Sport

The Big Issue with bikes

WHEN I was in Bristol the other day my eye caught some very smart-looking new bikes parked on the pavement. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that they were part of the latest bike-hire scheme to be launched in the city. The Big Issue in partnership with Sharebike (a Norwegian micromobility company) have launched the scheme there before rolling it out across the rest of the country.

The eco-friendly scheme has altruistic ambitions in that it will recruit and train unemployed and vulnerable people in local communities and provide them with support and services to improve their lives.

The stylish red and white bikes can be hired via a smartphone – nothing radical there – but what makes this scheme different is that they are electric powered.

The bikes can be hired via the Big Issue e-Bike App where registered cyclists will be able to find the location of the nearest bike. Scanning the QR code on the bike releases the internal lock, engages the motor and you’re away!

At the end of the journey, you park the bike sensibly and lock it via the app – no docking stations are needed.

There have been previous bike hire schemes in Bristol that didn’t end well. Yobike pulled the plug on their scheme after being beset by problems including theft and vandalism. Dumped and broken canary yellow bikes became an increasingly sad sight across Bristol.

When the operators introduced no-go areas, it simply highlighted the difference between the “have” and “have-nots” in our society, creating even more division.

Whereas the Yobike was clunky, heavy and pedal powered the Big Issue e-bikes look well-built and can provide powered assistance to shorten journey times.

But for the scheme to be successful it needs two things. Firstly, that the bikes are regularly maintained by Big Issue staff – and I feel confident of that. Secondly, where I am not so sure, is that they are well treated by the public.

Compared to the rest of mainland Europe the UK seems to have a lot less respect for shared resources. But there are signs of change.

A good example are the e-scooter trials which are taking place in Bath and Bristol (and many other cities nationally). These seem to be proving extremely popular judging by the numbers of people riding them, but I’m intrigued by the motivation for using them.

On one hand if it means fewer car journeys and less congestion in our cities then that must be good for the environment. But then, on the other hand, why not ride a bike and get the health benefit as well?

Maybe the answer is in the perceived ease of use and the hop on/off

CYCLING with EDMUND LODITE

accessibility that scooters provide around urban spaces. Whereas bikes and scooters face the same challenges around safety on our roads, there are subtle differences in how they are treated legally.

Both are limited to a maximum of 15.5mph and there are no general restrictions on who can ride an e-bike along public roads. However, for a hired e-scooter you need to be at least 18 years old and hold a provisional or full driving licence to do the same thing. Also privately owned e-scooters are not currently allowed on public roads.

While any increase in eco-friendly travel alternatives is welcome, it needs to be matched by investment from government in greener transport infrastructure.

A step forward is the appointment of former Olympic champion Chris Boardman as the first head of Active Travel England. The new organisation will hand out funding for cycling and walking schemes and oversee designs of major planning applications.

It will also inspect what is built and publish annual reports ranking councils on their performance, intended to mimic the role of Ofsted with schools.

Change will come, giving people more eco-friendly choices on how they travel, including bikes and scooters.

Now, if it’s stopped raining, I’m heading out for a bike ride!

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Anyone for table tennis?

THEtable tennis club in Compton Dando is up and running again after lockdown and welcomes mature adults of all abilities.

Members stayed in touch through socially distanced rambles but now meet in the village hall every other Thursday, 7.15pm, and every third Sunday at 2.15pm.

Organiser, Richard Davis said: “The £3 per session includes tea/coffee biscuits, and any money made after expenses we send to Julian House in Bath.

“New players of all abilities are welcome to join and play when they can. We do not play in any table tennis league and the accent is to enjoy table tennis.”

Details: richardjamesdavis@hotmail.com

Kings hockey champions

KINGSof Wessex have been crowned Somerset U16 County Hockey Champions after beating Sexeys of Bruton 4-1 in the final held at Bridgwater.

Their goals all came in the first half with Sexeys pulling one back in the second.

PE teacher, Caroline Walker, said: “We knew it was going to be a tough match so we had thrown in some extra practices during the week to make sure we were as ready as physically possible.

“So proud of them, such a lovely bunch of girls.”

The squad prictured: Mary F, Phil G, Trinity C, Phoebe A, Millie S, La M, Maya BM, Annabelle S, Sky G, Sophie W, Bliss D, Sophie W, Winnie W.

