Bishopston Voice October 2023

Protect our picnic spot

Residents seek village green status for haven

FAMILIES are launching a battle to protect their local picnic area in Golden Hill – a tiny patch of grass between their houses.

They say the land at the end of Ridgehill has been maintained and used by local people for more than 35 years.

They have formally submitted an application to Bristol City Council to have the land designated as a town or village green, in order to protect it for public use in the future.

Their application says over the years local people have cut the grass, and maintained the area, used it for picnics and barbecues, and as a pathway to Tesco and Kellaway Avenue.

The application says: “The land has developed into a local amenity with the provision of flower tubs, planting, landscaping and re-seeding of grass.

“Chippings have been laid to improve the surface of the

informal path crossing the site and linking to the network of public rights of way across Golden Hill.”

The local neighbourhood watch committee even funded a kissing gate on the path.

Resident Michael McConalogue said council

Tragic end for dumped kittens

Despite the best efforts of volunteers at Bishopston cat rescue The Moggery, 26 dumped kittens died.

PAGE 3

notices have now gone up in the area so local people can comment and add their support. More than 18 households have already submitted statements of support to BCC.

Gordon Brand said he had lived nearby for 27 years and Turn to Page 3

'Unfathomable' sports field blow

Cotham School has had to switch playing fields after what it calls an 'unfathomable' village green decision for Stoke Lodge.

PAGE 5

The plot at the end of Ridgehill that families want to safeguard

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Campaign to make picnic spot a village green

From Page 1 during that time had enjoyed many get-togethers, and spend time gardening the area.

Tricia and Robert Kent said they had enjoyed Royal celebrations in the picnic area with neighbours, and their children and grandchildren had all used the area.

Angie and Roger Dowding said the area had been tended by local people – and should be kept for the enjoyment of future generations.

Mr McConalogue said that when the houses in Sates Way and Ridgeway were built in the late 1970s, the patch of land was marked as “public open space”. He said he understood the

current landowner had lodged an objection to the proposal, which means BCC will probably appoint an inspector to look at the evidence and recommend whether the Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee should allow the area to be registered as a town or village green.

Bristol City Council says the closing date for objections was September 13, 2023 – but the process could take up to a year.

Sharon Scott, Councillor for Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze said: “It’s a wonderful place that residents in this area have used for decades for events that have been beneficial to the community. Local councillors will continue to support residents who have applied for this green

space known as the picnic area, to become a Town Village Green status.”

At the time of going to print

the Voice has been unable to establish who the landowner is in order to contact them for comment.

CAT rescue founder Christine Bayka has spoken of the pain and distress for her and her volunteer staff after all 26 kittens dumped on The Moggery doorstep died.

The kittens, all just a few weeks old, were left in a Moses Basket outside Longmead Avenue, Bishopston, in August.

But despite staff handfeeding them round the clock, and Christine taking nine home to care for herself, they all died within 16 days.

Christine, who founded The Moggery in 1997, told the Voice it was very sad news.

“The Moses Basket 26, as we called them, received loving care and vet treatment from the moment they were left on our doorstep.

“On Thursday September 7, the last kitten, a ginger and white called Jeremiah, died while being held by one of our volunteers. The Moses Basket 26 have given the volunteers a traumatic few weeks.”

She begged anyone who knew any owner of a multi-cat household of un-neutered pets to get in touch with The Moggery, which offers financial assistance to neuter cats.

She said The Moggery would help anyone who needed support with neutering, until its Assisted Neutering Account was empty.

“My volunteers and myself would not want to live through such an experience again, when it

Tragic tale of 26 dumped kittens leaves volunteers distraught

distraught volunteers.”

She said when they first arrived, the Moses basket and all the kittens were filthy and the kittens were all riddled with fleas.

“This is a perfect example of things getting out of hand so quickly when a person obtains a kitten without having any backup support.

“Every person who adopts from The Moggery has to sign on the adoption form that they will have their kittens neutered and chipped by the date given and I expect to see the proof of the neutering promptly.”

“A pet is a luxury - many people look to online sites for kittens and have no idea that there is more to cat care than putting food down.

can be so easily prevented.”

She said she believed from the similar brown and tortoiseshell colourings and ages of the kittens, that they were the result of two or three generations of in breeding, which caused defects including incomplete internal organs.

She said while she took home nine of the older kittens

and bottle fed them every three hours round the clock, one of her volunteers syringe-fed the remaining 17 through the day and night.

“The nine babies I took home appeared to be thriving but sadly started to die after the first week at rate of one a day. Tragically the younger kittens began to die also, often in the hands of

“Many people this summer have called The Moggery within days or even hours of buying a kitten online. After realising they have made a mistake because the child is allergic or frightened of the new scratchy kitten.”

There’s more about the work of The Moggery, and how you can help by giving a cat a home, or making a donation here: www. themoggery.org.uk/

The Moses Basket 26 left at The Moggery did not survive

A barbecue on the 'village green' in 1991 and a picnic in 2017

COTHAM School students are having their games lessons at Golden Hill following the registration of Stoke Lodge playing fields as a village green.

The school has told parents the move to the Shine Sports Ground is for this academic year, while it decides what to do about what it describes as the “unfathomable” decision on Stoke Lodge.

Cotham does not have playing fields on its site so children have to be bussed elsewhere for outdoor PE. The school had been using Stoke Lodge, which it leases from the city council, and put up a fence around the fields, with gates that were shut while pupils were on site. Since the decision of the council’s Public Rights of Way Group (PROWG) in June, the gates have been left permanently open.

At a PROWG committee in September, campaigners called on BCC to enforce the removal of the 1.5km long fence installed by the school in 2019, as they say it breaks laws dating back 150 years.

Campaigner Helen Powell, from We Love Stoke Lodge, told the meeting: “We are delighted that Stoke Lodge is now registered as a village green, which has been the cause of much celebration. But Cotham School has said it doesn’t intend to remove its fence, even though that’s now unlawful as a result of

'Crushing disappointment' over sports fields decision

Green Councillor Tessa Fitzjohn, chair of the committee, said: “It’s now out of the hands of this committee, our role at the moment has really finished.”

Jo Butler, head teacher of Cotham School has declined to respond to requests from the Voice for an interview.

In a letter to parents, she said the PROWG Committee decision was “contrary to the legal advice that the committee received which was that the land should not be registered.

registration.

“So the issue now is around enforcement. I’m sure we would all prefer that this doesn’t end up in prosecution, but the clock is ticking if that is the end result that is required. So we’re raising it today to make sure it doesn’t just get kicked into the long grass.”

“Not only is this a crushing disappointment to the school but more importantly it means that members of the public now have full and unfettered access to the playing field, including when our students would be taking part in their PE lessons.

“We deem this to present an unacceptable level of risk to our students and staff and so it is with a heavy heart that we will temporarily halt using the playing field this academic year whilst we seek redress for this unfathomable decision.”

Campaigners against the fence

Artists invite you to visit new studio venture

GLOUCESTER Road

businesswoman Sarah Thorp and artist Emma Catherine are taking part in the West Bristol Art Trail this month.

Sarah runs Room 212 and has recently moved the gallery’s fine art printing arm, 212 Productions, into a studio just behind the Everyman Cinema off Whiteladies Road.

Studio owner Neil Roberts has invited Sarah and Henleazebased Emma to join him when 212 Productions opens its doors to the public for the art trail on October 14-15.

This popular art trail of open homes and studios around Redland, Clifton and Hotwells is a great chance to meet artists and purchase locally made artwork and gifts. Neil and Emma will be showing their original paintings as well as selling prints and cards. Meanwhile Sarah will be offering a wide selection of her brass and copper jewellery, which can be found year round at Room 212

on Gloucester Road.

212 Productions will be showcasing works by some of its most celebrated clients, including street artists, with limited edition archival prints. There'll be a few guest artist appearances too. All are welcome to a preview evening on Friday October 13 from 6.309pm..

The extra space means that 212 Productions can offer events, classes and exhibitions along with their printing services. It will be hosting regular life drawing classes with its art school, Back to the Drawing Board.

Sessions will be held on Thursdays 6.30 -9 pm A professional model plus basic materials and reference material will be provided. Bristol Fine Art is offering 10% off supplies for those signed up to the course. For more information on this course, the Art Trail and fine art printing see www.212productions.co.uk

Sarah Thorp, Neil Roberts and Emma Catherine with some of the work they will display at West Bristol Art Trail

Greens hold seat in by-election Woodburners warning

BRISTOL City Council has new powers to issue £300 fines for pollution-causing log burnersbut says it can't afford to police the new stricter rules.

Burning wood emits pollution known as fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which can cause health problems. Cabinet members approved the new penalty for anyone using non-compliant stoves or fuels, but said there was no funding to enforce it, which Councilllor Ellie King said made it "a bit of a joke".

Councillor Kye Dudd, cabinet member for climate, said: “From a public health point of view, there’s no safe level of particulate matter. If you’re concerned about health then the advice is don’t burn wood at home. But if you’re going to do that, you have the legal right to do it, but you have to do it within the regulations. So make sure you’ve got a Defracompliant stove, and make sure you’re using compliant fuels.”

by Alex Seabrook, LDRS

THE Green Party’s James Crawford has been elected by residents as councillor for Bishopston and Ashley Down.

The by-election came after fellow Green Lily Fitzgibbon, who had been Bristol's youngest councillor, stepped down to move closer to her family.

The Greens retained their seat with a majority of over 300 votes, to remain the largest group on Bristol City Council with 25 councillors in the group. Citywide elections to decide who runs the council arecjust over eight months away.

James said: “I am honoured that residents have voted for me as the new councillor for Bishopston and Ashley Down. Being a councillor is a big responsibility, and I will be working hard between now and the elections next year to show that their trust in me is deserved.”

This is a second by-election victory for the Green Party after Hotwells & Harbourside earlier

Loft Boarding & Insulation

this year.

James added: “This election shows yet again that Bristolians are looking for change in the way that their city is run, voting for a party which does politics differently, and I’m ever more confident that they’ll elect a Green MP at the next General Election. I am truly excited to take part in building a fairer,

Bleed control kits could save lives when disaster hits

LIFE-SAVING bleed control kits, designed to control bleeding after someone suffers a traumatic injury, are being installed across Avon and Somerset.

The police are working with NHS England South West and HeartSafe to install 144 of the kits across the region, with two of the first at St Agnes church in St Paul's and Applegreen service station in Gloucester Road.

The kits are being installed on the side of defibrillators and will be instantly accessible in an emergency. They include trauma dressings and tourniquets to help manage bleeds as well as nitrile gloves, scissors, and a

colour-coded instruction guide on what to use depending on where and what type of injury the person is suffering from.

People should always call 999 and ask for the ambulance service in a life-threatening emergency, but these kits are designed to be easy-to-use in the moments before an ambulance or first-responder arrives on scene.

The project was first initiated by Clive Setter from HeartSafe, following their successful work in installing public defibrillators across the UK.

Clive said: “I am pleased to announce another public safety initiative for HeartSafe, now partnering with Avon and Somerset Police assisting people suffering major blood loss wounds to receive immediate help from members of the community around them.

“The bleed kits will provide some initial emergency aid to those in need before an ambulance arrives at the incident and will help to avoid a potentially tragic outcome.”

Police Chief Inspector Mike Vass, said: “We know we cannot police our way out of serious violence, it has to be a partnership approach, not just between us and our partners in health and social care, but also with members of our communities who can play a key part in helping us.

“We employ a number of different tactics to deal with knife crime and prevent it at the source but in the unfortunate event that a person is seriously injured, we hope that these kits will go some way to preventing the tragic loss of life we’ve been seeing in our communities.”

While this initiative is part of work around serious violence and knife crime, the kits are there to be used in any incident in which a person is suffering from a catastrophic bleed, whether it be a road traffic collision, fall, or other

traumatic injury.

Dr Michael Marsh, of NHS England, said: “NHS ambulance crews and trauma teams do a great job when confronted with a patient who’s losing a lot of blood, but we wanted to go further in those crucial minutes when an ambulance was still on its way. That’s why we’re so pleased to fund bleed kits, so the police and community partners can get them to the right places to save lives – many of them young.”

The installation complements work carried out by the police force to tackle knife crime, with over 4,000 weapons being surrendered into knife surrender bins installed across the force to encourage young people to safely discard of their weapons.

