South Bristol Voice Totterdown March 2020 by South Bristol Voice

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March 2020 March 2020 No. 58

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

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As South Bristol Voice went to press, it was understood eco activist Greta Thunberg was expected to make an appearance in South Bristol as part of her day of support for Bristol schoolchildren protesting over the environment. It was thought she would visit the giant mural at the Tobacco Factory featuring her image, Full story next month

Bristol to the BAFTAS - Pages 4&5

Parking plans are a ‘backward step - Page 3

m ve

FEATURES Gems of South Bristol Pages 30-33

Focus on pets Pages 10-12

Early years Pages 20-21

Get things moving with Ocean… oceanhome.co.uk

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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Contacts

Becky Day Editorial director news@southbristolvoice.co.uk (Currently on maternity leave) Ruth Drury Sales director 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Rich Coulter Editorial director 07775 550607 news@southbristolvoice.co.uk Deliveries: Greg Champion

Editorial team: Marcus Stone, Paul Breeden, Martin Powell, Charley Rogers, Dean Mortlock Independent Community News Network member

Next month’s deadline for editorial and advertising is March 12.

on Facebook facebook.com/southbristolvoice on Twitter @sbristolvoice and on Instagram @southbristolvoice 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 the above number 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 Phone: 07826917714 Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem deputy leader) Email: Cllr.Gary.Hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 07977 512159 Lucy Whittle Labour, Windmill Hill Phone: 07392 108805 Email: cllr.lucy.whittle@bristol.gov.uk 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

COMPLAINTS 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: news@southbristolvoice.co.uk or by post: 111 Broadfield Rd, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2UX or by phone: 0777 555 0607. southbristolvoice.co.uk/complaints-procedure All stories and pictures are ©South Bristol Voice (unless otherwise stated) and may not be reproduced without permission. South Bristol Media Ltd | Co. no. 11948223 | VAT no. 322 3640 38

March 2020

n NEWS Barcan+Kirby launches fund to benefit local community groups in Bristol Community organisations in Bristol are being given an opportunity to benefit from a Community Fund launched by local law firm, Barcan+Kirby. The Barcan+Kirby Community Fund is a new initiative launched this month to give groups and individuals working for the benefit of the communities in BS1, BS3, BS7, BS8, BS15 and BS35 a chance to be awarded financial support from the firm. Community groups and individuals can apply for up to £300 to help support their projects, or to kick-start new community programmes. There will be two opportunities to apply for funding, one in February and the next in June. The deadline for the first round of applications is Saturday, February 29. Commenting on the fund, Bill Willcocks, Managing Partner of Barcan+Kirby said: “We are

really excited to announce the launch of our latest initiative to give those who work tirelessly for the local communities around Bristol a helping hand. “Being an active supporter of the communities in which we operate is an important part of who we are as local high street solicitors. We strive to bring out the best in not only our staff, but also in the communities that we serve around Bristol. “We would like to encourage organisations and individuals actively working for the benefit of their communities to submit an application to the Barcan+Kirby Community Fund.” Applications can be made via the Barcan+Kirby website at barcankirby.co.uk/about-us/ charitable-support

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March 2020

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n NEWS

Parking plans a 'backward step' - residents by Marcus Stone Windmill Hill and Bedminster residents have described as 'a backward step ' proposals for a three-storey car park to replace the existing Little Paradise ground-level facilities. The small existing car park is a bit of a hidden spot with just 50 spaces, offering two hours free parking just behind the shops in East Street. It is fairly low key and adjoins sheltered housing accommodation. Nick Townsend, Chair of Windmill Hill and Malago Community Planning Group (WHaM), said: “Building a new three-story car park seems a very 20th Century backwards step in these days of climate emergency. As well as adding to road congestion and pollution, the building itself would overshadow nearby houses and could be very upsetting for those living in sheltered housing. “We have been very

concerned about the lack of information around these proposals, and the relatively late discovery of the car park idea in the overall scheme of Bedminster Green developments.” It is thought any new car park would be funded by Bedminster Green developers, but would still be run by Bristol City Council. It is not clear whether any parking would still be free. It would include electric car charging points. Councillor Charlie Bolton, Green, said: “As a Green, I am

not in the business of supporting more car driving, and continue to see the need for more sustainable forms of travel. Having said that, I look at the car park, then I think about the Bedminster Green development with its potential 1,500 units and 3,000 or so people, and think it will have a far, far bigger impact on the area.” A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “Proposals for a decked car park of three storeys have been drawn up, with a series of drop-in sessions about them due to take place throughout next month, ahead of final detailed plans being prepared by the end of March.’’ Consultation about the car park and wider Bedminster Green developments will take place as follows:

Drop-ins Monday, 2nd March – Bedminster Library, Bedminster Parade, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4AQ – 4.30-6.45pm Thursday, 5th March – Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip St, Bristol, BS3 4EA – John James Room – 2.30-6.00pm Thursday, 19th March – Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip St, Bristol, BS3 4EA – John James Room – 2.30-6.00pm Walkabouts On the 5th and 19th of March, walkabouts are being held to visit the areas where improvements are being considered, and there will be opportunities to discuss what’s possible while there. These will start at Windmill Hill City Farm at 3.45pm. Online Survey Information and a survey will be online from Monday, 24th February until 23rd March 2020 at www.bristol.gov.uk/ bedminstersurvey

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March 2020

n NEWS

From Bristol to the Baftas for production team by Charley Rogers Bait, a film about the Cornish fishing industry, executive produced by South Bristolbased Linn Waite and Kate Byers, has won a Bafta award for Outstanding British Debut. The film, directed by Mark Jenkin, premiered in Berlin in 2019, and centres around two Cornish brothers – Martin, who continues a traditional way of life as a fisherman, but struggles to make ends meet, and Steven, who has left his fishing heritage behind to run boat cruises for Cornwall’s many summer tourists. Filmed in black-and-white with 16mm film that Jenkin processed himself by hand, Bait has a distinctive aesthetic, and a score to match. Clockwork cameras were used for filming, which meant that the entire thing had to be captured without sound, and was dubbed as part of post-production. Jenkin also devised the original score. Touching on issues of smalltown community, family ties and gentrification, despite being a local film, Bait has international appeal. Linn said: “When Mark and Kate were over in New York with [the film], they had somebody who came up to them,

Kate and Linn with director Mark Jenkin accepting their award who was from Barbados, and said ‘this is my dad’s story’, and I’ve got Croatian neighbours saying ‘yes, my mother lives in a fishing village. This is happening’.”

Bait has also garnered high praise among a variety of wellknown film critics such as The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, and The Observer’s Mark Kermode,

who cited Bait as his favourite film of the year. Kate and Linn both attended the Bafta Awards ceremony, and were overwhelmed by the experience. They said: “It was the most fantastic evening. It was brilliant. The Albert Hall is an amazing venue because it is huge but it’s also quite intimate, and so it’s got a fantastic atmosphere.” Despite the glitz and glamour of attending one of the world’s most recognisable film events, however, Kate and Linn are more excited about the reception the film has had in its native South West, including, of course, in Bristol. Linn said: “The South West has been amazing. Normally, if we’re going to talk statistics, in terms of the box office in the UK – even for big blockbusters – the South West accounts for no more than 5%. But with Bait, 35% of the box office came from the South West. “So we want to say a big thank you to anyone out there who has seen it, spoken about it, written about it, or spread the word, because it really has been word of mouth, and the support has been phenomenal.” And it’s not just individuals who have played a role in Bait’s success. Local cinemas and film clubs, say Kate and Linn,

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

March 2020

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n NEWS

New Comedy Festival to be launched in the city this April

Mark Jenkin, Linn Waite and Kate Byers after a triumphant win at the BAFTAs have supported the film, and in Bristol the Watershed has been a key partner: “Watershed – we love them. They have been remarkable. Mark Cosgrove as a programmer has allowed the film to grow, and it’s worked; I think Bait was their second most successful film last year.” Kate and Linn are currently working on more projects as part of their company, Early Day

Films, including one that has been picked up by Film Four. Bait will also be released in the US later this year. Bait is still in cinemas, distributed by the BFI, and is also available online via the BFI Player at player.bfi.org. uk/subscription/film/watchbait-2018-online. It is also now available to purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray.

This April sees the launch of a brand-new Comedy Festival in the heart of Bristol. The one-day event will run across three venues on Sunday, 26th April and feature 18 hours of Edinburgh Fringe comedy previews from the likes of Rosie Jones, Stuart Goldsmith (from Totterdown), and Mark Simmons. Burt Williamson and Andrew White who have organised the afternoon of shows were keen to offer a festival like this to Bristol’s bustling grassroots comedy scene. “Every week the city is filled with extremely talented acts performing, and importantly to some very supportive audiences. “There’s some other largescale events out there, but Bristol Comedy Festival will be a much more intimate affair. There’s only a limited amount of seating in each venue and

we hope to capture an exciting fringe feel with packed-out, smaller rooms.” The line-up will feature bigger TV and circuit names alongside some rising stars and brilliant local acts. Bobby Mair and Sarah Keyworth kick off the afternoon at 12.40pm, and right up until the last 7.20pm show there’ll be a huge variety of acts including Marlon Davis, Olga Koch, Kai Samra, Catherine Bohart, Sara Barron, and Harriet Kemsley. Tickets are sold individually (£3 Early Bird/£5 Advance) with three shows running simultaneously in a time slot across The Boardroom, Horts Pub, and The Stag & Hounds – all within a 10 minutes’ walk of each other. The full line-up, information and tickets for the Bristol Comedy Festival are available at www.ticketsource.co.uk/bristol

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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March 2020

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n NEWS

Plans for digital advert boards deferred by BBC LDRS reporters for South Bristol Voice Councillors have sent plans for two digital advertising hoardings in Bath Road back to the drawing board amid road safety fears and concerns over brightness. Bristol City Council’s development control committee had been advised to grant permission for one electronic billboard and reject the other, near to the junction with Totterdown Bridge, but they voted to reject the recommendation following 68 objections, including three local councillors, and instead asked officers to either negotiate with the applicants to make the proposals acceptable, or come back with a report firming up their reasons to turn them down. Members were warned that refusing consent could cost the local authority money, following a previous successful appeal against a decision by city councillors to reject a similar digital advert at the site on grounds of visual impact. The derelict site currently has three existing paper-andpaste advertising boards which would be replaced by a pair of digital signs displaying a series of changing static images, set at 45 degrees to the road in either direction. Transport officers were concerned that eastbound drivers would be distracted by the digital advert facing them and that the

consequences could be ‘severe’. Councillors said cyclists would be placed in peril. Cllr Martin Fodor said: “This road is very dangerous in both directions. I am very concerned about the highway hazards on both sides of the road. “Changing-digital displays that are bright and deliberately distracting will make the road less safe.” Cllr Harriet Bradley said: “I am opposed to either of these boards going up. “I have had a lot of messages from cyclists and pedestrians who have stressed the dangerousness of Bath Road. People make mistakes because of the confusing nature of the bus lane.”

