Frome Valley Voice January 2023

'Henry is our hero'

Guilty of murder

TWO men who worked at an abattoir near Westerleigh have been convicted of the "sadistic, senseless and cruel" murder of two other men.

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Phone mast rejected

PLANS for a new 15 metre high phone mast in the middle of Winterbourne have been rejected by planners after strong objections.

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Riverbank row

A FARMER who cleared vegetation from his land on the banks of the Frome has defended the work after complaints.

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A FRAMPTON Cotterell schoolboy has celebrated beating leukaemia – by getting his whole school to raise money for Bristol Children's Hospital.

Six-year-old Henry Shafto was given the all-clear in November after three years of chemotherapy.

Now he and fellow pupils at Frampton Cotterell C of E Primary School have helped him raise more than £1,400 for the Grand Appeal charity by baking

cakes and asking friends and family to make online donations.

Year 2 pupil Henry hopes the money can go towards buying items for the appeal’s wish list of toys which are kept in 'treasure chests' on the wards for children in the hospital's care to enjoy.

Henry's mum Gemma said: "Henry is our hero."

Turn to Page 3

Bus protest

CAMPAIGNERS who want to see a complete change to the way the area's buses are run made a high-vis protest as they took their case to South Gloucestershire Council.

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Henry Shafto (centre) with school friends Spencer Starr and Isabelle Gallagher at his cake sale.

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Abattoir workers guilty of murders

TWO men who worked at an abattoir near Westerleigh have been convicted of the "sadistic, senseless and cruel" murder of two other men.

Ionut-Valentin Boboc, aged 22, and 46-yearold Jacob Bebe Chers were found guilty of the murders of Denzil McKenzie and Fahad Pramanik by a jury at Bristol Crown Court in December.

Boboc, who was living in Fishponds, had admitted murdering Denzil McKenzie at an earlier court hearing and was today also found guilty of murdering Fahad Pramanik.

Chers had denied both murders but was convicted after a month-long trial.

They both now face life sentences.

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Avon and Somerset Police said officers found the bodies of both victims at Mr McKenzie's home in Wood Street, Easton, after a relative of Boboc called 999 on September 12 last year.

They found what was described in court as “a house of horror”.

The jury was told Mr McKenzie had been stabbed 23 times and Mr Pramanik three; the tip of a knife had been left in Mr McKenzie's breastbone and Mr Pramanik had been disembowelled after his death, in a "gruesome echo" of the defendants' work butchering pigs at the Pilgrim's Pride/Tulip Fresh Meats abattoir.

Detectives gathered hundreds of hours of video footage, including some showing the two men arriving at Mr McKenzie's house on the night of the murders, leaving with jewellery, audio equipment and electronics they had stolen.

They were also recorded visiting Coombe Brook nature reserve, Fishponds, where police later found evidence had been dumped.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Mark Almond described the killers of Mr McKenzie, who was 56, and 27-year-old Mr Pramanik as men with a "dangerous propensity for violence and cruelty".

He said: "This has been a highly distressing investigation, especially for the families of Denzil and Fahad, who’ve had to endure the terrible ordeal of hearing how their loved ones were murdered.

"The offences carried out by these defendants were sadistic, senseless and cruel. They’ve shown no remorse for their actions and have put the families of the victims through further torment as a result."

Ionut Boboc

Jacob Bebe Chers

Henry raises £1,400 after beating leukaemia

From page 1

Teaching Assistant Karlie Starr said Henry had been undergoing treatment, including daily oral chemotherapy, and lumbar punctures (spinal injections) every three months while at school.

Karlie said: "Henry had leukaemia for three years, three months and three weeks.

"He 'rang the bell' to mark the end of his treatment on November 21 and had a party at the Miners Social Club in Coalpit Heath, for friends, family and school to celebrate.

"He’s been doing fundraising because he wanted to give something back when he reached the end of his treatment."

Henry said he wanted all his friends at school to make cakes and hold a huge cake sale for the Grand Appeal, which supports families of children being treated at the children's hospital.

He said: "The nurses and doctors at the hospital worked hard, they were good. They made me happy and smile. And I made some friends with other sick children at hospital.

"My friends and me made some cakes for a cake sale. I like the Mario cakes best!"

Karlie said schoolchildren helped decorate cakes and sold them to other pupils, staff and parents, and raised £500 on the day.

She said: “Henry wanted to give back, and the Grand Appeal really helps in so many ways with children having this treatment.

“Henry is very brave. The class really supported him. They made signs and cakes to sell. They were amazing.”

Gemma thanked the school for the way Henry had been looked after through his illness.

She said: "The previous head teacher was more than welcoming when we first joined the school with lots of medical needs, as was his very first

teacher, Mrs Mustafa, and Mrs Lakeman and his teaching assistants.

"They will always be part of our family and we are grateful to them everyday for their care towards our son."

Writing on the online fundraising page, Henry's dad Matt said the family wanted to thank the "amazing teams" on the Starlight Ward and Ocean Unit at the hospital, by raising money to for gifts that "go directly to the wards for the young people in their care to enjoy".

He said: "This was Henry's choice, as he is full of praise for the hospital, the nurses, and the consultants that have been looking after him, and wanted to do something to show his thanks.

"Please give whatever you can to brighten up the darkest times those children and their families will ever go through."

In addition to the £500 raised at the sale Henry's online appeal, which originally had a target of £250, had passed £900 as the Voice went to press.

It is still open for donations at gofund.me/063b5d2e.

New energy source in old mines

DISUSED mines could 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.

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", by using pumps to raise the temperature to the level required for heating and hot water.

The government's Coal Authority has made an initial

study of records of local disused and abandoned coal mines, which "identified a number of areas of interest".

The council is now looking for funding to undertake a further study of the areas believed to have the greatest potential, to "better understand the size of the energy resource and investigate how it could be best utilised".

The council believes up to

26,000 homes and businesses are near to former mine workings: in the Frome Valley area, Coalpit Heath takes its name from its former time as a mining area.

But the council says the initial areas to be investigated are further south, around Oldland Common and Speedwell in Bristol, and there have been no physical investigations yet.

Henry Shafto with mum Gemma, dad Matt, brother Tommy, teaching assistants Karlie Starr and George Dunn, governor Faye Reeves, and friends Georgia Starr, Spencer Starr and Isabelle Gallagher, who helped with cake sale.

Two stores shut in Yate as owners struggle

TWO shops in Yate Shopping Centre have closed suddenly, with the owner of one hitting financial trouble and mystery surrounding the other.

M&Co in West walk closed its doors as its owner went into administration in December - the second time the company, which has 170 shops nationwide, has had to call in administrators in two years.

Drapers Shaws in South Walk has also shut up shop, along with the company's other stores in the area, although there had been no official announcement about the future of the business as the Voice went to press.

In branches of Shaws around the region queues formed at tills in mid-December as stores put up posters advertising an "everything half price" offer.

Most shelves were quickly left bare, with the branches shutting once there was no more stock to sell. One member of Shaws staff told the Voice they had not been told anything by the company about their future.

A reporter contacted Shaws' head office in Cardiff and was asked to send an email so a 'Mr Shaw' could get back with a comment - but there had been no response as the Voice went to press.

The firm is known for its range of home accessories and furnishings, such as bedding and curtains, as well as underwear and knitting and crochet equipment.

M&Co announced it was

calling in administrators Teneo on December 9 and while some stores, such as its Thornbury branch, remain open, the Yate shop closed.

A spokesperson for Teneo said: "Like many retailers, the company has experienced a sharp rise in its input costs, which has coincided with a decline in consumer confidence leading to increased pressure on cash flows and trading losses.

"No immediate redundancies

have been made and the joint administrators are exploring a potential sale of the business in an accelerated time frame, during which time the company will continue to trade from its stores and website."

A Yate Shopping Centre spokesperson said Shaws have not formally advised them of a potential closure of their store and the centre as a whole had "bounced back after the difficult time for traders during Covid".

willowbrookshopping.co.uk

Shaws in South Walk

M&Co in West Walk

Objections bring down 5G mast plan

PLANS for a new 15 metre high phone mast in the middle of Winterbourne have been rejected by planners after strong objections.

The 5G mast and equipment cabinets were proposed for land at the junction of Flaxpits Lane and Holmwood Close, next to the tree outside Fairbanks Traditional Fish and Chips.

