Emersons Green Voice February 2023

Lending a hand at village hall

Heat beneath our feet

DISUSED mines underneath the Emersons Green area could potentially be used again - as a source of renewable heat.

The last pits in the area, stretching underneath Emersons Green, Lyde Green and Shortwood, last produced coal nearly a century ago.

But the workings have now been identified as a potential “area of interest” for green energy

The water which often floods old workings is naturally heated by the earth, and has been identified as a potential source of heat for homes and other buildings - if the heat can successfully be harnessed using pumps.

Full story: Page 5

Nursery judged Good by Ofsted

Butterflies Day Nursery, based at the old Shortwood Golf Club, has earned a Good rating from the watchdog Ofsted.

PAGE 7

A lending library for games is one of the new services offered to the community at Emersons Green Village Hall by manager Nikki Frost and administrator Sarah Lanceley Full story: Page 12

by South Gloucestershire Council and the government’s Coal Authority.

SUTTON Chiropractic in Downend specializes in keeping the whole family healthy, active and doing what they love. As such, active ageing is at the very core of our practice. We love to see people getting the most out of life as they enter their later years, helping them to pursue their hobbies with passion.

The key to active ageing is having your physical health in check, which is often overlooked until it’s too late. So we’ve put together a guide for you to get the most out of life and not miss out on those precious moments with your friends, children or grandchildren.

Start with a good foundation

In an effort to get healthier our exercise levels increase, however many people develop injuries from this. The most common issue is when the spine, neck or pelvis are out of alignment and injuries start to develop. It’s not uncommon for these to spread to the knees, elbows and shoulders too. This is why the body must be assessed and helped back to

proper alignment to ensure you keep healthy and active as time goes by. We often tell term this as making people grandchild proof!

Choose activities you enjoy

This ensures keeping you healthy will be fun, making it easier to stick at and get the benefits preserving your quality of life. If you’re a comfortable swimmer then make the pool part of your regular routine. Equally if you’re a keen walker or gardener prioritise these activities. It’s certainly horses for courses, so choose what gets you fired up.

Strong heart, joints and bones

Consider the level of impact the activity has on the body. We recommend low impact activities with two key caveats – make sure it gets you slightly out of breath and stresses your joints and bones moderately. Challenging your breathing will help preserve the heart and lung function and the physical stress on your frame will keep the joints strong reducing the chances of Osteoporosis. Activities like walking, swimming, Tai Chi are fantastic at achieving this, but see what works for you with these caveats in mind. Remember, challenge the breathing and stress the joints and bones.

Maximise your time in nature

Science has shown that spending time in nature is fantastic for the body and mind. This can be a gentle lap of Page

Park, walking in the hills of south wales or along the flat Bristol/ Bath cycle track. A wonderful alternative if you’re not as good on your feet is to simply spend time in a garden tending to the pots and plants. Good for the soul and great for the body.

Time with others

Even the most introverted of us are still social animals at heart and loneliness most even more important especially in later life. Why not enhance and preserve your health with others at the same time? Exercise clubs,

slimming world (we recommend Erica Hammond’s sessions 07766 425725), book groups or the Downend in bloom group to name a few options.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you enjoy your later years, or how best to prepare for them, we’d love to help. We want to help provide you with a strong foundation for enjoying your hobbies and time with your loved ones for many years to come. Remember, its not just about aging, it’s about moving and having fun.

Matt Sutton

DRIVERS trying to avoid a road closure in the middle of Lyde Green have caused a “safety nightmare”.

Residents have reported having to push children out of the way of cars driven through pedestrian areas in School Square to avoid the closure of Willowherb Road next to Lyde Green Primary School and the community centre.

Contractors have moved fencing around the works to block cars from driving on the pavement after seeing one nearly hit a pedestrian, and exit bollards at one end of the car park have been locked to stop it being used to bypass the closure.

South Gloucestershire Council closed the road on January 9 for up to eight weeks, to carry out work to upgrade the bus stops on each side for metrobus services.

Within days, incidents were reported of “dangerous” driving.

Staff at Lyde Green Community Centre posted an appeal on social media to drivers, saying: “We understand that you’re in a rush. We understand that you can see where you want to get.

“But please don’t try to cut through the road closure by using pavements or pedestrian walkways.

“It’s so dangerous so close to

‘Dangerous’ driving on pavements at road closure

at once, building shelters, adding an iPoint ticket facility, ‘real time’ information screens, bike stands and CCTV.

Willowherb Road has been closed in both directions while work to upgrade metrobus stops is carried out

The council says it needed to fully close the road as work was being done on both sides.

Carrying out the work on one side at a time would still have not left enough space for buses and lorries to pass, even in one direction, the Voice has been told.

our centre, a busy primary school and a nursery.”

Residents said they had seen drivers mounting kerbs next to Happy Days nursery, driving on pavements and pedestrianised parts of the square and removing bollards in the car park, before they were locked.

One resident reported that her child had to be pushed out of the way of an oncoming car.

Another resident who lives nearby told the Voice the closure had “caused a safety nightmare”, with buses also having been seen missing the diversion and reversing out of cul-de-sacs to turn around.

Safety work set to start

WORK on pedestrian and cyclist safety measures on Willowherb Road will start in February.

A pedestrian refuge will be installed at the junction with Hawthorn Way during the school half-term holidays and further works will follow, after around nine out of ten respondents to a public consultation supported the plans.

A South Gloucestershire Council report into the consultation, carried out in September and October last year, said 58 people and groups responded.

The overall improvement scheme was backed by 91% of them, with 2% opposed and 7% undecided.

Backing of between 84% and 91% was recorded for the other measures in the consultation: a parallel pedestrian and cyclist crossing next to the Newlands Lane junction (86%), a ‘speed table’ with “informal pedestrian crossing facilities” opposite Happy Days nursery (84%), the pedestrian refuge by the Hawthorn Way junction (88%) and a zebra crossing between the park & ride exit and Pennycress Close.

Council cabinet member for communities and Emersons Green ward councillor Rachael Hunt said the work should be finished by September and thanked those who had answered the consultation. She said: “The aim of this scheme is to make the area around the Lyde Green Primary School, community centre and nursery safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.”

Fellow ward members Judy Adams and Colin Hunt said the new refuge on Hawthorn Way “should make it much easier and safer for people to cross the road”.

They added: “Road safety is a major concern for local residents and we’re pleased to see these improvements come to fruition.”

He said: “I am dumbstruck as to how the planners thought closing a busy main road outside of a school and community centre would be a good idea.

“I wonder why the works could not be achieved one side at a time, to minimise disruption?”

The work, part of an improvement project for Lyde Green bus stops costing almost £1 million, involves moving kerbs so that two metrobuses can stop

A council spokesperson said the authority was monitoring traffic and had added extra signs, informing drivers of diversion and that one of the car park exits was closed.

He added: “The signed diversion will be enforced throughout the eight-week road closure.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank people for their patience.”

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‘On demand’ minibuses for Shortwood and Pucklechurch

A NEW ‘on-demand’ transport service enabling passengers to ‘hail’ a minibus will be launched this summer.

The aim of the ‘WEST link’ service is to enable people who live in areas with little or no bus service to reach a stop or station where they can pick up another bus or a train.

Funded by the West of England Combined Authority, out of £3 million cash from the government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, the minibuses will run between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday.

Areas covered by the service will include Pucklechurch, Shortwood and Siston Hill.

People living there will be able to phone, go online or use an app to call up a minibus as a “feeder service” to reach a stop that links them up with main commercial services in Emersons Green, such as the 48, 49 or metrobus.

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A member of the

Homes in Emersons Green, Lyde Green and Mangotsfield will not be included in the scheme because they are served by the commercial services.

Elsewhere in the region the minibuses are intended to provide links to Cribbs Causeway, Southmead Hospital, Bristol Parkway Station and Bath’s Royal United Hospital and Lansdown Park & Ride.

The ‘demand responsive transport’ system works by splitting the region into zones and using an algorithm to work out when requests by several people in one of the zones can be combined into one minibus journey that collects them all.

It has no timetable, and ticket prices will match regular fares on the region’s buses, which have recently been reduced to a £2 flat rate single.

Details of how many buses will be provided and where people will be able to travel to from each town or village covered by the scheme have yet to be finalised.

The idea grew out of consultations held by Metro Mayor Dan Norris last year to try and find solutions to the public transport crisis facing the region, with services cut and cancelled in the face of a fall in passenger numbers from pre-pandemic levels and a shortage of bus drivers.

The Bus Service Improvement Plan money cannot be spent to subsidise existing services but must instead be invested in services that are “innovative and new”.

Mr Norris said: “Everyone knows the buses don’t currently work as well as we need them to, so it’s time to try something new.

“If we carry on doing the same old things, we’re going to get the same old outcomes. In doing innovative things, sometimes they don’t work, but sometimes they are a success.

“I know change is difficult and people will be concerned about other cuts to supported bus services funded through local councils. But WEST link will provide a much-needed new public transport option to help people get out and about to their destinations.”

The Metro Mayor also hopes running a fleet of smaller minibuses will help solve the shortage of more than 250 drivers on the region’s bus network: they are easier to drive and quicker to train on than a large bus, as drivers don’t need a public service vehicle (PSV) licence.

Mr Norris also wants to improve information so that people do not wait for ‘phantom buses’ that appear on screens and timetables but do not arrive at bus stops.

New energy source in old mines

THEY once produced millions of tons of fuel to power the industrial revolution, before closing nearly a century ago.

But the disused mines underneath the Emersons Green area could potentially start providing energy again - without removing a single lump of coal.

South Gloucestershire Council is investigating the potential use of former mine workings in the district as a source of renewable heating and cooling for buildings.

The abandoned workings which stretch under Lyde Green, Emersons Green and Shortwood are among those identified as “areas of interest” by the government’s Coal Authority.

Old mines are flooded with water, which is naturally heated by underground geological activity.

The council believes the heat could be tapped, to supply either “single buildings such as schools, hospitals and offices, or a heat network serving multiple buildings or a district”.

