21 minute read
EDUCATION NEWS
UPDATES FROM THE CITY’S SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
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Bristol’s first 48 Hour Film Challenge is open for registration for students from schools and extra-curricular clubs from across the area. Endorsed by IMDb and hosted by Redmaids’ High School and film education charity Into Film, participants are invited to register in teams of up to five. Following the format of the international 48 Hour Film Challenge, seen annually at the Cannes Film Festival, teams must shoot, edit and submit a short film within 48 hours on the weekend of 14 May 2021.
The countdown begins at 4:30pm on 14 May when each team is given a character, prop and line of dialogue which must be included in the film. Completed films must be submitted by 16 May at 4:30pm. Awards will be given by key stage group and judges include Encounters Film Festival director Rich Warren, IMDb CEO and Into Film trustee Col Needham and Cathy Johnson, writer of Mamma Mia.
Teams must have a designated adult to complete registration and oversee the day and there is a fee of £5 per team, which will be going to the charity partner, Babbassa.
• redmaidshigh.co.uk/bristol48hourfilmchallenge
A WARM WELCOME
Badminton School is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Heidi Pedlar as the Head of Badminton Junior School. Ms Pedlar will join the independent day and boarding school based in Bristol in September. She moves from Bristol Grammar School where she is currently assistant head (pastoral and daily operations) and designated safeguarding lead. Prior roles include head of juniors and head of preprep at Walhampton School, Hampshire and head of juniors at Norman Court Prep School, Hampshire.
Ms Pedlar has both a BSc (Hons) in physical education, sports science and recreation management and a MSc Recreation Management from Loughborough University in addition to a PGCE in Primary Education (specialising in science) from Warwick University. Her keen interest in sport, both in the school environment and as an enhancement to pupil wellbeing and development, exemplify her excellent fit for the Junior School community.
Ms Pedlar said of her new appointment: “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Badminton. During my previous visits to Badminton for sporting events, I have always been taken aback by the warm and friendly nature of the school. I am really looking forward to becoming part of the school community and getting to know the girls and their families. Our adventure is just beginning, in the words of Dr Seuss, “We are off to great places, today is our day.”
• badmintonschool.co.uk
AMBITIOUS PLANS
One of Bristol's leading independent schools has announced ambitious plans to expand their Year 5 provision from September 2021.
Colston's Lower, a co-educational day school located in Stapleton, will be opening an additional class for children entering Year 5 following an increase in demand, enabling the school to maintain an average class size of 18.
Mr Edwards, Head of Colston's Lower said: "We are really excited to be in the position to welcome additional Year 5 students from September, and whilst an ambitious move, are confident that the interest we've already seen will continue. This past year has been far from easy, in particular for parents, and I believe that the homeschooling provision we were able to deliver for all our pupils has highlighted one of the many benefits an independent education can bring. Plus, parents for whom Colston's may have been a destination for Year 7 may wish to take advantage of this opportunity to help us support pupils ahead of the entrance assessments sat in Year 6. We are confident that any pupil who joins us for Year 5 will thrive in our nurturing and supportive environment."
Colston's is holding a virtual whole school open event on 30 April from 9.30am, which will include a session with Mr Edwards to discuss Year 5 opportunities.
• colstons.org
Izzy Walton, CNM Health Coach Graduate
Most people already know the answers and what changes they need to make, but they don’t know how. As a Health Coach, I help facilitate change using all my coaching, nutrition and fitness knowledge.
I’ve always had a strong interest in natural health which evolved alongside my interest in yoga. Many years ago, I studied complementary therapies, reflexology, reiki and aromatherapy. These therapies bought me closer to my interest in nutritional therapy and where I am today.
I was already working in the wellness industry running corporate wellness events, yoga retreats and wholefood catering, so studying to become a Health Coach was another step towards practicing naturopathic wellness. I wanted to do a course that offered a holistic health offering, comprising of both of food, nutrition and mindful movement for both physical and mental health support.
For the first time, I feel like I’ve found where all my previous studies and qualifications have been leading me to. I always knew I wanted to help people achieve optimum health, whether that be through their diet or through yoga practice. Now with all my competencies, I have the skills and knowledge to do this with health coaching.
The content on CNM’s Health Coach diploma was very in-depth and each module explored all parts of heath coaching, including business, marketing and promotion modules; this is something that other courses didn’t seem to cover.
