New rainbow crossing

New rainbow crossing to celebrate Bristol Pride

A puffin crossing in Bristol is proudly celebrating the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) community by displaying all the colours of the Pride Progress Flag. The crossing on Wine Street at the top of Union Street has had the iconic rainbow* painted across the ground this week as Bristol prepares to celebrate Pride, the annual celebration of LGBTQ+ people and rights that takes place each July.

Mayor Marvin Rees said: “We are delighted to mark the start of Pride month with a rainbow crossing that will create a tribute to the LGBTQ+ community who bring so much diversity and vibrancy to our city. Bristol prides itself on being inclusive and we are committed to ensuring it is a safe space for everyone. Displaying the Pride rainbow flag in this busy city centre location will help us to declare that Bristol welcomes and champions LGBTQ+ people. I encourage everyone to get involved with Bristol Pride’s programme of events which provide us with the chance to come together, celebrate diversity, and take a positive stand against discrimination.”

Although the planned march is unable to go ahead due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bristol Pride will feature a programme of events that will span two weeks from Saturday 3 July – Friday 16 July. The crossing is being delivered in time for the Pride celebration and will be in place for the foreseeable future. Daryn Carter MBE, Bristol Pride, said: “We are so excited to have a rainbow crossing installed in Bristol as we launch this year’s Bristol Pride festival. The crossing will serve as a reminder that Bristol welcomes everyone and the city’s commitment to equality and we’re thankful to Bristol City Council for making this happen.

“Visibility for the LGBT+ community is still an issue and the impact of Covid has meant we are all feeling isolated and disconnected from each other. It will be a positive, unmissable reminder to celebrate diversity in all its forms and for us all to step up and stand up against prejudice and hate, as we keep striving towards creating a better society for all.”

The rainbow crossing uses all the colours from the Pride Progress Flag, but it was decided not to use the chevron. This is due to road safety concerns as it could be seen by pedestrians as an arrow, which could cause confusion.

Cllr Helen Godwin, Cabinet Member for Families, Education and Women, said: “We want to send a message loud and clear that Bristol is a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people. I am pleased that we have been able to deliver the rainbow crossing in time for the Pride celebration, which will serve as a colourful and meaningful feature for the city centre.”

Bristol City Hall will also be flying the rainbow flag and the building will be lit up with the colours of the rainbow during the Pride festival period.

Latest phase of major new housing development for North Yate gets green light

The latest phase of Ladden Garden Village, a major new development delivering hundreds of much-needed new homes for North Yate, has been given the go ahead by planners.

Leading housebuilder Barratt Homes submitted plans to South Gloucestershire Council for 183 new homes including 69 affordable homes, equating to over 35%, to be created as part of phase four of Ladden Garden Village. This phase will include a range of 2, 3 and 4-bedroom homes that will form part of this growing community. More than 270 of the Barratt Homes built in the first phases are now occupied.

Set within 32 acres of open space, Ladden Garden Village is an already established community which will include a primary school, nursery and shop when complete. There will also be four acres of new play areas, sports pitches and 4.5 km of footpaths and cycleways.

Barratt Developments is also contributing £1.89 million towards a community centre currently being progressed by South Gloucestershire Council. This will include public outdoor space and be suitable for a range of uses from cultural and sports events and classes to youth services and a café. 26 A flythrough of the second phase of the development can be seen here. The new homes in this latest phase of the development will be timber-framed, with elements built using innovative off-site construction methods. Precision-cut in advance, the frame is then brought to the construction site, offering many advantages including faster, more efficient building of homes, as well as sustainability benefits including a low carbon build process and responsibly sourced timber, minimising deforestation.

Andrea Pilgrim, sales director at Barratt Homes' Bristol division, which covers the wider region, said:

"We are delighted to be able to go ahead with the plans for our latest phase of development at Ladden Garden Village, which has already proven to be a very popular new neighbourhood among a range of different types of buyers from families to downsizers to young professionals. It's great to see this community expanding and coming into its own as more and more people move in, with this latest planning milestone paving the way for the delivery of many more much-needed new homes for Yate."

Construction on Barratt Homes' phase four of Ladden Garden Village is due to start next year.

New right to repair law kicks in today!

