Ryan Fisher, a Year 11 student at Hanham Woods Academy, is making waves in the world of go-kart racing. He recently had the chancd to drive in Belgium and in the UK he won the juniors and overall categories in the TeamSport championships.
Report: Page 4
CAMPAIGNERS who want to see a complete change to the way the area's buses are run made a highvis protest as they took their case to South Gloucestershire Council.
Supporters of the Reclaim Our Buses coalition, which brings together climate activists, trade unions, community groups and passengers, braved a freezing evening to stage a torchlit demonstration outside Kingswood Civic Centre, with many wearing reflective jackets.
They then came in from the cold to read out an open letter,
signed by more than 1,500 residents of the region, to the council meeting on December 14.
The letter, drawn up by pressure group the West of England Shared Transport and Active Travel Network (WESTACT), calls for the power to set fares, timetables and routes, to be taken from First and other private operators.
The current deregulated system would be replaced with a franchised bus service, provided under contract through the West of England Combined Turn to Page 7
Shaws the drapers in Kingswood appeared to be about to shut just before Christmas after selling off all its stock.
PAGE 9
Plans for more "throughabouts" on the A 4174 Avon Ring Road like the controversial one at the Wraxall Road Junction have been scrapped.
PAGE 5
Residents are being invited to get involved in creating more fun events in Hanham High St after the success of Halloween and Christmas trails.
PAGE 20
Publisher
Emma Cooper 0117 908 2121 / 07715 770448 sales@hanhamandlongwellgreenvoice.co.uk
Editor Linda Tanner 0777 0700579
Follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/Hanham LWGvoice
news@hanhamandlongwellgreenvoice.co.uk
Erica Benson Advertising Sales 0117 908 2121
sales@hanhamandlongwellgreenvoice.co.uk
Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ hanhamandlongwell greenvoice
Our February edition deadline is January 18. To ensure your news or letter is included, please contact us by then. Advertisers are also asked to contact us by the same date.
Letters for publication can be sent to the above email addresses or by post to Letters, Hanham & Longwell Green Voice, 16 Ashmead Business Centre, Ashmead Road, Keynsham, BS31 1SX. The editor reserves the right to edit your letter.
South Gloucestershire Council www.southglos.gov.uk 01454 868009 Citizens Advice Bureau 0344 499 4718
Police www.avonandsomersetpolice.uk General enquiries: 101 Emergency: 999 Fire www.avonfire.gov.uk General enquiries: 0117 926 2061
Emergency: 999 NHS Health Call 111
Well Aware (health and social care information) www.wellaware.org.uk Freephone: 0808 808 5252
We are Bristol helpline Freephone 0800 694 0184 Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm Weekends 10am-2pm
Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get things wrong. We always try to resolve issues informally at first but we also have a formal complaints procedure. If you have a complaint about anything in the Hanham & Longwell Green Voice, contact the publisher using the details below. We aspire to follow the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), which holds journalists to a high standard of behaviour.
Further details of the complaints process can be found on the Voice website here, or can be obtained by contacting the Publisher.
SOUTH Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet has agreed a raft of proposed cuts to go forward for next year's budget.
Green waste collections will nearly double in price from £30 to £55 a year, street lights will be dimmed and staffed library hours reduced if the plans to plug a £29.3 million shortfall are approved by the full council in February.
Among the raft of planned savings, which are now open for a public consultation, are premiums on council tax bills for second and empty homes, fewer guided escorts for home-to-school transport, scrapping taxi marshals in night-time economy hotspots and higher fees and charges across the board.
The council has also launched a consultation into a Clean Air Action Plan, which can be found online at bit.ly/3uLJDMt
POLICE want to hear from anyone who witnessed an assault outside Chasers nightclub that left the victim needing to go to hospital.
An arrest was made after a man, in his 40s, was punched in the early hours of Sunday 11 December.
Police were called following the 1am incidentvin Regent Street. The victim was taken to hospital and has undergone treatment having sustained an injury to his eye and a chipped tooth.
CCTV footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation. Anyone who witnessed what happened is asked to call 101 and give the call-handler reference number 5222295919.
HEALTHCARE services have received £11.5 million to try to crack a hospital 'bed-blocking' winter crisis in the Bristol region.
The cash, split between the new local health authority Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board and the three local councils, is from a £500 million Department of Health and Social Care emergency fund.
'Bed blocking' is where a patient is medically well enough to leave hospital but cannot be discharged because there no place or support available for them to be looked after in the community.
The 'adult social care discharge fund' aims to speed up the process of getting people into an appropriate setting, as well as relieving the knock-on effects of packed A&Es and long ambulance queues.
It can be used to pay for more adult social care staff during the current crisis and other ways of freeing up hospital beds, such as home care and a programme called 'discharge to assess' where patients continue to have their care and assessment out of hospital.
NOTE: Hanham and Longwell Green Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. We cannot vouch for any services offered. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor. Hanham and Longwell Green Voice is distributed each month to residents. If for some reason you do not get a copy, please collect one from local pick-up points. Feedback is always welcomed, contact Emma Cooper on 0117 908 2121 or sales@hanhamandlongwellgreenvoice.co.uk This month 9,500 copies will be distributed around Hanham and Longwell Green.
PUBLISHER’S
To advertise, contact Emma on 0117 908 2121 Or 07715 770448. Email: sales@hanhamandlongwellgreen voice.co.uk
WHEN Dave Smith caught Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, it was the start of an ordeal which almost claimed his life.
The retired driving instructor had been given the all-clear from leukaemia only a week before and, with an immune system weakened by chemotherapy drugs, he came close to death several times. He even arranged the music for his funeral service.
After ten months with the disease - the longest recorded case in the world at the time - he was finally given the all-clear after being given experimental antibody treatment, and began a long road to recovery in 2021.
Dave, from Downend, had suffered chest infections and pneumonia, and was left with pulmonary fibrosis, a form of lung disease which meant he had only half his previous lung capacity.
But he never gave up hope of going back to singing and playing guitar, having performed for 57 years, including a long stint in the house band at Bristol's Locarno club in the 1970s.
In December Dave fulfilled his dream of taking to the stage again, strapping on his red Fender Stratocaster guitar and singing in front of a capacity crowd at the Langley Arms pub in Emersons Green, where he has been hosting a weekly quiz for 23 years.
It was made possible thanks to a ground-breaking course called ENO Breathe, devised by the English National Opera in conjunction with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to tackle post-Covid breathlessness
and anxiety.
The six-week remote course was carried out over Zoom, with Dave joining a group of 20 people, including some opera singers.
It included a series of breathing and vocalising exercises, led by singing specialist and creative director Suzi Zumpe.
Dave said: "Suzy has been a very good teacher and explained the science behind it.
"If I'd known her exercises 60 years ago, I might have had a better singing career!"
Suzy came to the gig at the Langley Arms and performed a duet with Dave of a song from the ENO Breathe course, Gershwin's Summertime, from the opera Porgy and Bess.
Dave and fellow musicians Tony Ogden and Mike Cashley performed two sets of hits by bands including Dire Straits, The Eagles and Status Quo, before
finishing with Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody.
Dave said: "The gig was absolutely brilliant - the place was full and it was a magical night."
The band played two setsthe first of 45 minutes but the second was shorter, as Dave felt the effects of performing.
He said: "I could hardly stand at the end - they had to help me into my car.
"I felt like I'd been hit by a bus the next day."
Suzi said: "It was an honour to get to share the stage with Dave.
"His transformation through the six weeks of ENO Breathe was incredible.
"Getting to see Dave's first performance after covid was just spectacular, and I found it so touching to see Dave doing what he loves most again."
Another special guest at the gig was Dr Ed Moran of
Southmead Hospital, who had treated Dave during his battle with Covid.
The whole event was filmed by the BBC, whose presenter Jon Kay found out about the ENO Breathe programme and also arranged a surprise video meet-up for Dave before the gig with one of his musical heroes, Status Quo's Francis Rossi, who was preparing for his own show at Wembley Arena.
Dave said: "I didn't recognise him at first, without the pony tail!
"We had a 15-minute chat, talking about the old days - back in the 70s we used to play lots of Status Quo." But having fulfilled his ambition, Dave is not looking start gigging regularly again.
He said: "If Status Quo asked me to do a world tour, I might have to decline!"
For more information on the course visit www.eno.org/ breathe.
A BLUNDER at a Covid testing lab that resulted in 40,000 being given false negative results may have caused more than 20 deaths, a report has found.
People using the NHS Test and Trace facility in Mangotsfield in autumnn 2021 were among those whose PCR test results falsely said they did not have coronavirus. An investigation by the UK Health Security Agency into "errors" at the private Immensa laboratory in Wolverhampton found threshold levels for reporting positive and negative results were incorrectly set. Experts on the investigation estimated the mistakes caused an extra 55,000 infections, 680 hospitalisations and 20 deaths.
