Out and about in Brislington

OUT AND ABOUT IN BRISLINGTON WEST WITH JOS AND ANDREW

THE BOATYARD LATEST:

We are pleased to report that a new contractor has been found to complete the work on the Boatyard development at Totterdown Bridge, following the collapse of the previous contractors. The new team are now on site to manage the health and safety aspects and to do all the necessary surveys. This means that work is likely to be restarting in the next 8 or so weeks. We have asked Clarion Housing to prioritise the removal of the cranes and the reinstatement of the footpath, bus lane and cycle path. Clarion are currently in talks with the crane company to take one crane down, which will need a full assessment and probably a road closure to remove it. ARNOS COURT PARK UPDATE:

We were delighted to join our fellow Friends of Arnos Court Park recently to plant a range of wildflowers on the upper slopes of the park near the cherry tree. This should provide a bit of extra colour next year, improve biodiversity and help our pollinating insects. The heavy rain on Sunday should help to bed them in but if you are walking past, please feel free to give them some extra water. More good news: construction of the new path from the Arnos Vale Cemetery steps down the slope to the existing path through the park is due to commence in the next week or two. The path will help people get up and down the slope more easily, especially when it is muddy and wet and prevent more of the ground from being churned up.

LANGTON ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS BACK ON:

We recently told local residents that the Mayor had decided to pause the project to introduce road safety improvements by St Anne’s Infants School. However, we have now been informed that the project is back on again!

There will need to be another public consultation and then, hopefully, we can get the much needed improvements. When you consider we launched our petition for improvements back in 2018 and then succeeded in getting funding in early 2019, it’s fair to say the whole process has been disappointingly slow. BUS USERS FORUM:

Luckily, the existing operator, Parkwood, has offered to remain in post on a rolling contract but there is a very sizeable, unforeseen deficit to keep the pool going in the midst of the energy crisis.

The Friends need to raise £20,000 to £30,000 by the end of December to cover the January to April costs. please check out the Save Jubilee Pool website to see how you might be able to help: https://savejubileepool.org THE DONATION PAGE IS HERE:

Thank you to everyone who came to the recent Bus Users’ meeting at St Peter’s Church on Allison Road. The hall was absolutely packed, which is hardly surprising as it followed the announcement of devastating cuts to our local services, including the 36, 96 and 178. The takeaway message from the Metro Mayor, Dan Norris, is that driver shortage is the principal reason so many services are being cut. Low passenger numbers post pandemic and rising fuel costs are also factors. We asked the Mayor about supported bus services. In Brislington, we have the 513/514, operated by Stagecoach. Back in January, we had meetings with West of England transport officers and recommended improvements to the route. This could help to mitigate the impact of the loss of the 36 and 96. However, we have heard nothing since then and the Mayor didn’t really answer the question. We have written to the Mayor to see if we can get a proper answer.

JUBILEE POOL LATEST:

The Friends of Jubilee Pool have become a registered charity and is due to take Jubilee Pool into community ownership this week. Many congratulations to everyone involved for getting to this stage. Unfortunately, rising energy prices has meant that the new operator has withdrawn due to the additional costs. https://localgiving.org/charity/friends-ofjubilee-pool-bristol/

We need to keep Jubilee Pool open for its users and the residents of South Bristol so that we can all continue to exercise, look after our mental health, socialise and have fun. Something that we all need at this time.

Thank you to the organisers of the Brislington Talk Club for the invitation to attend one of the sessions at Arnos Manor Hotel recently. Talk Club is a male mental fitness community that provides positive safe spaces for men to open up and be listened to. Mental health is just like physical health, but for your brain. That's why Talk Club is like a gym session, where men can become mentally stronger from talking and listening, and it all starts with one question, How are you, out of 10? As part of the community men can access talking and listening groups, sports clubs and therapy. If you are male, over 18 and want to build your mental fitness or are going through a tough time, join Brislington Talk Club every Tuesday, 7.30pm at Arnos Manor Hotel. Information can be found about Talk Club here: www.talkclub.org

BRISLINGTON CELEBRATION EVENT:

A Brislington Celebration Event has been organised for October 21st and 22nd at St Christopher’s Church on Hampstead Road. The focus is to celebrate and increase awareness of everything going on in Brislington. If you would like to be involved in whatever capacity, please contact the organise via the email below. Similarly, if you know anyone else who might be interested, feel free to pass on this information.

jennifer.cave-ayland@nhs.net

Hundreds of Brislington West residents have signed up to receive our monthly newsletter via email. You can register using this link: http://www.bristollibdems. org/efocus.