Cllr Bradley said a 15-storey residential tower block was going up opposite the site, and the ads would have an impact on people who move in. Cllr Celia Phipps said: “We have just declared an ecological emergency and we are aware of the damage light pollution causes to insects, birds and bats. I cannot support either of these boards.” Cllr Tim Kent said the brightness should be well below that proposed for night-time hours and that the plans should be refused. Cllr Fi Hance said: “It is frustrating that we have declared a climate emergency and an ecological emergency but we have no means as a city of enforcing it when it comes to planning. None of us like this at all. We all think it’s a bad idea. “I feel quite strongly that we need to send out a signal that we do not want these digital displays in a residential street. This is not the M32, it’s not Bond Street.” Cllr Mike Davies told the

meeting on February 12: “These screens are a bad idea and a waste of that site. However, I realise in planning terms there are only certain things we can consider. “We do refuse a lot of them successfully but I understand the officers’ argument that one should be approved and the other refused.” Cllr Don Alexander said: “Given there is already planning permission for something similar there, the officers’ recommendation is a very reasonable middle ground. There is a danger we’ll end up with something we do not really want if we don’t take that middle ground.” Six members voted against the officers’ recommendation to approve one sign and reject the other, with two voting in favour, and one abstention. Councillors then voted 8-1 for a motion to defer the decision with a view to refusing Brentford-based applicants JCDecauxUK permission. A new report will come back to committee at a later date.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2020

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n NEWS

Further delays for new Oasis secondary school by Amanda Cameron BBC LDRS reporter for South Bristol Voice A promised new secondary school that was meant to open more than a year ago has been delayed until at least 2023. Oasis Academy Temple Quarter is desperately needed to tackle a looming crisis in secondary school places in Bristol. Oasis Community Learning, a multi-academy trust, has been chosen to run the new secondary school. OCL alread runs several schools in Bristol and others nationwide, including Oasis Academy John Williams in Hengrove and Oasis Academy Brislington. The planned 1,600-place school on land near Temple Meads would help to ease a shortage of about 200 secondary school places projected for the east and central area of the city from September 2021. But it is part of a large and complex development on former industrial land beside the Feeder Canal, involving hundreds of homes, offices, shops and student accommodation, which has been caught up in planning delays. Parents campaigning for the new free school were pushing for it to open by September 2021 at the latest, warning that any later would be “catastrophic”. But in February they heard from Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for education that the academy would not be finished until 2023 at the

Jenny Grinsted from BS5 Secondary Education Forum addresses the public meeting

earliest. Councillor Anna Keen said she wanted to be “absolutely honest” with parents who attended a meeting organised by BS5 Secondary Education Forum on Wednesday (February 5). Explaining that developer Square Bay had submitted a revised planning application that day, she said: “The advice I have had from some very experienced planners and from our education team at the council is that they would expect full construction, if everything goes through smoothly on planning, September 2023.” The possibility of an earlier opening in temporary accommodation would not be until December 2021, she added, citing a letter from the

Department for Education (DfE) dated January 29. That letter said: “The provision of a suitable temporary site by the council could potentially facilitate the opening of the school at the earliest in 2021 if the conditions set out…are met (ie planning), but unfortunately it would be later if they are not.” Either way, the new school will come too late for many children in East Bristol, where the first intake at Redfield All Together Primary School will be ready to start secondary school in September 2021. Jenny Grinsted, who spearheaded a campaign for the primary school, which opened in 2014, said her son Felix, now 10, was part of a known population

“bulge” in the city. “Not only will they miss out on the opportunity to go to this amazing school that has been promised to our community since 2017, but, if that school doesn’t open it will put pressure on places across East Bristol and potentially pressure on existing schools because they will have to expand to take large numbers of extra children,” she said. Schools in the area have already admitted more secondary school students than planned to cope with extra students this year. Cllr Keen said the council has investigated what can be done to permanently add more places to schools in East and Central Bristol if the DfE decides it cannot deliver Oasis Academy Temple Quarter. The DfE is responsible for funding and building the new school. The council gets no government funding to build new schools but has a statutory duty to provide places. The director of Square Bay, Markham Hanson, told parents he was “very confident” that its revised planning application would be approved next month. Oasis Academy Temple Quarter was approved by the DfE in April 2017 but finding an actual site for the school proved difficult. When the school eventually opens it will only take Year 7 pupils – and will eventually build up to full capacity over the following seven years.

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n PLANNING NEWS

Plans land for Airport Road housing development by Marcus Stone Housing developers BoKlok have now submitted full planning proposals for the Airport Road site that they are developing in partnership with Bristol City Council. This is part of Bristol’s Housing Festival, which aims to encourage innovative solutions to housing needs. BoKlok UK Ltd is jointly owned by Skanska and IKEA and describes itself as ‘the sustainable, quality and low-cost home provider’. It is understood that the new homes would be partly constructed off-site and then assembled on-site. The planning application covers demolition of existing structures and development of 173 dwellings (Use Class C3) together with provision of public open space, play areas

and landscaping, cycle parking and car parking provision, and associated infrastructure works, including construction of a bridge over Brislington Brook, use of the existing access off Airport Road, and two new accesses off Salcombe Road and Ilminster Avenue. BoKlok would be looking to connect Ilminster Avenue to Airport Road, by getting rid of the cul-de-sac, which has raised planning objections from locals fearing an increase in through traffic and risk to children. Despite concerns over any new development, the plans for Airport Road have been fairly well received by some locals who see the need for lower-cost housing. Gary Hopkins, Lib Dem councillor (Knowle) and Bristol Lib Dem party leader, said:

ADVICE FROM A PHARMACIST Face mask or hand sanitiser? How to beat coronavirus

veryone is talking about the coronavirus, called COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. Conspiracy theories about its origin, intertwined with apocalyptic predictions, are causing lots of anxiety. People are stocked up on antiseptic hand gels, disinfectants and are now desperately trying to get hold of face masks, which sadly do not offer much protection anyway. What exactly is going on and how can we stay safe and healthy? Firstly, coronavirus is a large group of viruses that are common among animals. This outbreak began in Wuhan, China—a city of 11 million people—in December 2019. Cases are now spreading across the world, including the UK. How does it spread? Although this coronavirus initially spread from animals to

humans, we now know anyone infected can pass it on to someone else. Like the common cold, the coronavirus is spread via droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. This means that coughs droplets on hands during food preparation and when sharing door handles can also spread it. What are the symptoms? Coronavirus and flu share many similar symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose without a test. The main symptoms to look out for are fever and a cough. People with coronavirus may experience extreme breathing difficulties. More severe symptoms occur in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. What are the available vaccinations or treatment? You can recover, although there are no specific treatments or vaccines presently. This is why unusual and extreme precautions are now so important. The lockdown of Hubei

“The plans do not look that bad, although I do have some concerns over placement of bus stops and access roads. “Local people do need affordable housing that they can purchase as a home of their own. It may even be that new housing helps locally, such as boosting trade for the shops on Newquay Road.” However, Michele Tedder, Knowle Neighbourhood Planning Group, said: “Is this the right sort of development for this site, and does it meet the needs of the community who are likely to live here? Certainly it is an innovative building concept, there is a mix of accommodation for families, smaller households and downsizers, play areas, attention to local environmental issues (Brislington Brook runs

through the site), and the developers appear receptive to the management and maintenance challenges that such a site provides. With the recent announcement of an ‘Ecological Crisis’, careful attention is needed to address the impact of this development. “I think that in South Bristol the impact of development also needs to focus on many other issues – transport, employment opportunities, retail and leisure facilities, as well as primary health care and educational provision. This all needs to accompany housing development for a healthy, inclusive and wellbalanced community.” As South Bristol Voice went to print there had been only five formal full objections to the planning application.

with Ade Williams Ade Williams of Bedminster Pharmacy shows how pharmacies can help people with a variety of health conditions, and ease pressure on the NHS province where the outbreak originated and numerous transport restrictions have been put in place by the Chinese government. Foreign nationals continue to be evacuated, with subsequent quarantine procedures in place upon their return home. Are you travelling to China? Please check for regularly updated advice provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Our NHS is one of the first countries in the world to have developed a test for the new virus. The critical protection advice is that if you have travelled from Wuhan or Hubei Province to the UK, or have developed symptoms

of cough, fever or shortness of breath after returning to the UK from another part of China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau in the last 14 days, you should immediately: • Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people • Do not visit A&E, your GP or local pharmacy • Call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the area - a crucial part of our defence is remembering the ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ message used against flu • Always carry tissues to catch coughs and sneezes and bin them immediately • Wash hands with soap and water, or use sanitiser gel, to kill germs. As your local community pharmacy and most accessible NHS outpost, we are able to offer up to date advice, and with our Bristol Travel Clinic Service, protect your health wherever you are travelling to. Come in or call us on 0800 772 35 75.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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March 2020

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December 2019

n FOCUS ON PETS

3-page special 32

n NEWS

More lending, less wasting - it makes all the difference

Pet First Aid course

experience. Step ladders, jump leads, a dehumidifier and “One of my favourite posts was a parent a kayak paddle … these are just some of the looking for waterproofs for her daughter who items that south Bristol folk have been able was doing Duke of Edinburgh. Straight away, to borrow, thanks to a Facebook lending page she got all the kit needed and saved loads of set up by a local mum. money,” Katherine said. Katherine Morgan was on maternity leave Katherine went on maternity leave in when she came up with idea for the ‘BS3 mattelliottpetphotography.com January and was soon racking her brain Lending Library’. about what to do in the spare moments when The environment agency worker wanted hello@mattelliottpetphotography.com MattElliottPetPhoto her newborn was sleeping. to create a group which encouraged people to “I needed to do something – I wanted to be “less wasteful and more neighbourly”. make a difference. I thought, how can I do She also wanted it to be a space where my little bit and save things from landfill? I people could offer help to others. came up with idea for the group and told my For example, one lady needed some ivy Certificates are valid for 3 years, husband, and he said, ‘why don’t you set it up cutting back – group members were quick to all courses are CPD certified. then?’ respond to her calls and within moments, she Ideal for: “If ever I can do one thing to make a had found a keen neighbour – with a hedge • dog walkers difference, it would to prevent us being a trimmer – to help out. • dog groomers wasteful society.” “It’s like fastest finger first – people really • pet sitters Through the page, Katherine also want to help,” says Katherine. • general pet owners organised a clear-out weekend in September The group has been met with a “great Courses are just 4 hours long. which saw dozens of residents listing free response” since launching in May and has items to collect that may have otherwise gone attracted over 670 members. BS4 residents to landfill. are also welcomed to join. 0117 pictured, 369 8336 Mum Katherine, came up To join the group, visit bit.ly/bs3Katherine says that it is a group built on info@bs3training.co.uk bs3training.co.uk with the idea while on maternity leave lending-library. trust and so far, everyone has had a positive

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March 2020

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Can you rehome a pet?

crum is an active, friendly dog that hasn’t had the best start in life and has spent a big part of his life in kennels. Due to his background Scrum has not had the training and socialisation that most dogs would have had at his age, so he would need very understanding and patient adopters that are going to put in the time to continue his training and introduce him to the big world at his own pace. Scrum will need very experienced adopters that are home most of the day, he can get easily confused and has his clumsy moments so will need to be supervised until he is used to home life and settled. Willow’s Secure Walks is sponsoring Scrum. Willow’s Secure Walks is a secure dog field in Hallatrow, Bristol, that offers a safe haven for owners of dogs with aggression, nervousness, blind/deaf or in training to enjoy a calm, peaceful and secure walk. Get in touch by calling 07375 415173

mudge is a friendly active dog who enjoys nothing more than playing fetch. He enjoys the company of people but can be nervous of men. He would benefit from an experienced home ideally in a more rural location. He loves his toys and is affectionate once he gets to know you. Smudge would: • Prefer to live with adults only • Like a rural or semi-rural home • Like to be exercised away from off lead dogs and stay on a lead at all times Elm Legal Services is sponsoring Smudge. Will Writing Elm’s dedicated legal team have vast & experience within the Wills and Probate sector and we are currently one of the Top 5 Estate Planning providers of Will Writing services within the

UK. AGet Willinlets you protect your0117 family’s inheritance touch by calling 952 0698 and decide how your assets are shared out – if you don’t make a Will, the law says who gets what.

If you are interested in rehoming, call the Bristol Animal Rescue Team on 0117 9776043.

inatra is a young friendly dog who needs a home with previous experience of his breed. He can be anxious in new situations and when meeting people. Although his confidence is growing day by day he would still need a nice quiet home and adopter’s understanding that he will need help building his confidence when facing the big wide world! Even with his anxious tendencies, Sinatra is still your typical Collie and would play fetch all day long, given the chance! Sinatra would benefit from an active home also that can keep him mentally and physically stimulated as he becomes a whole new dog once you have won him over! Eat Your Greens is sponsoring Sinatra. Eat Your Greens is a plant based eatery in Totterdown, Bristol - cafe by day, relaxed dining at night. We sell locally made beers and ciders, unique wines. We work closely with ethical suppliers and support small businesses 156 Wells Road, BS4 2AG | 0117 239 8704

lade is a friendly older dog. He loves humans and is just a big gentle giant that wants an endless supply of cuddles and attention! Blade is looking for an active, quieter home that can help him work on his basic obedience and further training. He can be anxious and worried around other dogs so is looking for a home where he can enjoy space to exercise away from them.

