southbristolvoice April 2017 No. 23
www.southbristolvoice.co.uk
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LOCAL NEWS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
FREE EVERY MONTH in Totterdown, Knowle and Windmill Hill Compromise on cycle way through park AGREEMENT could be close between residents and the council on a cycle route through Victoria Park. The council promised to consult more widely after ditching a plan for a 4.7m-wide “cycle superhighway” in January, following massive opposition. Now, campaign group Forward Together hopes the cycleway will be kept to 3m wide. It won’t be segregated, but will be shared by cyclists and pedestrians. Forward Together say it will be safer because no-one will feel they have sole rights over it, and everyone will watch out for other users. Many cyclists, however, will argue that a route which keeps cyclists and pedestrians apart is safer. The row over the council’s planning application for the cycleway became heated in January, with opponents of the scheme accused of being “anti-cycling”. Forward Together denied this, and the council withdrew the plan in the face of more than 600 objections, most of them from people living near the park. More than 450 people wrote in support of the plan,
A berry good idea! AN AMBITIOUS new idea could take root on a patch of green space in South Bristol – our first public maze. Harry Ward, 9, is holding up his winning design for a Berry Maze on the Malago open space. But the plan needs funds – see story on Page 15. though most were not from Windmill Hill. The new route runs from the corner of Hill Avenue and Nutgrove Avenue to Windmill Close along the existing path, passing between the 5-a-side pitch and the old wetland area. The current path varies from 1.6m wide to 2.8m, and would be widened to 3m, except for a stretch parallel to the railway
line, which is already 3.2m. Residents who objected to the tall lampposts in the previous plan are hoping the council will agree to lights in bollards just 1m high, possibly timed to go off late at night. Forward Together told officials the park’s Dark Sky status must be preserved, and bats and other wildlife protected. The council also appears to be Continued on page 9
• From bowling green to fruit farm Page 5 • Jubilee pool: ‘Use it or lose it’ Page 7
• Far-right protest at prison death Page 8 • WIN Pizza for two at Acappella Page 13
• Visit the Window Wanderland Page 17 • Election: The metro mayor Pages 23-27 • FREE back pain consultation Page 28 • NEW Puzzle Page with money-off toys Page 43
We’re truly local & proudly independent… www.oceanhome.co.uk
IN
April 2017
southbristolvoice
2 Paul Breeden Editor & publisher 07811 766072 paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk Ruth Drury Sales executive 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Editorial team: Beccy Golding, Alex Morss & The Wicked Witch. Deliveries: Greg Champion
Intro
HOW MANY MAYORS? DID you know that after May 4, Bristol will have three mayors? That’s right, as well as the Lord Mayor, whose role is ceremonial, and the city mayor who runs the city, there will be another one. A new metro mayor will sit above Mr Rees, having influence (but how much power?) over housing, transport and jobs for the West of England. The new role is potentially important. Something needs to be done to plan public transport, roads and new homes across the region. Bristol might have had a tram network by now if a single
You can find South Bristol Voice on Facebook and Twitter facebook.com/ southbristolvoice Twitter: @sbristolvoice Co. no. 09522608 | VAT no. 211 0801 76
Next month’s deadline for editorial and advertising is April 19th powerful figure had been able to bang heads together across the different town halls. Many will hope the metro mayor is a success. How many will turn out on May 4 to vote for one is another question.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ON page 8 we outline the Crehan family’s protest over the death of their son Kevin in prison. Kevin was one of four people sentenced for attacking Totterdown mosque. The protest at his death and his jail term took the form of a far-right march on Bristol Crown Court. Few will agree with the racist views seen on the march. But far too many people are dying in our jails. Kevin’s death was not a conspiracy, but it is unexplained. Every family has the right to justice.
n BRIEFLY n WOMEN who want to get their business ideas off the ground are invited to Networking with Freelance Mum, a monthly event at Windmill Hill City Farm. Guest speaker on April 28, from 10am-noon, is Linda DaviesCarr, whose session is entitled Stop Thinking and Start Doing in Your Business. Children welcome – £7.50 includes coffee, cake and crafts for young ones. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n POLICE will continue to keep an eye on Totterdown Square outside Tesco, and Zone N, the open space outside the former YMCA, after a reduction in reports of anti-social behaviour and drug dealing. Complaints about the two areas have dropped, police told Windmill Hill neighbourhood forum on February 22. n BRISTOL Waste, the company which collects the city’s refuse. wants to hear from residents if litter is being left behind after recycling collections. After complaints at Knowle
neighbourhood forum that rubbish is left on the pavement, Emma Williams of Bristol Waste told residents to report the problem on the council website or ring 0117 922 2100. If some roads have a repeated problem, the crews on the round will be monitored, she said. • bristol.gov.uk/bins-recycling n THE AMAZING Bubble Man, Louis Pearl, returns to the Tobacco Factory on April 23 with his international hit children’s show of bubble art, magic, science and fun. Tickets £9; shows at 12noon, 2pm and 4pm. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com n THE MEMORIES café is a relaxed meet-up for carers, people living with dementia and those feeling lonely or isolated. It happens every first Wednesday of the month – the next is on April 5 – at Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Road, BS13 7LW. It’s free but donations are welcome for tea and cake. Email info@ zionbristol.co.uk for details. • zionbristol.co.uk
How do I get in touch with ... My MP? Karin Smyth MP Labour, Bristol South. Email: karin.smyth.mp@parliament.uk Post: Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA Phone: 0117 953 3575 In person: Surgeries on Friday April 14 and 28. Please call 0117 9533575 for information and for an appointment.