The course was immersive and I got to experience everything first-hand. When we explored a topic, such as fasting, cleansing or fitness routines, we completely embedded ourselves in that topic and we were encouraged to experience and practice it for ourselves. This learning experience was invaluable and helped cement the knowledge for me.
Since graduating, I’ve been working with clients remotely in my practice and I have a few collaborations lined up for the next few months. I’m also still teaching my regular yoga classes.
What I love most about practicing is being able to offer my clients’ space. Many people just don’t honour themselves the time to really enquire into their own health and understand why they are manifesting their symptoms. As a Health Coach, I help facilitate change, and use all my coaching, nutrition and fitness knowledge to best support and empower them towards achieving their health goals.
CNM’s Health Coach diploma is a unique course which has naturopathic principles at its heart, something most health coaching courses don’t offer.
Become a Health Coach – enrolling now!
Turn your passion into a career. CNM Health Geoff DonCoaches are trained in nutrition and health, fitness and exercise, how the body works, coaching, marketing and business promotion.
Visit cnmcourses.com
or call 01342777 747 to find out more
CNM has an exceptional 22-year track record training successful natural health practitioners online and in class. Over 80% of graduates are practising.
Spring beauty
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising and we’re optimistic for a long post-lockdown summer. Harvey Nichols Bristol shares its top picks for revamping your make-up bag and skincare routine this Spring.
1Hourglass Equilibrium Restoring Essence 120ml, £64 Founded in 2004 by industry veteran Carisa Janes, HOURGLASS 4 cosmetics has carved a niche for itself as an innovative and intensely luxurious beauty brand, famed for its make-up, the Hourglass brand has now also launched a skincare range at Harvey Nichols. A radiance-enhancing essence that conditions, protects and restores balance to skin as it increases the effectiveness of skincare that follows. The Restoring Essence from Hourglass is formulated with the Hourglass Cell Balancing ComplexTM, a powerful blend of youth lipids (phospholipids and prolipids) that rebalances, restores and renews the skin barrier. A vital step in the Equilibrium ritual, this ultra-hydrating essence balances skin 5 8 and forms a protective barrier against environmental pollutants. 2 6
Slip Pure Silk Scrunchies Desert Rose, £39
Traditional hair ties can tug on delicate hair which can lead to damage and breakage. Slip® scrunchies are made with slipsilk™, the same silk used in the awardwinning slip® pure silk pillowcase. Specially commissioned and made to exacting standards, slipsilk™ has been developed and refined for over ten years to provide the ultimate combination of shine, thickness, softness and durability. Its wide surface area and high-grade silk means the slip® scrunchie is designed to be gentle on your delicate hair and to reduce those annoying ridges caused by regular hair elastic.
3
Revitalash Advanced ® 2ml, £87
This advanced RevitaLash® formula contains a proprietary blend of proven functional cosmetic ingredients pioneered by Athena, combined with an infusion of powerful peptides and soothing botanicals, designed to both beautify and nourish the eyelashes. A cult beauty favourite to achieve long lashes.
Fenty Skin Flash Nap - Instant Revival Eye Gel Cream + Eye Massage Tool, £36
Puffiness and dark circles – chill: Fake a flash nap and instantly wake up tired-looking eyes with this 2-in-1 eye cream and concealer primer. The cooling mini eye massage tool rolls on an extra boost of eye revival. Give off well-rested vibes anytime, anywhere with this unique gel-cream that brightens, soothes, and fights the look of puffiness over time. This eye cream helps Rihanna look fresh after frequent late nights.
Amanda Harrington London Perfect Body Ultimate Gradual Tan 180ml, £28
Perfect Body, Ultimate Gradual Tan is Amanda Harrington’s illuminating, hydrating and tanextending primer, use alone as a gradual tan, or as a primer for the Body Mousse. Innovatively formulated with a blend of mild tanning agents and lightreflecting particles that work to create a subtle base colour and extend the wear of your sunless tan, while skin soothing ingredients help to boost hydration and suppleness. Collagen and hyaluronic acid plump and firm the skin working to improve elasticity, while aloe vera hydrates, softens and replenishes moisture levels. An antioxidant and omega-rich blend of shea butter and almond oil soothe and enrich skin health, helping to rejuvenate and smooth the appearance of fine lines.