Alongside this, workshops have been rolled out across secondary schools in Bristol and South Gloucestershire to encourage young people to report if they know someone is carrying a knife. The Blunt Truth workshops are delivered to students in Year’s 8 and 9 and educate students on the dangers of carrying a weapon, and how to administer emergency first-aid in the event of a stabbing. The programme in partnership with the NHS and has been delivered to over 2,800 people since 2021. Avon and Somerset Police has also provided £4,000 of funding towards providing local businesses and communities with advanced bleed control kits and training for their staff.

If you are concerned about someone you know carrying a knife, you can report it Avon and Somerset Police by calling 101 or via their online form. If there is the threat of immediate danger, or a crime is taking place, always call 999 immediately. Alternatively, you can give information anonymously by contacting Fearless, the youth service of the independent charity Crimestoppers. www. fearless.org or 0800 555 111.

St Paul's has one of the first kits

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n FROM YOUR COUNCILLORS

In Redland this month...

Problems at the bottom of Gloucester Road

F i met with the local PCSOs recently at their request to see how we can work together to reduce some of the problems occurring in the area. We’ve also had reports from residents who are concerned about a rise in some antisocial behaviour. Clearly there are no simple solutions to the increased prevalence of drug use, incidences of shopflifting and some abusive behaviours. Additionally, as we all know, resources everywhere are very stretched. Rather than simply trying to move the problem elsewhere, we have been in touch with council officers to see how support can be offered and long term solutions found. The PCSOs are also keen to invite anyone interested to a (probably virtual) meeting to discuss how we can all work together on the issue. If you would be interested in getting involved, please let Fi or Martin know.

Planning delays continue

Complaints from residents continue to arrive about lengthy planning delays, even for very simple applications. This frustrating state of affairs has been drawn to the Mayor's attention on many occasions both by councillors and by residents via public forum statements made at Full Council meetings. The cause remains the loss of key staff and the inadequate funding to run the service. The statutory period for deciding householder applications is

within 8 weeks unless a longer period is agreed in writing with the applicant. But in August 2023 household applications were delivered in the timescale in 18 out of 36 cases (ie 50%). We’re assured that there are now new recruits in the team so we hope the situation will improve over the near future. Where applications are straightforward we can try to get a rapid assessment if you send us details of a delayed application.

Electric Vehicle charging

Interest in Electric Vehicle use and charging continues to grow. We have been contacted by residents enquiring about installing, at their own expense, EV charging gullies [a strip where cables can be tucked away below the surface] outside their homes, similar to how dropped kerbs are agreed and paid for.

This appears to have accelerated since the Clean Air Zone started and is a good indication of people wanting to switch to cleaner vehicles. We recognise concerns over trip hazards and this is a genuine concern; groups representing disabled people will need assurances this won’t be a risk.

The administration says gullies have been discussed with various groups and departments but are not deemed as a viable option. Their favoured option is to install more on-street chargers and target areas where the chargers will be best utilised. The future of charging is hubs much the same as petrol stations. We hope this

The Carpet Shop

doesn't mean lengthy delays until new facilities are available.

Weed removal

We’ve previously referred in our news column to concern about the council spraying Glyphosate to supress weeds. If a street wishes to opt out there is a procedure now to make a commitment to keeping the street weed free, with a named resident to liaise with the contract manager. The council will reserve the right to get spraying carried out if a street isn't kept weed free. We have been trying to establish what progress is being made with the public commitment to cut spraying by half in time for 2030 in line with the council’s Ecological Emergency Declaration. The actions on this will be reviewed later this year by the scrutiny commission Martin chairs. Bristol Waste has recently been trialling a pivot away from the chemical spraying and using the team to manually remove the weeds. This is more labour intensive, and the ground is covered more slowly, so it is not deemed viable when budgets are shrinking - hence the challenge for residents to work together in their own street. Do contact us if you'd like more information anout how to take action as a street.

Contacts:

Fi: Cllr.fi.hance@bristol.gov.uk. 0117 3534720

Martin: Cllr.martin.fodor@bristol. gov.uk. 0788 4736101 Facebook.com/cllrmartin.fodor or / cllrfi.hance

BRISTOL city councillors unanimously agreed to think again about how they deal with potholes after it was revealed the local authority has just onetenth of the funding needed to repair them all.

They also committed to looking again at charging day rates to utility companies carrying out roadworks as an incentive to finish quicker and minimise traffic chaos.

A motion tabled to full council by the Conservatives and amended by Labour and the Greens, to include a call for party group leaders to lobby for more government money to fix roads and to add a mention of cycle lanes and footpaths, was passed by 56-0 votes on Tuesday, September 12.

Moving the amendment, Cllr Fabian Breckels (Labour, St George Troopers Hill) said: “Most pothole repair funding comes from central government – £1m from the Pothole Action Fund is only a tenth of what we need. To fix the national road repairs backlog would cost about £14billion.”

The motion said Bristol has fewer potholes now than in 2016 Cllr Tim Kent (Lib Dem, Hengrove & Whitchurch Park) said his party supported the motion, though it was contradictory in saying the number of potholes had already reduced while also insisting the council needed 10 times more funding to fix them all.

Mothers demand action on climate crisis

A BISHOPSTON woman has told the Voice why she joined a sit-down protest in Bristol city centre as part of a global week of action on the climate crisis.

Twenty five women took part in the peaceful “circle of mothers” demonstration on Cascade Steps last month, organised by Mothers’ Rebellion, an international climate change group.]

Mothers’ Rebellion is linked to the Extinction Rebellion movement.

Mum of three daughters, Kate Windross, said she took part “to give today’s children a future”.

She said: “I can't stand by and watch climate change happen without trying to stop it. The effects of climate change are already here. Millions of children around the world are suffering floods, fires and famine now as a result of global warming.

“We have the answers but we can't delay. We need to end the use of fossil fuels and switch to sustainable food systems as fast

as we possibly can.

“It's not a minority fringe saying this. Organisations including Unicef and RCPHC have published documents outlining the current and immediate threats to survival on earth if we don't act to prevent further climate change.

“I hope that by attending today we can increase awareness of how urgent the climate crisis

John Wills House Outstanding care in Westbury-on-Trym

Nursing l Dementia l Short term l Respite

is. We need as many people as possible to call for action and convince government that this is an emergency requiring immediate change.”

Ava Lorenc, one of the Bristol event's organisers said: "As mothers, it’s our job to protect our kids. Our children's future - ALL children’s future - is at stake, which is why we’re uniting as mothers and allies to take a

stand, raise awareness, and push politicians to take meaningful, urgent action - starting with phasing out fossil fuels, fast.

“We want to be able to look our children in the eye and tell them we’re doing what we can to reduce the threat of greenhouse gas emissions to our children’s collective future. It’s also really important to us to show other parents, caregivers and children they’re not alone in their worries about the climate crisis."

"Lots of parents in Bristol want to take meaningful action against the climate crisis, but aren’t sure where to start. Getting involved in collective action is one of the best and easiest ways to do this.”

The group said despite the rain they had a good response from passers-by. Mothers from a range of backgrounds took part, among them a doctor, an artist, an academic, a graphic designer, an events manager, an administrator, an ecologist and a retired grandmother of five.

Mothers' Rebellion members protest at Cascade Steps

A brash new shopfront on Coldharbour Road has been criticised as an eyesore and “insult to the area”, amid claims that the old features were ripped out and thrown on a skip.

Eighteen people have formally objected to the look of the new One Stop shop.

Westbury Park Community Association (WPCA) has complained to the company, which is owned by Tesco, and asked Bristol City Council to reject the proposal and force the shop to remove the signage.

The One Stop convenience store opened in late August at number 116, in the former Electric Bike Shop, on the junction with Harcourt Road.

The muted greys of the previous business have been replaced with bright blue and red signs, with huge full colour posters of produce filling most of the street windows.

One Stop applied for planning permission for the signage in June, but went ahead and installed it, despite the application not having yet been decided by BCC.

One resident wrote in

Protests over 'ugly' new shopfront

opposition to the planning application, on the BCC planning portal, that the signage and window displays were “oversized” and so “garish” they would distract passing motorists.

Another said: “I am objecting to the new aluminium windows and the vinyl stickers proposed, it will not be in keeping with existing shops and area.

“I was told that any new windows are to be made likefor-like, so as the original is wood, the wood should be used. Stickers covering the whole windows will be an eyesore in this lovely area.”

Several local people said in their comments that they were not against the convenience store, which is open from 7am to 9pm. But they say the design has ruined the street appearance.

WPCA planning co-ordinator Jeff Bishop has encouraged other local people to have their say on

KJDMusic

KJDMusic

the BCC portal.

In a letter to One Stop he explained that WPCA works to protect and enhance the environment and amenity of Westbury Park.

The letter says: “Your company have chosen to install the window panels (and presumably soon the lighting) before the planning application for those changes has been determined.

“Can you confirm that you will follow the law by removing these features if enforcement action is now taken and/or if the planning application is refused?”

“The vinyl panels and the main fascia above are designed in a way that is totally out of place in our residential neighbourhood; we are not a shopping centre or in a city centre.”

Jeff said the building, while not listed, was recognised by the

council as a landmark.

“Its shop front included a number of historic features which were ripped out to create the changes to the store.

“We know that because they were seen at the time in a skip.”

“The window vinyls have the audacity to say ‘Working with Coldharbour Road’ when there has never been a single contact either in preparation for the works, during the works or since with any of the local traders, several of whom may well find their businesses unviable as a result of your actions.In summary, your whole approach to this new store is insulting to our community and our area.”

The Voice has approached One Stop for comment.

Instrumental/lessons/flute/saxophone/clarinet/piano/theory/GCSE/ALevel

Instrumental/lessons/flute/saxophone/clarinet/piano/theory/GCSE/ALevel

Instrumental / lessons / flute / saxophone / clarinet piano / theory / GCSE / A Level

Instrumental lessons in Bishopston and Horfield from a qualified teacher / performer with enhanced DBS clearance

Instrumental lessons in Bishopston and Horfield from a qualified teacher / performer with enhanced DBS clearance

KJDMusic

Spaces available for Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet, Recorder, Piano, and Theory (GCSE/A Level) on all weekdays from 4pm. All styles and levels catered for from beginners through to advanced learners.

Instrumental/lessons/flute/saxophone/clarinet/piano/theory/GCSE/ALevel

Spaces available for Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet, Recorder, Piano, and Theory (GCSE/A Level) on all weekdays from 4pm. All styles and levels catered for from beginners through to advanced learners.

Instrumental lessons in Bishopston and Horfield from a qualified teacher / performer with enhanced DBS clearance. Spaces available for Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet, Recorder, Piano, and Theory (GCSE/A Level) on all weekdays from 4pm. All styles and levels catered for from beginners through to advanced learners.

Instrumental lessons in Bishopston and Horfield from a qualified teacher / performer with enhanced DBS clearance

Spaces available for Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet, Recorder, Piano, and Theory (GCSE/A Level) on all weekdays from 4pm. All styles and levels catered for from beginners through to advanced learners.

“Music has the power to inspire, teach and transform lives and I strongly believe that every person of every age should have access to music education and a platform to express their musicality”.

“Music has the power to inspire, teach and transform lives and I strongly believe that every person of every age should have access to music education and a platform to express their musicality”.

“Music has the power to inspire, teach and transform lives and I strongly believe that every person of every age should have access to music education and a platform to express their musicality”.

Katherine Denny BA(Hons), PGCE, LRSM, CTABRSM

Katherine Denny BA(Hons), PGCE, LRSM, CTABRSM

“Music has the power to inspire, teach and transform lives and I strongly believe that every person of every age should have access to music education and a platform to express their musicality”.

Instrumental lessons can either be just for fun or focused on passing graded exams. Exam preparation usually follows the ABRSM or Trinity syllabus. Lessons typically last for half an hour and cost £20.00. Fees are payable in advance upon receipt of an invoice at the start of each term

Katherine Denny BA(Hons), PGCE, LRSM, CTABRSM

Katherine Denny BA(Hons), PGCE, LRSM, CTABRSM

Instrumental lessons can either be just for fun or focused on passing graded exams. Exam preparation usually follows the ABRSM or Trinity syllabus. Lessons typically last for half an hour and cost £20.00. Fees are payable in advance upon receipt of an invoice at the start of each term

Instrumental lessons can either be just for fun or focused on passing graded exams. Exam preparation usually follows the ABRSM or Trinity syllabus.