Fairbanks owner Mehrdad Amrabadi submitted a written objection to South Gloucestershire Council, saying he strongly objected as the cabinets would affect his business, which employs 12 people.

He said: “These two cabinets are huge and completely block my shop. I and my business partner strongly object.

"This plan puts our business in danger.”

Winterbourne Parish Council also lodged a “strong objection” saying the proposed 50ft mast would be in “a very inappropriate position”.

The council said it also objected because the applicants, CK Hutchison Networks UK, who own the phone network Three, did not own the site, and the landowner themselves was against the plan.

In 2021 Three was refused permission to put up an 18-metre high 5G mast in Beesmoor Road, Frampton Cotterell, by the bus stop next to the Park Farm Village Green.

The company said that would cover a 'black hole' for signals.

But South Gloucestershire Council rejected that application, saying it would be “detrimental to the visual and residential amenity of the surrounding area and properties”.

In the new Winterbourne application, Hutchison quoted a 2019 government letter to local authorities, which urged councils to support investment in improved digital connectivity.

The letter said: “We would like the UK to be a world leader in 5G, with the majority of the population covered by a 5G signal by 2027. We are writing to ask for your help in supporting the investment necessary to achieve these objectives.”

South Gloucestershire Council planning officers said the council recognised the need to facilitate the growth of telecommunications infrastructure, but also had to strike a balance to “protect amenity”

They refused the application, saying the mast’s siting, height, bulk and design, would be detrimental to the visual and residential amenity of the surrounding area and properties.

The planners say Hutchison did not submit sufficient information to demonstrate that no alternative site was available in the area, that would minimise the impact.

Sewage threat sparks row

URGENT action is needed to tackle untreated sewage entering the River Frome, councillors say.

Sewage can often enter the river through storm overflow drains during heavy rainfall, causing pollution and damage to wildlife.

The issue of storm overflows and sewage sparked a fierce debate during a South Gloucestershire Council meeting in December, as councillors disagreed on the best way to tackle the problem.

Liberal Democrats urged the council to ask the government for more cash to tackle sewage discharges and tighten up rules on installing new sewer connections.

They called on the government to enact powers under Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act, to make a new regulator responsible for approving new connections of surface water drainage to the public sewer and stop developers from installing inadequate drainage systems.

A motion was put forward by Frampton Cotterell ward councillor Jon Lean, who said: “Sewage discharge in our rivers primarily happens when storm overflows operate, when large volumes of rainwater and agricultural run-off enter the sewer network through the surface water drainage system.

"Schedule 3 is an important piece of legislation which would enforce the use of sustainable drainage and keep storm water out of our sewers.

“The local Conservative group say that storm overflows have no place in the 21st century, but they also support a government plan that seeks to manage storm overflow discharges until at least 2050.

"If we’re truly going to get rid of storm overflows, that plan needs to be far more ambitious.”

The motion called on the council to write to Wessex Water to ensure that the Frome and Ladden Brook were classified as high priority sites, required to demonstrate no adverse ecological impact by storm overflows by 2035.

But the motion was amended by Conservative councillors, who said the council should instead set up a new scrutiny committee to come up with some “achievable actions” which could be considered at a later date.

Council leader Toby Savage said: “The original motion submitted by the Liberal Democrats on storm overflows was very poorly worded and contained ambitions beyond the council’s direct control.

"We tabled an amendment to ask that a special scrutiny committee be established to look at the issue in more detail and to produce some achievable actions.

“Wessex Water have set out a number of improvements they intend to make to the local water network, including a 25% reduction in the number of hours of storm overflow discharges by 2025. "Upgrades are planned at discharge locations at Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell, Doynton and others.

“Thanks to our amendment, residents can feel reassured this important issue will get the scrutiny it deserves. This will allow us to take meaningful action to protect our waterways and public health."

Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service

The Frome at Black Rocks

Alex

Farmer defends riverbank works

THE Environment Agency has held talks with a Winterbourne farmer after complaints that he removed trees and vegetation along the Frome Valley Walkway.

Walkers and nature groups said the clearance during the autumn had left banks of the river Frome at Rockwell Woods totally denuded for several hundred metres, and had destroyed wildlife habitats.

But farmer Robin Lowe has defended the clearance, saying it was necessary maintenance which won’t cause any long term harm.

Mr Lowe farms Aberdeen Angus cross and Charolais cross beef cattle and arable at Sunnyside Farm, Winterbourne, which has been in the family for 70 years.

He told the Voice: “We are custodians of the countryside and this is maintenance. We do know what we’re doing.

“It looks worse than it is. There is no hedge ripped out - it was brambles and willows, which had grown across the river.

“This work opens it up for livestock, and for wildlife, and helps clear the river.”

Mr Lowe said he had pulled out three washing machines, five wheelie bins and other rubbish from the river.

He said: "We didn’t touch the riverbed or the banks. We put a new fence along it now and next year will put hawthorn and blackthorn hedges on our side."

The Environment Agency told the Voice they had met Mr Lowe after receiving complaints about the work.

A spokesperson said they were “disappointed” with the work, as they had previously asked him to carry out vegetation clearance in a more sensitive manner, following clearance of another stretch of the Frome towards Harris Barton.

A spokesperson said: “Whilst the work has not been carried out in sympathy for the natural habitat and surrounding area, a permit was not required, as there was no evidence to suggest the work was a flood risk activity.

“Therefore, we are unable to take enforcement action on impacts to habitats - it falls outside of our regulatory powers.

“However, we have provided

best practice advice and guidance to the landowner.”

One regular dog walker, who asked not to be named, contacted the Voice about the work.

She said: “He has a right to do this work, but it could be done with less environmental impact. We understand farmers need to produce food, but there are ways to do it more sympathetically.”

Another resident who contacted the Voice said: “An important habitat for birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects has been removed. We have also detected bats along this stretch of river, so their habitat has been severely disrupted.”

David Hanks of Frampton Cotterell Nature group said the river Frome was a designated Site of Nature Conservation Interest and recognised as an important wildlife corridor with protected species including bats and otters.

He said: “Government advice to river owners has changed significantly over the last decade, and the benefits of bankside vegetation and woody debris in rivers is now recognised.

“Whilst it might still sometimes be necessary to remove blockages, it is now recommended to leave all other trees, branches and shrubs, as they reduce erosion and help prevent flooding by varying the shape and flow of the channel.”

Mr Lowe said people using the public footpaths through his land along the walkway

sometimes fail to appreciate the land is a working farm.

He said he had recently spent £21,000 on fencing, because some dog owners allowed their pets to worry his cattle.

Mr Lowe said: “During lockdown I couldn’t put any

Tree stumps in the area cleared during the autumn

cattle out, as everyone was told to go to the countryside and there were people picnicking and playing with dogs in the fieldsyou couldn’t turn out cows and calves, as it wasn’t safe for them or for the people.”

The Frome Valley Walkway is an 18-mile long path which follows the river from its source near Old Sodbury to Bristol's Harbourside, where it meets the Avon.

Robin Lowe at his farm

SOUTH Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet has agreed a raft of proposed cuts to go forward for next year's budget.

Green waste collections will nearly double in price from £30 to £55 a year, street lights will be dimmed and staffed library hours reduced if the plans to plug a £29.3 million shortfall are approved by the full council in February.

Among the raft of planned savings, which are now open for a public consultation, are premiums on council tax bills for second and empty homes, fewer guided escorts for home-toschool transport, scrapping taxi marshals in night-time economy hotspots and higher fees and charges across the board.

The authority’s cabinet agreed the proposals at a meeting in December, despite many of them lacking details.

Opposition councillors aired concerns about the draft 2023/24 budget, which will be put before a full council meeting in February.

Cabinet members said the

Green bin charge rise and budget cuts proposed

squeeze on costs was caused by Vladimir Putin and high interest rates rather than the government and that the authority was in a better position than most because of “prudent financial management”.

They said most frontline services would be unaffected and car parking would remain free.

But Liberal Democrat Yate North ward councillor Mike Drew told the meeting that the draft budget was dependent on the local government financial settlement, which Whitehall had yet to announce and was likely to be far less favourable than hoped.

He said: “There appears to be absolutely no criticism of the government mismanagement of the economy.

“South Gloucestershire will have to put up with it and yet

you go along and pretend that you can solve all those problems which our central government is causing.”

Conservative council leader Toby Savage replied: “The report talks about how inflation is the principal driver of the council’s worsening financial position.

