CITYIST

The cityist

THE BUZZ NEWS BITES HUNTING FOR JUNIOR JOURNALISTS

How would you like to meet your favourite authors face-to-face and go backstage at Europe’s largest kids’ book festival? How would you like the chance to ask authors and illustrators questions about their work?

Bath Festivals are looking for three talented young people to win places as Junior Journalists at this year’s festival.

There are three age groups in the competition: 7–9, 9–11 and 12 and over. If you are 9 before 1 September 2022, you qualify for the 9–11 age category, if your ninth birthday is after 1 September 2022, you should enter the 7–9 age group.

To enter, simply write a review of your favourite book in no more than 200 words and why you would recommend it. Send your entries to: info@bathfestivals.org.uk by the deadline of Wednesday 31 August and don’t forget to include your name, age, address and email contact. You’ll also need to be available with an adult (someone 18 or older) for the weekend of 24–25 September and/or the weekend of 1–2 October to attend Bath Children’s Literature Festival.

The three chosen Junior Journalists will join the team for the festival. They’ll get to wear a Junior Journalist lanyard, to attend a number of events, report on those events and to go behind the scenes to meet the visiting authors. Reports by Junior Journalists will be posted on the festival website. Plus there will be a bundle of free books to take home at the end of the festival.

bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature

The Junior Journalists in 2021

MY BATH

Clair Ponting

Clair Ponting has lived in Bath all her life and started work at the age of 16 at Denning & Co. Chartered Accountants in Queen Square. She works at the Bristol Law Society, teaches rowing as a volunteer and also takes a line dancing class in Bath

Where do you live in Bath?

I live in Upper Weston, just a mile from the heart of Weston Village. My parents moved here in 1976. I love the fact that the Village was mentioned in the Doomsday book with all the history surrounding it.

What memories do you have of your childhood in Bath?

Dad worked for a Bath removal company, and Mum worked part-time. I’m an only child and my parents didn’t have much spare cash, so I couldn’t have the latest fashions or toys, but it made me value and cherish things. My fondest, and earliest, memory was visiting my maternal grandparents’ sweet shop in Combe Down village. Dad was a human satnav and luckily some of this has rubbed off on me –how to be respectful and talk to people and most importantly, how to make a great cup of tea!

What is your background and training?

I went to Oldfield Girls’ School and wasn’t sure what career I wanted, but one of my options was typing, which I excelled at. When I sat my GCSEs, I had already secured a place on a YTS (the forerunner to the modern apprenticeship) and a job at Denning & Co Chartered Accountants based in Queen Square. I left school on 19 June 1989 and started work the following day, aged 16. I will forever be grateful to my first boss for giving me the opportunity. I stayed at Dennings for 10 years before changing direction and becoming a Legal Secretary/PA/paralegal.

What brought you to your current career?

I didn’t so much choose my current career as it chose me. In 2008 during the recession I was made redundant, and for the first time I had to look beyond Bath for work. The redundancy unsettled me, as did the sudden death of my father, and I moved jobs frequently, often temping or taking contract work. That changed in November 2014, when I joined Bristol Law Society (BLS). I’ve never worked so hard in my life but also never felt I belonged anywhere more. I can truly say this is my dream and forever job! think and work out a new pathway. I was lucky to do the Bristol Bordeaux Exchange at school when I was 14 and I’m still in contact with my exchange family, 35 years on!

Who is your favourite historical person associated with the city and why?

William Harbutt, inventor of plasticine, who lived in Belvedere before building his factory in Bathampton. In the 1960s, Dad was in the Retained Fire Service and told me stories of the fires at the factory. The factory has long gone, replaced by housing.

Tell us about your line dancing

The step class I attended switched to line dancing in 1996. After six months, I was asked to learn how to teach because I had an aptitude for it. I’ve been teaching ever since; dancing makes me feel alive. My class at Ascension Church Hall started over 13 years ago. The class ethos is of laughter, friendship and exercise rather than high achievement, and we also try to support charity events. Anyone is welcome.

How did you become a rowing coach?

My involvement in rowing started 17 years ago supporting my partner who was a rower. When we parted I joined Avon County Rowing Club as a beginner in July 2007. I qualified as a coach in April 2017 and specialise in teaching adult beginners.