Bridge club seeks new members

A FRIENDLY group of bridge players who meet in Kilmersdon is eager to boost its membership.

The club plays mostly rubber bridge and partners are not necessary. It meets on Mondays at 2pm in the village’s Coles Garden Meeting Rooms.

A bridge session underway in Kilmersdon

Technology leads the way at Farrington Park

The Ashton Gate Eight –40 years on

FARRINGTON Park Golf Club has invested more than £250,000 in state-of-the-art Toptracer driving range technology in its 12-bay driving range. The system has monitors in each bay to allow players to see exactly how far the ball travels, its carry distance and accuracy.

This information can then be recorded on a special app allowing the player to keep a record of their shots – good and bad!

The technology also provides golfers with the opportunity to play many of the top golf courses around the world by simply selecting a golf course from the new TV screens.

Farrington Park’s Golf Manager Jon Calway is convinced that it’s the biggest revolution for golf ranges for more than 50 years. He said: “We’re very proud to be the first club in the Mendip area to have installed Toptracer.”

Since its installation the club has seen a 50% increase in players using the range facility. People are regularly travelling from Bath, Bristol and Weston-super-Mare to take their place on the range.

Jon Calway added: “Golf has to move with the times, not everybody can spare four or five hours to play 18-holes. With this technology a player can play a complete round at St Andrews in less than two hours and it’s unaffected by weather conditions.

“One Saturday in February more than 7,000 balls were hit which compares to an average of 2,000 prior to Toptracer being installed.”

General Manager, Kevin Mortimer, is delighted with the progress the club is making: “We have a superb golf course along with a health and fitness club and Toptracer is a great addition to the facilities we have at Farrington. We hope that some of those coming to use Toptracer will also become members.”

The upgrading of the range is the latest round of investment that has been made at Farrington Park. Over the last 18 months major ground works have been carried out on the course as well as a new kitchen for the restaurant.

The club’s owners have more than one eye on the future as they look to reinforce Farrington Park’s growing reputation as one of the area’s leading leisure facilities.

Kevin Mortimer considers that the region has a lot to offer but lacks in a key area of entertainment for young people.

He said: “Toptracer can fill the gap in the market for young people who would consider it a day out. A number of local schools have already taken advantage of the new facility and there has been plenty of interest from others.”

The cost of using Toptracer ranges from £2 for 24 balls (£3 for non-members) to £10 for 120 balls (£12.50 for nonmembers).

BY the autumn of 1981, Bristol City Football Club was effectively insolvent and as each day passed the situation worsened. The club’s fall from grace had been spectacular as just two years earlier Bristol City had occupied sixth place in the old First Division. Spiralling debts meant that by February 1982 the club was on the brink of going in to liquidation.

The possibility of Bristol City no longer existing was a real one. With debts reported to be in the region of £1M and losses continuing to run at £3,000 a week, the situation had reached crisis point. Local businessmen Deryn Collier and Ken Sage came forward with a rescue plan that included purchasing Ashton Gate. Its success however, was dependant on a group of the best paid players agreeing to tear up their contracts and accept a fraction of what they were owed. The eight players; Peter Aitken, Julian Marshall, Chris Garland, Jimmy Mann, David Rodgers, Gerry Sweeney, Trevor Tainton and Geoff Merrick were summoned to a board meeting and told the shock news that the fate of Bristol City lay in their hands.

The Professional Footballers Association became involved in a series of tense meetings with both club and players. Remarkably, the players continued to make themselves available for selection and on 30th January 1982, four of them were in the side that drew 1-1 at Newport County in Division Three. A game that many feared would be the club’s last ever game.

Four days later, things came to a head at a meeting held at the Dragonara Hotel in Bristol. The eight players faced the stark reality that if they didn’t make the ultimate sacrifice of tearing up their contracts, Bristol City would be wiped off the footballing map. In the end, in an act of selflessness rarely seen in football, that’s exactly what they did.

Despite their sacrifice, the club continued to struggle on the pitch. After a 7-1 defeat away at Northampton Town in September 1982, the club occupied bottom place of the entire Football League. For the supporters it didn’t really matter, they were just content to have a club at all. City managed to finish mid-table that season and the recovery was complete a year later when manager Terry Cooper guided the side to promotion. Despite not having yet made it to the promised land that is the Premier League, the club have remained financially stable ever since.