“It has nothing to do with the mini-Budget, it has everything to do with the fact we have a global war and that is playing havoc with the global economy and the prices we are all having to pay.”

Asked about potential redundancies as part of a £641,000 cut from the council’s trading arm Integra, which supplies services to schools, cabinet member for corporate resources Ben Burton said: “I’m going to be very cautious in my comments in this forum, because obviously this line of the budget

very much reflects members of staff who are within Integra.

“We have for some time been under significant pressure with Integra in terms of the services they can deliver, in particular in terms of staff pay and also vacancies for a variety of different roles that have been hard to fill."

Lib Dem group leader Claire Young said £400,000 of cuts to the council tax reduction scheme from 2024 could harm the “most vulnerable members of our society”.

The second stage of public consultation into the budget runs until January 15 at www. southglos.gov.uk/budget.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Bus protesters light the way to change

CAMPAIGNERS who want to see a complete change to the way the area's buses are run made a highvis protest as they took their case to South Gloucestershire Council.

Supporters of the Reclaim Our Buses coalition, which brings together climate activists, trade unions, community groups and passengers, braved a freezing evening to stage a torchlit demonstration outside Kingswood Civic Centre, with many wearing reflective jackets.

They then came in from the cold to read out an open letter, signed by more than 1,500 residents, to the council meeting on December 14.

Written by pressure group the West of England Shared Transport and Active Travel Network (WESTACT), it called for the power to set fares, timetables and routes to be taken from First and other commercial operators.

The deregulated system would be replaced with franchised bus services, provided under contract through the West of England Combined Authority in cooperation with local councils - a system already used in London.

The campaign has gathered momentum as First has made a series of cuts to services during the past year, citing driver shortages.

Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell and Iron Acton have been badly hit by cuts over the past year.

First axed the Y2 service, which linked the Frome Valley to Yate and Bristol via Downend, in April.

In October Y3 and Y4 routes, which between them linked Coalpit Heath, Frampton Cotterell, Winterbourne and Iron Acton to Yate and Bristol, were abolished.

It left the area with the Y1 through Coalpit Heath to Bristol and Yate, and the hourly-or-less Y6, which goes from Frampton and Winterbourne to Bristol bus station via Bristol Parkway, Cribbs Causeway and Southmead Hospital, taking more than an hour.

Among around 30 demonstrators outside the meeting was Pearl Conway, of Winterbourne, who said: "To get to Bristol takes me an hour and if you miss a bus or it's cancelled, you have to wait two hours for the next one."

Harriet Burgato, of Winterbourne Down, said: "If there's no Y6, it's a 20-minute walk to the Y1 stop. I can make that walk but many people around us can't."

"They want you to take the bus but if you try to take it into Bristol and connect to other places, like Clevedon, it just gets impossible."

Geoff Randall, of Yate, said: "Since they've taken away the Y2 service there's a lot of people in Yate that can't travel to work any more and disabled people who can't get to places in Downend and Fishponds."

WESTACT member Laura Fogg-Rogers, who is also chair of Winterbourne and Frome Valley Environmental Group, said: “Winterbourne has seen our two regular buses completely axed, leaving many residents cut off from our nearest city for jobs and

education.

“We are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to champion this issue to the West of England Combined Authority, to support our most vulnerable residents. We need to reclaim our buses with local control through franchising.”

The protesters' cause was given a lift when Bristol City Council voted to support bus franchising, the day before the South Gloucestershire meeting.

The move increases the public and political pressure on Dan Norris, the West of England Metro Mayor, to explore how a bus franchising model could solve the wider region’s bus crisis.

Mr Norris has said franchising was still “on the table but not a quick fix”.

He added: "The biggest issue we face in the West of England currently is a bus driver shortage. That would be exactly the same challenge whatever system was in place to run the buses."

Reclaim Our Buses protesters in high-vis jackets at their torchlit demonstration

Christmas jumper day with a twist

WINTERBOURNE Academy pupils made their latest nonuniform day one to remember. Year 13 student Kirsty Tidmus, a member of the school's Equality Council, explains.

AS the Christmas holidays approached, everyone was looking forward to celebrating in school with a traditional Christmas jumper day.

However, they were also aware that not all cultures celebrate Christmas. To promote inclusivity, a cultural clothing day was held instead - a Christmas jumper day with a twist, if you like.

The event invited students and teachers alike to celebrate their culture through dressing in traditional clothing special to them.

We are delighted to report it was a great success.

Students of all age groups got involved, and there was a genuine sense of pride as people represented and shared their culture with others.

The school saw several jalabiyas – traditional Islamic dress worn to celebrate Eid and Ramadan. There was also a beautiful Japanese Kimono, and Ukrainian dress, as well as other exquisite depictions of culture through clothing.

Other students used football or sports shirts to celebrate their culture if they were unable to wear traditional clothing and, of course, Christmas jumpers were a favourite for those who do celebrate Christmas.

The teachers equally enjoyed this celebration of culture, with one showcasing an embroidered Indian shawl and another wearing a traditional Welsh dress.

It was also a learning experience for many, as teachers discovered the different cultures

of their students that they might not have known about before.

It was a really positive experience: many flags made an appearance and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

There are plans to hold another next year, and the school hopes participation in such events will only grow.

Winterbourne Academy pupils wore a variety of outfits, from traditional Islamic, Japanese and Ukrainian costume to Christmas jumpers.

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Crash witness appeal

POLICE are trying to trace witnesses and dashcam footage following a crash near Winterbourne Down which left a man injured.

The collision happened at the junction of the A432 Badminton Road and Down Road on November 23.

Police say a silver Skoda Octavia and a blue Ford Focus collided, and a passenger in the Focus, a man in his 60s, was taken to hospital with whiplash injuries.

An investigation is currently underway into the circumstances, although no arrests have been made. A police spokesperson said: "Officers are keen to speak to witnesses who saw the collision, or either vehicle in the time leading up to it.

"They are especially keen to identify and speak to a lorry driver who we understand was in the vicinity of the incident and may have seen something which will aid our investigation."

Anyone who has information or footage they think might be relevant should call the police on 101 or get in touch via the police website, quoting the incident number 5222 281 850.

Arson attack

FIREFIGHTERS say a blaze which wrecked a car in Harcombe Hill, Winterbourne, was started deliberately.

Crews from Kingswood were called to the scene at 3.15am on November 28 and found the car "well alight".

Deer rescue

A DEER which had become wedged between two brick walls in Watley's End Road, Winterbourne, had to be rescued by firefighters after being spotted on the night of November 21.

Two crews, from Pachway and Bedminster, had to use rescue equipment to free the animal.

Snow way it could be cold here!

IT may be winter outside but children from a Winterbourne primary school visited a place where tropical birds, snakes and monkeys are at home.

Year 5 and 6 pupils at Elm Park Primary School visited the Living Rainforest, a conservation centre set up on the site of a former orchid greenhouse in Berkshire which is now home to 850 species of plants and animals, including rare and endangered species, run by the Trust for Sustainable Living.

Head teacher Carol Bond said: "The children were able to explore the rainforest, looking at the different plants and animals and finding out about how and why they have adapted to their surroundings.

"The children’s knowledge of our rainforest topic was fantastic, and their questions certainly kept the experts on their toes."

The visit was one of a number of educational trips made by pupils, including a historical

hunt around Arnos Vale and a visit by the school's 'mini police' group to Avon and Somerset Police's Operational Training Centre.

Mrs Bond said: "The children had the opportunity to explore the training facilities and process that officers have to go through and were able to find out more

about the different units within the police force.

"They learnt more about how communication works for the underwater search unit; how the mounted police officers train the horses; the benefits of using drones; the different expertise of the various police dog breeds; and finally the importance of

road safety."

The school has run a series of Christmas events, including the Parent Teacher and Friends Association's Christmas Fayre, which raised more than £1,600 for school projects, a nativity play by Reception children, and a Christmas performance, called Prickly Hay, by Year 1 and 2 children.

The school is now entering the year when it moves into its new building, which now has its roof on and is due to be ready in time for the start of the next academic year in September.

Mrs bond said pupils were "becoming increasingly excited" to see the new building grow.

She added: "Nearer the move, we would like to welcome past pupils and their families to come along and say a fond farewell to our much-loved school and to take a look around our exciting state-of-the-art new build."

More details will be announced later.