The process would involve using pumps to raise the temperature to the level required for heating and hot water.

The Coal Authority has made an initial study of records of local disused and abandoned coal mines, which the council says “identified a number of areas of interest”.

The first two areas on its list are between Easton, Speedwell and Fishponds in Bristol, and between Hanham and Oldland Common in South Gloucestershire.

The third and fourth include Kingswood and Soundwell, and an area around Lyde Green and Emersons Green, where the Parkfield, Brandy Bottom and Shortwood collieries were in use up until the 1930s.

South Gloucestershire Council is now looking for funding to undertake a further study of

the areas believed to have the greatest potential.

The council believes up to 26,000 homes and businesses are near to former mine workings: there are understood to be 42 coal seams and more than 1,000 mine entrances in the area between Mangotsfield, Westerleigh, Pucklechurch and Kingswood alone.

The legacy of the industry remains in place names such as Colliers Break in Emersons Green, where the old engine house from Church Farm Deep, one of the Mangotsfield coal mines that closed in 1891, still stands.

Now work needs to be done to see if the heat in any of the mines could be put to practical use.

Council climate emergency manager Barry Wyatt said: “We know there are extensive mine workings across South Gloucestershire – what we need to understand now is just how big the energy resource is and how we could make best use of it.”

Council leader Toby Savage said: “One hundred years after South Gloucestershire’s mines closed, they may yet be part of the solution to the climate and our move towards becoming carbon neutral.”

The Coal Authority has used written records such as maps of mine workings, geological and water data to assess which mines are likely to have flooded since closure.

As yet, there has not been any physical investigation of any of the mines.

A council spokesperson said more work now needs to take place to understand how much heat is available and whether future demand would make it economically viable, including looking at experiences elsewhere in the UK and Europe.

are marked as an ‘area of interest’ on a map produced by the Coal Authority

Bottom Colliery, near Lyde Green, seen from the air. Picture: Arran Bee

Brandy

Mine workings under Lyde Green, Emersons Green and Shortwood

Expert predicts tough election fight for Tories

SOUTH Gloucestershire Council's ruling Conservatives face a serious fight to stay in power in this year's local elections, a polling expert predicts.

Independent statistician Nigel Marriott, who is credited with making the most accurate forecast for the last General Election, says the district bucked the national trend in the last local authority elections four years ago - but may not this time.

In 2019 the Tories retained overall control in South Gloucestershire, in contrast to nearby North Somerset and Bath & North East Somerset, where the party lost power to an independent-led coalition and the Liberal Democrats respectively, with the unpopular government of Theresa May blamed. Mr Marriott, of Bath, has crunched the numbers on how residents in each of the four unitary authority areas in the region have voted at local, general and EU elections since 2009.

Nigel Marriott

He says there are some striking similarities between South Gloucestershire and North Somerset in particular, as well as crucial differences.

Mr Marriott says the outcome this year depends on whether South Gloucestershire is once again apparently immune from national trends, as happened in 2019, or if that result was a one-off.

He said: “South Glos and North Somerset are similar politically, with Tories dominant and having grown their vote share notably since 2009.

“The vote shares are practically identical for South Glos and North Somerset.

VOTERS in South Gloucestershire will need to show an accepted form of identification at upcoming council elections.

Recent changes to the law mean people unable to show ID such as a driving licence, passport at polling stations could be barred from voting in the elections on May 4.

People who do not have an accepted form of ID will be able to apply online or by submitting a paper form to their council for a free ID card — although details of how to do this had yet to be confirmed as the Voice went to press.

But opposition politicians have raised questions about the new rules, particularly over which forms of ID will be accepted.

“One difference is that North Somerset has been more open to independents, so the advance of independents in 2019 at Tory expense was not completely unexpected.

“South Glos has no history of independents or even minor parties, other than in EU elections.

“It is a solid three-party council and, unless something else is happening on the ground, I think you have to expect it to remain like that at the next election.”

Nationally, the Conservatives are polling at similar levels to May 2019, at around 25%.

Mr Marriott said it was hard to predict whether the Lib Dems or Labour – the second and third biggest party groups respectively – would benefit most in South Gloucestershire.

In May 2019 Labour was polling around 24% nationally, with the Brexit Party on 18%, Lib Dems on 16% and Greens on 7%. The first national YouGov poll of 2023, however, put Labour on

New ID rules

Liberal Democrat group leader Claire Young told a council meeting in December that it was "outrageous ageism" that photo travel passes for older people are set to be accepted as ID but those for younger people aren’t. She called on the council to commit to ensuring free ID was available in good time for the local elections.

The Electoral Commission says research shows people less likely to have an accepted form of ID include those over 85 and people with disabilities.

But council leaders said a recent pilot

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46%, with the Lib Dems on 9%, Greens on 6% and Reform UK on 7%.

Mr Marriott said: "The Tory vote in 2019 in South Glos was very resilient.

"Given the Tories are polling the same level again today as May 2019, if they are still polling 25 per cent come May 2023 then that points to an unchanged Tory vote in the election.

“The question for South Gloucestershire, though, is whether 2019 was the anomaly that corrects itself in 2023 –ie, big losses – or 2019 is the baseline, in which case they could be unchanged.”

The perils of forecasting individual elections are clear - Mr Marriott predicted the Conservatives would win the 2021 Metro Mayor election, which was won by Labour.

Mr Marriott’s blog can be found online at marriott-stats. com/nigels-blog/

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

scheme showed that most people have “an acceptable form of voting”.

Conservative cabinet member Ben Burton said: "The most important thing to ensure is that the democratic process is well run and the people who can vote are able to vote. I have every confidence in the democratic services team, with their experience of elections, to get the message out there in terms of what people can vote with, how they can vote, and to ensure that the electoral process goes smoothly."

The deadline to register to vote for the next local elections is April 17.

By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Former golf club’s new life as nursery

A NURSERY which has taken over a former golf club near Siston Hill has been praised by an education inspector.

Ofsted visited Butterflies Day Nursery in November and the watchdog’s report, which has just been published, says it is good in all areas.

Inspector Tracey Cook praised the nursery’s wellplanned learning environment, high expectations for children and many opportunities for outdoor activities.

The nursery is based at the former Shortwood Golf Club, off Carson’s Road.

It opened during the pandemic, in July 2020, just over a year after the golf course closed for the final time.

Now a thriving nursery, with more than 130 children from babies to four year olds on its roll, it has 27 staff and is open daily for 51 weeks of the year.

The Ofsted inspection was the regulator’s first visit to Butterflies, and the nursery was rated good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and personal development.

The inspector said: “Children

feel happy and safe in this warm and nurturing environment.

“They form close relationships with staff and are keen to explore the wide range of activities available to them.

“Staff and managers have high expectations for children.

“Children enjoy being outdoors, where they have many opportunities to be active and to

explore.”

The inspector highlighted staff’s use of activities, rhymes and songs to introduce mathematics to children, and support for health and wellbeing through healthy food and exercise.

She said: “Older children become immersed in their play and are motivated learners.

“They demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem in their learning, self-care, and communication.

“Children behave well. They play cooperatively, take turns and share resources successfully.

“Children learn the skills they need and are well prepared when they eventually move on to school.”

The inspector recommended that to improve further, the nursery develops its organisation of activities for younger children and provides parents with more information about what their child needs to do next, to support learning at home.

Owner director Viv Osborne said: “We have a very dedicated, caring team and they have worked very hard to achieve this good result.

“I am very proud of each and every one of them.

“We do a lot of training in order to keep the staff up to date with current policies and procedures.

“I also want to thank the parents that have supported us over the last two years - we would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for them.”

Electric charger revamp for car park

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury’s wants to revamp the car park at its Emersons Green store to include charging points for electric vehicles.

The company has applied for planning permission to instal 10 EV charging bays and two substations on a row of spaces leading to a zebra crossing, close to the main entrance to the store.

The plan would also involve adding an extra parent and child parking bay and relocating a trolley store.

Three trees on the same row of spaces would be removedthe company says it will replace them with three new trees in the landscaped area by the store’s recycling area.

The recycling area would also be reconfigured under the plans, which would see the total number of car parking spaces reduced by four, from 396 to 392, and standard parking bays

reduced from 350 to 343.

The pedestrian walkway will be retained but the access lane next to the EV spaces will become one-way, to accommodate the increased size of the bays.

Agents Alder King said: “Supermarket car parks are an established location for EV points, given their size and high

volume of users.

“The charging points will be located within the middle of the car park and will be easily accessible and have easy access into the store via the existing walkway.

“The reduction in the number of spaces will not materially impact the operation of the car park and will not result in any

impacts on the surrounding highway.”

The agents say that at its busiest time of the week, 1.30pm on a Sunday, around 89% of the car park spaces are regularly occupied, which means there will “still be a suitable level of parking available for customers”.

They say the removal of the three trees is “necessary” to make room for the charging points, extra parent and child space and substation.

There are currently no EV charging points at the Emersons Green District Centre - the nearest points are at the Budgens filling station at the Emerson Way/Westerleigh Road roundabout and on Feynman Way, Lyde Green.

The plans can be viewed on the planning section of South Gloucestershire Council’s website by searching for application P22/06908/F.

Owner Viv Osborne (top right) with some of the Butterflies Day Nursery staff and children

The row where the new EV chargers will be installed

Not

common eye symptoms

Now I’m not referring to either Meat Loaf’s ballad of the same title or an audience at a Peter Kay gig, but a recent dry eye survey that revealed that around a third of people didn’t know the symptoms of dry eye despite around half of them having experienced dry eye symptoms! So what is dry eye?

Dry eye is a mild inflammatory condition that usually results from a reduced or incomplete tear layer on the surface of your eyes. What are the symptoms of dry eye?

The most common dry eye symptoms include, not unremarkably; a dry, sore or mildly painful feeling in the eyes. You might also experience burning, gritty or an itching sensation from your eyes too, as well as sometimes your eyes looking a little red.

What can I do if I get dry eye symptoms?