In 2018, I was honoured as my club named a boat after me and I was awarded regional volunteer of the year by British Rowing. In 2019, my beginners won 12 out of 16 races at Warwick Regatta winning the Victor Ludorum Cup. I was so proud of them; they had been rowing just five months. I’m passionate about the sport and it gives me an immense sense of achievement to see someone progress and develop. It is a voluntary position, but it means as much to me as my career.

What motto do you live your life by?

My father used to say, “I only want to help” and we laughed at him. As I’m getting older, I can understand what he meant! ■

Best Foot Forward Line Dancing: bestfootforward.dance@yahoo.co.uk Avon County Rowing Club: avoncountyrowingclub.org.uk/learn-and-join

NEWS BITES

MORE AMBITIOUS VISION URGED

The Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) is calling on B&NES Council to look beyond its plans for Milsom Street and develop a “city-wide masterplan”. Bath Preservation Trust says it welcomes the Milsom Street Masterplan, but is calling on B&NES to come up with a longterm strategy for the whole city.

CEO of BPT, Alex Sherman, says: “Developing a vision for one part of the city highlights the more pressing requirement for a strategy for the whole of Bath. We need more integration with a vision for the future of Bath as a whole, including city-wide public realm, transport and movement, commercial vision and sustainability. That vision does not currently exist, and it needs to.”

Another of the observations BPT makes about the Milsom Quarter plan is its disproportionate emphasis on fashion-led renewal. The retail industry is fragile with little evidence that consumers are returning to the High Street in the numbers necessary to facilitate significant growth.

BPT is also concerned that the long-term vision for Bath City Centre fails to protect the character of historic Walcot Street. The Cattlemarket site deserves development that responds to the character of Walcot and protects views to Bathampton Down. BPT also suggests that B&NES is missing a huge opportunity to lead on sustainability. Given that a high percentage of property within the masterplan area is within the Council’s ownership this is a significant opportunity for B&NES to lead by example to facilitate and undertake sustainability retrofits, switch from gas to electric, and introduce micro-renewables. This approach is required if Bath is to reach net zero by 2030. Targets won’t be met unless B&NES take direct climate action for its own buildings and land. bath-

preservation-trust.org.uk

FIND OUT ABOUT BATH STONE

The Museum of Bath Stone is holding an open day on Sunday 18 September, as part of the national Heritage Open Days, which present opportunities for the public to visit cultural, heritage and arts organisations which are not usually open.

Go along and discover how the City of Bath was built from beneath, the story of the Combe Down Stone Mines, and the evidence left behind by Georgian quarrymen, among other fascinating stories about Bath stone.

The museum will be open from 10am–4pm on the Sunday and visitors are welcome to pop along and have a look at what is going on, including a variety of exhibitions and publications. The Museum of Bath Stone is always looking for new trustees and volunteers so come along if you would like to find out more. museumofbathstone.org

POST OFFICE PODCAST

Following on from the publication of The Great Post Office Trial, Nick Wallis has launched a podcast, Investigating the Post Office Scandal, alongside Rebecca Thomson, the journalist who broke the story in 2009.

The podcast will investigate unanswered questions about the scandal, which saw over 700 former sub-postmasters and postal workers prosecuted for theft and false accounting using faulty IT evidence from the Horizon accounting system between 2000 and 2014. Over 70 convictions have been overturned so far, with the scandal described as the greatest miscarriage of justice in UK history.

The pair will also cover the ongoing public inquiry once hearings resume in September, with the goal of charting developments and speaking to those involved. "There are so many questions still to be answered, and we hope to cover the inquiry regularly and speak to those who know the story inside out," says Thomson. "We want to explore the potential long-term implications, talk about new angles to the story, and ensure each stage of the inquiry process is talked about as widely as possible."