Children from Elm Park Primary School at the Living Rainforest

Ambulance service asks Army for help

AMBULANCE service leaders are urging people to "think carefully before dialling 999" and have called in military assistance to help respond to emergencies on strike days.

South Western Ambulance Service appealed to people to only call 999 "when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk" as it faced challenges from "cold weather, busy hospitals and the likely impact of the upcoming health service strikes".

The service said that on one Monday evening in December - when no strike action was taking place - there were 420 patients waiting for ambulances and 152 ambulances waiting outside hospitals to hand over patients across its region, which runs from Cornwall up to Gloucestershire.

A spokesperson said: "On days where there is strike action, patients should only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency. Ambulances

will still be able to respond in these situations, but this may only be where there is the most immediate risk to life."

For other situations people were being asked to call 111 or go online for help, and to "arrange alternative transport".

Trust chief executive Will Warrender said: "We are sorry that we are unable to respond as quickly as we would like.

"We are doing all we can to manage winter pressures and the upcoming industrial action, including receiving military support during industrial action days, which will allow our ambulance clinicians to crew more ambulances and reach patients more quickly.

“Please do not call back asking for an estimated time of arrival of an ambulance. We cannot provide this information and it blocks our lines from other callers reaching us."

Ambulance workers in the NHS trust were taking part in two strikes at the end of

December.

UNISON, Unite and the GMB said they were among 3,500 paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff striking on December 21 and 28 in a dispute over an imposed 4% pay award and staffing levels.

It follows the first ever strikes by members of the Royal College of Nursing in December.

GMB National Secretary Rachel Harrison said: "Ambulance workers – like other NHS workers – are on their knees.

“No one in the NHS takes strike action lightly – today shows just how desperate they are.

“This is as much about unsafe

"A third of GMB ambulance workers think delays they’ve been involved with have led to the death of a patient.

“Something has to change or the service as we know it will collapse."

“GMB calls on the Government to avoid a Winter of NHS strikes by negotiating a pay award that these workers deserve.”

STROUD AUCTION ROOMS

Free valuations every Friday 9am-4pm at our saleroom, free home visits or email

staffing levels and patient safety as it is about pay.

Picture: South Western Ambulance Service

'We’ve waited 20 years for better healthcare'

PEOPLE in South Gloucestershire are being let down by the continuing failure to deliver health services promised nearly two decades ago.

That’s the view of councillors who have now agreed to a new review of the impact of the reduction in hospital beds and shortage of minor injuries treatment provision across the district.

South Gloucestershire’s Health Scrutiny Committee heard that the Bristol Health Services Plan, drawn up in the early 2000s, had envisaged acute services at a rebuilt Southmead Hospital in Bristol with intermediate care beds at new community hospitals in Thornbury and Frenchay, as well as minor injuries units (MIUs) around the district.

But Thornbury and Frenchay hospitals have both closed and have yet to be replaced, and South Gloucestershire has just one MIU at Yate, which cannot meet the demand, while efforts to secure a second MIU at

Cossham Hospital in Kingswood have been unsuccessful.

Campaigner Barbara Harris - a former member of Frenchay Community Hospital Groupsaid a total of 348 hospital beds were lost through the Frenchay and Thornbury hospital closures, while many of the beds at Southmead Hospital were currently occupied by patients who could not be discharged because follow-up community care was not available.

She and fellow campaigner Daphne Havercroft told the meeting that the problem would only get worse as South Gloucestershire’s population continued to increase, having already grown from 250,000 in

2005 to 296,000 now.

Thornbury Hospital, pictured before its closure in 2019

Mrs Harris called on MPs Luke Hall, Jack Lopresti and Chris Skidmore to take action, describing the healthcare situation as “the biggest scandal” in their constituencies.

Opposition councillors successfully called for a working group to be set up to scrutinise the failure to deliver the BHSP and find out why plans for community hospitals were abandoned so that a case can be made to the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board for improved provision.

Staple Hill & Mangotsfield Labour councillor Ian Boulton said the original BHSP had been

a good plan, but it had not been delivered, and it was time new measures were put in place to address changing needs.

Yate Liberal Democrat councillor Ruth Davis said the Yate MIU often had to turn away patients because of high demand from across the district.

People then had to travel to already over-subscribed emergency departments at Southmead Hospital, Bristol Children’s Hospital or the Royal United Hospital in Bath, which was especially difficult for those who did not have cars.

She said: "We have got a system that is just broken. People are travelling all over the place. But the bus services that join up various places don’t exist any more."

A BNSSG Integrated Care Board spokesperson said: “We understand the committee is drawing up terms of reference for this working group and we look forward to receiving further details.”

•

•

UK is taking a leading role against persecution

THE advocacy group Open Doors is launching its 2023 ‘World Watch List Report’ this month, looking at the persecution of Christians globally, after considering what further steps potential steps the UK Government can take to help.

As regular readers of my monthly Voice columns will know, tackling Christian persecution is something of great personal importance to me. At the launch of the 2022 report, I wrote here expressing my horror at learning persecution of Christians had reached the highest levels in the 30 years that Open Doors has been carrying out research.

Open Doors' new report provides in-depth research and analysis into the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, making clear how violent persecution

impacts those who are already vulnerable due to poverty, gender-specific reasons, social status, or a denial of access to justice.

They have highlighted the cases of people forced to leave their homes in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians in Nigeria have been killed, attacked and their homes destroyed by Islamic militant violence. There is great concern that such violence is spreading and increasing across Nigeria and West Africa, targeting Christian communities.

They have looked at stories of people in India, where families have been falsely accused of religious conversion, and as a result, brutally beaten for their Christian faith. Open Doors have even seen instances where victims of violence have arrived

at local hospitals in a critical condition and been refused vital medical help, as staff had been pressured by their attackers.

Here in the UK, it is vital we do what we can to help. In 2019 the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen, carried out and published an independent review of Foreign Office support for persecuted Christians.

The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religious Belief, Fiona Bruce MP, is working with the Foreign Office to drive forward the implementation of the 22 recommendations for reforms made in the Bishop’s review.

I am delighted that those recommendations have been taken forward in a way that will make real change to people’s lives.

This progress is vital for so many people across the world, and I am delighted to see the UK taking a leading role in tackling this persecution.

This report marks another important step in encouraging the Government to do all it can to tackle this most important of issues.

Luke Hall MP writes for Frome Valley Voice

High expectations and positive attitudes at Pathways

THE education watchdog has praised a South Gloucestershire school which provides many children with their "first positive experiences" of education.

Pathways Learning Centre in Downend is a pupil referral unit, teaching children who have been permanently excluded from one or sometimes two other schools, who are at risk of exclusion or who have significant medical and mental health needs.

It takes children from across South Gloucestershire on either short or long-term placements, and had 138 pupils, aged from five to 16, on its roll when a team of inspectors from Ofsted visited in September.

Their report awarded Pathways an overall 'good' rating, and said pupils' personal development, behaviour and attitudes were 'outstanding' - the highest possible rating.

The inspectors said: "Pupils describe Pathways Learning Centre as ‘a family’.

"Pupils start at different points in their education and throughout the school year. Despite this, they agree that everyone is welcoming. They quickly feel part of the school.

"For many, this is one of the first positive experiences of education that they can remember.

"The impact of this is evident in pupils’ highly positive attitudes to their learning and the strong relationships between staff and pupils.

"Everyone has high expectations of behaviour. Pupils respond and behave exceptionally well.

"Staff are calm, empathetic

and unintrusive when supporting pupils who may be experiencing challenges."

The inspectors said school leaders and staff had high ambitions for all pupils, and used an effective induction process to provide a "bespoke and engaging education", covering the breadth of the national curriculum.

They praised the school's work on reading and achieving qualifications relevant to the next stage of pupils' education.

The report said staff prioritised children's social, emotional and mental health needs.

The inspectors said: "Parents are positive about the impact the school has.

"They appreciate how staff treat pupils as individuals with specific needs."

Inspectors said the personal development of pupils was a "strength" of the school and also praised help for children

who were struggling with work, safeguarding arrangements and understanding of neurodiversity, which "empowers everyone to recognise and respect the uniqueness of each individual".

They recommended that the school improve the structure of its curriculum, understand pupils' prior learning better and more clearly identify what they want individual pupils to learn.

Head teacher Louise Leader said the school was "absolutely delighted" with the report.

She said: "To achieve a good rating is a great achievement for

everyone in PLC, but to secure outstanding judgements in ‘personal development’ and also in ‘behaviour and attitudes’ is remarkable.