Iconic London Prep-SetGlow - Glow 120ml, £22
This wonder spray has extracts of cucumber and chamomile, not only does it give you a stand out gloss, Prep-Set-Glow also soothes and calms sensitive skin. If that isn't enough it’s also rich in antioxidants, green tea and vitamin E which helps to condition your skin and not forgetting caffeine to combat dark circles around your eyes. This hero product is going to leave your skin revitalised and glowing. This gorgeous multiuse spray can be used to prep the skin before applying make-up, set a finished look or add a stunning gloss to a bare face.
7
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream 75ml, £18
Sol de Janeiro’s award-winning, deliciously scented body cream is the ultimate Brazilian Beauty Secret. Pronounced “boom boom” in Brazil, the bum bum is a nation-wide obsession. It’s ALL about the booty, which is why Brazil has the smallest bikinis and bestfitting jeans. But beautiful Brazilian bottoms have a secret – a cream, created with caffeine-rich Guaraná. Brazilian Bum Bum Cream helps visibly smooth and tighten the appearance of your skin thanks to potent, caffeine rich Guaraná Extract.
Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector 100ml, £26
This is a weekly at-home treatment, not a conditioner, that reduces breakage and visibly strengthens hair, improving its look and feel. This global bestselling formula repairs damaged and compromised hair, strengthening and protecting its structure. It works to restore a healthy appearance and texture to the hair.
9Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, £33.50 Cult favourite and winner of multiple major awards, Laura Mercier's "best in beauty", number one setting powder is your go-to powder. Pros love the super smooth application, which goes on evenly, blends effortlessly and provides great wear. A touch of sheer coverage with a soft matte finish sets makeup flawlessly for 16 hours. This lightweight, finely milled powder doesn't add weight or texture to skin. It doesn't settle into fine lines and never looks cakey. This noflashback formula is perfect for photos and creates a softfocus effect to subtly blur the look of fine lines and imperfections.
All products featured are available at the Beauty Hall in Harvey Nichols Bristol, or online harveynichols.com
IS KNEE PAIN HOLDING YOU BACK?
We all know that keeping active is one of the key ingredients to living a healthy life. In the last year, the recurrent closure of gyms and leisure facilities has made an active lifestyle more difficult, but for some it is a painful knee that prevents exercise. When knee pain interferes with normal activity, it is time to act and seek medical help - but before you do, here are some things you need to know.
Avisit to an orthopaedic surgeon can help you get a diagnosis and treatment. The surgeon will determine if your knee pain is caused through injury or a more long-term issue, such as osteoarthritis. When people talk about knee arthritis, it is usually osteoarthritis to which they are referring. Osteoarthritis is characterised by inflammation and ‘wear and tear’ damage to the knee. It develops over time, and can sneak up on you. When symptoms first appear, much of the damage has already been done.
The process of damage and wearing out of the joint cartilage surface eventually results in the bone grinding on bone in the knee, which is a painful and disabling condition. Up to 25% of people with knee arthritis will retire early due to the pain it causes, and in Bristol alone, there are around 9000 people with severe knee arthritis.
Any of the three main parts of the knee –the inner (medial) compartment, the outer (lateral) compartment, and the knee cap (patellofemoral) joint can be affected by osteoarthritis. There are several risk factors for osteoarthritis, including your genes, lifestyle factors, previous injuries, hypermobility and obesity.
Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis
The predominant symptoms of knee arthritis are pain and stiffness, which lead to a loss of mobility. Symptoms range from mild to severe. There can be a mild background ache in the knee, which might interfere with sporting activities or a long walk. In more severe cases, it can be a constant severe disabling pain, which makes walking very difficult or impossible. Pain may also be so severe that sleep can be disturbed and there is pain at rest. The normal activities of daily living may become difficult to perform.
Roughening and fragmentation of the knee joint surface may also lead to catching, clicking, clunking or similar symptoms. Swelling of the knee joint is often seen, and in severe cases, the shape of the knee may change. In the worst cases, loss of mobility can lead to poor cardio-respiratory fitness.
Treatment of knee osteoarthritis
Following a diagnosis of arthritis, you may receive some form of treatment before you see a surgeon. Non-surgical treatments may include simple painkillers, anti-inflammatory tablets, weight loss treatments, modification of activities, or physiotherapy.