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My councillor? Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Email: Cllr.Christopher.Davies@ bristol.gov.uk USEFUL NUMBERS Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000 Waste, roads 0117 922 2100 Pest control and dog wardens 0117 922 2500 Council tax 0117 922 2900 Housing benefit 0117 922 2300 Social services 0117 922 2900
Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem leader) Email: Cllr.Gary.Hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 0117 985 1491 or 07977 512159 Lucy Whittle Labour, Windmill Hill Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Phone: 07392 108805 Email: Cllr.Lucy.Whittle@bristol.gov.uk Jon Wellington Labour, Windmill Hill Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Phone: 07392 108804 Email: Cllr.Jon.Wellington@bristol.gov.uk Police Inquiries 101 Emergency 999 Fire Emergency 999 Inquiries 0117 926 2061 NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUMS NOTE: These meetings are on hold due to council cutbacks. See story on page 13.
EDITOR’S NOTE: South Bristol Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. Feedback is welcomed: call editor Paul Breeden on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk. All stories and pictures are copyright of South Bristol Voice and may not be reproduced without permission in this or any other plane of the multiverse. South Bristol Voice Ltd | 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX
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April 2017
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n NEWS Traffic calming
Bungalow hill
TRAFFIC calming measures, but not road closures are being considered to combat rat-running through the Totterdown Triangle between Bath Road and Wells Road. Funding of £10,000 was secured to close access at Angers Road, but the council halted this after traffic studies found it would increase congestion on the main roads. Community group Tresa is working with the council on traffic calming to slow traffic in Stanley Hill and nearby.
THE OWNER of a six-bedroom bungalow on Wells Road, Knowle, wants to demolish it and replace it with two semi-detached four-bed houses and eight twobed flats. The development at 235 Wells Road would have 12 parking spaces, accessed from Belluton Road. As the Voice went to press, one neighbour had lodged an objection to the planning application, saying the scheme will overlook their home and damage their privacy.
Hillside plot: top, from corner of Belluton Road and Wells Road
3
Butchers of Southville
Residents urged to report graffiti to end the eyesores GRAFFITI appears to be making a comeback around Knowle – one of our photos shows a tag high up on the flats above the Co-Op on Wells Road. Walls and parks appear to be showing a higher incidence of tagging this year, resulting in a multitude of complaints to the council. In the area around Wells Road alone, there have been blatant and sometimes enormous defacements of walls in Haverstock Road, Bayham Road, on the former Chinese takeaway in Wells Road, and on the wall outside Totterdown’s Tesco. “It looks an eyesore and is not very nice for the residents. Plus graffiti seems to encourage further graffiti,” one aggrieved resident told the Voice. The police have a unit, Operation Block, which deals with persistent taggers, acting on information from the city
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Offensive to the eye: Graffiti in Wells Road, left, and Haverstock Road council. Officers have just announced the prosecution of a man caught tagging ‘Hesh’ on a wall of the Feeder Road Canal. The 45-year-old man from Redfield was caught in the act in October last year. He has been reported to court for causing an estimated £255 worth of damage to council property. PC Stuart King, who heads Operation Block, said: “This result is thanks to our on-going partnership with Bristol City Council aimed at identifying and bringing to justice, the people
responsible for high volume illegal graffiti and criminal damage. “To date, we have investigated over 500 offences, many of which have resulted in convictions and we’ve identified over 100 active taggers in the city.” Graffiti can be reported to the council via its website. Obscene or offensive graffiti is removed quickly, in theory, although if it is on private property the permission of the owner is needed. • bristol.gov.uk/streets-travel/ graffiti
Farewell Laurie
Bridge homes
LAURIE Burn, the minister of Totterdown Baptist Church for more than 10 years, is leaving for a new church in Somerset. Laurie and his wife Karen leave after Easter, following a decade in which they have immersed themselves in community life as well as swelling the congregation at the church. Among the groups which Laurie helped found are Copp, the Community of Perretts Park, and the Saltcellar folk club. An interview with Laurie will appear in next month’s Voice.
