Frome Valley Voice December 2022

'We demand better buses!'

A GROUP campaigning for major changes on the buses is calling on passengers who are fed up with the area's services to join a major protest.

Pressure group the West of England Shared Transport and Active Travel Network (WESTACT) wants Metro Mayor Dan Norris and the leaders of all councils in the area to suspend the deregulated bus market, taking scheduling out of First's control, and provide a franchised bus service under contract through WECA.

As main operator First announced fresh wave of cuts to bus journeys in November - with a total of 1,450 bus journeys a week on its routes being cancelled until April - WESTACT is calling on people to join them with torches, hi-vis clothes and glow paint outside Kingswood Civic Centre on December 14 at 6.15pm, to protest ahead of a South Gloucestershire Council meeting.

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World Cup debut

A FORMER South Gloucestershire school pupil is representing his country at the World Cup in Qatar.

PAGE 2

Nursery praised

A DAY nursery in Frampton Cotterell has been given an all round 'good' Ofsted rating.

PAGE 5

No hot dinners

A SHORTAGE of catering staff has left children at some South Gloucestershire schools without hot dinners.

PAGE 6

Labour picks Claire

LABOUR has selected its candidate to challenge Conservative MP Jack Lopresti, who represents Winterbourne, at the next general election.

PAGE 10

YOUNG singers and actors at Winterbourne Academy are preparing to put on their first musical for three years, when they stage Mary Poppins in December. Full story: Page 7

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Joe plays in World Cup

A FORMER South Gloucestershire schoolboy is representing his country at the World Cup in Qatar.

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Castle School old boy Joe Morrell – who wears the number 16 shirt in the Wales Squad - made an appearance as a late substitute in the nation's first World Cup finals match since 1958, a 1-1 draw with the USA on November 21, having already received 28 caps.

The 25-year-old midfielder started showing his talent while at the Thornbury school – and started his professional career with Bristol City, signing his first professional contract aged 16.

Joe’s former PE teacher at Castle School, Lloyd Spacey, spoke to him on the morning of Wales’ match against USA.

Lloyd said: “I spoke to him earlier in the day and he was raring to go.”

Joe, a midfielder, played for Bristol City, Cheltenham, Lincoln and Luton, before signing a three-year contract at League One side Portsmouth in August 2021.

He now lives in Hampshire but his parents Dave and Sian still live in South Gloucestershire.

Joe qualifies to play for Wales through his Welsh mother, Sian. He made his under 21s debut for the national side in October 2017.

He made his senior international debut against Belarus in September 2019 and was selected for the Wales squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament last year.

After the first match he told his Twitter followers: "First game in the World Cup and a deserved point, on to Friday."

Lloyd told the Voice: “When he was at school it was obvious he had a special, special, talent, and he was not just a good footballer but a fine sportsman as well.

"We are tremendously proud of his achievements so far with Wales, and it’s just fantastic to see a Castle School student at the World Cup. He is a true inspiration to all our students and we are so proud of him.”

Joe Morrell training with the Wales squad in Qatar ahead of the World Cup. Pictures: Football Association of Wales

Councils 'must lead the way to better buses'

From page 1

Among those leading the campaign are Frome Valley residents and WESTACT members Laura Fogg-Rogers and Amy Beardmore.

The protest will take place before they present an open letter, signed by more than 1.250 supporters of franchising, to the council.

Laura said: "Public transport is an essential service for a civilised society - to help us get to jobs, education, and families.

"We need to reclaim our buses with local control through franchising, to make sure all local residents can access the city and the services they need.

"This is an equity issuebuses are used more by women, older people, disabled people, and younger people.

"We are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to champion this issue to the West of England Combined Authority, to support our most vulnerable residents."

WESTACT is calling on anyone who has been negatively impacted by the loss of services, worried about the climate impact of cancellations or "sick of the buses that are left being cancelled or driving past because they're full" to join their protest.

Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell and Iron Acton have been badly hit by cuts this year, with the Y2, Y3, Y4 and Y5 all being withdrawn.

Only the Y6 now serves Winterbourne, with the Y1 running up Badminton Road through Coalpit Heath.

First blames driver shortages for the cuts, and says it is currently 150 drivers short.

Among those supporting the campaign Winterbourne Environment Group member and resident Sharon Hancock, who said: "People I work with are being forced to buy cars or motorbikes to get to work, or just failing to get in at all.

"Speaking to elderly people locally, this has removed their links to get to shops and to visit friends.

"It's critical we improve transport links, not make them worse!

"How can people be encouraged out of reliance on cars if they have no other option?"

Maria Needs, who runs charity Empowering Futures near Hambrook, said: "Vulnerable people invariably have no choice but to use buses. Their health and ability prevents them walking, riding or driving

so by taking the buses away, their exclusion and isolation is increased and no one listens because they have no voice.

"As a charity supporting

disabled people, the 'missing buses' have meant we are forced to collect some staff from their homes in central Bristol and Stapleton in order for them to retain their jobs. "It's a sad situation that we are faced with raising the carbon footprint to keep disabled people in work and then, on the other hand, doing as much as we can to combat pollution with plants, with 2,000 tree saplings planted last year alone.

"Our staff have lost their services completely and their health conditions won't allow them to cycle.

"Increased isolation has once again descended on them!"

For more details of the protest visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ events/825994205338035

MP meets First boss

THORNBURY & Yate MP Luke Hall has met with First to put local concerns on the agenda ahead of a review of bus timetables and routes expected in April next year.

He met with the managing director of First West of England, Doug Claringbold, and Steve Reade, South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member for transport.

Mr Hall said he presented "the key priorities for residents and commuters in our area", including for the Y2 connection between Frampton Cotterell and Downend to be reviewed so residents can access health services and schools.

He said: "First Bus have given their commitment to working with us to assess these key issues for our area and as our local MP, I will continue to work on this critical part of our Positive Plan for Transport.

"Over the coming weeks, I will be feeding back to First Bus residents’ comments about their local services and will in particular be asking for First Bus to reconsider the demand for key services, particularly for our rural villages such as Shortwood and Iron Acton."

Amy Beardmore and Laura Fogg-Rogers with other bus users at a Winterbourne bus stop.

A SOCIAL worker who posted a video showing the sexual abuse of children online has been barred from the profession.

Rodrigue Ekwelle-Nkwelle was working for South Gloucestershire Council children’s services when he put the video on social media site Instagram.

The 43-year-old locum social worker was living in Broad Street, Staple Hill, when he was given a two-year suspended jail sentence at Bristol Crown Court in April last year, after pleading guilty to distributing an indecent image of a child suffering sexual abuse, and possessing extreme pornography involving animals.

He was also ordered to do 150 hours’ unpaid work, undergo 30 days of rehabilitation, made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Social worker barred after posting sex abuse video

Ekwelle-Nkwelle, who did not attend the hearing and was not represented, worked for South Gloucestershire Council for nearly three years, from October 2017 until the offence in June 2020.

The Social Work England report said he had claimed asylum after arriving in the UK from Cameroon, where the abuse video he shared had been filmed.

degree course, he was allowed to complete it in 2015, then worked with Wiltshire Council from 2016 to 2017.

When he applied to employment agency HCL Workforce, leading to the work for South Gloucestershire Council, he failed to disclose the sexual misconduct allegation.

that were occurring in Africa and Cameroon in particular.

“Mr Ekwelle-Nkwelle expressed his total shame of himself, the shame he had brought on his family and his profession.

“He said that he understood that he ought to have reported the matter to the police."

The Social Work England report, published following a three-day regulatory hearing in October, said: “The panel considered that these were convictions of a very serious nature.

Ekwelle-Nkwelle told investigators he accepted his fitness to practise was impaired but insisted he would not hurt "any individual", particularly a child.

Regulator Social Work England has now removed him from its register, banning him from working in the sector, after a hearing panel ruled that he had committed serious misconduct that created a risk to the public.

He decided to become a social worker as "the best way to repay the UK" - but was accused of making sexual advances towards a woman service user with mental health problems in 2013, while still studying for his social work degree.

WB Generic AW.qxp_Layout 1 15/09/2020 21:14 Page 1

Police took no further action because the woman did not wish to support an investigation, the report said, and while Ekwelle-Nkwelle was temporarily suspended from his

“It was satisfied that children and animals are likely to have been harmed by their involvement in the images which Mr Ekwelle-Nkwelle had dealt with.

“He said that when he had distributed the video it had been to decry some of the ‘ill things’

But the panel said he “had not explained the facts relating to the other conviction for possession of extreme pornography”, adding that there was "a risk of repetition of past behaviour, which involved a risk to the public."

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

willowbrookshopping.co.uk

Praise for nursery's 'quality care and learning'

A DAY nursery in Frampton Cotterell has been given an all round 'good' Ofsted rating in its first inspection for six years.

100 Acre Wood nursery in Church Road was praised by inspector Dominique Allotey for providing a challenging and stimulating curriculum for children. She said children were encouraged to develop a good range of independent skills.

