blame Game A Case for No-Fault Divorce Some of you will be aware of the recent case of Tini Owens, a 66 year old woman who has asked the Court of Appeal to overturn a Family Court ruling that she couldn't divorce her husband, despite being desperately unhappy in her 39 year marriage. Tini told the Court that her husband was insensitive towards her, that he mistrusted her and that she felt unloved. Tini's husband disagreed, denying that this was how he behaved. Despite this, the Family Court considered that Tini's allegations against her husband, were nonetheless of the kind that could be expected in a marriage and her divorce petition was refused. Tini has now asked the Court of Appeal to overturn that ruling and the outcome is awaited. A fault-based system

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

adultery unreasonable behaviour two years separation with consent five years separation without consent desertion

However, 62% of divorce petitions in the UK are based on 'fault' (ONS statistics on divorces, 2012), which leaves the remaining 38% of those seeking a divorce left with having to rely on separation based grounds with or without their former partner's consent. Is the law due for an update? In 2015, Richard Bacon MP introduced a Ten Minute Bill which proposed creating no fault divorce. The Bill proposed a system whereby each party could make a separate declaration that the marriage had irretrievably broken down without a requirement to satisfy the court of any other fault. Unfortunately however, the Bill did not proceed past its first reading in the House of Commons.

In England & Wales, the only ground for Other jurisdictions have been far more divorce is irretrievable breakdown of the forward thinking in their approach to marriage. This has to be supported by one marriage breakdown. For example, in of five 'facts':

2006 Scotland introduced new legislation reducing the period of separation from two years to one where there is consent and from five years to two where there is no consent. Australia, the USA and Spain are all countries where no fault divorce is possible.

Whilst we are currently left with a fault based divorce system, our matrimonial team are members of Resolution, a body which promotes a non-confrontational approach to family problems. We are experienced in facilitating divorces for clients with a view to minimising animosity.

Where does this leave us? The matter is still up for debate. Despite the widespread support for 'no-fault divorce', including campaigning from lawyers and senior members of the judiciary who have recently criticised ministers for failing to reform the law, successive governments have resisted calls to do so.

If you need help or advice in this area, please contact Veale Wasbrough Vizards' Partner Samantha Hickman on 0117 314 5435 or at shickman@vwv.co.uk.

The Pope is dead and behind closed doors Lomeli has to organise the election of a successor from the cardinals gathered at St Peter’s. That’s the plot of Robert Harris’s brilliant new novel Conclave. The election process is fascinating and steeped in history and as we learn about the main contenders, there is constant intrigue and tension. And will the Pope intervene from beyond the grave? Secrets and past misdemeanours return to bite the perpetrators until at the end when you think everything is done and dusted, a further twist throws everything up in the air again in this gripping and very clever thriller. 2011 and Adolf Hitler wakes up on a patch of Berlin wasteland. No Himmler, no Eva Braun, just him. In effect he’s a time traveller and what he sees astonishes him: the country is ruled by a woman; it’s teeming with immigrants and there’s a bizarre new custom of chasing around after dogs with plastic bags. In Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes, everybody recognises Adolf but they believe he’s just an impersonator. Hitler never breaks character though. His old ambitions remain and his rants quickly make him a media sensation. This is a very funny novel despite the unsettling worries that erupt along with the laughs.

became highly skilled through training with the ball every day. Jimmy Hogan inspired Hungary, who destroyed England’s invincibility in 1953. George Raynor in Sweden and William Garbutt in Italy were among many who were successful and highly influential. If you enjoy football, read this book. Surfers! Young and tough, with bleached hair, they long for the perfect wave and search it out, right? And when they get old? Not so tough but they still have that longing and they still keep searching. That’s the message of William Finnegan’s wonderful surfing memoir Barbarian Days. Born in California in the early fifties, he set off after college on a lifelong surfing odyssey with various girlfriends and wave riding buddies and circumnavigated the globe in doing so. If you’re a surfing ignoramus, don’t worry. Finnegan will teach you what you need to know about waves and boards and mesmerise you in the process.

Set now, in Cincinnati, Eligible is Curtis Sittenfeld’s entertaining and raunchy re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice. To their mother’s chagrin, the five Bennet girls are still unmarried and growing older. Then Chip Bingley bursts onto the scene. His supercilious chum Darcy turns up too and offends sensible, competent Everyone’s better at football than Lizzie Bennet. So far so samey, but England but how did that come Sittenfeld’s clever modern updates about? Well, according to Rory offer a new perspective that will Smith in his absolutely fascinating intrigue Jane Austen lovers. For Mister we brought it all on those who don’t know the original, ourselves. Since before 1914 English it’s a fresh and page turning novel coaches have been going abroad to that might even encourage them to find the jobs they couldn’t get in try Jane out. Oh, and Mr Bennet’s as England. As a result they laid down a droll and useless as ever. A great tradition of very fit players who read. -

Happy Spring to you all! 1.

This is the optimal month for planting and sowing Do ensure that all plants are watered in, and kept moist if the weather is dry. Give all plants a good mulch with well rotted compost or manure, but don’t let the mulch touch the plant, keeping about 5cm away from the base of the plant.

Sow hardy annuals and herbs this month (although parsley is best sown in 9. October)

With this very wet winter, many Mediterranean plants such as Lavender, cistus, shrubby salvias and perovskia have struggled. Replace those that have died. Deadhead daffodils and narcissi, give them a liquid feed or sprinkling of bonemeal and then let them die down. Don’t cut off the leaves as they are necessary to replenish the bulb for next year. Keep deadheading spring bedding to keep it looking neat and encourage new flowers.

Sow bare patches of lawn, now that the soil temperature is increasing. If it isn’t too wet, you can also tidy up your lawn edges with a half moon spade

Sow under cover summer veg such as French and runner beans, sweetcorn, courgettes and squashes, and plant out after they’ve germinated. For minimum effort, buy young plants of tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and peppers for the greenhouse. You can also plant out your chitted potatoes now.

Prune hydrangeas now that the danger of frost has passed, - do not remove stems with a bud at the top, but snip off old stems bearing deadheads to just above one of the topmost healthy buds and remove weak shoots and dead wood altogether from the base

This month you can divide your pond plants such as water lilies, irises and -

10.

marsh marigold. Ensure that you use grit in the bottom of your planting baskets, and aquatic compost which is nutrient free, otherwise you will have lots of green algae blooming in your pond. Whilst you are sorting your pond, don’t forget your bale of barley straw, which helps prevent algae and blanket weed. Just soak it in the pond water and leave it to float around and the enzymes will percolate into the pond. Towards the end of the month you can start planting up your pots with summer flowering annuals such as geraniums, verbena and lobelia - Watch out for late frosts though! As your climbers grow (roses, clematis, akebia etc) don’t forget to tie in the new growth. This is both for the health of the plant and to maximise flowering (and to prevent an untidy mess!) Happy gardening!

We can all cope with the odd night of sleep issues but if this continues it may start to affect our daily lives then something needs to be done. Use solution focused hypnotherapy to Trouble sleeping? Hypnotherapy could be help get your sleep back on track - during our the answer.. sessions together I will explain how sleep works using the latest neuroscience and we will work Many of us experience trouble sleeping at some together to get things back on track for you. time in our lives and we know that when this happens it makes such a difference to how we If this sounds like you or someone you know feel the following morning. Tired, irritable and please give me a call on 07730 747772 to less able to cope with those things that usually arrange a free initial consultation to find out we deal with no problem at all. how I can be of help. Sleep problems can mean that you are having trouble getting to sleep, lying awake for hours and very probably going over things in your mind, maybe things that have already happened during the day or what may be happening tomorrow - almost always though this thoughts are negative and worry us. You may be someone who wakes up during the night, every hour, every couple of hours or maybe once you’ve woken up that's it and you just cannot get back to sleep again. Mostly people will tell me that when this happens their thoughts turn to worry again and they start going over things in their mind. You could be someone who feels they sleep “too well” however much sleep you have you wake up in the morning feeling exhausted and as if you could happily have a few more hours.

What can hypnotherapy help with? • Difficulties sleeping • Lack of confidence & self esteem • Achieving your goals • Public speaking anxiety • Exam / interview nerves • Anxiety, stress & tension levels • Fears and phobias • Weight management • Unwanted patterns of behaviour • Negative thought patterns • Stopping smoking • Pregnancy and childbirth • • • and much more All sessions are completely tailored according to your individual needs.

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Don’t panic! Try not to fall victim to online trickery. It’s awful to think that there are so many people out to try and catch us out online. Cyber criminals spend their time trying to obtain personal information about us to help them to access our data, potentially steal our identity, or worse, our hard earned cash. You can protect yourself by having a high level of scepticism. If something sounds too good to be true, your gut instinct is probably right. If an email arrives to tell you that you have inherited a large amount of money or won a prize, be suspicious. What scammers want is for you to be duped into clicking on the links (always web addresses in blue with a line underneath), which will inevitably be contained in the email. Never click if you aren’t sure. Recently I was almost fooled by a couple. They are getting more and more sophisticated. One was a fake parking fine, telling me that I had parked illegally on private land at a certain date and time. The fine was large, and the email urged me to click to find out the full details. As you can imagine, this was quite a surprise and I was shocked and annoyed and almost clicked, but something made me think it might be fishy… I consulted my diary to find out what I had been doing on the date specified and realized it couldn’t be true. Then once calmer, I checked the address the email had been sent from and the supposed company collecting the money. Both were made up of course. It is important to remain calm in stressful situations involving your computer. Never click anything unless you are sure. This last week I have had several fake emails from Amazon, just like this one. They are designed to throw you into a panic. Even seasoned users of the Internet could be fooled by this one as it looks so real.