PROPOSALS for more than 100 new homes and employment space on the former car wash us on and petrol station next to Totterdown bridge will be shown to residents at an exhibition on Wednesday March 29. Londonbased developer Hadley Property Group has delivered letters to 2,500 households, inviting them to an exhibition at Paintworks from 3-7.30pm. Hadley told the Voice it is keen to consult local people. Some of the homes will be affordable, it said.
Find
Laurie and Karen Burn
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n NEWS
Sarah’s epic trek in memory of her Auntie Reenie A SOUTH Bristol woman has set herself the challenge of covering more than twice the distance of a marathon, in memory of her much-loved auntie. Teacher Sarah Heather aims to walk and run a total of 68 miles around the Isle of Wight at the end of April in aid of the Alzheimers Society. She’s doing it in tribute to her Auntie Irene, known as Reenie, who suffered from dementia before she passed away, aged 96, earlier this year. Irene just missed out on celebrating her 75th wedding anniversary with husband Len Brown, who is still thriving and
living independently at his home in Stockwood at the age of 98. “They are such an inspiring couple,” said Sarah, who lives in Brislington. “I don’t think they have had an easy life but they have always been so supportive. “I feel like they were my third set of grandparents. They didn’t have any children after their daughter died and they poured all their love into their many nephews and nieces.” It was very sad for the family to see how dementia was affecting Irene, said Sarah: “It was almost like the light was flicking off. She recognised us less and less. “She went very quiet, which
Surgery plan
Council official will have to rework his roof extension
PLANS have been submitted to turn the former St Martin’s GP surgery in Wells Road into six flats with a two-storey extension to the rear and side. The surgery closed in December.
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was really hard to see, because she wasn’t like that – she was always the life and soul.” Sarah is now deep into training for her epic trek. To cover around 34 miles a day she will have to sprint some sections. “It’s really hard finding the time for training, especially with small children,” Sarah said – she has twins aged six, and a nine-year-old too. But she is already managing 12 miles non-stop and will soon be stepping that up to 20 miles. If you’d like to support Sarah in her fundraising, visit • justgiving.com/fundraising/ Sarah-Heather3
A SENIOR council official who built a large loft extension at his Knowle home without planning permission will have to rebuild it after he lost his appeal to keep it. Richard Fear, who is service manager for property assets at Bristol City Council, had the roof extension built last summer. It was described in planning papers as a dormer window in the rear roof slope – though it replaces the rear roof entirely and there is no “slope” left. Mr Fear, who is a chartered surveyor, did not apply for planning permission and did not even ask planning officers whether permission was needed. After neighbours complained, the council started enforcement action, but delayed it while Mr Fear put in a retrospective planning application. Permission was refused by planning officials in November. Mr Fear appealed against the decision, arguing that the extension was only outside the permitted development rights by a narrow margin. But planning inspector David Morgan dismissed the appeal at the end of December, calling the extension “strident and bulky”. The new roof stretches the full height and full depth of the rear of the house, and is clad in bright new wood. It sits in “awkward and discordant contrast” to the
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Sarah Heather: In training for trek with her husband, Richard
Not allowed: the roof extension neighbouring terraces, said Mr Morgan. “This awkward sense of alien otherness is amplified by the colour and tone of the newly finished cedar,” he added. Mr Fear’s planning application stated that the extension could not be seen by the public. The Voice pointed out that it is clearly visible from the end of Brecknock Road, and Mr Morgan stated that the roof “can be clearly viewed” by the public from Wells Road too. The council says it is negotiating with Mr Fear to modify the extension – three months after the planning inspector’s decision. If agreement is reached, he will have to submit a new planning application. Asked if Mr Fear would be disciplined for his breach of planning regulations, the council said personal employment information “is not disclosable to the public”.