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Ocean Estate Agents is sponsoring Blade. Ocean have been selling all kinds of homes in Bristol for 35 years. So we know every street, road, drive, lane, terrace, avenue and alley-way in this wonderful city (and beyond). Get in touch by calling 0117 977 3238

Please feel free BRISTOL A.R.C. UPDATE

to call us during Calling all quiz and coffee lovers!

Bristol Animal Rescue Centre

office hours on:

e have two exciting events on the horizon. Hop over and join us and our fantastic volunteers for our Easter coffee morning on Saturday, April 4, from 10am – 12pm. Sink your teeth into some egg-cellent Easter-themed homemade treats and wash it down with a hot or cold beverage of your choice. Then info@elm-online.co.uk spring on over to our eggs-tra special raffle, tombola, bric-a-brac and other exciting stands. www.elm-online.co.uk Be sure to save the date for our quiz night on Friday, April 24, from 6.30pm onwards - full details and ticket information coming soon. thing of all?team It’s all for a good cause! All money raised from WeThe havebest a Bristol-based Mirror in Wills Single Or these events will go towards helping the animals our care. Providing of trained Will writing consultants them with vet care, food, warm beds and Couples more. FROM £99.00 who provide a home visiting service and can take your instructions in the comfort of your own home.

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or email

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

Making Secure Plans for Uncertain Futures

southbristolvoice

n FOCUS ON PETS

The Vet Bristol Gold Standard Care ad copy.pdf

20/02/2020

March 2020

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n THE MAYOR

MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol

How you can help shape your local community

ast week saw the launch of the Year of Can Do 2020, a year of activity to inspire, motivate and support the citizens of Bristol to get involved in their community. It’s about sharing skills, knowledge and time, accessing volunteering opportunities and celebrating the huge positive impact social action has on our city. The Year of Can Do is being led by local Bristol community organisations including Knowle West Media Centre and Up Our Street, and will be packed with events, training and opportunities. Having spent time working in the voluntary and community sector, I know the vital role these organisations play in shaping the identity of a place. I’m proud of Bristol’s reputation for independent spirit and community action, and of the things we have achieved by collectively stepping up and demanding better. There are thousands of people in the city who give their time each year to helping others. Many volunteer with third sector

organisations or with other services such as hospitals, schools, parks and libraries. But there is also a groundswell of individuals who offer support or give their time for free to their friends, neighbours, local communities, faith and cultural groups. I want to thank all those who give their time to making our city a better place for everyone. We want to celebrate all these acts of kindness, large or small, during the Year of Can Do. Those that are already active in their community serve as inspiration to us all - and we want to encourage more people to get involved.

But it’s not just about what you can give. Volunteering can offer you skills, keep you active and allow you to connect with others. It can be a channel through which to empower those who may not typically get a seat at the table, and then there’s the sense of satisfaction that so many volunteers report. A great way to get involved is to connect with your neighbours and others Can Do Bristol (www.candobristol.co.uk), Bristol’s dedicated new web platform for enabling and celebrating community action in the city. It has been developed by partners across Bristol and is an easy way to find information on campaigns, events, training and volunteering opportunities throughout the year. You can use it to find out what’s happening near where you live, take part in local initiatives or create your own. There will also be a Can Do Festival running from 2-15 March. The festival will offer the opportunity to attend training, take part in events and activities, share your learning or discover something new. Bristol belongs to the people who live, work and study here. We want to empower more people to positively shape their communities through volunteering and neighbourly activity. Together, we can deliver a Bristol that works for everybody. If you are interested in hosting an event during the Can Do Festival or finding out more, please email Josephine@kwmc.org.uk.

What could you and your community make happen in your park? The way our parks will be managed is changing. It’s important that we understand what’s already happening and your contribution can help shape the future of our parks. Come and have a conversation about the Bristol Future Parks project and the opportunities to get involved in making your local green space better. Find details of your local community event at:

bristol.gov.uk/bfpevents

FUTURE PARKS rethink, invest, regenerate

Bristol Future Parks funded by National Trust, Heritage Fund, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n NEWS

Folk club celebrates first anniversary A Knowle Folk club, launched last February, has just marked its first year of entertaining local music lovers. The Redcatch Club was set up by local resident Trevor Carter, an award-winning poet and storyteller, more commonly known locally as the Bard of Windmill Hill. Every month at the Redcatch Community Centre, on Redcatch Road, the club welcomes topclass Folk acts to the stage to not only entertain but to also provoke thought among audience members. The not-for-profit venture was launched following the closure of the Saltcellar Folk Club, which had run for eight years from the basement of Totterdown Baptist Church. Trevor told the Voice: “I wanted to stray away from the same kind of safe, predictable

stuff and offer more adventurous acts that I thought people would be excited by. “The tightrope I’m trying to walk is to not go too far out on a limb, but also bring in some surprise acts. “As well as being entertaining, I like to get acts that are innovative, funny or thoughtprovoking.” Trevor, who has been working professionally as an entertainer for 12 years and previously codirected Bristol’s long-standing variety show at The Lansdown Pub in Clifton, says that his drive behind launching the club is to “broaden the appeal of Folk music” and “push the boundaries of what people perceive as Folk”. It is more of a Folk arts club than a traditional folk club. Entertainers are carefully selected by Trevor, who attends heaps of gigs and music festivals

throughout the year looking for talent. And they come from all across the country. For example, Martin Donnelly, who is due to perform on April 4, will be travelling from Northern Ireland to perform at the club. All performers are professional or semi-professional entertainers. The club generally hosts its Folk nights on the second Saturday of the month. An open mic session kicks off the evening, which is then followed by a support act before the headline performance. With tickets priced at £8 each and ‘bring your own’ allowed – making it a cheap night out – Trevor says that “there’s not another club in Bristol attracting this quality of acts for at this price.” Open mic performers pay £3 entrance fee. For more information about the club, or if you are interested

in helping out, visit the club’s website: redcatchclub.vista printdigital.com The club’s next event is being held on March 14, 7.45pm at the Redcatch Community Centre. The headline act is traditional folk music artist, Si Barron.

Free paediatric first aid course to be held in March First Aid Training (Bath) Ltd will be running a free Emergency Paediatric First Aid (one day) course at Totterdown Baptist Church on Saturday, March 28. The course is aimed at parents and carers of young children from birth to 10 years, and will teach you how to assess and manage emergencies and accidents. Successful completion of this free course (which normally costs £85 per person) will lead to an Emergency Paediatric First Aid certificate which is valid for three years. If participants are unable

FREE inspections NO call-out fees

to attend for a full day, they may attend the morning session only (although a certificate will not be issued for a half day). Course books will be on sale at cost price, and donations to the British Heart Foundation will be welcome. First Aid Training (Bath) Ltd has been running quality training for the last 20 years, and they were rated ‘Outstanding ’ in their last Quality Assurance Inspection. They also offer a variety of certified, value-for-money First Aid Training courses including: - Mental Health First Aid (half-

day to two-day courses) - Emergency First Aid @ Work (one day) - First Aid @ Work (three day) - Requalification (two day) - Emergency Paediatric (one day) - Paediatric (two day) Courses can either be run on employers’ premises or at their training centre in Bath. Places on the free course are limited. To book your place, or for more information on First Aid Training’s range of courses, contact their friendly, qualified tutors on 07896 014733 or www. firstaidtrainingbathltd.com

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

LETTERS and provide your postal address.

Please keep letters as short as possible,

Council must take initiative

Letter to councillor Paul Smith (Cabinet Member for Housing) In light of the recent planning decision to reject the application for St Catherine's Place, the development of Bedminster Green would appear to be at a log jam. We can agree that all parties want to see development in this area and I would suggest that it is time for the council to take the initiative. The local authority is in control of plot 5 (land adjacent to Dalby Avenue), the biggest and most important plot in the area. It has the potential to transform the area. It is therefore vital that the treatment of this publicly owned area is well planned and is conducive to creating a successful sense of place, community and focus. If the present ad hoc approach of allowing developers to bring forward separate proposals is continued, the area will end up as a hotchpotch of unconnected and unrelated residential blocks. Plot 5 has the potential to be the saving grace. The latest plan for 18 and 10 storey blocks would probably not ever get planning permission. I strongly request that the local authority do not proceed with the development of this plot until alternative schemes have been examined. Plot 5 is vital to the green's successful

development and the council are duty bound to do their utmost to provide for the health and wellbeing of its citizens. Howard Purse

A huge victory for community

The refusal by the council to the development of the St Catherine’s 17 story tower block represents a huge victory for Bedminster and its residents in the long term. Francis Firmstone and councillor Bradshaw speak as if there were no alternative to huge tower block developments. That is simply not the case for land located so close to the city centre. I am sure that the redevelopment of Bedminster will come. Following this sensible democratic decision it seems more likely that any future development will have to take greater account of the community living here. Admittedly, this approach may be less immediately profitable for developers, but will surely be to the long term benefit of the whole community. James Wormell, Quantock Rd

Mean-spirited witch of Knowle

Blame it on Brexit, but I felt moved to write this month to say how sad I felt after reading the ‘Wicked Witch of Knowle’ article. It seems to be an attempt at satire but is actually nothing

15 Write to news@southbristolvoice.co.uk or to 111 Broadfield Rd, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2UX

more than a mean-spirited attack on people who’ve moved into the area. Bemoaning the fact that it’s rare to hear a Bristol accent on the streets fails to recognise that many people here make valuable - and valued - contributions to the community they’ve elected to join. It really is just a small step away from the awful posters that appeared in shared housing in Norwich demanding that people speak only ‘the Queen’s English’. Reducing so-called ‘outsiders’ to ‘Beards and Scarves’ - and cruelly criticising their children for being born to older mothers, of all things - is sub-Piers Morgan provocation that isn’t big or clever. All it does is add more fuel to the fires of division and otherness. Wouldn’t it be better - for everyone, including the writer herself - to try to mend divisions and find commonalities instead of reinforcing differences? Leyla Mohan, Knowle l I am writing in on behalf of myself and a not-insignificant number of locals who are all South Bristol Voice fans. We love the news, we love the community information, we love the local history. So why, oh why, does SBV give so much space to the abject diatribe of the Witch of Knowle? At a time when we are living in a deeply divided society, full of binary divisions between Leave/ Remain, old/young, etc, SBV

should not be perpetuating them. If SBV is going to give space (and possibly pay a fee?) to someone who is deliberately goading others that is one (serious) thing. If SBV gives space (fee or no fee) to someone who is deliberately creating divides in our local community - between the “outsider” and therefore positioning herself as an “insider”; between young (although apparently not young enough) parents and the old; between those who look a certain way and those who don’t… then where does it stop? Is spying on your neighbours, judging what they do or don’t say to you, or what they do or don’t say to their own children, a little reminiscent of other societies which we have luckily only had to learn about, not experience, so far at least? To clarify – I don’t have a big scarf, and my husband doesn’t have a beard, but I do like to know I/he could have those things without feeling labelled. There’s no such thing as ‘insider’ or ‘outsider’ in the community to which I feel proud to belong to – Knowle. We’ve had twenty years of the media in Britain feeding hatred and suspicion and scapegoating of ‘outsiders’ and it has not taken us to a good place. If we all let things go every time, it adds up. Know when it’s time to stop, South Bristol Voice. Rebecca Mear

Ashton Gate – revised plans, but local residents still worried about parking and traffic issues by Marcus Stone Following several months of consultation with local residents and other parties, Ashton Gate has revealed how it has changed its new sports and conference centre proposals to be more inline with people’s concerns. Among these concerns were the need for lower height of buildings, more open space, and addressing travel and transport plans, as well as environmental considerations. At a meeting to unveil the revised plans, many questions still came up around the impact on local traffic and parking issues. Speaking with South Bristol Voice, Martin Griffiths, Ashton

Gate Chairman, said: “Things would be better with a nearer MetroBus stop, and also the use of the Long Ashton park and ride, however we are not in control of these and can only push for these things to happen. What we are trying to do is provide and

encourage alternatives to using cars to reach the stadium, and we have seen an increase in rail use and in cycling. The plans include bays for buses and coaches, where previously there were issues with coaches waiting along Winterstoke Road.

“There is also funding for yellow lines on corners and junctions in the local area to discourage inconsiderate parking.” The new proposals are due to be submitted to Bristol City Council at the end of September and, if approved, work is expected to start on the site in May or June 2021, according to Martin Griffiths. If it goes ahead as proposed, the massive new £100 million facility will include a 4,000-capacity indoor venue, a 230-bedroom hotel, a 30,000sq. ft office building, a 165-unit residential development, a 550-space car park, a gym and a museum for all the sports clubs.