The inspection, carried out in September, rated the nursery as 'good' in all areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

The nursery, which was first registered in 2004, caters for 78 children aged under four.

It was last inspected in August 2016, when it also received a good rating.

In March this year the nursery closed for building repairs and its registration was suspended by the education watchdog after it "received concerns" that 100 Acre Wood was not meeting some of its statutory legal requirements.

Owners Just Childcare carried out building repairs, in particular on part of the roof, then embarked on further refurbishment before the nursery reopened again in April and Ofsted lifted the suspension, saying concerns had been fully addressed.

In the latest report, published in November, the inspector said all children benefited from "quality care and learning", made good progress during their time at the nursery and gained a range of skills that aid their eventual move to school.

She said: “Staff are kind and calm with children. They are sensitive to the needs of babies and offer them good physical and emotional comfort when they need it.

“Parents are complimentary about the service they receive and comment positively on the regular feedback they get from staff about their child's day.

“Children develop a good range of independence skills during their time at the nursery. For example, young babies use spoons to feed themselves, toddlers wash their own hands and pour their own drinks, and

older children prepare their own fruit at snack time."

The inspector said the nursery's 15 staff work in partnership with parents to regularly obtain information from home which they use to complement the planning of activities for children, and they encourage parents to extend their children's learning at home.

The report said: "Children thoroughly enjoy the outdoors. Staff ensure outdoor areas are stimulating. Pre-school children grow and tend to vegetables on the allotment.

"This helps them learn about the natural world and where food comes from. Younger children enjoy watching horses in the neighbouring field. The outdoor areas offer good opportunities for physical play and promote healthy lifestyles."

A spokesperson for Just Childcare said: "The team at 100 Acre Wood work exceptionally hard to ensure the children in our care are nurtured, inspired and have fun every day and to have this recognised by Ofsted is a wonderful boost to everyone involved.

"We’re delighted the report celebrates the amazing nursery team we have, the inspirational nursery environments they have created and most importantly the happy, independent children that attend nursery every day.

"We would like to say a

massive thank you to all our parents and carers. "Without your ongoing

support we would not have achieved this brilliant result!"

Staff and children at 100 Acre Wood Day Nursery celebrate their good Ofsted rating.

School catering hit

PUPILS at seven South Gloucestershire schools are going without hot meals at lunchtime because of a catering staffing crisis, it has been revealed.

The council admits it can provide only cold food, such as sandwiches, or jacket potatoes at best because of the chronic recruitment shortage in catering - but insists youngsters are getting the nutrition they need.

Schools in Thornbury, Downend, Little Stoke and a number of other villages are among those affected by the vacancies, which currently stand at 23 across the district.

The issue was raised at a South Gloucestershire Council cabinet meeting by Thornbury ward Liberal Democrat councillor Jayne Stansfield.

She told the meeting: “Apparently the children in Thornbury have not been having access to the hot meals they expect due to high levels of staffing vacancies.

“So I would like to know what is being done to ensure that they do get their hot meals now and also into the future.”

The council says schools unable to provide hot food at the time of the cabinet meeting on November 14 were New Siblands School in Thornbury, Tortworth VC Primary School, St Andrew’s Primary School in Cromhall, Little Stoke Primary School, Pathways Learning Centre in Downend, St Augustine’s Primary School in Downend, and Wick CE VC Primary School.

Cabinet member for corporate resources Ben Burton said that Integra, the local authority’s trading arm which provides services to its schools, was finding it as hard as many other hospitality and retail companies across the country in recruiting for roles.

He said: "It’s a testament to the team that you can see management stepping in where possible in order to try to continue to deliver the services to schools.

“The impact that has had is obviously some schools have been placed on the cold service, the sandwich service, which still provides the nutritional benefits and a balance in accordance with what Integra is looking to provide, but of course it doesn’t substitute necessarily for hot school meals.

"We are making every possible effort to recruit staff to those roles and we will endeavour to get schools back onto those hot school meals as soon as possible.

Afterwards a council spokesperson said: “Recruitment for catering and hospitality roles is proving very challenging across the country at the moment and where we have had vacancies and staff sickness on occasion, we have had to suspend hot meal services to some schools for periods of time.

“This is of course regrettable, however where sandwiches are being provided as part of a lunch service we continue to maintain high nutritional standards and provide a balanced meal.

“In any case where we need to temporarily alter the service provided, we work with the schools so they are aware of the situation and seek to restore hot meal provision as soon as possible.

“We are continuing to work hard to fill the existing vacancies and, as part of the nationally agreed pay negotiations, hourly rates for these staff are due to increase this month, with our lowest paid staff seeing a 10.5 per cent increase to £10.50 per hour.

“We have also recently recruited to a number of roles supporting Crossways School which has seen that service restored this week.

“We currently have 23 ongoing vacancies, which is affecting our ability to provide hot meals to seven schools and this situation can be worsened when we experience staff sickness.”

The council could not say how long each school had been affected but that it could be longer term if there were unfilled vacancies or shorter in cases of extended periods of staff sickness.

The type of food provided instead of hot meals varies but while most pupils are given sandwiches, some also get the option of jacket potatoes or baguettes.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

PUPILS and staff at Winterbourne Academy are putting the finishing touches to their first musical for three years.

The production of Mary Poppins promises to be the highlight of a return to a full programme of activity this year by the school's arts faculty - also known as Bourne Creative.

Assistant head teacher Andrea William-Jones said: "It’s hard to describe the joy the Arts Team at Winterbourne Academy have found in being able to return to their natural habitat of productions, performances and exhibitions.

"The 2022/23 academic year will see the first full year of enrichment since 2019 and it’s fair to say that we have missed being part of our community!"

Starting during the summer with an art exhibition showcasing the work of art and photography students studying for GCSE and Post-16 qualifications, musicians from across the school then performed a ‘prom concert’ at St Michael’s Church - which had originally been intended as an outdoor performance until the weather

School's 'joy' at return of concerts and shows

Winterbourne Academy orchestra

intervened. In December the music department will return to

the church for a programme of seasonal music at 7pm on Wednesday December 7.

Mrs William-Jones said:

"Learners of all ages are busily preparing - and the teachers are practising hard, too!"

The following week will see the academy present Mary Poppins over three nights from December 13 to 15, at 7pm each evening.

Tickets are available from the school.

Mrs William-Jones said: "The production involves students from right across our community and they are very excited to be sharing their final dress rehearsal with learners from our partner primary schools.

"Students from across the age range at the Academy are involved, from cast to crew and beyond, with parts even being kept open for new Year 7 students who joined us in September.

"We promise an evening of joy!"

Carnival helps charities

WINTERBOURNE Down Carnival has donated more than £2,000 raised at this year's event to charities and churches.

Organisers were able to donate £300 each to four chosen charities - Mental health charity Mind, Alzheimer's charity Brace, Armed Forces charity SSAFA and foodbank charity Trussel Trust - from this year's proceeds.

All Saints and Bethesda churches, which help host the event, have received £500 each.

Carnival committee spokesperson Kathryn Hopes said: "Donations have been made and now plans begin for 2023.

"Our four chosen charities were thrilled with the additional donation on top of the £400 donated in 2021, we were able to gift another £300 this year.

"The charities all expressed their sincere thanks in what has been a challenging time - many are experiencing an up surge in need due to the current economic climate.

"So, in turn, we would like to say thank you to all who visited: a hot dog here and a tomato plant there all contribute to the huge support we were able to provide for those in need."

The committee has welcomed two new members to expanding the team.

Kathryn said: "We’re concentrating efforts on making next year’s carnival bigger and better!

"Thanks for your responses to our feedback survey - we’ll be putting on more of what you want.

"To help us grow, we’re looking for local businesses to sponsor us. We are proposing various levels of sponsorship, so regardless of size, your business can get involved.

"With our large social media following you won’t regret it, so please get in touch if you’re keen to know more."

For more information visit the carnival Facebook page, website at Winterbournedowncarnival.co.uk or email winterbournedowncarnival@gmail.com.

Comfort & Joy appeal launches

AN appeal helping people in need across the Frome Valley area is taking place for the third year.

This December, the churches of ‘Together 4 Fromeside’ will once again ask for help in supporting households facing financial and other challenges across the area over Christmas and into next year.

First launched in 2020 for families struggling because of lockdown, Appeal spokesperson Kate Kernaghan, of Zion Church, Frampton Cotterell, said: "Your contributions to their annual ‘Comfort & Joy’ appeal provide the funds to support many, many local families. "Over the past year, thanks to the generosity of our community, and with the help of our local partners in housing, health and education, ‘Together 4 Fromeside’ have been able respond to well over 100 households in need.

"When people have been rehomed into properties with no carpets, or been unable to top up their gas meter, or had no food in the cupboard, ‘Comfort & Joy’ has demonstrated compassion, made a practical difference, and opened a door to community for many.

