South Bristol Voice March 2019 by South Bristol Voice

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March 2019 March 2019

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No. 46

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

We Sell and Let Property Like Yours

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Towers papers ‘rushed’ THE VALUE of the Framework which is supposed to guide the development of around 1,500 homes at Bedminster Green was called further into question when it emerged that a decision could be taken by the council just a few days after the final version is published. The result of public consultation on the Framework was due to be given to the council on February 25 – and then debated, and possibly approved by the cabinet, just eight days later, on March 5. The Framework has been drawn up and paid for by the four developers who want to build around Bedminster Green – A2Dominion, Dandara, Firmstone and Deeley Freed. Objectors to the high-rise blocks of up to 22 storeys proposed for the area say the Framework is of little value. At least two developers want to build towers taller than the limits set by their own guidelines. The Continued on page 6

WINDOW DELIGHTS

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Perhaps there weren’t quite as many Window Wanderland displays as in previous years, but these homes and many others did Windmill Hill proud on February 22-24

TICKETS TO CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF COMEDY Page 16

THALI SET TO CLOSE IN WEEKS THE THALI restaurant, which has been a Totterdown landmark since 2008, is to close, the Voice has learned. But there are hopes that the building will remain as a restaurant. Just as the Voice went to press, it emerged that an outline deal has been agreed to lease it to a new company – another restaurant operator.

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Page 17

INSIDE • DEVELOPER SAYS RULES WILL BE OBEYED 3 • OUR WONDERFUL WOMEN WINNER

• TOILETS: OH, WHERE CAN WE GO? 8 • CLEAN AIR PLAN IS STILL NOT READY

Totterdown ‘s Thali restaurant

Letting agent Maggs & Allen was unable to give any details about the potential new occupier or when they might move in. Peter Croft, who owns the restaurant’s William Street building, said that Thali had told him they would close at the end of March. The chain’s other branches in Southville, Clifton, Continued on page 3

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• NATURE: BUIlLD A POND AND WAIT FOR THE WILDLIFE TO ARRIVE 13 • HISTORY: MOBS ATTACK WOMEN AS THEY TRY TO WIN THE VOTE 29-33

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2 Paul Breeden Editor & publisher 07811 766072 paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk Ruth Drury Sales executive 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Editorial team: Beccy Golding, Alex Morss, Martin Powell & The Wicked Witch. Deliveries: Greg Champion

Intro CHANGING OUR WAYS THE ENTIRE world, and not just South Bristol, is having to face up to the potentially enormous changes that we will face if we are to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. There is no longer any real scientific dissent: climate change is already happening. But the statistics that filter down to us can be quite confusing. On page 10, we present one study that finds carbon emissions (which cause global warming) in Bristol are falling; another which says they are the highest per person in the UK. The difference appears

Independent Community News Network member Twitter: @sbristolvoice Facebook: southbristolvoice Next deadline for editorial and advertising: March 20th to be explained by the huge emissions from Bristol’s ports (ships use a very dirty form of fuel oil) and aircraft. As individuals, we can’t do much about the global shipping business. But we can choose to fly less often. According to environmental scientist Angela Terry, that’s one of the most effective ways in which we can reduce our own impact on the planet. But what about the economic benefits that Bristol Airport brings, many will cry, and the thousands of jobs it provides? That’s the kind of dilemma we will have to address in the years to come – but quickly, if we are to meet Bristol’s target of zero carbon emissions by 2030. What will our political leaders recommend?

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March 2019

n BRIEFLY n DO YOU collect something? Does your collection stay hidden away most of the time? The team at Zion community centre in Bishopsworth want you to show it off at a weekend event called The People’s Museum. Arrays of kettles, WWI memorabilia, Spice Girls collectables, Dinky toys, maps of the world or almost anything else are welcome. Zion’s Jess Wright said: “The People’s Museum is a showcase of the everyday, the collections that never reach museum status but deserve a bit of attention!” Opening times are 11am-4pm on Saturday March 16 and Sunday 17. zionbristol.co.uk n FANS of a future underground network for Bristol can vote for it – or a range of other transport schemes – in a consultation by the West of England Combined Authority. Other options in the Joint Local Transport Plan include more Metrobus routes, new and improved railway stations and prioritising highways space for public transport, walking and cycling. The public are also asked how they would like to pay for the plans, which could cost up to £8.9 billion, through choices including road pricing, a workplace parking levy, a council

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n NEWS tax increase or business rates. The consultation is open until March 20. tinyurl.com/WecaSurvey n SOUTH Bristol finalists in the Bristol Life awards include Bocabar in Bath Road in the Best Bar category, while Totterdown’s Eat Your Greens is in the Cake/ Coffee Shop section. Bristol ARC (the RSPCA dogs’ home) is in the Charity awards, Paintworksbased event company Ignition is in the Creative section, and the Knowle pub in the Gastropub awards. Arnos Vale cemetery is nominated for a Leisure award. n THE McDonald’s at Hengrove has sponsored young footballers in the Broadwalk Mendip Under 13s Blue team. The fast-food outlet provides fruit for each home match and has bought £300 of kit for the team, which trains at Mendip Broadwalk FC on Creswick Road, Knowle. n LAST month’s Voice referred to Knowle law firm David Lees in Wells Road, alongside the Broadwalk Centre. In fact, the firm is now Lyons Bowe, which has taken over from David Lees and has been in place since May 2018. We apologise for the error.

HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH ... My MP? Karin Smyth MP By email: karin.smyth.mp@ parliament.uk By post: Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA By phone: 0117 953 3575 In person: Call 0117 953 3575 for an appointment. My councillor? Post: You can write to all councillors at City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR.

Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle Email: Cllr.Christopher. Davies@bristol.gov.uk Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem deputy leader) Email: Cllr.Gary.Hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 07977 512159 Lucy Whittle Labour, Windmill Hill On maternity leave Jon Wellington Labour, Windmill Hill Phone: 07392 108804 Email: Cllr.Jon.Wellington@bristol.gov.uk

USEFUL NUMBERS Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000 Waste, roads 0117 922 2100 Pests, dog wardens 0117 922 2500 Council tax 0117 922 2900 Housing benefit 0117 922 2300

Social services 0117 922 2900 Police Inquiries 101 Emergency 999 NEIGHBOURHOOD MEETINGS Windmill Hill network meeting April 3, 6.30pm, Windmill Hill community centre, Vivian Street.

WATCH COMPLAINTS US GROW AT CLEVE HOUSE!

March 2019

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 South Bristol Voice, contact the Editor using the details below. We aspire to follow the the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code. Further details of the complaints process can be found on our website (below) or can be obtained by contacting the Editor by email: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or by post: 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX or by phone: 07811 766072. southbristolvoice.co.uk/complaints-procedure All stories and pictures are ©South Bristol Voice (unless otherwise stated) and may not be reproduced without permission in this or any other plane of the multiverse. South Bristol Voice Ltd | Co. no. 09522608 | VAT no. 211 0801 76

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

Continued from page 1 Montpelier and Eastville, are believed to be unaffected, but the Thali did not return requests for comment. Mr Croft, who invested a large sum restoring the outside of the building only last year, is now hoping another restaurant will

Thali set to close in weeks want to take on the site. It was advertised with agents Maggs & Allen at £25,000 a year. The building was originally the King William pub and has had many uses, including a

wartime radio workshop and factory making prosthetic limbs. Before the Thali, it was home to the Glasnost restaurant, which for many years had such a high reputation that tables had to be

St John’s Lane developer insists it’ll stick to the rules THE DEVELOPER behind nine new houses being built near Victoria Park is connected with a company which in 2017 built 14 homes larger and taller than their planning permission allowed. Construction of the new homes – nine houses at 32-38 St John’s Lane – is making rapid progress after delays to decide what to do about buried fuel tanks at the site, a former petrol station. The earlier development on Bridgwater Road has 14 homes, mainly of four bedrooms. Each was built with one more bedroom than allowed by planners, with an extra room in the loft. Council officials made developer Highridge Homes Ltd, owned by the Brislington-based Litt family, apply for retrospective planning permission. Permission was refused but the company later won on appeal, meaning the homes – now occupied – are perfectly legal. Highridge Homes Ltd, however, is in compulsory liquidation, having been wound up by court order on January 4, 2018, at a hearing which the company did not attend. Another company, Highridge Construction Ltd, is building the new houses at St John’s Lane. It has six members of the Litt family as directors. All give their address as 1-3 Dixon Road, Brislington, where several Litt companies are based. Curiously, on the Companies House register for the wound-up Highridge Homes, two members of the Litt family give their address as the building site at 32-38 St John’s Lane. There is nothing to suggest that the works at St John’s Lane are in any way illegal. The council told the Voice that the removal of the petrol tanks from the site had been done in line with regulations. “We have set up development

Homes at 32-38 St John’s Lane. The former shop on the right is also to be a home, built by a different firm monitoring so that the planning department can monitor the development as it progresses,” a council spokesperson said. A specialist report on the contamination of the site prepared by Johnson Poole & Bloomer in June 2018 said the soil conditions meant foundations would have to be much deeper than normal, and the houses might have to be built on piles. The Voice asked Highridge Construction several questions about the construction of the homes, including whether piling was used, or alternatively if conventional foundations were dug to the depths recommended in the report. A spokesperson declined to answer in detail but said that all regulations were being observed and the site was being inspected by the council on a regular basis. In addition a specialist engineer was advising “on every step that we take,” she said. The Johnson Poole & Bloomer report says the soil under the homes is contaminated, mainly with lead. The gardens of the new homes are recommended to have at least 500mm of new soil above a membrane. An alternative is to lay artificial turf. The developer did not say which option will be followed. The plans aroused controversy among neighbours in 2017 when it emerged that Monmouth Street would have to be part-closed to allow construction. Highridge Construction Ltd has three times been listed for compulsory strike-off action by

Companies House. On each occasion – in December 2016, January 2018 and on February 12, 2019, Companies House stopped the striking-off after the accounts were filed.

booked weeks in advance. Mr Croft said: “We did hope that the exterior works and facelift of the building would have attracted more locals back to the building to eat at the Thali, but unfortunately business did pick up initially, but not enough to change their decision.”

Broadwalk plan set for decision PROPOSALS to rebuild the Broadwalk shopping centre in Knowle are expected to be debated by a council development committee on March 13. Developer Pelican wants to revamp the centre with 420 flats in up to 11 storeys. The plans have drawn 283 objections and 159 statements in support. Traders support the idea, saying the centre is dying on its feet. Many residents, especially those living close by, say the plan is too tall and overbearing.

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n NEWS Congratulations

to all our Wonderful Women WE’RE CELEBRATING International Women’s Day in South Bristol Voice (it’s on March 8) and in the last issue we asked readers to nominate some Wonderful Women. We were looking for women who are active in business, who are doing things women traditionally didn’t do, or are giving a lot to the community without much recognition. We had some great nominations and we’re delighted to announce that the winner is – Gaily Orr! Gaily is well known to many people in South Bristol – she has organised the Front Room art trail in Totterdown, the oldest art trail in Bristol and one of the most popular.

Organising events like Front Room – which involves around 140 artists and dozens of venues, plus performers, vendors and live activities – is a minor nightmare for the handful of volunteers, who are led by Gaily – so we thought it was time she got some recognition. Congratulations, Gaily – you will be receiving some flowers prepared for you specially by Floriography. Among the other nominees was Belinda Sully of Windmill Hill. Ruth Coleman told us: “Belinda is the secretary of Victoria Park Tennis Club – and frankly there wouldn’t be a club if it wasn’t for her tireless and unselfish efforts. I hope she wouldn’t mind me saying that her not inconsiderable health problems have prevented her from playing tennis herself for some years, yet when we set up the club 12-14 years ago, she took on the role of secretary and has done it ever since. In 2012 Belinda steered the club to securing a brilliant fund-raiser so that the courts could be

Gaily Orr is our winner for organising the Front Room Art Trail, the oldest in Bristol re-surfaced, and generally keeps a good eye on things, always with a cheerful attitude. Who knows what other little things she quietly does to ‘grease the wheels’ of our local communities?” Also nominated was Pam Hodder. Her friend Helen Ward told us: “I would like to nominate Pam Hodder as a really special person in our community. Pam runs the local Holy Nativity Rainbows group and has done for over 20 years now, ever since Rainbows first started. She works incredibly hard every week to make sure all the Rainbows (girls

March 2019

WONDERFUL WOMEN aged between 5-7) have an amazing time doing crafts and playing games. All the girls who go totally LOVE her! She always goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is happy and for that, she really does deserve some recognition!” Sian Fletcher is a woman who has made a business out of her passion – health and wellbeing (her advert is on page 14). Laura Jackson told us: “Sian runs Feelgood Fitness at The Park centre in Knowle and is the most awesome human you’ll meet. She’s faced a lot of challenges recently, especially with her own health, but claws her way through with determination, passion and humour as well as a strength that I have never seen in such quantities. She is a true superhero and I think the mightiest female I ever did meet.” Congratulations to all our nominees! • Women Mean Business Pages 14-15 • Bristol women’s violent struggle to win the vote Pages 29-33

March 2019

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n NEWS

Jubilee pool gets improvements after complaints THE COMPANY which runs Knowle’s Jubilee swimming pool has said it is committed to running it successfully, despite a string of problems. One regular swimmer has told the Voice of issues including a cold pool and showers, changing rooms dirty and litter strewn, and swimmers left waiting on the steps for the pool to open. She wrote to Parkwood Leisure, the company which runs the pool: “I have been a regular at the pool for five years and there has been a constant deterioration of the facilities. “I know a lot of the other regulars. We are all of one mind that we want Jubilee to keep open, support the local area and ensure the staff keep their jobs. There are people who have given up and people who have wanted to start using the facilities but are being put off,” she added.

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THE JUBILEE pool has been added to the council’s “local list” of buildings worth preserving. Its art deco lines, dating from 1938, show a “high degree of preservation”, said the listing panel. The move does not stop the pool from being closed – but it does provide some protection from redevelopment which would alter its appearance.

The last straw, she said, was when she found a children’s swimming club was using the pool unannounced – meaning the adult lanes were too narrow for the number of swimmers. The pool was threatened with closure in 2017 – though the council later denied this – and 6,000 people signed a petition. Parkwood agreed to run it for five years without subsidy – but there are fears that the council will want to close it when this contract runs out in 2022. Parkwood, however, said it wants the pool and its mini-gym to be a success. A new boiler control system has fixed the problem with water temperature, and the gym and changing areas have been redecorated, with new ceilings and lighting. “Customers have responded very positively to these upgrades and we are seeing membership grow in response to extremely competitive deals which offer unlimited access to the pool and gym,” said a spokesperson for Parkwood. “We are aware of some areas where we are occasionally falling short of the high standards that customers expect. We’ll be paying close attention to cleaning at peak times, while also ensuring that customers are made aware of any changes to the usual timetable.”

LION TAMERS

CHILDREN at Cleve House school in Knowle were treated to a Chinese lion dance as part of their celebration of Chinese

Look who’s come to visit us: Children at Cleve House school get face to face with a lion as part of their Chinese new year event

New Year on February 14. Pupils also showed off their martial arts skills, taught to them by members of Bristol Shaolin.

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March 2019

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n NEWS

BEDMINSTER GREEN

‘What use is the Framework?’

A2DOMINION Malago Road

Continued from Page 1 tallest, Firmstone’s tower at St Catherine’s Place has a 12-storey section on a site that the Framework shows should be predominantly 6-9 storeys. Student blocks and social housing proposed by A2Dominion are 12 and 10 floors, on a site that is listed as exclusively 6-9 storeys. The usefulness of the Framework is further called into question by the fact that three developers have made their planning applications before the results of public consultation, carried out in December and January, is known. Jon Wellington, Labour councillor for Windmill Hill, has received many complaints about the developments, which will be highly visible to residents of Windmill Hill. He said: “The A2Dominion proposal is a lot more modest than some of the other plans we

View from Alfred Road, Windmill Hill, of blocks proposed so far have seen, there’s only one part that’s above 12 storeys. Nevertheless, the Framework says that their bit is 6-9 storeys so they should abide by that, if the Framework is going to have any use at all.” So far, three planning applications have been submitted by A2Dominion, Dandara and Firmstone. None will be considered until the council has agreed to the Framework – though A2Dominion hopes to be able to start work in July. Bristol Civic Society, one of the most respected commentators

on planning in the city, has said plans for Bedminster Green should be made by a publicprivate partnership. It called the proposed St Catherine’s tower a “cliff of masonry” and said the public interest demanded a new approach. Like the Voice, it also complained that there is still no overall view of how Bedminster Green will look. WHaM, the Windmill Hill community planning group, says if the Franework does go before the council cabinet on March 5, it will give no time for discussion. “I just wonder what the point of the Framework is – they have broken it anyway,” said WHaM chair Nick Townsend. Allowing the developers to draw up their own rules was like “foxes taking over the chicken coop”, he said. Bedminster Green now faces the prospect of being surrounded by 10 buildings of more than 10 storeys, he said.