Dear Customer,Your ID info@mrspc.co.uk was used to purchase Kärcher K2 Full Control Home Pressure Washer ( £87.99 ) From Amazon Store on a device that had not previously been associated with you. If you initiated this purchase, you can disregard this email. In case you did not initiate this purchase, please visit our Help Page for full refund: http://invoice88account.amazsecure.id532usr.30supportapp.fr/inv051acc/ index.php?email=byinfo@mrspc.co.uk To cancel the transaction and to confirm that you are the owner of the account. Yours Sincerely, Amazon Security Department © 2017 amazon.com All rights reserved

The sender was supposedly Amazon.co.uk, or so it appeared. In fact, by clicking on the address to check, I found this address hidden acldz8362@shaw.ca I then knew it was a scam. Do always check the return address of any email you get that you are unsure about or that causes alarm. If you receive an email from a friend, and they are sending you a link, but you weren’t expecting to hear from them, and you feel it’s a little odd, they have probably had their email address hijacked. Do let them know. It’s easier to give a friend a call on the phone to check if they really did send the email, than click and risk an infection on your computer. Stay safe online! Happy Computing.

Album of the Month Heartworms by The Shins

marks their commercial and creative peak and contains many of their finest tracks, in particular Senses Working Overtime. The album was a As band members pivotal one for XTC, marking a new pastoral have departed, James sound for them and the point where they lost Mercer has taken full interest in touring. control of The Shins. Though ostensibly still This desire to retire from the road influenced the a group, it’s fair to say new direction. No longer needing to appeal to a that they are more of live audience, they were able to retreat into a vessel for his themselves. Andy Partridge’s writing continued personal output than to evolve, enriching his elaborate rhythms with ever before. This time around, with Mercer on intricate arrangements. Tracks such as Jason and production and recording duties too, he has the Argonauts, No Thugs in Our House and Colin taken a more experimental approach, albeit one Moulding’s Ball and Chain provided particular that affords him the space to write some of his highlights. most personal music to date. Then there’s Senses We’re not talking John Zorn levels of Working Overtime, innovations, but The Shins’ fifth album is a their most successful striking departure from the MOR territory single and long-lasting occupied by Port Of Morrow. That he references musical legacy. In just Ariel Pink and Grimes as current inspirations under 5 minutes it suggests where Heartworms is pitched. was a textured and The upbeat jangle of Name For You is a eccentric document deceptively familiar start, leading into a pair of of everything that warped new wave songs, Painting A Hole and made XTC great. It also contained some of Cherry Hearts. Up next is Fantasy Island, coming Partridge’s finest lyrics, where “all the world is across like a twinkling school disco slow dance. football-shaped”. A work of esoteric genius that Where that song infuses it sound with nostalgia, neither Partridge nor his band could better, this it’s the lyrics of Mildenhall that conjure up the was experimental indie at its finest. images of a youth spent in England, with Mercer singing, “Thought my flat top was so new wave/ Gig of the Month Until it melted away in the Suffolk rain.” Stormzy @ O2 Academy Bristol (Fri. 28th April) Of course, The Shins are still capable of those If you’ve had enough memorable nuanced moments, as proven by the of all the indie duo of Heartworms and So Now What . These nonsense above then smatterings of familiar notes will appease those we have the perfect wanting The Shins of Oh, Inverted World whilst antidote for you, as the rest of us can enjoy the new direction. On this month finds the album’s final song, The Fear, Mercer claims, grime sensation “you look into my eyes/ but you don’t really Stormzy heading to recognise me anymore.” That may well be the Bristol. Fresh from case, but it’s a new and original identity that his show-stealing should be celebrated. performance at the Brits, and with a debut No 1 record under his belt, such is the demand for Next Step this gig that it might be near impossible to get a English Settlement by XTC ticket now. If you already have yours, get ready for a special night and a chance to celebrate a If the slightly eccentric indie of Heartworms true star of his genre. floats your boat, this 1982 epic from Swindon’s finest band could very well blow your mind. It Duncan Haskell -

Am I strange? Or just normal? I’m probably both. We all are, aren’t we? How we are perceived is, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. So I, like everyone else, am both strange and normal, depending on whose subjective opinion you seek. And which aspects of my behaviour they observe. We all have our little eccentricities, mannerisms, habits don’t we? - tell me you don’t and I won’t believe you. These exhibitions of strangeness are what make us interesting, individual, one-offs. Now I’m going out on a limb here - in search of some empathy that will make this whole thing work- and I’m going to mention one of my little behaviours that, until recently, I thought must be unique to me. Then I mentioned it to my daughter who said she did exactly the same thing. So, not so strange after all. Picture, if you will, a box of cereal - and you are having the last serving. When recycling the box you take the plastic bag out - and find a lone cornflake / rice krispie / shreddie that has escaped the bag and lies at the bottom of the box. What do you do with it? Leave it there? No of course you don’t you pick it out of the box and drop it into your bowl with the rest of the final portion. And why? Because cereal has feelings - and that little Frostie needs to be with the rest of his friends, not thrown away to face alone the horrors of the brown food waste bin. Are you with me? If so you’ll fully understand that when you empty baked beans out of the tin you have to keep shaking the can until every last bean is out - because you can’t let that final little haricot face a life of solitude armed just with a protective coating of tomato. He needs to be with his beany friends (or indeed his family members). I’d love to know how many readers are sat there thinking “OMG, he does that too - perhaps I’m not mad after all”. Anyway, stick with me - you’ll see where this is going, and if you can relate to what I’m going on about I’m sure you’ll jump to support my cause. Last week I was in a well known supermarket, in the exotic foods aisle, when I noticed something a little strange, a little sad. There on the shelf, right behind a label that said “Sorry - temporarily out of stock”, sat a single falafel. I guess the -

plastic lid on the last vacuum pack of 10 falafels had split, and the shopper failed to spot not only that he or she was one falafel short of a full meze but that the last falafel in the store had been left all alone on the shelf. Having read my earlier admission of “strange” behaviour I’m sure you know what happens next. Of course you do. The solo falafel needed to be rescued, adopted if you will, as it would (in my mind) have been morally wrong to have left him there in unsplendid isolation. So as well as a basket of paid-for shopping I came home with a sad little middle-eastern snack. And now I am wondering if you might show me, and him, your support? I don’t know how long the lonely falafel had been left on the shelf, or what his “sell by” date would have been, but I’m clearly not going to eat him - that would be wrong in so many ways. However to make him feel wanted, at least until he starts to go green and fluffy, I’ve decided to let him spend a few days seeing the sights of Bristol, sights he’d never have seen had he been left in-store. You can follow his exploits on Facebook where I have set up a page called The Lonely Falafel. And what would make my day and I am sure it would for my chick-pea based friend - would be if you could Like his Facebook page. I’d love to think we might get 100 likes for him. Can we achieve that? Are you feeling the love? Will you embrace “The Lonely Falafel” and give him a big BS6 hug (not too tight mind, he is getting a little crumbly). If so please go to Facebook, search “The Lonely Falafel” and hit the “Like” button. Thank you.

cycling session apart, and developed a more scientific, evidence-based process which makes it more enjoyable and effective for It can be frustrating working at your fitness everyone. Cycling is low impact, so it's and feeling you're not reaching your goals. particularly good for those getting into Three things help ensure you'll get results fitness for the first time (or getting back into and stay motivated: doing something it), and those with joint issues or previous. specifically designed to efficiently get We offer newcomers, progressive and results, having a fun experience that gets advanced classes to cater for all ages, you hooked, and thirdly, tracking the results fitness, and confidence levels. you get. Clifton Revolution offers each of Each session includes cardio tracking from these. MyZone. "This is a super-engaging, fun Clifton Revolution is a dedicated indoor element, but also, it enables a safer cycling studio opening 1st May in Guthrie workout," continues Angela. "We've had a Road (BS8 3EZ) as part of Clifton College and few instances where the technology picked powered by Fox Cycling, using the latest in up cardiac anomalies, which after medical studio cycling bikes and heartrate tracking investigation led to life saving surgery. technology from MyZone, as well as expert Fox Cycling instructors are trained far Fox Cycling instructors. beyond industry standards; those who have Cardio tracking is a way to monitor intensity, previously qualified elsewhere undergo not only to ensure you're staying safe with specialised 'top-up' training to become a Fox your workout, but also to increase the instructor. efficiency of the time you spend exercising. Clifton Revolution opens 1st May in Guthrie With this technology, riders will get the Road BS8 3EZ. For more details please visit maximum benefit out of each minute. www.cliftonrevolution.com. With easy on "The Fox Cycling approach is innovative," booking, come and enjoy the welcoming and says Angela Reed-Fox, Fox Cycling's fitness encouraging atmosphere, best technology nurse. "We've taken every aspect of the and instructors.