Firstly an easy option is to ensure you drink plenty of water, approximately 1 to 1.5 litres a day, in addition to tea / coffee. If you’re drinking alcohol then you may well need to up your water consumption too!

Another often overlooked good tip, which only takes a tenth of a second, is the humble blink. If reading, try blinking every time you swipe or turn the page. When looking at a display screen, it’s recommended you blink every 3-4 seconds, for example blink when scrolling a web page or sending an email. They key seems to be consciously forming good habits which then become second nature after a few weeks practice.

What else can I do to help dry eye?

The next step is to try artificial tears. These days there is no shortage of options, you can buy eye drops, gels and even eyelid sprays. With so many to choose from we’re often asked where you should start. Good options these days contain sodium hyaluronate, a poly glycol derivative or carmellose sodium.

How can we help you?

If you’ve tried the tips above, and perhaps even more, and still experience dry eye type symptoms then you might be interested in our dedicated Dry Eye Clinic. You can benefit from a specialist dry eye assessment. In the Turners Opticians Dry Eye Clinic we will take the time to listen to your symptoms, carefully inspect your eyelids, tear film and ocular surface to understand the nature of your dry eye, the composition (or lack thereof) of your tears and explain our findings. From there we’ll recommend a personalised dry eye treatment plan.

To book an appointment, or to discuss how at Turners Opticians we can help you, please call our Henleaze team on 0117 962 2474 or Fishponds team on 0117 965 4434

A FUNDRAISING campaign to help a Staple Hill dad battling cancer has reached its £150,000 target.

Friends, family and strangers have all played their part, staging events, challenges and making individual donations to raise the huge amount to pay for David Gibbs to receive a new treatment, which is not available on the NHS.

He has thanked the community for the "incredible" support that has been shown to him and his family.

Dave, who is 38, was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive cancer of the brain and spinal cord, in September 2021.

He underwent an 11-hour operation at Southmead Hospital to remove 95% of the tumour the following month.

Dave also underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but was told they would not stop the tumour from growing back again without further treatment.

His family discovered a new treatment, called a personalised cancer vaccine, which uses unique genetic information to help the immune system target and attack the cancer cells.

Receiving the treatment meant Dave needed to travel to Germany - and find a way of paying the associated costs.

His sister Sarah Burford set up an online appeal, called Dave's Brain Fund, and his family and friends set about spreading the word and organising events. Over the past year supporters have cycled the length of Britain, run marathons, half-marathons and 10ks, staged comedy shows and gigs, discos, quizzes, competitions, raffles and race nights.

There have been bucket collections, cake and ice cream sales, fitness, Lego and fancy dress challenges, helping to bring in thousands of donations, including more than 2,200 supporters via the appeal's JustGiving page.

Donations have also been made by local organisations, with Downend Round Table fireworks giving £5,000 to the appeal from funds raised at the 2022 display and organisers of the Christmas at Cleeve Wood Road Shops event also making a donation.

Dave, who is married with a four-year-old daughter, has been travelling to the CeGaT genetic laboratory in Tübingen, near Stuttgart, since June to receive

Dave thanks 'incredible' supporters as appeal fund hits £150,000

the treatment, alongside his regular chemotherapy treatment cycles in the UK.

He said: "Recent test results show my body has responded very well to the personalised cancer vaccine. This ties up with my latest MRI scan which shows the tumour has shrunk again.

"We've got to hope that the tumour continues to shrink, but only time will tell."

Dave's chemotherapy treatment is temporarily on hold after tests pointed to a possible liver issue, but he expects to restart soon.

Meanwhile work to make a cancer vaccine available on the NHS has moved a step closer, with the Department of Health and Social Care signing a deal in January with German company BioNTech, which helped create one of the leading COVID-19 vaccinations, to develop treatment the government says could have "the potential to transform outcomes for cancer patients".

Without the treatment his supporters have funded, Dave was told the average survival time from diagnosis was 12 to 18 months.

He said: "There are so many things happening in the area, and it looks like the kind of treatment I have might become available on the NHS, which would be incredible, but everyone who needs it has to survive long enough for them to catch up."

In the meantime Dave, a technical sales engineer who grew up in Downend, has been advised he will need to selffund any further alternative medications, and he says the "goalposts are always moving" on treatment and costs.

Dave said: "Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us reach the incredible amount of £150,000, raised in just over a year.

"There are so many people who I need to thank - friends, family and the wider community as a whole - their support has been incredible. We're so thankful to the community for their support, the time and donations that they have given.

"Thank you to all that have donated, attended events or sponsored a challenge."

Fundraising activities are slowing down as Dave's supporters take a break, but with his treatment still ongoing and the future still uncertain, it is possible more may need to be raised in the future.

Any donations to the campaign which are not needed to pay for Dave's treatment will be given to charities that fund research into brain tumours and support for patients and their families.

Updates on Dave's Brain Fund can be found at the campaign Facebook page

and donations page at www. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ davesbrainfund

David Gibbs is undergoing treatment for brain cancer

25%

during Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) Month

No one want to be a burden to their family but NO Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) can cause huge problems for those you most care about.

The law often doesn’t work in the way you’d expect. Even married couples need LPAs to appoint each other to have the legal right to support each other.

February is LPA Month at Simpsons. If you use them for both LPAs they offer our readers 25% off the full cost of their Complete LPA Service. To qualify call them on 0117 960 8594 or pop into their Kingswood Office by February 28th to book your FREE review meeting and mention you saw it in The Voice.

WHY: If you lost the mental capacity to make decisions on your own, then bank accounts / savings can be frozen and family can be left powerless to help you. So you need Lasting Powers of Attorney to be already in place that legally appoint

those you trust to act for you.

WHEN: If you had a serious accident or perhaps a routine operation went wrong or you had a stroke or developed dementia.

WHAT: Most people need two LPAs, one for Money issues and one for Health issues – so they are fully covered.

Money – Allowing access, perhaps to pay for care or treatment or to support your children and to pay your bills.

Home – Decisions on where you are cared for and if needed authority to sign so you can move home to more suitable accommodation.

Medical treatment and care - Allow those you trust to speak up for you to get the treatment you would want and your wishes for resuscitation if you have no quality of life.

THE

DIFFERENCE WITH SIMPSON SOLICITORS’

COMPLETE SERVICE: No complicated forms to complete as they do all the form filling. But with them the price you pay also covers extra clauses to record our wishes, acting as your Certificate Provider as to mental capacity, helping your Attorneys sign. They also handle the lengthy court registration process –so you have LPAs ready to be used when needed. Their price even covers certified copies.

Ben Osborne at Simpson Solicitors adds: "But most of all we give you peace of mind as we include our after care service of future support and guidance to those you trust, in activating and using your LPAs – so they don’t feel burdened."

Full price of both Powers of Attorney

Benjamin Osborne

Ensure

family and loved ones are protected and

assets pass to those you choose to inherit.

Mangotsfield Primary School’s Lime class make the Roman greeting or ‘salve’ during their visit

Living history

CHILDREN at Mangotsfield Primary School tried archaeology, drank spa water and tried on togas as they found out about life in Roman Bath.

The Year 4 pupils had a project on the Roman invasion of Britain, the highlight of which was the trip to the Roman Baths before Christmas.

Year 4 and 5 Phase Leader Ellice Duddridge said: “The children enjoyed handling and learning about Roman artefacts, dressing up in togas and making mosaics.

“They also ventured underground where they tried their hand at archaeology, digging for treasures; they identified remnants from Roman ruins and built archways.

“They met a Roman and explored the Baths themselves and even tried some of the spa water, which they weren’t too keen on!

“They behaved impeccably representing Team Mango on their adventure.”

Hall’s aim is to be heart of the community

EMERSONS Green Village Hall is finding new ways to serve and get more people involved with the community.

The hall in Emerson Way has opened a new free board game and puzzle lending library, with weekly “coffee, cake and community” mornings also proving to be a hit.

The number of events is being expanded and manager Nikki Frost says more are in the pipeline at the hall, which is run by a charity with an independent board of trustees.

Nikki took over the day-today running of the village hall last year from Viv Roberts, who had been in charge for many years, including running the hall single-handedly through the pandemic and hosting a centre for collecting humanitarian aid for Ukraine last year.

Nikki said Viv had done a brilliant job and left “big shoes to fill”.

Working with administrator Sarah Lanceley, she is aiming

to increase the number of community events.

Nikki said: “We’re looking to give the hall a new lease of life, get more activities going, whether it be for children, families or the senior generation, and bring people together more.

“Our motto is to try to be the

heart of the community.”

The next big week at the hall is the school half-term holiday, starting with a magic show on February 11, a fun day for younger children on February 13, with soft play, inflatables and mini-cars, crafts and Lego building days on February 14 and

15 respectively, and a Jurassic Park-themed disco on February 18.

Nikki says money raised from paid-for events and private room hire goes back into the hall, helping support free activities and services.

The newest of those is the game and puzzle library, with a selection of donated items that are available to borrow any time the hall is open. More donations for the collection are also welcome.

The informal community cafe, held every Thursday from 11am-1pm and run by volunteers, is for people to drop in, socialise and have a cup of tea or coffee and a cake.

The event is being supported by Emersons Green Town Council, and a town councillor is going to each session to answer residents’ questions.

For more information on the hall and events, visit its Facebook page, the website www.egvh. org.uk or call 01454 862182.

Residents at a ‘coffee, cake and community’ cafe session at Emersons Green Village Hall

Better ways to make roads safe

I WAS pleased to read the page 1 article about the roundabouts revamp being scrapped (Voice, January).

I am not convinced that the roundabout that was done has made any improvement and if the plan had gone ahead, there would have been many more years of disruption.

I could respectfully suggest ways to spend the money saved by scrapping the roundabout plan:

1. A couple of years ago the council got rid of the block paving going across Emerson Way but unfortunately did not finish the job. There are still three places where it goes across Emerson Way between the Sainsbury’s roundabout and the ring road. My wife and I were severely jolted when returning home on the M3 bus coming from the ring road and going over this block paving.