Lessons typically last for half an hour and cost £20.00. Fees are payable in advance upon receipt of an invoice at the start of each term

Lessons can be for fun or focused on passing graded exams. Lessons typically last half an hour and cost £20. E-mail: katherine@kjdmusic.co.uk

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n LETTERS

More on-street EV charging needed

IN response to the article in the September Bishopston Voice about EV charging at Waitrose, I do support the 90 minute limit. I do understand the frustration of Westbury Park residents, but their issue arises from a lack of investment in infrastructure.

I am the owner of a hybrid car. I live in Bishopston, with no off street parking and I am also extremely frustrated by the lack of chargers across the city. However, the time limit at Waitrose does ensure that customers are able to access the slow chargers while shopping. These chargers provide an invaluable and reliable power top-up for me each week.

The real issue here, is that at both a national and local level, government has not planned infrastructure development sufficiently ahead of the move to EV vehicles. WECA has put in a bid for government funding to test on- street chargers. Funded

by this bid, B&NES has agreed to trial three pavement channels which will allow households without off-street parking, to charge safely at home. However, the result of this trial is 18 months away. The pressure needs to be on all the authorities within WECA to agree to the outcome of this trial and to start planning now for a rollout as soon as the results are agreed.

Around 37% of Bristol properties, against a UK average of 33%, do not have off-street parking (source: B&NES planning paper E3451). Enabling safe onstreet charging will significantly accelerate the availability of convenient charging as well as improving equality between EV car owners.

I want Waitrose to continue their time limit in order to maximise access. The pressure actually needs to be on local government to increase both public chargers and the implementation of a range of on street charging facilities.

Airlie Fife BS7 reader

Overnight is smart time for electricity

I AM one of the group of residents you mention in your September article about EV charging at Waitrose who were pleased to see a number of charge points installed there last autumn, but have been disappointed by the parking restrictions which Waitrose continues to apply.

I recognise there are arguments for and against Waitrose imposing a 90-minute limit on charging during store opening hours.

However, what I don’t understand – and am really disappointed that Waitrose don’t seem willing to engage with us about – is why Waitrose can’t work with Shell and its parking management company, Britannia, to find a way of enabling people to use charge points, especially the slower

22kW chargers, on an out of hours basis.

One of the main problems which needs to be tackled, in order to encourage wider EV uptake, is that people who don’t have their own off-street parking do not currently have access to the same kind of charging convenience and cost as someone who is able to charge at home.

The “smart” times to be using the electricity grid for things like EV charging – both from a carbon and cost perspective – will often be the overnight periods when EV users who have their own charge points will be encouraged by their flexible electricity tariffs to charge.

Why can’t Waitrose make some effort to find a way of helping people who don’t have their own driveways – and there are lots of people living in Westbury Park who fall into this category - to enjoy some of the benefits of overnight charging?

Stuart Urquhart

How about a trial removal of limit?

I AM the owner of an EV and live extremely locally to Waitrose.

I shop almost daily at Waitrose and there are rarely more than one or two cars charging on the 7-bay provision. Not only is this a shameful waste of car spaces but it strongly indicates that these chargers could work much harder for their living (reaping richer rewards for Shell and, in turn, Waitrose).

It is also shameful that Waitrose is not supporting the very community it serves, and who serve it with a high level of footfall and therefore profits at this store. When these chargers were first mooted, the manager indicated that they would provide a community asset. This they are not when you get a fine slapped on you for exceeding 90-minutes - hardly enough time to get a decent charge from the slower and cheaper (not that cheap!) 22kw chargers.

Large numbers of us local

residents are on the threshold of buying, or have already bought, EVs only to find it a struggle to get a decent charge locally at a decent price. The time when we will all have to purchase an EV is not far off now.

There are obvious, simple infrastructure starting points, for example EV lampposts in an area where the bar to entry to EVs is not affordability, simply ‘chargeability’. These will not come soon so, meantime, Waitrose is our only stop gap.

It is a ‘no brainer’ for Waitrose to lift the 90-minute restriction. Perhaps they could do this for a 3-month experimental period to see the effect. My hunch is that there would not be queues of frustrated EV owners lining up waiting for a charge. Rather, Waitrose would be serving its immediate (and very supportive) community properly … and raking in more profit to boot!

I call on Waitrose to abandon their time limit in order to maximise access.

George Lewis Westbury Park

I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent installation of 5G Masts in our community, particularly the one near the school and care home in Westbury on Trym.

In numerous cases across the country, residents have found themselves uninformed about the erection of these masts. There has been a noticeable absence of any prior notification or even the placement of a poster on a nearby light pole to inform the community about this significant change.

The local residents of Westbury on Trym strongly object to this towering 65ft 5G mast being erected near the school and care home. The proximity to these sensitive areas raises concerns about potential health and safety risks for the students and residents.

Our community deserves transparency, and it is imperative that we engage in an open dialogue to address the concerns of the residents.

Westbury resident

n EDUCATION

Fairfield leavers 'ready for the challenge'

STUDENTS, families and staff in Fairfield High School celebrated a fantastic set of GCSE results. The grades reflect the hard work, determination, and resilience of the students and the relentless efforts of staff.

There were plenty of smiles from students and their parents as envelopes were opened. Zayan was one example. He said: “I was so shocked with my results and never believed I could have done so well. My biggest achievement was an 8 in science, which is down to all my amazing teachers.”

Interim Principal Amanda Bridgewater expressed pride in the students' accomplishments, stating: "I am absolutely delighted with this year's exam results. Our students have shown exceptional commitment to their studies, and their hard work has truly paid off. These results are a testament to their determination and the unwavering support they have received from our staff and

their families."

One parent said: “Fairfield has been absolutely amazing for my two daughters. They came to the school not knowing many people, but the Summer School and staff’s integration really helped them to settle in. During lockdown the school was fantastic, with excellent

communication and regular check ins. During the past year, the school has provided superb support and many additional lessons which have been a huge help. I am so proud of my daughter; during the past year the hours and hours and hours of revision has really paid off.”

Beyond academic outcomes,

Fairfield High School places a strong emphasis on holistic education, and the school is also celebrating students’ success outside of the exam hall. A substantial number of students took part in extracurricular activities that led to local and national awards, including equalities, performing arts and sports, while still maintaining their focus on studies.

In a message to the graduating class, Ms Bridgewater said: "These results are a stepping stone to your future endeavours. Your hard work and determination have brought you this far, and I have no doubt that you will continue to achieve greatness in all that you pursue. Remember, your time at Fairfield has prepared you not only for academic challenges but also for the challenges of life."

YEAR 11 students at Redmaids’ High School were elated after receiving an outstanding set of GCSE results.

Lots of top grades at Redmaids' High

FORTY three per cent of all grades awarded were 9, the highest possible, with 67 per cent 8 or 9.

The school enjoyed strong success across a number of departments, with over half of students achieving 9s in English Language, Biology, Art, Food and Nutrition, Histo-ry, Music and PE.

As always, there were strong individual success among the cohort. Fifty two per cent of the year group achieved five or more 9s. This is up from 38 per cent last year and 19 per cent in 2019.

Seventeen students achieved nine or more 9s with particular congratulations to Anna, Astrid and Matilda who each achieved eleven 9s.

Head Paul Dwyer said, “We are thrilled to celebrate with our students as they received an outstanding set ofresults. All students have worked so hard over the last two years and should be rightly proud of what they haveattained as a result. They have been warm and wonderful supporters of one another, and a true joy to work with as a cohort.

“The dedication they have shown to their studies has been admirable, and I am de-lighted that they have been richly rewarded for all their hard work.

"We welcome many of them back for Sixth Form.”

Senior - 7 October

Sixth Form - 12 October

Junior - 4 November

n EDUCATION

MHS students achieve exceptional results

MONTPELIER High School maintained its record of academic excellence with an exceptional set of GCSE results.

An outstanding 85 per cent of students achieved at least a grade 4 in English and Maths, with more than two thirds (68 per cent) gaining a grade 5 or above.

Academic attainment overall was in line with or above 2019 pre-Covid outcomes.

Headteacher Ben Spence congratulated the students on their success. They are well set for the next steps towards their future goals, with a large proportion opting to remain at MHS in its inclusive and welcoming co-educational sixth form, V6.

The school saw some outstanding individual performances, such as Alys Wood and Maja Piwarska, who each earned eight grade nines.

Among other high achievers were:

• Emily Soar, Maeva Page Cotton and Iris Jordan: seven 9s, 8s in other subjects.

• Anna Raju and Iris Jordan: six 9s, 8s in other subjects.

• Chloe McGregor: seven 9s, one 8 and one 7

• Isabella Bassett: six 9s, two 8s and one 7.

• Brooke Logan and Bethan Walker: five 9s and the rest 8s.

Brooke said: “I am very happy with my grades and am looking forward to joining V6

to do A-levels in French, Psychology, English Literature and History. I am thinking of maybe going into law.

“My teachers have been so supportive. They have always tried to make sure everyone feels happy and safe at school as well as doing well academically.

“I have been part of the School Parliament and there has been a focus on listening to what students want and acting on it.”

A number of students exceeded their target grades. Esha Bibi, who was predicted 4s did fantastically well to achieve one 8, three 7s, four 6s and two 5s while Sally Naser got four 9s, two 8s, two 7s and one 6.

Esha was thrilled with her grades,

especially in the science subjects, as she plans to study Maths, Biology and Chemistry at V6 and intends to join the armed services before university.

Anastasija Sobol, who suffered from long Covid throughout Year 11 and especially in the examination period, which led to her missing some papers, emerged with a clutch of high grades.

She said: “It was really tough – on some days I was I fainting in the mornings before exams, which was very unpleasant. But I managed to sit at least one paper in every subject and all papers in some subjects, which I was very proud about.”

Anastasija, from Lockleaze, had Covid in January 2022 and began experiencing long Covid symptoms a couple of months afterwards. She later developed problems with blood pressure and heart rate and was diagnosed with orthostatic postural hypotension and postural orthostatic taschycardia syndrome (POTS). Anastasija was able to take enough of the exams for the marks for the papers she missed to be estimated. She has now been discharged from the long Covid clinic and is making a steady recovery and study for A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Computer Science at V6.

n EDUCATION

STUDENTS at Bristol's independent schools achieved some spectacular GCSE results.

At BGS, more than half of all grades were at 8 or 9 (with 30% of all grades being 9s), figures which are ahead of the already high pre-pandemic averages achieved at BGS. An amazing one in five pupils gained ten or more GCSEs at grade 8 or 9, including 13 students who have grade 9s in ten or more subjects. One in three pupils attained ten or more grades 7, 8 and 9 (equivalent to A* - A in the old system), and half of our pupils achieved eight or more grades at this level.

BGS head, Jaideep Barot, said: “Having had the start of their GCSE studies disrupted by Covid and having had to deal with more than most since then, I am just so thrilled for this

Celebrations all round

group that their endeavour and resilience has paid off. All while contributing so richly to the full breadth of BGS life. I hope they are all as proud of the journey they have been on as we are.”

Almost a quarter of GCSE grades at Clifton College were 9s and 61 per cent were 9-7.

Exceptional grades were achieved by: Alex, eleven 9s; Nicole, ten 9s and one 8; Rosie nine 9s and one 8; Henry, three 9s, four 8s and one 7.

Head of college, Dr Tim Greene, said: “I would like to congratulate all our pupils on securing such a great set of results. These results have come about through a great deal of

hard work and with amazing support from teaching staff.”

Badminton School Year 11 pupils are celebrating some outstanding GCSE results. One student, Christina, who achieved grade 9 in all her GCSEs, was congratulated by the OCR exam board for being one of the top performers nationally in Latin, obtaining full marks in each component.

Nearly two thirds of Science and Maths grades were 8 or 9.

Jessica Miles, head, said: “Our Year 11 pupils should be extremely proud of what they have achieved. Let’s not forget that the normal rhythm of their school life was taken away

from them when they were approaching their final term in Year 8, but they have faced up to the disruptions and challenges along the way. "

At Collegiate, staff said Year 11 pupils had achieved excellent results, despite "doom and gloom" predictions of a fall in top grades nationally.

The school reported 58% of all grades at 7 to 9, with 17% of at 9 and one in five students achieving all grades at 7 or above.