"This winter is set to see financial challenges for many people, and the funds received through ‘Comfort & Joy’ can help us reach and support our neighbours in need.

"Thank you for making this happen."

People can give Comfort & Joy online at www.justgiving.com/ campaign/comfort-joy-2022, by cash or cheque to ‘Comfort & Joy’ c/o Zion Church Office, Woodend Road, Frampton Cotterell, BS36 2HY. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Churches Together in Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath (LEP)’, The appeal will be open throughout December.

Warm spaces scheme 'insufficient' to meet demand

THE warm spaces scheme in South Gloucestershire is “totally insufficient” because most venues will not be open during evenings or weekends, councillors have been told.

Frampton Cotterell's Brockeridge Centre is opening as part of the scheme to provide places for people who are concerned about energy bills to come out of the cold.

It is opening on Tuesday mornings from 11am to 1pm, coinciding with the existing coffee morning hosted at the venue.

The parish council is also discussing expanding the provision.

Winterbourne Library is also involved in the Welcoming Spaces scheme, coordinated by South Gloucestershire Council, which is encouraging people to use libraries during opening times if they are struggling to heat their homes.

But the council cabinet was told eight of the first 17 venues to sign up to the councilrun scheme were in Yate, with very little coverage either for rural areas and outside normal working hours.

The council says some of the locations are already planning to increase their opening hours, while more are expected to apply to the scheme.

Sean Rhodes, who stood as a Labour candidate in last year's Downend by-election, told a cabinet meeting in November: “Clearly weekends and evenings are the times when families with children are going to be most in need of access to warm and welcome spaces when the cost of putting hot food on the table for their children, heating the home, using Wi-Fi for homework and having family time watching television together is at its most expensive.

“So heading into winter I’m really concerned that this level of provision is going to be totally insufficient.

“Does the cabinet have a plan for increasing the level of options for families needing warm space support?"

Conservative cabinet member for public health and equality of opportunity Franklin Owusu-Antwi said the council had provided a budget for groups to apply for grants of £100 to £500 to run warm spaces at their venues, and believed that organisations would come forward to provide Saturday and evening provision.

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: "We are running a promotional campaign to encourage more venues to step forward and join our network so we can

Rhodes

expand their reach as widely as possible across the rural and urban areas of South Gloucestershire.

“Some of the confirmed venues are already planning to increase their opening hours, and as demand increases this may include opening on weekends and evenings."

For more information about the scheme call 01454 868009.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Sean

IN the centuries before Netflix and the Strictly Christmas Special there was only one show worth watching in villages around the country: the mummers' play. Alan Mildren (also known as the Turkish Knight) tells all about the traditional folk play the Christmas Boys of Winterbourn Down will perform on Boxing Day.

IT is a tradition whose origins are shrouded in mysterypossibly medieval or even pagan.

The Christmas Boys of Winterbourn Down will be performing our ancient play for the 43rd year since its revival.

This year we have an interesting twist to the play, but you will have to come along to find out!

The play was revived when Terry Martin, who played the Doctor, was interviewing pensioner Edith Penton, who spoke of the village having its own mummers play.

She said her father used to follow the play around when he was a 10-year-old boy, going back to the 1870s. He recounted the tale to his children while they sat on his knee at Christmas time.

The play was performed in the streets around Winterbourne Down on Boxing Day.

It had not been performed since 1913, after one of the players, Tom Biggs, was killed in the First World War.

Thanks to a group of villagers and Edith, who remembered the words, the play was revived in

Mummers' play is a mustsee Christmas show

the Doctor represents the rebirth of the new season.

The play is performed on Boxing Day each year, and in a good year we can get 200 or 300 people coming to see the play.

We collect for a charity and for the past few years this has been for Paul's Place, the Coalpit Heath charity that enhances life for adults with physical disabilities.

Last year we collected over £800.

The Christmas Boys and Winterbourn Down Border Morris Dancers will perform in four locations in the village on Boxing Day.

1979.

Like all mummers plays, it is based on the theme of death and resurrection, the dying of the old season and the rebirth of the new, but because it was an oral tradition, each village developed its own version of the story.

In our play the villain is the Turkish Knight and the hero is St George.

There is always a fight in which the villain is killed, then the Doctor, after an operation and a potion, raises the Turkish Knight back from the dead.

The Winterbourn Down Christmas Boys' version consists of five players: The Doctor, St George, The Turkish Knight, The Little-fellow, and Old Father Christmas.

As with most mummers plays it is performed around the Christmas period - a time

to celebrate the dying of the old season and rebirth of the new season, and for farmers to start thinking about planting seeds.

The Turkish Knight being killed and brought back to life by

Starting at Stone Lane at 10.30am they will move on to All Saints Church Hall at 11.15am, Colston Close at midday and then finally down to the Cross Hands Pub in Down Road at about 12.30-ish.

The Christmas Boys of Winterbourn Down celebrate another performance at the Cross Hands pub.

Labour picks Claire to challenge Jack

LABOUR has selected its candidate to challenge Conservative MP Jack Lopresti in the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency at the next general election.

Claire Hazelgrove will attempt to become the first Labour politician to win the seat, which includes Winterbourne and has been held by Mr Lopresti since it was created in 2010.

She won the party's selection contest ahead of Bradley Stoke town councillor Angela Morey, Emersons Green town councillor Sadik Al-Hassan and Robert Logan, who stood for the party in the neighbouring Thornbury & Yate constituency in 2019.

The result followed a vote at a hustings meeting attended by more than 100 local Labour Party members in November, with many other members voting by post.

Labour has come second in all four previous elections for

the Filton and Bradley Stoke seat, with Mr Lopresti's majority peaking at 9,838 in 2015 and falling to 4,190 in 2017.

At the 2019 election, his majority was 5,646 or 5.25%, making the constituency the 74th most marginal Tory seat in the UK.

Claire, a community and political engagement director and charity trustee, has worked for charities Shelter and Friends of the Earth, for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and for both of Barack Obama's successful US Presidential election campaigns.

She said: "I'm really grateful to have been selected as our parliamentary candidate by local party members.

"Whilst it won't be easy to win here for the first time, I've been out knocking on doors and listening to hundreds of people here all year long, and they've told me they want change.

"l will be making the case for a better politics, putting decency, aspiration and local people's voices at the heart of change.

"I know we need to work hard here to earn people's trust, and I will work to do that every day."

Plans to redraw constituencies, which would see the areas covered by the Filton & Bradley Stoke and Thornbury & Yate seats change, are out for a final consultation.

None of the changes proposed by the Boundary Commission for England affect Frome Valley wards, although Thornbury & Yate would gain the Pilning and Severn Beach ward from Filton & Bradley Stoke, which in turn would take on the new Lyde Green estate currently split between Thornbury & Yate and Kingswood.

Kingswood, created in 1974 and held by Tory Chris Skidmore since 2010, is set to disappear and be split between

neighbouring constituencies, including a new seat, Bristol North East.

People are invited to view and comment on the new constituency map online at bcereviews.org.uk by December 5, with the final recommendations due to be made next July.

Claire Hazelgrove

£275,000 lottery grant for parents' group

A GROUP that supports families of children with additional needs and disabilities is celebrating a big injection of funds from the National Lottery.

South Glos Parent Carers (SGPC) has been awarded £275,000 to help with running costs and to continue its expansion further into the community.

The successful bid to the National Lottery Community Fund was the result of months of behind-the-scenes hard work by the group, which is based in Yate but represents families across South Gloucestershire.

SGPC applied for the funding, which will be delivered over five years, to develop its services as a direct result of the increasing numbers of parent carers requesting support.

Some of the money will be used to expand SGPC’s peer support services for parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities

(SEND), with the aims of providing:

• a channel through which they can express their views to help shape future services;

• increased knowledge via training, workshops, and peer support;

• a supportive peer community

where families feel listened to by members who live a similar journey, and where their views and experiences will be understood and valued;

• a parent carer community where anxiety and isolation are reduced and the capacity of parents to support their

children is strengthened.

A spokesperson for the group said: “SGPC are an independent community interest company supporting parent carers of children, aged up to 25, with SEND.

"They are not part of the local authority but do partner with local service providers to help them to hear and understand the views of parent carers, in order to improve services.

"SGPC has over 1,800 members and we know there are many more parent carers in South Glos whose voices and lived experiences deserve to be heard.

"Any parent struggling to understand their child’s behaviour is welcome to contact us for further information. We are happy to hear from any parent, regardless of a diagnosis."

Membership of SGPC is free.

Parents can join via the website at www.sgpc.org.uk.

Members of the South Glos Parent Carers group celebrate receiving £275,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund

n NEWS FROM THE METRO MAYOR

The Beautiful Game shows its ugly side

THE World Cup is upon us.

For fans, it’s usually a time of nervous anticipation. I’d like to be having chats about the formation Southgate will play. Have the team been practising their penalties?! Could we follow the success of the women’s team, and this be the year England finally goes all the way?

This time however, sadly like many other West of England sports fans, I find myself with very different questions on my lips.