2. Repainting white lines, particularly at the roundabouts on the ring road. I was rather shaken recently at the Willy Wicket roundabout, where I was about to turn right to go towards Yate when some idiot driver overtook me on the right and then cut across me to go straight on down the ring road. He completely ignored the fact that he was on one of the two lanes to turn right - and was speeding.

3. It seems strange that one can read where the police will be locating speed cameras, usually in places where the speed won’t be much above the limit, but they seem to ignore the one place - the ring road - where the speeding is much more frequent and well above the limit. Why are there no speed cameras in place on the ring road?

I could go on about the noise factor on the ring road but I know that has been aired in the Voice previously, with no result.

Colin Roy Emerson’s Green

Councillors’ tribute to MP Chris

WE are terribly sad to be losing Chris Skidmore as our Member of Parliament at the next General Election (Voice, January).

For the past 12 years, he has served the constituency in which he was born and raised with immense pride and dedication.

Despite the abolition of the Kingswood constituency following the boundary review, choosing to stand down after 12 years of service could not have been easy, and we fully respect his decision.

His numerous postings in government since 2010, from health to universities, are a testament to his abilities and the high regard in which he is held by his colleagues.

His efforts to put the UK on the path towards carbon neutrality have been extraordinary. Indeed, the results of his hard work to tackle the climate crisis will be felt well beyond our little patch here in South Gloucestershire.

At a local level, he has done so much to make Kingswood a better place to live and work. Whether it’s protecting the green belt from unsuitable development, saving Cossham Hospital from closure and securing its refurbishment, getting the funding to build IAAPS at the Science Park, changing road safety laws through the Justice for Ross and Claire campaign or lobbying ministerial colleagues to bring new schools to the area, he has always put his constituents first.

Thank you, Chris, once again for everything you have done for us, for Kingswood and for the country over the past 12 years.

Rachael Hunt, Colin Hunt and Judy Adams Emersons Green ward councillors

Pele’s near-miss with Mangos legend

WHAT links ex-Mangotsfield United player and manager Harold Jarman with the worldrenowned Pele, who has sadly just passed away?

They both played for New York Cosmos, albeit in different seasons.

Harold Jarman played in the 1974 season and Pele joined the following season.

Harold was also a much-loved Bristol Rovers player, before joining Mangotsfield at the end of his playing days.

Harold played 18 games for Cosmos during the 1974 season; in 1975 the great Pele joined the Cosmos to replace him.

I am not sure if it is true, probably not, but could one of the biggest disappointments in Pele’s playing career be that

FORMERLY PARKS HAIRDRESSERS

Harold Jarman had left the Cosmos before he arrived, and they were never able to play in the same team?

Mangotsfield Gashead

Census provides first snapshot of sexuality

DETAILS of the number of people in South Gloucestershire who identify as straight, gay or bisexual have been revealed for the first time.

A question on sexual orientation for people aged 16 and over was added to the 2021 Census by the Office for National Statistics.

A question on gender identity - whether a person identified with their sex as registered at birth - was also included among the questions for the first time ever.

The ONS says the information it has received as a result will be "vital in helping shape services in years to come".

However, as the questions

were voluntary, one significant factor is the number of people who declined to answer either of them.

In South Gloucestershire, just over nine out of ten respondents (90.64%) said they were straight or heterosexual.

A total of 2.82% of respondents identified with a sexuality the ONS described as LGB+, with 1.29% saying that they were gay or lesbian; 1.24% bisexual; 0.19% pansexual (defined as attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity); 0.07% asexual (no sexual attraction to others), 0.02% queer (non-conventional sexuality) and 0.01% wrote in another sexual orientation.

However the second largest group was those who declined to answer the question about sexuality, who made up 6.53% of the population - more than double those who identified in an LGB+ category.

In Bristol 85.45% of respondents said they were straight or heterosexual.

More than twice the proportion of the Bristol population as in South Gloucestershire - 6.06%identified with an ONS LGB+ category: 2.2% said they were gay or lesbian; 3.08% bisexual; 0.49% pansexual; 0.11% asexual 0.13% queer and 0.05% stated another sexual orientation.

An even higher proportion of Bristol residents, 8.48%, did not answer the question.

Nationally, 43.4 million people (89.4%) identified as straight or heterosexual, 1.5 million people (3.2%) identified with an LGB+ orientation and 3.6 million (7.5%) did not answer the question.

In response to the gender identity question, 94.59% of South Gloucestershire residents said theirs was the sex they were registered with at birth, while 5.02% of respondents did not answer the question.

Of the remaining 0.38% of respondents, 0.14% said their gender was different to birth but did not give any specifics, 0.07% identified as a trans woman (registered female at birth, but now identifies as a man), 0.07% as a trans man (registered female at birth, but now identifies as a man), 0.06% were non-binary (not identifying as a man or woman), and 0.04% wrote in another gender identity.

In Bristol, 92.45% or respondents identified with their sex at birth, 6.73% did not answer the question and 0.82% identified with a different gender.

Nationally, the ONS said 262,000 in England and Wales identified with a gender different from their sex registered at birth, representing 0.5% of the population or around one in every 200 people.

ONS director Jen Woolford said having figures on gender identity and sexual orientation at a local level was "crucial" to "better understand the extent and nature of disadvantage which people may be experiencing in terms of educational outcomes, health, employment, and housing".

slimming-friendly spag bol

Contact your local Slimming World Consultant and join a friendly and super-supportive group today!

MONDAY - FISHPONDS

6.30pm at the Beechwood Club, Fishponds BS16 3TR Claire 07791574353

slimming-friendly spag bol

TUESDAY - DOWNEND

St Augustines Church Hall Boscombe Crescent BS16 6QU 9.30am and 11.00am Tel.Anna-Marie 07854177308

Contact your local Slimming World Consultant and join a friendly and super-supportive group today!

5.30pm at St Augustine’s Church Hall, Downend BS16 6QR Claire 07791574353

TUESDAY - FISHPONDS

9.30am at the Beechwood Club, Fishponds BS16 3TR Claire 07791574353

WEDNESDAY - STAPLE HILL

The Salvation Army 21 Broad Street BS16 5LN Wednesdays at 5.15pm and 6.45pm Tel. Anna-Marie 07854177308

WEDNESDAY - LYDE GREEN

Lyde Green Community Centre, Thistle Close BS16 7GW 7.30pm Wednesdays. Tel Lesley 07503524459

THURSDAY - LYDE GREEN FROM JANUARY 26TH

Lyde Green Community Centre, Thistle Close BS16 7GW 9.30am Thursdays. Tel Lesley 07503524459

FRIDAY - STAPLE HILL

The Salvation Army, 21 Broad Street BS16 5LN Fridays at 7.30am 9.00am and 10.30am Anna-Marie 07854177308

Fewer people in work

THE percentage of South Gloucestershire residents in work has fallen in the past decade, the Census has found.

Office for National Statistics figures show 62.2% of residents aged over 16 were "economically active and in employment", including self-employed, on the day of the 2021 Census, down by 2.3% on the 2011 figure of 64.4%. In neighbouring Bristol the number of people in employment has gone up by 0.9% since 2011 but at 61.2% is lower than in South Gloucestershire. A total of 2.5% of South Gloucestershire residents said they were economically active and unemployed, compared to 3.6% in Bristol.

In England and Wales, 27.8 million over-16s were in employment (57.2% of the population), 1.7m were unemployed (3.4%) and 19.1m were economically inactive (39.4%), including people who were not looking for work or could not work because they were retired, students, looking after a home or family or long-term sick or disabled.

Other facts about South Gloucestershire and Bristol from the Census published by the Office for National Statistics include:

• 36.6% of South Glos residents own their homes outright, while 36.8% have a mortgage, other loan or shared ownership, 10.8% rent socially and 15.8% rent privately - in Bristol 25.2% own outright, 29.7% have a mortgage, 18.7% rent socially and 26.4% rent privately.

• About one in eight South Gloucestershire households (12.3%) have no car or van, while 40.1% have one vehicle, 34.1% have two and 13.4% have three or more. In Bristol more than a quarter of households (26.1%) have no car; 45.8% have one, 21.6% have two and 6.4% have three or more.

For more Census information visit www.ons.gov.uk/census.

Mike and sheepdog Falcon win title

A MANGOTSFIELD dog trainer has won a national competition.

Mike Bendell and his dog Falcon beat hundreds of other dogs and their handlers to win the Kennel Club Agility Stakes large dog final, held at the London International Horse Show.

Mike and his four-year-old Working Sheepdog - kennel name Lookylooky Blue Falcon - competed in qualifying heats across the country to earn their place in the national final, held at ExCeL London just before Christmas in front of Kennel Club Championship agility judge David Isbister and assistant judge Dave Deaville.

Mike said: “It is my first time in the final at the Kennel Club Agility Stakes and it’s a privilege to run against the fellow competitors.

"I’m overwhelmed!"

Mike and Falcon have been competing in agility contests for almost two years.

Mike said: "He absolutely

loves it - he likes to go as fast as he can whilst making as much noise as possible.

"We are also competing at Crufts in March this year, in the championship agility classes as well as the International agility.

"Winning the Large Kennel Club Agility Stakes class at the London International Horse show was just a dream come true."

Mike has also competed in agility with two other border collies, Star - who has now retired - and Spy, an eight year old who won the British Open Agility Finals at Crufts last year and the team event in 2020.

He and his wife Jo do all of the training with their dogs and run Dark Star Agility, at Dodington, near Chipping Sodbury.

Mike said: "In 2019 I decided to give up my day job and start to teach agility full-time; this was the best decision I ever made! It really is the best job in the world."

Kennel Club events executive Vanessa McAlpine said: "Congratulations to Mike and Falcon for their impressive performance; the pair demonstrated great excellence in agility and should feel very proud of their win.

"The Kennel Club Agility Stakes is a tough competition and requires dedication from all competing dogs and their handlers in the training and qualifying process."

The competition, sponsored by Skinner's, is divided into small, medium, large, intermediate and large ABC (anything but collie) categories.