Collegiate head Jeremy McCullough said: "While it is important to remember that our students always learn far more than simply what is required to pass exams, it is certainly very rewarding to see them achieve such good examination results. "Congratulations to all the Year 11s for achieving their best."

Celebratory smiles at Bristol Grammar School

Results day at Clifton College

Triumphant students at Badminton

The GCSE class of 2023 at Collegiate

TRINITY ACADEMY 6TH FORM

Wednesday 11th October 2023

Tuesday 7th November 2023

Sister school to Bristol Cathedral Choir School To

n EDUCATION

Trinity to open sixth form

TRINITY Academy is launching its sixth form ready for a September 2024 start.

The new school opened in 2019 and moved into new facilities in September 2021. It has been oversubscribed since its opening and now has a full lower school. As part of the Cathedral Schools Trust, Trinity Academy sets a high standard of learning for its diverse school community and its mission for high academic teaching, a caring community and strong co-curricular offer resonates with the community.

Trinity is now looking to extend this mission and values to its sixth form which will open in purpose built facilities that have been designed to meet the needs of our post 16 students. The school is working in close partnership with colleagues at Bristol Cathedral Choir School (BCCS )sixth form which is oversubscribed and recently rated outstanding by Ofsted. Trinity sixth form will assume the same structures, processes and curriculum.

The school has a teaching staff of highly academic, outstanding teachers. Classes at Trinity are likely to be smaller than many other Bristol providers which will enable the school’s focus on a caring

community. The sixth form will also have a strong Performing Arts programme with formal links to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Each institution will be involved in sharing their expertise and delivering part of the Dance, Drama and Music A Levels.

Headteacher Eiron Bailey says: “We are confident that our mission at Trinity translates into a first class and unique sixth form provision where outstanding academic tuition is combined with high level, individual support and a broad co-curricular offer. 6th formers at Trinity will have the opportunity to achieve both academic success and develop broader qualifications whether this be within the performing arts or leadership arenas.”

Open events for the sixth form are being held at Trinity Academy on Wednesday October 11 and Tuesday November 7. Places can be booked via the Trinity Academy website (www. trinityacademybristol.org/sixth-form) or direct from Eventbrite.

There will be teachers and staff on hand to discuss the options available to students and the application process.

Mayor of Kyiv sends thanks Beanstalks flourishing

BRISTOL Grammar School (BGS) students

were pleased to received a message of thanks from Vitaliy Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv.

A school spokesperson said: "The message was thanking BGS for its support for students from Ukraine. It is extremely touching that, with all that the people of Kyiv and Ukraine are currently facing, the mayor took the time to record this video message and send a photo and plaque.

"BGS has welcomed four Ukrainian students under our Refugee Admissions Programme, one of whom received the message and gifts from Ukraine via his father and passed them on to the BGS Head, Jaideep Barot. Both the Head and the staff at BGS are incredibly moved by this gesture, and so pleased that the BGS has community has been able to offer some small assistance to the young people of Ukraine."

Bristol Grammar School’s Refugee Admissions Programme was developed in consultation with Bristol City Council to help provide secondary school places for refugees who are seeking sanctuary in our city.

The scheme is open to any child refugees newly arriving in the UK, subject to places being available in the relevant year-group, with the cost of attending BGS covered through a combination of government funding and donations to the BGS Refugee Admissions Fund.

A PRE-SCHOOL in Bishopston has retained its Good rating following its latest Ofsted inspection.

Bishopston Beanstalks, which meets in Bishopston Methodist Church in Gloucester Road, was visited by the watchdog in July.

The inspector Lin Harvey said in her report that all children were valued and were sensitively supported by staff.

“Children have warm and trusting relationships with staff, who are kind and caring. They smile with delight as staff greet them when they arrive and separate from their parents happily. Staff create a tranquil atmosphere and genuinely listen to the children. Children are calm and behave well hey understand the clear boundaries set.,” she wrote.

Ms Harvey rated Bishopston Beanstalks as Good in all areas - quality of education, leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes and personal development and she said safeguarding was effective.

STUDENTS at Redmaids' High School have set up a helpline for World Mental Health Day.

People will be able to call and listen to a range of pre-recorded positive messages devised by the students, including some in Ukrainian and Somali.

The project has been overseen by the sixth form wellbeing ambassadors, who work closely with pastoral staff to mentor and support younger students.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, they have worked with pupils from Years 4 and 7 on the project,

discussing what words might be well received.

Alice Hinks, from the school, said: "Across the country, there has been a dramatic increase

in mental health concerns post-covid. We are very proud of the work the students have done to get this initiative off the ground and hope that the

local community can benefit from their superb words of encouragement."

You can call the 'Peptalk Hotline'on 0117 9898 257.

Pupils launch mental health initiative College's new training ward

CITY of Bristol College students are set to benefit from an innovative simulation and training ward that will train and upskill the next generation of NHS and other health and social care staff across the city.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris met health and care students during the first week of term at the College Green centre who will use the new facilities on site, which include manikins that blink and groan, virtual reality headsets, Bluetooth equipment and more.

The technology means that lecturers can offer super-practical sessions to reinforce learning of the skills students will need in the NHS, and other health settings.

Reception 2024 TOURS

Reception 2024 TOURS

Is your child starting school in September 2024? At Henleaze Infant School we are invested in our children and our families, and we want to meet you!

Reception 2024 TOURS

Is your child starting school in September 2024?

To book onto one of our tours, please contact the school office. Henleaze Infant School, Park Grove, BS9 4LG 0117 377 2442 / https://www.henleaze-inf.bristol.sch.uk

At Henleaze Infant School we are invested in our children and our families, and we want to meet you!

school in September 2024? At Henleaze Infant School we are invested in our children and our families, and we want to meet you!

To book onto one of our tours, please contact the school office.

tours, please contact the school office.

Park Grove, BS9 4LG

https://www.henleaze-inf.bristol.sch.uk

Henleaze Infant School, Park Grove, BS9 4LG 0117 377 2442

www.henleaze-inf.bristol.sch.uk

Culture and sport bring us joy

My new role as Shadow Secretary of

State for Culture, Media and Sport

On 4th September, Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour party, offered me the position of Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which I accepted.

I am excited at the opportunity of working closely with the UK’s talented creative and sports organisations. As a professional musician from a family of musicians and artists, and the vibrant cultural life of the city I represent, I know of the valuable contributions made by all parts of these sectors.

Music, films, fashion and theatre by British artists and institutions are the country’s greatest export. Our sporting events like the Premier League, the Ashes or Wimbledon are watched by millions and our

media institutions like the BBC and Channel 4 produce awardwinning shows and provide incisive coverage of major global events. The Tourism sector is a huge generator of jobs and helps showcase our culture to the world.

Culture, media, and sport give us so much joy and a feeling of togetherness. They inform us of what is happening around us and play an important role in our great democratic tradition, which I am proud to be a part of. They also make a massive contribution to the taxes which fund our public services.

Under the next Labour government, I see it as my role to value the contributions made by artists to society and the economy. I look forward to supporting organisations in the face of evolving consumer preferences and the transition to net zero. Most of all, I will seek to leverage our world-beating cultural, sports and

tourism sectors to grow the UK’s economy, creating more jobs and opportunities across the country.

I couldn’t be more thrilled at the task that lies before me, and I hope to accomplish it with the grace and hard work required of any musician.

A new dental school in Bristol

I was happy to be asked to inaugurate the University of Bristol’s new dental school. My congratulations to the team on this excellent new facility.

Since last year, I have heard over and over again from people who are unable to see a dentist. A key challenge for NHS dentistry across the country is workforce and I hope Bristol’s expanded school will help address these shortages.

I have also been following up regularly with local NHS leadership about the clinic in St Pauls which

You only have one retirement: are you 100% sure you’ve got it right?

Are you really sure?

Around one third of retirees have difficulty adjusting to retirement and just 5% experience positive changes.

Planning for this time of life is typically based on financial needs, but rarely on the needs that make for better personal outcomes. Common struggles are based

on the challenges of:

• identifying a new purpose and identity

• making use of time meaningfully

• keeping connected and relevant

• maintaining physical and mental fitness

Using a Retirement Coach offers a wealth of benefits for individuals entering this transformative phase of life, thereby increasing the likelihood of a positive retirement experience. A Retirement Coach serves as a valuable ally in designing a fulfilling retirement that goes beyond financial stability.

Bottom line: hopefully you will have a long, fulfilling retirement, but if you are not 100% sure you’ve got it right there is more you can do now to reduce missed

recently shut down. Thanks to efforts of local campaigners like Tara Miran and Labour Councillor Amirah Cole, I was pleased to hear that an interested provider has stepped forward and had discussions with the landlord and the NHS towards restoring dental services in St Pauls.

opportunities later!

Contact me today to arrange for a free 30 minute, no obligation, consultation Sian.Reclaim@gmail.com. I’m a certified coach, specialising in non-financial retirement.

For more info on non-financial retirement support and what I offer see www.ReclaimLife.co.uk

Thangam Debbonaire writes for the Voice

Plans to issue licences for landlords

RENTING standards in Bishopston, Cotham and Ashley Down could improve under new plans to issue mandatory licences for landlords.

Bristol City Council is consulting on plans to expand landlord licensing, which could lead to several thousand ren cdsted homes being inspected.

Under the plans, some landlords would need to buy a licence to let out their properties. A licence would last for five years, including strict conditions to improve management practices and standards.

According to Labour Councillor Tom Renhard, cabinet member for housing, the council would offer advice to landlords on what improvements are needed. But if landlords do not meet the required standards on these conditions, they could then face enforcement action.

Writing on the mayor’s blog, Cllr Renhard said: “We want to make sure that people renting

properties across the city can feel confident that their home will be safe and secure, with clear standards for what this looks like and routes to raise concerns where property conditions are falling short.

“Those in private rented accommodation have lived for too long without adequate protections and with very limited options to guarantee decent living standards. Licensing places conditions on the landlord or agent to ensure that certain property standards are met and that good management practice is delivered.

“While the majority of landlords offer good quality homes and have positive relationships with their tenants, these additional measures would allow us to take action where this is not the case. Previous licensing schemes in Bristol have proved to be successful, helping us to improve standards of accommodation and tackle bad

management practices.”

The changes would affect houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) across Bristol, as well as privately rented homes in Bishopston Cotham, Ashley Down and Easton. These areas were selected as evidence suggests they have relatively more privately rented homes in poor condition. Without a licence, private landlords would not be allowed to rent these properties, and could face prosecution or a fine.

HMOs with five or more residents are already licensed in Bristol, so the new plans would affect homes with three or four residents. Privately rented homes not classified as HMOs would also be licensed — this includes homes occupied by single people, couples and families.

The cost of running the new licensing schemes is expected to be about £16 million. The council will cover the cost of the schemes

by charging landlords, but legally would not be allowed to use any income raised for any other council services.

HMO licences would cost landlords about £1,800, with discounts offered for relevant safety and energy performance certificates. Licences for other privately rented homes in Cotham, Easton, Bishopston and Ashley Down would cost £912, also with discounts on offer.

The latest plans were welcomed by opposition councillors in Bristol. Green Cllr Tom Hathway tweeted: “This proposal is long overdue, but a really positive step for Bristol’s tenants. Landlord licensing is one of the few tools we can use as a council to drive up standards through inspections, advice and enforcement.”

Comments can be made until November 7 at tinyurl. com/54h35jnn

by Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Meet your Family Lawyer – Victoria HancockPritchard of AMD Solicitors

1. What services do you provide?

Advertising Feature

I am a Family Solicitor and assist with a broad range of family matters including divorce, financial arrangements, child arrangements, domestic violence, cohabitation agreements, separation agreements, pre-nuptial and postnuptial agreements and change of name deeds.

How

2. What misconceptions do people have about family law?

Many people think that family law is always contentious. It doesn’t have to be. We always aim to provide pragmatic advice to enable you to reach the best resolution and to try to keep matters as amicable as possible, with the aim to achieving a resolution outside of Court. One of our team is a collaboratively trained lawyer, and we aim to adopt this approach when dealing with all matters. Our team are also resolution members.

will be. However a Will can be worded to provide that a gift of 10 % of the value of your estate at that time is given to a charity or charities of your choice. The effect of this will be that the rate of Inheritance Tax payable on the whole estate is reduced from 40 % to 36 %.

are heightened when going through such an emotional situation and discussing it with a relative stranger can make it even more challenging. We aim to be flexible at this critical stage, and offer a free 30 minute appointment by telephone, video call or faceto-face to your preference. If you suffer from any physical or learning difficulty, it is always helpful to inform us of this when making the appointment, as we will endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible during this consultation. We can also provide you details of other professionals and support services, which may be able to assist you whilst dealing with a family breakdown.