Dante Labs, which owns Immensa, did not respond to our request for a comment.
HANHAM Woods Academy student Ryan Fisher is a proving to be a real whizz kid.
The champion go karter recently spent a fantastic weekend in Belgium experiencing racing at the world-famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Then, back in the UK, the Year 11 student raced at TeamSport where he competes for the Shrekers or Wreckers, winning the autumn championship in the juniors and overall categories.
Ryan has had a passion for karting since he started racing at the age of 10, and has been so successful he is now sponsored by Tom at Matt's Place barbers based in Hanham High Street.
Ryan said: “I would like to thank my family for their encouragement and support over the years I have been karting. Without them I could not do this.”
His mum and dad said: “To say we are super proud of his achievements would be an understatement, we are immensely proud of Ryan’s achievements and the hard work he puts into to his karting.”
Stephen OCallaghan, principal of Hanham
Woods, said: "Everyone at the academy is incredibly proud of Ryan's achievements. He is a great example of someone who embodies our values of Dream BIG, Work Hard, Be Kind in order to achieve success.”
PLANS to spend £30 million on changes to five roundabouts on the Avon Ring Road have been scrapped.
South Gloucestershire Council unveiled plans to build three more 'throughabouts' on the A4174 in summer 2021.
Roundabouts at Siston Hill near Mangotsfield, Deanery Road near Warmley, and Kingsfield, at Longwell Green, would all have been converted, with six new lanes built to take through ring road traffic across the middle.
The Lyde Green roundabout near the Bristol and Bath Science Park and the Rosary roundabout, next to Emersons Green shopping centre, would have had extra lanes added, with more traffic lights and entry lanes.
But the council paused the proposals a year ago, shortly after the opening of the first throughabout at the Wraxall Road junction, near Kingswood, amid overwhelming opposition and fears the new layouts were
dangerous.
At the time the council said it was postponing a bid for government money to fund the plans, and would review the situation after a year.
Now it has decided to abandon the plans, insisting there has been a “significant reduction” in delays on the ring road since they were first drawn up in 2018.
The council says the Wraxall Road throughabout, which cost £6.9m, has had a “positive impact”. But it said further changes were no longer needed, because ring road traffic at
morning and afternoon peak times had dropped by up to 14 per cent since 2018, when the proposals were initially drawn up, as travel patterns had changed following the pandemic.
Cabinet member for regeneration, environment and strategic infrastructure, Steve Reade, said: “We have made the decision not to submit a funding bid and to withdraw the proposals.
“We monitored the ring road and have the evidence that traffic patterns have changed.
“Our data for the Wraxall Road junction improvement
S H Family Law specialises solely in family law, enabling us to be experts in our field. We offer an initial free 30 minute consultation either in the office, remotely or over the telephone. We pride ourselves on our quality of advice, professional level of service and transparency over costs.
Firstly, Happy New Year to you all. We at S H Family Law would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2023. 2023 may be the year that sees you getting married and so we thought it would be useful to set out information on steps you can take to help secure your financial position if you are planning on doing so.
Amid all the preparation and organisation in the run up to the big day, the last thing you are likely to consider is how your legal position alters following marriage.
We appreciate it isn’t very romantic discussing financial matters with your soon to be spouse and how, should the marriage breakdown, you would prefer your assets to be distributed between you. However, it is sensible to consider such matters and whether you wish to seek to ensure that your financial distribution is in line with your preferences, rather than governed by statute and Court principles, which could provide for a very different outcome.
Pre-Marital Agreements
A Pre-Marital Agreement (or Pre-Nuptial
indicates that many of the congestion issues on the ring road between Siston Hill and Kingsfield have now been reduced.”
Land at the edges of the ring road would have been developed to provide space for extra lanes on and around the roundabouts.
But 84 per cent of the 880 respondents disapproved of the plans during a consultation.
Residents asked for the performance of the Wraxall Road junction to be better understood before more throughabouts were built and raised concerns about the impact of three years of roadworks needed.
The scheme was also criticised by West of England metro mayor Dan Norris and the Green Party, who said no dedicated bus lanes had been proposed, and argued road-building generated more vehicles.
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting ServiceAgreement) is made by a couple prior to their marriage. Essentially, the agreement sets out how the parties to the marriage wish their assets to be divided should they divorce.
Such agreements are not legally enforceable, however, the Court can and commonly do uphold the contents of a Pre-Marital Agreement either in full or in part. There are certain criteria that, if followed, are more likely to persuade a Court to uphold the terms of the Agreement and these are set out below:-
1. The agreement should be entered into by both parties without undue pressure.
2. Both parties should have full knowledge of each other’s financial position.
3. The agreement should be drawn up and signed in good time of the wedding date.
4. Both parties should obtain independent legal advice upon the implications in entering into the agreement.
5. The agreement should meet the financial needs of both parties and make provision for
any changes in circumstances, eg, children being brought into the marriage.
Pre-Marital Agreements are becoming increasingly common, reasons for requesting one range from one party wishing to preserve pre-marital wealth, perhaps as a result of getting married in later life or having received financial assistance from a third party that is provided with the intention that it should not be shared in the event of a marital breakdown. Alternatively, it could be due to a preference to preserve inheritance or financial gifts that may be received within the marriage or simply wanting to have control over how finances are divided rather than rely on statute and Court principles.
If you are reading this and thinking that you would benefit from having a Pre-Marital Agreement but you are already married, you can instead enter into a Post-Marital Agreement.
Should you wish to receive advice in connection with entering into a Pre or Post Marital Agreement or any other area of family law, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
You can contact us by visiting our website, www.shfamilylaw.co.uk, telephoning us on 01179 601437 or emailing enquiries@shfamilylaw.co.uk
S H Family Law, 51 High Street, Hanham, BS15 3DQ
in South Gloucestershire are being let down by the continuing failure to deliver health services promised nearly two decades ago.
That’s the view of councillors who have now agreed to a new review of the impact of the reduction in hospital beds and shortage of minor injuries treatment provision across the district.
South Gloucestershire’s Health Scrutiny Committee heard that the Bristol Health Services Plan, drawn up in the early 2000s, had envisaged acute services at a rebuilt Southmead Hospital in Bristol with intermediate care beds at new community hospitals in Frenchay and Thornbury, as well as minor injuries units (MIUs) around the district.
But the Frenchay facility has not been built and South Gloucestershire has just one MIU at Yate, which cannot meet the demand, while efforts to
secure a second MIU at Cossham Hospital in Kingswood have been unsuccessful.
Campaigner Barbara Harris said a total of 348 hospital beds were lost through Frenchay and Thornbury hospital closures, while many of the beds at Southmead Hospital were currently occupied by patients who could not be discharged because follow-up community care was not available.
She and fellow campaigner Daphne Havercroft told the meeting that the problem would only get worse as South Gloucestershire’s population continued to increase, having already grown from 250,000 in 2005 to 296,000 now.
Mrs Harris called on MPs Jack Lopresti, Chris Skidmore and Luke Hall to take action, describing the healthcare situation as “the biggest scandal” in their constituencies.
Opposition councillors successfully called for a
working group to be set up to scrutinise the failure to deliver the BHSP and find out why plans for community hospitals were abandoned so that a case can be made to the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board for improved provision.
Kingswood Labour Councillor Andrea Reid said there were strong feelings in her area and across South Gloucestershire
about healthcare in general and about the lack of minor injuries treatment centres in particular.
Kingswood has a high proportion of disabled residents and people over the age of 75. Meanwhile the Yate MIU is six miles away and Southmead Hospital five miles away and neither is easy to get to on public transport.
“In terms of long term health issues, access to healthcare at the point of need is so vital in ensuring more positive health outcomes. If we don’t provide it, we pay for it with increased need in adult social care,” she said.
Yate Liberal Democrat councillor Ruth Davis said the Yate MIU often had to turn away patients because of high demand from across the district.
A BNSSG ICB spokesperson said: “We understand the committee is drawing up terms of reference for this working group and we look forward to receiving further details.”
From Page 1
Authority in cooperation with local councils.
Franchising is already used in London, Jersey and many European countries.
The campaign has gathered momentum as First has made a series of cuts to services during the past year, citing driver shortages.
But getting to the demonstration by bus was not easy.
Geoff Fussell, a pensioner from Hanham, said: "Today I tried to get to Bath and back on a bus here to Kingswood, but I couldn't get here. I had to get someone in the family to give me a lift in the car.
"When it goes wrong you don't know it's going to go wrong."
Other protesters said they had bitter experience of Andrew Smith, of Willsbridge,
said: "You just can't factor the bus into your routine nowadaysit's the unreliability."