A guide for anyone interested in getting started in agility contests with their dog can be found online at thekennelclub. org.uk/newtoagility

Mike Bendell with Falcon after their win. Picture: The Kennel Club/ Yulia Titovets

‘Grab a jab’ appeal

HEALTH leaders say it is not too late to have a flu or Covid-19 vaccination. They are calling on people in eligible groups - including over-50s, frontline health workers, pregnant mums and people with long-term health conditions, to come forward if they have not been fully vaccinated.

The call comes as a surge in illnesses has seen a shortage of cough, cold and flu remedies in pharmacies and supermarkets.

GP Dr Geeta Iyer, the clinical lead for the Mass Vaccination Programme in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, said: “Covid-19 and flu are continuing to circulate in our communities, with lots of people catching the viruses and many ending up in hospital. We’re calling for eligible people, particularly those with longterm health conditions, to come forward if they have not been fully vaccinated yet. Vaccination is the most effective protection we have. While a vaccine won’t prevent you becoming unwell from the viruses, it will reduce symptoms for the vast majority of people and help you get back to your normal self, sooner.”

People who are eligible can contact their GP or local pharmacy for information and details of how to book and locations for walk-in vaccinations are also updated regularly online at grabajab.net.

In early January concerns over shortages of cold and flu medicines led to a meeting between health minster Will Quince and Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies.

The Department of Health and Social Care said supply problems were “sporadic and localised”. A spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports of issues with the availability of some branded cold and flu medicines – these appear to be temporary and localised. Supply of over-the-counter medicines is not controlled by central government but we are engaging with suppliers to investigate and help ensure that over-the-counter cold and flu medicines remain available.”

A way out of debt

A CHARITY that helps people to get debt free and manage their finances is offering support and advice.

Christians Against Poverty is based at Christ Church Downend, but offers its services for people of any faith or none.

New debt coach Mark Tanner had first-hand experience of being in debt and says he is keen to give something back.

Mark said: “I wanted to get involved because I lived through a very distressing financial situation of my own, back in 2006.

“This resulted in bankruptcy, a broken marriage and, albeit brief, temporary homelessness.

“It was a horrible time of intense stress, sleepless nights and immense panic, and after the whole experience, I felt dreadful guilt and shame that led to a huge breakdown of self-confidence and had a very negative effect on my life.

“This is an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy and I have always wanted to somehow be able to help others who find themselves tied down with debt and poverty.

“Through CAP, I have this opportunity to help people through these horrific times and help them to see that there is a light of hope at the end of their tunnel of despair.”

Debt coaches like Mark work with people in debt to find a practical solution to turn their lives around, taking time to understand each person’s situation and put together the necessary information to devise the best route out of debt for that person.

Anyone who is struggling with debt and would like to get in touch can call Rosie, the Christ Church Downend CAP Centre Manager, on 07483 410 403 or visit www.capuk.org online for “local, friendly, non-judgemental advice and support”.

Helping children live life after burns

A CHARITY which supports children and their families after burn injuries is looking for people to help its work.

Frenchay After Burns children's club (FAB) is entirely run by volunteers, receiving no government support for its work to help young burn survivors make friends, build confidence and self-esteem through free activities, from days out, parties and pantomimes to international residential camps.

Any child aged under 18 with a burn injury can join and the charity aims to support them "from injury through to adulthood".

Lizzie Evans is one of the founders of FAB, and her own personal experience inspired her.

She said: "I had a burn injury myself when I was eight, and when it happened there weren't support groups.

"I was in a school with a thousand pupils and I was the only one who had had a burn injury.

"I had support from my mum and dad, which helped me through.

"These days, with the pressures of social media, living with disfigurement can be very challenging."

Lizzie was visiting family when she suffered her injury; her dress caught fire as she dried it in front of an open fire, after playing out in the snow.

Her older sister put the flames out but she suffered burns to her legs and was treated for ten days in Birmingham Children's Hospital, before going home and undergoing operations and skin grafts at Frenchay Hospital's burns unit.

Lizzie would go on to become a nurse and work on the same ward were she was treated at Frenchay, and it was while there in 2000 that she met Julie Scott, one of the charity's other founders and current chair.

The group started small, with Lizzie and her fellow volunteers taking three girls away to a national camp for children with burn injuries.

Over the years support has expanded to include events to support the whole family of the child who has had the injury.

But Lizzie, who lives in Almondsbury, says the residential camps remain a vital part of the charity's work, and in recent years the group has taken children to camps in Canada, South Africa and Lapland.

She said: "It's a brilliant opportunity for children to meet up with others who have had the same experiences as them.

"A lot is about the child being accepted. Their injury isn't the focus, what they might look like and any disabilities from scarring - it's about peer support and having fun.

"The residential camps offer activities like rope climbing, archery and windsurfing that

families wouldn't be able to provide.

"It's very rewarding - you see people that, before they come to a camp, are not confident enough to express their feelings. By the end of the camp that's disregarded. It's a fantastic opportunity."

Although Frenchay Hospital has long since closed, Lizzie now works as a burns outreach nurse at Bristol Children's Hospital, looking after children across the region following injuries.

She uses her own experience in a positive way and tells the children she helps about it.

Lizzie said: "It can happen to anyone.

"It's made me who I am, helped me develop my role and given me the ability to empathise."

FAB relies entirely on fundraising to meet its costs of about £25,000 a year, and as well as volunteers to help on camps it is looking for people to help raise money, from shaking a bucket at a garden centre or a Rovers or City match.

It also needs administrators, event organisers and support with its online and social media presence.

Anyone who would like to find out more about volunteering for FAB and the charity's work is welcome to attend its annual meeting at Christ Church Hall in North Street, Downend, on February 7 at 7.30pm.

More information can be found at the charity's Facebook page, website www.fabclub.org. uk, by emailing mail@fabclub. org.uk or by calling 07821 989845.

FAB founder member Lizzie Evans and fellow volunteers

www.emersonsgreen-tc.gov.uk

Emersons Green Town Council is again inviting primary school age children (4 11 years) in the Emersons Green Town Council area to design a Christmas streetlight, for entry into our competition.

The Emersons Green Town Council 2022 Design a Christmas Light competition winners’ designs have shined brightly over Christmas he designs by Frankie Summers, who attends Blackhorse Primary School, and Olivia Li, a pupil of Lyde Green School, have been made into full size lights and were on display in Willowherb Road opposite Lyde Green Primary School. Well done to all who took a part, but particular congratulations go to Frankie and Olivia. Now it’s your chance to enter! Entries Close Sunday 23 April 2023. Full details on our website.

Olivia Li

Frankie Summers

Law lessons for Mangotsfield students

TEENAGERS at Mangotsfield School learned some lessons about how the law works in real life when a judge and police community support officers dropped in to share their experiences.

Judge James Tabor and PCSOs Anais Taylor and Joshua Morris visited the school for the event, which was part of the school’s Challenge Day, where pupils are given opportunities to learn things in new ways and look at fresh challenges.

A school spokesperson said: “Our judge shared his recollections of some of the cases he judged and also shared key facts.

“Students heard key information on specific crimes and the consequences, and our pupils were captivated - you could have heard a pin drop.

The day also included cross-curricular challenges on the heart and health for Year 7s, cultural visits to London

museums for Year 8s and a challenge on rights and careers for Year 9s.

Year 10s took a fresh look at their GCSE Shakespeare text, Macbeth, with a visiting theatre production, while Year 11s

undertook completing geography fieldwork in Bristol city centre or history topic work.

Language students at Mangotsfield brought their learning to life on a trip to the historic German city of Aachen.

The trip for 39 pupils who study German and five members of staff in December included a chance to experience the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of an authentic German Christmas market, where pupils could put their language skills to the test at the stalls, cafes and shops.

They also enjoyed a typical German breakfast, a walking tour of the city, which was home to the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, sampled ‘printen’ gingerbread biscuits and visited the Lindt factory outlet shop, giving them plenty of chances to buy Christmas presents.

Trip leader Rachel Makepeace said: “The students were a real credit to Mangotsfield School throughout the trip and it was amazing to see their German lessons come to life and to see how proud the students were when they spoke German.

“I am so impressed with them and hope that they all enjoyed the trip as much as we did.”

Judge James Tabor and Mangotsfield School head teacher Hetty Blackmore with PCSOs Anais Taylor and Joshua Morris.

Emersons Green

Why I am standing down as an MP

IN this month’s column I wanted to take the opportunity to write a personal message to readers of the Voice following my recent announcement that I will be standing down at the next General Election.

The Kingswood constituency is being formally abolished in the parliamentary boundary changes that will come in for the next General Election in 2024.

I have decided that with no seat to stand for, I will stand down rather than fight a seat elsewhere in the country. Emersons Green will join the constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke, while the local election boundaries will be unaffected.

As I said in my statement, there has been no greater honour in my life than to have represented my home area in Parliament and to have served the communities of Emersons Green, Mangotsfield and Lyde Green.

During this time I have come across so many different and inspiring community groups, businesses, charities and residents, who all help to make our area one of the best possible places in which to live and work.

Working together, we have achieved so much over the years – and some local campaigns really stand out for me.

I am proud to have led campaigns for various new schools across the area, including Lyde Green Primary

School, which opened its doors in 2015 and which also serves pupils with additional needs.

I have and will continue to campaign for more primary and secondary school provision to serve the area. We have made significant progress in recent years towards this, including meeting with and lobbying government ministers, and I will not stop until it is delivered.

I have led campaigns to protect our local Green Belt countryside from inappropriate development and was delighted last year to have helped secure over £1 million funding to launch the Commons Connections project, which will be a network of protected and nature-rich green spaces stretching southwards from Lyde Green.

Being at the forefront of science and innovation has always been a passion of mine, and I have been delighted to help ensure our Science Park has gone from strength to strength, with last year’s opening of the new Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion - a £50million investment I helped to secure government funding for. I was privileged to lay the foundation plaque for the building in 2019 in my role as the then-Science Minister.

Looking back, I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of these last 12 years, and look forward to serving you for the remainder of this Parliamentary term to the best of my ability.