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n NEWS
Welcome to the fruit farm VISITORS to Redcatch Park are about to see an amazing transformation as the disused bowling green is turned into a community fruit farm. Those behind the ambitious plan hope to get planning permission by the end of April – after which they can start putting in fruit trees, a vegetable plot and polytunnels. Organiser Steve Griffiths, the gardener who runs the Springfield Road community allotment next to Northern Slopes, is eager to get his spade in the ground. “I’m really excited,” Steve told the Voice. “We have been talking about this for a really long time. “The amount of positive response we have had from local people has been fantastic.” The green will be laid out in a grid, with areas of potted fruit trees and soft fruit divided by a path, with a willow dome in the centre. A café will have tables and
chairs outside, and a serving hatch to the park. It won’t just be native species of fruit like raspberries and plums: Steve believes he can grow kiwi fruit, and is also bringing on lemon trees. He also plans to plant soft fruit trees in the grass border around the old bowling green. There will be two polytunnels for growing fruit and vegetables, and a small vegetable plot. Steve hopes people will buy trees to plant in their gardens, and he’ll be teaching skills like grafting. The café will be housed in a container, which will use as much of the produce as possible. He’s also excited about opening up Redcatch’s “secret garden” – the old orchard which runs between the bowling green and the houses behind. This has been overgrown for years, but contains an apple tree, a pear and possibly others. It dates from when the park was part of
Redcatch farm. So far the project has been funded by donations, and Steve is hoping it will get more support from the hundreds of people who visit Redcatch park regularly. The bowling green was last used by Bristol South croquet club, which moved out in 2014. Steve’s first job will be to dig a new flower bed next to the Redcatch car park. He offered to do this for free after the cash-strapped council snatched back funds which would have paid to revamp the car park and its surroundings. • friendsofredcatchpark.com
Shakespeare to reopen soon THE SHAKESPEARE pub in Totterdown is set to reopen under the management of the Rose of Denmark in Hotwells. Extensive work is under way on the Oxford Street pub, which is expected to reopen within weeks. The Rose of Denmark calls itself an “alehouse and eatery”. A spokesperson for owner Ei Publican Partnerships said: “The pub is undergoing refurbishment and we very much look forward to welcoming members of the local community when it reopens in the coming weeks.”
Redcatch park fruit farm Potted fruit trees Polytunnels
Willow dome
Potted soft fruit
Café
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n NEWS
Charities won’t lose from theft
BUSINESSES in Wells Road have united to replace charity cash stolen by thieves who broke into Totterdown Canteen on March 7. A heartless burglar smashed a window and took two charity boxes – one for St Peter’s Hospice and the other for pet cancer charity Zoe’s Journey UK. By
coincidence, Canteen owners Aaron and Becky Wardle had just left for a holiday. On landing in Portugal they appealed on social media for information. Three names have been given to police and inquiries continue. Meanwhile, the couple are determined the charities won’t
lose out. Tips given on the Canteen’s next two evening sittings will be donated – the Steak Night on Saturday April 8 and pop-up restaurant dineiwthi on Saturday April 22. Other firms to have held collections include The Gent’s barbers and the Little Butcher.
Follow the yellow brick road – gravely Cemetery opens up woodland burial area with a (bright) new path A NEW path through previously untended woodland is drawing attention from visitors to Arnos Vale cemetery. Laid in bright yellow chippings with wooden handrails, it’s a prominent feature in the old orchard, which slopes down the south-east end of the cemetery, bordering Somerset Road and Arnos Court park. The Wicked Witch of Knowle, a regular Voice columnist, compared the path to the Yellow Brick Road – but it seems she quite likes it (see panel). Other residents have told the Voice they find the new path a bit bright – though it’s expected to dull down over time. Mike Coe, chief executive of Arnos Vale cemetery trust, said the path is a big step forward in trying to improve the woodland. It will also allow the wood to be used for natural burials. There is space for up to 400 graves on the flatter parts of the wood, he
In witch I find my final resting place
I
Opening soon: Path to the woods said. The burials will not have headstones and won’t be marked. But when the path is opened soon, a bench will be installed so that people can sit and remembers their loved ones in the peace of the woodland. “Currently there’s a lot of second grade saplings down there, sycamore and ash – in terms of wildlife quality, it’s quite poor,” said Mr Coe. Clearing some space will allow native wildflowers and trees to be
WAS walking Scrappy Little Dog through Arnos Park and stopped, stared, quickly pulled down my sunglasses. What was that shining blindingly bright through the woods in the cemetery? As I squinted through the trees I saw that it was in fact a yellow path that snaked down the steep hillside. This path leads to the new burial site where you can have a nice green woodland funeral complete with wicker casket for a bargain £1,000. The path was supposed to blend in with the trees, snort! The cynics are going to hate it; I really wanted to dislike it as well because I am a grumpy old witch. But I love it. This is where I am going to end up. It is perfect. Why? I hear you cry. Well, they have only gone and replicated the planted with the help of Avon Wildlife Trust, he said. “Our volunteers are really looking forward to being able to manage the woodland. It will be a site that’s really rich in species.” The burials will also help the
A special report from the Witch – her usual column is on page 32
THE WICKED WITCH OF KNOWLE
Yellow Brick Road from one of my favourite films. Seriously, it is exactly the same; I even believe that it leads to the Emerald City, it is very green down there. I would have my casket carried by a gaggle of munchkins following Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man who will dance to my grave with linked arms singing ‘Ding Dong the witch is dead’. I’m not sure if you are allowed a tombstone in this green space so I would ask one of my witchy friends to sneak down and stick a pair of striped legs into the ground topped off with some pointy red shoes. Oh it is brilliant. I loves living and then dying in Knowle. cemetery’s finances. Just to open the site to the public costs £110,000 a year, but with rental from Kate’s Kitchen café, and weddings and other events generating income, Arnos Vale is close to becoming self-funding.