How can we celebrate the beautiful game in a state that abuses its own peo ple? Why has Qatar been awarded a global platform to promote itself? What is the world doing in the face of Qatar censor ing and jailing journalists and cosying up to Putin? How can we best call out the terrible human rights abuses, blatant hom ophobia and lack of women’s rights?

There wasn’t a single death in the work to build the London Olympics, which should be a huge mark of pride for our great country. It was the safest Olympic

build in history. In contrast, the current tournament has broken bodies, killed doz ens and maimed and crushed the hopes of abused foreign workers.

And let’s not pretend the Qataris won the hosting rights through merit alone. FIFA’s decision-Making, 12 years ago, was surrounded by rumblings of corruption and bribery. It’s been controversial from the off, because money talked louder than football.

So, what should we do? Of course, I always want my teams - Bristol City and England - to win.

As Harry Kane leads his men out, I hope we can use the power of football to inspire.

We know the World Cup can motivate young people to go out and exercise. We know great cup runs can bring our nation together. The excitement of Euro 96 or reaching the 2020 final last year. It’s also a great chance to back our hospitality sector at local pubs.

But we must also use this tournament

to keep human rights issues firmly in the public eye and to campaign for stronger workers’ rights.

These high-profile international sport ing events come with great kudos and attention for any host country. But it’s the people’s game - so they should come first.

Let’s hope in future the football author ities never place us in this position again where we love our football but are deeply troubled by the circumstances of the tournament.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris write for the Voice

Children remember the fallen

CHILDREN and staff from Hambrook Primary School joined with veterans and residents to remember those who gave their lives in conflict.

The whole school attended the Remembrance Day service on November 11 at the War Memorial on Hambrook Common, with a two-minute silence held at 11am.

Poems and readings were shared by the pupils and veterans, and wreaths were placed on the memorial, which commemorates men from the parish of Winterbourne, including Winterbourne Down and Frenchay, who died in the First and Second World War.

Up to 500 attend rave

POLICE say up to 500 people attended an illegal rave at a disused building near Hambrook. Music from the event in Old Gloucester Road could be heard from the early hours of the morning of October 30, with vehicles arriving at around midnight.

Avon and Somerset police arrived within 15 minutes of receiving a call and set up road closures to stop more people from reaching the site.

A spokesperson said officers had "engaged with organisers at the site to bring this event to a safe conclusion, while trying to keep the impact on the wider community as low as possible".

The last people left the site shortly after 10am. There were no arrests.

The spokesperson said: "Thanks to the public for their patience while we dealt with this.

"Public safety is our absolute priority when responding to these events."

n STROUD AUCTIONS

Worldwide interest in weapons and uniform collections

STROUD Auctions' November sale saw outstanding results for two large collections.

The first of these was an exceptional group of uniforms and other militaria, consigned by the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum Trust and sold for a total of over £55,000 – the entire hammer price going directly to the museum due to Stroud Auctions’ policy of making no charge for selling on behalf of a charity.

The second collection included in the auction was a private collection of bayonets, collected over a lifetime, which realised an impressive £45,000 and created a huge amount of interest from specialist collectors around the world.

The Stroud Auctions team are very proud of the results achieved for private collections; the care and attention needed to do them justice is considerable, but worthwhile to ensure the owner receives the best possible prices for their cherished items.

The November auction also

featured medals, militaria, sporting items, ceramics and glass. There were pleasing results across the board, but notably for Swarovski Crystal items, particularly lot 45 - a group of seven Walt Disney figurines which realised £1,800 for the delighted owner.

A total of 1,785 lots brought interest from 1,351 online bidders.

The highest price achieved for an individual lot was £14,000 for a 1934 Riley Lynx car.

This five-shot pepperbox revolver, made in Stroud, sold for £8,000

The surprise lot was a Gloucestershire Regiment 5th Battalion WWI tunic, attributed to Lance Corporal Percy Walter Ireland, which sold for £3,900.

The auctioneer’s favourite lot was a Buddings Patent second model five shot pepperbox revolver by Edwin Budding of Thrupp, Stroud, in a lined and fitted mahogany case, which sold for £8,000.

Our next sale on December 7-9

will feature more than 1,500 lots of jewellery, plus silver, watches, coins and the hugely popular fine wines and spirits section of over 200 lots, including some fantastic whisky, port and champagne.

The catalogue will be available online from a week before the auction date.

Entries are still being invited for Stroud Auctions’ February sale.

This will include a large private collection of approximately 200 air weapons, including rare examples, which will be sold alongside the featured sections of guns and weapons, medals and militaria, sporting items, ceramics and glass.

Entries close on December 23.

A preview of the air weapons is already available on Stroud Auctions’ website www. stroudauctions.co.uk.

If you have anything you may wish to consign to an upcoming auction, please contact us or send images to valuations@ stroudauctions.co.uk.

Valuations are completely free and without obligation.

STROUD AUCTION ROOMS

Free valuations every Friday 9am-4pm at our saleroom, free home visits or email valuations@stroudauctions.co.uk

School celebrates its stars

CHILDREN and staff at a Winterbourne primary school dressed as rock stars for a special event.

St Michael’s Primary School held its Times Table Rock Star Day to encourage children to encourage rapid recall of multiplication tables and other number facts.

Deputy head teacher Jen Waller said: "Whenever the bell was rung down the corridor, the children stopped what they were doing and took part in a short times table session.

"Later in the day, four children from each class came together to form mixed year group teams and competed until a reigning champion was crowned.

"One child scored 86 correct answers in 60 seconds!"

The event was one of a series

of special events to showcase pupils skills at the school, with Year 5 children producing self-portraits for a gallery after studying photorealistic portrait artists Monica Lee and Glenn Keelan.

Mrs Waller said: "The children researched and annotated artwork, later sketching and shading facial features with the tiniest details. The children experimented on finding beauty in every feature, line or pigment they saw.

"Our budding artists created pieces to be incredibly proud of."

The school has also been celebrating a return to competitive sports fixtures, with girls' and boys' football teams competing in tournaments and a netball team beginning training with head teacher Kirtsy Robson.

One of St Michael's Primary School's timetable rock stars

Hard work will continue after a busy year

WITH 2022 coming to a close, it has been another busy year for delivering on our positive plan for South Gloucestershire.

Together, we have made great progress over the last twelve months.

The year kicked off with the really positive news that South Gloucestershire Council had purchased the land at the Thornbury Hospital site, paving the way for the redevelopment of the town’s health centre. Our bid for funding to deliver a new health and care hub is under consideration, whilst work is ongoing to return health services to Frenchay at long last.

At the beginning of the year, we also officially opened the new Park and Ride in Yate, which is offering direct services into Bristol City Centre and Southmead.

In our bid to get South Gloucestershire moving, we also re-opened the Heron Way Right-

hand turn, saving commuters precious time on their journeys, and reducing heavy congestion in Yate and Chipping Sodbury.

We have worked closely with the Police & Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset to reduce crime in our local area, including doubling the size of the Rural Crime Unit.

We have secured vital funding for our local schools, improving facilities and completing key refurbishments including at Old Sodbury Primary and Castle School.

As we reached the spring and summer, our flagship campaign to introduce soft-plastic recycling was a huge success, with household collections now taking place in Chipping Sodbury and Olveston, with many more villages set to follow in the New Year.

Supporting jobs and the local economy was a vital part of our positive plan as we recovered from

the pandemic, and in the Autumn I was proud to hold our ninth, and most successful yet, jobs fair event.

The hard work to deliver our positive plan will continue in 2023.

Our local train services will be enhanced with half-hourly services between Bristol and Yate, as the reopening of Charfield Station gathers pace.

We continue to progress with plans for a brand-new special needs and disabilities school in Alveston, and new community facilities in the Ladden Village community.

A Park and Share in Falfield remains on the agenda, as does key investment in Frampton Cotterell to repair roads, and take forward plans for a village bypass.

We also must remain on guard ready to defeat inappropriate housing, with Buckover, Chipping Sodbury and Wickwar at the forefront of our minds.

South Gloucestershire really is

the best place in the country to live, work and raise a family.

I am as optimistic as ever for 2023 and remain completely thankful to the community’s support which is continuing to deliver so much for our area.

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Luke Hall MP writes for Frome Valley Voice

THE latest census has revealed fascinating details about where South Gloucestershire's residents were born.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that one in six residents of England and Wales on census day last year - a total of ten million people - were born outside the UK. That is up from 7.5 million in 2011.

In South Gloucestershire the percentage of residents who were born outside the UK rose from 6.6% to 10.6% over the last decade.

Just under nine out of every ten people living in the district - 259,757 of 290,400 residents in March last year - were born in the UK.

A total of 249,242 (85.8%) were born in England, with a further 7,035 people born in Wales.

The next most common nation of birth was Poland (3,320 people), followed by residents who were born in India (2,958), just ahead of Scotland (2,667).