Chris Skidmore writes for

Voice

Tapestry complete

AN “epic” sewing project started last summer to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee has been completed at Blackhorse Primary School.

After creating a smaller tapestry for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the new one was started during the school’s summer arts week, with children creating images to represent major national, international and school events of the last ten years.

Every child sewed their own patch depicting an event, with each class focusing on a particular year between 2012 and 2022.

Children in the school’s recourse base for pupils with autism or social communication difficulties created a central image of the Queen.

The patches were then edged, backed and sewn together into a tapestry nearly 10ft long and 6ft wide, by amateur crafter Angela Sayce, who is assistant head teacher Anna Phillips’s mum.

School art leader Laura Jenkins said: “As a school we wanted to look back at the last decade, which has seen some major events in world history, and been a period which has seen the school go from strength to strength.

“Following Covid, we also wanted to reflect on how that had affected children’s lives, but in a way which placed the pandemic in a broader arch of history, which we felt would contextualise those dramatic times.”

The tapestry was finally completed in January and will now be displayed in the school hall, to commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the events which have shaped the children’s lives.

Right: The Blackhorse tapestry

www.emersonsgreenvoice.co.uk

n WHAT’S ON

February 11

n MATT GRINDLEY MAGIQUE - comedy, magic and illusions for all the family at Emersons Green Village Hall. Doors open 6.30pm. For more information and tickets visit www.egvh.org.uk or call 01454 862182.

February 13

n FUN DAY AT EMERSONS

GREEN VILLAGE HALL with under-3 soft play area, inflatables, disco, mini cars and refreshments, with three separate time slots bookable from 9.30am-10.30am, 10.45am-11.45am and 1pm-2pm. For information and tickets visit www.egvh.org.uk or 01454 862182.

February 14

n SUPERHERO CRAFTS AT EMERSONS GREEN VILLAGE HALL, with refreshments available, from 9.30-11am and 1-2.30pm. For information and tickets visit www. egvh.org.uk or call 01454 862182.

February 15

n FAMILY LEGO BUILDING SESSION at Emersons Green Village Hall, 10am-noon. For more information and tickets visit www. egvh.org.uk or call 01454 862182.

February 18

n JURASSIC PARK DINOSAUR DISCO at Emersons Green Village Hall, 2-4pm with baby dinosaurs and Jurassic Park car. For more information and tickets visit www. egvh.org.uk or call 01454 862182.

REGULAR EVENTS

Monday

n MEDITATION SESSIONS IN FRENCHAY Come along to the sessions that run from 3rd Monday each month at 7pm Frenchay Unitarian Chapel BS16 1ND from 20 Sept for the Person-centred Group Meditation and 1st Wednesday at 7pm from 6th Oct for the Kundalini movement meditation. Blessings to you. For more information contact Andrea on 07791119658

homewards.ma@btinternet.com.

n MESSY SPACE AT BADMINTON ROAD METHODIST CHURCH, 10.00-11.30am. This is a term-time group for babies and toddlers with their carers: play, crafts, story, refreshments. More information: www.badmintonroadmethodist.org. uk or 0117 239 3875

n PUCKLECHURCH SHORT MAT BOWLS CLUB Meet every Monday, Wednesday evening 7.30 - 10.00 and Sunday 2.30 - 5.00. Refreshments inc. All levels really Welcome. Ring Kath 07517 1297

n LONGWELL LIGHTNING NETBALL CLUB is looking for members with experience of netball, aged 16 or over for seniors and over 10 for juniors. Training Monday nights at Wellsway Way School, in Keynsham. For more information call Maisie Nash on 07920 443820 for juniors, Sandra Nash on 07479 015048 for seniors.

n PILATES CLASS 18:45 – 19:45 at Christ Church Parish Hall, North Street, BS16 5SG. Contact Kerry 07919 051019 or email kerry@ yogaandpilatesforlife.com

n YOGA CLASS 19:55 – 20:55 at Christ Church Parish Hall, North Street, BS16 5SG. Contact Kerry 07919 051019 or email kerry@ yogaandpilatesforlife.com

Tuesday

n RIDGEWAY BADMINTON CLUB meets every Tuesday Evening from 8-10pm at Downend Sports Centre for informal badminton doubles/ singles matches between adults of all ages. First visit free. More info from Graham on 07968 050320.

n PUCKLECHURCH FOLK DANCING CLUB Established over 40 years we meet at Pucklechurch Community Hall Absom Road every alternative Tuesday 7.30pm until 10.15p.m. All welcolme with a partner or solo to enjoy good music, dancing and refreshments. Call Alan Mobile: 07812508396 or Linda 07843240414

n BODY TONE 9:30 – 10:30 at Christ Church Parish Hall, North Street, BS16 5SG. Contact Kerry 07919 051019 or email kerry@ yogaandpilatesforlife.com Wednesday

n THE WOMEN’S SECTION OF THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION We meet the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 2pm at the old school hall now known as the YOU Foundation by the car park in Page Road Staple Hill. Speakers, quiz’s and handy craft afternoon finish’s with tea. If you are interested please telephone Madeleine Bills Secretary. 0117 9560805.

n WEDNESDAY CAFE FOR SENIORS, at Badminton Road Methodist Church (BS16 6NU) every Wednesday 10am to 12 noon. All Welcome – just come along – make new friends over a cuppa and cake. Information: 0117 239 5984

n MANGO JAMS PARENT/CARER AND TODDLER GROUP meets every Wednesday at Lyde Green community centre, 9.15am to 11.15am. Warm and friendly group run by volunteers from St James Church.

n DOWNEND TANG SOO DO meets at Christchurch Parish Hall, North Street on Wednesday evenings from 7.30-9pm. Suitable for beginners and ages 10+. First class free. More details from Ian on 07817 744689 or at the Downend Tang Soo Do Facebook page.

n CLEEVESINGERS OF DOWNEND Enjoy singing, then come and join this four part choir who meet on Wednesday evenings at Lincombe Barn, Overndale Road 7.30 p.m. from September until July. For more information contact the Secretary on 0117 9561881.

n FRENCHAY PROBUS CLUB We meet at Frenchay Village Hall on the first Wednesday of each month between 10.00 and 12.00 hrs. For further details contact:

frenchayprobus@outlook.com

n WARMLEY JAZZ CLUB, every Wednesday £5 on the door. Cadbury Heath Social Club. Doors open 7.30pm. More details at warmleyjazz.co.uk.

n BRISTOL SCRABBLE CLUB meets every Wednesday evening at 7pm until 10pm at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park, Filton BS34 7PS. New members welcomefirst visit free so come along and give us a try. For further information contact Sheila on 01179570792 or 07435316458 or email shinett@ blueyonder.co.uk.

n PILATES 10:15 – 11:15 at Christ Church Parish Hall, North Street, BS16 5SG. Contact Kerry 07919 051019 or email kerry@ yogaandpilatesforlife.com

n DOWNEND FLOWER ARRANGING CLUB meets at 7.30pm on the first and third Wednesday each month from September to June at Lincombe Barn, Overndale Road. For details call Genise on 0777 245 1217.

Thursday

n NEXT DOOR BOOKS welcomes new members. Book club meets on the last Thursday of the month at either 10am or 2pm, depending on numbers. Normally meets at Lyde Green Community Centre. email jessica.callaway@hotmail.co.uk.

n LONGWELL GREEN

ORCHESTRA meet each Thursday evening at Longwell Green Community Centre from 7:30 until 9:40. We have players of all abilities. Contact@longwellgreenorchestra. org.uk or 07972 844073. Please get in touch before to tell us what instrument and what level.

n PILATES 19:00 - 20:00 at The Sports Pavilion, Pomphrey Hill, Emersons Green, BS16 9NF. Contact Kerry 07919 051019 or email kerry@yogaandpilatesforlife.com

n YOGA 10:15 – 11:15 at Christ Church Parish Hall, North Street, BS16 5SG. Contact Kerry

n WHAT’S ON n A ROUND THE WI’S

07919 051019 or email kerry@ yogaandpilatesforlife.com

Friday

n TAI CHI FOR PARKINSON’S. Weekly beginners Tai Chi & Qi Gong class for people with Parkinson’s disease, their families and carers. We meet for Tai Chi, tea and cake at Lincombe Barn, Downend. BS16 2RW.

Time: Fridays (term times) 10.15 – 12.15 including tea / coffee break. Contact: Claire - Claire@ Taichibodyandmind.co.uk (07769 857672) or Sarah - buqiworks@ gmail.com (07815 662844)

n MANGO JAMS PARENT/ CARER AND TODDLER GROUP meets every Friday at St James Church Hall, Richmond Road, Mangotsfield, 9.15am to 11.15am. Warm and friendly group run by volunteers from St James Church: everyone welcome to attend.

n PAGE PARK UKULELE CLUB, Bean Tree café, Fridays at 1pm. All abilities welcomed. Places £4 each. For further details call or text ‘Ukulele’ to Ben on 07910 668258.

n RAINBOW TOTS PARENT AND TODDLER GROUP meets at Emersons Green Village Hall every Friday morning in term time, from 10-11.30am. All welcome - for more info e-mail church.egbc@ outlook.com

n MANGOTSFIELD AND CASTLE GREEN UNITED REFORMED CHURCH regular coffee mornings, held on the first Thursday of the month, 10.30am-noon at the church in Cossham Street. Coffee, cake and a chat.

n MESSY VINTAGE Come and Share God-centred fun & fellowship for the Older Generation at Badminton Road Methodist Downend 2nd Friday monthly 9.30am to 12 noon. Contact Rev Samuel Uwimana 0117 2395984

Saturday

n BRISTOL SUGARCRAFT

GUILD We are a small friendly group who meet every third

Saturday of the month 2pm to 4pm at St Andrews Hall, Elm Park, Filton. Beginners very welcome. Please call Jean Kington on 01454 314178.

n STAPLE HILL METHODIST CHURCH Coffee mornings in our beautiful building every Saturday 10.00-12.00 in aid of church funds or charities. Enjoy Fairtrade coffee, tea and cake, and stalls.