If there are symptoms of mechanical locking in the knee, or stiffness, then keyhole surgery (arthroscopy) of the knee may improve this. However, knee arthroscopy treatment cannot reverse the arthritis damage.
For those patients who might be suffering with arthritis but are hoping to avoid surgery, there are less invasive, non-surgical options available, such as injection therapy. This can prove beneficial in managing joint pain to the point whereby the need for surgery is delayed. Steroid injections are an example of this. Another new technique available is Platelet Rich Plasma treatment (PRP), which uses a patient's own anti-inflammatory cells to promote the healing of injured joints.
If the arthritis pain is severe and you have exhausted non-operative treatment, then you may decide to proceed with a knee replacement. Knee replacement surgery has evolved, with innovative, state-of-the-art robotic-arm technology now available to assist the surgeon with the procedure. This brings a range of enhanced benefits for the patient, including even greater surgical precision, which in turn leads to decreased post-operative pain and faster recovery.
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital is currently the ONLY hospital in the city to offer robotic-arm assisted knee replacement surgery, highlighting Nuffield Health’s commitment to providing our patients with the best possible treatment. The decision to proceed is made with your surgeon, so that you fully understand the benefits and risks of each procedure.
Since March 2020, Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital has been supporting the NHS through the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional safety measures are in place to make our hospital COVID-19 secure, and our team of Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons continue to hold regular clinics. Consultants specialising in knee surgery include Mr Jonathan Webb, Mr Richard Baker, Mr Damian Clark, Mr Hywel Davies, Mr Sanchit Mehendale and Mr James Robinson. Call our Enquiries team on the number below, who will be able to assist you in booking a consultation.
Some of the treatments we offer for arthritis:
• Physiotherapy • Steroid injections • PRP Injections • Weight loss therapies • Knee replacements
It doesn’t matter if you want to climb a mountain (travel restrictions permitting!) or simply tidy the garden, any symptom that prevents or limits your ability to do the things you love is cause for concern. With a little help, a bad knee doesn’t have to impact your quality of life. If you would like to book an appointment with one of our Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons, call 0117 911 5339, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital 3 Clifton Hill, Bristol BS8 1BN nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol
Rosewell House in Bath in the 19th century
Hobbs’ houses
How one sail maker, copper smelter, property developer and place maker helped make the River Avon navigable. Words by Andrew Swift
At the south end of Prince Street, just off Queen Square, of brass kettles, pots and manilas for the ‘African trade’. lies one of Bristol’s most historic pubs. The Shakespeare Hobbs was also a major property developer, funding projects in has been welcoming customers since at least 1775 and its Queen Square, Redcliffe and elsewhere in the city. In 1717, however, wood-panelled walls and magnificent staircase speak of he made what was probably the biggest gamble of his life, leasing a an illustrious past. large tract just of land just outside the city walls in Bath to build
It wasn’t built as a pub, though, and the clue to its original owner lodging houses for wealthy visitors. lies in the armorial emblems on its imposing facade. They depict Bath’s popularity as a fashionable spa had been growing for years, falcons, otherwise known as ‘hobbies’, a punning reference to the man but there had been little new building. As a result, it had acquired a who commissioned it back in 1725 – John Hobbs. reputation for being crowded, expensive and run-down. On the face of
What little we know about him comes mainly from a handful of it, anyone building new lodging houses in the city would be onto a surviving deeds and documents. By 1702, he had established himself as winner. There was a snag, however. For centuries, the River Avon, a sail maker and landed a lucrative contract to supply sails to the navy. upstream from Hanham to Bath, had been unnavigable because of the He was also a deal merchant. Deal – or pine – shipped in from the weirs built across it to provide power for watermills. This meant that Baltic, was used extensively in house building, and, as Hobbs seems to everything and everyone travelling into and out of the city had to have been the biggest deal merchant in Bristol, he was ideally placed to travel by road – a daunting prospect in the days when roads were make a killing from the building boom fuelled by profits from the muddy, potholed dirt tracks. It also meant that, although Bath was slave trade. well supplied with building stone, other materials, such as timber and
Around 1720, he turned his hand to smelting copper, taking over a glass, cost so much to transport into the city that putting up new former lead works on the west bank of the Avon, just north of where buildings was prohibitively expensive. Lost gardens of Bishop’s Knoll the Clifton Suspension Bridge was later built. Most of the copper he For decades, Bath Corporation had tried to get parliamentary produced was supplied to nearby brass mills, to be used in the making approval to make the river navigable by building locks to bypass the
The lock at Hanham
weirs, but fierce opposition from landowners, mill owners and those with a vested interest in maintaining the high price of produce stood in the way. In 1712, however, the Duke of Beaufort had finally used his clout to get them the go ahead they needed. When John Hobbs leased land in Bath five years later, he was probably banking on the work starting sometime soon. As a seasoned entrepreneur, he would have realised that, as soon as work started, land prices in Bath would rocket as other developers rushed to get in on the act.