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A Journey round the Downs - 1. Sea Walls

side of the Downs was taken over by American tanks, and large temporary accommodation For the next few issues I have set myself the was built. In 2016 the band Massive Attack task of describing a complete walk around the performed in front of nearly 30,000 people, circumference of the Downs, noting everything and left not a trace behind. that seems to me to be of interest. The total distance is nine kilometres, and I am first going Until 1974 the Portway carried all the M5 to set out from Sea Walls, heading south, traffic. As soon as the M5 Avonmouth Bridge keeping as close to the edge of the Gorge as opened the Portway was closed as it had been possible. discovered that part of the rock face below Sea Walls was unstable. The rock was gingerly The wall at Sea Walls was built by John Wallis removed, and the whole surface of the quarry in 1746, and he capped it with copper slag, pinned and netted above the road. The which is still there. The iron railings are much necessity for this became clear in 2013 when, more recent. The use of copper slag blocks was after the wettest year on record in Bristol in widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries, as 2012, came the coldest March since 1962, Bristol was the brass capital of England. The which froze the rocks, and a whole section of brass works were clustered along the Frome cliff face just to the north of Sea Walls, valley, using power from the river and cheap collapsed, though this did not affect the road. coal from Kingswood, and the slag was a waste This face too was pinned and netted at great product that they poured into moulds to create cost by 2015. This process is of course natural a building material. The material is erosion which continually slowly alters the imperishable, and can be found in old walls Gorge face. throughout the city. There are three fine noticeboards, set up at the At the time there was no road here. Circular initiative of the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Road was built in 1877 at the suggestion of Project, sponsored by the Zoo, which deal with Alderman Proctor to help protect the turf from the geological history of the site going back 350 damage by the narrow iron-shod wheels of million years, the quarries in the Gorge, and a carriages. Sea Walls was already a tourist wider view of Bristol as a city full of wildlife. destination, and has grown in popularity since. There are also some small notices telling climbers that the railings will not support their The views are magnificent to the south the ropes - which must be frustrating. Suspension Bridge frames the Avon , and looking North West the great cranes of Royal I’ve scarcely moved a metre, and haven’t even Portbury Dock, and Portishead Down. Beyond mentioned the ice-cream van, open on Boxing across the Severn lie Newport and hills of Day. The Downs are for people, and the Wales. management of a vast number of competing interests is sophisticated and subtle. If you The level grassland was used for horse racing enjoy the Downs, or use if for your sport, why between 1718 and 1839, and it was also a not become a Friend? Membership is just £10. cricket ground on which a game of Bristol vs Contact robinhaward@blueyonder.co.uk or London was played in 1752. In 1942 all the NW call 0117 974 3385 for more details.

This month’s article is going to be different Thus this first example formed a string of from my normal range of topics - the usual but circumstances which initiated most of the other approached from a completely different angle. events I am about to describe. Checking through sixty or so project records that our history group has completed during the last eighteen years I suddenly realised that success hadn’t only been attributable to sweat and delving. Coincidence, sudden inspiration, an unusually lucky find or merely 'being in the right place at the right time' contributed significantly to the project's success - or as a member said “Just serendipity.” A more rigorous examination reduced the project list to those of the ‘strange but true’ category. What is meant by Serendipity? On the 28th of January 1754 Horace Walpole wrote to his friend Sir Horace Mann first coining the expression “serendipity”. In his letter he used it to describe the "...facility of making lucky and unexpected discoveries", explaining that he took the name from the three Asian Princes of Serendip who were always making "Discoveries … of things that they were not in quest of." The start of it all. My interest in Local history all started in the summer of 1979 when I was working in a new office on Temple Back just off Victoria Street. A weekend impulse buy in the Clifton Antiques Market was a nice blue and white ‘Antique Series’ scenic dinner plate. Later a friend at the Museum told me that it was made at the Bristol Pottery by Pountney & Allies and when she showed me a map of the pottery it turned out that not only was our new office block directly over the site of the kilns but that my plate had been made 132 years before below where my desk was located. It was this discovery together with a view from my office of the adjacent Temple Church that aroused my interest in the history of the area.

Perseverance rewarded. During our Parish Boundary survey project for the Bristol Museum we were looking for St John the Baptist Parish (St J B Parish) marks reportedly in the basement of Sir Gilbert Scott’s Electricity House, the former SWEB building on the Centre. On a visit we were pleased to find stones inscribed STJB. However the SWEB official with us assured us that the letters were cable route markers and meant ‘Straight Through Junction Box’. Disappointed we left, however some months later out of the blue we received a solicitor’s letter enclosing a 1937 document about a church covenant specifying that the building was to have the aforementioned boundary markers erected on the building together with payment of a ground rent. By the date of our visit £3,600 was outstanding. Our group received a honarium from the vestry for bringing the matter to their attention. NB. I am pleased that the new developers of EH, as it is now known, have preserved the basement markers. Fate directing footsteps to a Birmingham cellar Years ago a visit to Birmingham left me with time to kill during the day, window shopping led me to a card shop that also sold some secondhand books. Upon enquiring if they had any books on Bristol I was told a vehement "No!" However for some reason I persisted and eventually the shopkeeper admitted that he had some in the cellar, but firstly he didn't know what they were, secondly, they were still boxed up and thirdly he was far too busy to unpack them. Again I persisted, and he reluctantly agreed that if I came back in a few hours he MIGHT get them up for me. Calling back in the afternoon I was handed a large box of books,

papers etc and told that I had to buy the lot or none. They had not been unpacked, and in 1970 the asking price of seven pounds cash was more than I could afford for something sight unseen but the same ‘message’ that made me persist in my questioning said "Go on." The find was amazing; a number of leather bound biographies of Bristol Worthies, Chatterton memorabilia, a set of commemorative opening day memorabilia for Bristol University, but the magic find was a set of cutting books containing private notes, articles, certificates and correspondence spanning forty years of Miss Winifred Parry's life as Bristol's first lady reference Librarian. Just one of the collection which came from the 1911 Horfield & Bishopston Record provided the material for a book we subsequently published. Miss Parry’s other material we donated to the library. How did the material end up in that Birmingham cellar? I had no reason to suppose that there was anything of interest in that shop, so what made me persist in spite of repeated attempts to put me off? An even stranger example – a mystery still unresolved! This is an account of the amazing sequence of events arising from a piece of iron found in a Bedminster pub eventually being reunited with its offspring in Shropshire. The story starts in the summer of 1985 following a visit to The Ironbridge Gorge Museum and the nearby Jackfields tile museum at Telford. That visit had been organised by the Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society and included a demonstration of tile making at Jackfields. Our society has a reciprocal arrangement with John Powell, their Bristolian librarian, concerning examples of Coalbrookdale ironware that we spot in Bristol. In exchange John has been able to provide us with design details of the many items of street furniture, such as fountains, statues, lampposts etc. dotted around Bristol. Shortly after the visit, when the demonstration of tile making fresh in mind, I spotted on the Ali Baba Bazaar stall in Clifton a slab of iron measuring 6 x 12 x 1/2inch thick, containing three bas relief scenes depicting what appeared to be three monks, one drinking from a tankard, the other smoking a clay pipe and the third refilling his tankard

from a jug. The stallholder told me that he wasn’t sure but thought it had come from a Bedminster Pub called the "Three Plumes." John asked me to buy it on behalf of the Coalbrookdale museum. Later John confirmed that it did seem to be a tile mould and agreed to ask for a tile to be made from it for our society’s collection. Time passed and I forgot all about it. In 1987 on another visit to Jackfields I was surprised to see the mould on display in the museum alongside its presumably offspring tile. Pleased that it proved that my guess had been correct, but miffed that they had forgotten their promise, I spoke to the museum staff, explained the background and asked for more details. The following week I received a phone call with this unbelievable account. Shortly after my first visit the museum welcomed a new Curator who knew nothing of our previous involvement. The legacy slab of iron was on his desk keeping his paper-mountain captive. Shortly after his arrival the museum had been asked to provide a tile for a cookery book illustration. His assistant was tasked to select a suitable tile from their collection. This she did and left it on the curator's desk. Job completed. When the curator came to make arrangements for the photography he noticed that the tile matched the "Paperweight" and asked why she had left the mould there as well, to which she replied "What mould?" They were checked and matched, and because it was unusual to have both the tile and the originating mould the curator arranged for them to be displayed together. Assuming, as seems likely, the tile did come from that mould, did the tile emigrate to Jackfields, or did the mould emigrate to Bristol? What agency was responsible for creating the chain of circumstances that brought all the pieces together at just the right time? Perhaps it was just a celestial joke. Nelson’s maker returns to Bristol The story starts with a "Famous Bristolians" article our society published about Edward Hodges Baily RA. FRS. Famed for his sculpted figures of national personages, probably his most photographed statue is that of Nelson on (continued on page 36)

the column in Trafalgar Square. For this reason the statueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photograph was included in our article. One of our members, Francis Charlton when she was visiting saw our magazine open at the article and asked if we realised that Edward was one of her relatives. The outcome? After two years of correspondence the family portrait of Edward was returned to Bristol from Scotland where it had been sent for safety during the last war and not uncrated since. The Baily Lodge in the Province of Bristol sponsored the restoration and repair of shrapnel damage and it is on loan from the family to be shared between his former Lodge and the Bristol City museum and Art Gallery. Currently it hangs in the Freemasons Hall, formerly the 19th Century Bristol Philosophic & Scientific Institute, in Park Street coincidentally the building for which he carved the Frieze (see here) over the entrance door representing the Arts, Science & literature being introduced by Minerva and Apollo to the City.