Sunday

n EMERSONS GREEN BAPTIST CHURCH is now up and running again, after Covid, at the Emersons Green Village Hall every Sunday at 10.30am. Do come along. It would be great to see you. We look forward to having our regulars back as well as many new people. We also hold regular craft services - please check our Facebook page for dates

n BADMINTON ROAD METHODIST CHURCH In-person Sunday worship continues weekly at 10.30am and all are welcome. For information contact: Revd Samuel Uwimana: 0117 239 5984 or www.badmintonroadmethodist. org.uk

n MANGOTSFIELD AND CASTLE GREEN UNITED REFORMED CHURCH hold regular weekly Sunday morning worship at Cossham Street. Services start at 10.30 a.m.with different speakers each week. New members very welcome. For more details please contact Peter Redding (Ch.Sec.) on 0117 9657075.

n STAPLE HILL METHODIST CHURCH, High Street BS16 5HQ Sunday services 10.30am + Sunday Club for ages 5-17. Holy Communion 2nd Sunday of the month – all invited. Taizé worship 6.00pm 3rd Sunday of the month. Contact Rev Dr Aboseh Ngwana 07482 550888, Philippa Church Liaison at staplehillmethodist@ hotmail.co.uk or www. staplehillmethodist.com

BEECHMERE BELLES WI

AT the time of going to print the Beechmere Belles were looking ahead to our January meeting, with a speaker to tell us a lot more about the SS Great Britain than we did before.

Our first meeting of the year is also a chance to catch up with each other’s Christmas and New Year, hear about additions to families, from the furry kind to the human kind - and eat some lovely cake made by one of our members.

We are looking forward to the rest of the year’s meetings and outings.

At our February meeting, on the 23rd, we will be line dancing - perfect if you know your left from your right under pressure, hilarious if you don’t. Whichever, it will be a night of fun and laughter.

If you are thinking of joining a WI, this would be a good night to pop along, let your hair down and move those feet.

We have a varied calendar this year, from talks on open water swimming, its benefits and locations, and a local murder investigation, to demonstrations of vegan cookery and glass cutting, staining and fusion, to make beautiful ornaments.

If you would like to come along and be part of any evening you will be very welcome - we meet on the fourth Thursday of every month.

The committee members wear sunflowers, so we are easy to spot.

The first meeting is free, while tea, coffee, and a piece of cake cost just £1.

If you would like further information, our email address is Beechmerebelles@gmail.

com and you can also find us on Facebook.

SHORTWOOD VILLAGE WI

HAPPY New Year from all the ladies at Shortwood Village WI. We wrapped up 2022 with a Christmas party with party games, which included Pass the Parcel with the dreaded forfeits, an American supper, mulled wine and Secret Santa. Fun was had by everyone including two guests from Pucklechurch WI.

So looking forward to 2023, we have a varied calendar for our monthly meetings starting with a visit in January from Philomena with seated Zumba, which is a regular annual event at this time of the year as most of us need this after an indulgent Xmas. Hopefully, future events planned are a visit the Concorde Museum and Bath Soft Cheese. We are also looking into a visit to an Alpaca Farm in the summer months.

Part of the evening involved discussing the Resolutions for this year and collating our votes to be taken forward to National.

We meet on the second Thursday of the month at 7.30pm in the chapel or vestry in Main Road, Shortwood and our next meeting is 9 February 2023, when we will be having a talk on First Aid. As we are a friendly bunch we will give a warm welcome to new members, so just turn up for a complimentary visit to see what the WI has to offer. For more info or just a chat please email me at millhousejoinery@aol.com with the heading Shortwood Village WI. Thank you.

Hope to see you soon.

Lynne Miller

cases where space is limited please book to avoid disappointment!

Saturday 11th February : Lego Club at Staple Hill Library : 10.30am (Booking needed for this one!*)

Saturday 11th February : Fantastic Fairy Tales (craft activities suitable 4 – 9 year olds) 10.30am –11.30am at Emersons Green Library

Monday 13th February : Fantastic Fairy Tales (craft activities suitable 4 – 9 year olds) 10.30am –11.30am at Downend Library

Tuesday 14th February : Fantastic Fairy Tales (craft activities suitable 4 – 9 year olds) 10.30am –11.30am at Staple Hill Library

Wednesday 15th February : Pre-school Rhyme

Time at Downend Library at 9.30am

Thursday 16th February : Pre-school Rhyme Time at Staple Hill and Emersons Green Libraries at 9.30am (Booking needed for Emersons Green*).

Saturday 18th February : Lego Club at Downend Library : 10.30am

*Booking emails

EmersonsGreen.library@southglos.gov.uk & StapleHill.Library@southglos.gov.uk or just ask staff to book a place.

For other activities see www.southglos.gov.uk/ libraries or facebook.com/sgloslibraries .

Community spirit, with nature in mind

YOU will by now have seen the posters around Lyde Green and on notice boards advertising the Emersons Green Town Council Community Nature Reserve initiative.

As the Voice reported last month, everyone is invited to register their gardens to be involved in the project.

We want everyone to make a garden, front or back, more nature friendly to invite wildlife in and help the cause for the climate in our local area.

Some ideas can be to make a small bug hotel or a log pile in a corner; maybe a small pond, with some shrubbery or shelter.

Another way can be to ‘open up’ your garden to the smaller wildlife: maybe cutting a small CD-sized hole in the fence to let the hedgehogs in?

We are working closely with our neighbours to gain knowledge and offer advice to you about the initiative - keep your eyes open for workshops and events that will coincide with the project over the coming months ahead.

Nature needs all the help it can get at the moment, and doing a little can mean a lot for our local wildlife in Lyde Green.

There is even talk of an open gardens event day and a competition for best CNR garden, which is something to work towards and look forward to in the very near future, as this project progresses and evolves.

If you have any experience in nature-led activities and you feel you may want to help us with some future events and workshops in the Lyde Green area in any way, do get in touch!

We are delighted this initiative comes from our town council and is drawing together all local groups interested in nature - thanks to all the members of the team behind this fantastic project.

We have some other exciting projects to look forward to in the pipeline and, subject to permissions and volunteer engagement, we hope they will come to fruition and we can see a real change in Lyde Green: scything on the common, hedgerow laying and management, and wildflower planting around Lyde, to name a few.

We can make Lyde special, and the best way is to volunteer with us!

Volunteers have been hard to find lately. We rely on you to keep us going, so if you have any spare time, please do get in touch to see

what we can offer you: litter picking, plant care, watering planters and weeding are a few of the regular tasks we continue to do on a regular basis.

We are also looking to run some more wildlife walks this year around the lake and the common, so we will keep you updated on that, too.

Please get involved in the community nature reserve and get in touch with us to volunteer - we need you!

Send us a message on Facebook or email lgopenspace@gmail.com.

Laurence Binks Lyde Green OpenSpace Group

Hard times in historical Downend

LIFE today may sometimes seem hard, but listening to local residents' memories of their own childhoods can help put things into perspective.

Volunteers from CHAP, Downend’s Community History and Art Project, have been doing just that in their quest to gather our local history and share it more widely.

Gladys Duncombe, who is 93, told CHAP that she was one of seven children - three girls and four boys - who lived in a twobedroomed cottage in Dial Lane.

She was the sixth child, and shared her parents’ bedroom with her two sisters, while all four boys shared one bed in the second bedroom. The covers on the beds were old coats, as the family could not afford blankets.

The cottage had no kitchen or bathroom and only one tap, and the outside toilet was at the bottom of the garden.

Thankfully, Gladys's father, who was a bricklayer and stonemason, had an allotment, so they always

had fresh food.

To cook for the family, a large cauldron was hung over the open fire, which was part of a range.

This had to feed everyone - nine people - every day.

As money was tight, the boys would go to Downend Tip (which is now the Co-op car park) and hunt through the discarded rubbish.

They would pick out old toys and take them back to the house for their siblings to play with.

Gladys enjoyed being a Girl Guide, in a group which met at the Reform Church, Soundwell, and attended Page Girls School, in North View.

While she was there, during World War II, she was awarded

an Empire Day certificate for supporting the war effort, by knitting socks for soldiers.

Downend CHAP is a not-forprofit voluntary organisation that aims to produce a community history resource and encourage the local community to take part in all its activities.

Established in 2018 and run without any premises or overheads, CHAP aims to create a coherent identity for Downend and Emersons Green, built around interesting or significant places, people and events from the past.

Our goal is to build a sense of belonging and commitment to our area and understanding of its character, residents, businesses and visitors. We want to run enjoyable and inclusive community activities that bring history to life through arts, publications, music and events.

To find out more visit CHAP’s website at www.downendchap.org, email downendchap@gmail.com or write to CHAP, 49 Overnhill Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 5DS.

Gladys Duncombe's Empire Day certificate from 1940

346 arrests

POLICE arrested 346 drivers across the Avon & Somerset force area during this year’s seasonal crackdown.

A spokesperson said 216 of those arrested during Operation Tonic, which ran from November 21 to December 31, were suspected of drink-driving, while 130 were suspected of being under the influence of drugs.

Some 278 of the arrests came during December - up from 246 the previous year.

Police said 22% of arrests took place in South Gloucestershire and 24% in Bristol, with the rest in North Somerset, B&NES and Somerset.

More than 2,000 vehicles were stopped in total, with other arrests being made for speeding, driving with no insurance, with no seatbelt or while disqualified, as well as possession of drugs and being wanted on warrant.

Vehicles were also stopped due to the condition of tyres, lights and other problems.

Gaming on a budget

AS we usher in the second month of the new year, it’s fair to say that living hasn’t gotten any easier.

High bills and even higher prices mean that affording the things you want becomes more of a challenge.

If gaming is one of the pleasures you don’t want to give up, fear not - there are still ways to find reasonably-priced games which won’t break the bank and still offer endless fun.

The first game on the list is one which has been around for a very long time, but somehow never gets old: Minecraft.