Pearl Conway, of Winterbourne, said: "To get to Bristol takes me an hour and if you miss that bus or it's cancelled, you have to wait two hours for the next one."
Geoff Randall, of Yate, said: "They've taken away the Y2 service - now we've only got the Y1, which goes directly down the ring road and M32 but
completely bypasses Downend, Fishponds and Eastville.
"From my point of view my social life is gone completely, because I had a lot of friends in Fishponds and Downend that I can't see in the evening and have a beer with any more.
"The 47 is a waste of time - and the last bus to Yate is at 7pm, there's nothing after that. It's useless."
WESTACT coordinator Emilia Melville said: “Buses are
an essential part of a functional public transport system, and have to be part of the picture if people are going to be less dependent on cars. They are also a lifeline for people who can’t use cars - whether because of age (young or old), for financial reasons, or due to a whole range of disabilities."
The protesters' cause was given a lift when Bristol City Council voted to support bus franchising, the day before the South Gloucestershire meeting.
The move increases the public and political pressure on Dan Norris, the West of England Metro Mayor, to explore how a bus franchising model could solve the wider region’s bus crisis.
Mr Norris has said franchising was still “on the table but not a quick fix”.
He added: "The biggest issue we face in the West of England currently is a bus driver shortage. That would be exactly the same challenge whatever system was in place to run the buses."
No need for an expensive care home
No need for an expensive care home
No need for an expensive care home
Stay independent at home with your own live in carer
Stay independent at home with your own live in carer
Many people want to stay in their own home as they get older
No need for an expensive care home Stay independent at home with your own live in carer Many people want to stay in their own home as they get older
Stay independent at home with your own live in carer Many people want to stay in their own home as they get older
Many people want to stay in their own home as they get older
Featherbed
Featherbed Care has been providing live in carers since 1986
Featherbed
Featherbed Care has been providing live in carers since 1986
We believe in only the very best care at an affordable cost
We believe in only the very best care at an affordable cost
Featherbed Care has been providing live in carers since 1986 We believe in
Call for a brochure today
Call for a brochure today
0117 9860710 / Freephone: 0800 111 4885
0117 9860710 / Freephone: 0800 111 4885
Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk
Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk
Featherbed Care has been We believe in only the very Call for 0117 9860710 / Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk
A KINGSWOOD man who was part of a gang selling what police described as "vast quantities of drugs" has been jailed.
Scott Ryan, of Albany Street, was caught driving a van carrying packages of ketamine worth an estimated £168,000 on the street.
He and James Marshall, of Seymour Road, Staple Hill, used encrypted phone messaging service EncroChat to communicate with three men from Sussex, making deals and transporting ketamine and cannabis - both Class B drugsbetween Brighton and Bristol.
But the EncroChat service had been hacked by an international law enforcement operation.
Police said intercepted messages between the men "included discussions about multiple six-figure drug deals," made over several months in 2020.
Avon and Somerset Police
started an investigation, carrying out surveillance as Ryan drove across the country transporting drugs.
In March this year police stopped Ryan in a van in Bristol, searching it and finding several packages of ketamine, with an estimated street value of £168,000.
They also seized mobile phones and around £6,000 in cash.
Marshall was arrested at a Bristol pub and searches were carried out at Ryan’s home and a lock-up in Warmley, where almost £8,000 in cash and more
ketamine was seized.
Two months later police arrested the three men from Sussex.
Marshall, aged 33, and 37-year-old Ryan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply ketamine, possessing ketamine with intent to supply and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Ryan also admitted possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and two counts of possessing criminal property.
Marshall was jailed for six years and nine months, while Ryan was given a four-year sentence at Bristol Crown Court.
Sentencing them on November 25, Recorder Adam Vaitilingam said: “You were both involved in an organised crime group directing and supplying ketamine on a commercial scale.”
At Lewes Crown Court in October, the Sussex men34-year-old Daniel Newman of Brambletyne in Saltdean,
Harrison Beesley, also 34, of Kings Drive in Eastbourne and Ryan Caplin, 26, of Kingsway in Brighton, were given prison sentences of between three years, four months and eight years, eight months after admitting charges relating to the conspiracy.
A confiscation hearing to seize their profits is due to take place in 2023.
Afterwards Detective Sergeant Jason Chidgey said: “We welcome the strong sentences handed out to these five men and hope it sends a loud message to anyone involved in the supply of illegal drugs.
“These results come off the back of a complex and lengthy investigation and show that police and other law-enforcement agencies are steadfast in their determination to bring down organised crime groups, who cause misery in local communities.”
We are now enabling close contact visits in the home, every resident is able to have an essential care giver, and there is no isolation required for new residents from the community. We still have a varied activity schedule which keeps life interesting and happy.
SPECULATION is mounting on the future of much-loved Kingswood drapers shop Shaws.
Large queues formed at the till as shoppers turned out in droves in mid December to take advantage of the store's 'everything half price' offer, with some goods reduced to even less.
When the Voice visited many of the shelves were bare, with customers in the queue speculating on whether the store was about to close. Many seemed resigned to the fact the shop would shut its doors for good and a few days later that appeared to be the case.
The family-run business started in 1912 in South Wales and has 28 branches across the UK including stores in Fishponds and Yate, which were also selling off stock for half price or less.
One 15-year-old was visiting the Kingswood shop after school to take advantage of cut price wool as she is a keen crocheter.
“I mainly buy wool, towels and bedding from here. Everything around my house is from Shaws,” she said.
“It's a great shame it's closing. There were always shoppers in the store. I'm shocked. You would never have thought it would close as it seems it's been here for ever.”
One member of staff told the Voice they hadn't been told anything by the company so it was business as usual as far as they were concerned. Another staff member said, although they hadn't been told the shop was closing, it seemed inevitable that it would.
When we contacted Shaws' head office in St Mellons, Cardiff we were advised to send an email and a 'Mr Shaw' would get back with a comment. At the time of going to print the Voice is yet to receive a response.
There
The firm is known for its range of home accessories and furnishings, such as bedding and curtains, as well as underwear and knitting and crotchet equipment.
Shaws also has a website – www. shawsdirect.com – but when viewed there was a message of the homepage stating 'Under Maintenance'.
The Kingswood store, which sits on the corner of Regent Street and Downend Road, has been popular with locals since it arrived nearly 40 years ago.
I AM all too aware of how tough 2022 was for residents and businesses up and down the constituency – and how those challenges will sadly continue into 2023 as well.
While we have to focus on support here and now for struggling households and businesses, it’s important to also be laying the foundations for our economic, social and environmental recovery.
Support for delivering a thriving future for Hanham High Street will continue, with funding being sought from the Love Our High Streets fund – a fund that has already paved the way for major improvements in Kingswood Town Centre. Having worked with South Gloucestershire Council to assemble its £25million funding package, I am looking forward to this major investment into Kingswood continuing in earnest. The revitalisation of the treasured and historic Whitfield Tabernacle will move into its full restoration phase and opening up as a community venue once again.
On the former Grange School site in Warmley, redevelopment work will continue to deliver new homes and sports facilities, including the opening of a permanent new home for Majestics Gymnastics Club, who are currently based on the Gallagher Retail Park.
Parts of the retail park are also set for major brownfield regeneration in the future.
I will be particularly proud to see the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) at the Science Park go from strength-to-strength in 2023 in being at the forefront of technological innovation. As the local MP, I worked closely with the University of Bath to lobby the government and others for the original funding to build it. Another major new investment at the Science Park to “break ground” in 2023 will be Vectura’s new £58million state-of-the-art “Inhalation Centre of Excellence” building, delivering yet more new high skilled job opportunities for local people.
Our environment will be further boosted through the second year of the exciting Common Connections initiative led by the Council. This is a £1million fouryear landscape and habitat restoration project to improve links between registered common land, woodlands and other natural habitats to create a Wildbelt - an area of land where building is not allowed, so that nature can be protected and restored stretching from Lyde Green southwards to Willsbridge.
I wish you all a Happy New Year.
A HANHAM nursery has been told it requires improvement by education watchdog Ofsted.
Baker Street Nursery and Preschool says it has been working “exceptionally” hard to put measures in place to address the watchdog's concerns.
The nursery employs 22 staff and has 145 children on roll, offering care from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Inspectors visited the nursery, which is on the corner of High Street and Creswicke Avenue, on October 17.
They found that most children are at ease and feel safe and comfortable in the nursery, however they said some new, younger, children are “visibly upset and unsettled”.
Staff respond sensitively to their needs and are “warm and caring” but this means other children can be left with little or no support at times.
The report went on:
eat the f ds y love and sti lose weight!