The gift that pays for itself

By Shelley Faulkner,

3. What would you say to someone who is nervous to engage with a solicitor?

solicitor with AMD Solicitors

WHILE most of us support a number of charities in our lifetime, it is perhaps not surprising that a smaller number choose to remember a charity in their Will. Clearly the priority for most is to provide for a surviving spouse or children, or to ensure that the family wealth can be passed on to benefit the next generation.

However, government policy is clearly to encourage giving to charity, and a recent development in the law is intended to promote gifts to charity being made by Will. This change may also, on occasion, serve to save Inheritance Tax, or even to create a gift which literally pays for itself.

Reduced rate of Inheritance Tax

Where somebody dies after 6 April 2012 the rate of Inheritance Tax applied to the estate can be reduced from 40 % to 36 % (in other words by 10 %), provided that at least 10 % of the estate passes to charity.

Clearly it is not possible to determine in advance exactly what value the assets you leave by Will will have on your death for Inheritance Tax purposes, or what 10 % of the total value

In same circumstances, it has been calculated that this reduction in the tax bill can serve to leave the estate, even after payment of the gift to charity, with a value as high as if the gift had not been made. Thus the gift can in some cases quite literally pay for itself.

We recognise that it takes a lot of confidence to make an initial appointment with a solicitor. We appreciate that it is natural to feel apprehensive before a first meeting with anyone. We acknowledge that such feelings

Even where a Will has not been prepared in these terms, it may be possible to take advantage of this tax break. If the beneficiaries of the estate agree, it is possible to effectively amend the terms of a Will within two years of the date of death. A ‘Deed of Variation’ can be drawn up which sets out the family members’ agreed arrangements

for the distribution of the estate, and the estate can then be divided as if the Will had been made in these terms. A Deed of Variation could therefore provide that 10 % of the estate is to pass to a chosen charity or charities, making the estate as a whole eligible for the reduced rate of Inheritance Tax.

members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the leading professional body in this field. We offer a free initial consultation for new clients.

4. How long have you been in your field?

Since qualifying into a family position, I have practiced within Bristol and the South West in both criminal and family law. I believe the experience of criminal law has enhanced my knowledge and has given me invaluable experience. Since making the decision to return to family law, I can often identify areas such as where domestic violence has been an issue, where my knowledge of criminal law assists.

For advice on administration of estates, trusts, wills, powers of attorney and all private client issues, contact Shelley Faulkner, Florence Pearce and the other members of the team on 0117 9621205, email probate@ amdsolicitors.com or call in at 15 The Mall Clifton, or 100 Henleaze Road Henleaze.

solicitor, I had a strong interest in the human areas of law. Family breakdown should not be underestimated, as it can be one of the most stressful life events. It is very rewarding to be able to assist someone at such a difficult and vulnerable time and helping them to reach a resolution that will allow them to look towards a brighter future.

5. How did you come to specialise in family law?

As a student, a paralegal and a trainee

This change in the law is clearly very good news both for charities, and potentially for some estates as well. However the detail of the application can be complex. For example, the estate is divided into different ‘components’ depending on how the property will pass to the beneficiaries, in order to calculate whether the 10 % test has been met. Taking specialist advice on the implications for your particular circumstances is therefore essential.

AMD’s team of experienced private client solicitors and practitioners includes full

AMD Solicitors takes pride in sponsoring local, Bristol based charities and this year is very pleased to be supporting the Bristol branch of the Alzheimer’s Society, the local branch of this national charity which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in Great Britain. For full details of our fundraising activities visit our website www.amdsolicitors.com.

At AMD Solicitors, our experienced family solicitors can offer you guidance and support through all aspects of family law. You can contact them by calling our Henleaze office on 0117 962 1205, contacting info@amdsolicitors.com or visiti one of our four Bristol offices.

Copyright AMD Solicitors

You like chocolate? Smashing ...

A SET of five chocolate sculptures of Bristol icons are being brought together for the first and last time.

They were made as part of a sweet arts project by local artist Luke Jerram celebrating the city’s culture and history.

Edible Histories, which is funded by the West of England Combined Authority, led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris, marks the 650th anniversary of Bristol’s charter.

The chocolate models include Concorde, a gorilla, medicine bottles and the largest chocolate button in history.

Now all five objects, which have been wrapped in gold foil, and displayed within the much-loved attractions who signed up to the project, will be united at St Georges in Bristol on Saturday October 21 from 11am to 12.30pm.

That event will include an introduction about the project by Luke Jerram and Mayor Norris, and a talk by historian Dr Richard Stone who is a specialist in Bristol’s inspiring history and the transatlantic slave trade. All the objects will then be introduced by the participating venues.

The objects will then be broken up by 10 members of the public, to be distributed to the public there on the day, and to Trussell Trust Foodbanks in the city.

People are able to put their

names forward for a draw to take part in the chocolate smashing via an online ballot at www.lukejerram.com before September 29.

Five hundred free tickets are available to attend this event, which can be booked through Eventbrite at https://rb.gy/ zl9ld. As well as watching the event, locals will also get to take home a bag of chocolate at the end.

The chocolate Concorde went on display at Aerospace Bristol

The world's biggest chocolate button was at Glenside Museum

The chocolate gorilla was destined for Bristol Zoo Project

Chocolate bottles at Tyntesfield

Support local food producers

This year it's been hard to get away from news of rising food prices and the supermarkets have been quick to paint themselves as the heroes: 'you need cheap food, and we can provide it for you.'

The reality is that everything we eat comes from the same Earth and if food looks cheap, the price must have come at a cost to the natural world or workers instead. Polluted waterways, damaged habitats, more greenhouse gases (Sustainable Food Trust, 2019) and 25% of farmers forced below the poverty line (Sustain, 2022) are the real cost of cheap food.

The good news is that we can do something about it. Every £1 we choose to spend with retailers who prioritise local producers and support their communities can generate £3.70 of social and environmental value (New Economics Foundation, 2021). This is so much better than the £1 of damage for every £1 spent in supermarkets (Sustainable Food Trust, 2019).

With more people being pulled back to the

supermarkets in search of cheap food, many of the 40+ local food producers we work with across the South West have struggled to stay afloat. And so have retailers like us.

If you can, shop local. It’s a tired phrase on a tired planet but organisations like ours and the communities of people and wildlife that we

support, need you more than ever.

The Community Farm is an organic farm that grows, sources and delivers climate-friendly food across the local area. We are communityowned and not-for-profit. Find out more at thecommunityfarm.co.uk

n COMMUNITY NEWS

Apple Day will celebrate 25 fruitful years

IN 1998 members of Avon Organic Group (AOG) were looking for a site to plant a new community orchard in Bristol. One day, walking along the lane from Bishop Road to Longmead Avenue, Pauline Markovits, the woman with the inspiration for the orchard, spotted fruit trees in blossom on the other side of the allotment fence. Among the flowering trees was the apple that has come to be known as the Golden Hill Pippin.

Now a deep-rooted community food project, Horfield Organic Community Orchard (HOCO) invite all readers to celebrate their 25th anniversary at this year’s Apple Day on Sunday 22 October. Highlights include the Apple Tasting table, and human-powered juice pressing. Arrive early for homemade cake, fresh-pressed juice, and the pick of plants and preserves.

The sale of young fruit trees also raises funds for the orchard. Earlier this year HOCO members, who are volunteers, took part

in several grafting workshops, and have looked after the baby trees since then. Pre-ordering trees is highly recommended. See the HOCO website for more information.

I’m pleased to report we’ll have some Golden Hill Pippin trees for

sale, along with many other HOCO favourites. It’s a gorgeous looking and wonderful tasting apple. We’re not sure if it’s a one-off, but since HOCO rescued the abandoned allotment plots 25 years ago, this tree has been nurtured back to health and fruitfulness.

HOCO members are also delighted by news of a successful funding bid to the West of England Combined Authority’s Community Pollinator Fund for a project called Bee Active, Bee Fruitful! Visitors to Apple Day will be able to see a proto-type wild beehive suited to small gardens installed in the Home Orchard Plot. More pollinator-friendly projects, along with opportunities for community volunteering, are planned in the coming months.

Shannon Smith

APPLE DAY

Sunday 22 October, 2-4pm

To find the orchard (nearest postcode BS7 8JP) - Walk down the lane beside 22 Kings Drive (between Bishop Road & Kellaway Avenue), turn left and it’s the first gate on the right. OR Take the lane beside 134 Longmead Avenue (BS7 8QQ) until you come to the last gate on the left. Please contact HOCO c/o the website to sign up for up-to-date information: www.community-orchard.org.uk

Phone: 0117 373 1587

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Tasting table at the 2022 community orchard Apple Day

HISTORY WITH JULIAN LEA-JONES

Tide of washday memories hanging out on the line

NOWADAYS, washing machines cater for everything from a single silk scarf to a load of muddy football strip.

But years ago washday was laborious and occupied most of Mondays. The early machines comprised a heated tub and electric mangle which developed into a second tub containing a spin dryer - the ‘Twin Tub’.

As late as the mid 1960s even basic machines were expensive and I can remember a town where an entrepreneur purchased a twin tub machine and took it around on a trolley behind his bicycle. The housewife rented it for an agreed time, after which he would collect it and tow it to the next customer!

The introduction of washing powders which included blue whiteners was another welcome innovation. Remember DAZ, OMO, Tide, Persil, Fairy, Acdo, and Rinso?

Just a few from the range promising to ease washday labour. One television advertising campaign featured the 'White Tide man' who aimed to visit every street in Britain with ‘white’ in its name. White Leaze off Southmead Road saw him surrounded by a group of happy smiling housewives displaying their whiter than white sheets, all thanks of course to the soap powder in question.

In the nineteenth century those who didn’t have a large house with their own laundress sent out their washing, usually to someone living in an overcrowded damp and ill ventilated house.

When cholera, typhoid and consumption, (Tuberculosis) were the main killers, the practice of taking in washing from more than one household at a time did much to spread disease.

William Budd, Bristol Royal Infirmary’s famous physician and epidemiologist, recognised that as well poor sanitation this practice was a cause of diseases he was endeavouring to prevent.

The situation was resolved by the establishment of municipal laundries on the edges of the city where washing could be dried outdoors. Plaques recognising William Budd’s life-saving achievements can be seen both at the top of Park Street and at Lansdown Place in Clifton.

Laundry services were a lifesaver

READER Richard Rossington has been in touch with the answer to the Mystery of the Seventh Crest article in August’s Voice.

He says: “The mystery crest is the early version of the crest of Clifton College, used until 1895, when the present arms were granted. |The Clifton College on heraldry-wiki. com has the detail. It was the trefoil that gave it away - I knew I'd seen it on school blazers

By 1913 Bristol Directories listed at least 67 laundries. Among them were: Paxman’s at 1a Chandos Rd, Mrs Williams’ at 1 Golden Hill, The Golden Hill Laundry at 21 Golden Hill, The

locally. Incidentally, The Reverend John Henry Wilkinson, who ran the school, was himself a son of the one-time Master of Marlborough College (1851 Census). He was only ever a Deacon, never becoming a Priest, according to Crockford's Clerical Directory.”

Many thanks to Richard for resolving the mystery of the seventh crest and the origins thereof. Although I had checked Clifton first,

The ads promised happiness for the housewife

National Sunlight at 47 Henleaze Road, (later Paxman’s).

There were seven along Southmead Road, from just past the Fire Station to Filton: The Bristol Sanitary laundry, Fosters, The Clifton Steam Laundry, The Royal Southmead laundry, The Laundry, The Excelsior, and Samuel Shields Laundry.

I am sure many readers will remember other neighbourhood laundries. I recall Willways, who were at number 2 The Mall Clifton, and Bolloms, Cleaners & dyers, at 19 Regent Street, Clifton, (but nowadays in 2023, the site of Clifton Hardware).