While simple in essence, the open world sandbox allows for infinite possibilities in how you can play, whether that’s solo, with friends or family.

You can pick up Minecraft on PlayStation 4 for £24.99 from Argos, which seems a steal given how much content and fun there is.

If you’re willing to do a little digging on eBay, then you can even pick it up for as little as £8.

Who knows, you may even find a copy in your local charity shop, which is somewhere to check for

By Emersons Green-based gamer Conor McGeachie

hidden gems among the DVDs and books.

Another way to save a little cash is to purchase digital codes for games from code websites, which often have the games on sale for huge discounts.

One of the best websites to check out is CDkeys.com, as it hosts a huge library of games for every latest console and PC.

While you won’t have a physical copy of the game, a digital version can be played in the exact same way, without having cases cluttering up your house.

Once you find a game to purchase, you’ll be sent a code to redeem on your console - and boom, it downloads, ready to play!

With new deals every day, this is by far the easiest way to get the games you want without spending too much.

Improving Mangos climb table

MANGOTSFIELD United’s form continues to improve, although the winter weather has taken its toll on fixtures.

The Christmas win over Bradford Town was a tremendous match, with the Mangos scoring twice in the opening four minutes through Jaydn Crosbie and Oli Jenkins. Bradford pushed hard to get back into the match, pulling a goal back in the 20th minute.

Mangotsfield started brightly in the second half and reinstated their two-goal lead in the 50th minute, with Crosbie's second goal of the game making it 3-1. Bradford cut the deficit in the 66th minute but couldn’t get any further footholds into the game. Simon Prangley scored Mangos’ fourth on 74 minutes, lobbing the stranded keeper, to secure three huge points for the hosts.

Postponements of the home and away matches with Lydney Town and visit of Thornbury Town mean the only other game since midDecember was a 2-2 New Year home draw against Longlevens, which was most definitely the proverbial game of two halves.

The visitors started the brighter, taking the lead on 19 minutes from a corner as the Mangos looked sluggish and out of touch.

The Gloucester side went 2-0 up in the 43rd minute when Jakob Glover was only able to get a touch on a shot from just inside the penalty area.

A strong team talk at half time saw the Mangos start brighter after the break and enjoy more possession, but they were unable to create any real goal-scoring chances until a double substitution in the 67th minute gave the Field a different look up front.

Just three minutes later, a long run down the right flank saw the ball crossed into the box and Jaydn Crosbie fired home to reduce the deficit. Crosbie scored again with just four minutes to go, beating the advancing keeper in the air, to earn the hosts a valuable point, which had looked unlikely at half time.

Dave Smale

Bristol & West in charge

BRISTOL & West Hockey Club managed to grab top spot in their division just before the Christmas break after an intense battle against former leaders, Bristol University.

Currently, the men's 1st team is the only undefeated side in the league, retaining that accolade with an 8-1 thumping of Swansea away from home. A crucial fixture against Team Bath Buccs awaits.

The cold snap meant one round of fixtures had to be postponed across the club until February.

The 2nd team also won 8-1 away to leapfrog opponents Whitchurch into fourth place in their division, setting them up for a strong second half of the season. The 3rd and 4th teams were the only other Men’s sides to play after Christmas, both succumbing to defeats.

Like their male counterparts, B&WJ Ladies 1s are the only team in their league to remain undefeated and are third, one point off top spot. B&WJ2s also find themselves in 3rd place, 7pts behind top, and will also be looking to close the gap in the coming weeks.

In December, eight players represented B&W at the annual West Indoor National Qualifiers in a gruelling all-day event.

B&W qualified in 1st place from their pool after beating Old Bristolians and Truro but they lost the semi-final 7-5 to Isca. The lads placed 3rd overall thanks to a 4-3 win over Truro in the playoff. For more information please visit www.bandwhc.org.uk.

Under-strength

Cleve just miss out

CLEVE RFC finished 2022 and started 2023 with home games against Burnham-on-Sea and Midsomer Norton.

Cleve were very much under-strength for the visit of Burnham but a few older players, including Dave Tucky Roach, stepped in to bolster the strength of what was otherwise a very young side.

Burnham’s counter-rucking and size always gave them an advantage. Their number 8 was prominent and scored a brace of tries.

Cleve began to rally at the end of the match, with a spirited display that camped them on Burnham’s line before Mike Race went over. It was unfortunately too little, too late, and Cleve lost 22-12.

The first match of 2023 saw Cleve put out as strong a team as they could against Midsomer Norton, with Tucky Roach hooking again.

Cleve started strongly, dominating the early exchanges.

Harry Owens, back in the team, slotted a penalty over with six minutes gone, and with the forwards also working well together, Goose Wildgoose drove forward, made yards and gained another penalty, for 6-0.

Hayfields was windswept and very wet, but Owens was calling the tune. A great cross-field kick was fielded by Dave Thomas, who went over to score and put Cleve 11-0 up.

Another try ensued before Midsomer Norton scored their first points, to make it 16-3.

Cleve then moved the ball well through the backs and on the 36th minute scored a try, after a fumble in Midsomer Norton’s dead ball area, with Cleve's winger touching down to put them up 23-3 at half-time.

But this game was certainly one of two halves.

Norton are a top team and came out strong in the second, scoring a try shortly after the restart to make it 23-10 and then taking advantage of Cleve misdemeanours.

After their Number 8 went through to score and make it 23 to 17, Norton were in the hunt and, following a fluid move along the backs, scored a converted try with a few minutes left on the clock to win 24-23.

Steve Bateman

Training starts

CARSONS and Mangotsfield Cricket Club are preparing for the start of the new season.

Pre-season indoor nets start at Yate Academy at the end of January on a Sunday afternoon for adult players, with youth training on Friday evenings, also at Yate, starting on February 24, with under-11s starting at 6pm and U13 and 15s from 7pm.

The under-9 section will be holding sessions at Mangotsfield School, although dates have yet to be confirmed.

The club aims to continue moving forward, with the first team pushing for promotion to Division 5 and the second and third teams facing new challenges in Division 10 and 12 respectively of the Bristol and District Cricket league.

Anyone who is interested in playing this season, from U9 to senior level, should email iancoles7@sky.com.

A line-out during Cleve's match against Burnham

Skiing and injury

IT’S never too late to set your goals for a healthier, happier new year – even in February!

Most of us start off January with the very best of intentions but how long does it last?

As usual, I have made many resolutions – all the familiar ones, from eating more healthily, drinking less and exercising more. I normally last a month.

However, as I get older, I guess I am drinking less, going to the gym more regularly and even my golf is coming along. This time last year, I took up the guitar and I’m still going with that.

Having three young children forces me to go to bed early, because they are guaranteed to run into our bedroom every morning at 7am, no matter what we have done the day before. Which leads me nicely to Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s four pillars of health that I reckon we should all consider. The popular physician, TV broadcaster and author recommends a focus on relaxation, food, movement and sleep.

We can’t be perfect all of the time and I would argue that we shouldn’t even try, because we would become boring. However, in this busy, hectic and stressful

Flyers frustrated

world that we often find ourselves in, I would urge you all to consider improving in these four key areas of your life.

Try different methods to reduce your stress, eat healthily where you can, make sure you exercise properly – even regular walking outside in the fresh air has huge benefits. Think about your sleep routine… read a book before bed instead of your phone and try to settle down at the same time each night, to allow your body to find a rhythm.

Anyway, enough preaching from me – let’s talk about something that’s far more fun… now is the time to think about the skiing season. I’m actually writing this the day before I join the British Chiropractic Association ski trip to Chamonix in France.

We are ready to hear two of the greatest sports chiropractors in the world lecturing us each evening after we finish skiing. There’s nothing like coming off the slopes, having a beer with friends and learning from the best.

Apart from the obvious positives, we all know that skiing can be a hazardous occupation. Take a look at the five most common injuries from people

who take part:

1. Head injuries

2. Medial collateral ligament (MCL) or knee sprains

3. Anterior cruciate ligament (also knee) sprains

4. Wrist injuries

5.

Shoulder injuries

I was slightly surprised to see head injuries at number one but a lot of the research was based on downhill race skiers – and they definitely rattle their brain when they crash! Now MCL injuries, we certainly see plenty of those with regular skiers, as patients twist their knees when they fall on and off the slopes.

In essence, it’s the same injury that we treat footballers for when they get tackled, then strain and twist their knees. I know how painful it can be as I suffered an MCL injury on the first day of a trip a few years ago, when I was skiing too fast down a black run.

A serious MCL injury will take 6-8 weeks to heal and it’s so important to get it right. Treatment varies as the ligament gradually gets better. In general, this might consist of rehab, laser work and instrument-assisted therapy – this features a special metal tool to manually stimulate the ligament and break down the scar tissue that forms in the wrong place.

County Division 2 trip to face Red Falcons was on an artificial pitch.

Treatments typically take place once a week and then ‘voilà’! – the pain has gone and the knee is as good as new. Of course, the best way to avoid skiing injuries is to get fit before you go. Make sure you are exercising your legs for a couple of months if possible.

My favourite skiing prep is going to HIIT classes at the gym. Failing this, try regular squats, running up and down stairs, or going on your bike.

Let’s hope I’ve managed to get it just right…

WET weather has left Downend Flyers' pitches at Johnson Road and Pomphrey Hill unplayable on almost every weekend in recent weeks, with postponements across the board as the conditions affect other clubs across the region.

The exception was the women’s reserves team fixture on January 8, as their Gloucester

Without a first team fixture that day, the Flyers were able to bolster the reserves squad and they came away with a dramatic 4-3 victory over the league leaders.

Harriet Giles bagged a brace, with Jess Lumber adding a 30-yard screamer before Orla Montgomery completed the scoring for the Flyers.

The club has set the date for our third

annual football tournament on June 24-25, with girls' teams from U7 up to U16 invited to enter, as well as women’s teams.

For more information email tournament@ downendflyers.com.

The club is on the lookout for a new A team coach, and assistants for the reserves and A team, as well as new players at all ages and levels - email info@downendflyers.com.

Duncan Gardner