Baker St Nursery and Pre-School
“Therefore, some younger children are left to their own devices with little to do. At other times, they are kept waiting for long periods, such as before going outside to play. During these times, opportunities for learning are lost.”
There were also concerns around the curriculum: “The manager does not ensure that staff plan purposeful activities that focus on children's individual next steps in learning,
to help them make good progress. In addition, they do not ensure that staff support the individual learning needs of all children consistently well. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.”
The report said children's behaviour is good and youngsters show pride in their environment.
“Older children listen to others, take turns in conversations, and share resources. They play together cooperatively and are sociable.”
Another positive is that youngsters have regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise and their physical skills are supported well.
Partnerships with parents are said to be positive.
The report said that the owner and manager are able to identify staff's strengths and areas of weaker practice. However, it says they “do not focus staff's
professional development on raising the quality of teaching to a consistently high level”.
Children with SEND have support plans but, because these are not consistently implemented, not all children make enough progress.
Ofsted has told the nursery to improve planning so that all children make the best possible progress and that the quality of teaching should be raised to a consistently good level.
Chloe Baker, director of Baker Street Nursery and Preschool, said: “Following our recent inspection, we are working exceptionally hard to put into place a wide range of actions that we have created to improve all of the actions highlighted by Ofsted.
“We appreciate their input and are excited to see what comes from our hard work and dedication to our children and families.”
Contact your local Slimming World Consultant and join a friendly and super-supportive group today!
Longwell Green Community Centre, Shellards Road
Longwell Green BS30 9DU
Monday: 6.00pm & 7.30pm Tuesday: 9.30am
Tel: Karen 07889408969
North Common Village Hall, 16 Millers Dr, North Common BS30 8XX
Tuesday: 6pm & 7.30pm
Tel: Emma 07773689229
AEK Boco FC, Greenbank Road, Hanham BS15 3RZ
Thursday: 9.15am, 11.00am 3.45, 5.15 & 7.00pm Friday: 9.00am
Tel: Kate 07979494964
Hanham Baptist Church, 157A High Street, Hanham BS15 3QY
Saturday: 9.00am
Tel: Erica 07766425725
A PUPIL from Longwell Green Primary School has fought off competition from across the world to win a prestigious art prize.
Rowan Pedrick created the winning artwork, called The Champion Earth, as part of the international Spirited Arts competition. Each year, the contest sets questions, comments or statements that children respond to in their art and writing.
This year the school decided to look at MP Jo Cox's famous quote: “We have far more in common with each other than that which divides us.”
The school has entered the competition for several years and every year has had very strong entries. This year, however, they approached it differently by involving parents and carers in the planning and discussion element of the competition. This allowed for more ideas and creativity as well as showing the importance and benefits of working together.
Children at the school used RE Week to reflect on questions inspired by Jo's quote and create a piece of art or writing.
Rowan said: “The title I chose is The Champion Earth because it shows friendship and kindness around the world. People and strangers helping each other inspired my work. In my work you can see eight people linked up by hands. Back of the people is the real metro magazine. Whatever we look like or believe, we need to hold hands and be amazing together.”
Headteacher Darren Brown said: “This is a prestigious competition with many hundreds and hundreds of schools taking part from around the world so you can imagine how honoured we are as a school and how proud we all are of Rowan.”
A DOWNEND teenager who started his own Christmas lights display in memory of his sister has made it bigger than ever.
Jake Skinner has expanded the display on his home at 26 Sutherland Avenue so it stretches from the garden gate all the way up to the eaves.
The 15-year-old Mangotsfield School pupil needed to borrow a cherry-picker and operators to help fix his new lights to the outside of the house.
Jake has been raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support over the past five years in memory of his sister Stacie, who died aged 17 of anaphylactic shock on Christmas Day 2015.
Stacie used to decorate her work desk with Christmas lights, and when her colleagues returned them to the family, Jake decided to remember her by illuminating the family home.
Over the years the displays have expanded and Jake has raised thousands for charity Macmillan Cancer Care.
Donations are collected from visitors during the display's opening hours of 4.30-8pm each day, with chocolates and Macmillan pin badges available every night and hot drinks
served on Friday and Saturday nights through the festive season.
This year's fundraising total had already passed £1,000 as the Voice went to print, with Jake aiming to beat last year's total of £4,500.
Donations are also being collected online at justgiving.com/fundraising/ JakesChristmasLights - a page which has raised more than £5,300 since it was set up three years ago.
Jake, who won a Radio 1 Teen heroes award for his work in 2021, said: "This is the first year we've had stuff on top of the house - I've spent a lot of money on new things."
Jake has lost count of the number of lights now in the display, which has thousands of individual LEDs but still includes Stacie's lights.
The display took around 48 hours of work to set up and was unveiled to a crowd of around 200 people at the end of November, with music from members of the Staple Hill Salvation Army band.
Jake said: "I was very pleased with the turnout - it was more than I was expecting."
THE education watchdog has praised a school that provides many children in South Gloucestershire with their "first positive experiences" of education.
Pathways Learning Centre in Downend is a pupil referral unit, teaching children who have been permanently excluded from one or sometimes two other schools, who are at risk of exclusion or who have significant medical and mental health needs.
It takes children from across the district on either short or long-term placements, and had 138 pupils, aged from five to 16, on its roll when a team of inspectors from Ofsted visited in September.
Their report awarded Pathways an overall 'good' rating, and said pupils' personal development, behaviour and attitudes were 'outstanding' - the highest possible rating.
The inspectors said: "Pupils describe Pathways Learning Centre as ‘a family’.
"Pupils start at different points in their education and throughout the school year. Despite this, they agree that everyone is welcoming. They quickly feel part of the school. For many, this is one of the first positive experiences of education that they can remember. The impact of this is evident in pupils’ highly positive attitudes to their learning and the strong relationships between staff and pupils.
"Everyone has high expectations of behaviour. Pupils respond and behave exceptionally well. Staff are calm, empathetic and unintrusive when supporting pupils who may be experiencing challenges."
The inspectors said school leaders and staff had high ambitions for all pupils, and used an effective induction process to provide a "bespoke and engaging education", covering the breadth of the national curriculum.
They praised the school's work on reading and achieving qualifications relevant to the next stage of pupils' education.
The report said staff prioritised children's social, emotional and mental health
needs.
The inspectors said: "Parents are positive about the impact the school has.
"They appreciate how staff treat pupils as individuals with specific needs."
Inspectors said the personal development of pupils was a "strength" of the school and also praised help for children who were struggling with work, safeguarding arrangements and understanding of neurodiversity, which "empowers everyone to recognise and respect the uniqueness of each individual".
They recommended that the school improve the structure of its curriculum, understand pupils' prior learning better and more clearly identify what they want individual pupils to learn.
Head teacher Louise Leader said the school was "absolutely delighted" with the report.
She said: "To achieve a good rating is a great achievement for everyone in PLC, but to secure outstanding judgements in ‘personal development’ and also in ‘behaviour and attitudes’ is remarkable.
"I am so proud of the fabulous and dedicated team at PLC, who work tirelessly to support our students.
"Pathways' mission is ‘changing lives’, and we try to do that every single day, in some small way, to help our students persevere, overcome the challenges they face and go on to have happy and successful futures when they leave us.
"We are so pleased that Ofsted has recognised the work we do and the excellent progress our students make; but we are most proud that they recognised that Pathways Learning Centre is ‘a family’ and that for many of our students this is 'one of the first positive experiences of education that they can remember’.
"Our efforts are reflected in the relentless hard work and dedication that goes on in many PRUs and Alternative Provisions across the country.
"We will continue to work tirelessly to support our students and help to drive the crucial work of the PRUsAP sector nationally."
FAMILIES in Hanham have supported a local preschool in raising hundreds of pounds.
They turned out in force to visit Christchurch Preschool's Christmas fayre which took place on December 4.
There were stalls to browse, a cafe for refreshments, games, raffle, arts and crafts, colouring and face painting.
Youngsters tried their hand at making reindeer food and visited Santa in his grotto.
Marie Smith, preschool manager, said: “We were very busy from start to finish, with many from the wider community visiting too.
“We are very pleased to say we raised a whopping £975 - an amazing amount. This money will be spent back into the preschool for the children to benefit from new resources and activities to help support children's learning and experiences.
“Thank you to all who helped us raise this money to support our preschool.”