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ROPOSED are 550 student flats and 49 social housing units in blocks of up to 12 storeys. Calling itself “a property group with a social conscience”, in February it had to respond to angry tenants at one of its blocks in Wandsworth, London who told the Guardian of vermin, dangerous electrical faults and ceilings dripping with water. A2Dominion apologised and said it would take four months to fix the faults. Its Bedminster plans have attracted 66 objections. DANDARA Little Paradise HIS plan for 329 flats, to be built and then rented out to tenants by developer Dandara, does stick to the Framework heights. It has a tower of 17 storeys but the bulk of the site is less than nine floors. It had attracted 136 objections, four statements of support and two neutral statements when the Voice went to press. One resident of nearby Church Lane said the blocks would overshadow her home, and parking would be a problem. A resident of Eldon Terrace, Windmill Hill, said the height was unacceptable, and the plan “would inevitably mean chaos for current car owners in neighbouring areas. Windmill Hill – already used as a parking site for people driving to work would certainly need to have residents parking installed.”

FIRMSTONE St Catherine’s Place RONTED by a 22-storey tower, this scheme for 271 flats includes a cinema and a £5 million revamp of the tired St Catherine’s shopping centre. Last month it said Scott Cinemas, which runs the independent Henleaze Orpheus, had agreed to invest half the £3m cost of a three-screen cinema. The plan has drawn more than 210 objections. It was the first Bedminster Green application to be made, submitted in November – before the Framework consultation had even started. The plan has attracted more than 250 objections. Since the cinema operator was announced, more than 20 people have written in support of the idea. Most supporters, however, do not seem to be local to South Bristol, with several writing from Westbury and Clifton.

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

March 2019

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n NEWS

Knowle’s only private school hits back at MP’s criticism We’re not exclusive, says head, but MP stands firm in her view THE HEAD teacher and parents at South Bristol’s only fee-paying school have hit back at comments by an MP that private education damages prospects for state pupils. Karin Smyth, Labour MP for Bristol South, was reported in January’s Voice as saying that private schools “erect barriers that kids in South Bristol struggle to overcome”. The constituency has the second-lowest proportion of students going to university. Ms Smyth called this statistic “shameful”, and said the large number of private schools in Bristol was partly to blame. Her views have not gone down well at Cleve House, the £2,000-a-term school for pupils from 2-11 in Wells Road, Knowle. “We have been here for 82 years and we fulfil a very important role,” said Craig Wardle, head teacher and owner of Cleve House. Small schools like Cleve House are not exclusive, and parents often make big sacrifices to send children there, taking a second mortgage, an extra job, or seeking help from grandparents. “They feel the sacrifice is worth it,” said Mr Wardle. He feels schools like Cleve House take pressure off the state

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sector, where teachers and budgets are under strain and classes have up to 33 pupils. “Some of our children have had a negative experience in the state sector, and they come to us, where class sizes are about 12 pupils, hoping that we can repair some of the damage. Small schools with caring family environments like ours are where children like that are able to feel at ease.” “It would be nice to have some acknowledgement of what the smaller independent schools do, such as lending out staff and facilities. It’s all well and good laying the blame at the independents’ door” – instead state schools should be made more appealing, he said. Mr Wardle does not believe achievement is down to socio-economic background, or whether a school is fee-paying. Children who are educated to be resilient, and taught that it’s not bad to have a go and give it your best, surely have a better chance of success in life, he said. The school says it is a long way from the image of affluent families who employ a nanny to drop their children at school. “Where we sit in South Bristol, it’s a world apart,” said one Cleve House parent. Ms Smyth told the Voice: “My focus is ensuring that every child in Bristol South has the opportunity of a quality education. Spending several thousand pounds a term on private schools

is not an option for most working families in Bristol South. We need to ensure that state schools are funded properly so that every child fulfils their potential.”

Flats request

OFFICES above a row of shops in Wells Road, Totterdown, could be converted into flats if planners give approval. A developer called KMP Solutions wants to convert the former solicitor’s offices above the St Peter’s hospice shop and several others into six flats. In 2009 a plan was granted (now lapsed) for 14 flats and four shops in two new blocks on the site.

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March 2019

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n NEWS complaints, including two from side of flats above Totterdown’s Graffiti covers the Somerset Road area in Co-op in Wells Road has been Knowle, that more and more there for almost two years. graffiti is disfiguring the area. However, it’s on private property wall after wall Figures from Bristol Waste and not accessible from the street. GRAFFITI seems to be on the increase around South Bristol, with taggers becoming increasingly bold. The Voice has received several

COUNCILLORS have called for a review of the city’s Community Toilet scheme, set up after the council closed 14 public toilets last year. Few people seem to know about the new scheme, which encourages businesses to open their toilets to the public. In the city centre, some firms are reluctant to open their loos after problems with anti-social behaviour. But 84 firms across the city have joined the scheme. They display a sign (right) showing that their toilets are open to anyone, customers and others. Knowle councillor Gary Hopkins said the large number was good – but questioned if the

show a marked increase in the last year – from 2,496 incidents citywide in the year to March 2017, to 3,738 in the year to March 2018. The giant tag on the

A council spokesperson said a new policy on graffiti removal was under discussion. Incidents can be reported at bristol.gov.uk/ streets-travel/graffiti

Full city-wide list at tinyurl.com/BrisToilets • A4 Brislington Park and Ride Stockwood Road toilets are in the right places. “We need some standard of how far people are expected to go to find a toilet at defined times of the day,” said Cllr Hopkins. “If we’re completely failing to provide a reasonable service in

• Banco Lounge 107 Wells Road, Totterdown Accessible

Giant graffiti above Wells Rd Co-op

• Knowle West Media Centre Leinster Avenue Accessible

• Merrywood GP Practice Knowle Health Park, Downton Road Accessible • The Park centre Daventry Road, Knowle Accessible • Redcatch Park Pavillion Broad Walk, Knowle

an area because there aren’t enough volunteers coming forward then we need to do it ourselves,” he told the council’s communities scrutiny commission in January. The council did not shut all its

toilets – some in parks, such as Redcatch park, remain open. • This story by Adam Postans was provided by the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter scheme, of which the South Bristol Voice is a member.

• Broadwalk Shopping Centre Broad Walk, Knowle Accessible

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n NEWS ‘Franchise the buses’ plea

Illegal home owner loses bid for new planning permission

Toilet cuts: Where you can go TOILETS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN BS4

March 2019

THE OWNER of the bungalow built illegally in the back garden of a South Bristol home accepts that he may have to knock it down. Landlord John Fry has been given three months to demolish the two-bedroom home he built behind 152 and 154 Marksbury Road, after an appeal to a planning inspector failed. Mr Fry, who says he owns more than 50 properties in the area, does have planning permission to build a 6m square garden room. Instead, he built a house with a kitchen-living room, bathroom and two bedrooms. Mr Fry’s plans show the building as 10.07m long, though he says it is only 9m. In the last month Mr Fry has lost an attempt to win permission for a second “garden room” behind No 152. Planners refused to consider the application,

Illegal: The back garden home because it relates to land already subject to the enforcement notice. Mr Fry told the Voice: “You’d think people would be in favour of a building that helps Bristol’s homeless crisis.” He also claimed that it hadn’t been rented out. He said: “The building is an ancillary building. Even though it looks lived in, there’s nobody living in it.” Planning documents show that Mr Fry told the council in

January 2018 that the home was being used by the brother of his tenant at No 154, and his family – in other words, that it was not a separate home. But the report makes clear that council officials didn’t believe him, stating: “The council believes that it was being occupied as a separate residential dwelling at that time.” The Voice has also established that the home was being rented out separately. Mr Fry, however, insisted: “It’s in use in connection with the front of the house.” When asked which house it was being used in connection with, he declined to answer. Mr Fry, who lives in Dundry, believes that the enforcement notice does not compel him to knock down the whole building.

CALLS for the council to take control of Bristol’s troubled bus services are close to provoking a debate on the issue. A petition calling for the city’s buses to be franchised has 3,000 signatures – only 500 short of the number needed to call a debate at a full council meeting. A franchise system – like that in London – would allow the city council, or alternatively the new Weca (West of England) authority, to set fares and timetables. Routes in South Bristol, especially along Wells Road, attract frequent complaints that buses are late, full or just missing. Weca and the city council will consult on a new bus strategy later in the year. Neither city mayor Marvin Rees nor metro mayor Tim Bowles has yet voiced support for franchising. Mr Rees has said he has no power to set up a council-owned bus company. tinyurl.com/BrisBusPetition

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n NEWS

March 2019

CLIMATE CHANGE

We need a big shift in thinking to meet Bristol is one of the most polluting cities Bristol’s climate goal by 2030 in Europe when air and sea transport is included

‘KEEP AIRPORT AS A REGIONAL HUB’

BRISTOL can meet its ambitious target to become carbon-neutral in just 12 years – but it will take a wholesale shift in thinking by business and political leaders. In particular, the city’s approach to transport will have to change, says Angela Terry, an environmental scientist who leads One World, a group which urges people to make simple choices to alter their lifestyle in the battle against global warming. Rapid expansion at Bristol Airport is impossible to square with reducing the area’s carbon footprint, she says. Two recent studies illustrate the problem. One table, from the

OUTH Bristol Green councillor Stephen Clarke has been a major critic of Bristol Airport’s expansion plans. In articles for Bristol 24/7, he has argued that more flights mean more pollution, and less chance of avoiding catastrophic damage to the environment. “I want the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), shows Bristol’s carbon emissions falling steadily, from 5.9 tonnes per person in 2015 to 3.4 tonnes in 2016. But the BEIS figures exclude the huge emissions from ships at Bristol’s two ports, and the rising air traffic at the airport. When these are included –

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airport to remain a regional hub rather than expanding because I am desperately worried about Cllr Stephen the extra carbon Clarke emissions and other pollution that will be produced by the extra planes and extra car journeys to get to the

airport,” he wrote. He takes issue with Whitchurch Park Labour councillor Barry Clark (see below), who argues that airport expansion will bring £3 billion of benefits and 10,000 jobs. Cllr Clarke countered that the airport itself estimates that South Bristol will gain just 90 jobs from the current plan to expand from eight to 12m passengers a year, and the economic benefit is £1.4bn.

along with the energy used in items imported from abroad – the picture is very different. Bristol is the highest-emitting city of those studied in the UK, and the seventh highest in Europe, at 5.9 tonnes per person, according to a paper by a team of international scientists published at nature.com in January. “Shipping and aviation have had a ‘get out of jail’ card for decades,” Angela told the Voice. “Airports want to expand because they have never been held accountable for their emissions.” Bristol Airport has a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 – but this refers to the energy used to run the airport, not the emissions from aircraft. Voice contributor Alex Morss wrote in an article in The Ecologist in January: “The expansion of the airport would mean a 59 per cent rise in aviation carbon emissions this decade.” Several dozen protesters from Extinction Rebellion staged a peaceful “die in” at the airport’s arrivals hall on January 19 to draw attention to its plan to grow passengers from eight million in 2017 to 20 million by 2040. Many in South Bristol welcome the new jobs that the airport’s growth will bring. Writing in Bristol 24/7, Whitchurch Labour councillor Barry Clark said the plan would bring £3 billion to the regional economy and said: “The innovations of airlines like EasyJet, through more environmentally-friendly planes and fuels, as well as Bristol Airport’s own carbon neutrality target, should be driven forward, not dismissed,” he said. Easyjet has ambitions to trial

electric airliners by the mid 2020s – though electric planes are in their infancy, mainly limited to two-seaters. Cllr Clark accused Green councillors who have led the attack on the airport of being “posh people from the city centre” who “sadly seem intent on impoverishing South Bristol.” Taking a different path and investing in green technology would be far better for the Bristol economy, countered Angela Terry. Many airport jobs are low-wage catering and security posts, whereas jobs in renewable energy would be high-tech and better paid, she said. If the planet keeps its current path towards 4 degrees C of warming, catastrophe can be expected, and an economic cost of unknown trillions. And it will be the poorest who are affected first, said Angela. “It’s not as if you have to choose between being green, and having money. You are healthier and better off by being green,” she said. But merely recycling domestic waste is not enough, said Angela – to make a difference, households need to take bigger steps, such as reducing flights, cutting down on meat and dairy, and insulating the home. Mayor Marvin Rees is to speak at Accelerating Progress Towards a Carbon Neutral Bristol, an event hosted by Bristol Green Capital Partnership on March 5. So far no political leader has advocated radical change such as limiting the airport’s real carbon cost. • 10 tips on how to go green in 2019: onehome.org.uk/lifestyle

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

March 2019

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n NEWS CLEAN AIR & CLIMATE CHANGE of young people of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg action after a report by the IPCC, School students HUNDREDS from primary and secondary from Sweden. Up to 1,500 young the international coalition of schools across Bristol absented people marched around the city, climate scientists, said there is from their classrooms blocking traffic at various points just a 12-year window in which to take protest to themselves on February 15 to join the before arriving at College Green. slash carbon emissions and avoid nationwide Youth Strike 4 The protests aim to shock catastrophic wildlife losses and College Green Climate inspired by the actions politicians into taking rapid sea level rises.

Still no date for Clean Air plan as deadline missed – again THE COUNCIL has missed the Government’s second deadline to produce a plan for tackling air pollution – only two months after missing the first one. Mayor Marvin Rees finally wrote to environment minister Therese Coffey on February 21 – the date she had set for a business case for improving air quality in the city – but he said the delay was “unavoidable”. There is still no date for the council to produce a clean air plan. But Mr Rees insisted that need not delay actually introducing measures to cut air pollution – which is estimated to cause 300 early deaths a year in the city. That equates to 8.98 per cent of all deaths in Windmill Hill ward, 8.34 per cent in Knowle, 7.95 per cent in Filwood, 8.68 per cent in Bedminster, and 9.05 per cent in Southville. Most of the harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution on city streets is caused by transport – and of this, the highest proportion, 40 per cent, comes from diesel cars. It appears that the council concluded it couldn’t bring about cleaner air by the earliest target of 2021 without banning or charging for most older, pre-2016 diesels in the city centre. Mr Rees seems to think this is an unacceptable solution. He told Ms Coffey that each of two possible options “would produce significant adverse impacts on low income groups, compounding the challenges we face tackling equality and economic exclusion”. The measures could also undermine the city’s economic strength, he said. The council has released no figures – but it is easy to imagine that tens of thousands of vehicles could be affected by a diesel ban, or a charge. The most severe effects could be felt by tradespeople. The city of Bath has caused uproar by proposing a

Marvin Rees: Pollution plan would hit poorest worst

Therese Coffey: Told council to produce a case by February 21

£9 a day charge for diesels. Mr Rees said he needed to see an equality impact assessment of the measures before proceeding. He wrote to Ms Coffey: “I would be surprised if you were of the view that I should proceed with a plan that is clearly flawed and explicitly impacts on low income groups and undermines the economy.” He said the council is looking again at plans to “clean up” buses, taxis and HGVs – a plan previously thought inadequate. He would also like to make all Bristol buses use zero-emission biofuels – like the pioneering M1 Metrobus, which is run on biogas by Bristol Community Transport, from a depot in Parson Street, Bedminster. But there is no sign how new buses would be paid for. Mr Rees would also like to see a scrappage scheme for older diesels – but it’s unclear how this could be funded. Bristol’s Green party was scathing about the delay, saying Mr Rees was failing to take action while “the burden of air pollution falls most heavily on the poorest people in the city”. The mayor was “avoiding difficult decisions” said Green mayoral candidate Sandy Hore-Ruthven. But there was some sympathy for Mr Rees’s predicament. Bedminster Labour councillor Mark Bradshaw, who was ousted by Mr Rees as Bristol cabinet transport chief in 2017, said the Government “is failing to give

councils the powers to make a difference”. But Bristol “could and should” urgently ban vehicles from idling outside primary schools, and introduce charges for older diesel buses, coaches, HGVs and taxis, he said. Cllr Jon Wellington, Labour member for Windmill Hill, said: “I know a lot of people in Totterdown and Windmill Hill would support a Clean Air Zone, especially around St John’s Lane and Wells Road.” But the Government has not given councils the resources, he said.