Bolloms had shops at Grove buildings, Blackboy Hill, 109 Whiteladies Road, as well as 94a Whiteladies Road, and 93 Henleaze Road, 233 Southmead Road. Their premises were taken over by Johnson’s Apparelmaster.

The laundries took on contract and workwear cleaning when it was discovered that the tradition of machinists taking their overalls home to be washed did not remove all traces of harmful lubricants. These could sometimes contaminate other household laundry and cause harmful health problems. This prompted employers to arrange for work clothing to be professionally cleaned so as to removing the potential health risk.

hadn’t thought to consider the possibility of their having earlier arms. Bearing in mind Reverend Wilkinson’s ecclesiastical and scholarly background, Clifton would have been an obvious inclusion. I wonder if he placed it at end of the sequence, as hubris. Biblically seven being the number of perfection, and I wonder if his pupils’ parents spotted the possible allusion.

Photo: Bristol Museum Collections

Photo: Revision World

Taking the plunge

KEEN runner and hospital worker Roger Farrow is heading for a hair raising charity event – a 160 feet bungee jump.

Roger from Westbury-on-Trym has already done a paraglide and sky dive, but says this is even more scary. Roger says he’s signed up to raise money for Southmead Hospital Charity at the jump at the Lloyds Amphitheatre on October 22.

“I have chosen to perform a bungee jump as I am scared of heights and although I have done a tandem skydive and paraglide in the past - the thought of doing a bungee jump on my own is risky as it involves walking off the edge of a crane,” he said.

“This is a fear to me as heights are difficult for me. I learned this after a holiday in Madeira where I was walking cliff paths and around the sides of mountain edges where I noted that my breath become quickened.”

“I feel my purpose in this event is to combat my fear of heights and to also help boost the local Bristol economy by involving businesses to raffle events through the Southmead Hospital Charity,” he said.

He has set a personal fund raising target of £150 – but hopes to go well beyond that.

“I have chosen the Southmead Hospital Charity as I work for the hospital and my Aunty Olwen was recently admitted and died there at Southmead back in December 2022.”

Roger previously featured in the Voice when he did a marathon run charity fundraiser for the Bristol mother and baby charity the Capella Foundation.

You can sponsor Roger here: https:// southmeadhospitalcharity.enthuse.com/pf/roger-farrow

Dementia Aware awards

BRISTOL Dementia Action Alliance is hosting its second Dementia Aware Awards at its AGM on Wednesday September 27.

The awards celebrate and showcase the achievements of businesses and organisations across Bristol.

With an estimated 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK, including nearly 5,000 in Bristol, BDAA’s work is vitally important. Founder and chair Tony Hall said: ”We are delighted to host our second year of these awards to recognise the hard work of local organisations in becoming dementia aware. BDAA is a small local charity aiming to make Bristol a dementia aware city – something we can’t do without the support of so many others. These awards are our way of recognising and celebrating all the good work that is happening within the communities of Bristol.”

The awards are at Westbury Baptist Church from 3-5pm. For info visit https://bdaa.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-aware-awards

Commemoration windows

STAINED glass windows including a design showing a non-white Jesus as a child refugee fleeing Egypt in a dinghy, have been installed at St Mary Redcliffe church.

Another shows Jesus joining the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963. The church has installed the new designs to better recognise the part played by black and Asian people in Bristol’s history.

They replace glass which commemorated Bristol slave trader Edward Colston, which were removed following the toppling of the Colston Statue into Bristol Harbour in 2020.

The stained glass images of Colston included a quote from the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’. The new windows, chosen after a competition for new designs, share a different quote from the same Biblical: ‘And who is my neighbour?” The designs were drawn by Bristol junior doctor Ealish Swift.

When Rosa Parks sat down,

THE city has been marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the Bristol Bus Boycott with a series of sixty events and commemorations, from inspiring artwork to services and community activities.

The boycott in 1963 was seen by many as a shocking part of Bristol’s history – but one that led to huge changes in racial equality in the UK.

A BRIGHTLY painted double decker bus has taken to the streets of Bristol to mark the anniversary of the Bristol Bus Boycott.

The artwork= on one side is dominated by the colours of the Jamaican flag in recognition of Guy Bailey, who was refused a job as a bus driver - sparking the protest. His face, alongside other boycott pioneers, features on the bus, helping to tell the story from the arrival of the Windrush generation through to the boycott protests and

subsequent introduction of the Race Relations Act 1965.

It also pays tribute to the employment of the city’s first Asian bus conductor Raghbir Singh, along with other drivers and conductors. It was designed by Bristol illustrator Alissa Thaler, 32, who won a contest run by First West of England.

It started after 18-year-old Jamaica-born Guy Bailey was refused a job as a driver with the Bristol Omnibus Company because he was black.

At the time it was legal to discriminate against someone because of the colour of their skin, and the bus operators had worked with the local white-dominated branch of the Transport and General Workers’ Union to ban Black and Asian people from becoming drivers and conductors.

Guy was one of about 3,000

people of Caribbean descent who had come to Bristol after World War II, when the country was desperate for more workers.

Another among them was Roy Hackett, who emigrated to the UK in 1952, and had already been turned down for a labouring job because of his colour when, in 1962, his wife Ena applied for a job as a bus conductor, and was refused.

Hackett and several other St Paul's residents including Owen Henry, Audley Evans and Prince Brown formed the West Indian Development Council to lobby for equal rights.

They were joined by Paul Stephenson, who arranged a bus driver job application for Guy Bailey. When Stephenson told the company that Bailey was West Indian, the interview was cancelled.

Inspired by the refusal of Rosa Parks to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama and

the ensuing Montgomery Bus Boycott in the United States in 1955, the activists decided on a bus boycott in Bristol.

In April 1963, the WIDC started a boycott of all the company’s bus services across Bristol - and Bristolians from many different ethnic backgrounds joined in.

To illustrate the parallels with the 48American civil rights protests, local photographers were invited to follow Owen Henry on to a Bristol bus. Pointedly, Henry stood at the back.

The boycott finally ended on August 28, 1963 - the day of Martin Luther King’s historic ‘I have a dream’ speech, when Bristol Omnibus Company backed down and overturned its discriminatory ‘colour bar’ policy.

Three weeks later, on September 17, Raghbir Singh, a Sikh, became Bristol's first bus

conductor of colour. Shortly after, Norman Samuels became Bristol’s first Black bus conductor.

The success of the Bristol Bus Boycott is credited as paving the way for the UK’s Race Relations Acts of 1965 and 1968, and is now at the heart of the Equality Act 2010, which legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.

Julz Davis of Curiosity Unltd, the organisation behind the 60th anniversary celebrations said: “In a year of many anniversaries, the boycott stands head and shoulders above them all.

“No other city in the world can say when Rosa Parks sat down Bristol stood up and

Bristol stood up Which boycott hero will city choose?

A NEW police horse is to be named after one of the Bristol Bus Boycott pioneers, as part of the city’s 60th anniversary commemorations.

Individuals and schools from across Bristol are being invited to vote in an online poll, which runs until October 8.

They can vote for their favourite police horse name from a shortlist which pays tribute to some of the key people involved in the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said the names had been put forward with permission of the pioneers’ families.

The six names to choose from include Guy Bailey OBE, whose treatment when he applied to become a Bristol bus driver sparked the boycott, and Owen Henry, who became a driving force behind the St Paul’s Carnival.

The others are Audley Evans, Barbara Dettering, Raghbir Singh, Norman Samuels, and Prince Brown.

The winning name will

adopted by one of the mounted section’s latest recruits, currently known as trainee Police Horse Brutus.

After training, he will be used to police large-scale events like the Balloon Festival and Glastonbury, take part in

community patrols, and go on operational work including locating vulnerable missing people, tracking offenders and crime prevention.

Bristol North Central Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen said: “We share the city’s pride

marched for equality or that on the day the city defeated the colour bar, Martin Luther King Jnr had a dream.

“Building on this legacy, we look forward to coming up with new and innovative ways to address and accelerate racial justice for all, for good.”

Stephenson, Bailey and Hackett were all awarded OBEs for their part in the boycott.

Evans and Henry are two of the Seven Saints of St Paul's and are honoured on murals in the area.

in those people who peacefully, but determinedly, challenged and overcame racial inequality and will be proud for a police horse to carry the name of one of those pioneers as he carries out his future duties of serving the public and helping to keep our communities safe.”

She said it was hoped that the poll would encourage people to hear of and be inspired to explore the names and histories of those Bristolians who paved the way for equal rights and justice.

One participating school, picked at random, will win a visit by pupils to meet PH Brutus and his stable mates, at the police’s Wilfred Fuller VC Operational Training Centre in Clevedon.

There will also be a £100 Love Bristol card for one individual entry, donated by the Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District, which can be used at one of over 130 local businesses.

You can vote in the poll here: Bristol Bus Boycott – 60 year anniversary (office.com)

Pupils from Cabot Primary School in St Paul's with the horse, currently known as trainee Police Horse Brutus

The boycott plaque in Bristol Bus Station

n FEATURE

Indie music label born in Bristol

Did you know there once was an international record label based in a tiny flat opposite the Clifton Downs? This month, local author Jane Duffus is publishing book celebrating the significance of Sarah Records, the most independent of indie labels

SARAH Records was the Bristolbased indie label that signed the acts no major label would touch but who you wanted to hear. It put out a board game, produced cut'n'paste fanzines and stuck two fingers up to the mainstream music industry. It was your secret world and it was located here from 1987 to 1995.

Based first in a tiny Clifton flat and later in a house overlooking Bedminster train station, Sarah’s co-founders Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes were driven by feminism, ethics and a passion to truly embrace the DIY ethos of the post-punk scene. And fans were drawn to the label right from day one.

Clare and Matt were not concerned with forming a capitalist monolith to rival Virgin or EMI. Instead, they were eschewing the posturing and vanity of the pop charts and focusing on promoting the kind of bands that the major labels would be too scared to touch. When Sarah launched in November 1987, Clare was 19 and still at university, while Matt was 25 and a physics graduate who had been working as a car park attendant. The couple lived in a rented basement at 46 Upper Belgrave Road opposite the Clifton Downs and were scrimping to make ends meet.

“I remember spending the summer of 1987 walking around Clifton village and it was endless sunshine, which sounds unlikely, planning out what we were going to do,” says Clare. “And it wasn't like we had a plan that we were going to do 100 7" singles and then throw a big party but we always knew we wanted to do more than one, we weren't just putting a record out, we were starting a record label. I think right at the start we always knew

that fanzines would be a part of it and they'd be our contribution and the equal to records, maybe the written version of a 7" single.”

Bristol’s Subway Organization was an influence on Clare and Matt’s thinking that it would be possible to run a record label from the South West rather than London, and they admit that asking Subway’s Martin Whitehead for advice might have been the smart thing to do.

“I'm sure he'd have given of his time freely and been really brilliant, but we never even spoke to him about it,” says Matt.

During an interview on Radio 1 in 1992, Clare confirmed that part of the impetus for setting up Sarah was “we looked at other record labels and thought, ‘No, they're all doing it wrong, we can do it better’. So that was a motivation as well, we wanted to do it from the fan's point of view.”

The terms of their rental meant that Clare and Matt were not supposed to be running a business from the residence - although they later found out that their landlord’s agent had known all along that they were

doing so from the property and he couldn't have cared less. One clue might have come on the day that Clare and Matt accidentally set fire to the kitchen when they went out to collect records from the warehouse for sleeving, having forgotten that the oven was still on with the grill pan inside. Clare and Matt returned from the warehouse in two taxis, unloaded boxes of records onto the pavement, and watched in horror as smoke billowed out of their home while the Fire Brigade dealt with everything. And the agent looked on… Sometimes strange things happened while working from home. “We heard Shadow Factory coming through the wall once before we released it and it completely freaked us out. No one had a copy so how could we be hearing it through the wall?” says Clare. Their next door neighbour turned out to be Mike Gartside, who was the indie music writer at Bristol’s listings magazine Venue. Mike had taken

his promotional copy of Shadow Factory home to review.

“I looked at the address at the bottom of the record and was like, 'That's next door to me!' It was a real shock,” remembers Mike. “I was at No 45, and the partition between the two walls was practically non-existent, so I could put on a record in my flat and I'm sure they heard it almost perfectly in theirs. I deliberately put it on loud so they couldn't possibly not hear it.”