Cabot Learning Federation’s Post 16 students wore either a Christmas Jumper or cultural dress to raise money for Save the Children.
n HANHAM TENNIS CLUB reopens after court repainting and the addition of new lighting. Adult Play - Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings, 9.30am - 11 am. Beginners' session coaching - Wednesday 7-8pm. Junior coaching - most early evenings. New players welcome. Fully qualified LTA coaching. See website for details www.hanhamtennisclub.co.uk
n YOGA SESSIONS Hanham Community Centre. Friendly & welcoming. General Class 7-8pm. 6 weeks Beginners Class Starts 16 January 8-9pm. To book call Shula on 07949333548 or email yogashula@hotmail.com
n TUESDAY CLUB a social group meet every Tuesday 1.45-3.45pm at Longwell Green Community Centre n LONGWELL GREEN LADIES GROUP meet at 2pm on the first and third Tuesday of each month at the United Church, Bath Road, Longwell Green BS30 9DU (opp. Aldi). Please phone Maureen on 0117 9322341
n BARRS COURT PROBUS Retired and semi-retired Professional and Businessmen: Meet 2nd and 4th Wednesdays 0-12 at Longwell Green Community Centre. Website: https://barrscourtprobus.org/
n BARRS COURT LADIES CLUB: Wives and partners of the Probus club members meet 10-12 on the second Wednesday of each month at the United Church, Bath Road, Longwell Green. Website: https:// barrscourtprobus.org/
n LONGWELL GREEN PROBUS CLUB meets at Warmley Community Centre on the first and third Wednesday of each month.. New members welcome - for more details please contact Mike on 07817094147
n HANHAM BRIDGE CLUB Every Weds 7-10pm at Hanham Community Centre, see www.hanhambridgeclub.co.uk.
n HANHAM PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY: We are a friendly club who welcome photographers of all abilities to share our hobby. Meetings are at 7,30p.m. Wednesday evenings at Hanham Methodist Church, 26 Chapel Rd, Hanham, Bristol BS15 8SD. Visit https://www.hanhamphoto.org.uk or contact Geoff Mallin by email geoffmemsechps@gmail.com.
n ‘STAND UP REACH OUT’ A social group meet every Thursday 2-4pm at Longwell Green Community Centre for different activities.
n HANHAM ART CLUB We are friendly group that meets on a Thursday evening at Hanham Community Centre 7pm-9pm. New members welcome from beginners to the more experienced. For more information contact Hilary on 07880548481 or email tweenuk2003@yahoo.com
n AVON SCALE MODEL SOCIETY: As a friendly long standing local model making club, we meet at Longwell Green Community Centre on the Third Thursday of every month at 8pm. All subjects in all scales are
covered,- aircraft, AFV,s cars, bikes, sci-fi, etc. New members are always welcome. Please phone Ian on 0117 9324053 for further details.
n BRISTOL MALE VOICE CHOIR are recruiting new members. Our rehearsal/practice night is every Thursday from 7pm to 9.15 pm at St Andrew's Methodist Church, Elm Park, Filton, BS34 7PS. We have a varied repertoire, ranging from traditional male voice favourites, Bach, and the Beatles, to contemporary pop music, gospel, folk standards, rugby anthems and songs from the musicals. There is no audition, but if you visit our rehearsals and decide to join there is a voice test to find out if you are a baritone, bass or tenor. If you don't read music, not a problem -you'll find that our regular practices will soon get you in shape to sing at our regular concerts and enjoy the social vibe at our post-concert gatherings. To find out more, visit our website at www. bristolmvc.org.uk see our facebook page, or contact secretary@ bristolmvc.org.uk or call him on 07764447699. Join us soon !
n LONGWELL GREEN WI meet on the third Friday of the month at 7.30pm at Longwell Green Community Centre. New members are always welcome. Please email longwellwi@gmail.com or tel. 0117 9864782.
n TAI CHI FOR PARKINSON'S: Weekly beginners Tai Chi & Qi Gong class for people with Parkinson’s disease, their families and carers. Lincombe Barn, Downend. BS16 2RW. Fridays (term times) 10.15 – 12.15 including tea / coffee break. Contact: Claire - Claire@Taichibodyandmind.co.uk (07769 857672) or Sarah - buqiworks@gmail.com (07815 662844)
n LONGWELL GREEN SHORT MAT BOWLS CLUB, Fridays 13.30-15.30 At Longwell Green Community Centre. Bowls provided For information E:mail maryjcoles@hotmail.co.uk Mary 0797 2062449 May 0117 9606454
Retired or semi-retired?
Retired or semi-retired?
are a social club for retired or semi-retired men with a professional & business background (with an associated Ladies’ Club).
Retired or semi-retired?
are a social club for
or semi-retired men with a professional & business background
We are a social club for retired or semi-retired men with a professional & business background (with an associated Ladies’ Club). We currently meet twice a month with guest speakers at Longwell Green Community Centre. We have regular lunches, day Trips, holidays (UK and abroad). Please come and meet us at our next meeting Wednesday 11 January 10:00am on a no obligation basis - See how you like us! Just email us at bcprobusclub@gmail.com or visit www.barrscourtprobus.org
an associated Ladies’ Club). We currently meet twice a month with guest speakers at Longwell Green Community Centre. We have regular lunches, day Trips, holidays (UK and abroad). Please come and meet us at our next dd mmm 10:00 on a no obligation basis - See how you like us! Just email us at bcprobusclub@gmail.com or visit http://barrscourtprobus.org
KINGSWOOD centre came alive on December 10 with festive stalls, food and music from the John Cabot Academy choir and musicians.
The 20 students from Year 7 to Year 11 performed a festive medley of favourite songs including Silent Night and White Christmas, and also performed late 1980s classic Like a Prayer by Madonna in three-part choir harmony.
The students, who also performed at their school's own Winter Concert, were glad to be asked to participate in this event, which took place in the high street and at the Kingswood Foundation.
If it’s News Email: news@hanhamandlongwellgreenvoice.co.uk
A KINGSWOOD nightclub has been granted a later licence to serve alcohol until 3am at the second attempt despite concerns about “violent assaults and criminal damage” outside the venue.
Rumors Lounge Bar and Pub in Regent Street had its previous application in April rejected by South Gloucestershire councillors after environmental health lodged an objection following complaints from neighbours about loud music.
But since then Wayne and Jean Houghton, who run the premises, have installed a new soundproof rear fire door and there have been no further complaints.
Licensing sub-committee members approved extensions to the licence on Tuesday, December 13, after hearing the police and other authorities, including the council’s noise team, did not oppose the request and only one resident and a councillor objected.
Rumors solicitor Jeremy Woodcraft told the panel at Kingswood civic centre that none of the late-night antisocial behaviour in the town centre, including mass brawls and vandalism, came from the bar.
He said one incident last month highlighted by the resident who objected
nightclub in Regent Streethappened at 3.30am – 90 minutes after Rumors closed its doors, so “it couldn’t have been anything to do with us”.
Mr Woodcraft said the club was not just a late-night drinking establishment but had regular live bands and DJs who had a following who paid to see them, so it wasn’t just “anyone wandering in”.
He said the extra hours were needed to make the business financially sustainable.
Mr Woodcraft said that, unlike the previous hearing, there was no
The new licence means the club can open until 3.30am on Fridays and Saturdays,
with last orders half an hour earlier – 90 minutes later than at present – while live and recorded music was extended by two hours from 1am to a 3am cut-off.
Opening hours from Sunday to Wednesday were extended from 11pm to 1am to match Thursday, with hot food and booze sales ending at 12.30am.
There will also be an extra door supervisor.
Announcing the sub-committee’s decision, Cllr Keith Cranney said: “The applicant has actively worked to address historic problems of crime and disorder.
“No objection had been received from the police or other responsible authority, and while objections had been received on the grounds of nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder, these could not be directly attributed to Rumors.
“Since the previous application was refused, a noise limiter and a new acoustic door on London Road have been installed which mitigated the sound to acceptable levels.”
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting ServiceELLACOMBE Pharmacy is here for you this winter.
One thing that frustrates everyone is the hassle of navigating through the NHS to get the care needed quickly at the right place. Community pharmacy is part of the NHS and will play a key part again this winter. Systems that were been strained before Covid have now been experiencing extreme pressure. The toll on the health and wellbeing of everyone in the NHS is now at breaking point. The first thing to note is that nothing pains NHS professionals - pharmacists, nurses, GPs, all clinical and admin colleagues - than knowing people cannot reach us for the help we desperately want to provide. Therefore, we all work well beyond our contracts: late working is our everyday norm. This forms part of the basis of ongoing industrial disputes.
We regularly call patients after hours to discuss their care, just after the nurse or GP gets off the phone. It is undoubtedly not more dedication, but better solutions that are needed. So how can we help each other this winter? Starting the journey right is critical. Order any repeat medications at least seven days before you need them. You can use the NHS App, your GP or Pharmacy processes. Consider using your local pharmacy rather than online services, which, when they fail, your local comes to the rescue. Always remember if you fail to support local providers, you will only lose them.