reminder of his days in sunnier climes. Library Angel at work. Whilst preparing a paper for the International Medieval History Congress about the St johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Conduit I was searching for some information about the sugar refinery set up on the site of the Carmelite Friary, now the Colston Hall. I had been told that the information was in one of the hundreds of Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Societies Volumes of Transactions, but with no idea which one. Faced with the daunting task of searching through all of these, I did the only thing possible - I stood in front of the shelves, shut my eyes and concentrated on a mental image of the engraving I had been shown of Mr Young's 'Great House', (on the site), walked forward and selected the book that came to hand, opened it at the page which contained the exact paragraph describing the dispute that had taken place between the parishioners of St. John's and the owners of the refinery who were using so much water that the parish was going short. I believe this is a classic example of the technique described by Arthur Koestler as Library Angels, or as another friend described it as "Library Dowsing". I have also included details of the following happenings because they are observations of events that have affected me personally. TamAm, Turkish for OK - obviously!

Limbe in Redland At a Henleaze jumble sale I found a set of Imperial Tobacco Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1950s company magazines in which I came across a photograph of their tobacco plantation at Limbe in Nyasaland (now Malawi). A couple of years later whilst waiting for a bus in Upper Cranbrook Road I noticed an unusual house name - Limbe. The name triggered a memory and mentioned it one day to an elderly neighbour who told me that one of the plantation managers had retired to Bristol. Guess where? Although the current owners new nothing about the previous owner they were happy to let me have the sign for my collection in exchange for repainting their gate. Hand beaten, by that long gone plantation manager from a copper sheet presumably as a -

Some years ago (before mobile phones) I was considering a change of job. My story starts on a Thursday morning when flying to Crete on holiday. Selecting a copy of the Daily Telegraph from the inflight magazine rack, imagine my chagrin to find a half page advertisement for what appeared to be a really interesting job in Bristol. I hoped that there might be time to apply upon my return to England, tore the advert out of the paper, stuck it in my wallet and forgot about it. Until a week later, whilst still en-vacances, when we were recommended a newly opened, but OK restaurant in Chania. The name of the restaurant was "TamAm" Apparently it had been a former Bath House dating from the days of the Turkish occupation of Crete. Sat in the

restaurant enjoying our dinner when another English couple from the same hotel came in and asked if they could join us, we agreed. During the course of the conversation, of the "Where do you live, what do you do?" variety, I explained that I was an aerospace designer but was looking around for a improved position and explained about the job advert that I had seen on the plane on the way over. At which point a person sat at the next table excused himself saying; "Pardon my interruption, but I overheard your conversation would you mind telling me what the advertisement was for?" Surprised I told him, whereupon he said, "Good, they put it in then!" He then went on to explain that he was the person who had placed the ad. We exchanged cards and we arranged to meet the following Monday. At my formal job interview the company's Personnel Department asked me where I had heard about the Job, "In a Turkish Bath-House in Crete", an answer they didn't appear to have an appropriate space for on their form!

About eighteen months later, I remember noticing that the can that had been a gift of fate was nearly empty and thought, "Must see about getting another one". That Sunday afternoon, sat in our front living room, reading the Sunday papers, when there was a loud bang, which sounded like something hitting the front wall of the house. Rushing outside to investigate, could see nothing amiss, but noticed lying in the middle of the lawn, yes, you guessed it, another can of "3 in 1" oil. There were no people anywhere around, no children hiding around the corner, no cars, although there was the faint noise of a motorbike in the distance. The only rational explanation I can think of is that the can fell from the Top-Box of a passing motorbike, bounced off the road, over the low garden wall off the lawn hit the front wall of the house and fell back onto the grass.

"3 in 1" Oil Can - not history but…!

Serendipity questionnaire

Some years ago, when drawing up the weekend shopping list, I remarked to Diane that we must remember to add a can of "3 in 1" oil to the list because the can was almost empty. Later that Saturday morning walking along a very busy section of Bristol's Gloucester Road I saw standing upright in the middle of the pavement a can of "3 in 1" oil. The odd thing was that all the other pedestrians were studiously avoiding the tin, carefully walking around it. I remember commenting about the lucky find, picking the can up only to realise it was brand new and still sealed. The likely explanation is of course that it had fallen out of someone’s shopping bag, although the combination of circumstances was unusual to say the least; My perceived need, the fact that the can was stood upright in the centre of the pavement and the its avoidance by passers-by. But wait, the story hasn't finished yet.

My attention was first drawn to a possible pattern of events during an evening talk to another local history society. A member commented that our group appeared to have made rather a lot of lucky discoveries. This remark caused me to re-examine the results of our researches and thought perhaps there was a discernible pattern and decided to record the circumstances and outcome of each. At which point Diane asked, "Have you seen the questionnaire in the Sunday Observer, asking for readers’ experiences of any "Serendipitous" happenings?"

Another explanation, perhaps God doesn't like squeaky doors and is making sure that ours shouldn’t.

I did not respond to the questionnaire because I didn't feel that the thread linking all these events was sufficiently strong, but fate gave me another opportunity thousands of miles away. Whilst working in Los Angeles I was invited onto a local radio programme with a member of the Moeibus Society who research this and kindred matters. Explaining our experiences he referred me to the works of Carl Jung, and his theory of Synchronicity. © Julian Lea-Jones FRAeS 2017

Kemps Jewellers Est. 1881

In business for 136 years - and our doors are still open!

Everyone at Kemps would like to say thanks to the local community and their customers for their help and support during a difficult period. Kemps Jewellers 9 Carlton Court, Westbury on Trym 0117 950 50 90 www.kempsjewellers.com -

Trespass Against Us Directed by Adam Smith

Chad and his wife Kelly (Lyndsey Marshall) have got Tyson and their young daughter into a local school and have secret plans to get away from the family. Colby suspects this is happening but he has no proof. Mafia style, he needs to keep the family together. School and education are a threat and he counters it by fireside talks that are a toxic combination of a bible story Christianity, folklore and ignorance (remind you of anybody?).

Trespass Against Us is based on the anarchic lifestyle of a gypsy family who break into country houses to steal valuable property. It is set in rural Gloucestershire where the family have set up their caravan camp complete with beaten up cars, assorted junk, and free range chickens and dogs. The first thing to say about the film is that it was made in consultation with The family run into the force of the law when a a gypsy family. The family loved the film, laughed at the dark humour and said that it was local copper (Rory Kinnear) gets on their tail. He is sympathetic towards Kelly and the two kids realistic. but all is lost when they choose the Lord Lieutenant’s mansion as their next target. The school gives up on the kids following “complaints from parents” and Chad has to resort to stealing a puppy for Tyson’s birthday from a dog breeder when he refuses to sell to a gypsy. In the end the illiterate and uneducated Chad has failed to break free from the family and is condemned by his own criminality and by the society that he wants to be part of. The film centres on the relationship between Colby Cutler, the family patriarch, played by Brendan Gleeson and his son Chad, played by Michael Fassbender. The film starts with a car chase through the Gloucestershire countryside. Tyson, Chad’s young son is at the wheel in pursuit of a hare. This is a rite of passage, driving off road is essential for evading the police and is a much admired skill within the family. They return to the camp and Tyson sits down by the camp fire with his favourite dog while simple minded Gordon, who has been taken in by the family, goofs around with a fire extinguisher before throwing it on the fire. Tyson survives the explosion but the dog is killed.

The main actors are all excellent. Michael Fassbender is perhaps best known for playing Steve Jobs in the film of the same name and as a musician in Song To Song, a film about the country music scene in Austin, Texas, directed by Terence Malick. Brendan Gleeson’s last part in major feature film was Father James in Calvary. He also played Mad Eye Moody in Harry Potter. Lyndsey Marshall has appeared in several TV series including Silent Witness and Inside No.9. The sound track is by The Chemical Brothers whose documentary “Don’t Think” was directed by Adam Smith. Adam Smith has also directed three episodes of Doctor Who and the TV series of Little Dorrit.