The next biggest individual nation of origin was Romania, where 2,084 South Gloucestershire residents were born.

However this number was smaller than the 2,551 people from nine other nations, grouped together by the ONS, which joined the EU between 2001 and 2011, including the Czech Republic and Cyprus but excluding Poland, Romania and Lithuania, which were counted separately.

Other common places of birth outside the UK recorded in South Gloucestershire were Germany (1,101 people), non-EU European countries (1,065), South Africa (1,062), South America (997), the Republic of Ireland (977) and Nigeria (841)all of which were above Northern Ireland (800) in the list.

In neighbouring Bristol, the

Census figures show changing roots of population

percentage of residents born outside the UK rose from 14.7% to 18.8% from 2011 to 2021.

A total of 383,495 out of 472,400 residents (81.2%) were born in the UK, with 365,336 (77.3%) born in England.

After Wales (11,722), the next most common nation of birth was Poland (8,770), followed by the ONS group of nine EU postmillennium nations (5,303).

The most common non-UK or EU nation of birth in Bristol is Somalia: 4,654 residents of the city were born in the East African country - more than the 4,626

SOUTH Gloucestershire's population more closely matches the national average age range than anywhere else in the country, the 2021 census found.

The district's median age of 40 is the same as the England average and the percentage of people in each age group closely matches the distribution of ages nationwide.

By contrast Bristol's median age of 34 is well below the national average: the percentage of people aged between 18 and

people in the city who were born in Scotland. By contrast, only 85 South Gloucestershire residents were born in Somalia.

The other most common countries of birth outside the UK for Bristol residents were India (4,381 people), Romania (3,782), Spain (3,616), Pakistan (3,586), smaller pre-2001 EU member countries, including Benelux and Scandinavia (3,543), Italy (3,123) and China (2,638).

Nationally, the most common country of birth outside the UK is India, followed by Poland, Pakistan, Romania, Ireland,

Our average age is 40

41 is well above average, while number of 47 to 85-year-old residents are below average, as are six to 17-year-olds.

B&NES has a median age of 39 and a large spike of 18 to 23-year-old residents, representing the city's large student population relative to its size.

While South Gloucestershire is home to many students at UWE's main Frenchay

Italy, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Germany and South Africa.

The number of Romanianborn UK residents rose from 80,000 in 2011 to 539,000 in 2021.

Census deputy director Jon Wroth-Smith said: "We can see Romanians have been a big driver in this change, while there have also been increases due to migration from India, Pakistan and Poland, as well as southern European countries such as Italy."

campus, other parts of the university and accommodation are in Bristol, balancing the numbers of young people who leave the district to go to university.

By contrast, North Somerset and the three districts of Gloucestershire neighbouring South GloucestershireStroud, Cotswold and the Forest of Dean - all have median ages between 45 and 49, with numbers of over-50s noticeably above average and numbers of 18 to 40-year-olds below the England average.

A Diwali celebration was recently held at Bradley Stoke Community School during a year-long council programme to celebrate "the stories of people from India who now call South Gloucestershire home"almost 3,000 residents of the district were born in India.

Picture: South Gloucestershire Council.

A sweet Christmas treat - or present

THOSE of you who read my article regularly will know that I don’t make that many sweet recipes:

I prefer to concentrate on healthy(ish!) savoury dishes.

But Christmas only comes once a year, so I’ve gone for a bit of a sweet treat.

I’m hoping that my biscotti will delight all those people who hate dried fruit concoctions.

I think these Italian biscuits are a lovely thing to offer to unexpected guests over the Festive season.

If you package them in a pretty box or cellophane with a ribbon, they also make personal, thoughtful gifts too.

So, whatever you may be doing for Christmas, I wish you all a happy and relaxing one.

Let’s hope that 2023 will bring a bit more peace and stability into everyone’s life.

Coffee and Hazelnut Biscotti

THESE crisp Italian biscuits, made for dunking in good coffee, are very simple to make and taste much better than shop-bought ones (and are much cheaper too!) At less than 100 calories a go, you can enjoy them without too much guilt!

Makes about 15

Ingredients

Plain flour – 110g (4 oz) Baking powder- ½ tsp Espresso-style instant coffee – 1 tablespoon Caster sugar- 110g (4 oz) Egg- 1 large, preferably, free range Hazelnuts- 150g(5oz), peeled, toasted and coarsely chopped Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or gas mark 4

Here’s what you do:

Place the nuts in a food mixer or processor, and coarsely chop. Put in a medium-sized bowl and leave to one side.

With a hand whisk, whisk the sugar and egg together.

Stir in the flour, baking powder and coffee.

Stir the ground nuts into the mixture.

With floured hands, work the mixture together so that it starts to form a sticky dough (Bit tricky, but it will come together, don’t worry if it takes a few minutes of kneading) Keep working it ‘til you can mould the mix into a 28cm log.

With the help of a fish slice under

the log, transfer it to a lightly greased baking tray.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 mins or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Take out of the oven and leave on the baking tray for 10 mins.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160C, 325F, Gas 3

Using a serrated or electric knife, cut the log diagonally into 1cm slices.

Place the slices back on the baking tray(no need to grease again)

Bake for about 25 mins or until dry and crisp, turning halfway through cooking time.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Store in an air-tight tin once cold.

Cook’s tips:

The biscuits can be stored for up to a month in an air-tight tin, that’s if they last that long before being eaten!

This is how to make the traditional biscotti. If you like your biscuits slightly softer, cook for only 15 mins; 25 mins when you put the slices back in the oven for the second baking.

Ann Murray founded the Cooking4 Cookery School based in Chipping Sodbury. She’s teamed up with Frome Valley Voice to pass on her wealth of experience in the kitchen.

Winterbourne Barn

THERE will be three performances of Carols in the Barn this year.

Re-live the Christmas story in words and drama from members of St Michael’s church, and sing traditional Christmas carols.

This wonderful atmospheric festive occasion for all ages will take place on Saturday December 10 at 3pm and Sunday December 11, at 3pm and 6pm.

Doors open 45 minutes beforehand and remember, the Barn can be chilly in December, so wrap up warm!

Tickets cost £5 for adults and £1 for children, and include mulled wine and a mince pie on arrival.

Parking on-site is reserved for people with mobility difficulties and must be pre-booked, while there is no parking on Church Lane, as this obstructs the road for emergency vehicles and other users.

You can park at Winterbourne Academy for £1 per vehicle, and walk down Church Lane or Beacon Lane to the Barn.

Family Christmas craft sessions, aimed at families with six to 11-yearold children (although all are welcome), take place on December 21, at 10am and 1pm.

We’ll be making our own Christmas stockings, crafting some sparkly wreaths, and creating some reindeer antlers – perfect for prancing your way into the New Year! Tickets are £7.50 per family.

Looking for an unusual present for a family member? How about booking a place on a workshop event at the barn?

On January 27 there are two-hour fused glass workshops and on February 18 there is a one-day fruit tree grafting workshop, which needs to be booked early and will give participants a new skill for the garden or allotment, and at least three new apple trees.

Booking for all of these events is essential, via Ticketsource or the barn website at www.winterbournebarn.org.uk.

Louise Harrison

Loft Boarding & Insulation

Volunteers honoured

VOLUNTEERS from Ram Hill Colliery and Frampton Cotterell Nature were among the 50 people thanked for their hard work by South Gloucestershire Council at a special celebration event at Winterbourne Medieval Barn.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Community Spaces Network hosted the celebration evening in late October for volunteers representing 23 of the many different groups across the area who help to maintain parks, open spaces, nature reserves and public rights of way, as well as carrying out litter picking and other essential work.

Council cabinet member for communities Rachael Hunt said: “It was a pleasure to be able to thank some of the hundreds of volunteers across South Gloucestershire who work in all weathers to keep our parks and open spaces maintained and clean and tidy. Their hard work and commitment helps to ensure that we are all able to enjoy the best of what our beautiful area has to offer.

“By working closely with these dedicated volunteers, we are able to share resources and bring working groups together to continue to keep our much-loved green spaces looking their best for our communities for years to come.”

The Community Spaces Network is co-ordinated by the council for community groups who help care for public open spaces in South Gloucestershire to share knowledge and resources.

For more information email communityspaces@southglos.gov.uk.

Crossbow Singers

THE magic of Christmas has been ever-present during our recent rehearsals, as we finish the final touches to our programme of music and songs ready for our annual Christmas concert.

We will be entertaining our audience with some modern classics, traditional numbers and a couple of original songs and arrangements written by our brilliant musical director, Carolyn Dutton.

Rosie Williams will be compering the show with her witty insights, poems and stories, which always make us laugh.

There will be plenty of opportunities for audience participation.

We are also very pleased to be able to announce that we will be welcoming a musical trio: Chris, Ali and Jake who will be performing.

This original trio of local musicians are a one-off band formed especially for the concert.

Chris is an accomplished guitarist and backing vocalist, who has played in his very successful band, The Moonloungers, for many years - visit themoonloungers.com for more details.