In November, Bristol city council became the first core city in the country to pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030. Mayor Marvin Rees says his One City plan will help make this happen – though there is no clear roadmap as yet. Bristol schools varied in their attitude to the event – most primaries in South Bristol told parents their children should be in school. But the Cathedral Choir school backed the protest, and allowed classes to attend. Bristol Live published an alarming video of a scaffolding lorry which drove alarmingly towards the young people, before being directed away by police. It was not clear if schools would attempt to fine parents whose children were absent. Alex Morss, the Voice’s Continued overleaf

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March 2019

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n NEWS Youth march

Continued from page 11 environment writer, obtained a legal opinion that under the Human Rights Act 1998, children have a right to gather for peaceful protest, and that no one should have to pay for their human rights. One South Bristol parent said: “I will support my two children striking and having the courage to stand up for something they can see is incredibly important. “We are in exceptional circumstances. Not enough is being done to prevent the climate change that will affect their future. The threat of a fine won’t stop us, we’ll fight it.” Bristol South MP Karin Smyth said: “It’s good to see young people speaking out about something they feel strongly about. Climate change is an important issue and it deserves more attention.” Marvin Rees asked young people to engage with the city’s youth council. He said he would meet the Youth Strike organisers.

THE NORTHERN Slopes Initiative (NSI), the group of volunteers which helps look after the last “wild” part of Knowle, wants to hear people’s views on what should happen there. The Slopes are surprisingly little known, even to some people who have lived in South Bristol for years. They are the remnants from the days at the beginning of the 20th C when much of Knowle was farmland. The open space is divided into three – the Bommie, to the east of Wedmore Vale, so named because bombs fell there in the Second World War. To the west of Wedmore Vale is Glyn Vale/Kenmare, the largest of the three areas. To the west lie the Novers and Kingswear – some of which could be opened up to housing, as shown on the council’s Knowle West Regeneration map (link below). The Filwood Quietway cycle route already cuts through the

n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Knowle ward: Awaiting decision 25 Harrowdene Road BS4 2JL Three storey detached property with 3 bedrooms. 2 Copse Road BS4 2HZ Reduce height of laurel hedge between north boundary of garden and Somerset Road by 1 metre. Coppice Paulownia tree outside front door. Fell ash tree in centre of garden and replace with birch and rowan. 378 Wells Road Knowle BS4 2QR Vary conditions 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 to planning permission 17/02826/F: Conversion from Doctors Surgery D1, to four apartments (Use class C3) with associated extensions, parking, refuse store and cycle racks; revised drawings to regularise ‘as built’ works.

7 Merfield Road BS4 2LD Conversion of a single dwelling to form two flats. 13 Broadfield Road BS4 2UH Dormer roof extension to detached garage, to form art room. Knowle ward: Decided Natwest Bank, 290 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QA Removal of one ATM (leaving one ATM remaining), infilling with stonework to match. Granted subj. to conditions 215 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2DF Rear dormer roof extension and three front rooflights. Granted Land at 13 Broadfield Road, Knowle Park Incidental building in rear garden. Granted

120 Broadfield Road BS4 2UU Single storey rear extension to create annexe for use by close family members to extend beyond the rear by 6m, of max height 3.7m with eaves of 2.3m.

3 St Martin’s Walk BS4 2SH Single storey rear extension. Granted subj. to conditions

7 Hill Crest BS4 2UN Attached two bedroom dwelling.

38 Hill Avenue BS3 4SR Loft conversion with rear dormer and

Windmill Hill ward: Awaiting decision

Slopes near Glyn Vale. Requests from NSI to install CCTV, and to protect wildlife by not installing lighting, were rebuffed by the council. The Quietway work is almost complete. The volunteers’ plan states: “Imagine if we had a nature reserve on our doorsteps. A place where you are safe to wander

freely, which is clean and with beautiful views. Where wildlife is able to thrive and you can escape the stress and strain of city life. A place where you can have fun, have a family picnic and the kids are free to explore and play. “Those who are more adventurous are able to forage for wild fruits, or discover natural habitats where birds, animals and plants live. “A space where the pace of life slows down, spaces where you can breathe the fresh air while standing in the lungs of South Bristol. This is our vision for the Northern Slopes. Here at the Northern Slopes Initiative we passionately believe that good quality open space, free to access, is at a premium when living in a major city like Bristol. It is places like the Slopes that we can easily take for granted and they are not missed until they are gone.” • northern-slopes-initiative.co.uk • tinyurl.com/knowlewestplan

Knowle, Totterdown, Windmill Hill hip to gable, and other changes to roof. External wall insulation.

of maximum height 3.9m with eaves of 2.9m. Granted

Malago Vale Trading Estate, St John’s Lane, Bedminster. Reduce crown height and spread of London plane by 2.5m.

28 Quantock Road BS3 4PF Loft conversion with flat roof rear dormer. Granted

Lower Knowle Farm, Berrow Walk BS3 5ES Details in relation to conditions 3 (Layout and design of cycle and waste) and 6 (Coal mining) of permission 15/03955/F: Demolish remains of ruined barn in grounds of listed house and build seven dwellings in three units. Also details in relation to conditions 2 (Recording of historic building), 3 (Landscape), 4 (Lighting plan) and 5 (Details drawing) of related permission 15/03956/LA. Windmill Hill ward: Decided 14 Bower Walk BS3 5AN Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear by 6m, of maximum height 3m with eaves of 3m high. Granted 60 Ravenhill Road BS3 5BT Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear by 3.5m,

southbristolvoice

n FEATURES

Have your say on the Slopes

Northern Slopes: The Bommie, looking towards Beckington

March 2019

41B William Street, Totterdown BS3 4TT First floor extension over single storey extension, to form additional bedroom. Granted subject to conditions 4 Stanbury Road BS3 4QG Alterations to single storey rear extension and new single storey rear infill extension. Granted 24 Haverstock Road BS4 2BZ Removal of conservatory/rear lean-to and replacement with single storey side extension and rear lean-to. Two windows to side. Granted subject to conditions 11 Bushy Park BS4 2EG Replacement detached garage. Granted subj. to conditions • The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planningonline.bristol.gov.uk

To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664

Voice writer and ecologist Alex Morss urges readers to get their fingers wet this spring if they want to watch wildlife surge into their garden

YOUR OWN WATER GARDEN

Make a pond – and watch as wildlife starts to take it over HOW TO MAKE A POND

HAT old saying, if you build it they will come, works with ecosystems too: if you add water, they will rush in, stay and multiply. Water is the greatest bringer of life in any garden. There are few better ways to rocket up your street’s wildlife value than to add a thoughtfully-designed garden water feature. One of the most satisfying wildlife rewards is seeing how, as if by magic, endless tiny creatures rapidly find their way to your new garden pond. Spring is a great time to get busy making your wild wonder, as you won’t have to wait long to see results. (See box for advice). Each new pond helps to reverse a worrying trend. Conservation charity Buglife, which has been working on creating community wildlife areas in South Bristol, has warned that freshwater habitats are in peril, with their wildlife losses occurring faster than in marine or land habitats. The charity says ponds are a lifeline for up to 10 per cent of all known species. In Britain, at least 3,800 different types of British invertebrates rely on freshwater for at least part of their life cycle – not to mention birds, amphibians, some reptiles and mammals. Even a modest garden pond will bring you the awe of watching dragonflies, mayflies, damselflies, pond skaters, water boatmen, leeches, bloodworms, water fleas, caddisfly larvae, diving beetles, whirligig beetles, pond snails, water shrimps and back swimmers. Minibeast hunting is not just a right of children. I’d encourage all ages to go dipping and enjoy the free entertainment waiting for you below the water line – plants, algae, predators, herbivores, decomposers, fascinating parasites and their mind-blowing ecology. Expect to enjoy a long season of pollinators and dragonflies dive bombing your beautiful pond flowers if you’ve planned

Hopped in: A tiny froglet emerges from a back garden pond in Greville Road, Southville, photographed by Voice reader Sarah Metcalfe them carefully, along with a flurry of thirsty, bathing birds, a spring chorus of frogs, and perhaps even newts and toads if you are lucky. Two of Britain’s three newt species – common and palmate – are common locally. By night, particularly if you switch off the lights, you might get visits from at least half a dozen local species of hungry bats that forage on the extra insects found around ponds. And it is likely to attract hedgehogs from the thriving local

population that we know lives here, thanks to the Voice and Avon Wildlife Trust appeal over the last two years. Hedgehogs will love waddling into the shallows if you’ve created a small garden entrance for them such as a gap or hole in a wall or fence. They can swim, but remember to make sloping sides to your water feature, with shallow, easy access in and out so that the hogs, birds and amphibians don’t get trapped when they pay your pond a visit. tinyurl.com/rspbMakeAPond

BEST POND AND BOG PLANTS FOR WILDLIFE Some alien pond plants have become a life-theatening menace to wildlife after spreading into the wild. Sticking to these natives is a safer bet: Submerged oxygenators Hair grass Eleocharis acicularis, hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum, water crowfoot Ranunculus aquatilis, water milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum, slender club rush Isolepis cernua, waterlily Nymphaea. Floating plants Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, water hawthorn Aponogeton distachyos, Amphibious bistort Persicaria amphibia. Emergent plants Greater pond-sedge Carex riparia, dwarf reed mace Typha minima, branched bur-reed Sparganium erectum, flowering rush Butomus umbellatus, water forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides, water mint Mentha aquatica, water plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica, water avens Geum rivale, yellow flag Iris pseudacorus. Marginal plants Angelica Angelica sylvestris, brooklime Veronica beccabunga, common fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica, lady’s smock Cardamine pratensis, marsh marigold Caltha palustris, purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria, ragged robin Lychnis flos-cuculi.

1. Site Sunny sites are best. But a shady pond will suffer less with duckweed and algae. 2. Shape Dig a hollow, fill with soft sand to protect the liner. You can buy pond moulds, but a big bowl, old bath or sink in the ground also works. 3. Depth Make habitat zones of varying depth. At least 60cm depth in part should stop it freezing solid in winter and provide amphibians with somewhere to hibernate safely. 4. Zones Create shelves to stand submerged pot plants on, and shallow areas with pebbles or bricks, and, ideally, a slope, because the water level will change. 5. Access Amphibians, birds and hedgehogs need easy access, so create shallow margins. 6. Water Rainwater is best; tap water has a higher chemical pH and additives such as chloramines and nitrates which are deadly to some insects. 7. Plants Pond plants are vital for structure, cover, food, egg laying and oxygenation. Use floating aquatics, submerged oxygenators, emergent and marginal boggy plants. Native wild flowers attract, shelter and feed wildlife. 8. Fish? Go for native fish such as minnows if you must, but remember that fish will eat frogs, toads, newts and the larvae of dragonflies and other pond insects. Better without. 9. Maintenance Clear out leaves, or your pond will silt up, become overgrown and lose its wildlife. 10. Shelter Many species need shelter close by, for part of their life cycle outside the pond – plants or logs. 11. Identification The My Wild Bedminster iSpot website gives free expert help to identify wildlife visiting your pond. 12. Records Make notes when wildlife arrives, and record it online – at BRERC, BTO Garden Birdwatch, PondNet, Froglife or BWARs. 13. No pond? Then help the spring toad patrols that happen across Bristol about now – look on Facebook. Or join a pond or river litter pick – there’s one at the New Cut, on Saturday March 9: franc.org.uk/latest-news

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

n WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS Take a look at some of the inspiring local businesses led by women Feelgood Fitness

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Sian Fletcher: Turned to personal training as a way of coping with illness

07804 238070 sian@feelgoodfitness.org feelgoodfitness.org Sian Fletcher, owner of Feelgood Fitness, writes: N 2008 I was diagnosed with a very rare pituitary tumour (Cushing’s disease). Due to an excess of the stress hormone cortisol, my weight increased, making me look six months pregnant, and my face became swollen and red. I developed stretch marks all over my body and my hair was falling out. I would experience mood swings and depression. Working with my own personal trainer helped me to deal with these emotions but also take control of my body. I also

March 2019

southbristolvoice

joined a kickboxing club, which I loved and gave me an outlet for any negative feelings. My surgery was a success and over the months I made a full recovery. Unfortunately I was left with post traumatic stress. My trainer was such a large part of my recovery that I decided to retrain as a personal trainer myself. And so I did! In 2010 I launched Feelgood Fitness. Fast forward a few years and I became pregnant with my first son, I experienced pelvic girdle pain and I found there was very little help available. I was also shocked at how little aftercare women receive once they have their babies and this is what led

FITNESS SPECIALIST FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN

me to undertake further training to work with postnatal women. In 2017 my second son was born 12 weeks premature. I have had a further three operations, the last one successful so far. Through all of this I stay focused and realistic. Being active helps not just in terms of fitness but also for mental health. From my own life experiences I can empathise with my clients. Sometimes weight loss isn’t just a case of 1,000 burpees (a squat thrust exercise), or pregnancy as blissful as it is in films. However, I feel that I can make a difference to you, whether it be from joining a class, attending a workshop or working with me one-to-one.

Bristol Women in Trades

Facebook: Bristol Women in Trades HE DEMAND is there for more women trade workers. Customers are asking for female plumbers, electricians, decorators, etc. Numbers are slowly creeping up but gender stereotypes continue to have a huge influence over career choices. Through greater visibility and representation, hopefully more young women will consider a career on the tools. This group is a space for women in Bristol who are working in the trades, or are interested in finding out more.

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March 2019

Laura (top) and Kelly (below) are to open a new physio practice in Wells Road in March

Top To Toe Physiotherapy

07501 339525 info@toptotoephysiotherapy.co.uk toptotoephysiotherapy.co.uk Opening in March at 184 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AL. Also at Shaftesbury Park, Frenchay Park Road, Winterbourne BS16 1LG; Combe Down Surgery, Sulis Manor Road, Odd Down, Bath BA2 2AL.

AURA Swarbrick and Kelly Rotheram met nine years ago and quickly became good friends, united by a love of physiotherapy and finding they had similar drive and ambitions. Kelly started Top to Toe with a

previous business partner, then Laura became a joint owner 14 months ago after having worked at the practice for a couple of years. In May 2018 one of their clinics was affected by the fire at South Bristol Sports Centre, but they have come back stronger and will soon be opening their new clinic on Wells Road. Kelly is about to have her second child – they pride themselves on running a company that recognises the importance of family life alongside their drive to build a successful business. Laura and Kelly have an approachable way of working, always treating their patients as a whole person.