“I should…” Like most of us you probably find yourself saying ‘I should….’ more often than is helpful! Certainly it’s something I hear my clients saying and noticing it makes for an interesting conversation that leads to new awareness. For some of us it’s been such a common refrain that we don’t notice it, or in some cases if we do, we think it spurs us on in some way, i.e. it’s a good thing. We need to stop and think about this: how do you feel when you say ‘I should…’ to yourself? ”I should be stopping work at 6pm”; “I should just say ‘no’ “; ” I should do more exercise”.

with this vision comes motivation. Now we can start looking for opportunities and behaviours we would need to put in place to achieve this change. It may not be easy and it may not be quick, BUT it is now much more compelling and therefore more likely that we do it. Staying with the change we want to achieve, we need to ask ourselves “how can I ….?” Depending on how positive we’re feeling we may notice a despondency if we can’t come up with an answer easily and all the hurdles come to mind! So it’s important to be encouraging and supportive of yourself, as you would be with a good friend. Give yourself time and persevere. Small steps are more manageable and so long as you recognise your progress and the benefits you’re deriving, you will be motivated to build on this to achieve the change you want to see. Making changes in our established behaviours is rarely easy but it’s a whole lot easier if you keep focused on the purpose for the change and easier still if you have someone encouraging you. Next time you catch yourself thinking ‘I should…’, smile, try on ‘I could…’ and see where it takes you!

Embedded in ‘I should‘ is a big element of judgement, an implied criticism of the fact that we’re not doing what we ‘should‘. It’s so much more than an acknowledgement that it would be a good idea! Guilt and Visit www.annemillercoaching.co.uk for frustration are likely accompaniments more information and to book a free leading to disappointment in ourselves and a blocking of constructive, solution focused consultation Tel: 07722 110 228 thinking. One small change you can try is replacing ‘should‘ with ‘could’. How does it feel now? ” I could be stopping work at 6pm”; ” I could just say ‘no'”; “I could do more exercise”. Suddenly there’s an element of possibility, a lightness that leads us towards considering what this would be like. And -

SENIOR SNIPPETS - COPING AS A CARER Welcome to the latest edition of Senior Snippets: the monthly advisory column with the older members of our community in mind, brought to you by John Moore of Home Instead Senior Care in North Bristol. In this instalment, I will share some essential tips for those of you caring for a loved one. Being a family carer can be one of the most fulfilling things that you can do, but on the flip side, it can also be an overwhelming and thankless task. Anyone that cares for somebody is likely to have many unanswered questions regarding both the care they are giving to their loved one and the care they owe themselves. To help answer some of those questions, we have compiled some top tips to help you become the best carer you can be: Take a guilt-free break – allowing yourself some alone time to unwind a few times each month will help you to reenergise and provide a much better quality of care. Be patient – it can often take time to get into a consistent care routine. Keeping calm and patient will allow this to happen whilst also respecting your loved one’s dignity and independence. Help them to feel good – A new haircut or item of clothing can do wonders for your loved one’s confidence and self-worth, so don’t forget to treat them every now and then! Accept that they have changed – the person you care for is unlikely to be the person you knew them to be. Accepting this change will help you to stay in the here and now and give the best care possible. Accept help – in order to properly take care of someone else, you need to also be able to take care of yourself. When people offer to help you, it’s ok to accept it. We provide support to many families and couples to ensure the main carer has time off to ‘recharge’. If you’d like to discuss how we might help, please do get in touch. And if you have any ideas for a future topic, please write to John.Moore@Home-Instead.co.uk or call 0117 989 8210 - we’d love to hear from you !

General Knowledge

Crossed Words

What do the middle initials stand for in the names a) Donald J. Trump, b) Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George W. Bush?

Name the three trains pictured below.

Name the capital cities of a) Bosnia & Herzogovina, b) Croatia, c) Serbia, d) Slovenia, e) Macedonia and f) Montenegro.

Name the singer who performed with these backing bands - a) the Attractions, b) the E Street Band, and c) Miami Sound Machine.

Name the company in charge of the 2017 Oscar ceremony “winners envelopes”.

In which of the Armed Forces did the following people see active service - a) Sir Douglas Bader, b) James Blunt and c) HRH the Duke of Edinburgh?

Which is further north - Bristol or Seattle, and which is further east Moscow or Kabul?

10.

In which UK towns or cities would you find the following - a) Brunel University, b) De Montfort University, and c) John Moores University? Who wrote a) “The Wind in the Willows”, b) “Watership Down”, and c) “The Call of the Wild”? In what years a) did the man first walk on the moon, b) did Elvis Presley die, and c) was the Marathon replaced by the Snickers bar?

Type of cheese

Dick Dastardly's dog

Type of pork sausage

Run to France for this new wine

Always after his pound of flesh

Method of decorating fabric

Freddie Mercury's favourite dance?

Orange fruit or a Chinese civil servant

Flightless Anglo-Swiss cartoon bird

500 sheets of paper

Papal town in SE France

Green-blue printing colour

Cat predation and how to reduce it. At this time of year young fledgling birds often fall prey to cats, so what can you do to try to keep your cat from catching birds in your garden? In the latest figures from the Mammal Society, cats are responsible for catching 275 million prey a year of which 55 million are birds. The most frequently caught birds are thought to be house sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and starlings. Research from the RSPB suggests that the catching of birds by cats does not have a huge impact on bird populations as it is thought that often those birds caught are ones that were weak and would not have survived until the next breeding season. However in populations where the populations are declining for example house sparrows and starlings, then the predation by cats is more critical. Also for cats living close to scarce habitats the impact of their hunting may be greater than for garden birds. It is also known that millions of baby birds hatched each year do not survive for a variety of reasons.

Often cats become wise to the bell and will learn to stalk silently. There are also ultrasonic collar devices available that alert birds to a cat’s movements. There is no definite evidence that collars work but recent studies suggest that they may help reduce cat predation. Cats should be keep inside at times when birds are most vulnerable, that is an hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise, especially during the months of March to July. They should also be kept indoors after a spell of bad weather, such as rain or cold, to allow the birds to come out and feed. The RSPB endorses the use of the ‘CATWatch’ ultrasonic cat deterrent which has been proven to deter cats from an area by emitting an ultrasonic sound that cats but not other species can detect. This allows the birds more safety in your garden.

Place bird feeders away from easy vantage points for cats and 2m away from dense vegetation, place spiky bush trimmings at the foot of bird feeders to deter cats from the area. Use chicken wire fences angled to protect areas from cats and also flimsy plastic netting on top of fences to prevent cats from crossing the fence. Much can be done to help protect our bird populations from cat predation - take a look at the RSPB website for more ideas and I hope that maybe our local garden birds and the However we can try to reduce any impact of cat pet cat population will be able predation by a few simple steps. If your cat is one to co-exist more sustainably. that hunts birds consider putting a collar and bell on it, make sure the collar is of the quick release Nicky Bromhall Veterinary Surgeon, Animal type so your cat can escape should it need to. Health Centre

MORE TO ADMINISTERING AN ESTATE for Inheritance Tax purposes, these may need to be disclosed to HM Revenue and THAN OBTAINING THE GRANT OF Customs. There may also be additional PROBATE reliefs to consider. Brenda Smyth of Inheritance Tax is not the only tax to AMD Solicitors consider when administering an estate. If considers the tax implications when an asset is sold during the course of the administration of an estate, there may be dealing with the administration of a Capital Gains Tax liability on the Personal Representatives. With careful an estate planning and depending on the When applying for a Grant of Probate, circumstances it may be possible to the Personal Representatives of an estate mitigate or even eliminate this liability. must complete and submit an Inheritance Any income received by the Personal Tax form giving details of all assets and Representatives in the course of the liabilities of an estate. This may need to administration is subject to Income Tax include details of lifetime gifts made by and must be disclosed to HM Revenue the deceased or any interests in trusts and Customs by the Personal which the deceased may have had. Representatives. Personal Representatives have a duty to make full enquiries to obtain the Sometimes beneficiaries may decide to necessary information to complete the vary the terms of the distribution of the form correctly and failure to do so may estate and the tax implications of this result in interest having to be paid on tax need to be considered. In some paid late or even in tax penalties. circumstances, this may result in a tax saving or may avoid adverse tax Even when the Personal Representatives consequences for the person giving up correctly ascertain and disclose assets his or her right to benefit from the and liabilities in the estate, mistakes can estate. still be made, such as not claiming all allowances and reliefs available to reduce For further advice on the administration the value of the estate for Inheritance of estates, Wills, Lasting Powers of Tax purposes. Attorney and other private client matters, contact Brenda Smyth or one of Consideration of the Inheritance Tax her colleagues at AMD Solicitors 100 liability does not end once the Grant of Henleaze Road, Bristol BS9 4JZ Phone Probate has been issued. If further assets 0117 962 1205, email or liabilities come to light or there is any info@amdsolciitors.com or visit our other change in the value of the estate website www.amdsolicitors.com Our series of probate talks returns on 26 April 2017 at Tyndale Baptist Church and 3 May 2017 at Trinity Henleaze. Contact info@amdsolicitors.com to book your place!

Listings for community events, not-for-profit clubs and charitable activities are free of charge. If you have something of this nature that you would like listed please get in touch by calling 0117 259 1964 or 07845 986650, email andy@bcmagazines.co.uk, or post details in to 8 Sandyleaze, WoT, BS9 3PY.

are open to all levels, so no auditions and no previous experience necessary. No nursery rhymes or backing tracks - strictly a choir full of grown up music. Come along on Tuesday's 10:30 - 11:30am (term time only) to our new venue at The Eastfield Inn (skittle alley), Henleaze Rd. www.melodymakerschoir.wordpress.com

Details shown are accurate to the best of my knowledge, but dates, times & locations may change without notification. So if you are unsure, and to avoid disappointment, please contact the organiser listed to double check.