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n UPDATE FROM WEST OF ENGLAND MAYOR TIM BOWLES

Thriving creative sector It’s an exciting time for the West of England’s creative industries, and this year there have already been important developments which will help further cement our global reputation as a leading creative cluster. In January, I was thrilled to join Channel 4 at the opening of its new Creative Hub. I know that our talented, diverse and innovative workforce is a big factor in bringing such big names to our area. Last month also saw the BBC announce that a further 150 jobs will be moving to Bristol, primarily in its natural history unit which produces nature documentaries loved by audiences all over the world, and is a core part of our region’s production activity. I want all our residents to benefit from the many opportunities being created in our thriving creative sector. TheWest of England Combined Authority is therefore making

important investments tosupport residents develop skills to begin careers in this flourishing sector. For example, our new Creative Workforce for the Future programme is supporting small and medium sized creative companies to draw and develop talent from people from less advantaged backgrounds. Creative Workforce for the Future will be delivered by Combined Authority creative partners such as Watershed and Knowle West Media Centre and offer participants work

n NEWS

Funding boost is on the books for Friends of Knowle Library Friends of Knowle Library were delighted to hear that their application to the Library Innovation Fund has been successful. The £3,000 funding will help to support ‘A Library for All Ages’, an exciting programme of intergenerational activities based at Knowle Library to promote literacy, creativity and social interaction. Activities include shared reading, hobbies, crafts, digital learning, family history and much more. The group is looking forward to working with Redcatch Community garden to have some events in the garden space, and with other local organisations throughout the year. If you would like to join the Friends group or volunteer to make things happen, contact friendsofknowlelibrary@gmail.com. You can also Like their Facebook Page.

experience placements and access to mentors and contacts within the industry. Schemes like this will ensure that not only the thriving creative sector will benefit all residents, but also that our wealth of creative businesses,large and small, will be able to access the skills that they need. I want the world to know that the West of England welcomes talented people and businesses with open arms, and help them grow into the big names of the future.

As a centre for innovation, I also want the West of England’s many smaller innovative creative companies to have every opportunity to grow and expand, creating both jobs and enriching our lives with new films, games, music, fashion and much more. To support this, I recently launchedthe West of England Creative Scale-Up programme, funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. This will give creative businesses bespoke support to help them grow their business and become ready to take on investment. Every time I enjoya BBC nature documentary or an Aardman animated film, I feel proud to know that it was produced here in the West of England. But these are just the tip of the iceberg, and I am excited to think about the next global success story coming out of our region’s amazing and diverse creative sector.

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Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

Y DL

RIEN -F

Catherine, Creator of BS3 Helping Others. Age 65. www.agefriendlybristol.org.uk

AGE

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got something that someone else needs. STO

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

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n ADVERTISING FEATURE

‘Every day, every year counts’, is Joyce’s message

RIEN -F

STO

has been a period of joy. “One of the brilliant things about reaching later life is that you stop caring so much what other people think of you, and understand better what you need in order to feel content. It all depends on your circumstances, but for me, getting older has meant I’m a little more financially well off, I’ve got the time and the money to pursue my hobbies - like photography and oil painting.” Every person’s experience of ageing will be different of course, but BAB hope that following this series of articles, readers will challenge more of the negative stereotypes about older age and look forward to a period of time when they can continue to enjoy life as they choose. This is the third article in a series of three, inspired by older people based in Bristol. Find out more about the Age Proud Bristol campaign by visiting www. agefriendlybristol.org.uk or search #AgeProudBristol on Twitter and take part in the conversation about ageism in Bristol.

www.agefriendlybristol.org.uk

RIEN -F

Y DL

AGE

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AGE

eople seem to dread getting Joyce Montague and older, despite evidence that Colin O’Brien shows we tend to become happier at this stage of life. This comes from a variety of studies experiences, she is looking at the ‘U-Shaped Curve grateful for. “I still have of Happiness’, which found that life. I have it really to self-reported happiness levels are the full. I just want to often highest in early childhood live it and live it, and do and later life. it and do it and enjoy it As a part of the Age Proud and enjoy it. In the club, Bristol campaign, which challenges retire early. Unfortunately, Joyce’s there is a lady in her negative perceptions of older condition worsened and she made 90s; I just hope I get there!” people, Bristol Ageing Better the decision to have her left leg Having a positive outlook (BAB) spoke to Joyce Montague amputated below the knee. But, on later life can affect how you (62), Coordinator of the Malcolm Joyce didn’t let the operation hold age. A 2014 review of multiple X Elders Group and Colin O’Brien her back. research studies found that people (71), Chairperson of Gaywest, about Joyce is out and about most who perceived later life in a more their experience of getting older. days of the week, enjoying her positive way tended to live longer “I don’t let anything stop me,” role as the Malcolm X Elders and experience better health. says Joyce. “There’s good and bad Coordinator. “I love talking, For Colin, later life hasn’t been about getting older, but if you’re meeting people and having a good what he expected. “I didn’t expect positive about life, you shouldn’t be laugh, it makes my day. You have to to be getting married and having a scared of getting older.” make the most of every day as you swell time,” Colin says. Colin came Joyce came to Bristol in every year Every day, counts. out as a gay man in his 60s. He fell 1971 and worked all her adult X Elderssee. I enjoy my life. Every day, every Joyce, Malcolm I am year an older citizen, and a counts.”person, a father, an active in love with his now husband, and life in a job sheCoordinator. loved, as a Age 62. I am proud things. Forand Joyce, getting olderof is all those together they run a social group for nurse supporting people with gay man, www.agefriendlybristol.org.uk celebration. Her mother died LGBT+ people of all ages. learning difficulties. Due to healthColin,aGayWest Chairperson. young and so every year Joyce Colin said that for him, later life conditions, Joyce needed to Age 71. STO

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n YOUR MP

KARIN SMYTH

Labour MP for Bristol South

Our education system is fragmented - and it needs fixing

round this time of year, UCAS releases figures to show the percentage of 18-year-olds going to university. As we go to print, the constituency figures have yet to be released but Bristol South has been at the bottom end of this table with just 16 per cent of school leavers going to university. It’s not the only aspect of education where Bristol South fares badly. The latest GCSE figures reveal a shocking divide between GCSE attainment in the city and the country. In Bristol South, 49 per cent of students attending statefunded schools got maths and English GCSEs at grade 4 or above last summer, compared to 72 per cent in Bristol West. The England average is 69.4 per cent. When you look at the bigger picture for education, from early years through to further and higher education and Special Educational

Needs and Disability (SEND) provision, it’s clear that the problem is systemic. While it is important to tackle issues in each area, the overall picture will not change unless we look at education as a whole. My focus as an MP has been on post-16 education and apprenticeships as a way of helping people secure quality jobs and careers. Last month (Feb), I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for City of Bristol College's new Advanced Skills and Construction Centre near the South Bristol Skills Academy, the venue for my annual South Bristol Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair. Both have an important role to play in improving access to quality apprenticeships for people here in Bristol South. I started the apprenticeships fair four years ago after noticing a real gap in Bristol South for events like this: bringing key partners together

– City of Bristol College, Bristol City Council and the DWP – to link people up with the opportunities available locally. I will continue my work in this area, but apprenticeships alone cannot redress the balance. Years of chronic under-funding has left schools and colleges struggling. There are a range of identifiable issues around transport, how easy and affordable it is for young people to get to school or college, and the (lack of ) support available during the transition between school and college. Ultimately, it's far too fragmented responsibility for different areas sitting with different stakeholders - the regional schools commissioner, local council, the government and multi-academy trusts. No one person or authority owns this problem, and as such, it's not being properly addressed. This has to change. I will continue to raise the issue in parliament to shine a light on the problem. And my focus will be on bringing together all bodies to address this locally. As always, I’m interested to hear your thoughts about education, please contact me via the details below. Twitter: @karinsmyth Facebook: KarinSmythMP Website: www.karinsmyth.com

n ADVERTISING FEATURE - PRESCHOOL

Building a brighter future

Sunshine Pre-School

Quality care and education for children aged 2 ½ to 5 years Our pre-schools are led by qualified teachers and have dedicated outdoor learning spaces. We provide regular Forest School experiences, visits to our allotment and around the local community. Come and find out more at our open days: St. Gerards, Buller Rd, Knowle – Tues 26th March 9.30-11.30 St. Martins, St. Martins Rd, Knowle – Friday 29th March 12.45 – 2.45

Sunshine Pre-school is a family-run business that has been offering high-quality care and education in the Knowle area since 1994. Led by qualified teachers, their highly experienced staff are dedicated to the education and development of confident, happy and successful children. All of their pre-schools are rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, as they offer a wide range of stimulating learning opportunities that encourages each child to flourish in their critical early years. They place a high priority on outdoor learning, with dedicated gardens, regular forest school experiences and visits to their allotment. With effective links with Redcatch Garden, Talbot Road Allotments, St. Martin’s church and various community groups, Sunshine pre-school is truly an outstanding provision at the heart of the community. For more information, go to www.sunshinepre school.org.uk, email sunshinepreschool@hotmail. co.uk, or find them on Facebook.

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

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n ADVERTISING FEATURE - PRESCHOOL

SYDENHAM ROAD UNDER FIVES PRESCHOOL

FREE ‘STAY and PLAY’ session on THURSDAY 2nd APRIL, 1pm -2pm for any new families interested in a place for their child for academic year 2020/21. Please contact Maria to book a place – srufbs4@yahoo.co.uk Sydenham Road Under Fives is a local, community based preschool situated in the heart of Totterdown. The preschool delivers quality Foundation Stage education, by experienced practitioners. Awarded ‘OUTSTANDING’ in all areas by Ofsted at our last inspection, the preschool provides a stimulating and friendly learning environment. Learning is child centred and children are able to participate in Forest School and benefit from close ties to Hillcrest school. Open Monday to Wednesday - 9:15 - 12:15 & 12:15 - 3:15 Thursday and Friday - 9:15 - 12:15 Term-time only Open to children age 3 onwards, hours can be funded via the Government's Free Early Education Entitlement scheme. You can put your child's name on the waiting list from their second birthday. Please contact Maria Hulme on 0117 377 8665 or srufbs4@yahoo.co.uk or check out our website www.sydenhamroadunderfives.org

Sydenham Road Under Fives is a registered charity managed by a committee of local volunteers.

Sydenham Road Under Fives, Jarman Hall Sydenham Road, Totterdown, BS4 3DF srufbs4@yahoo.co.uk | 0117 377 8665

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

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n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Knowle ward: Awaiting decision 71 Springleaze Bristol BS4 2TY Single storey rear extension (resubmission). 11 Andover Road Bristol BS4 1AJ Single storey front extension. 25 Harrowdene Road Bristol BS4 2JL Proposed construction of a two storey, 1 bedroom dwelling, adjoining 25 Harrowdene Road. 3 Exmouth Road Bristol BS4 1AZ Construct a single storey rear extension. 12 St Martins Road Bristol BS4 2NG Single storey rear extension. 50 Broad Walk Bristol BS4 2RB Construction of Single Storey Front Extension. 277 Redcatch Road Bristol BS3 5DY Proposed single Story family annex, to the rear garden. 23 Stockwood Crescent Bristol BS4 1AN Single storey flat roof rear extension. Surface front garden and drop kerb for access. 231 Wells Road Knowle Bristol BS4 2DF Proposed ground floor front extension, side porch and addition of first floor extension. Removal of garage and provision of vehicle turntable/carport. Alterations/ works to boundary. Knowle ward: Decision 469 Wells Road Knowle Bristol BS14 9AG Enlargement of existing basement area to form 3 bedrooms and bathroom. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 20 Queenshill Road Bristol BS4 2XJ Proposed first floor side extension. REFUSED

8 Andover Road Bristol BS4 1AL Proposed single-storey side and rear extension. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 19 Salcombe Road Bristol BS4 1AH Rear single storey extension and new roof layout to existing porch. REFUSED Land Between 10 Priory Road And Garages Talbot Road Bristol Application to approve details in relation to condition 2 (visibility) and 4 (suds) of permission 18/03168/F Demolition of garages and construction of a two storey dwelling with parking, bikes spaces and refuse storage. Condition application decided Windmill Hill ward: Awaiting decision 152 Cotswold Road Bristol BS3 4NP Proposed ‘dormer’ rear roof extension and 3no. front roof lights. 16 Holmesdale Road Bristol BS3 4QL Rear single story extension and rear dormer roof extension. 32 Oxford Street Totterdown Bristol BS3 4RJ Proposed 2 non-illuminated fascia signs (Little Kitchen Cookery School), 1 to front and 1 to the rear of the premises. 30A St Johns Lane Bristol BS3 5AD Application to approve details reserved by condition no 2 (Land Contamination ) attached to 18/05651/COU, which approved the notification for Prior Approval for a Proposed Change of Use of a Building from Shops (Class A1), Financial and Professional Services(Class A2), a Betting Office, Pay Day Loan Shop, Laundrette or a Mixed Use Combining Use as a Dwellinghouse with a Betting Office, Pay Day Loan Shop, Laundrette, Shops (Class A1) or Financial and Professional Services (Class A2) to a use falling within Class C3 (Dwellinghouse),1 Unit, and for Associated Operational Development.