Last month the club hosted a 40th Anniversary Dinner to commemorate the events of February 1982. Seven of the eight, with the exception being Chris Garland, attended the star-studded event which gave supporters an opportunity to show their appreciation for what they did all those years ago. Actions that are unlikely to be repeated in the modern era.

Piano duet in Yatton

IMMA Setiadi and Nigel Clayton will play a virtuoso selection of engaging classical piano duets at St Mary’s Church in Yatton on March 26th.

Both are top international pianists from the Royal College of Music where Nigel is a Professor and Fellow, an honour given for his services and presented by the Prince of Wales in 2017.

Imma is from Indonesia where she graduated from the Singapore Conservatoire and completed her studies with a doctorate from the RCM. Subsequently her career has taken her to many prestigious concert halls as a soloist and chamber pianist.

For this concert their music will include pieces by Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, Schubert, Saint Saens and Brahms.

The concert starts at 7.30pm, tickets £10, half price for students over 16, children free.

Details: www.yms.org.uk daford220@gmail.com

Concert supports youth work

WESTON-based charity, Revealed Projects, is hosting a fundraising concert with Weston Light Orchestra at Holy Trinity Church, Weston-super-Mare on Saturday, April 2nd, 7.30-9.45pm.

The service works with young people, aged seven-18, to teach vital skills around self-esteem and healthy relationships

The evening will include delightful melodies from the Golden Age of Light Music, celebrating over 100 years of Weston Light Orchestra.

Project Manager, Adele Sutton said: “Young people are struggling, in particular because of the pandemic and services like ours are needed more than ever.

“Every penny raised will help us continue our mission to inspire young people to be confident in who they are and develop skills to build healthy relationships in all aspects of their lives.”

Tickets, £10 can be booked online.

Details: www.revealedprojects.org.uk/news-1 01934 707130

Priddy Folk Festival is back

AFTERtwo years away, Priddy Folk Festival organisers are getting ready for a great festival weekend from Friday, July 8th to Sunday, July 10th.

The festival is a “not for profit” event with fun for all the family, including ticketed events, free children’s and dance festivals as well as the “Fringe”, all held around the village green.

It also generates funds for local community organisations as well as promoting folk music and the arts whilst soaking up a great atmosphere.

The festival is run by a group of volunteers who are always keen to attract new people to help both as stewards over the weekend and in setting up and taking down. In return, they offer free tickets and a warm and friendly welcome to the team.

For details visit: www.priddyfolk.org

Come join our choir

All smiles: Somer Valley Singers ladies choir with conductor Daniel Robert Cushing

SOMER Valley Singers is hosting a taster session in March for anyone who might be interested in joining the ladies choir.

No experience is needed to join the singers who perform a wide repertoire of music including classical, jazz, musical theatre and pop, led by their young, professional and inspiring conductor Daniel Robert Cushing. The taster evening takes place on Thursday, March 10th at 7.30pm at the Somer Centre in Midsomer Norton. They say just turn up on the night, you’ll be made most welcome.

Concert ahoy!

WESTON-super-Mare’s very own sea shanty band, The Steepholmers, in association with Reaper Events, will be holding a special event on March 19th, 5-11pm, at St Paul’s Church, Walliscote Road, Weston-super-Mare.

It will raise funds for this year’s Weston-super-Mare Sea Shanty and Folk Music Festival, which will be held August 5-7th, featuring over 50 bands and raising funds for Weston RNLI and Lions Club.

This special fundraising concert will feature no less than seven bands: The Steepholmers, The Beach’d Buoys, The Harry Browns, Severn Whalers, The Swing Rioters, Piratitude and Morris Minor.

The event will also feature a competition for the best-dressed pirate and a full bar will be available. Tickets are £6.

Details: https://buytickets.at/thesteepholmersshantyband/642929

Church says thanks

MUSICand thanksgiving filled St. Andrew's church, Congresbury as parishioners celebrated the 40 years that Liz Chappell has been organist and musical director at the church.

Gifts were presented to her by the vicar of Congresbury, the Rev Matthew Thomson, and among the large congregation was the former vicar, the Rev Richard Salmon, and church and choir members from the past.

The church choir was conducted by Nicola Bradshaw and accompanied by members of the Chappell family, with daughter Katie, a professional violinist, her husband, Trevor Davies, singing and playing guitar, and grandson, Hugh, former chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, on the piano.