Bristol Cabot Choir is delighted to welcome new members for all voice parts. Why not come and sing with us for 2/3 ‘taster’ rehearsals before a simple audition? We meet at Redland URC on Mondays at 7.30 pm. FFI email admin@bristolcabotchoir.org, visit www.bristolcabotchoir.org; or find us on Facebook.

Theatre, Concerts and Music It's Your Ceili. Fun Barn Dance Party For All. Dances walked through first, then called with live music from the Highly Strung Band. 2017 series: Friday 5th May, Friday 7th July, Friday 1st September, and Friday 3rd November. St. Alban's Church Hall, Westbury Park. 7.30 pm to 10.30pm. All profits to Bristol charities - see www.HighlyStrungCommunityBand.co.uk for details. Tickets £10 in advance / £12 on the door. www.ticketline.co.uk Enquiries jillyelliot@gmail.com The 4th Really Classical Relay is on 13th and 14th May 2017 at Bristol Music Club, 76 St Paul's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LP. Bristol's friendly and relaxed festival of Classical music on historical instruments returns for its fourth year with another stellar line-up of international musicians and an irresistible programme of Classical composers. All music played using early editions & arrangements. Full programme out now. Check www.reallyclassicalrelay.co.uk for details / email jon@reallyclassicalrelay.co.uk to be added to the mailing list. Piano and Cello recital at St Alban's Church, Bayswater Avenue, BS6 7NU on Saturday May 6th. Brian Mullan (Cello) and Claire Alsop (Piano). Beethoven 5th Cello Sonata, Bach Concerto in E , Walton Cello Concerto (Movement 1) and new music by Bristol composer Phil Dixon. 7.30 pm £10 (£5 for under 18’s) wine and nibbles Melody Makers Baby Friendly Choir. We are a daytime ladies choir. Feel free to bring your baby/toddler too. Escape the real world and spend a fun packed hour singing uplifting popular songs and classic choral favourites. We -

“Beyond Faust and Carmen”. David Speller, Branch President of the Friends of the Welsh National Opera, considers two composers who are best known for one opera, Bizet for Carmen and Gounod for Faust. He will sketch their careers and play excerpts from other exciting operas. Everyone is welcome at Redmaids High School on Wednesday April 19th at 7.15pm Tickets at door £5.0 Friends or £ 7.00 nonmembers. ‘Babbers’ Radio Show every Monday from midday to 2pm on Ujima Radio - 98FM. The show is organised and presented by older people for older people with the aim of helping to reduce loneliness and social isolation, however the topics we cover are interesting and relevant to all. Tune in, let us know what you think info@ujimaradio.com. Bristol Cabot Choir Easter Concert – Haydn’s Nelson Mass, and works by Bruckner and Mendelssohn - 29 April 2017 at 7.45 pm at Clifton Cathedral, Clifton Park, BS8 3BX. Tickets Adult £15 (on the door), Early Bird Advanced £12, Student/NUS Card £10. From Opus 13, 14 St Michael’s Hill, BS2 8DT, www.opus13.co.uk or call 0117 9230164/ 0117 9626521. bristolcabotchoir.org Bristol Male Voice Choir are delighted to present a joint concert with Melbourne Welsh Male Choir at 7.30 pm on Thursday, May 4th in St Bonaventure’s Church, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8HP. Both choirs perform a few days after participating in the Cornwall International Male Voice Choir Festival. Melbourne bring with them over 30 years of choral singing both in Australia

and on many international tours, and we can expect to hear a diverse range of music from them. This is Bristol MVC’s spring concert , the first of 2017 in Bristol itself, and a prelude to regular concerts throughout the rest of the year. Tickets cost £10 and a bar awaits you after the concert . For tickets please contact our secretary on 0117 942 4378 or our concert secretary on 0117 935 5597. Bristol Male Voice Choir sing to a wide range of audiences, performing not just male voice favourites, but songs from musicals, pop classics, spirituals, and classical favourites. You don’t have to read music to join as a tenor, baritone or bass, but you will enjoy learning our repertoire, (re-)discovering the voice you may have forgotten about, and being welcomed into the choir’s welcoming social atmosphere. We rehearse every Thursday from 7.00pm till 9.15 pm at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (formerly Filton College ) where the north end of Filton Avenue meets the A38. Come along to a rehearsal, go to our website – bristolmvc.org.uk - or contact our secretary on 0117 942 4378. The Bristol Good Afternoon Choir meets every Monday afternoon from 2pm-4pm, at TrinityHenleaze United Reformed Church, Waterford Road, BS9 4BT. Rehearsals are from 2pm to 4pm, there are no auditions and everyone is welcome. The Bristol Good Afternoon Choir enjoys all sorts of music – from folk songs to choral favourites. For more details about the Choir please contact Nikki by calling 01761 472468 or emailing gac@grenvillemusic.co.uk – or just come along to a rehearsal with a friend of course. No cost for your first rehearsal. Henleaze Singing for the Brain Group meet in the Bradbury Hall on Waterford Road, on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursday afternoons each month from 2.00pm to 3.45pm We start the session with tea, coffee and biscuits, and general socializing before starting the singing 'bit'. We have song books, and sing all sorts of songs including songs from the musicals, well-known golden oldies, and folk songs. We are accompanied on the piano, and always celebrate special events like St George's Day, Last Night of the Proms, Armistice Day etc. We invite people to come and try it out and see if they enjoy it. If you would like to attend a session, please contact Alzheimer’s Society local office in Bristol on: bristol@alzheimers.org.uk or 0117 961 0693. -

Exhibitions, Markets and Meetings Antique Vintage & Collectables Fair, Ashton Court Mansion, Long Ashton, BS41 9JN. Sunday 9th April - 10am-3.30pm. 40 stalls inside Georgian lounges and grand music hall. Fine jewellery, china, furniture, memorabilia, pictures, retro items, vintage, clothing plus lots more. Café with afternoon cream teas - £2.00 entry under 16s free. Car park Kennel Lodge Entrance via Portishead Rd (A369). Craft Show. Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Thursday 6th-Saturday 8th April 10am5pm. 100 leading craft supply businesses, groups & guilds, 75 workshops, demonstrations and Make & Takes. Restaurants, cafes and free car parking. £8 adult, £7 concession, under 16s free. Advance tickets: 0345 3040222. Fitness, Health and Wellbeing Westbury Harriers is for all ages and abilities, with a variety of different groups and sessions to suit all. Based at Coombe Dingle Sports Complex and Blaise Castle. Training nights Mondays and Thursdays 7pm with additional sessions at Yate track on Tuesday evenings and an informal social run on Saturday mornings. Westbury Harriers events. Monday 5th June 7.30pm - The Blaise Blazer, a 4 mile scenic, hilly race through the grounds of the Blaise Castle estate. Cost £5 affiliated, £7 unaffiliated, minimum age 16 suitable for runners of all abilities. Monday 10th July 7.15pm The Trustford Westbury Wipeout a 3km fun run for children aged 8-15. Cost £6. Online entries through www.runbritain.com See www.westburyharriers.com for more information on our events or joining us. Morris Dancing - Bristol Morris Men welcome anyone who wants to try morris dancing. We practise on Thursday evenings in the Sports Hall at (QEH) Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital (School) at Berkeley Place, Clifton from 20:00 to 22:00 (ish). For more information please visit www.bristolmorrismen.co.uk or call Grant on (0117) 9442165 . Keep fit with dance moves – at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park, BS34 7PS, Tuesday afternoon, from 2pm – 3pm. Improve your mobility and general wellbeing, have fun, challenge yourself and feel more confident, keeping fit to music. The class also includes

some body conditioning. Working at your own pace, the class is suitable for everyone. Pay as you go at £4 per session. Wear comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear. For further information contact Eileen Scott, (qualified instructor), on 07969929733, or visit www.keepfit.org.uk for more info about our organisation. Scottish Country Dancing for beginners and experienced dancers at St Monica Trust’s Hall on Thursdays, 7.30 pm. New dancers welcome come on your own or with friends. Contact Margaret, 01275 794638 or Graham 01275 854782, or visit www.rscdsbristolinfo.co.uk Westbury Scottish Club country dancing classes for beginners at Leonard Hall, Trinity-Henleaze URC, Waterford Road, Henleaze. Tel. Maggie on 01934 838175. Classes for more advanced dancers at St Peter’s Church Hall, Henleaze. Tel. Cheryl on 0117 4012416. Every Tues 7.30 9.30pm. See www.wscbristol.co.uk for details.

Gardening and Horticulture The Clifton Garden Society invite you to come and join is as a new member. Monthly coach visits are arranged to great houses and gardens. There is a quarterly newsletter, an annual holiday and a Christmas party. If you would like to join this friendly group please contact 0117 973 7296 for further details . The Alpine Garden Society meet on the 3rd Friday of the month at Westbury Methodist Church, Westbury Hill, at 7.30pm. We have speakers on various topics, plant sales and social events. Visitors are very welcome at £2 a visit.