"I am so proud of the fabulous and dedicated team at PLC, who work tirelessly to support our students.

"Pathways' mission is ‘changing lives’, and we try to do that every single day, in some small way, to help our students persevere, overcome the challenges they face and go on to have happy and successful futures when they leave us.

"We are so pleased that Ofsted has recognised the work we do and the excellent progress our students make; but we are most proud that they recognised that Pathways Learning Centre is ‘a family’ and that for many of our students this is 'one of the first positive experiences of education that they can remember’.

"Our efforts are reflected in the relentless hard work and dedication that goes on in many PRUs and Alternative Provisions across the country.

"We will continue to work tirelessly to support our students and help to drive the crucial work of the PRUsAP sector nationally."

Staff and pupils celebrating on GCSE results day.

Pupils at Pathways Learning Centre learn about computer algorithms using a bicycle

Roundabout revamp is scrapped

PLANS to spend £30 million on changes to five roundabouts on the Avon Ring Road have been scrapped.

South Gloucestershire Council unveiled plans to build three more 'throughabouts' on the A4174 in the summer of 2021, all of them on the eastern section of the road between Badminton Road and Hicks Gate, which links the Frome Valley area to Emersons Green, South Bristol, Keynsham and Bath.

Roundabouts at Siston Hill, near Mangotsfield, Deanery Road near Warmley, and Kingsfield, at Longwell Green, would all have been converted, with six new lanes built to take through ring road traffic across the middle.

The Lyde Green roundabout near the Bristol and Bath Science Park and the Rosary roundabout, next to Emersons Green shopping centre, would have had extra lanes added, with more traffic lights and entry lanes.

But the council paused the proposals a year ago, shortly after the opening of the first throughabout at the Wraxall Road junction, near Kingswood, amid overwhelming opposition and fears the new layouts were dangerous.

At the time the council said it was postponing a bid for government money to fund the plans, and would review the situation after a year.

Now it has decided to abandon the plans, insisting there has been a “significant reduction” in delays on the ring road since they were first drawn up in 2018.

The council says the Wraxall Road throughabout, which cost £6.9m, has had a

n FRAMPTON NATURE

“positive impact”.

But it said further changes were no longer needed, because ring road traffic at morning and afternoon peak times had dropped by up to 14 per cent since 2018, when the proposals were initially drawn up, as travel patterns had changed following the pandemic.

Cabinet member for regeneration, environment and strategic infrastructure, Steve Reade, said: “We have made the decision not to submit a funding bid and to withdraw the proposals.

“We monitored the ring road and have the evidence that traffic patterns have changed.

“Our data for the Wraxall Road junction improvement indicates that many of the congestion issues on the ring road between Siston Hill and Kingsfield have now been reduced.”

Land at the edges of the ring road would have been developed to provide space for extra lanes on and around the roundabouts.

But an overwhelming 84 per cent of the 880 respondents disapproved of the plans during a 12-week public consultation held after they were announced.

Residents asked for the performance of the Wraxall Road junction to be better understood before more throughabouts were built and raised concerns about the impact of three years of roadworks needed.

The scheme was also criticised by West of England metro mayor Dan Norris and the Green Party, who said no dedicated bus lanes had been proposed, and argued road-building generated more vehicles.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

South Gloucestershire hedgehog heroes

THIS year South Gloucestershire Council is working with parish councils and residents on a major new project to help our hedgehogs.

It is an important project to save one of our best-loved mammals, and it is something that everyone can get involved in!

As we wrote in a recent column, hedgehog numbers have declined rapidly in recent years, and they are now classified as vulnerable to extinction in the UK.

However, we’re lucky enough to have them living in our neighbourhood, and can help reverse this decline by taking simple steps to improve their habitat.

Creating hedgehog highways, by linking your garden to your neighbours, is the best thing you

can do.

Hedgehogs need a small hole - around 13cm by 13cm (5in) - to allow them safe access to gardens.

an enormous impact on the future of the species here.

But this will only happen if we can convince more people to take action: we need your help!

Can you speak to your neighbours about creating hedgehog holes to allow hedgehogs into your gardens?

Instructions for how to do this, along with other ways you can help hedgehogs, are available on the brilliant Hedgehog Street website, at www.hedgehogstreet.org.

If you put in a hedgehog hole then please let us know about it.

If you need help to make a hedgehog hole, or you’d like more information about the project, you can contact us at framptoncotterellnature@gmail. com.

David Hanks

The Hedgehog Heroes project has an ambitious target to create 3,000 new hedgehog holes across South Gloucestershire, which could have

A hedgehog captured by a night vision video camera. Picture: Lesley Johnson

The Siston Hill roundabout near Mangotsfield would have become a 'throughabout' under the plans

Christmas traditions return at schools

AFTER two years of online performances and cancellations, schools across the Frome Valley area celebrated the approach of Christmas with the return of many events they had not been able to hold since before the pandemic. Three schools share their experiences.

St Michael's Winterbourne

AT St Michael's C of E Primary School in Winterbourne three traditional events brightened the lead up to Christmas.

A Christingle service at St Michael’s church at the beginning of December, led by the school's juniors, was followed by the infant nativity, called A Miracle Came to Town.

After their own performances children then got to watch a show themselves, with the school reviving its traditional trip to the pantomime at the Bristol Hippodrome.

Deputy head teacher Emma Hillocks said: "There is never a ‘quiet’ day at school. But the days leading up to Christmas are as busy and hectic as they come.

"There was a magical atmosphere at the Christingle and, with standing room only, it was great to have so many of our families all together to listen and join in with the children’s carefully

Iron Acton Primary School

IRON Acton Primary School celebrated its "strong and meaningful links" with St James Church in the village with its an annual Christingle service.

Children made the Christingles together during the morning before the service, with help from representatives of the church.

Executive head teacher Mike Riches said: "Father Ben led the service and families were invited; the children explored what each element of the Christingle meant and sang some carols.

"During the service, the candles were lit as the children joined together to sing Away in a Manger – a very special moment marking the importance of the Nativity at Christmastime.

"We were also very pleased to receive a donation from the church as part of their annual ‘Comfort and Joy’ initiative, which aims to raise vital funds to support those members of our school community who need it most at Christmas.

"School was able to pass this on, along with a further donation from local village charity Acton Aid, in the form of food vouchers to a number of our families."

prepared service.

"Our reception children did a brilliant job of bringing the nativity story to life.

"They gave a wonderful performance which the audience

clearly loved. Parents beamed with pride as their little ones took to the stage for the first time.

"As always, the children did a superb job of learning the songs and their lines. The impromptu singing in the dining hall and dance moves on the playground were all signs of how much the children enjoyed their nativity. Their smiles made their performance shine!

"A favourite tradition at St Michael’s is our Christmas time trip to the Hippodrome to see the pantomime. After being put on hold for the last two years due to Covid, we were super-excited to go again this year."

Mrs Hillocks said the performance of Cinderella was "a roaring success", adding: "The bus journey back to school was buzzing as children laughed again over their favourite parts."

Hambrook Primary School

YEAR 5 and 6 children from Hambrook Primary School visited Clifton Cathedral for a special celebration service to alongside other Bristol and South Gloucestershire schools in early December.

Head teacher Jennifer Rubel said: "The children performed a variety of special Christmas songs, accompanied by joyful actions that got the audience up on their feet!

"It was wonderful to bring Christmas joy to our children and their families as well as the wider community."

The St Michael's Christingle

Children from Iron Acton Primary School with their Christingles

Hambrook Primary School children at Clifton Cathedral

Census reveals picture of population

MORE than nine out of ten South Gloucestershire residents are white - about 10% above the average for England and Wales.

Figures from the 2021 Census on ethnic groups and national identity have been released as part of a programme by the Office for National Statistics to provide a detailed picture of the population.

Nationally, 81.7% of usual residents in England and Wales said their ethnic group was white, with 74.4% of the total population saying their ethnic group was 'White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British'.

In South Gloucestershire 91.3% of residents said their ethnicity was white: 85.8% ticking the White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British box, with the other white options on the census form being Irish (0.5%), Gypsy or Irish Traveller (0.2%), Roma (0.1%) or 'other White' (4.7%).

A total of 3.4% of residents

identified as Asian: the only option selected by more than 1% of respondents was 'Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Indian', which was picked by 1.7% of residents.