From today 1st July, manufacturers are legally obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers, so that electrical appliances such as fridges and televisions can be fixed easily

Fridges, washing machines and televisions will be cheaper to run, easier to repair and will last longer under new energy efficiency rules that come into force today.

A new ‘right to repair’ law on electrical products will tackle ‘premature obsolescence’ – a short lifespan deliberately built into an appliance by manufacturers which leads to unnecessary and costly replacements for the consumer.

The measures mean manufacturers are now legally obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers for the first time so that electrical appliances can be fixed easily.

It means anyone buying white goods or TVs in shops or online can rest assured that if anything breaks outside of their warranty that spare parts will be available for them to get the appliance repaired.

The change tackles the 1.5million tonnes of electrical waste generated in the UK every year, by extending the lifespan of products by up to 10 years.

The government estimates it will also save the average consumer £75 a year on energy bills. 28 The rules follow on from new energy labels that were introduced on March 1 to help consumers find out the electrical efficiency of their appliance.

The latest labels display energy efficiency on a new scale from A-G rather than the old A+, A++ or A+++. The new labels improved the old system by raising the bar for each class, meaning very few appliances are now classified as A.

Minister of state for energy, Anne Marie Trevelyan, said: in a online statement “The tougher standards coming in today will ensure more of our electrical goods can be fixed rather than have to be thrown away when they stop working, putting more money back in the pockets of consumers, as we build back greener.

“Our new energy efficiency framework will mean electrical products use even less energy and perform just as efficiently, saving people money on their bills and reducing carbon emissions as we work to reach net zero by 2050.”

Head of resource policy at Green Alliance, Libby Peake, said in an online statement that the new regulations “represent a small, first step towards giving people the long-lasting repairable products they want”.

However, she said it was not accurate to say the new rules create a “legal right to repair”.

“The government hasn’t given consumers any such right, as the spare parts and repairability criteria are only directed at professional repairers, not at the people who own products,” she said.

“There is also no guarantee that spare parts and repair services will be affordable, so considerable barriers remain to making this the easiest, default option,” she added.

Crucially, it means consumers will now have more choice - and an option towards a cheaper remedy.

What is the law change?

Consumers have been complaining about the quality of white goods for decades. People claim they don’t last long enough and cannot be repaired cheaply at home.

In many cases, a new appliance can offer ‘better value’ compared to paying to repair an old one.

But from today 1st July, manufacturers will be legally obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers.

Appliances such as fridges, washing machines and TVs should, in theory, last longer and be cheaper to run as a result.

Manufacturers will have to make sure that appliances like washing machines, fridges and other white goods last for up to 10 years.

It also applies to things like lighting and televisions – but not your smart phones or other tech devices.

So in plain English, the items shouldn't pack in within these times – and if they do, you have a right to repair.

On the right is the items the new rules apply to:

Refrigerators Washing machines Dishwashers Electronic displays (including televisions) Light sources and separate control gears External power suppliers Electric motors Refrigerators with a direct sales function (e.g. fridges in supermarkets, vending machines for cold drinks) Power transformers Welding equipment

Those who are out of this period will most likely need to pay a professional or the manufacturer itself to fix the item.

In the past, the sheer complexity of repairing these goods meant that it was often more cost-effective to buy a new one.

Now, you may be able to save hundreds by simply fixing the broken part instead. Even with repair fees, this could work out cheaper than buying an entirely new product.

This may not sound like an obvious flavour combo for a pasta salad, but the sweet and salty flavours are perfect together

Ingredients

300g Fusilli 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil 200g Diced pancetta 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 ripe peaches, sliced 30g pine nuts, toasted 70g Wild rocket ½ Small red onion, finely chopped 120g Brie, cut into small pieces 2 tbsp chopped parsley 2 tbsp chopped mint Crusty bread, to serve (optional)

Method

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions

Drain and run under cold water until cooled

Transfer to a large bowl and stir through 1 tbsp of the olive oil

Set aside

Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a dry nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat for 3-4 mins, until golden and crisp

Set aside to cool

To make the dressing, mix together the mustard, garlic, balsamic and remaining oil

Add the remaining ingredients, along with the pancetta, to the bowl with the pasta and pour over the dressing

Toss to combine, then serve with crusty bread, if you like

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