Jake and Ali are members of local indie band Underground Frets (more information @UGFrets on Twitter) and Ali is developing a successful solo career - see his page at alirice.co.uk.

They will bring a fresh, modern twist to the evenings.

Our concerts are on Monday December 12 and Tuesday December 13 at 7.30pm in Crossbow House hall.

Tickets cost £7 per person and the bar will be open before the show and during the interval.

Monday tickets can be purchased from Rose by phoning 01454 772675, and Tuesday tickets are available from Mary by phoning 01454 887885.

The event at Winterbourne Medieval Barn

Louise Lewis

A busy first year for Frampton Cotterell Nature

FRAMPTON Cotterell Nature held our annual meeting in November

celebrated our first year of being a community group.

*Worked with Village Action to help remove Himalayan balsam from the river.

Floral Friends

OUR volunteers have been busy refreshing the planters around the village, replacing the seasonal summer bedding with a mixture of pansies, daisies and polyanthus, interplanted with the existing perennial plants, to give colour over the winter.

This gave

what we’ve done so far to help people connect with nature and support nature to thrive.

In our first year we have:

*Carried out surveys of breeding birds, wildflowers, slow worms, harvest mice, otters, bats and fungi and held a monthly moth trapping club.

*Listed over 1,000 species found in Frampton Cotterell, including protected species such as otters, harvest mice, white-letter hairstreak butterflies and rare bird’s nest fungi.

*Worked with the parish council to hold a bioblitz and plant trees and wildflowers at the Centenary Field.

*Worked with the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust on their Yellow Fish campaign, RiverBlitz and Riverfly Monitoring.

*Worked with local primary schools to survey school grounds, plant fruit trees, run lunchtime nature clubs and lead children on local nature walks.

"Held community nature walks looking at wildflowers, trees, birds, butterflies, bats and fungi.

*Held a seed collecting walk and started a community tree and plant nursery.

*Started a project working with UWE staff and students to survey and monitor the water quality and ecology of the river Frome.

*Developed a proposal for a nature reserve. We’re very excited that South Gloucestershire Council have agreed to create a nature reserve at Frampton End!

A huge thanks to everyone who has supported the group and taken part in our activities.

Over the next year, we’re hoping to get even more people involved in connecting with nature and improving our local environment.

You can join us on Facebook or email us at framptoncotterellnature@gmail.com.

All our events are free but donations are welcome and help cover the cost of insurance.

We’re run entirely by volunteers and all donations are used to fund group activities - if you can help then our bank details are: Frampton Cotterell Nature, account 54017263, sort code 3098-97.

Naturally, we use peat-free compost wherever possible, and any plants removed are composted. Any planters which may need to be replaced in the near future (for example, those in the Sensory Garden) will be substituted with ones made from recycled materials.

Thank you to all who attended our Autumn Fayre on October 29 and enjoyed a hot drink and a cake before browsing the stalls selling plants, gifts, and bulbs. There was a raffle with lots of prizes donated by local companies and shops (thank you for all the donations – we really appreciate it). Thank you also to Nisa, who donated the refreshments.

Altogether we raised nearly £550.

Stay alert when Christmas shopping online

AS we start to approach the festive season, when lots of people are furiously trying to get their Christmas Shopping done online, I would like to remind you to remain vigilant and be cautious.

Be on the lookout for fake shopping sites and scams that fraudsters will use to take advantage of you.

Fraud continues to grow significantly and now represents more than a third of all estimated crime.

It doesn’t just affect victims’ finances but can also have an impact on mental health, with 74% of fraud victims reporting being emotionally impacted.

As the national Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) lead for economic and cybercrime, I am passionate about educating local people on how to spot the signs of fraud, to prevent you becoming a victim in the first place. There is lots of information on my website about how to protect yourself. Please do take a

look.

I also want to talk to you about some important things happening in my office over the festive season.

Firstly, we will launch our annual council tax policing precept consultation.

Your police service is funded partly by central government, which gives about 60% of the annual budget, but also partly through your local council tax bill, which covers the other 40%.

This survey asks your opinion on the amount I am going to ask you to pay in addition to your current annual council tax bill in the next financial year, which is one of the main responsibilities of a PCC.

It is very important that you let me know your views, particularly when times are extremely financially challenging for everyone.

Secondly, if you are looking for a new challenge in the New Year, we have also launched a volunteer recruitment campaign

to ask people to empower their communities and join us as independent advisors on one of the OPCC’s four scrutiny panels or other inspection schemes.

It’s an important way to provide transparency and public accountability around the monitoring and scrutiny we do of the service provided to our communities by Avon and Somerset Police.

For more information visit www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov. uk/get-involved/apply-to-be-avolunteer.

Lastly, if you run a community group or you work with an organisation on projects that help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, I would encourage you to apply to my Commissioner’s Crime Prevention Fund.

Launched earlier this year, the fund is a partnership between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Somerset Community Foundation and Quartet Community Foundation,

With Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford

which aims to support community projects and activities across the force area that help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

I know the organisations and groups of residents who have already applied and received a grant have found the extra funds really beneficial in supporting their work to prevent crime in their communities.

Please visit my website to find out more.

The new sport that's really taking off

A SOUTH Gloucestershire athletics track is seeing a new breed of racers…speeding up to 100mph.

The competitors are 'pilots', who fly remote-control drones at high speed in breathtaking races.

South Gloucestershire Drone Club is part of a growing sport – and they are looking for new members to join them at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex in Broad Lane, Yate.

Club Chair Sean Boulton said: "It’s like an out-of-body experience, with all the thrill and no risk to the body.

"It’s F1 car performance in your hands. You are essentially controlling a robot you can take anywhere. It's a very surreal feeling.”

Competitors race their drones, which measure less than six inches across, around

specially laid out courses at the athletics track.

They also take part in competitions all over the UK.

They use Virtual Reality headsets so they can experience the flight as if they were on board the drone, and control it from a remote control console.

Sean said: “The drones can fly up 100mph and reach 60mph in under 0.5 seconds.

“The hobby provides some great benefits to our members both through learning a wide range of science, technological, electronic and mechanical skills such as coding, flight dynamics and 3D printing, but also has huge mental health benefits through positive human interaction within a creative, safe, fun environment.”

He said suitable drones start at about £200 – but members

write their own software and use 3D printing to adapt their machines to be faster and more nimble.

Pilots need to have British Model Flying Association insurance, and to be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority, which the club can help people organise.

Sean said: “Drone racing is an up-and-coming new sport, and growing in popularity across the world.

"Anyone can take part, no matter your age or gender.

"They are very hard to fly. So you need a positive attitude and be open to learning a new skill.

"If any of this applies, then this could be for you.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more can contact the club by email at info@ southglosdrone.club or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook. com/southglosrc

A drone racing around the course

A drone racer with headset and controller

A drone's view of the Yate Outdoor Sports Complex

n WHAT'S ON

December 3

n FILTONES CHOIR 40TH ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS CRACKERS CONCERT, 7.30pm, Filton Community Centre, Elm Park. Tickets £8 including refreshments, accompanied children free. Tickets from Dot Bryant on 07870 984760 or on the door. Raffle and retiring collection in aid of charity Sense.

December 3

n SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE MINES RESEARCH GROUP walk around Lodge Hill and Coombe Brook Valley. Meet 10.30am, on the grassland on the summit of Lodge Hill near Cossham Hospital. Bring packed lunch and suitable clothing. Finish 2.30-3pm.

December 3

n WINTERBOURNE WIND BAND CHRISTMAS CONCERT, Salem Methodist Church, Factory Road, Winterbourne, 7pm. Tickets £5 adults, £2.50 children from ticketsource. co.uk/winterbournewindband. Refreshments available. More information from info@ winterbournewindband.co.uk.

December 5

n FESTIVE FRAMPTON SINGALONG with the Jays and The Rosettes,2-3.30pm, Crossbow House, School Road, Frampton Cotterell. £5, carers free. Refreshments included. All profits to UNICEF supporting children affected by the Ukraine war. Contact Hilary on 0751 535 1813 for details.

December 7

n WESTERLEIGH CEMETERY & CREMATORIUM annual Christmas carol and remembrance service for families and friends to remember loved ones. 7pm, Waterside Chapel. Please book in advance by emailing westerleighcrematorium@ westerleighgroup.co.uk or calling 0117 937 4619.

December 7

meeting and talk, 17th and 18th Century Mining in Kingswood and the development of the Liberties, by Steve Grudgings. Miners Institute, Badminton Road, Coalpit Heath, 7pm. Non members welcome - £2 each.

December 7

n DOWNEND FLOWER ARRANGING CLUB Christmas demonstration by Marie Munday, 7.30pm, Lincombe Barn, Overndale Road, Downend. Come early for free coffee and mince pies. Visitors £8 at door. All welcome.