Henleaze & District Flower Club meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at Bradbury Hall, Waterford Road in Henleaze. Flower demonstrations are held on the second Thursday, practice classes on the fourth Thursday. New members always welcome. For more details please contact Debra Ward on 07974 937741 or email Debra at Hydrotherapy Exercise Sessions - group exercise debragailward@hotmail.com in lovely warm water at Southmead Hospital's purpose built pool. Benefits include relaxation, Volunteering and Charities relief of pain & swelling, improved movement, balance & fitness. All ages & abilities welcome. If you’d like to get more active or involved in We are a friendly local team of Chartered your community why not give an hour a week or Physiotherapists with expertise in a variety of a day a month and help Marie Curie. We depend disabilities & medical conditions. We have a on contributions of time and skills so that we can regular group of local members but new people continue to provide care to patients and their are always welcome. For more details please families. There are plenty of opportunities to contact Chris & Ali Cowley on 07971 086 628, volunteer for us, from helping at a collection to email healthyhydrotherapy@gmail.com or visit placing collection tins in your local community or www.healthyhydrotherapy.co.uk. by joining your local fundraising group. If you enjoy meeting new people and raising money for Fancy a ramble? How about joining us for a great cause, we would love to hear from you. enjoyable 8-10 mile walks on two Sundays per FFI please contact Community Fundraiser Helen month ? Our usual group size is 12-15 walkers. If Isbell on 0117 9247275 or email you are interested please come and give Stoke Helen.Isbell@mariecurie.org.uk Lodge Ramblers a try. For more details please visit www.stokelodgeramblers.wordpress.com or Volunteers needed to support carers. Could you phone Secretary 0117 9684140. please help us develop and increase our support to carers, people looking after an unwell, Tai Chi Classes for beginners - Join us after disabled or elderly family member or friend in Easter and put a spring in your step. The Bristol Bristol and South Glos? Could you help us School of Tai Chi has lots of daytime and evening develop the support that carers can access classes in Henleaze and Bishopston starting from through their G.P. surgery and other sources? If the 24 April. Any questions contact Ben Milton you are outgoing and could offer two mornings a on 0117 9493955 taichi@bristoltaichi.com month to meet, greet and give information to www.bristoltaichi.com carers when they visit their GP surgery, I would very glad to hear from you. Full training and support provided. Please contact me, Mike -

Hatch, GP Carer Link Volunteer on 07503 577830 or email mikeh@carerssupportcentre.org.uk. If you look after someone who couldn’t manage without you, and would like some information about our services for carers or would just like someone to talk to about caring for the person you look after, please telephone our Carersline on 0117 965 2200 or visit www.carerssupportcentre.org.uk .

Racing Pigs game, our Card game our carol float at Christmas, quizzes and auctions, for example. Lots of fun and fellowship raising and spending money for very good causes. For more details of how to apply for assistance with charitable activities in Bristol or to become involved in our activities see Bristol Brunel Lions Club on line or contact our Club Secretary Bill O’Neill at lion.bill@virginmedia.com

Friendship, Social and Support

The Bristol and District branch of Parkinson's UK meet every first Saturday of the month at St Senior Film Club - St Peter's Hall, The Drive, Monica Trust, Cote Lane, BS9 3UN from 10am Henleaze. Home Instead Bring Joy Foundation is 12 noon. Carers, relatives, spouses and people pleased to support the Henleaze Senior Film with Parkinson's - all are welcome for a social Club and bring you the following fun Monday and informative get-together, with speakers afternoons, each starting at 2pm. On April 24th from a variety of backgrounds with many diverse the film is the classic ‘Dambusters’ Refreshments interests. Please join us. We also meet at The (Tea & Cake) £3. Transport offered by Dial-AEastfield Inn, Henleaze, BS9 4NQ every second Ride, Tel 0845 139 875. For further details, Friday in the month for an informal coffee please ring 0117 989 8210 morning from 11am. Westbury Park Women’s Institute have a new home. We meet at 7.30pm on 1st Wednesday of the month at Redland Church Halls, Redland Green Road, BS6 7HE. We’ve a full program for the year to cover a variety of topics including health, fitness, crafts, science, Authors talks, vintage clothing and many more. We welcome guests and new members are always welcome please come and find out what we are all about, guests £4, refreshments including tea, coffee, and wine at all meetings. Our chosen charity for 2017 is One25.org.uk. For more details please contact westburyparkwi@gmail.com. Soroptomists International Bristol are part of a global organisation founded in Bristol for women from a wide range of professional and business backgrounds who have joined together to give Service, Friendship and have Fun. We meet on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at Long Ashton Golf Club where we enjoy a two course meal with a speaker. For more details please contact our membership officer on 0117 9739894 or email gillbea@aol.com for more details.

On the first Tuesday of the month the North Bristol Alzheimer Café opens at St Monica Trust, Oatley House Atrium restaurant, Westbury-onTrym, BS9 3TN from 3.30pm – 5.30pm. We provide a relaxed, informal and safe space in which issues surrounding dementia can be aired. Our café is staffed by trained, caring and experienced volunteers. Refreshments are served and most weeks live music is played. There is no charge to attend, free on-site parking is usually available and the number 1 bus stops right outside. FFI or to register your attendance contact Jacqui Ramus - tel 07854 185093 or email jacqui.ramus@stmonicatrust.org.uk. Clifton Rotary Club welcomes new members willing to give their time, are interested in making new friends, building business contacts and using their skills to help others. We meet Wednesday lunchtimes at The Redland Green Club (Redland Lawn Tennis and Squash Club). FFI visit www.cliftonrotary.org or email secretary@cliftonrotary.org

Bristol Grandparents Support Group gives support to grandparents who are estranged Bristol Brunel Lions Club - We meet at from their grandchildren due to family Shirehampton Golf Club on the first Tuesday of breakdown. Family breakdown can be as a result every month at 7 for 7.30. On the 3rd Tuesday of of separation/divorce, alcohol/drug dependency, each month we have a social gathering normally domestic violence within the home, with food. We raise money for charity both bereavement or family feud. We give support locally and beyond through a variety of indoor over the phone, via email, Skype and at our and outdoor activities - our Frogs game, our new regular meetings held at 9, Park Grove, Bristol. -

Dementia Awareness Week falls on the 14th to 20th May this year. In the run up to the event, Henleaze Co-Op and Townswomen’s Guild are working in partnership with Bristol Dementia Action Alliance in an attempt to make Henleaze more Dementia Friendly. Guild members from both TWG’s are visiting all the shops and businesses in the area with BDAA’s “Guide to Understanding Dementia” . To start Dementia Awareness Week off with a bang, a “Dementia Friendly Henleaze Roadshow” is being held at St Peter’s Church on Friday 12th May from 09.30. – 14.00. There will be speakers, some of whom are living with Dementia or care for those who are, and also stalls where you can obtain information regarding what’s available locally. Why not join for a cuppa at 09,30., and see what’s going on. Everyone is welcome. On Saturday 20th May, there will be a charity Jazz Evening in aid of BDAA - see poster for details! Our aim is rom make Bristol THE Dementia Friendly City of the UK, will you help us? You can read all about us on www.bristoldaa.co.uk or follow us on Facebook and Twitter

BS6 7XB. Tel 07773 258270 more information or visit www.bgsg.co.uk. Laugh, Live and Learn with Bristol U3A. If you are retired and want to take part in enjoyable learning with friendship and fun, we have a wide range of groups with activities including art, computing, languages, music, walking, and science. Come to one of our social groups either at the Eastfield Inn, Henleaze, 10.30am on the second Thursday and third Monday in every month (phone Barbara 0117 9629331) or at Browns Restaurant, by the Museum, at 10.15am on the third Wednesday and fourth Thursday in every month (phone Jenny 0117 9043697) or visit www.bristolu3a.org.uk. Rotary Club of Bristol meet at the Bristol Hotel, Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4QF at 7.00pm for 7.30 pm on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays and at 12.30pm for 1.00 pm on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. Meetings start with a meal and are followed by a speaker. New members are very welcome – for more details see www.bristolrotary.org or contact Martina Peattie at mpeattie@btopenworld.com Civil Service Retirement Fellowship. The Westbury-on-Trym group welcomes all retired Civil Servants and their spouses to their meetings held on the first Thursday of the month at Studland Court, Henleaze Road at 2.00pm, Those people without a civil service background are welcome to join our group as Friends of the Fellowship. For more info phone Beryl Webb on 01454 614 451. Westbury-on-Trym Probus Club provide a meeting point for retired and semi-retired professional / business men and women, to promote social well being through friendship, discussion and companionship. The club meets for lunch with a speaker on the third Thursday of every month at BAWA, Southmead Road, from midday. If you are interested contact Peter Wright on 9624196 or email susanandpeterwright@blueyonder.co.uk

Come in to see us or telephone Donna on 01275 832676 or Wilma on 9628895 for further information. General Interests Bristol Croquet Club Open Day on Sunday 9th April at Cedar Park BS9 1BW. Come along and try out this most fascinating game with a coach. Refreshments will be available in the clubhouse. There will be two sessions: morning from 10 to 12.30 and afternoon from 2 to 5. Please wear flat soled shoes to protect the lawns. Please see bristolcroquet.org or email bob.whiffen@virgin.net for more info or ring 0117 940 1201 on the day. The Bristol West Diabetes Group is pleased to invite everyone living with diabetes to our new venue: The Eastfield Inn, Henleaze Road, Bristol BS9, at 2 pm on Thursday 18 May 2017. Our Speaker in May is Clare England from Bristol University, giving a talk on ‘New research and activity in diabetes.’ Everyone is welcome. The Raleigh Club is a small and welcoming, informal speaking and literary club. Established back in 1865 we meet in Westbury Village Hall at 7.30pm on the 2nd Friday of each month from October until April, with a dinner in May and an annual summer outing. It is a great opportunity to practice public speaking in a friendly and supportive environment. New members always welcome - or why not just come along and see what we do? For more details please contact smigie2@yahoo.co.uk or lorna.watson@btinternet.com.