If you run out of medicines, don’t panic; speak with your local pharmacy. Emergency medicine supply may be possible. 650,000 visits to A&E and over 18 million GP consultations every year could ideally happen in community pharmacy. The NHS
FERTILITY treatment will be extended to single women on the NHS in Bristol while transgender people are also included for the first time – but the upper age limit is coming down to pay for it.
At present only straight or gay couples are eligible for the service, which “discriminates” against some groups by excluding them unfairly, a health authority meeting was told.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board (ICB) approved a new fertility policy on Thursday, December 1, after hearing the existing one was open to legal challenge under the Equality Act.
It includes lowering the maximum age for prospective mothers from 40 to 39.
is now better linked up; if you contact NHS111 or a local GP, you may get a formal referral to a community pharmacy with your clinical details shared. Why? Pharmacists are trained clinicians and experts at identifying the right treatment choice for you and your loved ones. Our local NHS is committed to making the most of this broad expertise by allowing pharmacists to issue prescription-only medicines for certain conditions. Patients can access this care in Ellacombe Pharmacy for:
• Urinary Tract Infections –Females aged 16-64
• Sore Throat
• Impetigo and other mild skin conditions, including on the face– Adults and children
• Chloramphenicol drops and ointment for children with eye infections aged from 31 days
• Emergency Hormonal Contraception
We will consider the safest and best treatment options for you, which may not always require medicines. As part of our local network of NHS Clinicians, Ellacombe Pharmacy is committed to being a conduit of inclusion and excellence in this community. That is what you deserve and what we strive for daily. Reach us on 0117 9322293
SOUTH Gloucestershire Council has now opened a second stage of public consultation on a range of savings proposals and other options for how we might close an anticipated £29.3 million gap in our budget for 2023/24.
Following the initial consultation that started in October, this second phase will run until January 15 and features up-to-date information on what funding will be available from central government and the options that we have put forward for balancing the council’s budget.
Our priority remains to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities and the services that people need the most.
However, to be able to achieve the required savings, we will need to make some signifi-
cant changes to the way we work and what we do in some service areas.
The budget gap has been caused by a combination of factors – global events, rising inflation and an increasing demand for services which has created an unprecedented financial challenge for the council. However, we are in a relatively strong position compared with other local authorities, due to the council’s prudent financial management in recent years.
The council has a good track record of finding savings and continuing to deliver services at a lower cost.
For example, during the first pandemic lockdown, when energy prices fell to historic lows, we secured a long-term competitive fixed-term deal on energy prices,
saving us £2m in energy costs for this year.
And we’ve also held back underspent money into our reserves, to help meet future rising costs.
It is important that people from the area have a say in how we shape services in the future, and the consultation provides residents with an opportunity to tell us their views on our updated budget proposals.
Residents are able to provide feedback on questions about potential changes to public-facing services and are able to find out more about possible changes to the way the council works internally, which would save money.
Feedback from the consultation will be taken into account before a final decision is taken by the council in the New Year.
We will then work with those who use and deliver services to agree how to best deliver the savings required.
The second phase of the budget consultation is now live and all information and details of how to take part can be found at www.southglos.gov.uk/budget.
AS you set out to buy a real tree this Christmas give some thought to how you can recycle it once the festivities are over.
St Peter’s Hospice Christmas Tree Collection scheme, sponsored by ETM Contractors, takes place on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 January 2023 at selected postcodes across Bristol including BS4, BS5, BS7, BS9, BS15, BS16, BS20, BS21, BS30, BS41 and BS48.
It’s the first year our volunteers are collecting real Christmas trees from your doorstep in Hanham and Longwell Green. Our team will recycle them on your behalf in exchange for a donation to the Hospice. We recommend £15 - £20 per tree (or whatever you can afford).
Nick Wilson, St Peter’s Hospice community fundraiser, says: “A real tree is a lovely thing to have, but clearing it away after the festive season can be a hassle. This service makes life easier for people because the trees are collected from their own homes and recycled for them, all while raising vital funds for patient care at the Hospice. It’s a win-win!”
Supporting the Hospice by recycling your Christmas tree will help to pay for essential end of life patient care when it matters most and help you to have a sustainable start to the New Year.
To book your tree collection see: https://www.stpetershospice.org/ treecollection
JOHN Cabot Academy students visited the House of Lords to showcase the work the school is doing to tackle bullying.
A video for the Anti Bullying Alliance (ABA) entitled Reach Out in which they featured was shown and they were able to perform a poem to guests including Judge Rinder and MP and peers.
John Cabot Academy began a three-year programme United Against Bullying programme with the ABA in September 2021.
As part of this work, it has launched a poster campaign throughout the school highlighting zero tolerance of discrimination on grounds of race, gender, appearance, sexuality, special educational needs and disability, or home circumstances.
Students and staff follow the Anti-Bullying Alliance definition of bullying, which is:
“The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online.”
Academy principal Kate Willis said that any allegations of bullying behaviours that occurred face to face, online, in school, or on the journey to and from school were investigated and appropriate sanctions imposed.
She said: “Although instances of these types are very rare here, as educators we have a moral and
legal duty to protect our students from bullying behaviours.
“JCA is working closely with the Anti-Bullying Alliance to achieve their United Against Bullying Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. These are nationally recognised as marks of good practice in anti-bullying work.”
John Cabot Academy encourages all students and parents to report any behaviours of concern. These can be reported to any member of staff, to reception, or via the JCA contact email address JCAinfo@clf.uk.
SOUTH Gloucestershire Council has announced Homes for Ukraine sponsors in the district will receive an additional £125 per month in thank you payments, and the council is supporting more Ukrainian guests into employment.
The £350 payment went up to £475 from 15 December for five months, to support sponsors with rising costs and to recognise their important contribution in providing Ukrainian guests with a safe and welcoming home.
South Gloucestershire has 431 guests matched to 212 sponsors, with 393 having arrived and the remaining guests due in the coming months.
Information on the Ukraine crisis help and support, including the Homes for Ukraine, and the Ukraine Family scheme is available at www. southglos.gov.uk/ukraine
CHRISTMAS shoppers in Hanham had a treat this year after striking hand-painted festive displays appeared in windows of businesses along the High Street.
The idea started in 2021 when Nicola Bartlett, who runs Eclectic Gift Shop, suggested uniting the High Street with the displays.
Nicola said: “It was such a hit that the Hanham Business and Community Partnership funded this for a second year.
“The paintings are by local artist, Tozer Signs. Our windows took two days to paint
by two artists and most small business owners entered into the Christmas spirit. Our windows are covered in hand painted baubles with some Christmas characters too.”
Nicola created a trail map so that children could find the painted characters and collect a certificate at the end of the route.
“Many enjoyed taking part and it's safe to say that the most popular character is Mr Hanky the Christmas Poo, which was requested by Matt at Matt's Place Barbers!”
The window displays are in addition to the Christmas trees which are put up at first floor level at shops in the High Street and the main tree at the roundabout.
Nicola will be running more trails and different events throughout 2023.
She added: “If anyone would like to be involved in running community events on the High Street, please do get in touch with me at nicola@eclecticgiftshop.co.uk I'd especially love to work with people who are interested in running lantern parades, a May Day event and a farmers' market.”
FAMILIES in Hanham turned out in force to take part in the annual Christmas Fayre.
The event, which took place on Saturday December 3 from 3-6pm, saw shoppers browse local stores for Christmas gifts as well as visiting the numerous stalls which had set up along the High Street.
For those who were hungry, street food vendors prepared delicious dishes. High Street restaurants and bars also drew the
crowds. Visitors watched entertainment provided by Circus Antics including a Snow Queen stilt walker, juggler and balloon modeller and enjoyed funfair rides.
Nicola Bartlett, from the Eclectic Gift Shop, said there were hundreds of visitors who turned up for the fayre: “It was fantastic to see so many families enjoying their time on the High Street, as well as supporting so many of our small businesses.”
I HOPE you all had a very merry Christmas and have a happy New Year. The start of a new year brings sales, and it’s important to remember that fraudsters are unlikely to have made New Year’s resolutions to stop scamming.
It is imperative that we remain vigilant and cautious of fraudulent activity. Fraud causes severe harm to both victims’ finances and mental health, with 74% of fraud victims reporting being emotionally affected.
Please don’t let this happen to you, regularly change your passwords using a capital letter, three random words and number.
I also want to touch on another type of scam I have become aware of, known as money muling. The act of money muling is when a person transfers stolen money on behalf of others, usually through their bank account. Criminals contact people and offer them cash to receive money into their bank account and transfer it into another account.
The money that money mules transfer is usually stolen or profits of crime, and is often used to fund further crimes like drug dealing, sexual exploitation, fraud and human trafficking.