December 11

n ANNUAL CAROL SERVICE at St Peter’s Church, Wapley, 6.30pm. Traditional service of nine lessons and carols, with the Dodington Parish Band. Service followed by mulled wine and mince pies. Also Christmas Eve communion service at 11.30pm on December 24. All welcome to both events.

December 12-13

n CROSSBOW SINGERS CHRISTMAS CONCERT, Crossbow House hall, 7.30pm. Mix of traditional, modern and original songs, with guest trio, Chris, Ali and Jake. Tickets £7 per person: call 01454 772675 for Monday tickets and 01454 887885 for Tuesday tickets.

December 13

n YATE CHORAL SOCIETY CHRISTMAS CONCERT, Chipping Sodbury Town Hall 7.30pm. Conductor Geoff Wickham, accompanist Diana Williams, with guests the Celli Peppers. Tickets £8 - call 01454 313907 or from Chipping Sodbury Tourist Information Centre and choir members. www.yatechoralsociety. co.uk.

December 13-15

n WINTERBOURNE ACADEMY presents Mary Poppins, 7pm each evening. Tickets available from the school.

January 28

Castle School, Thornbury. Sing in four-part harmony with a large allfemale show chorus and perform with us to your family and friends. Thornbury venue. Tickets from £10. More details online at fascinatingrhythm.com/events/love-to-singworkshop.

REGULAR EVENTS

n MONDAY: WINTERBOURNE FLOWER CLUB now meets at WADCA in Watleys End Road, Winterbourne. Meetings are on the second Monday of the month between 2pm and 4pm. Call 01454 776753 for details.

n MONDAY: GENTLE SHIBASHI TAI CHI AND RELAXATION, accessible to all, 6-7pm, St Michael's Rooms, High Street, Winterbourne. Contact Jenny on 07855 560257or jksmith@ blueyonder.co.uk for more information.

n TUESDAY: WINTERBOURNE DOWN METHODIST CHURCHDrop in for free cup of tea and chat or play board games, every Tuesday from 2-4pm.

n TUESDAY: SUNRIDGE GOLF CROQUET CLUB meets on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in Coalpit Heath and has players at all levels. Learn how to play, club equipment is available to use. To find out more contact croquet@ wilko.eclipse.co.uk or call 07977 201440.

n WEDNESDAY: BRISTOL SCRABBLE CLUB meets every Wednesday evening at 7pm until 10pm at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park, Filton BS34 7PS. New members welcome- first 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

jksmith@blueyonder.co.uk for more information.

n THURSDAY: EXERCISE AND SOCIAL FOR SENIORS £5. Come and join us for a dose of weekly exercise! We aim to improve your strength, balance, posture and flexibility in a fun and friendly environment. To register your interest please contact Adam Dyer on 07875503586. St Saviours Church , Coalpit Heath, every Thursday 10-11:30am Beesmoor Rd, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2RP

n THURSDAY: WINTERBOURNE WINDS, a friendly amateur wind band who play a wide range of music including pop, musicals and classical, rehearse at Frenchay Village Hall from 7.40-9.30pm. New members, especially flute, oboe, trumpet, horn and percussion players, are welcome. For more information email winterbournewinds@yahoo.com.

n FRIDAY: FROME VALLEY ART GROUP meets at the Greenfield Centre, Winterbourne each Friday 2-4pm or 7-9pm. Thriving club with demonstrations and workshops from visiting professional artists. More details online at fromevalleyartgroup. wordpress.com or email fromevalleyartwinterbourne@ gmail.com

n FRIDAY: EXERCISE AND SOCIAL FOR SENIORS £5. Come and join us for a dose of weekly exercise! We aim to improve your strength, balance, posture and flexibility in a fun and friendly environment. To register your interest please contact Adam Dyer on 07875503586. Cambrian Green Court community centre 2:15- 3:45pm Yate, Bristol BS37 5AD

n

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE MINES RESEARCH GROUP

Winterbourne Library news

n FASCINATING RHYTHM’S LOVE TO SING DAY, from 10am,

n WEDNESDAY: GENTLE SHIBASHI TAI CHI AND RELAXATION, accessible to all, 10.30-11.30am and 11.45am12.45pm, Winterbourne Medieval Barn, Church Lane, Winterbourne. Contact Jenny on 07855 560257or

Lego club next meets on December 17, from 10am to 11am – for children aged four and up.

Storytime sessions, on Fridays from 9.3010am in term time only, are suitable for children aged 18 months to four years.

ac.uk.

For more details of events or bookings, visit the library, email Winterbourne.library@ southglos.gov.uk or phone 01454 868006.

WINTERBOURNE Library is holding two children's activities just before Christmas.

The events on Friday December 23 begin with Christmas stories and songs around the tree, from 9.30-10am: suitable for all ages up to 11 years.

Later the same morning, between 10.30am and 11.30am, there is a free drop-in Winter Wonderland crafts activity. Join us to create your crafts or take your craft bag home. Most suitable for children aged four to 11.

Regular Rhymetimes take place on Wednesdays, 9.30am-10am; most suitable for 0-18 months – limited spaces.

An adult craft group meets on December 24 and 31, from 10am-noon: join a friendly group of crafters to do your own work and chat –refreshments available.

Computer classes are held on Thursdays (term time only). Enrolment required with SGS College - for more information call Cindy on 0117 909 2296 or email cindy.corbett@sgscol.

The library is open and staffed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 5pm, and on Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

Open Access, between 8am and 7.30pm, enables you to use the library when staff are not there, including free Wi-Fi, PCs and printing, issuing and returning books. Library members need to complete a one-off induction session first to register.

More information is available online at www. southglos.gov.uk/openaccess.

Winterbourne Down WI

LAST month was a very special one for our WI, because it marked our centenary.

Having already celebrated at our monthly meeting, we finished off with a meal at the White Horse.

Winterbourne Evening WI

ON an autumnal evening, Winterbourne Evening WI gathered at member Susan's house for a chat, wine and nibbles.

Members really enjoyed the chance to have a more extended discussion than we normally manage at our monthly meetings.

The centenary celebration meal

We invited all our past presidents and we were delighted that they all attended. It was a great evening: everyone was so pleased with the venue and the food, and they all received a wrapped house plant containing a golden ‘100’ decoration.

Our speaker was Helen Isaac, a local author of children's books. As well as telling us all about her writing, she described her work as a teaching assistant and had many amusing anecdotes.

A few of us also met up for coffee at the Old School Rooms in Stoke Gifford; this is something we are doing between our monthly meetings, trying different places for coffee or lunch.

Our next meeting will be our Christmas party and we are having a demonstration about pots for the garden by Karen Beasley.

On behalf of all our members I wish you a Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

Margaret Aspbury (President)

Susan had put on a gorgeous selection of cheeses and other savouries.

Chat varied from relief that we could all gather again after covid, to catching up on local community news.

The new committee: Susan Griffiths, Sandy Gardener, Margaret Grazebrook, Valerie Hillier, Di Woodman, Carol Shields, Gill Parker and Emilie Smith.

A lovely evening was had by all, and thanks goes to all those who attended and Susan, who was a wonderful host.

Our annual meeting was held in November, when we confirmed the new committee.

Thanks goes to outgoing president Carol Shields (third right) and a warm welcome is extended to new president Di Woodman (fourth right).

Winterbourne Evening WI meets on the second Thursday of the month in St Michael's school hall at 7.30pm. Guests and prospective members are warmly welcomed.

We wish all your readers a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year. Emilie Smith

Coalpit Heath WI

WE held our AGM during the November meeting and are delighted to have appointed a committee ready to continue planning for another busy year.

At the meeting we also took the opportunity to create some poppy wreaths for St Saviour’s church porch and the lych gate. Many of the poppies from previous years were reused and tied to wreaths made from Hazel withies and put up in time for Remembrance Day. There is a plan to recreate the waterfall of poppies again for next year.

Further craftiness happened when a small group of members helped to make our first ever standing scarecrow for the village trail, named Champion Lioness as a nod to our successful ladies' football team.

Still to come this year we have a crafty Christmas meeting on December 7 St Saviour’s church hall at 7.45pm and a carol service on December 14 in St Saviour’s church that everyone is invited to.

We will also have a stall at the church Christmas fair and another at St Monica’s Trust in Westbury.

We are looking forward to a Christmas meal out locally, as well as another at Highgrove for those who have signed up. A group are going to the ballet to see ‘Raymonda’ and a few are off on a Christmas shopping evening.

The book club has started successfully: we hope to review a book every other month. We will be having our next catch up soon to find out what everyone thought of Where the Crawdads Sing.

Frampton Cotterell WI

THIS month’s talk was very interesting and informative.

Graham Daynes from the Hearing Dogs charity - and the lovely Gus and his owner Helen - came along to show us how much a hearing dog can mean to its owner.

It's fair to say that Gus won us all over with his charms!

November was finishing with our AGM on the 28th and a very special occasion on the 29th - our 70th anniversary birthday party!

As well as fun, fizz, good food and cake, we’ve booked local singer Angie McCall who will be performing a collection of classic songs from across the last seven decades.