Stoke Bishop & Sneyd Park Local History Group welcomes all to a series of talks at the Stoke Bishop Village Hall, 42 Stoke Hill, BS9 1EX. Talks start at 7.30pm and anyone interested in local history is welcome. Our next meeting is on 12th May when speaker Rose Hewlett will be talking to us about the great Severn estuary flood of 1607 and asking if it could ever happen again. Membership is just £6 p/a and visitors pay just £3 a meeting. For more details please visit Instep Club for Widows and Widowers. Weds www.stokebishop.org.uk/local_history_group, evenings 8.00 pm-10.00 pm at Stoke Bishop call 0117 9686010 or email Village Hall, Stoke Hill. Dancing - Ballroom and sblocalhistory@gmail.com. Please do also Sequence (If you haven’t danced for a long time, contact us if you are clearing out documents and don’t worry, we will help you learn). Social pictures of Stoke Bishop! activities Annual membership £8. Members: £2 per session. Visitors welcome: £3 per session. Friendly Bridge SW is a welcoming Bridge Club -

that meets in Stoke Bishop Village Hall every Monday evening starting at 7:15. New players are welcome, and you can come without a partner. Also available are bridge lessons for complete beginners or more experienced players. Contact Gareth on 07921-788605, email friendlybridgesw@gmail.com or see the website friendlybridgesw.org.uk Have lessons and play Bridge at Bristol Bridge Club. Would you like to learn to play bridge? We offer a full programme of lessons for all levels. If you can already play try a free taster session at one of our 7 weekly sessions. Less experienced players - Mondays at 7.15pm and Fridays at 10.00am and 7.15pm, More experienced players Mondays and Wednesdays at 1.15pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.15pm. No partner? No problem! On Mondays just turn up we’ll will find you one and give advice on bidding! For more details phone Stephen on 0117 9291846. 99 Oldfield Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4QQ or visit www.bristolbridgeclub.co.uk Bristol Decorative Fine Art Society (BDFAS) is Bristol’s own society for those who are passionate about the arts. History of Art related events are organised including monthly lectures and study days led by specialists in their field and cover a wide range of topics. We organise stimulating visits and day trips home and abroad, often with special, exclusive visits to places of interest. Lectures are held in the “The Lecture Theatre”, The School of Chemistry Cantocks Close, BS8 1TS. For more information visit our website www.bristoldfas.co.uk. The Bristol Humanists is a local group for those who make sense of the world using reason & shared human values, who seek to live ethical lives on the basis of reason, humanity and respect for others, and who find meaning, beauty, and joy in the one life we have, without the need for an afterlife. We meet every month on the first Monday at 7.30pm in Kingsdown. Contact Margaret Dearnaley on 07986 555817 (evenings and weekends only) or email bristolhumanists@gmail.com for more information. The Bristol Philatelic Society meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month in the meeting room of the United Reform Church at the bottom of Blackboy Hill (Whiteladies Road) -

starting at 7.30 p.m. Contact 0117 956 7853. Stoke Lodge History and Archaeology Group meet on the second Thursday of every month at the Friends Meeting House in Hampton Road, Redland, BS6 6JE at 7.30. We host a rich diversity of lectures. New members are always made very welcome. For further details please contact Annette Martin on 0117 979 3209. North West Bristol Camera Club, are an enthusiastic group of amateur photographers who meet each Wednesday at 7:45pm at Westbury Fields. New members of any level of ability are most welcome. For details contact Pete on 07870 589555. Got a speech to make? Bristol Speakers offers a relaxed environment to practise your public speaking. Learn how to construct and present a speech, gain knowledge from experienced speakers, conquer your public speaking anxiety. Most of all, practise in a stress-free environment where members give helpful feedback. It’s a well structured evening, fun and relaxed with a nice mix of people. Meeting 7.30pm alternate Mondays @ BAWA Southmead Rd. Contact Ben@Bristolspeakers.co.uk The Bristol Astronomical Society host a series of talks each week and we regularly get experts to talk about historical and topical aspects of astronomy, as well running hands-on demonstrations, activities, free Saturday observing sessions at our Observatory in Failand (weather permitting), and often stage "Star Parties" around Bristol and at Tyntesfield. All details are on our website www.bristolastrosoc.org.uk. All welcome, held at Bristol Photographic Society, Montpelier, BS6 5EE. Philosophy Discussion Group. We are a friendly and welcoming group who enjoy taking a turn to bring topic to share. We meet at 7 – 9pm every fourth Thursday evening of the month at Eastfield Inn, Henleaze, Bristol BS9 4NQ, and 10 12 noon every second Friday morning of the month, also at Eastfield Inn, Henleaze. If you would like to be involved please contact Lorna Tarr on 0770 245 3827.

Celebrate the traditional start of summertime this May Day at the Redland May Fair on Bank Holiday Monday 1st May 1-5pm on Redland Green. You can enjoy a smorgasbord of over 100 stalls selling plants, clothes, toys, jewellery, books, bric-a-brac and much more, plus live music and kids' entertainment. Redland parish church will be welcoming visitors throughout the afternoon and there will be teas and refreshments on offer on the green and at the Bowling Club, Redland Green Club and in the new Church Halls. This year our nominated charity is Caring in Bristol - a small, local charity that looks after homeless and vulnerable people in Bristol. Its projects include Bristol Nightstop, which arranges temporary and emergency accommodation for young homeless people through their volunteer host network, Caring at Christmas, where 800 volunteers help to provide shelter, food and clothing for people in need over the festive period, and Growing for Bristol â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a community growing project which provides fresh produce for homeless projects in the city. Please give generously to the bucket collection for Caring in Bristol and visit their stall at the May Fair to find out more about their inspiring work. May Fair Committee www.rcas.org.uk/redland-fair -

Disclaimer The Bristol Six is published by Bristol Community Magazines Ltd (Co. No. 08448649, registered at 8 Sandyleaze, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3PY). The views expressed by contributors or advertisers in The Bristol Six are not necessarily those held by Bristol Community Magazines Ltd. The inclusion of any business or organisation in this magazine does not imply a recommendation of it, its aims or its methods. Bristol Community Magazines Ltd cannot be held responsible for information disclosed by advertisers, all of which are accepted in good faith. Reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this magazine but no liability can be accepted for any loss or inconvenience caused as a result of inclusion, error or omission. All content is the copyright of Bristol Community Magazines Ltd and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Bristol Community Magazines.

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Fitness, Beauty, Sport & Leisure

Around the Garden Garden Design & Mtce

Hilary Barber

18 Sports Clubs

Redland Green Bowls

Garden Design & Mtce

Chandler's Lands. & Tree Surgery

Clifton College Sports Centre

Garden Design & Mtce

Blossom Gardening

53 Sports Centres & Gyms 7 Schools & Education

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Red Oak

Garden Services

Declan McManus

46 Schools 13 Schools

Badminton Red Maids High

Fencing

EC Fencing

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Oak Urban Landscaping

42 Food and Drink 42 Butchers

Molesworths of Henleaze

Clevedon Salesrooms

KP Badges & Trophies Kemps

42 39

UK Blinds Direct

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Paul Whittaker

Cleaning Services

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OvenGleam

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Embers Bristol

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Nice Things for Nice Homes

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Ace Property Refurbishment

Windows & Doors

9 5, 68

Gifts, Arts, Jewellery & Retail

Around the House Blinds & Shutters

57 28, 29

Crystal Clear

55 Auction Houses 42 Trophies & Engraving Jewellery and Gifts 23 Healthcare Services 10 Hypnotherapists

Solutions Hypnotherapy

13 Home Care Services 53 Home Care Services

Home Instead

41 Home Care Services 23 Property & Accommodation Estate & Letting Agents 7 Estate Agents Estate Agents

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C J Hole

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55 Trades 48 Electrical Services 11

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St Monica Trust

Richard Harding Ocean

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Painting & Decorating

Sarah's Decorating Services

Painting & Decorating

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FAB IT Rescue

46 Painting & Decorating

G R Knott

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Mrs PC

22 Plastering Plastering

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McCall Plastering

Plumbing

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Plumbing

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John Presland

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Bristle Chimney Sweeping

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Anne Miller Coaching

Solicitors

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46 Cars & Motoring 2,3 Garage Services

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51 Garage Services

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Veale Wasbrough Vizards

14, 15 Pet Care and Pet Services Veterinary Services

Animal Health Centre

67 7 50