ASK A VET: How can I toilet train my puppy?
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OILET training can be one of the trickiest parts of training your new puppy and can sometimes take a very long time. All dogs learn at different speeds, so bear with them – they will get there in the end! Puppies should be taken outside every 40 minutes, even if the back door is left open. As soon as you see signs that your puppy is about to toilet (for example, sniffing the ground, circling, positioning) say a toileting cue like “wee wees” or “toilet”). When they toilet outside, praise
your pup, then give a small treat as soon as they finish. It’s also important to take them outside after eating, drinking and sleeping. Try to avoid using puppy pads – make it clear from the start that outside is where to go. If your puppy toilets in the house, do not respond, otherwise you risk them eating their own faeces or toileting in hidden locations to disguise the fact they’ve been. Put your pup in another room while you clean up with a solution of biological washing powder.
If you catch them in the act, quickly interrupt – make a silly noise and take them outside (carry if necessary). Hopefully they will finish outside and you can reward as usual. We now host puppy training and socialisation parties at our surgeries in Longwell Green, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton. Everything a puppy discovers in the first 16 weeks will last for life. Puppies benefit enormously from socialisation and training. The parties will help you to understand, train and really bond with your pet
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April 2017
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n NEWS Use it or lose it, swimmers are told as petition grows A STORMING campaign by residents and Knowle councillors to save the Jubilee swimming pool is within reach of success. A petition supported by the Save Jubilee Pool campaign and councillors Gary Hopkins and Chris Davies has broken the crucial 3,500 barrier within a few weeks – which means the issue must be debated by a full council meeting. The city council has already retreated from statements that it wanted to close the pool, saying this was a mistake, and it only wants to withdraw the pool’s £62,000 annual subsidy as part of widespread savings plans. Since the campaign started at the end of January, more people have been visiting the pool and its mini-gym – some of them saying that they didn’t know the place existed before. Now Parkwood Leisure, the company which runs the pool, has warned that residents will have to “use it or lose it” – more customers are still needed if the pool is to be saved. If everyone who has put their name on the petition came to the pool once a week, its future would be safe, said Patrick Lawton, manager of Jubilee and of Hengrove leisure centre. “We are hopeful that we can find a way forward and I have been looking at how we can get a financial deal that works for us and the council. “Part of that deal will rely on us driving usage and participation, which will help
Jubilee pool could be saved, but only with more visitors relieve the council of their subsidy.” But while the number of swimmers and gym users is up, it is not enough to enable park wood to run the pool subsidyfree, he warned. Mr Lawton admitted that some recent visitors had told staff at the pool that they hadn’t been aware that it existed. Parkwood is planning a marketing campaign to make people in Knowle and further afield aware of the facilities at Jubilee, starting with leaflets distributed by the Voice and by Knowle Lib Dems. Nicola Skinner, one of the founders of the Save Jubilee campaign, said: “It’s a muchloved local swimming pool and almost the last one of its kind. “When we heard about the threat to close it we decided enough is enough. It’s been threatened with closure before, and it was saved, and we want to make sure that it’s saved again, for it to be safeguarded as a community pool,” she told a meeting of Knowle
neighbourhood forum on February 28. Cllr Hopkins criticised the council for not consulting local people or councillors. “Concern turned to anger when both the cabinet papers and those approved by Labour councillors in full council, specifically said that the pool was to close,” he said. The council has since said the intention is to remove the £62,000 subsidy, not to close the pool if it can be avoided. Concern that the pool building would be sold off and the site developed for housing was downplayed by Cllr Hopkins. The site would be very difficult to
redevelop, and the building is riddled with asbestos, he said – the asbestos being safe so long as the building isn’t disturbed. The Save Jubilee campaign presented the council with evidence about how important the pool is – it’s often open when Hengrove is shut for competitions – and how it helps to reduce health inequalities in South Bristol. “Council officers admit that there is a shortage of swimming pool spaces in Bristol, yet for a tiny amount of money they are prepared to close this pool,” said Cllr Hopkins. One resident, Bill Bowdren, told the Knowle meeting: “I have been swimming there since 1963 and I want it to continue!” Cllr Hopkins and Cllr Davies are hopeful they can repeat their success in saving the 51 bus route last year. First Bus announced the closure of the route in August, saying it was unprofitable. The council went along with the plan, until the Knowle councillors set up a deal with rival operator Wessex, with lower fares. • Your councillors, page 36
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n NEWS Perrett fountain may be restored MEMBERS of Copp, the Community of Perretts Park, have agreed to look into restoring the marble fountain which was removed by the council several decades ago. Copp’s annual meeting on March 7 heard that the fountain is incomplete but could be reinstated as a bird bath. Members agreed not to put it back in its original position, on a path in front of the main entrance, as it could be a dangerous obstacle. Instead a position in one of the borders will be investigated. Members are also looking into setting up a Speedwatch scheme with police. The meeting heard complaints of speeding drivers near the park on Sylvia Avenue, and drivers ignoring the one-way chicane on Bayham Road.