‘Turn car engines off when stopped’ Drivers in Bristol are being asked to switch off their engines while parked or stopped for a minute or more to improve air quality. Marvin Rees, Mayor of

Bristol said: “While we reduce congestion and improve public transport, we need individuals to take small actions to make a big difference to the air in our city.”

Knowle and Windmill Hill

22 Haverstock Road Bristol BS4 2BZ Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for a Proposed use or development - Side and rear dormer roof extensions [ l shaped ] to facilitate a loft conversion. 8 Stanbury Road Bristol BS3 4QG Demolition of existing conservatory and construction of single storey rear extension with roof alterations to existing rear extension. Windmill Hill ward: Decision 172 St Johns Lane Bristol BS3 5AR Notification for Prior Approval for a Proposed Change of Use of a Building from Shops (Class A1), Financial and Professional Services (Class A2), Takeaways (Class A5), a Betting Office, Pay Day Loan Shop, Launderette or a Mixed Use Combining Use as a Dwellinghouse with a Betting Office, Pay Day Loan Shop, Launderette, Shops (Class A1) or Financial and Professional Services (Class A2) to a use

falling within Class C3 (Dwellinghouses) - 2 Units. Prior Approval REFUSED 22 Haverstock Road Bristol BS4 2BZ Single storey side extension to proposed 6 bedroom HMO (Use Class C4). GRANTED subject to condition(s) 32 Oxford Street Totterdown Bristol BS3 4RJ Proposed change of use from Sui Generis (previously betting shop) to D1 (Cookery School). Status GRANTED subject to condition(s) The Thunderbolt 124 Bath Road Totterdown Bristol BS4 3ED Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Works to a listed building - Proposed repairs do not alter the appearance or material of the existing arrangements- stabilisation and consolidation works only. Certificate of Lawfulness BE ISSUED • The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planningonline.bristol.gov.uk

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southbristolvoice

n WHAT’S ON

Wednesday March 4 n Friends of Callington Nature Reserve Meeting Wednesday March 4th 2020, 6.30pm – 7:30pm, Tescos Brislington

Saturday 7th March n Bramble Bash - 10am-1pm at Callington Road Local Nature Reserve - all welcome for whatever time you can spare. Tools provided, but please bring stout footwear and robust gloves.

Saturday 7th March n There is a Coffee Morning at Bedminster Methodist Church, British Rd, Bedminster 10.30am to Noon. With Cake Stall, Bric a Brac & Books. Tea/ Coffee also on sale.

Thursday 12th March n Ashton Vale Together. AVT Walkabout/Litter pick is Area 6 meeting at 10am on the corner of Risdale Road and South Liberty Lane (Buttocks Rest), to do Risdale Road, Atyeo Close and Vale Foundry Lane. PLUS Our next Meeting is a meeting with James Freeman MD of First Bus. He will be answering any questions that people have about the services 24/24A. The meeting is on Tuesday 17th March at Ashton Vale Primary School, Avebury Road, Ashton Vale, BS3 2QG from 6.30 - 8.00pm. Anyone who would like to attend either event will be very welcome. ashtonvaletogether@ gmail.com. Facebook page: Ashton Vale Together. Telephone number: 0784 068 0516 Wednesday March 18th The next Greater Bedminster Older People’s Forum is 10am -12 noon in the Conference Room, on the ground floor at Monica Wills House,West Street, Bedminster, BS3 3NH. There will be a short meeting re, our AGM. Afterwards Paul Singfield, Neighbourhood Beat Manager for Bedminster will tell us about his job and also be able to answer your questions or concerns. He has very kindly offered to attend our meeting again as unfortunately at our last meeting due to time & being called on duty he was only able to quickly introduce himself. We are a friendly group, why not drop in and join us & have a cuppa. For contact details please phone St Monica Trust 0117 305

March 2020

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Saturday 28th March Redcliffe PTFA are holding a Spring Food Festival Fair on from 11am - 3pm at Redcliffe Nursery, Ship Lane, BS1 6RR. Lots of food from around the world, music, games, competitions, huge raffle and lots of fun! Adult entry £1 and get a raffle ticket included, children go free. More info on social media @redcliffeptfa

Regular events n Organic fruit and vegetable box collection scheme, BS3 Community, Southville Centre, BS3 1QG. Pop in any Thursday from 4.306.30pm to discuss signing up. In association with Leigh Court Farm. n Withywood Singing for the Brain® brings people with dementia and their carers together in a fun, friendly and social environment. Tuesday afternoons at Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, BS13 8QA. Contact Alzheimer’s Society on 0117 9610 693 to book a place. n Grandparent and Toddler Group, BS3 Community, Chessel Centre, BS3 3DN, every Tuesday 10.30am-12 noon. Free to attend and there are lots of activities to take part in with your grandchild; craft, singing, story-time and more. No need to book, just drop in. n Memories of Bedminster, every Monday at the South Bristol Christian Centre, Churchlands Road, 1.30pm. New members always welcome. n Shared Reading group Drop in to read and listen to a great story and poem and talk about it. Free, no pressure to read. No prep required. Every Friday at The Park, Daventry Road, 10-11.30am. n Filwood Chase History Society held in our Heritage Centre (free entry). View scale models of local buildings and look at our extensive collection of maps, etc. Browse among, pottery/books/photographs/ coins/fossils, then, look up stored local information, on computers. The Park Community Centre, Daventry Road. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1-5pm. Call Ivor Grimsted on 07856769285 or just turn up, and ask questions!

n Little Music Makers musical storytelling adventures, featuring live music and hands on activities each week. Perfect for your 18 month - 4-year-old. (Siblings under 1 can come for free!). Thursday mornings through to Christmas (closed 31/10/19). Sessions start at 9.45am or 10.50am in St Christopher’s Church Hall, Hampstead Road, BS4 3HN Get in touch to book or find out more: littlemusicmakers.org. n Zumba classes at United Reform Church, Brislington, BS4 3LG, Monday, 10am - Zumba Gold (suitable for 50+ and Zumba beginners) £5. Monday and Thursday, 6.45pm - Zumba Fitness (Everybody welcome) £6 For more details contact Kate: zumbawithkate.bristol@gmail. com; 07988787710.

Library events Knowle Library n Reading Group, first Monday of the month, 4-5pm. Please speak to the library before attending. n Baby Bounce and Rhyme, Tuesday, 11.30am & Thursday, 11.30am (term time only) n Townswomen’s Guild Knitting Group, last Tuesday of the month, 2-3.30pm. This is an independently run group. Ask at library for contact details.

THE REDCATCH CLUB, Redcatch Community Centre, Redcatch Road, BS4 2EP. 14th March: 7.45 (open mic session then support act), main act starts around 9.00pm. £8 (£3 open mic performers) Headline Act: Si Barron For fans of traditional folk music in the south-west Si Barron needs little introduction. However, decorum demands that we fill some space on him. Here's what Mike Harding says "I think he’s a really, really fine guitarist and an even finer interpreter of traditional and contemporary folk songs."

PARACISE A low-impact fitness class set to fabulous music, designed to improve posture, balance, mobility. Gentle on joints, no floor work. Fun and friendly class. 11.15am Tuesdays at the Southville Centre and 10.30am Fridays at The Park, Knowle. First class free! T: 07434 964490. Paracise with Helen

THE GEORGE

February live listings 288 Wells Road, Knowle Sat 7th March – Junction 19 Sat 14th March – Neil Sartain Sat 21st – March – Kev Sheene

DROP-IN CAFES FOR GADGET HELP AND CHAT Drop in Cafes for over 55's in South Bristol who would like some help and advice with a mobile phone, tablet or laptop computer, or just have time on their hands and want to drop in for a chat. Free coffee and tea. The Tobacco Factory fortnightly on Fridays 10.15 am - 12 noon on 6th and 20th March. Mezzaluna on Mondays 1.15 - 3 pm, 2nd, 16th and 30th March

MUNCHKIN MARKETS Buy and sell new and preloved baby and children's items at bargain prices! Saturday 29th February, St Anne's Church, Brislington. 1.30pm-3.30pm. Entry is £1, children free. To book a stall please email munchkinmarketsbristol@gmail. com £10 a stall, £20 a business stall.

Sat 28th March – Taylormade LUNCHTIME LIVE Every Friday, 1.10-1.50pm St Francis' Church, Ashton Gate (nr. Tobacco Factory) Weekly performances in a variety of genres. (6/3 No event); 13/3 Baroque ensemble; 20/3 Wind trio; 27/3 Swing band. Tea and coffee available before each performance. Free entry, retiring collection. lunchtimelive.co.uk TALK ON CHRISTIAN MEDITATION Saturday March 14 2.15 till 4.15. A talk by Laurence Freeman OSB, Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, on the topic 'Sources of Wisdom in a World Gone Mad', 2.15-4.15pm at Clifton Cathedral BS8 3BX. Suggested donation £10; students welcome without donating. More information: roger.layet@btinternet.com

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

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n WHAT’S ON So much to learn about

Bristol’s first ever Learning Festival is set to launch with over 200 free learning activities taking place across the city, for people from all backgrounds, ages and abilities. The council is connecting more than 60 organisations to share the joy of learning, encourage people to try something new, and, most importantly, have fun. Learning Festival is taking place from 30 March to 5 April 2020 at various venues across Bristol. Find out more and view the full festival programme at: www.bristollearningcity.com/ @BristolLearning #LearningFestival2020 #LoveLearning

Blaise Castle Estate - a day out for lovers of the great outdoors Blaise Castle Estate is 650 acres of parkland featuring picturesque terrain, thick woodlands filled with wildlife as well as fascinating ancient monuments – a hidden gem for lovers of the great outdoors. The large estate play park has two different play zones, and the café is open 9am-4pm all week to keep you fuelled with drinks, lunches and snacks. Also sitting on the estate is Blaise Nursery, with 70 years of experience growing commercial quality bedding plants, pot plants and hanging baskets to local authorities and now the public. The plant shop is open from 10am – 4pm every day from the 16th March to the 19th June, and is a must-visit even when the weather outside isn’t so great. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also find Blaise Museum on the estate - see a house and gardens through time including toys, costumes, decorations and contraptions, open from 1st April.

Raising the roof for prostate research A local music trio is inviting residents to join them for an evening of folk, blues and more at Redcatch Community Centre on March 7 – all in aid of raising money for prostate cancer research. Magpies’ band member, Richard Burley, 64, was diagnosed with the disease in 2017, and alongside his bandmates, Mike Bowles and Hilary Pavey, they are hoping to generate funds towards a research project which aims to roll-out improved prostate cancer screening across the UK. Money raised will go to the Imperial Prostate Foundation’s Prostagram initiative, which is led by the surgeon who operated on Richard at Charing Cross hospital. Richard, whose cancer initially went undetected despite blood tests, came up with the idea of putting on the gig to ‘give something back’ to the research project which helped him. The evening, which will be MC’d by the Bard of Windmill Hill, will kick-off with folk duo Jan Vaisey and Ian Harvey, who,

like Richard, has also recently received treatment for prostate cancer. Blues duo Nobody’s Business will follow, and the evening will culminate with Magpies playing

a mixture of folk, blues and original material. Doors will open at 7pm. Music starts at 7.30pm. Entrance is £7 (or £6 if you have booked a seat in advance by ringing 01761 241753 or 07743 996975) and must be paid in cash on the door. Bring your own alcohol or soft drinks. Teas, coffees and snacks will be provided by the Redcatch Club. There will also be a raffle. All money raised to go to the charity.