Vicar of Dibley in Wookey

AFTERa two-year period of absence (for the obvious reason) the Wookey Theatre Group were back, and there was a palpable sense of excitement amongst the crowd and the performers. The show consisted of three episodes from the last Vicar of Dibley series, cleverly sewn together as one whole performance.

The cast were strong throughout and from the opening parish council meeting scene we immediately recognised familiar characters brilliantly brought to life, as Frank (Gil Oliphant), Owen (Paul Reynolds), Jim (Rosie Winstone) and Hugo (Steve French) were presided over by a wonderfully exasperated David (Steve Collinson).

In the play, the eponymous Geraldine (played by Lyn Hinde) is instantly attracted to Harry, a dashing new arrival to the village (played by Steve French). Their scenes together fizzed with wit and romance, leaving the audience firmly rooting for Geraldine’s longed-for happy ending.

Geraldine’s scenes with the delightfully dippy Alice (played by Louise Cooper) beautifully captured the iconic pair’s hilarious chemistry, and the infamous joke explanations, to a blissfully bewildered Alice, had the audience in stitches.

Dawn French has left a large cassock to fill, but Lyn Hinde’s performance as Geraldine was a triumph. She impressively combined compassion and frustration (plus occasional bursts of profanity and lunacy) with real warmth for her wonderfully eccentric parishioners. On stage for every scene, this was a massive role, skilfully executed and a real joy to watch.

The addition of a pre-filmed video clip was a highlight in the second act (directed and produced by Greg Collinson and Jamie Bendy). A superbly put together dream sequence, where Geraldine gets pipped to the altar by her rival, and whilst singing a soul classic, punches both the bride and the groom in sheer frustration.

Make up, lights, and sound were all extremely well done and the simplistic staging was remarkably effective. Directed by Polly Carroll and produced by Ann Gouldney, this 15th production by the WTG is a theatrical achievement of which they should be seriously proud.

Wookey may be a small unassuming village, but the WTG cast and crew consistently raise their game to put on performances that are top notch.

Happy birthday for The Brue Boys

LOCAL men’s choir The Brue Boys is celebrating its 15th birthday this year. It was the brainchild of choir director Jennifer Westcott.

On January 15th, 2007, following an advertisement inviting singers from the Brue Valley area, 17 men turned up for the first rehearsal.

The choir has gone from strength to strength still under the leadership of Jennifer and still based in Baltonsborough.

It now has more than 40 singing members, some coming from as far south as Yeovil and as far north as Wells.

The choir’s repertoire consists mainly of light tuneful music including songs from the shows, folk songs and sea shanties.

A number of concerts are performed each year in support of good causes.

There have been many highlights over the years but notably the tour to France in 2016 and an appearance at the 2019 Glastonbury Extravaganza supporting the Specials and The Lighthouse Family in front of an audience of 10,000. The current choir is pictured backstage at the Extravaganza.

Following two years of inactivity due to Covid the choir is back in rehearsal and a number of performances around the area are already planned. New members are welcomed.

Details: http://www.brueboys.org.uk Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BrueBoys/

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Lament for the Willow Man

WEhave all driven on the M5 motorway and passed the Willow Man. But now the old fellow is looking somewhat tired and haggard. So musician Barry Walsh, from Axbridge, has produced an original song called the Willow Man to raise awareness of his plight. Its sculptor, Serena De La Hey, is due to make a statement regarding his future shortly. Barry is known for his songs Barry and Louise Walsh about the West Country, such as Porlock Hill and The Queen of Clovelly and his music is frequently played on BBC Radio and on the internet.

Details: YouTube and Facebook: barrywalshuk

Panto time in Shipham

REHEARSALSare getting underway again and Shipham Players are delighted to say that their pantomime will be going ahead in 2022. Originally scheduled for February, the panto will now be performed in April.

With the usual wonderful mix of a fabulous dame, a dashing hero, dastardly villain together with lots of fun and frolics, this is looking like the best one yet!

The group will be performing “Aladdin A Genie-us Panto” by Limelight Scripts, at 7.30pm on Thursday 7th, Friday, 8th and Saturday, April 9th, with a matinee performance at 2.30pm on Saturday in Shipham Village Hall.

Tickets, £8, will go on sale on Saturday, March 5th from the Shipham Players’ website www.shiphamplayers.org.uk