Can you help children to read? VOLUNTEERS are needed at a South Bristol school to help pupils with their reading. Christ the King primary in Hartcliffe Road, Filwood Park, is offering training to adults to read with children one-to-one. “Many of our children come in to school with skills below those of the average pupil and it can be a challenge for them to catch up, especially if they come from homes where there is little support, or where parents and carers are not confident readers themselves,” said a spokesperson. To find out more, call 0117 9664844 or email mrs.higgins@ ctk.education.
Family demand answers over death of mosque attacker THE FAMILY of imprisoned mosque attacker Kevin Crehan want answers about how he came to die in prison. Kevin’s father, Mike Crehan, of Knowle, was one of about 50 people who joined a far-right demonstration outside Bristol Crown Court on March 4. The protest was against Kevin’s one-year jail term. He had admitted a racially aggravated public order offence at Totterdown’s Jamia mosque in January last year, when worshippers were racially abused and bacon was hung from the door handle. Outside the court, rightwingers, some of them masked, shouted anti-Islamic slogans and called for “Justice for Bunny” – Kevin Crehan’s nickname. Scores of police with dogs and horses kept the right-wingers apart from a larger counter demonstration of anti-fascists – some of whom were also masked. Scuffles broke out between both sides and the police, but officers kept the two parties apart, and there were no arrests. Mike Crehan said it was a mystery how his son came to be found dead in his cell in Horfield prison on December 29. Online conspiracy theories claim Kevin was killed by Muslims in the prison. The latest theory promoted online, and repeated in the Bristol Post, was that Kevin was bullied in prison and committed suicide. Mr Crehan called the theories
Court protest: Mike Crehan, left, holds a banner in memory of his son Kevin, known as Bunny, or Bunns
DIED IN HIS CELL AFTER HOSPITAL DISCHARGE KEVIN Crehan was only three weeks away from his release when he died in Bristol’s Horfield prison on December 27. His death is not being treated as suspicious, but his father, Mike, has been told his cell at the prison has been sealed while the death is investigated. Mike said: ”The day before Christmas Eve we had a phone call from one of the lads inside. They said he had been taken seriously ill. He was in a coma in Southmead hospital, all day and all night.
“The next day, Christmas Day, we went in and he was quite fine, he was laughing and joking with the prison warders.” Mike phoned his son on Boxing Day to say he would visit him in hospital. But Kevin told him he was being discharged back to prison. “I said fair enough, at the worst you have only three weeks to go.” But the next day Kevin was dead. The family believe he should have been kept in hospital, or given medical care at the prison. “We won’t rest till we’ve found out the reasons. Any family would want to do the same,” said Mike.
“rubbish”, while police say the death was not suspicious. The Prisons Ombudsman is investigating before an inquest is heard – which may take a year. Mike Crehan said his son was not bullied in prison. “He hated bullies and he would have stood up to them,” he said. “He had too many mates in there, anyway.” The family is aggrieved at the
length of the sentence and believe he did not get a fair trial. “I know he wasn’t an angel, I’m not suggesting he was, but we have seen crimes 10 times worse than his that got given suspended sentences,” said Mike. Kevin Crehan had a record of football violence but, until the mosque offence, he had kept a clean record for several years.
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April 2017
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n NEWS
Slopes also wants to fend off cycleway VOLUNTEERS who help look after the Northern Slopes have told council officials they want the Filwood Quietway cycleway routed outside the open space. Members of the Northern Slopes Initiative (NSI) told officers from the council’s cycling and parks teams that a route through the middle of the Slopes will be too steep. An alternative proposed to zig-zag up the slope will take up too much room and could damage the character of the area – which is a Local Nature Reserve – they said. There are also fears that some cyclists will speed along any new, wider paths, causing a danger to adults, children and dogs. The arguments mirror the objections to the Quietway from people living near Victoria Park – where the council was forced to withdraw its cycleway plans after overwhelming opposition. NSI chair Bob Franks said the group would prefer that Northern Slopes is made a destination, not a through route, for cyclists. He queried the need for the Quietway to pass through the Slopes at all – the NSI has suggested a route long Glyn Vale. “We are not against cyclists,” Mr Franks told the Voice – again echoing the arguments used at
Continued from Page 1 listening to worries that wider entrances for cyclists would allow youths to ride motorbikes into the park. Now, it seems barriers will be similar to the one at the St Lukes Road junction with Hill Avenue, allowing access for cyclists and the disabled, but not motorbikes. The wider barrier near the skate park at Windmill Close will be monitored to see if it causes problems. However, Forward Together is still questioning the value of the Quietway as a useful route. “There are still issues with regard to a route that is joined up – when you get to the end of Whitehouse Street it disappears,”
said the group’s Rob Porteous. “This is important because if it’s going to mean anything, it’s got to be something that stands a chance of getting people to get on a bike and cycle into town.” As revealed in the last Voice, the council is also revisiting a plan for a cycle lane and one-way traffic under the St Luke’s Road bridge. A public meeting to discuss the plans is expected to be announced within weeks. A planning application could follow in May or June, allowing time for work to start before the end of the year. Time is tight, though – the whole Quietway, from Filwood to Bedminster, must be completed by March 2018, or government funds will be lost.