Nick Wallis has covered the story since 2011 and published The Great Post Office Trial in 2021. Rebecca Thomson broke the story while a reporter at Computer Weekly in 2009. Listen to the Podcast on podcasts.apple.com and buy The Great Post Office Trial from bathpublishing.com

LOCAL AUTHOR SPREADS HAPPINESS

Author and illustrator Tessa Yates will deliver a reading of her latest picture book Geoffrey Finds a Bike, as part of the Bath Children’s Literature Festival line-up. Tessa’s book follows a threesome of cycling giraffes – who must learn how best to share just the one bike –and considers how we can stay happy, even when things go wrong. Event attendees will also have the opportunity to create their own Happy Book. Tessa is the founder of The Happy Book Company, where she has published three picture books about choosing happiness. In fact every time she faces a challenge to her happiness, she makes a book about it. (You can see more of the illustrator’s work on her Instagram account (@happybooklady). The reading will take place at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival’s Happiness Hub; the Hub – at the egg theatre on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 10am to 4pm both days – is a free drop-in for families with children of all ages, and will offer its young visitors a place to to read, relax and chat. There will also be organisations on hand to give young people tips and tricks on keeping their heads healthy and happy. bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature

WIN FOR MAYOR’S GUIDES

The Mayor’s Guides have once again been awarded the Travellers’ Choice accolade by Tripadvisor. This is only awarded to organisations that receive consistently excellent reviews from their customers, and puts them in the top 10% of organisations on Tripadvisor.

The Mayor’s Guides offer daily general interest walks at 10.30am and 2pm from Sunday to Friday, 10.30am on Saturday and 6pm on Thursday. Pulteney Estate Walks take place on Tuesday and Thursday at 11am.

A special programme of Summer Walks in Bath in August includes Destruction & Preservation in 20th Century Bath – Buildings Lost and Saved (8 August); Bath Rocks –Geology in the City (12 and 31 August); Walking in the Footsteps of Ralph Allen (17 August) and Victoria Park: Gates, Avenues and Gardens (24 and 31 August).

All walks are free; general interest walks don’t require booking; Summer Walks need to be booked on the website: bathguides.org.uk

SKYDIVE FOR YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL

Join RUHX’s Skydive Day on Sunday 21 August for a pure adrenaline rush and do something extra extraordinary for the Royal United Hospitals. You’ll be strapped securely to your tandem instructor to take the leap 13,000ft from a plane, and experience an exhilarating freefall of over 40 seconds before your instructor deploys the main parachute for a gentle, controlled landing at Netheravon Airfield, Wiltshire. Sign up today, ruhx.org.uk

IN CONVERSATION EVENTS

Don’t miss out on Fane’s live ‘in conversation’ events coming to Bath Pavilion and Bath Forum this autumn.

Events include Graham Norton discussing his latest novel, Forever Home, on 10 October and an evening with Lucy Worsley, as she delves into the fascinating life of the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, on 13 October. Richard E. Grant reflects on love and loss to celebrate his new book A Pocketful of Happiness on 4 November and Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost shares advice and amusing stories from a lifetime in the garden on 15 October. fane.co.uk/whats-on

NATURE IN URBAN SPACES

APPRECIATING GOOD OPERA

If Opera are back in the beautiful grounds of Belcombe Court in Bradford on Avon this August and September, which offers the perfect backdrop for their operas, picnic prom and family show.

The productions include La rondine by Giacomo Puccini (sung in Italian with English surtitles) on 26, 29 August and 1 and 3 September; double bill Rita (sung in English) and Il segreto di Susanna (sung in Italian with English surtitles) on 27 and 31 August; Dido and Aeneas on 17 September (at Holy Trinity Church, Bradford on Avon); The Clare Teal Seven Picnic Prom on 19 August; and The Man in the Moon in association with Charles Court Opera on 28 August. Apart from Dido and Aeneas, performances will take place in If Opera’s fully enclosed Saddlespan theatre with raked seating at Belcombe Court. ifopera.com

Meinir WynRoberts plays Magda in La rondine The Bath-based landscape architect behind Singapore’s iconic Supertrees and the current Tower of London Superbloom display is calling for more city spaces to be turned over to nature in order to boost biodiversity, tourism and wellbeing.

Gardens by the Bay recently celebrated its 10th anniversary in Singapore, and Andrew Grant RDI –founder of landscape architecture practice Grant Associates –believes that it is more important than ever before for biodiversity-rich green spaces to be intentionally cultivated in order to combat the climate emergency. “Gardens by the Bay demonstrates the possibility of using landscapes, plants and nature to create powerful places where people can come together and be inspired," says Andrew. “Its success shows how, as landscape architects, we can positively influence and transform cityscapes into areas that add more value to people and planet.” grant-associates.uk.com