Young people are vulnerable to being targeted as money mules due to pressures on social media and the appeal of ‘quick cash’ opportunities.
Around six in every ten mules are under the age of 30, with many young people unaware of the consequences of being recruited, which include bank accounts being closed, problems applying for credit and even a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Signs of someone being used as a money mule include possession of luxury or designer goods that they cannot account for, opening new bank accounts or using crypto exchanges with money they cannot explain the origin of. When challenged, they might say they are letting someone else use their account to move
money.
If you know a young person who has been approached to be a money mule, urge them to break off all contact and not receive or move any money.
Please then contact the police or Crimestoppers as, by reporting such crimes, we can help social media companies protect their own users.
The more people we make aware of such awful schemes, the more people we can stop falling victim and becoming complicit in organised crime.
Before Christmas, I launched my annual council tax policing precept survey, asking if you agree or disagree with my proposal to increase the council tax by £10 a year for the average band D household to support local policing.
The survey runs until January 30, so there is still time for you to have your say. You can complete the survey via my website at avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk.
I know that times are tough for a lot of households and an increase in bills next year is a big ask from everyone.
Rising costs of living and inflation are impacting us all, including the cost of running the police service.
However, in order to deliver on the priorities and the issues you told me were important to you, I need to ask you for this additional funding.
RESIDENTS are invited to have their say on possible designs to transform the amphitheatre at Kingswood Park into a modern performance space.
Community group Friends of Kingswood Park has been campaigning for years to bring about improvements to the much-loved park.
The group worked alongside South Gloucestershire Council on an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and were successful in securing £120,000.
The authority consulted with locals last summer to see what sort of improvements they would like to see which resulted in a local architect creating three designs for a performance space at the park at the site of the old bandstand and amphitheatre.
The possible designs were first aired on December 13 when people who registered their interest in being involved in the improvement process were invited to the Park Centre during the Friends' Christmas meeting to review the proposals.
The designs are now available on the council's website and residents are being encouraged to log on and give their opinion.
The Friends of Kingwood Park are a group of volunteers working in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council to improve Kingswood and its park.
The aim of the group is to give visitors a safe, well-maintained park where they can relax and enjoy events and activities. The group has been in contact with Friends of Page Park following their successful lottery bid which
has seen more than £1 million ploughed into the 19-acre green space in Staple Hill.
A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “We are progressing with plans to improve Kingwood Park after securing £120,000 development funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and are working closely with the Friends of Kingswood Park and the local community to restore and enhance the park for the benefit of everyone.
“We aim to position the park as the green ‘heart’ of Kingswood where people go to enjoy highquality facilities, outdoor events, and meet other people in a safe, welcoming setting. We were delighted with the response to our public engagement that ran last summer, and that feedback is being used as we prepare proposals around the facilities on offer.
“Following this a local architect has created three separate design concepts of how a new performance space at the park’s amphitheatre could look in the future. These designs are very much ideas at this stage,
KEYNSHAM Walking Football held a charity dance in memory of members Bernie Sims and Dave Harris who died from cancer.
The event was held in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Member Derek Hardwell provided the disco and a band, newlyformed for the occasion, Walk Don’t Run, also performed. Club members Richard Iles (drums), Steve Brown and Simon Donadel (both guitar and vocals) formed part of this band. Oldland Village Hall provided the venue for a £50 donation to Jessie May charity.
As a result of the ticket sales, auction and raffle, the club was able to donate £3,400 to the Teenage Cancer Trust. The event was organised by Richard Iles and the club would like to thank I J McGill Transport, PSP Solutions and Kitco and many high street stores in Keynsham, including Tesco for their donations.
This brings the total amount raised by Keynsham Walking Football since it formed to over £30,000.
and we’ve had initial discussions with the Friends group and town centre users to gather feedback before sharing them with the wider community and opening them up for further discussion.”
Plans to improve Kingswood Park and other green spaces in the area form part of the Kingswood Masterplan approved by the council's cabinet in April 2022. The masterplan includes a leisure centre, free parking at King's Chase shopping centre, restoration of the Whitfield
Tabernacle, pedestrianising Regent Street (east) and signage and accessibility improvements.
Jim Whittaker, secretary, Friends of Kingswood Park, said the long-hoped for plans to transform the park now seem to be a reality.
“We have waited for many years for the opportunity to assist South Gloucestershire Council with a substantial investment in Kingswood Park. Improved access, a creative play area, a performance focus, a café, all now seem to be within our grasp.”
The council spokesperson added that the authority is keen to get as much input as possible about any ideas which would help make the park a better place to visit.
Copies of the designs are available to view on the council’s Kingswood Park web page and in the project noticeboard by the old bandstand in the park.
ONE of the most extraordinary stories I came across at Glenside Hospital Museum was that of the mysterious woman who, thanks to Hannah More, came to be known as Louisa, the Lady of the Haystack.
Legends abound that she was the illegitimate daughter of the Austrian emperor Francis I and thus half-sister to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. But she would spend the last years of her life in asylums, thanks to Hannah More's beneficence.
Evangelical poet, educationalist, and campaigner against slavery, Hannah More was born in 1745 in the slightly forbidding schoolhouse at the back of Fishponds Park. The fourth of five children to Jacob, the school master, and her Bristolian mother, Mary Grace, Hannah began her studies early. Her father taught her Latin and maths from the age of eight.
At 12 she moved to the boarding school run by her older sister Mary, behind Bristol Cathedral, and went on to teach there. She studied French, Italian and Spanish.
A precocious young woman, she wrote plays and poems and mixed with theatre folk and literary figures in the city.
Her first published play, The Search after Happiness, followed the ending of a six-year, on-off
engagement.
With an annuity from her erstwhile suitor she moved to London to live in actor David Garrick’s house, vowing never to marry.
Hannah met with leading figures of all shades of opinion but remained a conservative Christian in hers.
Her diaries are a namedropper's dream. She was friends with Horace Walpole, Samuel Johnson and Edmund Burke, supporting his bid to become MP for Bristol, and campaigned with Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce to end slavery.
Her overriding concern was to promote Christian values. Shocked by rural poverty when she moved back to Somerset, she and her sisters set up a string of charity schools in the Mendips.
She came across the handsome woman who had wandered into Flax Bourton in a distressed state and set up home in a haystack in 1776. The ‘mad maid’ was taken to St Peter’s Hospital in Bristol but reacted badly to incarceration.
Hannah bought the haystack and the woman returned, decorating it with trinkets. She accepted milk and tea from the locals but foraged for other food, resisting offers of accommodation, as "trouble and misery dwell in houses".
Taking it upon herself to
investigate, Hannah dubbed her ‘Louisa’, reporting that she was "enough Mistress of her reason carefully to shut up from our observation every avenue that might lead to her secret".
Hannah announced “that her Father was a German, her Mother an Italian; that she has one brother and one Sister; that her father had a very fine garden full of olive and orange Trees.” Louisa’s accent and reaction to spoken German leant credence to this account, and to rumours that she was of noble birth.
Bristol’s milkmaid poet Ann Yearsley, another of Hannah More’s pet causes, wrote: Beneath this stack Louisa’s haystack rose, Here the fair mania bore three winter snows, Here long she shivered stiffening in the blast; The lightning round their livid horrors cast; The thunders roared, while rushing torrents pour And add new woes to black affliction’s hour.
In November 1781 Hannah's article, A Tale of Real Woe, in the St James Chronicle excited the interest of the royal court, and raised enough money to allow her benefactress to pay for Louisa to be looked after in a private madhouse in Hanham.
But, as John Wesley found when he visited her, Louisa’s mental and physical health deteriorated. She was moved to St Luke’s Hospital
for the insane in London, and then to Guy’s Hospital, where she died in 1801.
This anonymous poem appeared in The Gentleman’s Magazine: In yonder dust, unmark’d for public fame, Low rests the relicts of Louisa’s frame! Poor hapless sufferer, of the maniac line!
Thy wrongs no more a tortur’d breast confine!
Enough for thee, that ling’ring Sorrow’s breath Found final rescue in the boon of death!
Consol’d be they, who sought thy soul’s relief!
Tormented they, who overwhelm’d with grief!
Accurs’d the crime, that ‘reft thy reason’s ray!
Though thou be ransom’d for eternal day!
And where frail Innocence would Vice repel May guardian angels thy sad story tell!
Her story remains a mystery to this day.
IT’S that time of year.
Waistlines expanded. Bank balances reduced. Christmas trimmings coming down. And people are looking to the future and setting their New Year’s resolutions.
So, what are mine? Well, they’re simple, really - taking Angel, my cocker spaniel, for more walks - even when it’s chilly - and putting our brilliant West of England even more firmly on the national and global map, and ensuring our region thrives.