Another 1.6% of South Gloucestershire residents were 'Black, Black British, Black welsh, Caribbean or African', more than half of whom were African.

Another 2.5% of residents said their ethnicity was 'mixed or multiple ethnic groups': within that category the biggest group was 'white and black Caribbean' (0.9%) followed by 'white and Asian' (0.7%).

In neighbouring Bristol 81.1% of residents were white - close to the national average - with 71.6% describing their ethnicity as 'White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British'.

The 2021 Census also asked people to describe their national identity - a more subjective question as it allowed people to choose between English or Welsh

only, English and British, Welsh and British or British only, as well as other combinations of UK and non-UK identities.

The ONS has not provided a breakdown of how people in South Gloucestershire and other areas of the country chose to identify within the various UK identities: its published figures say only that 92.1% of residents had a UK identity, 1.6% had a mixed UK and non-UK national identity and 6.3% had a non-UK identity.

However nationally the most striking change was a reversal in the numbers of people saying their identity was 'English' versus 'British'.

In 2011, 57.7% of people had only said their identity was English, with 19.1% saying British, 8.7% saying 'English and British' and the rest either saying Welsh, non-UK or another combination of identities.

But in 2021 54.8% of people ticked the 'British' box, with only 14.9% choosing 'English' and

13.6% choosing 'English and British'.

Numbers identifying only as 'non-UK' rose from 8% to 9.7%.

Census Deputy Director Jon Wroth-Smith said: "Today’s data highlights the increasingly multicultural society we live in.

"The percentage of people identifying their ethnic group as ‘White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’, continues to decrease.

“But despite the ethnically diverse nature of society, 9 in 10 people across England and Wales still identify with a UK national identity."

In London just under twothirds of people identify with an ethnic minority group, he said.

For more details on ethnic groups visit bit.ly/3hDmmJq and on national identity visit bit. ly/3v6z9Hm.

Losing our religion

LESS than half of South Gloucestershire residents consider themselves to be Christian - and more people in the district say they have no religion at all.

The decline in religious observance is one of the fastest-moving trends in the UK population to be highlighted in results of the 2021 Census, published by the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS said that for the first time in a census of England and Wales, less than half of the population (46.2%) described themselves as “Christian”, a 13.1% decrease from 2011, when the figure was 59.3%.

In South Gloucestershire the number of people identifying as Christian was even lower, at 44.1%, with 'no religion' the most common response, given by 46.1% of residents.

Muslims made up 1.6% of the South Gloucestershire population, followed by Hindus (1%), Buddhists (0.4%), Sikhs (0.3%) and Jews (0.1%), with 0.5% of respondents ticking 'any other religion' and 6% not answering the question.

In Bristol the majority of residents (51.4%) said they were nonreligious - a huge increase on the 37% who gave the same answer in 2011.

Local area figures showed rural and semi-rural areas tended to have more people who described themselves as Christian than nonreligious, in contrast to urban areas.

In Frampton Cotterell 47.6% of people described themselves as Christian, compared with 44.8% who said they had no religion. In Winterbourne the percentages were 48.5% and 43.2% respectively, and in Iron Acton they were 47.6% and 44.3%.

The number of non-religious people in the region is ahead of the national average, which was 37.2% - up from 25.2% in 2011.

Andrew Copson of non-religious group Humanists UK, said: "These results confirm that the biggest demographic change in England and Wales of the last ten years has been the dramatic growth of the non-religious."

To see more details visit bit.ly/3Bzk592 online.

A taste of Chinese New Year

UNLIKE a lot of people, I believe, I’m one of not so many who enjoy the coming of the new year.

Without sounding too 'preachy', I like the idea of trying to do better this New Year than last.

I hope for better things across the world and I try to be positive.

A new year, a new beginning and a year of potential.

Bear Grylls doesn’t talk about his alarm clock, but rather his opportunity clock. I like that.

So why not take the opportunity to try new recipes?

This month I’m giving you a super-tasty, super-easy Chinese spare ribs recipe to be enjoyed at Chinese New Year - or any other time you fancy.

It’s economical and it hits the spot when you fancy something that will give you a warm, happy feeling.

So, Happy New Year - or Xin Nian Kuai Le Kuai Le, in Mandarin.

Authentic Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

This is a great appetizer for a Chinese supper with friends. Marinate the ribs 2-3 hours ahead, or better still, the night before. You can even do the first roasting in the oven beforehand, and then the dish only takes 30 mins to finish cooking.

Marinade ingredients

Clear honey - 4 tbsps

Malt vinegar- 4 tbsps

Soy sauce, dark – 2 tbsps

Tomato juice - 250 ml Chilli powder – 2 tsps

Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed Szechwan pepper – ½ tsp Chinese spice powder – ½ tsp Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Mix all the marinade ingredients together, put the spare ribs into a shallow ovenproof dish and pour

the marinade all over (turn the ribs so that they are well-coated). Cover and leave to one side, for at least a couple of hours.

Other ingredients

Pork spareribs –1kg (2lbs)

Spring onions - 1 –2, sliced diagonally Sesame seeds to sprinkle Prawn crackers - optional

Preheat the oven to 200C/425F/ Gas Mark 7

Cook the marinated ribs in the preheated oven for 15 mins. Transfer the spare ribs to a tin with a roasting rack.

Spoon a little of the marinade over the ribs to prevent them getting too dry when you roast them. (It’s a good idea to line the tin with foil, to help with easy cleaning.)

Lower the oven temperature to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 and cook

the spare ribs for a further 30 minutes, until brown and crisp. Meanwhile, place the original ovenproof dish on the top of the cooker over a moderate heat. Bring the cooking liquor to the boil and continue cooking until reduced to a thick sauce.

Arrange the ribs on a warmed serving dish and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Garnish with the chopped spring onion and serve with green veg like pak choi, green beans or crispy thinly sliced green cabbage cooked in sesame oil. A side dish of prawn crackers is optional.

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.

Is someone you know a money mule?

I HOPE you all had a very merry Christmas and have a happy New Year. The start of a new year brings sales, and it’s important to remember that fraudsters are unlikely to have made New Year’s resolutions to stop scamming.

It is imperative that we remain vigilant and cautious of fraudulent activity. Fraud causes severe harm to both victims’ finances and mental health, with 74% of fraud victims reporting being emotionally affected.

Please don’t let this happen to you, regularly change your passwords using a capital letter, three random words and number.

I also want to touch on another type of scam I have become aware of, known as money muling. The act of money muling is when a person transfers stolen money on behalf of others, usually through their bank account. Criminals contact people and offer them cash to receive money into their bank account and transfer it into another account.

The money that money mules transfer is usually stolen or profits of crime, and is often used to fund further crimes like drug dealing, sexual exploitation, fraud and human trafficking.

Young people are vulnerable to being targeted as money mules due to pressures on social media and the appeal of ‘quick cash’ opportunities.

Around six in every ten mules are under the age of 30, with many young people unaware of the consequences of being recruited, which include bank accounts being closed, problems applying for credit and even a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Signs of someone being used as a money mule include possession of luxury or designer goods that they cannot account for, opening new bank accounts or using crypto exchanges with money they cannot explain the origin of. When challenged, they might say they are letting someone else use their account to move

money.

If you know a young person who has been approached to be a money mule, urge them to break off all contact and not receive or move any money.

Please then contact the police or Crimestoppers as, by reporting such crimes, we can help social media companies protect their own users.

The more people we make aware of such awful schemes, the more people we can stop falling victim and becoming complicit in organised crime.

Before Christmas, I launched my annual council tax policing precept survey, asking if you agree or disagree with my proposal to increase the council tax by £10 a year for the average band D household to support local policing.

The survey runs until January 30, so there is still time for you to have your say. You can complete the survey via my website at avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk.

Shelford

I know that times are tough for a lot of households and an increase in bills next year is a big ask from everyone.

Rising costs of living and inflation are impacting us all, including the cost of running the police service.

However, in order to deliver on the priorities and the issues you told me were important to you, I need to ask you for this additional funding.

With Police and Crime Commissioner Mark

Do you remember these faces?

I CAME across these photos by chance and thought they might be of interest to someone.

The first is of Mrs Ritchie’s class at the Manor School in 1967. I am in that picture, in the striped t-shirt on the left.

The second is of a Frampton Scouts Welsh trip in 1973/4, found while going through paperwork I should have attended to 20 years ago!