WOMEN

Our boastful idea about women has taken off – if we say so ourselves ... A UNIQUE book of poems celebrating – no, boasting – about women’s achievements was conceived in Totterdown by poet and writer Alyson Hallett and Dr Rachel Bentham, a senior lecturer in creative writing at Bath Spa University. Totterdown resident Rachel writes: E WERE talking about Sarah Guppy, the Victorian inventor who lived at Arnos Manor on Bath Road and made designs for bridges, among many other things, and was a great friend of Brunel’s but has never really been acknowledged in Bristol. She’s not even featured on Bristol’s Engineer’s Walk, but the Bedminster playwright Sheila Hannon has drawn attention to her through her plays. Sarah Guppy once said: “It is unpleasant to speak of oneself – it may seem boastful, particularly in a woman”. We wondered if it’s still true now. Are women more comfortable now with speaking of their own achievements, or is it still preferable for women to be modest and self-effacing? So we decided to try writing poems boasting of our own achievements. One of Alyson Hallett’s poems spoke of Mrs Guppy:

Imagine a house late at night, Candle burning, a fever of moths About a flame. Now see inside Her brain – a woman in a man’s World but only in name. After six Children she can play any game. My own achievements were something that I found it surprisingly hard to write about. It felt uncomfortably big-headed. And in fact I discovered that there were many achievements that I have never spoken about or recorded anywhere. It was such fun to try boasting out for size that we decided to extend an invitation to other women poets to boast or to speak of themselves. Wow, what a response! Poems flooded in;

Rachel Bentham, Alyson Hallett thoughtful, celebratory, provoking, zesty poems. Triarchy Press agreed to publish this great collection of poems from 29 authors, including internationally published poets like Jo Shapcott, Arundhati Subramanium and Penelope Shuttle, and at the launch in Bristol there was standing room only. Such was the excitment that I decided it would be a good idea to extend the reach of the anthology and get it into schools to encourage young people to celebrate their achievements [see panel]. Also, we have asked four poets to create workshops on the subject of boasting, to be delivered during the next year. The first one will be for a group of women at Women’s Aid in Cornwall, led by Katrina Naomi. Many thanks to all the poets who donated their work so that 100 per cent of the profits from the book can go to the Malala Fund to educate women and girls. • Project Boast Rachel Bentham & Alyson Hallett, Triarchy Press 2018 • More on the Voice website

FREE BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS THE Project Boast poetry book is available free to secondary schools, thanks to crowdfunding which has paid all the costs. Contact info@triarchypress. net if you would like four free books plus a teaching resource delivered to your school.

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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n FEATURES

25 YEARS OF THE COMEDY BOX

I laughed so much I knew I had to make this my business

THE GREAT UNKNOWNS

A young Graham Norton: “You should have your own Channel 4 show”, Steve Lount told him after he appeared at the Comedy Box as an unknown.

professional comic doing 30 minutes, plus a club host or MC. Most multi-act comedy nights give only 20 minutes to each performer, even the best-known act. In 1998, Steve was invited to check out the upper floor function room of the Hen & Chicken pub in North Street, Southville. This was before the Tobacco Factory Theatre, or any of North Street’s trendy eating places had made their mark. “I looked at the room – it was an empty shell with a tiled floor and concrete stairs. “It sounded like an echo

n COMPETITION

HE Comedy Box’s two 25-year celebration gigs are both sadly sold out already. The Silver Uberglee (geddit) part 1 features Bristolian Mark Watson and former Bristol resident John Robins, plus guests, on March 13. Part 2 of the show on March 14 is hosted by Jon Richardson, who 10 years ago was a regular compere at the Hen & Chicken. He will MC a show commemorating 25 years of the Comedy Box, in aid of St Peter’s Hospice. We have two pairs of tickets to one of the Comedy Box’s regular Stand Up for the Weekend events. Choose from headliners Pierre Novellie on March 16, Dane Baptiste on March 23 or Nigel Ng on March 31.

Superhero: The Comedy Box was the setting for a 1999 Spiderman comic strip, in which Peter Parker tries – and dies – as a standup. It was drawn by Mark Buckingham of Clevedon. Club owner Steve Lount is shown bottom left

NE OF Steve’s delights is finding new acts who make a hit with audiences – like Omid Singh, a US comic currently in the UK, who headlined at the Comedy Box on February 3. “I saw him on YouTube and I took a gamble – and he was good!” Though he was unknown to anyone in the audience, Omid has cut his teeth on the tough US comedy circuit, where support acts often aren’t paid, and he went down well in the headline spot at the Hen & Chicken. Steve took a chance with another complete unknown back in 1995, when the Comedy Box was still at the Bristol Flyer. He booked a comic called Graham Norton to replace another act who had pulled out at short notice. Steve remembers: “It was a

n FEATURES

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WIN TICKETS TO THE COMEDY BOX

A show by comic Sean Hughes gave Steve Lount so much joy he opened his own comedy club – which 25 years later is a legend in the stand-up industry ID STEVE Lount have any idea, when he started hosting his own stand-up comedy nights in Bristol in 1994, that he would still be at it 25 years later? He did not – but right from the early days of what was then called alternative comedy in the 1980s, Steve realised he wanted to be a part of that world. At the time he had been producing fringe theatre, and harboured dreams of becoming a filmmaker. But he soon became a frequent visitor to the London alternative comedy scene. Steve vividly remembers one packed gig in the late 80s – held in a dingy venue, with the young, fresh-faced Sean Hughes holding forth atop a beer crate in the corner. “I was laughing so much I almost had an out of body experience,” he said. “The rest of the room was cracking up too. It was such a joy. Nothing I had been involved with had matched that experience, and I was thinking, this is the future.” Scroll forward a few years, and Steve was managing comedy gigs at the Watershed, which were hosted by Bristol’s entertainment magazine Venue. Then, in 1994, Steve started a sideline – his own gigs, under the Comedy Box name, at the Mauretania, the Park Street pub. A 12-week run was packed out and the future looked good – until a story in the Evening Post revealed that the Mauretania had suddenly closed! A new home was found at the Bristol Flyer on Gloucester Road, where Steve honed his own formula for a good comedy night out. Unusually for UK comedy clubs, he began giving his headline acts longer 45 minute slots, supported by one other

March 2019

PHOTO: Phil Guest, Creative Commons

booking agent who recommended him. He did a fine job, although he was a little rough around the edges – but it was unmistakably the Graham Norton we know now.

It wasn’t until several years later, after he had become a household name, that Graham wrote in his autobiography that the Comedy Box was the first place he did a proper stand-up set in a comedy club. Prior to this he had only done solo performances at the Edinburgh Fringe. “If I had known that at the time I probably would never have agreed to book him! “And now I tell anyone who is prepared to listen what I told him at the time: ‘Graham,’ I said. ‘I can see you hosting your own show on Channel 4.’ And I meant it too.”

chamber – but what I liked about it was that it was completely self-contained, with its own entrance, bar and toilets, and had a low ceiling and a clear view from every position. It had the potential to be a great room for comedy.” Carpet, a stage, lights and a PA system were installed, and the Comedy Box’s new venue finally opened in 1998. “We started with a fanfare and we got full houses – but back then, the downstairs bar at the Hen and Chicken was pretty rough and some comedy punters were put off from coming back. But we could see that

neighbouring developments like the Tobacco Factory and the original Lounge Bar were also pioneering the regeneration of North Street as a place to visit for leisure and entertainment. So we kept on, and gradually built back our audience. There have been a few bumps along the way – including worries in 2006 that the Hen & Chicken would be turned into flats or a supermarket! Steve considered moving the club to Park Street, but he decided to stick with North Street and he doesn’t regret it. Happily, the Hen & Chicken was then bought

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by its current owners, who were keen to keep the Comedy Box residency, and gave Steve a 10-year contract – a deal he extended in 2017, meaning comedy fans are assured the Comedy Box will still be with them for at least another eight years. The venue has recently been revamped as the Hen & Chicken Studio, with new decor, bar, toilets and PA. To name the performers at the Comedy Box is simply to list the biggest names in comedy of the last quarter century – almost all have played there on their way up, and many still do, or return to play for Steve at larger venues such as the Tobacco Factory, Redgrave theatre or the Old Vic. Steve’s summary: “Those early years saw the likes of Peter Kay, Dara O’Briain, Ed Byrne, Jimmy Carr, Milton Jones, Bill Bailey, Lee Mack and Al Murray the Pub Landlord take to the stage. Ten years ago it was the turn of Russell Howard, Jon Richardson, Reginald D Hunter, Sarah Millican, Rhod Gilbert and Micky Flanagan to become the next household names. In recent years the new darlings of comedy are now Katherine Ryan, Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe, Tom Allen and Ellie Taylor.” It’s unfair to ask him to single out his favourite, but Steve has fond memories of the late lamented Jeremy Hardy, who he first booked in 1992. He had recently booked him to play Bristol Old Vic last September,

Headliner: Pierre Novellie

Oscar winner: drama Green Book

Anniversary edition: Alien

Just tell us: Which performer filled Steve with joy and made him realise he wanted to be in the comedy business? Answers by email to paul@ southbristolvoice.co.uk, or by post to Comedy Box Competition, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX, by March 12.

Win free tickets to the cinema!

African-American classical pianist, in a racially-charged tour of the Deep South of the US. They forge a friendship that’s moving and revealing. Or you might prefer to revisit a cinema classic on its 40th anniversary – the original Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver.

SOME COMEDY BOX FAVOURITES

Ellie Taylor

Jon Richardson

Russell Howard

Sara Pascoe

UR COMPETITION for tickets to Cineworld last month was so popular we are running it again! So if you were unlucky last time, have another go. Cineworld in Hengrove is South Bristol’s biggest cinema with 12 screens, showing up to 14 films a day, which means there’s a movie for every occasion. And now tickets at Cineworld are only £5 – for every showing. Among the films you may be able to choose from (depending on the date) is Green Book, winner of the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the true story of Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), who takes a job as a chauffeur for Dr Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), an

WIN FREE TICKETS To celebrate, we have a pair of Cineworld tickets valid for any film to give away. To win, just tell us: How much do tickets cost at Cineworld Hengrove? Send your answer by email to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk, or by post to SBV Cineworld competition, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX. Not open to employees of the Voice group or Cineworld. The first two correct entries drawn at random on March 12 will win. The editor’s decision is final.

but he was too ill to perform. “He was one of the most effortlessly funny comedians I have ever seen – he would be scribbling notes backstage and he’d be there in his cardigan and just amble casually on and just talk for two and a half hours and be hilarious.” Also missed is Sean Hughes, who died of cirrhosis in 2017. “He was an absolute professional on stage – he would turn up sober but he would want a bottle of wine after the show!” Steve says with a smile. The Comedy Box is not Bristol’s only comedy venue, but no other has consistently provided a home for great comedy for 25 years. It’s known and loved not only by thousands of comedy fans but by hundreds of comedians. As one headliner told Steve recently: “The Comedy Box is legendary on the stand-up circuit.”

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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n NEWS Chance to learn to be a Tai Chi coach for free

AIR POLLUTION

The Berry Maze is back and ready to get growing again

WHO wants to learn how to be an instructor in Tai Chi – for free? Age UK Bristol believes this Chinese form of exercise can benefit older people, and is offering free training in South Bristol, starting at the Park Centre on March 5. The exercises can be done standing or sitting, and are known to reduce the risk of falls for older people. The charity is looking for people who are interested in learning a basic sequence of Shibashi Tai Chi to take into their community and teach it to others, particularly older people. The training involves six two-hour sessions over six weeks, plus a one-day workshop and a written assignment. The training starts on Tuesday March 5, from 4.306.30pm, at The Park centre in Daventry Road, Knowle, and also at a central Bristol venue. To find out more email fab@ageukbristol.org.uk or visit ageuk.org.uk/bristol

Bathe in sound YOU CAN relax to the sound of resonating crystal bowls, described as “angelic” and “otherworldly”, in two sessions at Arnos Vale cemetery on March 23 and April 6. It’s said that the sound and vibration of the bowls aid the mind into meditation. The cost is £15. arnosvale.org.uk/events

SOUTH Bristol’s unique Berry Maze has flourished through its first full year and now people are invited to sample its attractions for themselves. The maze of soft fruit plants is the result of years of effort by Raluca McKett and supporters on the Malago open space, between Marksbury Road and Lynton Road. It’s not only created a community garden that provides food for all, it’s also transformed a neglected, bramble-infested patch of rubbish-strewn ground. The Maze has also survived vandalism – but it needs frequent attention to keep it thriving. Raluca said: “Despite the terrible weather, the ongoing vandalism and the persistent weeds, it has survived its first year and is going from strength to strength! And if you don’t believe us, what better way to find out what’s going on than visiting it?” The Malago Greenway Project is organising the first litterpicking event of the year on March 23, from 10am-12.30pm, starting at the maze and covering the green space around it, including the much-abused River Malago. “The building and the supporting of the maze in its first year drained all our resources last year, so sadly we had to put the litter-picking on the back burner,” said Raluca. “However, this year we are back in business and we are

Above: The planting of the Berry Maze in December 2017 with, from left, organiser Raluca McKett, Cllr Jon Wellington, Jackie Smith, Liam Blackford, Karin Smyth MP and Tom Rainey hoping to get many of our neighbours on board, so we can all enjoy a clean, beautiful park. “Fly tipping continues to be a massive problem in the area and we have taken steps to collaborate with Bristol Waste and the city council to resolve it, but things take time. Meanwhile, we will carry on organising events and appeal to the local residents to help us clean our park”. The event will be a very inclusive one, with lots of

Left, some of the piles of rubbish cleaned from the site since work started in 2016 children’s litter-picking kits available, free fruit for everyone, and even some games for tired little hands! “No matter how small or big, strong or weak, slow or fast, there will be a job for everyone. The only thing that we advise is for people to bring strong footwear, be it boots or wellies, to prevent accidents”, said Raluca. You can find the Berry Maze online, including YouTube: tinyurl.com/berryYoutube

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LETTERS and provide your postal address.

Please keep letters as short as possible,

19 Write to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or to 18 Lilymead Avenue, BS4 2BX

Let’s make our neighbourhood a bit wilder BY ALL means save the whale and defend the Amazon, but what about Bedminster in 2019? Parts of BS3 are among the least ‘wild’ in Bristol, with fewer birds, butterflies and bats than other neighbourhoods, but the BS3 Wildlife Group is trying to increase both basic numbers and the range of species to be found in our gardens and public spaces. They have been monitoring local garden birds and, not surprisingly, there seem to be lots of blackbirds and blue tits around and 17 species of butterfly were reported in 2018. But the group wants to go beyond what’s here now and attract more. One idea is My Wild Street. This is a project that Avon Wildlife Trust pioneered in East Bristol. The idea is that people in a street (though probably not everyone) get together to make their front gardens more wildlife friendly. That really means ensuring that there are flowers that are pollen or berry rich; chemical poisons are avoided, and some untidy bits are left where small creatures can hide. Of course, some front gardens are already wildlife friendly, so for many people the transition to My Wild Street will be quite easy. Discussion between neighbours is going on in several streets including Merrywood and Osborne roads in Southville and Hebron and Churchlands roads in Bedminster. We hope to announce several Wild Streets by the spring. So much the better if they also have a wildlife-friendly back garden. The BS3 Wildlife Group is also working on My Wild Park and Dame Emily and South Street have signed up. Much of Dame Emily is hard surfaces with skateboarding and games areas. Grass is mainly short: good for football, bad for grasshoppers. Dame Emily supporters are working with the two universities to find corners of the park that can be planted and left alone for insects to raise a family. The Bedminster Patchwork Group is also on board. Its volunteers have cleared and planted two community orchards

fee of £1. One of the first things the RNIB did on taking ownership of the centre was to stop outside community activities taking place in the building. A little known fact was that while BRSB sold numerous items of equipment on behalf of the RNIB, the society did not receive any discount on the price of these goods from RNIB. I was the Information Officer for BRSB from 1987 until May 1994 so I can confirm these facts. Jim Williams Friezewood Road, Ashton

Debating a happy death Wild corners: A goldcrest photographed by Julia Gresty on February 17 in the Windmill Hill orchard between Cotswold Road and Malago Road and five community gardens from abandoned land.These are now My Wild Community Gardens and Orchards. Windmill Hill Community Orchard has joined in too. The Wildlife Group are also talking to local churches. Which will be the first to go for My Wild Churchyard? My Wild Roof, anyone? If you would like more information about My Wild Bedminster 2019 and, especially, if you would like to help make our neighbourhood more wildlife friendly, contact the BS3 Wildlife Group at MyWildBedminster@ virginmedia.com. Ben Barker Secretary, My Wild Bedminster

Community helped pay for blind centre I READ with interest your article on the protest at the blind centre in Bedminster. Can I correct you on some facts about the centre. The centre was built by the former owners, Bristol Royal Society for the Blind (BRSB), in 1993, not the RNIB. It was officially opened by HRH Princess Margaret on the 200th anniversary of the society’s founding. The actual price of

building the centre was £1.4m but there were other significant costs, such as land reclamation from an old glue factory site that added to its construction, along with refurbishment costs. It must be noted that a large part of the £1.4m was raised by local people fundraising, as the intention was to use the centre for a wider community use. At this time BRSB also owned the Bristol Royal Workshops for the Blind and Maytrees Home for the Blind in Fishponds. Due to poor management decisions and failed funding initiatives over the following six years, only the Blind Centre remained in 1999, and it was sold to the RNIB for a nominal

Could you help to support adults in your area to learn to read?