When Mike decided to move on, Clare and Matt jumped at the chance to upgrade to the slightly bigger premises. Moving day fuss was kept to a minimum since everything was transported internally, via a door in Mike’s bathroom that linked the two flats together.

In April 1992, buoyed by a few healthy cheques from albums, Clare and Matt decided to do the grown-up thing and buy a house. They moved to the only house they viewed: 31 Gwilliam Street in Windmill Hill.

Although Clare and Matt moved to London after they decided to close Sarah in August 1995, they remain enormously fond of Bristol. "If I wasn't living in London, Bristol would still be my top city to live in,” promises Matt. "Bristol is lovely because it's a self-contained big city. You can stand on Brandon Hill and there's greenery all around. So even though you're in a big metropolis, it doesn't take ages to get out.”

These Things Happen: The Sarah Records Story by Jane Duffus, is published by Tangent Books. For information, visit tangentbooks.co.uk and janeduffus.com

Clare and Matt in the early days

Photo: Sarah Records

Where it all began: Upper Belgrave Road

Photo: Sarah Records

Children's home plan

A CARE home in Bristol for adults with learning difficulties set to close could be turned into a new children’s home.

Concord Lodge in Horfield is run by Bristol City Council and provides long-term accommodation for six adults, but is due to shut by next March.

City Hall chiefs want to turn the building into a children’s care home as part of plans to meet rising demand. Two new homes are also planned elsewhere in Bristol to be set up in councilowned buildings.

A quarter of children from Bristol in care are now placed at least 20 miles from home, a figure which is increasing. The Labour cabinet approved plans to find a company or charity to run three homes during a public meeting on Tuesday, September 5, to care for more children locally.

Councillor Asher Craig,

deputy mayor responsible for education, said: “There is potential here for us to not lose that accommodation but repurpose it for the use of children and young people. We have an increasing percentage of children in care placed 20 miles or more away from home.

“We are already struggling to find placements to meet the needs of our most complex children, and this will be further compounded by the increase of children in care. These options will provide efficiencies and cost savings going forward, and give us more options in Bristol and bring children and young people closer to their families, networks and communities.”

There are 726 children from Bristol in care, and this is expected to increase.

by Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Progress on housing

BRISTOL City Council’s housing company has been praised for losing less money than expected.

Goram Homes thought it would make a loss of £2m in 2022/23 but it actually only lost £600,000.

The figures, revealed in the firm’s annual report, were broadly welcomed by cross-party councillors on the council’s overview & scrutiny management board (OSMB).

Managing director Stephen Baker said: “We’ve made significant progress this financial year and will soon be welcoming our first residents to our One Lockleaze development.We also secured planning permission for hundreds more homes across Bristol and began work at Hengrove Park, the largest development in Bristol this century. I’m pleased to report our finances are better than forecast in our business plan, a result of a prudent approach in a difficult market.

“Ours is a long-term business, creating new communities with the high levels of affordable housing so desperately needed in the city, and we look forward to building more than 3,000 new homes over the next decade.”

Mr Baker told the meeting that the company’s first homes, at 268home One Lockleaze, would be completed around Christmas.

He said the business, which teams up with housebuilders to create new estates and tackle the housing crisis, was focusing this year on its next three projects, all of which require detailed planning permission – 1,435 homes at Hengrove Park, 140 properties in Dovercourt Road and about 200 homes and extra care housing at New Fosseway Road.

by Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

A RETIREMENT VILLAGE WITH A CRICKET PITCH AT ITS HEART

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To advertise, contact Emma on 0117 9082121 or 07715 770448 or email emma@bishopstonvoice.co.uk.

THE final weeks leading up to harvest seem to pass painfully slowly but frighteningly quickly by the same measure.

As a grape grower you have the dilemma of wanting to pick your grapes as soon as possible and get them safely into the winery, away from risk of predation or disease. But you also want them to be as ripe as possible which means leaving them on the vine. It’s also a time when, as a vineyard manager, you go from being very selfsufficient to having to coordinate groups of people for a busy day of picking and transporting.

I’ve been testing the grapes and predicting harvest dates based on the current levels of acidity within the fruit. As the grapes ripen, the acidity levels drop and the sugar levels increase. I have been keeping

records for several years so it’s quite easy to work out when the time will be right to pick.

A lot of growers are finding that, despite having a very heavy crop, the grapes are ripening earlier this year. It’s funny to think that by the next time I write my blog, the harvest will all be over and we’ll be thinking and

planning ahead for 2024. The day after harvest is the growers equivalent to New Year’s Day – a fresh start.

In a quick wine update, we still have rosé but our stocks of fizz have run dry. Local shops will still have stock for a few more weeks. We have lots of new fizz back at the winery so will try and

prepare one for release in time for the festive period.

hello@dunleavyvineyards. co.uk

www.dunleavyvineyards.co.uk

@DYvineyards (Twitter/X) dunleavy vineyards (Facebook & Instagram)

Young people call for fairer bus system

YOUNG campaigners have been staging a high profile campaign for better buses.

They have hung banners from Cabot Tower, occupied the offices of West of England Combined Authority and taken part in a march.

Their efforts have won the backing of Green Party co-leader and Bristol councillor Carla Denyer.

The young people, members of Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate (BYS4C) and Extinction Rebellion Youth Bristol (XRYB, want the leader of WECA, Metro Mayor Dan Norris, to commit to bringing local bus services into a franchise system, which they believe would be fairer.

They are calling for free bus travel for under 25s, students and apprentices and they want the routes that have been axed to be restored.

The campaigners say franchising is successful in London and is about to come in for Greater Manchester.

Five young protesters held a sit-in at the WECA offices in Redcliff.

One of them said: “We’ve occupied WECA’s offices because we need urgent action to fix our broken bus system. Real people across the West of England are being affected by these unreliable services and cuts, leaving many unable to access key services, get to work or school, or see family and friends. WECA needs to be bold and take public

control of our local buses."

Carla Denyer, speaking the following day on College Green, said: “Everyone in Bristol wants our transport system to work better, and buses are vital to creating fairer, greener communities, in this city and across the country.

“Subsidising public transport can result in savings elsewhere, cutting the costs of congestion, reducing health costs associated with air pollution and helping tackle carbon emissions and the huge costs we will incur from the climate crisis.”

n COMPETITION WINNER

Banners on Cabot Tower

Young people occupy the WECA offices

Coast path run will boost The Grand Appeal

PHRED Steer is preparing to take on a gruelling challenge in support of Bristol charities.

Phred will take part this month in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Path ultramarathon, running three marathons over three days – that’s 78.6 miles, starting near Padstow and ending at Land’s End.

He is raising money for The Grand Appeal and is being supported by the Rotary Club, friends and family and local schools and businesses.

Phred took up running after a heart attack 11 years ago. Five years later, a family member’s cancer diagnosis brought him into contact with Bristol Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

This led Phred to use his running to bring in cash for The Grand Appeal, which supports the children’s hospital. He hopes the ultramarathon will raise funds for alternative

Choral treat in store

BRISTOL Bach Choir presens a concert on Saturday November 4 to mark the 650th anniversary of the city’s Royal Charter.

The event at St Alban's Westbury Park features the music of J.S. Bach and music by contemporary Bristol composers.

The choir will perform Bach’s Magnificat in D major and Cantata 129. These will be accompanied by the Bristol Ensemble using period.

As a complement to these works the choir will perform choral music by Raymond Warren, John Pickard, Maya Kitay, and a commission by Esther Bersweden which will receive its premiere performance.

The conductor will be David Bednall and Bristol Ensemble will be led by Roger Huckle. Tickets: £24, £18 (reserved), £10 (unreserved), students and under 18s, £5. Phone: Bristol Bach Choir Box Office 0117 214 0721 or visit https://www.bristolbach.org.uk

therapies for children on Starlight Ward.

Phred said: “This challenge isn’t just about testing physical limits; it’s about making a profound difference to the lives of those who need it the most.”

Among the businesses supporting Phred are:

About Face Giftware and more; Active8 Personal Training; BikeSmiths Bicycles; Chandos Deli; Clifton Fish and Chips; Clifton Fruit and Veg; Indira Rose Vintage and Antique Furniture; Long Ashton Together the Community Group; Mele Clothing; Recruitment Partnership IT and Business Specialists; The Sleep Clinic Good Sleep Good Health; Thrive Health, Fitness and Performance; and Wild Oats Natural Foods

For sponsorship info, please contact phredsteer@sky.com

Phred on an earlier running challenge

n WHAT'S ON

October 8

n Antique Vintage Fair

Sunday 8th October 10am3.30pm

Ashton Court Mansion Bristol BS41 9JN 40 stalls indoors.

Fine jewellery gold & silver, homeware, furniture, paintings, prints, vintage clothing and accessories, militaria and much more. Vintage cafe - serving tea/ coffees cream teas. £2 entry –under 16s free

October 20

n COFFEE AND CRAFT at Horfield Baptist Church, 160A Gloucester Road from 10.30 - 12.15. An opportunity to bring your craft, talk with others and have a relaxing time. Anyone is welcome to join in.

October 11

n PAG WITHOUT CAV

Following last April's showing of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Bristol WNO Friends present a complete performance of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on DVD after an introduction by Ian Cartwright. All are welcome to the Apostle Room, Clifton Cathedral, 6.45 for 7.15: easy parking, bar, Friends £8, Visitors £10. Further information from melaniejdavid@btinternet.com or 01934 842014

REGULAR EVENTS

Monday

n REDLAND WIND BAND has vacancies for some woodwind, brass and percussion players. This friendly group meets 7.30-9.30pm at Redland Church Hall, Redland Green. Contact via email on redlandwindband@gmail.com

n DICKENS SOCIETY. 7pm, at Leonard Hall, Henleaze URC, Waterford Rd, Bristol BS9 4BT. Talks, costumed readings, book club and social events. See www.dickenssociety.org.uk or phone Roma on 0117 9279875.

n PLAY BOWLS at Canford Park in a friendly, social atmosphere. Qualified coaches and equipment provided. Contact: Les on 07305695579

n WESTBURY AND CLIFTON

AREA DISCUSSION GROUP are a merry band of retired people who meet at Westbury on Trym Baptist Church every Monday morning (9.45) and like to challenge ourselves with topical debate on what’s happening in the world. If you would like to join and help to

solve some of today's challenging issues, contact James Ball 01454 415165 or Ian Viney 0117 9501628.

n BRISTOL COMMUNITY

GAMELAN play the music of Java at Cotham School from 6.30-8.30. We play by numbers – only 1-6, without the 4 ! So no auditions, no need to read music. If you fancy a different musical experience, contact us via email on keithripley27@gmail.com

n WESTBURY ON TRYM WOMEN'S INSTITUTE meets on the third Monday of the month in the Westbury Village Hall, Eastfield Road, BS9 4AG, from 2.00 - 4.00 pm. We have interesting speakers, and extra activities of crafts, lunch club, skittles and outings. For more information call Sascha on 07961619806 or Traci on 07766073917

Tuesday

n THE ARTS SOCIETY BRISTOL LECTURE welcomes new members. Our lectures, given by specialists in their own field, take place on the second Tuesday of the month from September to May at 8pm at Redmaids' High BS9 3AW and by internet. For more information visit our website www. theartssociety-bristol.org.uk

n BRISTOL HARMONY WEST GALLERY CHOIR and band sing and play lively church and village music from the 18thcentury. St Edyth’s Church Hall, St Edyth’s Road, Sea Mills, 7.30 pm on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month. All voices (SATB), string, wind and reed instruments welcome. No auditions but ability to read music helpful. www.bristolharmony.wordpress. com or call Fritjof 0117 924 3440. Contact before attending.

n POETRY UNLIMITED – poetry circle meet on the First Tuesday of every month 11am - 12 midday. Basement Room, Café Kino, 108 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3RU. £2.50 - £3.00 donation towards the cost of the room. Bring a couple of poems to share, other poets or your own. Contact Dee: wetwo@ gentlyblown.co.uk Web: www. poetryunlimitedbristol.weebly.com

n COMPANION VOICES BRISTOL

We are a 'threshold choir' looking for new people to join us. We meet in Easton on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 7 to 9 pm to learn songs by ear and build skills in sensitivity/compassion/ loving presence to sing at the bedsides of people nearing the end of life. To join/support us in this work, contact Valerie on bristol@companionvoices. org. Visit www.facebook.com/

CompanionVoicesBristol and www. companionvoices.org.