By Jos Clark, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.jos.clark@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 370429

& Andrew Varney, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.andrew.varney@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 183381

WINDOWS | DOORS | ROOFLIGHTS

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Visit Bristol’s Biggest Showroom 24 Emery Road Brislington, Bristol BS4 5PF To find out more, call 01179 717 880 or visit www.crystalclearbristol.co.uk

OVER 30’s DANCE PARTY at the superb BAWA Club, Filton on the FIRST Friday of EVERY MONTH (except No Dance in JAN or AUG and the APRIL DANCE is on FRI 14th) It’s The Ideal Night Out For The 30 * 40 * 50 * 60 Age Range. Come and Dance Amongst A Friendly Lively Crowd. Enjoy A Good Mix of Music, Dancing Thru’ the Decades including some Motown and Soul Favourites. Club times are 9 ‘til 1 (last entry 11pm) – Very Smart Casual NO Tee Shirts or Trainers & Gents are Required To Wear Collared Shirts. Dance adm £8

For more Info call 07860578708 or go to www.mingles.co.uk Facebook: Luv2mingle

NO.1 BIGGEST MISTAKE BUSINESSES MAKE WHEN HEADING INTO A RECESSION

With the Bank of England raising interest rates as Britain’s worst bout of inflation for 40 years hit, world-renowned business coach Brad Sugars is warning business owners against taking a natural reaction of battening down the hatches.

“The first thing business tend to do in a recession is stop their marketing activities to save money. If our businesses made it through the 2008 crash, we thought we were plain sailing until the pandemic hit and now global forces are threatening us once again. Now’s the time to dig deep, get the marketplace coming to you by learning what will really work if you’re committing your marketing spend,” said Brad.

Brad is a serial entrepreneur who has turned around hundreds of companies over the last 30 years, but he’s also teamed up with award-winning author of They Ask, You Answer Marcus Sheridan for a speaking tour of the UK in November. Marcus saved his swimming pool company, Rivers and Spas, from the brink of collapse during the economic recession of 2008 and ultimately became the most trafficked swimming pool website in the world. The story of how he managed to attract enough of an audience to achieve this has been featured in multiple books, publications and case studies across the globe. Touring from Bristol to Edinburgh across 7 locations, the evening event will help you spark insightful conversations with your marketing team, get you communicating with like-minded individuals and allow you to collaborate and inspire each other in an environment like no other.

“All too often, business owners don’t get back what they put in, in terms of time, effort and investment, because the strategies they’ve learnt are either outdated or not implementable in the real world. The insights we share on our tour explain how you can get your prospects raising their hand to come to you through engaging techniques, creating long-term relationships and value,” added Brad. Starting from 2nd November in Bristol and ending on 10th November in Sheffield, the Raise Your Hand, Raise Your Profits tour has tickets available from £24. The team at ActionCOACH Bristol are giving away a free ticket with every complimentary coaching session booked between now and 31st October. To find out more or click here.

NORTH BRISTOL ART TRAIL

The annual North Bristol Art Trail will be taking place on the weekend of the 25th27th November 2022 in venues around Bishopston, Redland, Horfield, St Andrew’s, Ashley, and Henleaze. 110 artists will be showing their work in homes and community venues and you are warmly invited to come along and see what they have been creating. Now in its 21st year, the North Bristol Arts Trail is one of the most important events in the Bristol art calendar. The artists taking part are a mixture of professionals and amateurs, and they have so much that they want to share with you. Taking a walk around the trail you will find paintings, prints, ceramics, jewellery, sculpture, photography, textiles and much more. There will be something to suit all budgets, from larger original pieces to inexpensive gifts and greetings cards. But an art trail is not just about buying art. The North Bristol Artists are passionate about being creative. They love making their work and they really enjoy being able to show it to you, even if you are not an art-buyer. When visitors come and look at their work, they love it. So please feel free to come into artists’ homes and see what they have on display. There is no pressure to buy, or even to chat to the artist, so don’t feel anxious about visiting any of the trail venues - you are very welcome! Many artists will be raising money for charity over the art trail weekend. Some will be donating the money raised from the sale of artwork to their chosen charity, while others will be providing refreshments to raise money. The North Bristol Artists know how lucky they are to be able to spend time on their art, the thing that they love. Using their art to raise money for good causes is a way of helping others too.

A number of venues will be offering refreshments and music, which is another good reason to have a walk aro und the trail and have a great day out in this creative area of the city. You can find out all about the artists taking part in this year’s trail and the venues where they will be showing their work at: www.northbristolartists.org.uk. Art trail maps will be available to pick up from shops and cafes around the trail area from the beginning of November. In the meantime, keep up with all of the NBA news by following North Bristol Artists on social media and signing up for the email newsletter on the website