READING of the recent traumas of the Wicked Witch, mainly over the fate of frail creatures, I would suggest self-forgiveness. Himself did his best and deserves a good night’s sleep. My concern is, how will I eventually shuffle off this mortal coil? Is life to be preserved at all costs? Nature shows a fair measure of indifference to pain and suffering. Please can we have more debate on the issue of assisted dying, towards a humane and dignified ending? Five hundred years ago Leonardo da Vinci wrote, nine days before his death on April 23, 1519, aged 67: “As a day well spent brings happy sleep, so a life well lived brings happy death.” Here’s to a life well used. April Foy, Witch of the Wirral Lower Knowle • Editor’s note: There are regular Death Cafés at Arnos Vale for anyone who wants to discuss these issues:

Read Easy

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We’re seeking a volunteer who can help change lives by connecting adults who want to learn to read with volunteers who can coach them. Call 07554 117763 or email bristol@readeasy.org.uk

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March 2019

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n THE MAYOR

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need to make sure these new homes don’t contribute further to the congestion we know is already such a problem. We also used the opportunity to highlight our upcoming bid to the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund. If successful, this investment would be used to unlock development in the area around Temple Meads railway station, reinvigorating this gateway to the city and meaning jobs and homes are positioned in the most sustainable

Local Housing Forums for Bristol council tenants Bedminster, Brislington East, Brislington West, Knowle, Southville, Windmill Hill At: Wick Road Library Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HE

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and accessible places. A high point of the visit was watching the ongoing demolition of the old sorting office. This eyesore next to the station has been a blight on the landscape for too long. I was delighted to start its demolition, which means a new chapter for the Temple Quarter. It will also deliver the entrance the city deserves, regenerating the area with thousands of new homes and jobs. I was pleased the minister could see the potential for the site which, as well as creating a brand new university campus, will unlock new routes to the station and open up vital links between East Bristol and the centre. As well as sites in Bath and South Gloucestershire, the minister was shown the Elderberry Walk and Glencoyne Square developments in Bristol. Both demonstrate our commitment to affordable housing and mixed communities. After decades punching below our weight, Bristol and the region is gaining the reputation with government that it can deliver and work together to get things done. Following this, I was honoured to be asked to speak and present an award at the Homes England Staff Awards. This was a great opportunity to represent Bristol to the government agency tasked with ‘Making Homes Happen’. I am pleased Bristol is making homes happen too.

Area 6: Thurs, 28 March 2019, 5.45–8pm Bishopsworth, Filwood, Hartcliffe & Withywood, Hengrove & Whitchurch, Stockwood At: Hartcliffe Community Centre Hareclive Road, Bristol BS13 0JW

Are you a council tenant in the areas listed above? Please get involved in your March Local Housing Forum – your opinions help us make decisions! Book a place and have your say on how the council housing service is run. Travel expenses can be reimbursed, plus free tea & coffee is provided. For further information contact: Tenant Participation 0117 352 1444 or email tpu@bristol.gov.uk. All details at: www.bristol.gov.uk/LocalHousingForums. Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

Minister can see we’re delivering the homes the region needs WAS pleased to meet housing minister Kit Malthouse MP last month, along with representatives of neighbouring authorities and the metro mayor Tim Bowles. We used the opportunity to demonstrate the collaborative work under way in the region to build homes and communities. I first met Kit when we were both on the BBC’s Politics Live programme last year. I was able to ask him to visit Bristol and see what we are doing to deliver the homes we need, in line with my pledge to build 2,000 homes a year, 800 affordable, by the year 2020. On the day-long visit, we discussed the progress we are making on our region’s Joint Spatial Plan – our planning document setting out our delivery of 105,000 new homes across the city region by 2036. The plan also sets out supporting transport infrastructure we will

Loc a

March 2019

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n NEWS

In witch I am goodish

KEEP finding things. At Arnos Park I tripped over a Chuck-It Rocket toy. I know these toys are expensive, so I took it home. No, I didn’t keep it because someone had written their surname on the fin, damn it. I turned myself into a detective and managed to track down the owner on Facebook. Thanking me, Mrs Rocket asked if I would mind dropping it off at her house. WHAT? She said, was that OK or a bit cheeky? “Not a problem” said I, “send me your address.” I then stomped about the house raging about the cheek of it. Apparently, I restored her faith in community spirit – the fool. A few weeks later I found a puppy in Arnos woods. Oh, it was

Who is the THE WICKED Wicked Witch? WITCH OF She’s the one KNOWLE trying to do a good turn – sometimes ... THIS WITCH TWEETS: @witchyofknowle

gorgeous. I scooped him up and looked around for the owner. Nobody about. I hugged him closer while Scrappy jumped about at my feet jealously. I was about to take him home when I noticed that he had a name on his collar with a phone number, damn it. My mobile was out of battery; I trotted back to the park where I found some other doggy walkers and one with a phone. Mr Phone immediately took charge, which irritated me. “It’s just ringing!” he stated, shaking his head. “Honestly, you would think

‘What I love here is the diversity’ Victoria Park minister bows out as church carries on supporting the homeless and debt-ridden

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BRENDAN Bassett has waved goodbye to Victoria Park Baptist church after almost 18 years as minister. Brendan led his final service at the Sylvia Avenue church on February 24. During his time in charge, the church has transformed itself, adding a new church hall which is widely used by the community, and building 14 affordable homes. It has also done its bit to combat social problems, setting up a food bank in 2012 and seeing a large increase in the numbers using it every year. “It’s been a vital lifeline for a lot of people,” said Brendan. “We have seen an increase of between 16 and 18 per cent in the numbers seeking help every year – last year we helped 1,000 people. “It’s quite shocking, because

there are three other food banks in South Bristol.” Worshippers also turned out on six Saturday nights in January and February as the church took its turn among other Bristol churches to host a night shelter for homeless people. Each time the 12 available bed spaces were almost filled – showing how much deprivation is hidden in South Bristol. Brendan finds it particularly shocking that many of the people attending the food bank – and about a quarter of the people using the homeless shelter – have jobs, yet can’t make ends meet. “We had one chap using the night shelter who was a Deliveroo rider – he parked his bike out the back,” he said. “At the food bank, I met one chap with a family of four, who

they would be frantic and answer straightaway.” He tutted. “Ahh voicemail. We have your dog, if you want him back then please come to the bottom of Arnos Park”. Oh my, that sounded threatening. There was an address on the disc and Mr Phone said he would be happy to take Lost and drive him home. I did not want to hand Lost over to Phone – I found him, he was mine. We stood awkwardly and I did my best to ignore his offers of help while scanning the horizon for Lost’s owner. I was just thinking about making a run for it when a chap appeared out of the woods, waving madly. I reluctantly put a wriggling Lost down and he joyfully sprinted into the arms of Chap. It brought a tear to my eye. Phone stood with hands on hips “We’ve been calling you and nobody answered,” he accused, in a

anti-social behaviour have all gone down in the area, Brendan said, recalling one incident in 2003 when a worshipper was robbed during a service at the church. Now, he believes, the streets are more peaceful. “It’s been a privilege and a joy to serve in this community – what I love about the area is the diversity, with the people who have lived here all their lives and the people that have come to join us here. “I have some fantastic memories – our two sons have Rev Brendan Bassett grown up here and attended Parson Street and St Mary had never been unemployed, yet Redcliffe schools and it’s been a needed help when his landlord very positive time for us.” sold his property and he needed In his 18 years, Brendan has to move. He was offered one logged 90 services of dedication hostel for his wife and children, or christening, 40 weddings, 50 and another hostel for himself.” baptisms, 650 funerals and 4,300 The church sees many people, pastoral engagements – “plus even those with jobs, fall on hard about a million emails!” he jokes. times when benefits are late, or Now Brendan and his wife they need a new place to live – Lisa aim to take a few weeks off “You need about £4,000 in before thinking about finding a reserve to rent a family home, MAINTENANCE church nearer their ageing with the deposit and other PROPERTY in Devon or Dorset. charges,” Brendan said. INTERIOR parents, & EXTERIOR PAINTING Volunteer deacons will run But while some changes in FENCING • PATIOS • LANDSCAPING the church for several months society are a rising challenge, a new minister is found. other things have got better. LOG STORESwhile • GUTTERING • FASCIAS victoriapark.org.uk Crime, vandalism and

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sulky voice. It turned out that Chap was dog sitting and the number was that of his sister, who was out. Lost had escaped from his garden. I whispered that he had better call his sister quick before she listened to the voicemail and called the police. I continued my walk through Arnos Vale cemetery, where dogs must be on a lead at all times. I know this but was in another world, dreaming of puppies and rockets, when I I saw a Man in Black. It must be one of the Enforcers that can instantly fine you £100 for not having your dog on a lead. I hissed at Scrappy to stay, then crept up to her with her lead. As I bent down, the ball I had in my pocket squished against my hip emitting a loud piercing squeeeeek. The Enforcer turned, we made eye contact, I scooped Scrappy up and ran for it – naughty me.

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n YOUR COUNCILLORS

HEN I first became a governor at Knowle Park infants and Knowle Park Gary juniors 17 years Hopkins ago, there had Lib Dem been periods when Knowle both schools had struggled, and this continued until we managed to get a merger and attract a brilliant head in Peter Overton. When he left after six years to take up a new challenge, his deputy was appointed, and because of a strong leadership team the school continued to function well until last year, when our head went off on longterm sick leave, followed by a resignation at the beginning of September 2018. The period of uncertainty was not easy to deal with but with a good team and, in particular, two good deputy heads we continued to be a very effective and popular school with high demand for places. One of

Knowle

the deputies, Helen Bailey, was appointed as interim head and after a few months a recruitment process was started to make a permanent appointment. This attracted a very strong list of applicants, much longer than most schools experience. Helen was one of the applicants and after a very searching recruitment process was offered the job this month. Less than a week later she experienced a baptism of fire as Ofsted arrived for an inspection. The governors await the formal report but the informal feedback was very encouraging and it is clear that Ofsted still continue to regard the school as good. Some months ago, governors had decided to explore a co-operative multi agency academy with a group of other leading primary schools in Bristol. Although all the schools have benefitted from mutual learning, they have decided not to pursue the formal trust because of high costs, but will continue with the mutual support to improve standards.

How to contact your councillor: p2

RISTOL has had a mayor for over 800 years and in 1899 was one of very few cities granted Chris the right to have a Davies Lord Mayor. That Lib Dem position involves Knowle chairing meetings of the council and ceremonial functions representing the city. It does not have any executive power, but Lord Mayors can perform a vital non-party function in bringing councillors to work together. I was honoured to hold the position of Lord Mayor for two years. Eight years ago, Bristol voted narrowly, on a low turnout, to have an elected mayor to run the city council. Disastrously, they have the power to overrule even a majority of councillors from all parties, and they have done so many times. We now have a Labour mayor, but despite him handing out many paid jobs to Labour councillors, even a

majority of these say the post has got to go. It has become more ridiculous since the creation of the metro mayor, which has taken on a lot of the powers on transport, housing and employment from Bristol. When offered the chance to copy Bristol and have an elected mayor, more than 80 per cent of Bath residents said no. Putting all the power in one pair of hands, with no checks and balances, has been a disaster that has shocked experienced ward councillors, whose views are ignored. It has led to bad decisions and wasted money. The public seem to agree and, when we asked Knowle voters, 65 per cent said they would vote to dump the post, 30 per cent did not know and only five per cent were in favour. Next May you will be able to vote to get rid of an elected mayor. I will be working hard for that and know there will be much support from voters of all parties. This is not about the individual who has the job now, or the last one, but about the post.

March 2019

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n YOUR COUNCILLORS

HIS month the council began yet another consultation on the future of the library service Jon in Bristol. As a Wellington councillor, I have Labour an interest as Windmill Hill Marksbury Road library falls within my ward, and has been earmarked for closure in the past two consultations. Bristol City Council needs to find savings to the library service of £1.4 million a year, thanks to continuing underfunding from government. In terms of maintaining a council-run service with professional staff, this £1.4m translated in 2016 to a proposal to close 17 of the city’s 27 libraries, with 10 remaining. That consultation effectively asked residents which libraries ought to be kept open within different regions of the city. The consultation was criticised for not having a ‘no cuts’ option, and for pitting communities against

Windmill Hill

each other, both of which are fair criticisms. Ultimately, these proposals were quashed and the decision on library funding has been postponed until 2020/2021. Therefore, unlike the previous consultation, where decisions were to be made in a matter of months, this at least gives us adequate time to think about the future of libraries in our cities, and what people want from a library service. It also means that the future of Bristol’s libraries is likely to be a significant political issue at the mayoral and local elections in 2020. Libraries are an interesting socio-economic case study. A recent report showed that their use had dropped by 30 per cent in the years 2005-2016 across the UK, with 33.4 per cent of the public having visited a library in 2016 compared to 48.2 per cent in 2005. Crucially, the decline in use was higher among more affluent groups and lower in less well-off groups, meaning that their presence in poorer areas remains important. Technology

How to contact your councillor: p2

has made a lot of library services much easier to access. Many people who used to spend their days in libraries for research are now able to access material from a computer at home, as libraries have transferred their archive materials and databases online. Additionally, ebooks, magazines and audiobooks are also available to download. However, this still requires access to a computer and a broadband connection. As a library user and somebody that spent a lot of time as a bookish teenager in my town’s central library I, too, share the attachment that many people have to the very idea of the library service. The universal principle of free access to information, and to literature, art, poetry and so on, is a key foundation of the welfare state, to civic or municipal prosperity and to individual liberty. In that respect it straddles the collectivism of the post-war social democratic project with the potential for individual emancipation that liberals and

conservatives espouse. That is why they are so staunchly defended by those with an interest in society or politics regardless of political affiliation, even though dwindling numbers of people use the buildings or the services. Local authorities have a statutory obligation to provide a library service, but there is no direction on how that manifests itself as library buildings. The tension seems to be between the need to maintain a comprehensive and professional library and information service, and maintaining a network of physical, public spaces in each community that is free to use and serves as a community centre. When I speak to people, it is the latter function that seems to be the priority. With the ever decreasing funds that local authorities receive from the Government, it appears that we cannot have both. Until we reconcile this, Bristol’s libraries’ futures will remain uncertain. • Cllr Lucy Whittle is on maternity leave

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Countries

Can you find 64 nations of the world, spelled horizontally, vertically or diagonally?

I Y N N I J E C L H G R A A A G U A M

A P G I I N C O J R U C U B A I R S B

S R J A N N B I E C A N P E R U K E A

S U T E B E H N S R Y L G N I G E R B

X S P Q L O A E H O K Y G A X M Y B W

TXT PERT

M A L I J D N L S A P C O E R O P I E

L I Z A A E G O D T H A B K R Y A A T

T E P C G E O R G I A B Y G U I N E A

O A C A J M L F Z A V R H E V O A I I

N L L I B Y A U I Z M A L A W I M R W

G E R M A N Y L A J N Z N R C A A A A

Oman

Panama

J O R D A N R E C O J L A B A D I E L

F F Y E M E N B B O S N I A D T V L S

Q C S W E D E N F G U A D E L O U P E

This month: The Human Body

Malta The numbers point you toTurkey the letters on a phone keypad Mexico 2 3 Across DownUruguay 1

3Monaco 7427 (4) 5Nauru 7283552 (7) 8Nepal 226463 (6) 10 7227 (4) Niger 11 6673 (4)

A Q A T A R C I A A I I H U H H L Q N

1 447USA (3) 2 28842537 Vanuatu(8) 4 27246 (5) Wales 6 58647 (5) Yemen 7 7246 (4) Zaire 9 327 (3)

The solution is below – but no peeking until you have had a go!