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES IN BS3 with BS3 Helping Others Tobacco Factory cafe/bar (on the big table by front door) We meet at the Tobacco Factory at the big table by the front door. Everyone is welcome, including charities that are interested in recruiting volunteers. Mon 2 Mar 6.30pm - 8pm/Main Bar LYNN PARFITT - listen to our Speaker All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Tue 3 Mar, 10.30am - 12pm/Main Bar LYNN PARFITT - listen to our Speaker Lynn works for Bristol City CouNcil as a Community Development Practitioner. She has worked all over Bristol but currently, Bedminster is her ‘patch’. Her aim is to work in an asset based way in communities, which involves looking at the strengths of individuals and communities, supporting people who want to make a difference in their community. One of the key approaches is having community conversations. Lynn will be speaking about volunteering opportunities with local groups that she is currently working with. Mon 9 Mar, 6.30pm - 8pm/Main Bar HOME START BRISTOL - listen to our Speaker! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Tues 10 Mar, 10.30am - 12pm/Main Bar HOME START BRISTOL - listen to our Speaker! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Home Start Bristol supports families (with at least one child under five) that are struggling to cope with family life. Volunteers, who are parents or grandparents, visit a family at home once a week for 2-3 hours to offer practical and emotional support. All volunteers attend a 36 hour accredited course, one day a week for nine weeks, before being matched with a family. Mon 16 Mar EBENEZER POCKET PARK - listen to our Speaker! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Tues 17 Mar EBENEZER POCKET PARK - listen to our Speaker! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive This forgotten space on North Street in Bedminster has been turned into a 'pocket park' - a little oasis of calm for the community to enjoy. Volunteers get involved in gardening, maintenance, fundraising, publicity, events, community engagement and social media. Mon 23 Mar, 6.30-8pm/Main Bar ACTION GREATER BEDMINSTER - listen to our Speaker! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Tues 24 Mar, 10.30am - 12pm/Main Bar ACTION GREATER BEDMINSTER - listen to our Speakers! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive This group brings together residents, organisations, groups, charities, businesses and services such as police, NHS and councils to help improve the neighbourhood. Resources and ideas are combined to achieve these results. The group holds public meetings, workshops, and shares information via emails, the website and social media. It welcomes volunteers to help with organising events, social media, running consultations and more. Mon 30 Mar, 6.30-8pm/Main Bar VOLUNTEERING AT LOCAL FESTIVALS - listen to our Speakers! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Tues 31 Mar, 10.30am - 12pm/Main Bar VOLUNTEERING AT LOCAL FESTIVALS - listen to our Speaker! Plus: All BS3 CHARITIES - General volunteer recruitment drive Storytale festival is a citywide series of affordable, accessible and interactive events celebrating children’s stories with storytellers, writers, illustrators and more to inspire the next generation. The main festival will take place from 24th October to 1st November in various venues across the city. The organisers are looking for: a Media Lead (to lead on press and online coverage), Events Leads (planning, organising and managing events) and Evaluation Leads (to bring together feedback and evaluate the events afterwards). UPFEST - The format of the festival is changing for 2020 in order to deal with the increasing visitor numbers. The live festival will be happening over the weekend 30th - 31st May at the Tobacco Factory and Greville Smyth Park. VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED. BS3 Helping Others

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

y the time you read this, the council committee will have considered my objection to the cabinet Gary decision to hand Hopkins over much of Temple Lib Dem Island to Legal & Knowle General to build on. With a Labour majority, the mayor will no doubt have rolled out his cover-up squad of councillors but my call-in is supported by Lib Dem and Tory councillors and the Greens are unhappy but are failing to challenge. Labour objectors are silenced. The legislation that this arrangement partly skirts around is there for a purpose. It seeks to prevent either: A. Corruption and B. Poor decision making that puts public money at risk. Legal & General have a legal duty to maximise the return on their funds. This must be a long term safe investment with absolute minimal risk. What are the specifics? • A property investment in an enterprise zone prime location next

Knowle

to the railway station in a boom city • Large amounts of public money spent on preparing the site • Hugely long lease granted (250 years) • Unconditional lease so L&G can build what they need later • No contracted deal that the council could enforce • Council administration that is desperate to look like it is delivering something • Remove any competition so that Legal & General do not spend money competing • In case what L&G build first is not commercially viable then have the council prepared to pay the rent • Be able to keep it all secret from the public • Put the council planning committee over a barrel with regard to granting what L&G want and avoiding national investigation This mayor inherited a 90 per cent completed plan for an arena and at great cost, seeks to replace it with tall office blocks. Many have asked if the arena plan can be revived and the answer is that it is hanging by a thread and this move would kill it forever.

How to contact your councillor: p2

y colleague Gary was a key member of the team setting up the Bristol libraries forum; drafting Chris their constitution Davies and was the rep Lib Dem from Knowle. Over Knowle many years we have both worked to support our library and were founding members of the original Friends of Knowle Library. We are pleased to continue as members of the newly reformed Friends group which has exciting plans for the future. It was because of our innovative move, a few years ago, into the shopping centre, that Knowle library was not on the mayor’s long closure list. I am glad to say that list of 17 libraries was withdrawn after Labour rebels supported the Lib Dem motion opposing the closures and calling for our Lib Dem new way forward. The recent small local funding is welcome, even if it is just before the election. One of our key points was that

volunteers needed to be more valued and integrated. From the citywide strategy, just published, we are glad to see this is starting to happen and we are happy to be part of the local promotion of activities for all ages, users and new users. It is however concerning that the council administration itself has not realised how they could provide some face-to-face services, particularly for those that find electronic communications a problem. We provided customer service staff who visited a round of libraries one day a week, but that was before the mayor system came in and it was abruptly stopped. Until there is that commitment to using libraries to provide face-to-face assistance, the library network will always be under threat and there needs also to be greater use of volunteers to assist the professional library staff.

Got news or a letter to share? Email news@ southbristolvoice.co.uk

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n YOUR COUNCILLORS

s part of my work as a city councillor, I sit on two scrutiny committees that cover different Jon aspects of the work Wellington of Bristol City Labour Council. Windmill Hill The aim of scrutiny is to ensure that there is democratic oversight of all work in the council and for members to question council officers on the work they are doing. The other is to make comments and recommendations ahead of decisions to be made by cabinet. One of the major disappointments I have had in my time as a councillor has been that scrutiny is not taken as seriously as it should be. It has also been indicative of this deficit that in recent months certain important documents have not been made available to Growth and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee members in good time for meetings, or in some cases not at all.

Windmill Hill

One such example is the recent decision to press on with the agreement with Legal & General to develop the former proposed arena site next to Temple Meads. Though I was disappointed that the arena was scrapped, I hope that the proposed mixed-use housing/ commercial development is a success. However, it is vital that through your elected representatives that the process for this is transparent and accountable. I joined members of all political parties on the committee in voting for a delay to this decision so that councillors and the public could see the full documents. I did not do this because I wanted to stop the development, but simply because it is right that councillors and public have access to all documents that they are legally allowed to see. Full transparency is the only way that we can build or retain trust in our public institutions, and for big issues like this that involve public funds and use of public land it is even more essential.

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his is the statement I sent on January 20 to all the members of the planning committee that Lucy Whittle were considering St Labour Catherine's. It didn’t Windmill Hill get into the agenda because of IT issues so here it is (edited for length). Thanks to WHaM and the community, the committee turned the application down, and more than one member raised concerns about provision for children’s play. The committee report that recommends refusal does so on many grounds and refers directly to the council’s own urban living planning document as well as the very recently produced Bedminster Green Framework, which was specifically drawn up to guide planning for this area. The list of reasons to reject mount up: • Bad design quality • Not environmentally sustainable • The height • The massing • Air and noise pollution

• No affordable housing • Loss of light • Loss of trees • Loss of view of the sky • Nowhere or children to play Thousands of hours have been spent researching, consulting on, and writing the supplementary planning document (SPD), so I wondered, for those who want to go against officer advice and their own council’s planning document, why? Are you crossing your fingers and hoping for the best, but pushing down the quiet voice that says, “but where will the children play?” The country is littered with past planning mistakes all made with hope and the best of intentions, but whose existence has blighted people’s lives, health, prosperity, and children’s hopes for their futures. Do you want to be remembered for pushing another blot on Bristol’s beautiful landscape, against advice? When officers have clearly stated that this eyesore should be refused, you must ask yourselves; if this were a movie would we be “the good guys?"

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n THE WICKED WITCH OF KNOWLE In witch I witness love and encounter a snake

y mother had been summoned by her doctor. I made the journey to spend time with my parents, who live far away, and see what the doctor wanted. Be an extra pair of ears. Before we left, I grabbed a brush and while Mum was stooped, slipping on her shoes, I quickly pulled it through her tangled locks. When she stood, her hair was a strange mop of mess. “What have you done?,” she cried. I then witnessed love in a moment. It was ordinary, yet extraordinary. My father took the brush from me and tenderly tidied her hair. In the reflection of the mirror she watched him, eyelashes fluttering. His hand placed lightly on her shoulder as he, oh so softly, smoothed her tangled locks. I held my breath, a million tiny fireflies frolicking behind my eyes, oozing from the corners, bursting into the room, crackling and twirling between them. I released my

breath. The THE WICKED fireflies WITCH OF fizzled and KNOWLE popped. My father paused; their eyes met. Hair forgotten. Anyway, I digress. It was strange sitting in that waiting room with them, stepping back in time but with our roles reversed. A door swung open and a man appeared. I frowned. Was this chap a doctor? He looked more like a computer nerd, glasses and long thinning hair that hung like a nest of limp snakes softly tickling his shoulders. He called us in. I perched on the bed and my mother took her seat next to the doctor’s desk. He brushed a stray slithering serpent from his glasses, wrinkled his nose and squinted at the computer screen. “Right,” he stated, “when you get sicker…” I stopped digging at the carpet with my boot and narrowed my eyes. My mother shot me a glance, confused – she was sick? How

strange. Dr Limp continued: “We just need to have a chat about resuscitation. Do you know what that means?” I could feel the anger bubbling up from my toes. The condescending horribleness of his tone made me growl. He continued without pausing: “Well, to be frank, it’s not very nice. You will have somebody bouncing up and down on your chest, ribs will break and if you survive that well…” I jumped in angrily. We had been through all this when she had her stroke. I was incredulous. Did this question really need to be asked to a woman in her mideighties? What would happen if she collapsed in the street? Would the paramedics arrive and ask for her notes to be couriered over before giving any assistance? “So,” he continued, “would you like to be resuscitated?” - pulling a horrified face - “or pass away peacefully?” He smiled sweetly,

Who is the Wicked Witch? She’s the one hissing back at the doctor who has Medusa-like hair THIS WITCH TWEETS: @witchyofknowle

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bony finger hovering above the keyboard. Mum whispered, “I think I’d like a peaceful death please.” As we left, my parents both thanked him warmly, my father taking my mother’s hand, a stray firefly zipping after them. Dr Limp grunted, head bowed over his keyboard, the nest of snakes wriggling angrily over his reddening face (I had annoyed him). Easing from the room, I muttered spitefully, “get a blinking hair cut”. He looked up, our eyes met, I smiled and said loudly, “I’ll just get this door shut.” The snakes hissed. Note: The description of neighbours sporting ‘Beards and Scarves’ in my last column was reference to white, middle class people mainly from London with large beards, blanket-sized fluffy scarves and a phobia of eye-contact.

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March 2020

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n NEWS

Small business adds to Bristol’s eco credentials by Charley Rogers The people of Bristol now have a new way to access eco-friendly alternatives to household products. Green Alternatives, an online business specialising in eco-friendly housewares such as soaps, toothpaste, cleaning products and more, has opened up to offer local people an easyto-access opportunity to reduce their impact on the environment. South Bristol resident Andy Nash began Green Alternatives around two years ago out of a personal concern for the environment, especially the level of plastic pollution affecting the world’s climate. He said: “I’ve always been passionate about the environment, so [I thought] why can’t I make a business out of it? I started to see products coming out that were alternatives [to plastic], and then realised there were actually quite a lot of options, but people just don’t know about them.”