Victoria Park. “If the Slopes was a destination it would be a different matter. We are against using it as a through route.” The council told the Voice that there are “no fixed plans” for the Quietway route through Northern Slopes. “Another meeting will take place soon with community groups to further discuss proposals for the route,” said a spokesperson. • Another cycle lane – a separate plan from the Filwood Quietway
– has been altered after pressure from residents in Knowle Park. Cllr Gary Hopkins said a cycle lane proposed along Airport Road to the junction of Wells Road was ”really dangerous” because it was right alongside homes on Airport Road and likely to cause problems for pedestrians and cars emerging from driveways. He expects the plan to be revised, with the cycles segregated from the pavement.
VICTORIA PARK CYCLEWAY
SLOPES CONSIDERS FUTURE OPTIONS MEMBERS of the Northern Slopes Initiative are considering what to do if the council carries out its threat to pull all parks funding by 2020. The NSI may consider taking a lease on the Slopes, chair Bob Franks told the Voice.
Some feel the Slopes does not get looked after well by the council, with a shortage of waste bins, complaints about rubbish and lack of maintenance. The NSI will consider whether it wants to take on the job but first it is asking the council for a breakdown of the cost of running the space.
Parks ‘not all expected to pay their way’ SOUTH Bristol parks won’t all be expected to raise money to keep themselves going, the council has indicated. Incredulity greeted the council’s budget plan which calls for parks funding to be reduced to zero by 2020. The plan suggests parks can generate income – for example, via charges for entry to the Balloon Fiesta at Ashton Court. But the council has now acknowledged that not all parks can generate an income. A council spokesperson said: “We are looking at how parks can raise additional revenue through hosting and providing additional events and services. Our parks and green spaces are city assets and therefore we would envisage most of the income generated would be used on a city basis, rather than each space having to fund itself. We will be engaging and consulting with the public and local communities as we move forward.”
Spring mess TO CELEBRATE the coming of spring, South Bristol Toy Library is teaming up with Happy Mess for a children’s messy play event on Saturday April 22. It’s from 10.30am-12noon at United Reformed Church Hall, corner of West Street and Stanley Street South, Bedminster. It costs £3 per child, under 1s are free. Email hello@southbristoltoylibrary.co.uk to book a place.
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April 2017
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n NEWS VILLAGES ON OUR DOORSTEP
Vale of tears? Taylor Wimpey’s idea for villages next to Long Ashton THE LARGEST housing development in the area could take place on Green Belt land outside the Bristol boundary. Several thousand homes are proposed in three new “villages” between Ashton Vale, Long Ashton and Dundry. The concept, called The Vale, is proposed by Taylor Wimpey. The developer says building on the Green Belt –which is normally forbidden – should be allowed because the site is so close to
Bristol. It’s next to the new South Bristol Link road, to cycleways and to the forthcoming Metrobus link. Schools, village shops, small business premises and community buildings would be part of the plan. No planning aplication has yet been submitted. Residents of many North Somerset villages also prefer the Vale idea – because it means the homes won’t be built on their doorstep.