SUDOKU

3 1

Zimbabwe

6 is M, N or O 7 is P, Q, R or S 8 is T, U or V 9 is W, X, Y or Z

SOLUTIONS

Peru 2 Qatar is A, B or C 3 is D, E or F Senegal 4 is G, H or I 5 Serbia is J, K, or L

EASY for children

Each horizontal row, each 2x2 square and each column must contain all the numbers 1-4.

10 11

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V C E A I S R A E L U N O T I Y T A I

southbristolvoice Bristol Animal Rescue Centre

Georgie has been with us for too long – she needs a home

Can you find the 10 differences between these two pictures?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

T B P B C H I N A A R A Y G L R N U Z

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Aruba, Belize, Benin, Bosnia, Brazil, Chad, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Oman, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Wales, Yemen, Zaire, Zimbabwe.

A S F L V I H O N D U R A S O A Y E C

March 2019

Can you help Bristol’s loneliest pooch?

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Across 3 Ribs, 5 Patella, 8 Canine, 10 Scar, 11 Nose Down 1 Hip, 2 Cuticles, 4 Brain, 6 Lungs, 7 Pain, 9 Ear

n TAKE A BREAK

L E B A N O N M M E X I C O I T M S K

March 2019

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EORGIE, our featured pet this month, has now been looking for a home for 14 months – making her Bristol Animal Rescue Centre’s longeststay dog. We are making a special appeal for Georgie, an English Bulldog crossbreed, who has been patiently waiting for a new home for an incredible 438 days. Could she be the one for you? Georgie is a young dog but has already been a resident at our centre for two Christmases. We are desperate for her to find a new home so she does not have to face another summer in her kennel. There is no limit for the amount of time that an animal can stay at our centre, but the

n NEWS Walkies for faithful David Long face: The suit David will wear for his 10-mile walkies

staff here are determined to find Georgie her forever home this year. Jodie Hayward, Bristol A.R.C.’s rehoming centre manager, said: “Georgie is a very special dog who we have all become very close to. The average length of stay for a dog at our centre is around three to four months, which really demonstrates just how long our lovely Georgie has now been waiting.” Georgie arrived at the centre as a stray. She is a very loyal dog and is extremely peopleorientated. She absolutely loves her toys and will happily play

Georgie: Loves people and play with them to pass time. Georgie is also motivated by food, which is ideal as it will help with future training. We are looking for an experienced home to take Georgie – they must have time to concentrate on her training needs and further socialisation with other dogs.

SOUTH Bristol guide dog volunteer David Nash has a special celebration planned for his 70th birthday: he will be walked by friend Jean on a lead for 10 miles from Bristol to Bitton while wearing a dog suit! David and his wife Janice have boarded over 30 dogs for the Guide Dogs charity since 2013. They are currently walking their seventh guide dog puppy, preparing it for formal training as a companion to a blind person. The walk takes place on March 14. More on the Voice website; if you’d like to support David, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/dn70

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n CHURCH NEWS

EEN-eyed readers will have noticed that the entries for all the other churches below are marked with a cross, except for Bedminster Quaker Meeting which uses the Q logo of the Religious Society of Friends – the official title of Quakers. Does this mean that Quakers are not Christians? Well, yes and no. Quakers started among the many religious and political

Thought for the month

Regular Services

March 2019

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groups that were active in the turmoil of the middle of the 17th Century. The early Quakers dissociated themselves from the Church of England but were firmly rooted in the Christian tradition. Over the last 350 years, more emphasis has been placed by

298 St John’s Lane BS3 5AY Minister: Jason Snethen 07795 560990 churchofchristbristol.org Sunday 10am Bible Hour for all ages; 11am Worship; 5pm Worship; Tuesday 7.30pm Bible study; Thursday 10am Coffee morning; Friday 3.45-5pm After-school; 7-9.30pm Youth group.

Bedminster Quaker Meeting House Wedmore Vale BS3 5HX

Clerk: Chrissie Williams 0117 923 0020 bristolquakers.org.uk Sunday Worship 10.45am; 2nd & 4th Sunday Children’s meeting; 2nd Sunday Shared lunch.

Church of the Nazarene

Broad Walk, Knowle BS4 2RD Pastor: Matthew Norris 07967 199995 bristolnazarene.com Sunday 10.30am Sunday Service; Wednesday 6pm Kids Klub; Thursday 7pm Youth club.

Bedminster Church of Christ

With Graham Davey, Bedminster Quakers

Holy Nativity Church Wells

Road, Knowle BS4 2AG Fr Steve Hawkins 07834 462054 Facebook: Holy Nativity Knowle Sunday 10am Parish Mass; Friday 10am Weekday Mass.

Quakers on how we should live our lives, rather than study of the Bible or theological debate. While many Quakers today would still call themselves Christians, some are Universalists and are interested in exploring the common ground between the major religious faiths. All Quakers, however, recognise that there is a spiritual dimension to life and that this awareness is present in everyone.

Meeting for Worship every Sunday morning is based on stillness. Quakers may use the time in different ways but the spoken contributions are often linked to a theme which guides one’s thoughts. Essentially it is a time of waiting on God, seeking inner stillness and strength. We try to discern together how we should respond to a fractured society in this country and a world where too many still suffer.

Church (Minnows for pre-school children).

Totterdown Baptist Church

Totterdown Methodist Church

Victoria Park Baptist Church

St Martin’s Wells Road, Knowle BS4

2NG Rev Becky Waring 0117 977 6275 Facebook: stmartinschurchknowle Sunday 8.30am Holy Communion; 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays 10.30am Holy Communion; 2nd Sunday 9.30am Rise and Shine: informal service, breakfast; 6pm Holy Communion; 4th Sunday 10.30am Family Communion.

Wells Road BS4 2AD tbc.org.uk Sunday 10.30am Morning Service; 2nd Sunday All-age Service; 6.30pm Evening Service (entrance Sydenham Road). Bushy Park, Totterdown BS4 2AD Rev Andrew Orton Facebook: SBMCT Sunday Family Worship 10.30am; 1st Sunday Sunday School.

St Michael & All Angels Vivian Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA Rev Brendan Street, Windmill Hill BS3 4LW Bassett 0117 977 2484 victoriapark.org.uk Rev Andrew Doarks 0117 977 6132 Knowle Methodist Church Sunday 10.30am Service with groups for stmikechurch.co.uk Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP all ages; coffee 11.30am. Sunday 10am Family Right SBMCT at Home is one of the most Right atUK’s Home isService; one of the UK’s most2nd Sunday Parade Service; Rev Andrew Orton Facebook: Wednesday 10am Family Communion Sunday 10.30am Worshiptrusted and Junior care companies. trusted Our carelocal companies. Our local3rd Sunday Communion.

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n HISTORY BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY Violence, mob rule and arson on the road to women winning the vote

T’S SO obvious to us now that we do not debate it: should women have the vote? Of course they should; it’s taken for granted almost everywhere in the world. Last year we celebrated the centenary of parliamentary votes being granted to women in the UK, in 1918. It’s easy to imagine that this was the result of the nation coming to its senses: a period of campaigning which eventually convinced politicians to end an obvious injustice. But it wasn’t like that at all. Women’s right to vote was one of the most contentious issues ever to split the nation, right up there with Brexit. It didn’t just divide opinion, it brought widespread violence onto the streets, and Bristol was one of the centres of dissent. Bristol suffered more damage during the struggle for female emancipation than during any terrorist campaign. A century ago, Bristol was largely a Liberal city, known for its enthusiasm for reform; yet it was the scene of several violent confrontations and arson attacks. Women, it should be said, were overall the main victims of this violence, although this was not how it was presented in the press. What was it like, a century and more ago in Bristol, at the centre of this storm? Let’s start, exactly 110 years ago, at Temple Meads.

UGUSTINE Birrell, the Liberal MP for Bristol North, arrived at Temple Meads for a weekend in his constituency on March 5, 1909. He was an important man: the Cabinet’s Chief Secretary for Ireland at a time when Home Rule for the island was a burning political issue. This Liberal government was one of the most progressive governments this country has

The suffragette campaign brought waves of destruction to Bristol. Yet it was women who were the greater victims of violence and mob attacks, finds Paul Breeden had. In 1908 it had introduced old age pensions, a revolutionary move which meant that for the first time in British history, ordinary people over the age of 70 did not have to fear ending their life in destitution. In addition, eight-hour days for miners, school meals for children, and compensation for injuries at work were all in place by 1908. The Chancellor, Lloyd George, declared his 1909 Budget would be a “war budget”, in a conflict against “poverty and squalidness”. It was the first Budget that aimed to redistribute wealth from the haves to the have-nots: by applying income tax, at low rates by today’s standards. Three of Bristol’s four MPs in 1909 were, like Birrell, Liberals. The city was known for radical thinking: it had helped lead the fight against the slave trade. Shouldn’t we expect, then, that these MPs, members of one of the most reforming governments ever, should recognise the justice of giving votes to women? In a word, no. In a situation that to modern eyes looks simply bizarre, the calls for female

Torture: When jailed women refused to eat, they were force-fed with a tube down their throat or even their nose. Suffragettes said this was torture; newspapers often said the women ‘brought it on themselves’ emancipation were not part of the Liberals’ reform agenda. (The new Labour Party did back the cause, but it had only 29 MPs.) When Elsie Howey and Vera Wentworth, two representatives of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) met Mr Birrell at Temple Meads and asked him to support votes for women, his reply was merely a dismissive “Tut tut.” Yet women in Bristol, who had taken a leading role in the campaigns against slavery 100 years before, had been calling for women’s votes (or “suffrage” – hence suffragettes) for decades. A plaque at 3 West Mall, Clifton, marks the home of Florence Davenport Hill who, in January 1868, formed the Bristol and West of England Society for Women’s Suffrage. (Florence, though in her 30s, needed her father’s permission to hold the meeting.) Women were winning

more rights – they were allowed to own property independently of their husbands in 1870, women were first awarded university degrees in 1880, and in the 1890s the first women qualified as dentists and architects. In Bristol, the suffrage campaigners held meetings in homes in Clifton and Redland, organised petitions and arranged speaking tours throughout the South West. It wasn’t as if women voting in elections was unthinkable, or untried. In 1869 British women were allowed to take part in elections to local government – provided they owned property and were unmarried. (If they had a husband, it was assumed that he would vote for both of them.) In 1893, New Zealand permitted women to cast votes in elections to parliament. The next year, married women in Britain Continued overleaf

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n HISTORY Continued from page 29 were allowed to vote in council elections; by 1900, more than a million British women had this right. In 1907, the first female MPs were elected, in Finland. Nowhere did the sky fall in or social order break down. By 1908, the militant WSPU had arrived in Bristol. Its members were known as suffragettes rather than suffragists because they were willing to take direct action. The union had its own shop in Queen’s Road, Clifton, selling literature and its founder, Emmeline Pankhurst, and her daughter Christabel, were frequent visitors. A rally on Durdham Downs in September 1908 drew more than 6,000 people. But protesters turned up with bells and tin whistles, hoping to drown out the speeches. Polite requests, such as the confrontation with Mr Birrell MP were getting nowhere. The next intervention by Elsie Howey and Vera Wentworth was more direct. In May 1909, the pair hid in the organ at the Colston Hall to infiltrate a meeting, where Birrell was making a speech on the Liberals’ radical land taxes. When Birrell began speaking, they leapt out, shouting “Votes for women!” Other women could be heard outside, protesting through a megaphone. The next month the debate hotted up still further. Mrs Pankhurst had noticed that the campaign attracted publicity when women were arrested. She declared that any women imprisoned for their beliefs were political prisoners, and should disobey prison rules. On June 29, two Bristolians became among the first to take up Mrs Pankhurst’s challenge. This was the day of the eighth Women’s Parliament, a meeting called in London to protest against the Government’s neglect of women’s suffrage. The women asked to speak to the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, and when this was refused, they demanded to present a petition to him at 10 Downing Street. The previous year, 1908, the Prime Minister had also refused to meet a delegation of women. Parties of protesters tried to enter Parliament but many were dragged off into side streets by police officers and physically – and even sexually – assaulted. Enraged, two women threw stones through the windows of 10

March 2019

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

A MIDDLE CLASS PURSUIT?

Lilian DoveWillcox, hunger striker and bodyguard to Mrs Pankhurst. She is pictured in the garden of the Blathwayt family of Batheaston, where prominent suffragists planted trees

LMOST none of the activists in the early 20th C women’s movement seem to have been from South Bristol. An exception is Lillian Dove-Willcox, one of the celebrated hunger strikers imprisoned for stone-throwing attacks in Whitehall. Dove-Willcox was christened in 1875 at St Silas church on Feeder Road, St Philip’s, when her parents lived in Bedminster, although she lived mainly in North Bristol – in Horfield, St Andrews and Clifton – before moving to London. Her father, Alfred Dugdale, was a ship’s captain, which may explain why his daughter was baptised so close to the harbour. But he was in bad health and couldn’t go to sea, so became clerk to Bristol Market. His wife, Elizabeth, was one of the early Bristol supporters of votes for women, and she passed her convictions on to her daughter. Lillian married into the wealthy Dove-Willcox family in 1903 but her husband died in 1908 and she quickly turned to activism, joining the WSPU the same year. Suffragette activity was centred on Redland and Clifton, where ladies held receptions in their drawing rooms. But it was not exclusively middle-class: meetings were held in factories and workplaces, including the Wills tobacco factories in Bedminster. Working women swelled the crowds that turned out to Bristol rallies and demonstrations, which often attracted thousands. Lillian

Dove-Willcox was imprisoned three times, enduring hunger strikes and force feeding. She became part of the personal bodyguard for Mrs Pankhurst, and also helped to organise suffragettes in Wiltshire. In 1911 she was one of many women who tried to dodge the census held on April 2. DoveWillcox took a caravan to Salisbury Plain; but a census-taker filled in

the form for her anyway. In 1913 even the Pankhurst family became split over whether arson was justified. Dove-Willcox sided with the militants and joined a socialist women’s group founded by Sylvia Pankhurst in 1913 in London. In 1926 she joined the Suffragette Fellowship to remember the work of the militants. She died in Ealing, West London, in 1963.