I haven’t been back to the area for nearly 50 years but I can still recognise a few faces - it's just amazing how much comes back when you see these things.

I hope that the pictures bring back some interesting memories for people.

Jon Carey

Time to walk and talk

CARERS Support Centre for Bristol and South Gloucestershire is happy to announce new Walk and Talks for unpaid carers and the people they care for.

Walk and Talks are popular, easy walks around local green areas.

Carers get a chance to enjoy a break from their responsibilities by

being outdoors in the company of other carers.

One of the charity’s friendly support workers leads the walk, offering a listening ear and providing information to support walkers in their caring role.

Walks take place once a week over six weeks, and there are a mixture of groups: for carers on their own; for carers and those they care for; age-specific, for example, young adult carers.

It is free to take part and all carers are welcome, so whatever your background or walking ability, we want you to come and join us.

New Walk and Talks are scheduled to take place in the New Year in Winterbourne, with more planned for later in the year.

For more information contact Stacey on 0117 939 2562, email walk@carerssupportcentre.org.uk or our website at bit.ly/3ERmjDl.

Adrian Robson, Carers Support Centre

Send us your stamps

EVERY year more than 900 million Christmas cards are sent in the UK. If you find yourself receiving plenty of cards this year through the post, we’d like to encourage you to save the stamps.

At Kidney Care UK (the UK’s leading kidney patient support charity), we can collect these and turn used stamps into cash donations, at no extra cost to you.

Every year we receive around 250kg of stamps, generating around £9,000 to support thousands of kidney patients across the UK.

Around 6% of the UK adult population have chronic kidney disease - one in every 16 people.

Kidney patients are disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis; in the last two months alone, we have seen an increase of 240% in demand for our grants to help people pay their heating bills.

If you would like to help us, please request our free collector’s pack online by visiting www. kidneycareuk.org/stamps.

Laura Toop, Kidney Care UK

Seeing light at the end of the tunnel

Winterbourne author John Parsons is best known for his children's books. But here John writes a far more personal message, based on his own experience of going through treatment for prostate cancer, to help others now facing the "long tunnel of despair" following diagnosis.

I'M sitting by my window, watching the world go by and reflecting on all that has gone before me.

It has been a torrid few years for my wife and I, both with our own health issues and with an unwanted pandemic.

I remember our friends in the outskirts of London, and how things changed for us when we told them I had cancer and would be going

into hospital for treatment.

We were asked to let them know how I got on and, as the tests came back, so the problems and treatment became clear.

I told them that I would get my first injection, then some radiation; they were horrified with that detail.

After the first session, I became very sleepy and was sick a few times. After this progress report, they informed us they would rather not have updates: it was TMI (too much information).

They wished us the best of luck and said: “Please don’t contact us any more.”

We wondered if they thought they could catch cancer but when we phoned, they had blocked our number and also our email.

Friends that we had known for years were lost within three months.

I continued the treatment and came through the other end.

It’s true I am a different man now. This sort of thing changes one's outlook on life.

I live with cancer, I am in remission, and I am realistic enough to recognise that one day it may get me.

But until then, the friends and family who stayed by my side are all I want.

As for the ones who thought I was going to

die, or turned their back on my wife and me, my life is not empty without them but better for it.

In life, you will fall out with people you thought you never would. You’ll get betrayed by people you trusted with all your heart and get used by people you would do anything for.

There are those who say they will help, but give lip service only, and never call to see how things are.

It’s harder for your partner: mine had to watch as I lost weight, and without her encouragement, I might not have got through this. She had support from some real friends, who came over to our house and drove us down to Oncology for treatment.

So why am I writing this?

If you are in the same position as I was, there is a light at the end of a tunnel.

Take hold of any offered hand, and you will feel a lot better for it.

Don’t be upset if someone turns their back on you, be selfish and think of yourself and those who love you.

And although you don’t know me, I offer you my hand, and hope you will take strength from it and reach the dark tunnel's end, as I did.

Manor School, Mrs Ritchie’s class, 1967

Frampton scouts trip to Wales 1973/4

Winterbourne Barn

WINTERBOURNE Medieval Barn held three Carols in the Barn sessions to round off our 2022 events.

With snow on the ground, it was a bit chilly in the Medieval Barn, but visitors wrapped up warm and, armed with mulled wine, spirits were high!

Things will now go a bit quiet until mid-January, when weekly Tai Chi classes will re-start on Wednesday mornings.

Main events start again at the end of January with a fused glass craft workshop, which has a few places left, and where you can make your own decorative glass hanging.

Other varied craft workshops will follow later in 2023, along with live music performances and a range of interesting talks.

The first of those is on February

Winterbourne Down WI

AFTER our December speaker was unable to attend our meeting due to unforeseen circumstances, we were fortunate to get a last minute stand-in who certainly fitted the bill.

Celia demonstrated two very different flower arrangements.

The first was set on a round base, with silver-sprayed birch twigs, giant oats and asparagus foliage, with white avalanche roses and chincherinchees interspersed at various heights.

The second was an evergreen display using choisya, camellia, ivy, copper sprayed fatsia japonica and various other green foliage, together with red chrysanthemums, lilies and red berries. Both arrangements were stunning and both were included in our raffle.

We ended the evening with a buffet containing a good variety of savoury and sweet dishes together with a glass of Buck's fizz.

Last month we asked our members for suggestions on what subjects they would like our speakers to talk about, and they certainly came back with some good topics.

We will now collate these and produce an interesting and varied program for the coming year.

We meet on the first Thursday of the month at All Saints’ Church Hall, Winterbourne Down at 7.30pm, and guests are always

21, when Professor Richard Coates from the University of the West of England talks about place names.

A linguist with a special interest in the meeting of linguistics, history and geography, Prof Coates particularly focuses on the origin of English place-names created

welcome.

Our next meeting is on Thursday January 5.

Victoria Goodman

Parliament tours

LUKE Hall MP welcomed residents of Frampton Cotterell to the Houses of Parliament on his 30th exclusive group tour to Westminster.

The group travelled by coach and received a fully guided tour of both the House of Lords and House of Commons, with exclusive access to the Queen’s Robing Rooms and Royal Gallery.

After a brief stop for some food and a look around the Parliamentary Gift Shop, residents attended a Q&A session with Luke, followed by pictures in Westminster Hall by the 41ft Christmas tree.

Luke said: “It was a pleasure to welcome residents of Frampton Cotterell to Westminster. I was

before 1500.

This talk is available in-person at the barn or live-streamed on Zoom at 7pm.

Booking information for all events can be found on the Barn website, www.winterbournebarn. org.uk.

From February onwards, a box office will open at the Barn from 1.30-2.30pm on the first Thursday of each month for in-person ticket sales.

very grateful to have the chance to answer some important questions and share my experience of being our local MP. These tours are a way of ensuring everyone in our community can visit the heart of our democracy.

“This marked our 30th tour and I am looking forward to organising many more tours for 2023 and hope to get around every town, village and hamlet in the constituency.”

Louise Harrison

Shepherds ready to perform Visitors enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine

Frampton Cotterell residents with MP Luke Hall at Parliament.

Flower arrangements at the December meeting

Frampton Cotterell WI

FRAMPTON Cotterell WI’s 70th anniversary fell at the end of November, and we held a very special birthday party for members and guests!

There was plenty of fun, fizz, good food and, of course, cake on offer.

Local singer Angie McCoy provided our entertainment for the evening, performing a collection of vintage and ever-popular songs across the last seven decades, including classics such as Jolene, Simply The Best, Sweet Caroline and We’ll Meet Again - not

forgetting Happy Birthday, of course! We all had a great evening, catching up on old memories and having a good singalong with Angie.

Our Christmas bingo evening was on December 6 and our last social event of 2022 - a lovely, sociable evening with prizes for winners, as well as drinks and nibbles.

Confirmed events for the start of the New Year include a talk on Life at the Zoo, with Liz Curtis, at our meeting on January 24, a New Year meal out at The White Horse at Hambrook on February 7 and 'Strictly Karen', with local dance tutor Karen Davis, at our meeting on February 28.

We have other events and socials lined up, including visits to the theatre, a deli cheese and wine event in January and other local group trips throughout the coming year.

Celebration cakes

Winterbourne Evening WI

IN DECEMBER we had Robin Burton of Stroud Wassail speak to us about the traditions of Christmas.

He spoke about traditions old and new, and told us about the old English tradition of wassailing, which is having a revival in recent years as people look to revive and enjoy traditional festivities.