For Andy, the business is not just about the products. He also delivers as much as he can by bike or on foot to further reduce the carbon footprint. This also gives him the opportunity

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to meet his customers. “I get to meet most of my customers face-to-face, and they want to chat about what I’m doing and how it came about,” he says. But the real cherry on the (vegan) cake? Andy picks up litter while he does deliveries. “I started thinking if there was any way I could be even more eco,” he says. “And then I thought, every now and then I see the issue of litter and go and pick it up on my street. Then it sort of clicked: why don’t I offer this service to

people when they buy things?” To get around the issue of not being able to carry a bin everywhere, Andy devised his ‘buggy bin’ by attaching a garden bin to an old pushchair he found in his garage, and the operation was born. It’s the community effort to reduce humans’ impact on the environment that really drives Andy. Through his social media channels he also posts daily eco tips, most of which don’t even mention his own products. He believes that an eco-friendly existence is about the small steps: “Start by looking at food options because it’s such an easy start,” he suggests. “In most supermarkets you can get fruit and veg loose, or in plastic, so buy them loose and take your own bags if you can.” You can find out more about Green Alternatives at greenalternatives.co.uk and via Instagram (@ greenalternativesuk) and Facebook (Green Alternatives).

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southbristolvoice

n FEATURE - GEMS OF SOUTH BRISTOL We’re so lucky in South Bristol to have so many wonderful shops, workplaces, restaurants and sports and leisure opportunities. So much so, South Bristol Voice thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the best and on the next few pages, you can discover some of the real GEMS we have in our part of Bristol.

Teamwork created UK’s number 1 indie pizzeria

ince launching in 2007 husband and wife team Paul and Jennifer Stewart have taken A cappella from strength to strength, combining quality and value for money with consistency and cheer. With 2 good food awards already under their belt and voted Tripadvisor’s number 1 UK independent pizzeria they’ve recently been acknowledged as one of the top 6 pizzerias in the country from national industry peers (Pizza and Pasta Association). From 8 am you’ll find breakfasts, Mediterranean light bites and freshly roasted coffees. Lunch specials include pastas, risottos and tapas with plenty of vegetarian/vegan options. At 4.30pm, Bristol’s favourite independent pizzeria fills up fast. Inviting diners to take advantage of their BYO policy as they enjoy authentic stone baked pizzas, fresh salads and homemade desserts. Now 13 years old, much loved and truly established, A cappella is very much the go to pizzeria for south Bristol locals and diners all across Bristol.

March 2020 ADVERTISEMENT

So much to look forward to in Spring Spring has sprung and we’re looking forward to Easter, if you’re keen to get ahead, we are starting to fill the shop with delicious eggs and treats to satisfy all dietary needs. But first, time to treat a very important lady in your life, your Mum! Whether it’s wine, chocolate, beauty, food, homewares, jewellery and cards by local artists, pop in to peruse our growing selection of gifts. With local spring veg coming into season, why not try a veg box? Tailored to your needs and a delicious recipe card each week to add something new to your repertoire!

Lucy and Hannah Image by ‘The Village Pottery’

foxandwest172 Fox & West www.foxandwest.co.uk

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March 2020

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n FEATURE - GEMS OF SOUTH BRISTOL

Use those plastic bottles over and over again

loop, in Totterdown, specialises in eco-friendly and plastic free household and cleaning goods. Owners Jayne and Karl opened the shop in October last year to offer South Bristol residents a place to reuse and refill their plastic containers, saving them from ending up in landfill. Any bottle or container can be brought in to be filled, and there are usually spare ones in the 'bottle library' if you forget. As well as the cleaning liquids, which are all sold by weight, there are also plastic free bathroom products sourced from independent makers and co-ops. Jayne makes her own range of natural, vegan and plastic free hair care on site. Either Jayne or Karl are on hand to do the filling for you and to offer advice about the eco products they have in store. If you're looking to reduce your household's plastic waste, Bloop is well worth a visit.

p l a s t i c f re e / re f i l l abl e bathroom + cleaning goods

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March 2020

n FEATURE - GEMS OF SOUTH BRISTOL

There’s something for everyone at Amba House It’s hard to believe Amba House has been up and running for just over 6 months; having hosted such an array of exciting activities and events so far. For those of you who don’t know about us we are situated at the site of the former Thali restaurant, No. 1 William Street. It has had many guises over the years, it’s current name ‘Amba’ harking back to one of its early business’ in the 1970s. Set out to be a multi-purpose creative arts hub for the local community we are now offering regular weekly and pop up painting workshops and Wednesday drop in Life Drawing sessions. 7-8.30pm. We have a range of regular yoga, pilates and other fitness classes. We also offer co-working on Wednesdays and Thursdays 9-5pm and are excited to announce that we now have a kitchen ready to hire alongside our beautiful rooms for those that would like to run Pop Up restaurants. To kick things off we have Haru Haru serving up Korean Chicken and coming up on the 7th March we have Mark McDowell and Friends playing a set plus supporting act Jesus Bolt. whilst Latino Bites serve up their mouth-watering Empanadas. Tickets are £5 in advance or £6 on the door. A new workshop is running on Saturday

21 March 2-4.30, Prosecco and Painting. Learn how to use watercolours, masking fluid and the wet on wet technique to create some stunning pieces to take home. Contact George at Ambahousebritstol@ gmail.com to book a place. We also have our Artisan Market returning on Sunday April 19th. Please get in touch if you would like a stand. Facebook @ambaarthub

OPEN DAYS AT KNOWLE BOWLS CLUB OPEN DAYS: Friday 3rd March - 7.30pm Sunday 3rd May - 10am - 4pm Monday 4th May - 6.30pm With spring approaching, why not keep active and make new friends using our superb green, club facilities and year-round social programme? Beginners or experienced bowlers of all ages are welcome. Free coaching and use of equipment. Please contact either of the secretaries:

Ladies Sandra Broome 01179 407929 Men Bill Broome 01179 776913 We are opposite Broadwalk shopping centre.

Knowle Bowls Club, The Green, Knowle BS4 2QN

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n FEATURE - GEMS OF SOUTH BRISTOL

Market snapshot Knowle LOCAL MARKET ROUND UP

NATIONAL MARKET JANUARY 2020

Over the last 12 full months there have been 131 sales in Knowle. This is a –8% change on the previous 12 month period. The average sales price was £319,727.

We bring you the latest trends in the UK's housing market, with a detailed focus on Knowle.

Transactions by price band over the last 12 months £2m+ £1m-£2m £750k-£1m £500k£750k

£1m+ £750k-£1m £500k£750k

less than £100k

£100k£250k

House prices Property prices are rising at their strongest level in a year according to the latest UK House Price Index. At £235,298 the average price of a property in November is 2.2% more expensive than a year ago, the highest rate of annual growth since November 2018.

£100k£250k

£250k£500k

NATIONAL

Ocean Office contact de

KNOWLE

House price growth

Top transaction

over 1 year and 5 years

in last 3 months

+5%

+50%

Economy

£670,000

At 76.3% the UK employment rate was at a record high in the three months to November, while wage growth continues to outpace rises in the cost of living. Adjusting for inﬂation, wages were 1.6% higher than a year ago (including bonuses) and 1.8% higher (excluding bonuses).

BEACONSFIELD ROAD BS4

Transactions Just 9,000 fewer sales took place during 2019 compared to 2018 according to the HMRC. Provisional estimates show 1.18 million property sales took place in 2019. Sales volumes for December are estimated to be signiﬁcantly higher than a year ago, but it is likely these will be revised downwards.

Average prices over last 12 months £480,000 £360,000 £240,000 £120,000 0 Flat/Apartment

Terraced

Semi-detached

Detached

Knowle West Ocean Office South contact details Source: Dataloft, Land Registry

Tom Weaver Ocean estate agents E: t.weaver@oceanhome.co.uk

Pop into our Wells Road office if you’d like to know more or discuss your property, we’ll be happy to help...

Knowle Office

Brad

321 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2QB

Unit 7 Savag Bradl

Ocean estate agents Call: 0117 977 3238 Pop into our Wells Road oﬃce if Mail: knowlesales @oceanhome.co.uk

you'd like to know more or Ocean financial services discuss your property, we'll be Call: 0117 300 7097 happy help... oceanhome.co.uk Mail: to mortgages

Disclaimer: This report is produced for general information only. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this

publication,Office Dataloft Ltd accepts no liability for any loss orBradley damage of any nature arising from its use or from any changes made to Knowle Stoke Office Westbury-on-Trym Office

Shirehampton Office

321 WellsLtd. Road, Knowle, 7, Willowbrook Centre, Dataloft Report edited by Inform user and publishedUnit on 2020-01-27. Bristol BS4 2QB Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke BS32 8BS Ocean estate agents

Bristol BS9 3AD

Bristol BS11 0DP

Ocean estate agents

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n HISTORY Robert Southey PART 1 The country house that inspired a poet Bedminster has many secrets in its past but few so surprising as the stately country house that inspired a love of nature in Bristol’s only Poet Laureate. By Paul Breeden Image, left: Robert Southey, Bristol's only Poet Laureate. Source: Illustrirte Zeitung (1843)

iving in a bustling city can give you the impression that it has always been here. If there weren’t these packed-together houses, shops and offices, our mind seems to assume, there will have been others before them. It’s hard to imagine the open landscape, the fields and valleys, that formed most of South Bristol until little more than 150 years ago. Luckily we don’t have to rely on our imagination: we can enjoy the picture painted by the poet Robert Southey, whose favourite childhood home was in a quiet rural corner of what is today a bustling part of Bedminster. This Poet Laureate, one of the charmed circle with Wordsworth and Coleridge known as the Lake Poets, is remembered for his vivid word pictures of the beauty of the natural world. His poems are still read today; yet it would surprise many of his fans to learn that his love for landscapes, gardens and the natural world was born not in the wilds of the Lake District – but in humble Bedminster. Where now are rows of regimented inter-war council homes, in the 1770s was open fields. Today the Parson Street

gyratory system is one of the busiest roads in the city, and one of the worst for air pollution. But 250 years ago only a handful of houses surrounded the “great west road”, the ancient highway from Bristol to the south, the route probably founded by the Romans from West Street to the Bridgwater Road. Robert Southey was born in the city centre, at 9 Wine Street, above the draper’s shop run by his father. At the age of two, he went to live with his eccentric aunt, Elizabeth Tyler, in Bath. It’s unclear why, but Aunt Anne was “an imperious elder sister” according to Southey, and it’s been claimed she manipulated her sister and brother-in-law for her own ends. Young Robert did not enjoy his time in Bath. Aunt Anne often lay in bed until late morning, and would not allow him to get up until she did. He wasn’t allowed to play outside, for fear of getting dirty. Small wonder then that Southey much preferred his visits to his grandmother’s house in rural Bedminster. Though he never lived there, his fond memories of Lock’s Mill fill a chapter of his autobiography. Loyal Bedminster citizens may want to avert their eyes, however, to avoid Southey’s low opinion of their home. He called Bedminster “an ugly, dirty, poor, populous village”. It was in fact a town, but 130 years before had been razed to the ground in the English Civil War, and had never regained its prosperity.