Seven years later, however, those with vested interests were still persisting in their opposition to the scheme, and Bath Corporation were still twiddling their thumbs. Hobbs decided he could wait no longer, and in 1724 persuaded the corporation to hand the project over to him and a consortium of wealthy and influential shareholders. Work got underway, and on 27 December 1727 the first boat from Bristol – carrying deal, lead and corn – docked at the new quay in Bath. Hobbs wasted no time in getting John Strahan, the architect who had designed his house on Prince Street, to get Bath’s building boom rolling. Kingsmead Square, Kingsmead Street, Monmouth Street, Beaufort Square and – to link the development with the new quay – a long thoroughfare called Avon Street soon arose on the riverside meadows where visitors had been accustomed to take the air.
Although John Hobbs got Bath’s development rolling, others soon joined in. When he heard that the river was being made navigable, an architect called John Wood, working in Yorkshire, decided to move down to Bath. His first commission was building lodging houses for the Duke of Chandos, but he soon struck out on his own, building Queen Square on a greenfield site north of Hobbs’ development.
The opening up of the river didn’t just benefit Bath, however. One of the shareholders was Ralph Allen, a Bath entrepreneur who probably helped to persuade the corporation to hand over the project to Hobbs. No sooner had boats started plying between Bristol and Bath than he took over quarries at Combe Down, high above the city, and built a tramway to carry Bath stone down to a wharf on the Avon, from where it was shipped to Bristol. This was almost certainly part of a grand plan that the two men had agreed well in advance.
Up to this time, very few of Bristol’s grand houses were built of stone. Most were of brick. By the early 1730s, however, Allen was shipping over 1,800 tons of Bath stone a year to Bristol. The price plummeted, and Bath stone was soon as common in Bristol as it was in Bath. Not all of it stayed in Bristol, however. Much of it was loaded onto ships bound for London or farther afield, and Ralph Allen, who was already rich, grew so wealthy that he commissioned John Wood to build him a Palladian mansion at Prior Park near his quarries, high above the city.
John Hobbs could not have foreseen how successful his kick-starting of Bath’s development would be. Within less than a century it went from being a small provincial town to the 10th largest city in the country. The development he had commissioned Strahan to build was soon overshadowed by Wood’s ever more spectacular architectural extravaganzas, however, and it rapidly went downhill, with Avon Street becoming notorious as Bath’s red-light district less than 30 years after it was built.
Although most of it survived into the 20th century, Second World War bombing and redevelopment has since put paid to much of Hobbs’ development. Most of Beaufort Square, however, survives as one of the most evocative hidden corners of the city, while Kingsmead Square boasts Rosewell House, once home to the Bishop of Bristol, and the most fantastically decorated building in the city.
Hobbs’ initiative, according to the building historian James Ayres, enabled Bath ‘to expand as the most fashionable watering place in England. The incoming visitors and the outgoing Bath stone generated the means needed to pay for the imported building materials, and finance the developments these materials were used to construct.’
As for Bristol, without the Avon Navigation, it would have had to make do, as Cheltenham did, with brick covered in stucco for most of its buildings.
Like many who grew rich in Bristol in the 18th century, John Hobbs may not have been directly involved in the slave trade, but he certainly supplied and profited from those who were. He also radically influenced the way both Bristol and Bath developed, and, while his name is almost totally forgotten, the survival of the house he built with the proceeds of his various enterprises gives us a unique insight into the legacy of one of Bristol’s key entrepreneurs at a pivotal moment in the city’s history. ■
The Shakespeare
Avon Street, Bath, in the 19th century