Downing Street. This wasn’t official WPSU policy – but it attracted publicity, and Mrs Pankhurst approved. The following June, therefore, women were prepared to use “the argument of the stone”. More than 100 women wrote their demands on paper, wrapped around stones and tied up with string. The idea was to use the string to swing the stones and smash the windows, allowing the women to drop the stones inside. It was meant to minimise risk of injury – though the very idea of women using any kind of violence was shocking to many. Many government offices around Whitehall were targeted, and among the 108 women arrested were Lillian DoveWillcox, from Bristol, and Mary

Allen, a WSPU organiser for South Wales and a frequent visitor to Bristol. All were fined for breaching the peace, but Dove-Willcox and Allen were among 12 who were charged with window breaking and imprisoned for 10 days. All 12 asked for the status of political prisoner at Holloway prison, and when this was refused they broke the windows in their cells and resisted the warders at every opportunity. As punishment they were put into solitary confinement, where they decided that the only tactic left to them was to go on hunger strike. The Holloway 12 were set free after a few days when prison doctors advised that their lives were in danger. The 12 became celebrated resisters, and were at

a ceremony in London to receive medals from Mrs Pankhurst when the police arrived with warrants to arrest Dove-Willcox and one Theresa Garnett. Both were accused of (and admitted) violence against prison officers. The pair were imprisoned again, and both were soon in punishment cells, refusing to eat. When they were released on August 8 they were seen as all the more heroic by their supporters. On July 30 several Bristol papers printed a letter from Mrs Dove-Willcox after her first hunger strike, in which she said that “a few days of bed and feeding up has quite restored her to health”. But the Clifton & Redland Free Press could not resist showing its disapproval: “We

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n HISTORY would that our lady friends could see some other way of effecting their ends than electing to go to prison, taking part in hunger strikes, breaking the windows of their cells, kicking wardresses, and otherwise acting as befits not gentlewomen. All good men deplore these things.” On August 10, the Western Daily Press published a letter, signed A Lover of Justice for Women, who declared “the greatest pleasure” at hearing of Mrs Dove-Willcox’s release after serving only three days of the sentence. The writer added: “We see now what power these women have to make our Government look ridiculous and to set all prison authorities at defiance. How long are the women of the country to be treated in this manner?” Four days later the Western Daily Press visited the headquarters of the WSPU, as supporters prepared to celebrate the return to the city of DoveWillcox and fellow campaigner Mary Allen. The reporter said he (it was almost certainly a he) “was received with the utmost cordiality”. “Mrs Willcox will arrive at Temple Meads at about 3 o’clock,” he quoted organiser Mrs Barrett, “and a procession will immediately be formed, with a standard-bearer at the head. All private carriages are to be decorated in the colours of the Union – purple, white and green.” Mrs Dove-Willcox had found her second hunger strike very difficult, and the Western Daily quoted her words from an article in Votes for Women, the WSPU newspaper. “I was frequently very faint, but I persevered,” she said. The triumphal return was on September 6, with a procession from Temple Meads. The Western Daily sniffily reported that “at no point was there any evidence of enthusiasm on the part of the onlookers.” Perhaps this was because the weather was foul. Mrs Dove-Willcox told a reception party in Henleaze that her mother had stood by her “in a magnificent way” throughout her imprisonment. She said that when she had first read of the suffragettes – a new term coined to describe women who took direct action – she felt there must be something in it to make women prepared to go to prison. “Women did not know what

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

Mob rule: Police survey the ruins of the WSPU shop in Queen’s Road, destroyed by 300 students. Officers did nothing to stop the attack, and the students went unpunished by the university PHOTO: BRO 43207/22/19/20 comradeship was until they had joined the Women’s Union”, she said, to applause. It was the only living movement in England, she added: “People are generally so apathetic; they seem to be interested in nothing but in getting rich.’” She described how she had overcome her idea that she would never be able to speak in public or do anything which suffragettes did – she had been drawn into the work and had beaten those feelings. The she urged her fellow supporters on: “Nothing but militant tactics would give them the vote, and if they stopped now the whole thing would fizzle out,” the paper reported her as saying.

n November 1909, Winston Churchill arrived at Temple Meads. Churchill was part of the radical Liberal efforts to get the People’s Budget past a Torydominated House of Lords. And though like many Liberals he could see some logic in women having the vote, it wasn’t on his agenda for reform. In the days before his visit the WSPU had raised the temperature, reminding Bristol that the city’s infamous riots of 1832 had been one of the spurs for the Great Reform Bill of the same year, which gave the vote to some men (not women, of

course). The implication was that a mass protest against Churchill could achieve justice for women. The day before Churchill arrived, a Nurse Pitman sent her “message” to him wrapped round a brick, through the window of the Post Office in Small Street. Mary Allen smashed windows at the Board of Trade in Baldwin Street, while Vera Wentworth did the same at the Liberal Club. All three were arrested. Then, as Churchill stepped on the platform at Temple Meads, Theresa Garnett burst through the detectives protecting him. Lunging at him with a whip, she shouted “Take that you brute!” It’s not clear if she actually struck Churchill; in any event, a charge of assault was later changed to disturbing the peace. Like Wentworth, Pitman and Allen, Garrett was sent to Horfield prison. Meanwhile Churchill’s speech at the Colston Hall was interrupted by a man who told the hall that “women have been tortured by the Liberal government”. But far worse disruption greeted the WSPU when they held a meeting at Colston Hall a few days later. Unlike Churchill, the women and their male supporters were not protected by hordes of police. For some reason the male students at Bristol University were particularly

offended by the idea of votes for women; perhaps they had not got used to the fact that women could now be awarded degrees. At any event, hundreds of students were able to rush the platform at the women’s event. This was no youthful prank: though Christabel Pankhurst and WSPU Bristol organiser Annie Kenney had flour thrown over them, another woman was hit in the face and badly injured. Nevertheless it was the women’s violent protests which attracted attention, and the row split the movement. Some of the suffragist societies stopped supporting the militant WSPU. Near Bristol, the wealthy Blathwayt family of Batheaston left the WSPU; they had been staunch supporters. On November 26, Vera Wentworth and Mary Allen emerged from Horfield prison. The Western Daily Press account explains why the suffragettes complained that the so-called Liberals were torturing women. In the summer, the first women hunger strikers had been released from prison when it appeared their health was in danger. Now they were being force-fed. Only if it appeared they were getting too weak would they be released. The paper reported: “Both the released prisoners Continued overleaf

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n HISTORY Continued from page 31 appeared to be suffering considerably from the effects of the treatment they drew upon themselves whilst in Horfield. Miss Mary Allen, particularly, looked extremely ill, and almost emaciated in her features, whilst it was apparent that she was very weak. Miss Vera Wentworth was also bearing ample evidences of her refusal to take nourishment.” Note that the paper states that the pair “drew the treatment upon themselves”. But the story quoted Allen faithfully on how she had had her clothes taken off her by force, how she had already been ill when she entered the prison, and yet she started her hunger strike immediately. “The prison authorities fed me with a tube, through the nose, three times, after which the tube was passed into my throat. This was done twice a day until today,” she said. “You resisted as much as you could?” asked the reporter; “Oh, yes,” said Miss Allen. “I resisted three times, and then, with four wardresses and three doctors, it

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

was impossible to go further, my strength was fast ebbing away.” Even this account does not reveal the brutality of the treatment; though Allen told the paper “the nurses and wardresses were very kind to me,” the fact remains that force feeding through the nose or mouth could be very dangerous. Sometimes the patient could choke, or food could pass into the lungs. Garnett, the woman who had tried to whip Churchill, “was very ill indeed”, Allen said. Wentworth also said that she was punished for singing.

n 1910 there was a lull in direct action while the political parties tried to draw up a Conciliation Bill that would give votes to some women. When these efforts broke down in November 1911, a women’s deputation to Parliament Square was met with violence from police and male bystanders. The women were under attack for almost six hours but refused to withdraw, even though many of them were sexually assaulted.

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The event became known as Black Friday – but Churchill, by then Home Secretary, refused a public inquiry. Days later the Bristol MP Augustine Birrell said he had been injured by suffragettes – though Christabel Pankhurst said he had just twisted his knee. There was more organised window-breaking in Whitehall. In January 1912, the Bristol East MP, Sir Charles Hobhouse, addressed a meeting of the Anti-Suffrage League [see panel], which claimed its Bristol branch was one of Britain’s strongest. The Colston Hall was surrounded by police, but they had not learned from the past, because as soon as Hobhouse started speaking, a suffragette began shouting from the organ loft. She was ejected, but then Dove-Willcox interjected from the top of the hall, and proved hard to remove. Back in London, on March 1 a small army of smartly-dressed women drew hammers from their handbags in the shopping streets of Haymarket and Piccadilly and smashed shop windows in 15-minute relays. The damage was estimated at £5,000 (£484,000 today). On March 4, the women did the same in Knightsbridge. The pressure for a political settlement was intense, but a third Conciliation Bill failed. After Mrs Pankhurst was jailed for nine months, her daughter Christabel turned to arson, attempting to raze the Wiltshire home of the MP Hobhouse. “There is something that governments care for more than human life, and that is the security of private property,” said Mrs Pankhurst. It was the start, she said, of the Women’s Revolution.

ow the destruction really took off. Letter boxes were a target for starting fires or acid attacks to destroy the mail. Many were destroyed in Bristol and Bath over five days in November. Women raised false fire alarms, and started some real fires – always in buildings that were empty and isolated. In January it seemed another Bill could be amended to give women votes, but when this failed the violence increased. Phone lines were cut and places like sports pavilions set alight. Bristolian Lillian Lenton torched a tea house in Kew Gardens.

Bristol was calmer for much of 1913 but trouble kept flaring. The South Bristol Liberal MP Sir William Howell Davies – who at one point had voiced support for female suffrage – was heckled at a meeting by several activists, who were thrown out. The same happened at a meeting held by the MP Birrell, and this time the hecklers were injured. In July Mary Richardson tried to drop a petition into a carriage carrying King George V, who was in Park Street on a visit to Bristol. The police had to rescue her from an angry crowd who attacked her. On October 22 the MP Hobhouse again goaded Bristol women with his words. In response to a heckler, he said he hoped votes for women would never be introduced. The next day, the University of Bristol’s new sports pavilion at Coombe Dingle was set on fire. A suffragette leaflet was found nearby with a note: “Business before pleasure. Hobhouse being responsible will pay.” The university was in theory a place of equality: women had been admitted since it was founded in 1876. In practice, females were outnumbered, and male students were against female emancipation. They had shown their colours when they rushed the stage at the Colston Hall in 1909. And when hundreds of students grabbed bricks, sticks, axes and inflammable materials, and marched on the WSPU shop in Queen’s Road, the police did not stop them – even though they had been warned of the attack. The mob of about 300 students broke their way into the shop and wrecked it within eight minutes. They threw a typewriter and a desk out of the window, and started a bonfire of the books and furniture, which soon stopped the traffic. There were two WSPU members inside – one ran out through a rear door, but the other had to jump from an upstairs window. Luckily she was unhurt, and ran away. Many of the crowd that gathered approved of the student action. The police did nothing, and even the next day, when the students attacked women who tried to clear up the shop, officers would not intervene. They claimed they were outnumbered; but that was not a problem when it came to protecting politicians. A report in the newspaper

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n HISTORY Clifton Society did not attempt to be even-handed. The burning of the sports pavilion had “aroused the utmost indignation,” it stated. It glossed over the mob revenge by making it sound like a student prank, adding: “A large crowd watched the destruction with evident approval.” Telegrams of congratuation had been sent from other colleges, it noted. The Bristol Times & Mirror called the mob attack an “exciting scene … wonderfully organised” while in a letter to the same paper two students claimed “an attack on a nest of suffragettes is a phase of pest extermination.” This was chilling language, which implied that suffragettes were vermin that should be eradicated. The university took no action against any students for their crime, which would probably today be classed as riot or affray, with likely prison sentences of several years.

he students failed to curb the suffragette “pest”. On November 11, a 20-room house, Begbrook Mansion in Frenchay, was burned down. A note nearby read: “Birrell is coming. Rachel Pease [a suffragette arsonist on hunger strike] is still being tortured.” Two days later, Birrell arrived in Bristol amid a wave of acid attacks on post boxes. At a meeting about Ireland, a man threw a dead kitten at him, saying: “Torture that instead of women”. Shortly afterwards the boathouse in Eastville Park was torched. A large house in Stoke Road was set alight, along with another property near Bath. In March 1914, the timber yard belonging to Imperial Tobacco at Ashton Gate was set on fire. It took firefighters from Bedminster and Central fire stations 30 hours to extinguish,

THE ANTI-VOTE BRIGADE

NTI-suffrage leagues were set up to voice the view that women did not need, or deserve, the right to vote. Some women proclaimed that they lacked the knowledge needed to vote; others argued that women had natural roles of homemaking and child-rearing, and politics was beyond them. Some found religious reasons why the sexes were different. The Women’s Anti-Suffrage League had 15,000 members in

BRISTOL’S ANGRY JOURNEY TOWARDS EQUALITY

Manhandled: Police arrest a suffragette in London in 1910. Sometimes the police dragged women to side streets and sexually assaulted them even when helped by heavy rain. The loss was valued at £3,000 (£274,000 today). Women began to stand up in cinemas and restaurants talking about the torture of women in prison. Sometimes, as on February 19 in Lyon’s café in Colston Street, they were heckled by other customers. In London, women held another march on May 21, demanding an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace. The police and bystanders were more brutal than on Black Friday; mounted charges were made against the women. Some women fought back with sticks or whips. When the Lord Mayor opened the grand International Exhibition at Ashton Gate on May 28, a woman interrupted him to talk about torture but was thrown out, to boos and hisses. The stand-off dragged on until it was ended at a stroke – by the declaration of war against Germany on August 4. The women’s movement mainly threw itself behind the war effort. Six days later all suffrage prisoners were set free. 1909, and in that year its leader, Mary Ward, addressed 1,400 people in Bristol. Anti-suffragists claimed that if there was a referendum, the people would reject votes for women. Today their arguments sound bizarre. It was claimed that changing the “natural” roles of the sexes would undermine society and make Britain too weak to stand up to Germany. A cartoon showed a man returning home to find a note from his feminist wife reading “Back in an hour or so”

Many women saw they would get opportunities to take on men’s jobs for the first time: Mary Allen became one of the first female police officers. Many women felt they had been failed when the returning men in 1918 took their jobs back and treated females once more as second-class workers. But the justice of their case for votes could not be ignored. The workers, male and female, who had won the war had to be rewarded. The vote was given to all men over 21, and women over 30 who owned or occupied property rated at £5 or more, or were graduates. Only 10 years later, in 1928, did all adult women win this right.

WAS THE VIOLENCE JUSTIFIED?

any would say this is the wrong question. The violence meted out by the suffragettes was mostly aimed at property. Where attacks were made on people – such as the assault on Churchill – they were mostly not intended to

while around him children were in tears, the house in chaos and a lamp smoked dangerously. These fears were widely shared, along with the view that there were many jobs women couldn’t do, such as soldier, police officer, or anything technical. The First World War proved them wrong, as women took on many ‘male’ jobs. And with huge social pressure to reward male soldiers with the vote in 1918, women could simply not be left out. The anti-suffrage campaign collapsed.

cause serious injury. What is certain is that the women received worse violence than they gave. On Black Friday and other occasions, both police officers and male bystanders attacked them viciously, and sometimes sexually, with the intention to humiliate as well as harm them. This went little reported in the press. Mrs Pankhurst and others saw violence against property, and to a limited extent against people, as the only method that could make female emancipation an urgent issue that demanded attention. Adopting violence as a tactic split the women’s movement and some say it played into the hands of their opponents. The Bristol students could not have got away with their mob attack on the WSPU headquarters if many of the public – and the police – did not support them. Yet there has to be some understanding for the view that nothing but violence would work. Women – and liberal-minded men – had been asking politely for female emancipation for decades, and little had changed. Women were caught in a bind – if they kept their tempers, as women were supposed to, they got nowhere. If they burst their bounds and adopted violence – even if they tried to avoid injury – they were seen as behaving unnaturally, in a way that somehow made them no longer women. Like Lady Macbeth, perhaps. Women in the suffragette movement between 1909 and 1914 were doing the unthinkable. The paradox is that, in the end, their actions made people think. One conclusion often heard was that women deserved the vote – but they ruined their case by extremism. The suffragettes felt that it was extremism that brought them victory. Sources: • The Bristol Suffragettes Lucienne Boyce, Silverwood Books, 2013 • The anti-suffrage movement Julia Bush bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/ the-anti-suffrage-movement • British Newspaper Archive Bristol newspapers, 1909-1914 • Caravanning for the Vote Jill Liddington jliddington.org.uk • The Women’s Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide, 1866-1928 Elizabeth Crawford, Psychology Press, 2001

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March 2019

n Review Southside Stories Tobacco Factory, Spielman theatre HERE were 321 hate crimes in Bristol in the year to March 2018. That’s nearly one a day – and that’s only the ones that were reported. More than half – 156 – were in South Bristol. This shocking statistic shows that, though we can congratulate ourselves on being a strong area full of community spirit, many