ROBERT SOUTHEY: SOME FACTS • He remains the only Bristol-born Poet Laureate • The name Southey is a Somerset one – and it’s pronounced ‘Sowthey’, to rhyme with ‘mouthy’ • Southey popularised the term ‘autobiography’ • He took laughing gas in Bristol with the chemist Humphrey Davy: “It makes one strong, and so happy! So gloriously happy!” • He wrote (but did not invent) the Tale of the Three Bears; his version had an old woman in place of Goldilocks • He was born in Wine Street; attended several Bristol schools; lived as a young man in College Green, College Street and Kingsdown Parade (where there’s now a plaque) • Increasingly reactionary in later life, he told a young Charlotte Bronte: “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life.” Bronte said it encouraged her to write In the late 1720s coal began to be mined at Gores Marsh, Ashton, and later at South Liberty Lane in Ashton Vale and Dean Lane in Bedminster. This noisy and dirty new industry was repellent to the “better class” of citizens such as the Southeys, and the poet wrote with snobbish relief: “But the coal pits were in a different part of the parish, and the house was at a sufficient distance from all annoyances.” He went on: If there was no beauty of situation, there was complete retirement, and perfect comfort. The view was merely to a field and cottage on the other side of the lane. But the little world within was our own. And to me it was quite a different world from that in which I lived at other times. My father’s house was in one of the busiest and noisiest streets of Bristol, and of course had no outlets. At Bath I was under perpetual restraint. But here

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I had all wholesome liberty, all wholesome indulgence, all wholesome enjoyments; and the delight which I there learnt to take in rural sights and sounds, has grown up with me and continues unabated to this day. Lock’s Mills was an ancient settlement. A watermill had been on this corner of the River Malago since medieval times. In fact, it was one of four mills belonging to Inns Court, the medieval manor off Novers Lane (the other mills were at Crox Bottom off modern Hartcliffe Way, St Catherine’s on Mill Lane in the centre of Bedminster, and

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n HISTORY

Robert Southey PART 1

Continued from previous page Trin Mill, on the site of Bathurst Basin in the harbour). Also part of the estate was the windmill which gave Windmill Hill its name. The house Southey knew was relatively new, built between about 1740 and 1760 by his mother’s father, Edward Hill. Drawings by the Bristol artist Samuel Loxton from around 1917 show the house as a grand affair of three storeys, with a broad frontage on to Parson Street and the mill building to the right. Southey, who claimed to remember it well, described how “You ascended by several semicircular steps into what was called the fore-court, but was in fact a flower-garden, with a broad pavement from the gate to the porch.” He described the main room on the right of the house as the parlour, or smartest room, but to the left was “the best kitchen”, where most family life occurred. It had a stone floor, which I believe was the chief distinction between a best kitchen and a parlour. The furniture consisted of a clock, a large oval oak table with two flaps (over which two or three fowling-pieces had their place), a round tea-table of cherry wood, Windsor chairs of the same, and two large armed ones … in one of which my grandmother always sat. On one side of the fireplace the china was displayed in a buffet—that is, a cupboard with glass doors; on the other were closets for articles less ornamental, but more in use. The room was wainscotted and ornamented with some old maps, and with a long looking-glass over the chimney-piece, and a tall one between the windows,

Lock’s Mill house: A drawing by Thomas Loxton made in about 1917 © Bristol Reference Library both in white frames. The windows opened into the forecourt, and were as cheerful and fragrant in the season of flowers as roses and jessamine, which grew luxuriantly without, could make them. He painted pictures of the “green room”, his uncle Edward’s; the blue room, his grandmother’s; his late grandfather’s office, with its pigeonholes for papers; and the servants’ and the squire’s rooms in the attic. At the back was a “yard or barton of considerable size,” walled by the dairy, the laundry, seed-rooms, stable and hay-loft. There were coal houses, and a shed where his grandfather had kept a carriage, but now held a mere cart. The buildings were

THE BEAUTIFUL VALE OF ASHTON obert Southey could trace his South Bristol ancestry back a long way. His maternal grandfather, Edward Hill of Bedminster, was the seventh in his family to bear the name, and all his forebears “had lived and died respectably upon their own lands in the beautiful vale of Ashton,” according to Southey’s autobiography. There were few houses in what we call Ashton Vale at this time; Southey is referring to the village of Long Ashton, where generations of the Hill family are buried at St Saviour’s church. The vale he called “the place of all others which I remember with most feeling. You see it from Clifton, on the other side of the river Avon." On his father’s side, he could trace his great-grandfather, also Robert Southey, to Wellington, Somerset, where there were many other Southeys – indeed seven other Roberts bearing the surname in the 1690s. The family was mainly of middling yeoman farmers, but unusually they had their own coat of arms, which tempted Southey to think that “that one of my ancestors had served in the crusades, or made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”

framed by vegetation: the horseblock “beautifully overhung with ivy”, and a gable-end “covered with fruit trees”, while another outhouse was “clothed in yew”. The large gates to the barton were framed by horse chestnut trees on either side. Beyond was a path from the court to the kitchen garden – “large, excellently stocked, and kept in admirable order”. Behind the outhouses were pear, plum and greengage trees; another wall was “well clothed with cherry, peach, and nectarine trees”. Behind all was an orchard. At the side of the house was an apricot tree, “so that every luxury of this kind which an English sun can ripen, was there in abundance.” Most dear to Southey’s memory was by the orchard gate – a spiky barberry bush whose “peculiar odour of its blossoms, which is supposed to injure the wheat within its reach, is still fresh in my remembrance”. Barberries are rarely cultivated now, though they have just been rediscovered as a “superfood”. But in Southey’s time their tart fruit was used instead of citrus. Three flowers, he said, always recalled Bedminster to him: “The Syringa or Roman Jessamine, which covered an arbour in the fore-court, and another at the bottom of the kitchen-garden; the everlasting pea, which grew

most luxuriantly under the best kitchen windows; and the evening primrose.” His grandmother loved to watch the opening of the evening primrose: “She called it mortality, because these beauties pass away so soon, and because in the briefness of its continuance (living only for a night) it reminded her of human life.” Southey’s uncles, Edward and William, reproached their nephew for preferring flowers and insects to boyish games. But they won him over with one schoolboy trick – making a “black witch” out of a marble. Southey confessed that he knew that if he put a marble in the fire, it “makes a good detonating ball. I have sacrificed many a one so, to frighten the cook.” But if the marble was wrapped in paper with suet or dripping, it wouldn’t explode, and came out completely blackened, and therefore lucky – to a small boy, at any rate. NEXT MONTH: More on Southey’s rural Bedminster idyll – and its unfortunate consequence for his little sister Sources • The Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey, Cuthbert Southey, 1849 • Robert Southey and Bristol, Basil Cottle, Bristol Branch of the Historical Association, 1980

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2020

southbristolvoice

n THOUGHT OF THE MONTH

by Maureen Wright, Bristol Humanists

f you’re in the countryside this month, you may see hares ‘boxing’ – which is the origin of the phrase ‘mad March hares’. But observation shows this isn’t madness at all but a mating ritual where female hares choose their mates. We all make judgments about people from their appearance and behaviour without any knowledge of what lies beneath. In a busy city like ours, this often seems easier

than engaging with others. At the same time, loneliness is becoming more common. Even in company, it can be hard to be open to others. Yet engaging with those around us broadens experience, opens possibilities and wards off the emotional and physical ill effects of loneliness. Humanists believe that we can only be sure of the one life we have now, meaning we really need to make the most of it while we’re all

here on the planet. Because of the importance of human connections, this means ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for the best possible life. This is a huge undertaking, as no one can single-handedly change human well-being. But recognising everyone as a unique person and learning some little thing about them is a valuable beginning, whether it’s by a smile in passing or a shared joke.

Bristol Humanists meet at 7.30 on the first Monday of every month in the Unitarian Meeting Hall in Brunswick Square. March’s topic is ‘What’s the Most Good You Can do?’ with Dr. Alexander Dietz looking at ‘Effective Altruism’ – how to maximise the impact for good we can do. There will be discussion afterwards, continuing in the Photo, Google Maps pub after the meeting.

Regular Services

Pastor: Matthew Norris 07967 199995 bristolnazarene.com Sunday 10.30am Sunday Service; Wednesday 6pm Kids Klub; Thursday 7pm Youth club.

Henwood 0117 983 3924 • bristol. stgerardmajella@cliftondiocese.com gerardmajellaknowle.co.uk Sunday Mass 9am & 5pm Tues, Weds, Fri Mass 10am Sat Exposition 9.30am Benediction 10.15am Mass 10.30am Confession 11am

Sunday 10am Family Service; Wednesday 10am Family Communion

n Bedminster Church of Christ

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.

n Holy Nativity Church Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2AG Fr Steve Hawkins 07834 462054 Facebook: Holy Nativity Knowle Sunday 10am Parish Mass; Friday 10.30am Weekday Mass.

n Bedminster Quaker Meeting House Wedmore Vale BS3 5HXClerk

n Knowle Methodist Church

Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP Rev Sally Spencer southbristolmc.org. uk Sunday 10.30am Worship and Junior Church (Minnows for pre-school children).

Gillian Smith 0117963 4712 bristolquakers.org.uk Sunday Worship 10.45am; 2nd & 4th Sunday Children’s meeting; 2nd Sunday Shared lunch.

n St Gerard Majella

n Church of the Nazarene

Talbot Road, Knowle BS4 2NP Parish Priest Fr George

Broad Walk, Knowle BS4 2RD

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n St Martin’s Wells Road, Knowle S4

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.

n St Michael & All Angels Vivian Street, Windmill Hill BS3 4LW Rev Andrew Doarks 0117 977 6132 stmikechurch.co.uk

n Totterdown Baptist Church

Wells Road BS4 2AD tbc.org.uk Sunday 10.30am Morning Service; 2nd Sunday All-age Service; 6.30pm Evening Service (entrance Sydenham Road).

n Totterdown Methodist Church

Bushy Park, Totterdown BS4 2AD Rev Sally Spencer southbristolmc.org. uk Sunday Family Worship 10.30am; 1st Sunday Sunday School.

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March 2020

southbristolvoice

n THE CITY PAGE

BRISTOL CITY ROUND-UP

Rooney is welcomed to Ashton Gate MARTIN POWELL is getting used to seeing the stars coming to Ashton Gate, but could we see even bigger and brighter ones heading our way next season?

he game against Derby County was yet to spark into life when it happened. City conceded a corner and wandering over to the corner flag came Wayne Rooney. He’d touched the ball a couple of times so far to some ritual boos. But as he strolled towards the City faithful a few people started to clap. Someone shouted “England’s biggest ever goalscorer” and more applauded. Rooney looked up slightly confused at the growing round of applause. He applauded back. More people joined in the little ovation. Then Rooney fizzed over a wicked corner that City’s defence did well to clear and the bond was broken. The incident showed just how far Bristol City have come

in the last few years. Now every week there is serious opposition and a parade of stars that were previously only seen on TV. Rooney eventually exited Ashton Gate on the losing side – although City went from holding a comfortable 3-0 lead to a nailbiting 3-2 victory. But that’s the top of the championship for you. Then it was on to Leeds United. Elland Road provided a bit of a football lesson. But still a 1-0 defeat is a narrow margin, and despite battling illness and injuries the squad showed they are close. The countdown to the end of the season is on, and Bristol City have a realistic chance of making the play-offs and an outside chance, if you are a rose-tinted optimist, of the top two. That is pretty good progress, and there

City took a three-goal lead against the visitors, Derby County Image by @jmpuk

is a feeling that even if it doesn’t happen this year the bright lights of the Premier League are not that far away. Combine this with the flythrough vision recently published of the future of the bottom end of Winterstoke Road. A new hotel, arena, fans zone and a couple of office blocks thrown in looks like an exciting future. Of course there are those who are feeling a tinge of nostalgia for the old days when you could click through a rusty turnstile, plonk your child on a spike, blow Woodbines at the people around you and hurl abuse at the linesman, safe in the knowledge that nobody would accuse you of being any kind of phobic.

There are probably also people who are concerned that the aforesaid arena and fan zone will mean they have to buy their rawl plugs and nylon carpets online from now on. Maybe some miss the sight of the Braby’s silos being moved or the current collection of brightly coloured cherry-pickers. But progress is being made, and South Bristol deserves to have all the benefits of a Premier League team on its doorstep. Of course some of the decisions around the club are annoying – bring back Red Red Robin by Al Jolson or the Wurzels to welcome the team – instead of the American-style razamataz that we now get, complete with puffing giant cigarette lighters. But I love the fact that the video countdown to the ‘big game’ starts with Ernie Hunt, a player as far away from the present day balletic Premier stars as you can get, but he played at the top level and would give them all a run for their money. Buckle up. It is going to be an exciting few months until May when City’s position in this closely fought season is decided. Rooney is on his way down in his career – City are on the up.

Martin’s shorts

Wayne Rooney got a warmer reception than he might have expected

So it is the 125th anniversary of Bristol City in March. To celebrate it the club have launched a ‘limited edition’ shirt. Having seen the bizarre patchwork of previous club shirts sewn together, I would call it a ‘limited appeal’ shirt.

Image by @jmpuk

Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk

March 2020

southbristolvoice

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