Hmm, that politician pledge sounds a bit vague, you may say! How are you going to measure that? My response is simple: look at all the progress we’ve made already.
I am proud of everything we’ve achieved - together - in 2022: reducing bus fares; launching the region’s first-ever Good Employment Charter - now supporting over 6,500 workers and counting; supporting buzzing bees through brand-new grants; investing £12 million in the new Bottle Yard Studios, now open for business; unblocking the Temple Quarter scheme to refresh Temple Meads and the surrounding area; investing in green hydrogen at the
Bristol and Bath Science Park; winning record levels of cash from government, like the £105 million I secured to begin to improve our buses and start the long road to deliver a public transport network our region can be really proud of.
For me, the New Year also is a chance to reflect on the year ahead politically, like ensuring government understands and learns from the pressures facing working people, with taxes, inflation and energy bills all going up and up.
With local people hungry to see decisions made in their areas, I’ll continue to call for London-style devolution, to ensure I have the powers to make our region even better.
But fundamentally, New Year is a time for hope. And in the West of England, we have much to be hopeful about.
Every day as your Metro Mayor, I’m inspired by the people I meet. The ambition and confidence of our young people; the brilliance of our businesses; the potential of our amazing towns and villages, and our two truly great cities.
But this is also a time of year when we resolve to do better.
So my promise this year to you is to continue to be the strong champion for our region, from backing our world-class creative industries to our amazing local shops - by the way, for those of you looking for a resolution, I urge you all to please ‘Love Local’, as there are so many brilliant places to explore in our great region.
So, whether it’s doing Dry January or throwing yourself full-throttle into (finally) taking up that hobby, I wish you and your friends and family the happiest of Januaries as we enter into 2023. Good luck!
LESS than half of South Gloucestershire residents consider themselves to be Christian - and more people in the district say they have no religion at all.
The decline in religious observance is one of the trends in the UK population highlighted in results of the 2021 Census published by the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS said that for the first time in a census of England and Wales, less than half of the population (46.2%) described themselves as “Christian”, a 13.1% decrease from 2011, when the figure was 59.3%. In South Gloucestershire the number of people identifying as Christian was even lower, at 44.1%, with 'no religion' the most common response, given by 46.1% of residents.
Muslims made up 1.6% of the South Gloucestershire population, followed by Hindus (1%), Buddhists (0.4%), Sikhs (0.3%), Jews (0.1%), with 0.5% of respondents ticking 'any other religion' and 6% not answering the question.
In Bristol the majority of residents (51.4%) said they were nonreligious - a huge increase on the 37% who gave the same answer in 2011.
Analysis of local areas showed that the percentage of people identifying as Christian in Downend was higher than in Mangotsfield, Staple Hill, Emersons Green or Frenchay.
The number of people in the region describing themselves as nonreligious is ahead of the national average, which was 37.2% - up from 25.2% in 2011.
Andrew Copson of non-religious group Humanists UK, said: "These results confirm that the biggest demographic change in England and Wales of the last ten years has been the dramatic growth of the non-religious. They mean the UK is almost certainly one of the least religious countries on Earth."
To see more details visit bit.ly/3Bzk592 online.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Last month we enjoyed a Craft Day. About 25 members took part and enjoyed making cards, rag wreaths, gonks , bead angels , book folding and also making Christmas roses to go on top of their Christmas cake.
The knitting group once again adorned the post box with a lovely Christmas themed topper and put up a display in The Centre in Longwell Green.
We also had our Christmas meal and entertainment at our December meeting which everyone enjoyed.
We are looking forward to having a fun and games night this month and we have lots of interesting speakers for our monthly meetings throughout the year including a talk on glass, Queen Victoria's children and a group singing sea shanties.
We have lots of groups that our members can participate in. There are book clubs, walking groups, knitting group, skittles and social suppers. On the first Thursday of the month we meet at The Chapel Coffee Shop in Longwell Green for Tea and Chat.
Longwell Green WI regular
IF you enjoy singing and want to hone your close-harmony singing skills, then Saturday January 28 is a date to put in your diary.
Organisers are looking for women to take part in a full-day a-cappella workshop at The Space In Keynsham. It will culminate in a free mini performance for friends, family and the public.
The workshop, Sing-Appella, is being hosted by Black Sheep Harmony, a barbershop/acappella singing group that holds regular rehearsals in Cadbury Heath. It recently participated in the Big Bristol Barbershop Bonanza, when more than 170 took to the stage.
Barbershop enjoys a huge following in Bristol. The city hosts seven groups, including the national gold-medal-winning, mixed barbershop chorus The
meetings are on the third Friday of the month at 7.30pm at Longwell Green Community Centre and new members are always welcome. If you are interested in visiting us please get in touch by email at longwellwi@gmail.com, telephone 0117 9864782 or come along on the meeting evening.
Linda MullerHAPPY New Year from Staple Hill WI.We hope 2023 brings you good things: you could kick it off by joining us!
Our first meeting of 2023 is WITH Dave Monks, who will talk about the charity ShelterBox.
This meeting is in Christ Church Hall on January 17 - we look forward to seeing you all.
Also, we will be having our annual Christmas gathering at Mezze. We do this each year to brighten up January.
If you are reading this, please don’t forget to come and find out more about us.
You may not be able to commit lots of time but that’s OK - we meet once a month.
As a member, you can participate in as much or as little as you like.
We have a diverse membership and anyone is welcome.
We have ample parking for ladies who need to drive to us at the hall on North Street in Downend and we meet on the third Tuesday of most months.
Our meeting starts at 7.30pm: come and join us, make new friends, learn new skills, enjoy a cuppa and some cake!
Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
You can drop us an email to find out more at katetarr@avonfwi. org.uk.
Kate TarrOUR last meeting of 2022 – the years go by more quickly all the time and a decade passes in the blink of an eye.
I confess that the “joys” of driving in the darkness, especially when the thermometer is likely to fall into single figures, or even below zero, have long eluded me.
Well wrapped up against the cold in my coat, scarf, hat and gloves I enjoyed a leisurely walk to Bromley Heath Junior School where I knew that a warm welcome awaited, along with hot drinks and, tonight, hot mince pies.
Bright twinkling Christmas lights adorning nearby houses, a glimpse of a decorated Xmas tree in windows and sparkling frost on the ground had made all of our members' walks to BHWI this evening very special.
President Sue welcomed us all to the meeting and with refreshments in hand, we all took our seats in anticipation of the evening’s performance.
No Cold Turkey for us tonight –we were about to enjoy something Fishy!!
Bromley Heath’s Junior school stage was set up in readiness for their own Xmas Musical Concert and was put to good use when our guest performers, the Red Herring Theatre Group, took their places.
This year they had a traditional country house 'whodunnit' murder mystery for us to solve, or at least try to solve.
A captivating performance ensued, but at the end only about a quarter of our members had successfully identified the murderer and only two completely solved all the facets of the crime.
Congratulations to Sue our “Pitt your wits” president and Julie “Brainy’ Bryant – but no prizes.
Only a short time remained for Sue to thank the performers, to wish us all a very Happy Christmas and let us know that our prospectus for 2023 would be revealed when we resumed in January.
Bristol Mix, which draws its members from the other six.
The Black Sheep’s aim is to teach women the essential techniques of good a-cappella singing to performance standard, with lots of laughter, fun and cakes along the way.
This workshop will give singers a chance to try something
different, improve their skills and see what goes on behind the scenes of this local vibrant choir of all ages.
The cost is £10 per person and pre-booking is essential. Tickets can be bought online at www.blacksheepharmony.com/ sing-appella or by phoning Noey on 07899 088180.
To advertise, contact Emma on 0117 908 2121 Or 07715 770448.
Here at BHWI we wish you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2023.
Ladies, maybe your New Year’s resolution should be to give one or more of the local Women’s Institutes a try?
Contact us at bromleyheathwi@ gmail.com if you would like any further information.
Margaret HanwellEmail: sales@hanhamandlongwellgreen
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The winter of 1982 produced some of the coldest weather in recent memory. For several weeks in January 1982 freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls led to hazardous driving conditions. Warmley hit the national headlines due to the large numbers of vehicles and drivers that became stranded in the area.
Traffic that was diverted from the motorway network was unable to use Tog Hill or return through Kingswood because the roads were frozen. This caused a queue of traffic that stretched from Tenniscourt Road to Wick. The frozen ridge in the middle of the road was 18 inches high in places, allowing only a single line of traffic through.
The community in Warmley rallied around to help the crews of some of the stranded lorries. For nearly a week the drivers were fed hot food, most donated freely by local people, and slept in the main hall of Warmley Community Centre.
The photo shows the scene outside Warmley Community Centre at the foot of Warmley Hill.