The term wassail goes back to Anglo-Saxon times and is a form of toast - “waes hael” – which means 'be of good health'.

The reply to this toast is to say “drinc hael” - drink healthily.

There is a rich collection of wassail songs from the villages around Stroud, where Robin is part of a community group that has reintroduced the practice.

The songs reflect a tradition that was widespread in England but is different to the apple wassailing that has become popular in recent times.

Close to Twelfth Night, wassailers would go from door to door, or around the pubs, carrying a wassail bowl and singing a wassailing song. The theme is to

Visitors and new members are welcome to our monthly meetings at St Peter’s Hall on School Road at 7.45pm on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

There is a charge of £3.50

wish everyone a prosperous year.

We enjoyed a spread of finger food and Robin also regaled us with some of the traditional folk tunes sung during wassailing.

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

Emilie Smith

Coalpit Heath WI

IT has been a busy couple of months for Coalpit Heath WI, with lots going on.

Our Christmas meeting was spent creating some tree decorations from felt and buttons, giving us plenty of time to chat over mulled wine and nibbles!

There were six lucky winners of Christmas hamper items and a further collection was made of items for the food bank.

Poems, carols and mulled wine and mince pies were enjoyed at the carol service at St Saviour’s. A donation from the collection will be made to Paul’s Place, in memory of our friend, Annie.

Christmas meals out at Highgrove and the Bell in Sodbury

for the evening, and any new members can also join by paying a membership fee.

Special interest groups that meet separately including a book club, craft group, gardening group and our skittles and darts teams.

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

have been appreciated and the ballet trip to see Raymonda at the Hippodrome was described as "beautiful and wonderful".

Our book club has now reviewed their second book, the very high-scoring Where the Crawdads Sing.

It may have taken a little while to get into it but we loved the characters and the descriptions of the marsh. We were kept wondering right to the end.

Our next meeting will be in January, so plenty of time to read, ‘The Tent, The Bucket and Me.

If you fancy coming along and seeing what we have to offer you would be most welcome.

We meet on the first Wednesday of each month in St Saviour’s church hall at 7.45pm.

Our programme for 2023 starts with Tim Lewis on Jack and the Beanstalk on January 4.

Other meetings include a talk on Victoria and Albert in February, and iced flower demonstration in March and Briony May Williams on 'Life after Bake Off' in April.

Search @WICoalpitHeath on Facebook for further information and updates.

Current president Jan Moore (2nd left) with some of the past presidents of Frampton Cotterell WI

Caroline Johnston

Winterbourne Evening WI members enjoy a spread of food

'20 deaths' from blunder

A BLUNDER at a Covid testing lab that resulted in 40,000 being given false negative results may have caused more than 20 deaths, a report has found.

People using the NHS Test and Trace facility in Mangotsfield between September and October 2021 were among those whose PCR test results falsely said they did not have coronavirus.

An investigation by the UK Health Security Agency into "errors" at the private Immensa laboratory in Wolverhampton found threshold levels for reporting positive and negative results were incorrectly set. Around 10% of people who were tested were told they did not have Covid-19 when they did.

Experts on the investigation estimated the mistakes caused an extra 55,000 infections, 680 hospitalisations and 20 deaths.

Dante Labs, which owns Immensa, did not respond to our request for a comment.

Time to find light in the darkness

WHAT a year 2022 was - war in Ukraine, covid still rumbling on and on, a financial crisis with a disastrous ‘Mini Budget’ to increase the pain, inflation and interest rates soaring, families struggling to heat homes and feed their children; and on top of this we as a nation mourned the death of a beloved Queen.

It may surprise you to know that we are still in the Christmas season. Early January is Epiphany - in fact, Christmas does not officially end until the celebration of Candlemas on February 2.

Christians have always believed that Christmas and Epiphany are a time when we remember that the light of God’s love shines in our world, even in the darkest moments, and shines for everyone. The Prophet Isaiah proclaimed: "The

people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."

John’s Gospel, that is heard over Christmas, says: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

For Christians, Jesus is ‘The Light’, and he shows us a better way to live out our lives with each other, based on love for neighbour, peace rather than confrontation, care for those on the margins and generous hospitality to the stranger.

If we could all just embrace this, our world would be such a healthier and richer place, full of a hope that all people, whatever their faith or none, can place God’s gift of love for all at the centre of their hearts.

In the season of Epiphany we are reminded, as the Christ

Malcolm Strange Rector of the Fromeside Benefice

child is made known to wise strangers from the East, that this good news from God is truly for everyone.

So, take a moment to let the light of ‘Christ's Love’ touch your heart.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy 2023, and let's all hope and pray that it is a much better year for everyone in our world!

Frampton Cotterell Colts unveil new kit

FRAMPTON Cotterell RFC Colts were proud to wear their new kit for the first time at a home match against North Bristol.

Huge thanks go to Timberwise for their generous sponsorship.

Despite a number of injuries to key players, Fram put up a sterling performance in the

match in late November, but came up short against a sizeable and well-drilled North outfit.

The final score was 19-43.

The home team's tries were scored by Fin Mills, Rhys Davies and Dillon Hill. Max Mumby converted two of the tries, including one fabulous effort from the touchline.

I'm proud of the effort against such strong opposition.

We had a mixed start to the season, but with three wins under our belts and some players coming back from injury, we're really looking forward to continuing our form into the New Year.

Andy Kempson, Head Coach

Rugby club community update

FATHER Christmas made a surprise visit to say hello and hand out gifts to all the young members of the Frampton RFC Minis junior section.

He managed to find room to park his sleigh in the car park and made his way into the clubhouse to see the happy faces of all the children.

The rugby club ran a food bank during December, which was supported very well, with six bags of supplies donated, along with £50 cash in donations.

A big thanks to Helen Smith for arranging.

Frampton club life member Keith Bohr has been awarded life membership of the Bristol referee’s society for his outstanding contribution to refereeing in the local community.

Mike Weaver

January 2

n CELEBRATION FRAMPTON SINGALONG with The Jays and The Rosettes, 2-3.30pm, to welcome in New Year and The Jays’ 50th wedding anniversary with a glass of non alcoholic fizz. Crossbow House, School Road, Frampton Cotterell. £5, carers free - refreshments included. All profits to UNICEF supporting children affected by the Ukraine War. Bring a friend free. Contact Hilary on 07515 351813 for details.

January 11-14

n OCTOPUS DRAMA GROUP presents Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Christ the King Church Hall, Castle Street, Thornbury, Wednesday to Friday 7.30pm, Saturday 11am and 2.30 pm. Tickets available from midDecember at Rosie and Rex Gift Shop on Thornbury High Street: £8 adults, £6 under-18.

January 21

n ARMSTRONG ARMS GROUP presents A Winter-Warmer – The Kim Cypher Quartet. The Porch House, Castle Street, Thornbury, 7.30pm. Performing a selection of well-known jazz favourites, swing, original music, Latin and funky groove. Bar available. Tickets £15 from AAGThornbury@gmail.com or by calling 01454 850933.

January 25

n ALVESTON LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY presents a talk by Professor Ronald Hutton on Queen Elizabeth I, Alveston Methodist Church, 7.30pm. Entry £5, including coffee or tea and biscuits.

January 28

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

workshop.

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

Winterbourne Library news

WINTERBOURNE Library is saying goodbye to long-standing staff Catherine and Polly, who are retiring in January.

Any past or present customers and friends who would like to say goodbye are invited to join them between 3pm and 5pm on January 6 for tea and cake.

Lego club next meets on January 14, from 10am to 11am –for children aged four and up.

Storytime sessions, on Fridays from 9.30-10am in term time only, are suitable for children aged 18 months to four years.

Regular Rhymetimes take place on Wednesdays, 9.30am10am; most suitable for 0-18

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

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

jksmith@blueyonder.co.uk for more information.

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

months – limited spaces.

An adult craft group meets on January 21 and 28, from 10amnoon: 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.ac.uk.

Coming soon - free beginners' maths classes for adults. For more information email academic@ sgscol.ac.uk with the subject heading ‘Multiply Maths Cake’ or call 0117 290 9393.

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

The library is looking for a 121 Digital Champion volunteer,

with spare time and an interest in helping others learn how to use a computer, laptop, tablet or other device. Contact libraryvolunteers@ southglos.gov.uk for more details or collect an application form in the library.

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.

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