Wednesday

n WELCOME WEDNESDAY

Friendly and free coffee afternoon on the last Wednesday of the month, 2-3.30pm at The Beehive Pub, Wellington Hill West, BS9 4QY. Meet new people, have fun, and find out what’s happening in your local area. Call 0117 435 0063 for more information.

n 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 Tania by email at tanialake@yahoo.co.uk

n HEALING SESSIONS run by accredited healers take place 2 til 3.30pm at Westbury Park Spiritualist Church, Cairns Road BS6 7TH. Just turn up, or for info contact Marian Bishop 0117 9771629 or visit www. westburyparkspiritualistchurch.org

n BRISTOL VOICES COMMUNITY

CHOIR welcomes new members at any time. We meet at 7.30pm in St Werburghs Primary School during term time. See www.bristolvoices. org.uk for details.

Thursday

n HEALING FOR WELLBEING Feel more relaxed, peaceful, calmer. Drop-in 3.00 - 4.15 pm at Redland Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road, BS6 6JE. Donation basis. Supported by members of The Healing Trust. Selina 0117 9466434 or selinanewton@yahoo.co.uk.

n BISHOPSTON COMMUNITY CHOIR Meet on Thursday evenings, 7.30pm to 9.00pm at St Michael's and All Angels Church on Gloucester Road. Everyone welcome, no audition necessary. Contact us via email on bishoproadchoir@gmail.com

n HENLEAZE LADIES’ CHOIR

Come and join us as we fill St Peter’s Church Hall in Henleaze with a diverse selection of music. We are a friendly choir and meet on Thursday afternoons in term time from 1.45 to 3.45. There are no auditions, and the ability to read music is not necessary. Contact Jeanette on 9685409 or Jane on 07752 332278 n LOCAL CHOIR. We meet at Stoke Bishop CE Primary School, BS9 1BW on Thursday, 7.459.15pm. We are a well-established

mixed choir performing both sacred and secular music. See our website www.henburysingers. org or contact the secretary at secretary@henburysingers.org.

n HIGHBURY BADMINTON

CLUB: Pete Stables 0117 950 1524 or www.pete4458.wixsite.com/ highburybadminton Thurs 7:30pm mid September to End April, Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall

n OPEN DEVELOPMENT CIRCLE

For those interested in developing their spiritual awareness and mediumistic ability. 7.15 for 7.30pm start at Westbury Park Spiritualist Church, Cairns Road BS6 7TH. Just turn up, or for info contact Marian Bishop 0117 9771629 or visit www. westburyparkspiritualistchurch.org

n ENJOY SCOTTISH DANCING at St. Monica’s Oatley Hall, Cote Lane, BS9 3UN on Thursdays 7.30 – 10.00 p.m. £6.00 per session. Phone Trish 0788 052 8925/www. rscdsbristol.info

n THE STEPFORD SINGERS WOMEN'S COMMUNITY CHOIR meets at St Michael & All Angels Church, Bishopston on Thursday afternoons, 1pm to 3pm. No auditions and no need to read music - just come and sing, laugh and have a cuppa! For info, contact Fran franbolton66@gmail.com

Friday

n THE SINGING TREE. Fun kodály inspired music sessions for under fives. 10 - 11am Redland Church Hall. Refreshments included. Contact Kate on singingtreewithkate@gmail.com for further details.

n SINGING FOR WELLBEING. Women's group. 11.15am12.30pm Redland Church Hall. All ages and stages, incl. babies and children, welcome. Refreshments included. Contact Kate on singingmamasbristolkate@ gmail.com for further details. Refreshments included.

n CALLIGRAPHERS wanted to join us at St Edyth’s Church Hall, Sea Mills, on Fridays 1000-1200. Come and meet us or call Peter at 0117 329 4516.

n COFFEE AND CRAFT at Horfield Baptist Church, Gloucester Road. Dates for 2023 are October 20, November 10, December 8, all at 10.30am.

To advertise, contact Emma on 0117 9082121 or 07715 770448 or email emma@bishopstonvoice.co.uk.

n MESSAGE FROM AVON & SOMERSET PCC

Partnership could help save lives

AN important partnership between Avon and Somerset Police and defibrillator provider HeartSafe could help save lives.

Together, they have funded over 130 ‘bleed kits’, which will be installed alongside existing defibrillator cabinets across our county.

Emergency bleed kits are specifically designed to handle ‘catastrophic bleeding’.

They include items like dressings and a tourniquet, allowing bystanders and/or the injured person to provide immediate aid whilst waiting for the ambulance service to arrive at the scene.

Extra minutes can save lives. To find out where your nearest bleed kit is, please visit the HeartSafe website, www.heartsafe.org.uk.

September 9 marked

Emergency Services Day, also known as 999 Day. This is a national day of recognition to promote the

work of the emergency services, and emphasises the importance of responsible public use of them.

I want to say a big thank you to all the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to keep us safe, and the difference they are making in our communities.

To mark the occasion, I attended a flag raising at City Hall in Bristol, hosted by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Paula O’Rourke.

On September 5, I hosted the first of our autumn councillor forums for the Bath & North East Somerset (BANES) area. The session gave councillors an opportunity to gain an overview of my Police and Crime Plan and what my office and local police have been doing since the last forums.

The Police and Crime Plan outlines my priorities and specific areas of focus for improvement, by the Chief Constable, and police officers and staff.

My four police and crime priorities are:

Preventing and fighting crime

Engaging, supporting and working with communities, victims and partner organisations

Leading the police to be efficient and effective

Increasing the legitimacy of, and public confidence in, the police and criminal justice system

Councillors regularly speak to local residents and hear first-hand their thoughts about policing and crime in their area.

Since becoming your PCC, it has been of utmost importance to work with councillors to ensure we are delivering effective and efficient policing across all local communities.

I will be hosting a forum for South Gloucestershire councillors in October and Bristol councillors in November. If you would like your local councillor to raise any of your concerns, please get in touch with

With Police and Crime Commissioner Mark

Shelford

them directly.

September 18 marked the start of National Rural Crime Week. The impact of rural crime on its victims can be devastating.

Through the Rural Crime Forum, I meet with the public to discuss issues around crime in rural communities and find solutions that meet the whole community’s needs.

Cromwell Road, St. Andrews, Bristol, BS6 5EZ

A beautifully presented and exceedingly spacious Victorian semi - set up and back from the road within the sought after area of St Andrews. This impressive Victorian property Circa 1871 has been thoroughly updated and lovingly maintained by the current owners of some 31 years. The space, light and views on offer here are something that need to be seen to fully appreciate. Adding to the appeal are the many retained period features that sit seamlessly alongside modern fresh décorthese include ornate ceiling cornice, attractive marble fireplaces and wooden panelled doors.

201 Gloucester Road

Bishopston

Bristol BS7 8BG

Sales: 0117 942

Sofa Project opens warehouse shop

SOFA Project, which has a shop in Gloucester Road, is branching out. As well as extending the shop’s opening hours to Sundays, the charity has opened a warehouse shop next to the recycling centre in Days Road, St Phillips.

Its aim is to sell most of the donated furniture and household goods to raise money to fund initiatives for prisoners, including a furniture upcycling project.

The charity also believes the new shop, which is open on weekdays from 9am to 3.30pm, will be welcomed by hardpressed families in the city who cannot afford the rapidly-rising cost of new items.

Sofa Project is calling for donations to support its work. Chief executive Nicci Peck said: “We would like more people to donate quality furniture, create work opportunities and buy reused household items to prevent landfill.”

The charity estimates that since 1980 it has prevented almost half a million items reaching landfill. Donations, refurbished by volunteers, people who’ve struggled to find work, and prisoners on rehabilitation programmes, are supplied direct to social housing or through the Gloucester Road shop and another in West Street, Old Market

Furniture and household goods donations can be made directly to the Sofa Project warehouse and shops. Free collections can be arranged by contacting https://www.sofaproject.org.uk/.

Keep reading!

ABOUT 4,000 children took part in the summer reading challenge in Bristol libraries. Now they are being urged to continue the reading habit. Councillor Ellie King, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities said: “We want to inspire everyone to have a love of reading.

Whether you like sci-fi, adventure or crime stories, we can all find a great book to read through our libraries at school, in our communities, or even by swapping our favourite reads with friends. “If you want to give reading a go, sign up to join Libraries West which gives you access to over 145 public libraries and 2.5 million items across the South West."

Big names line up for LitFest

CLIFTON LitFest returns later this month for the fourth time with more events and more performers than before.

A host of television and radio celebrities, novelists, historians and musicians are among those taking part in more than 30 events spread across three venues over three days.

The festival opens on October 10 with keynote speaker Professor Alice Roberts, anthropologist, author and broadcaster who has presented various television series including Digging for Britain, Time Team and Britain’s most Historic Towns.

Professor Roberts, who went to school at Westbury-on-Trym and still lives locally, will be talking at Christ Church about

how burial archaeology can shed light on ancient societies.

Sara Davies, who was a BBC producer and abridger for 20 years will be running a workshop on writing radio drama. Memoirist Lily Dunn will be running a workshop too.

Also on the programme is Peter Lord, co-founder of Bristol’s internationally known animation company Aardman. In an illustrated talk he will take his audience behind the scenes of some of the films his company made in an illustrated talk.

For lovers of political debate former Labour MP Chris Mullin will be talking about his latest memoir as well as discussing with Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee her family memoir.

The LitFest is organised by the

Friends of Clifton Centre and Library, (FoCCal).

Festival chair Dr. Helen Taylor, said: “In only four years Clifton LitFest has established itself as a key event in Clifton’s calendar. attracting large audiences over a full weekend.

"This year’s event promises another terrific programme showcasing nationally-renowned writers, musicians and artists, often with Clifton connections” Clifton LitFest runs from October 10-12 and will be held at Clifton Library, Christ Church and Pavey House in nearby Waterloo Street.

Bookings via Eventbrite and Clifton Library.

More information from www.foccal.com

Fire Rush

by Jacqueline Crooks

Review by Bob Deacon of Bishopston Library

Jacqueline Crooks was born in a rural village in Jamaica, coming to London as a young child in the nineteen sixties, as part of the Windrush community. Fire Rush is her first novel and was shortlisted for the 2023 Womens’s Prize for Fiction. The main character is Yamaye, a 24 year old, second generation Caribbean immigrant factory worker, living on the seventeenth floor of a tower block in West London, with her distant father and without her mother, who left home when Yamaye was three and is presumed dead.

The year is 1978 and the Caribbean community in London is subjected to every day racism, surveillance and harassment by the Metropolitan Police. Yamaye and her best friends Asase and Rumer find solace and escapism at The Crypt, an underground club where they dance the night away to Dub music.

The Crypt is where Yamaye meets Moose, a sculptor and cabinet maker who has lived in London for 8 years and who yearns to return to Jamaica and his beloved Granny Itiba who raised him.

Yamaye & Moose become romantically

involved and make future plans together. Their passionate relationship comes to a brutal halt when Moose has a fatal altercation with the police.

A devastated Yamaye, volunteers for a Black Rights organization, where she finds herself under constant surveillance with her movements observed and recorded by a police informer.

Asase is jailed for the stabbing of a record store owner and Rumer returns to Ireland to live with her Traveller family. Friendless Yamaye, decides she has no alternative but to flee London, for Bristol where she is kept in a safe house, occupied by a criminal gang. Yamaye becomes part of the underground

Dub scene in her new city, where she finds self-worth and respect as a DJ using the handle Sonix Dominatrix. Once again, however, Yamaye finds herself, having to move on, to escape the controlling and violent nature of the gang who brought her to the city.

She escapes to Jamaica, seeking to find out more about the family history of her beloved Moose and the reasons why her mother disappeared from her life. This is an impressive and engaging debut novel, infused with Jamaican Patois, with deftly drawn characters, convincingly set amongst the underground scenes of the cities of London and Bristol as well as the Jamaican countryside.

If you are not already a library member, please drop in to your local library at 100a Gloucester Road. You will be warmly welcomed, and you can walk out with a library card, giving you free access to over two million books.

Opening Hours

Monday (1pm-7pm)

Tuesday (closed)

Wednesday (11am-5pm)

Thursday (11am-5pm)

Friday (11am-5pm)

Saturday (11am-5pm)

Sunday (closed)