Our Christmas Bingo evening will be on December 6: our last social event of 2022.

Confirmed events for 2023, normally on the fourth Tuesday of every month, at 7.45pm at St Peter’s Hall on School Road, include Life at the Zoo, with Liz Curtis, on January 24 and Strictly Karen, with local dance tutor Karen Davis, on February 28.

We also have other events/socials lined up, including visits to the theatre and other local group trips.

Watch this space and our Facebook page - search for FramptonCottWIfor confirmation of future event dates and more details.

If you fancy coming along and seeing what we have to offer you would be most welcome: search for @WICoalpitHeath on Facebook to find out more.

Caroline Johnston

Visitors and new members are welcome to our monthly meetings. There is a charge of £3.50 for the evening and any new members can also join by paying a membership fee.

Three of the wreaths made by members

Gus the hearing dog was a special guest of Frampton Cotterell WI

We should face the unknown, not fear it

AT this time of year we can easily get drawn into the preChristmas bah humbug attitude, like the Scrooge character in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol.

Let’s face it, it’s hardly surprising at the end of a strange year, as covid restrictions gradually lift. The economic grimness that looms ahead, health worries and concern over climate change can easily dampen our spirits - and wallets!

The tempting razzmatazz of the festive season hits our shops with sparkly lights and tasty treats. The local community busily organises carol concerts and shows, school assemblies and parties.

Crib and Christingle services are held - here Churches Together for Fromeside is concentrating on charitable giving and sharing

warm spaces, with our Comfort and Joy Appeal.

Is the world and society really in such a dark place when we look around us, and try to share good news with others - or do we stay stuck in a bah humbug mood?

I’ve always been intrigued by space travel and science fiction, from the spectacular rocket launches to the moon to TV series such as Star Trek, and what was described as the final frontier by Captain Kirk.

Some years ago it was expressed in an episode that "the greatest danger facing us is ourselves - an irrational fear of the unknown".

"But," it was said, "there’s no such thing as the unknown - only things temporarily hidden."

This fear of the unknown has really hit us this year in many

ways.

But the yearning for an end to suffering and anxiety is temporal, because there is a light in the darkness, in the form of a baby born in a stable.

Christianity is a story of mystery and intrigue, just like our questions about the black holes in the universe.

Physicists have been exploring ideas for years about black holes and their connection to the 'Big Bang' theory, just as many people have spent centuries debating the existence of God in human form, in Jesus.

For Christians, he offers light in the darkness of despair, when everything seems hopeless in life, by turning to him in prayer - a way forward when facing our deepest fears.

We live in a changing world that challenges us to face the

Rev Julia Chard Associate Minister, Fromeside Benefice

unknown, and not to fear the future. That means we must be ready to listen before we act. Less of the Bah, humbug!

We can stand side by side, to aim to work together in our differences, and to build up our community in Fromeside.

The light of the world will keep shining even when we face darkness in our lives. The eclipse is nature's way of connecting light and darkness together to illuminate our way forward.

Strong start for Bristol & West

BRISTOL & West Hockey Club has made a solid start to the season. Six games in and both B&W Jaspers Ladies 1 and 2 currently sit in third place, on 12 points each, in their respective leagues, with the firsts unbeaten so far.

B&WJ3s are 5th, and B&WJ4s 4th in their divisions.

The aim for B&WJ1s is to win the league: they know exactly how tough that will be after narrowly missing out on promotion last year.

On the men’s side of the game, a big influx of players across all levels has helped bolster the bulk of the squads drastically.

The 1s find themselves in 2nd place, also undefeated. After drawing the first two games against tough opposition, they found their feet and won four on the bounce, most recently a 9-1 thumping of Royal Wootton Bassett, and are four points behind league leaders Bristol Uni A, who have won all 6 of their games and host us on December 3.

The 2s have also made a great start, with only one loss so far coming in their most recent game against league leaders Cardiff & Met 3.

With only the league winners gaining promotion, they’ll have to pick up the slack and push hard in the run-up to Christmas.

B&W3s have endured a more difficult start to life in their new league after gaining promotion the year before. Despite now playing at the same league level as the 2s, they found themselves entering a parallel division, which unfortunately includes a lot more travel, and are 8th in an extremely tight league, recently causing an upset with an 8-3 away win at then league leaders Exeter CV Hornets.

For more information, including training dates and club subscriptions, visit www.bandwhc.org.uk.

Girls' teams for Coalpit Heath

COALPIT Heath Football Club is hoping to form a dedicated girls' team as interest in the sport continues to grow.

The club, whose mixed Under-10s team won their cup competition earlier in the season, currently the club does not have a dedicated girl's section.

We have applied to become Weetabix Wildcats provider, setting up dedicated football sessions for girls aged 5-11.

We are really excited about this opportunity and hope it will lead to the forming of dedicated Coalpit Heath girl's teams.

Currently, one of the club’s coaches is helping to coach year 5 and 6 girls at a local primary school. We will share more news about this exciting prospect as we receive it.

The club has experienced continued growth in the junior section, with multiple teams at u9s, u10s, u11s and u12s.

Along with Soccertots (Reception and Year 1), u7s and u8s, the Manor playing fields are now a hive of activity on a Saturday morning.

To assist with the parking situation, St Saviours Church has kindly let the club use their facilities for parking on a Saturday morning and additional parking cones are now in use to restrict parking on Henfield Road.

We would like to thank all our kit sponsors for their generosity in supporting the club: Shortman Electrical, Lloyd Peacey Build, FK Carpentry, Vulcain Engineering, Bella by Design, Scott Brothers, Frome Valley Landscapes, Kenneth and Edwards, CMC Electrical, Newmark Construction Group, JB Maintenance, MCS Ltd, Elecsec, Combined Electrical and KMS Carpets and Flooring.

Anyone who is interested should contact us online at coalpitheathfc.co.uk/contact.

Steve Clemente

Harry Bryant

Blend of youth and experience at Frampton

FRAMPTON Cotterell 2s got their first win of the season with a great win over Bishopston's first team.

Tries from Joe Cleary, Brooke Tubey, Russ Taylor, Toby Noakes and Gareth Poole, with five conversions from fly half Morgan Lewis, saw them win 35-20.

The man of the match award was shared across the outstanding performances by Nick Prior, Cam Smith and Taylor Cepak.

Fram's youth policy is certainly paying off, as 28 players across the first and second teams playing that weekend were a product of Fram's Junior and Colts teams.

Ex-club captain Mike Weaver has taken over as 2s manager, assisting captain Andres Garcia and giving Morgan some experienced advice on kicking.

The weekend of November 11-13 saw the French Vieux Loups (Old Wolves) veterans' rugby team from Paris-based Parisis visit Frampton for the first time since the pandemic.

Exchange trips began in 1977 when Frampton juniors went over to Parisis. The juniors still continue every May but as players have got older, the vets have carried on the rugby relationship.

This year the Fram vets won back the Victory trophy with a 30-12 win.

Two players from the 1977 junior trip donned their boots again 45 years on: Vieux Loups' Phillipe Colin and Frampton's Mike Weaver.

A truly unique and wonderful rugby relationship across two countries - both teams enjoyed the rugby, food and one or two beers and glasses of wine.

Frampton will make the visit to Paris in November next year.

The Chaplins took over Frampton 3rd XV's game against Chepstow 2s, with five members of the family on the pitch and dad/ grandad Charlie watching on the touchline. Pictured are Charlie's son Mark, Mark's son James, Charlie's son Dale, Dale's son Cole and Dan Casey, who is Charlie's grandson and a nephew of Mark and Dale, with Charlie (AKA Paul) himself. Charlie played for the club for many years at prop and now runs the bar.

Barbarians team thrives after mergers

DURING the 2020/2021 season the then Frampton Cotterell RFC U14s merged with Chipping Sodbury U14s as they began to get hit with early season injuries, with some lads not returning to the sport after the long break for covid.

At the time Chipping Sodbury only had a few players, so the merger helped their lads to keep playing rugby while it boosted Frampton numbers to allow games to go ahead.

Sadly, over the summer the now U15s lost a coach and a number of players to another team, further impacting numbers.

Trying to recruit boys to rugby, particularly at this age, is a challenge, so when the opportunity came for Thornbury RFC to join the team, coach Dom jumped at the chance, taking the numbers to 32.

FCCST Barbarians formed with 16 Frampton, six Chipping Sodbury and 10 Thornbury members.

All the boys carried out preseason together at Chipping Sodbury, to help with pitch congestion at Crossbow.

So far this season they have played five matches together, and you would never know they are from different clubs to see them play as a team.

A recent game saw them face another Barbarians team in Cirencester/Tetbury. In order for the game to go ahead FCCST had to give the Gloucestershire side three players to make up the numbers.

It was amazing to see the positive attitude and structure of both teams, with five clubs represented on one pitch, and was a fine advert for the game, showing how teams can merge to keep the lads playing rugby.

Matt Marsh