Until March 9 n No Kids Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street. George and Nir, a real-life samesex couple, take a head-on ride into their fears and anxieties about adoption, surrogacy, coparenting, the environmental impact of childbirth and more. 8pm, matinee Saturday 1.30pm, no shows Sunday-Tuesday. Tickets from £12. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday March 2 n Graveyard Girl Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. Clara Autumn, author of The Graveyard Girl – Life, Death and my Mental Illness, talks about living with mental illness both professionally and personally. £4, 3-4pm. Part of Arnos Vale’s Life, Death and the Rest event from February 28-March 3. arnosvale.org.uk/events Sunday March 3 n Bristol’s Craft & Flea Paintworks event space, Bath Road. A host of craft and vintage makers and suppliers, plus local produce and street food. 10am4pm, £2 entry, under 12s free. paintworksbristol.co.uk n Matt Richardson: Slash Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. Most comedians hope to win accolades and make people laugh, very few end up with Heat Magazine’s Weird Crush trophy. £13, 7.15pm. thecomedybox.co.uk Tuesday March 5 n Creating, Healing & Being Floriography, 154 Wells Road. Creative craft and healing activities every Tuesday 2-4.30pm. Also on Wednesdays 10am-12.30pm. Free entry; all activities affordable and some

people in the area are not able to live their lives free of fear. Southside Stories, created by the BS13 Theatre Company at the Zion centre in Bishopsworth Road, tells these truths through the real stories of the cast. The performers are a diverse collection of individuals from the community, many with little or no prior stage experience. The cast of eight each wear a different colour of the rainbow, reflecting the diversity of BS13. We hear stories from people that have grown up and lived in the area all their lives but are still unwelcome in their own neighbourhoods, or get asked ‘But where are you really

from?’; newcomers who are isolated and invisible; people hurt for expressing affection for those they love. Southside is a little like Utopia – a mythical magical place, somewhere between Hartcliffe, Withywood and Bishopsworth, where the sun always shines, animals can talk and the market is a friendly, bustling place full of songs and vitality. Our cast are transported there while waiting for the always-late bus (a real-life touch) – they don’t know how they got there and they wish that they could get back. The ensemble work together generously and supportively, while

each gets their own monologue, in song, story, music or poetry. A piece by Marilyn Thomas, about the grace she finds to continue on through adversity, is particularly moving, accompanied by youngster Simeon Wynne on sax. This is a story of difficulties, lack of access and opportunity. But it’s also about aspirations and building bridges. The fact that this piece of community-built theatre had the opportunity to come out of BS13 and onto a professional stage – and was performed to sold-out audiences at the respected Tobacco Factory – is a shining example of what can happen when people come together. Beccy Golding

ask for donation only. Facebook: Totterdown Healing Spaces CIC n Bonner & Blake: Comical Songs Knowle Townswomen’s Guild, Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle. Musical entertainment at the guild’s monthly meeting, 2-4pm. Details 0117 972 1590. facebook.com/ knowletownswomensguild Wednesday March 6-April 2 Spring Into Colour Tobacco Factory bar, North Street. Bristol artists Mary Price and Jo Whiteland celebrate spring in a joint exhibition featuring boldly coloured batik art and acrylic paintings. Meet the artists at the open evening on Thursday March 7 from 7.30pm. tobaccofactory.com/whats-on

and Totterdown Local History Society, Redcatch Community Centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle. Local archaeologist Bob Jones talks about what you can achieve by exploring your own little patch of ground. Members £1.50, visitors £3. 7.30pm. knowleandtotterdownhistory.org.uk n International Women’s Day Gig Zion, Bishopsworth Road. Live music from The Funkinsteins, Lady Nade, DJ Tina Hart and Zion’s very own singer-songwriter, Tanya Hazell. Proceeeds to Babes@Zion, a breast-feeding support group. 7.30pm, £8. zionbristol.co.uk/events Saturday March 9 n Introduction To Digital Photography Knowle West Media Centre, Leinster Avenue. Delve into photography and learn how to get off the ‘auto’ setting with this one-day beginners’ course. For ages 16+, £65. For details e-mail emma@kwmc.org. uk or call 0117 903 0444. kwmc.org.uk/events n Beryl’s of Mayfair Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle. Drama: tension in a Weston-super-Mare hair boutique. 7pm. Sold out. elknowle.wixsite.com/elknowle Sunday March 10 n Lost Voice Guy Comedy Box at the Tobacco Factory theatre, North Street. The first national tour for Lee Ridley, winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2018, and the first stand-up comedian to use a communication aid. £16, 7.30pm. Sold out. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Monday March 11 n Grow, Eat, Cook – growing food in school gardens Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip

Street, Bedminster. Session for teachers and school staff on growing and cooking food at school for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils. 10am-4pm, £95. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Tuesday March 12 n The Power of Chakras & Kundalini Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. Darren Springer invites Sanae Orchi, Dutch TV presenter and Kundalini yoga student, for a talk exploring the chakras, energy points in our bodies. 7.30pm, £12. henandchicken.com Tuesday March 12-Sun March 24 n Trainspotting Live Loco Klub, Temple Meads A no-holdsbarred theatre production of the infamous Glasgow-set heroin novel. Harry Gibson’s stage adaptation was written before the famous film and is still reeling in audiences in its 21st anniversary year. Over 18s only. £17.50, 7pm Tues-Sun, 8.45pm Fri-Sat. locobristol.com/shows Wednesday March 13 n Typan + Second Self + Cielo Drive The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Typan are Bristol alt-rockers building a loyal following, backed by Second Self, alternative four-piece from Cheltenham, and Bathbased indie rockers Cielo Drive. 7.30pm, £5 on the door. thethunderbolt.net Wednesday March 13-March 16 n The Class Project Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street. A solo show by Rebecca Atkinson-Lord about class mobility and regional identity, “about always being an imposter and trying to remember how to speak in your own voice”. Tickets from £12, shows 8.15pm. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Your event could be highlighted like this for just £5. Email ruth@southbristolvoice.co.uk Tuesday March 5-Thurs March 7 n Playhouse Creatures Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. The Southville Players present a bawdy tale set in a London theatre in 1670, after 17 years of Puritan suppression, as women take to the stage for the first time – including a certain Nell Gwyn. Earthy comedy, containing some strong language. 7.30pm, £9.50. henandchicken.com Thursday March 7 n Pub Quiz Knowle Constitutional Club, 162 Wells Road. Lighthearted quiz with a topical twist. First Thursday of the month. Entry £1 per person, for teams of up to four, 8.30pm. Fb: Knowle Constitutional Club Friday March 8 n Life in the Backyard Knowle

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n WHAT’S ON

n WHAT’S ON Homegrown play spins hope from hatred

March 2019

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Thursday, March 14 n Big Smile Revival + Colourful Treatment + Hoodoo Blue The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Big Smile Revival are a hardhitting, free flowing three-piece rock outfit from Bristol with a psychedelic philosophy, formed at the end of 2017. Colourful Treatment are a Bristol indie band and Hoodoo Blue a triphopshoegazer outfit from Somerset. 7.30pm, £5 on the door. the thunderbolt.net Friday March 15 n Talking Tables Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Talking Tables, free cookery sessions for people 50+. First of eight weekly cooking sessions for people 50+ each Friday 10am-1pm. Learn how to cook nutritious and tasty food, and sample farm produce. Supportive sessions for those who have an interest in food and would like to meet local people. Booking essential on 0117 353 3042. linkagenetwork.org.uk/ projects/talking-tables n Smack The 80s Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. Dance and soul 80s style, 8pm, £11. Saturday March 16 n Coffee Morning Bedminster Methodist Church, British Road, Bedminster. All welcome, 10.30am to 12 noon. Stalls include cakes, bric-a-brac, books, refreshments. n So Crafty Party Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Two-hour art and craft sessions for children. All materials provided plus a drink, biscuit and fruit. Cost: £12.75 per child (20 per cent discount for multiple bookings). For 6 to 10 year olds. Details: email catherineupton@hotmail. com or call 07881 994 883. windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n Redcatch Club Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle. South Bristol’s new folk club presents Si Barron, who has been performing English traditional song nationally for 15 years. Supported by awardwinning singer-songwriter Maaike Seigerist. Doors 7.15pm, £8 (cash only). redcatchclub.vistaprintdigital.com Sunday March 17 n A Play in A Day Tobacco Factory theatre, North Street.

Industrial chic in a comedy that threatens

Cavorting: Kim Heron as Puck wreaks a dreadful mischief as she leaps about the stage

n Review A Midsummer Night’s Dream Tobacco Factory theatre

T’S CERTAIN that Shakespeare never wrote a stage direction: Enter fairies, carrying their queen on a pallet truck. It’s a mark of how well done is director Mike Tweddle’s reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that these jarring moments only serve to focus our attention on the heart of the play. It’s easy to think of this as a comedy full of wisps and summer fancies, love potions and a bit of harmless frolicking in the woods. But the opening moments of this home-grown Tobacco Factory Theatres production jolt us into the threat at the centre of Shakespeare’s text. Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, is grabbed by gun-wielding goons and then forced into a grisly public appearance with her betrothed, Theseus, Duke of Athens. It’s clear this is not to be a marriage of equals: more Handmaid’s Tale than a fairytale. And then the clever bit. As Shakespeare wrote it, young buck Demetrius is in love with Hermia – but she loves his rival, Lysander. And Hermia’s friend Helena loves Demetrius – but he can’t stand her. In Mike Tweddle’s version,

Lysander becomes female, Lysanda; and Helena turns gender into Helenus. Now the course of true love is between young folk of the same sex. Not only is some of their affection not returned; even if it were, the men in power won’t allow these romances to blossom. Hermia is told to choose: forced marriage to Demetrius, or death – or a life as a nun. No wonder a bit of magic is needed, and an escape to the woods. If this Dream sounds, well, a bit gloomy, far from it: there is delight at every turn. The sprite, Puck (Kim Heron) cavorts in delight at the mischief she causes (yes, another gender change). We laugh with, as well as at, the hapless citizens of Athens who put on a play for their Duke. Bottom, the bumbling star of this mini-play, is turned into a donkey by Puck, who then magically causes Titania, Queen of the Fairies, to fall in love with this ass. Here, Bottom’s donkey ears are on a motorbike helmet, allowing actor Heather Williams to gurn and wring the

laughs even better. The wood is more than a wood, of course, it is a place of craziness, and escape from the harsh rules of Athens. That’s why it fits that the fairy glade here has a touch of industrial chic. Titania’s bed is a fur-strewn bath, and the clanking pallet truck that wheels her on is part of the fun. The audience loved madcap Puck dodging Oberon’s wrath, the endless faffing of the amateur players, and the Fairy King Oberon (Luca Thompson) enjoying side-effects from the love potions he administers. The lovers are magnetic in their attractions, then shock us when the magic turns them to contempt and anger with each other. The nine-strong cast mostly have several roles, and all are excellent. This is an ingenious, wild and fanciful production. It draws our attention to the life-changing ways in which societies through the ages have blocked our choices about who to love. This isn’t an old-fashioned comedy. Paul Breeden

Inspired by the current production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, youngsters get the chance to create their own short performance that will be presented in the theatre at the end of the day. Separate groups for 8-11 years and 12-16 years, start 9.30am, £40. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Monday March 18 n Book Group Windmill Hill Community Centre, Vivian Street. Literary discussions on the third Monday of every month, 8.30pm. whca.org.uk Wednesday March 20 n Tresa public meeting Totterdown Canteen, 141 Wells Road. Meeting of the Totterdown Residents Environmental & Social Action group, 7.30-9pm, with a talk from a police representative. tresa.org.uk

Wednesday March 20-Sunday 31 n Intronauts Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street. Inspired by classic sci-fi movies, Intronauts follows a band of miniaturised people as they are injected into a human body to carry out repairs. But what if your cleaner discovers your dirty laundry? Absurd visual comedy. Tickets from £12, 8.15pm, 12+. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday March 23 n The Women Who Built Bristol Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. Along with several events at Arnos Vale to mark International Women’s Day, this has sold out, but will be repeated on May 4. Windmill Hill author Jane Duffus talks about her book, The Women Who Built Bristol. arnosvale.org.uk n Stand Up For The Weekend with Dane Baptiste

& Co Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. After starring in his own sitcom for the BBC (Sunny D) and a triumphant run at the Edinburgh Festival, Dane Baptiste heads the weekend’s stand-up bill. “A thunderingly charismatic comic”, said the Guardian. £12, 7.30pm. thecomedybox.co.uk Wednesday March 27 Green Screen Workshop n Knowle West Media Centre, Leinster Avenue, Knowle West. Free event from 12-1pm to explore the world of green screen – using laptop technology to impose your image (or anything else) on a range of backgrounds. kwmc.org.uk/events Saturday March 30 n #WasteNothing Paintworks, Bath Road. Want to stop good stuff going to landfill? Come to Continued overleaf

PHOTO: Mark Dawson Photography

Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2019

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n WHAT’S ON Continued from page 35 see a range of quality electrical items, wooden furniture and paint, all saved from Bristol’s household waste and recycling centres by Bristol Waste. 10am12 noon, free entry. paintworksbristol.co.uk n Coraline Arnos Vale cemetery, Bath Road. A special Mothers Day weekend screening of the acclaimed children’s film Coraline, in the Anglican Chapel. £10, bar from 6pm, film starts 7pm. arnosvale.org.uk/all-events Saturday March 30-Sunday 31 n Woyzeck Loco Klub, Temple Meads. Spies Like Us present the German classic by Buchner: as a nation wakes up from war, a young soldier grapples with his fragmented mind and tries to care for his illegitimate son and lover. Winner of Theatre Weekly’s ‘Best Physical Theatre Show’ award 2018. 6pm, £10. locobristol.com/shows Monday April 1-Tuesday April 2 n The World Behind The Screen / The Corner Shop

Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. A double bill by Bedminster youth theatres. In the first, a new cinema has just opened; young people queue to go in; but this is just the beginning of their journey. In the second show, strange things start happening at a local corner shop, but will the detectives work out why before it’s too late? 6.308.15pm, £2. acta-bristol.com Sunday March 31 n Matt Forde: Brexit Through the Gift Shop Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken Studio, North Street. Two days after the date when Britain was supposed to leave the EU, Matt Forde, acclaimed as Britain’s leading political comedian, gives his verdict. Matt is host of Unspun on Dave and his own Political Party podcast, and has interviewed everyone who’s anyone in the political landscape, from ex-PM Tony Blair to Jacob Rees-Mogg. £16, 7.15pm. thecomedybox.co.uk

MATHS AND ENGLISH

TUTORING For students aged 5 -16

Maths • English • Reading • Spelling • Entrance Exams • GCSEs • SATs

n Medicine Creek Tobacco Factory bar, North Street. Medicine Creek have been playing their whisky-soaked brand of bluegrass and Americana since getting together in Bristol in 2010, playing at festivals including Glastonbury, Beach Break and Shambala. Free, 8-10pm. tobaccofactory.com/whats-on Wednesday April 3-April 6 n What Does Stuff Do? Tobacco Factory Spielman theatre, North Street. Juggler, water-bender and part-time deep thinker Robin Boon Dale draws on his circus skills to offer new ways of thinking about the physical world. Includes liquid manipulation, performance ping pong, and a motivational speech by a man in swimming trunks. Tickets from £12, 8.15pm. tobaccofactorytheatres.com Friday April 5 n Vic Godard and the Subway Sect + The Big However + The Cormorants The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Vocalist, longtime Subway Sect frontman and ex-postman Vic Godard was one of punk’s pioneers in 1976 but has never stood still – here performing with the latest incarnation of Subway Sect and Bristol’s Johnny Britton. 7.30pm, £12 on the door. thethunderbolt.net

Regular events

n Baby Sensory is a learning development programme for babies 0-13 months. Classes are held at the Victoria Park Baptist Church Hall, Sylvia Avenue BS3 5DA on Tuesdays. For more information email Sian at bristolsouth@babysensory. co.uk or visit babysensory.com/bristol-south n Womb Sisters pregnancy choir Thursdays, 7-8.30pm. St Michael & All Angels church, Windmill Hill. £7 drop in, or block booking discount. Email wombsisterspregnancychoir@ gmail.com or visit wombsisters.co.uk @womb_sisters n Folks & Bairns parent and baby choir The Milk Shed, Southville, Wednesdays 1-2pm. Free taster; £60 a term (12 sessions, pro rata if you join later in term). Email folksandbairns@ gmail.com or visit folksandbairns.com @folksandbairns March 30-April 5 n Aged 55+ and living with cancer? Want to get more active, meet new people and try something new? The Macmillan Activity Week for over 55s takes place across Bristol from Saturday March 30-Friday April 5. Discover the benefits of being active during or after cancer treatment, and try community-based activities for free, including dance, walking football, kayaking and more. Booking is essential – call LinkAge Network on 0117 353 3042.

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n THE CITY PAGE

Saturday April 13 n Bonanza Jumble Sale Totterdown Methodist Church, Bushy Park (entrance off Winton Street). Bargains galore, refreshments on sale. Admission 50p, accompanied children free. “Something for everyone –you will be amazed!” 10am-12 noon.

Watch your child’s confidence, self-esteem and motivation to succeed grow. Enrol your child now.

March 2019

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