THE ARENA AND HOUSING PLANS
Part of arena site to Striking: The Engine Shed2 plan saves the facade of the George & Railway hotel, but not the Grosvenor THE UNIVERSITY of Bristol is set to take over part of Arena Island in a multi-million pound deal approved by the city council. The plan for a £300 million campus, serving 3,000 students and 1,900 staff, was made several months ago and centres on the former Royal Mail sorting office next to Temple Meads station. The long-derelict building will now be demolished by the council and the entire site sold to the university – including the Wood
Recycling centre on Cattle Market Road, which will have to move. But the sale of part of Arena Island is a departure from the council’s previous plans. It was originally hoped the arena could be built by 2018 and the rest of the island used as a temporary car park while commercial developers were invited to submit plans for permanent use. The island site was granted outline planning permission a year ago for 19,000 sq m of
Easter Services All of the churches in Knowle and Totterdown will be joining together for a Walk of Witness on Good Friday at 12noon, starting at Totterdown Methodist Church, Bushy Park and walking up Wells Road, ending with a short service at St Martin’s Church. ST MARTIN’S CHURCH, Wells Road Maundy Thursday April 13 Maundy Thursday Eucharist followed by The Watch 7.30pm Good Friday April 14 10am Easter Experience for all ages 2pm The Last Hour of Devotion including the Good Friday liturgy Saturday April 15 7.30pm Service of Light Easter Sunday April 16 8.30am Said Eucharist 10.30am Sung Eucharist with activities for children and young people HOLY NATIVITY, Wells Road Maundy Thursday April 13 7.30pm Mass of the Last Supper Good Friday April 14 10.30am Stations of the Cross for Children and Adults 3pm The Liturgy of the Cross. Thinking of God’s Love for all Holy Saturday April 15 8pm The Liturgy
of the Resurrection with the first Mass of Easter and remembering our baptism in Christ. Easter Sunday April 16 10am Easter Day Mass KNOWLE METHODIST CHURCH, Redcatch Road Tuesday April 11 7pm Kyrios, a musical for Easter with an augmented choir from CTKT. Free admission Maundy Thursday April 13 7pm Passover Meal Easter Sunday April 16 10.30am Easter Celebrations with Holy Communion led by Revd Mandy Briggs TOTTERDOWN METHODIST CHURCH, Bushy Park Good Friday April 14 10.30am Worship Easter Sunday April 16 10.30am Easter Day celebrations with Holy Communion led by Revd Hilary Cooke
All of the churches in Knowle and Totterdown wish you a very happy and blessed Easter. We would love to welcome you to any of our special Easter services and events to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. TOTTERDOWN BAPTIST CHURCH, Wells Road Good Friday April 14 10.30am Meditation on the Cross Easter Sunday April 16 10.30am Easter Day Celebration 6.30pm Informal Prayer and Praise in the Parlour CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE, Broad Walk Maundy Thursday April 13 6.30pm Footwashing and Communion Good Friday April 14 10.30am Tenebrae Service Easter Sunday April 16 10.30am Praise and Celebration ST GERARD MAJELLA RC CHURCH,Talbot Hill Services not available at time of going to press. Please consult www.gerardmajellaknowle.co.uk
To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664
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THE ARENA AND HOUSING PLANS
be sold to university, not a developer MYSTERY OF THE STUDENT FLATS
Mystery: A student block is also proposed for the site of the old Grosvenor hotel. It’s claimed it’ll be built by the autumn
STUDENT flats are on sale on a prominent site near Temple Meads – apparently before any request for planning permission. The Grosvenor student block is described as “an outstanding investment” with 144 student studio rooms at £99,000 each. Completion is expected in the autumn of 2017, according to marketing details. Yet the Voice has been unable to find a planning
shops, offices, leisure facilities, a hotel and homes, including affordable housing and student accommodation. Now the arena plan is bogged down, with no contractor agreed, and completion in 2020 or later. The deal with the university gives the council some certainty that it can develop a major part of the Temple Quarter enterprise zone, which aims to attract 17,000 jobs – many in creative and digital fields – over 25 years. It’s not clear what uses the university will find for Arena Island. But its first proposal for the new campus is for a “digital innovation hub” for postgraduates, to open in a new building, probably on the sorting office site, in 2021. A year later it will open a New Business School to fill a need for graduates to combine tech skills with business knowledge. It will also build a University City Village of up to 1,185 student homes, ”spread over a number of blocks at a range of heights.” It may be that the Island will become home to the student
village – though neither the council nor the university could confirm this. An additional 2,500 homes are expected to be built elsewhere in the enterprise zone. The council will receive between £11m and £16m from the sale of land to the university. It will receive almost £1m a year in business rates – much less than the £2.3m it might get if the site was developed commercially. But the council believes the university will develop the site more quickly than any private developer. However, the council has much work to do before the land can be handed over – including removing asbestos from the Cattle Market site, and dealing with a historic burial site for cholera victims on the land. Ultimately, the finances of the project are not clear – some of the figures are kept confidential. The university is also backing the Engine Shed business incubator which hopes to take over the island site opposite Temple Meads (see above).
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application for the scheme. The site is to be the derelict Grosvenor Hotel, which campaigners want to save. The same site is earmarked for the Engine Shed2 plan, backed by the council and university (pictured on the opposite page). The Voice asked for details from London-based Grosvenor Property Developers, and Bristol sales agent Harbourside Property Group. Neither made comment.
More council homes for S Bristol THE CITY council wants to build around 140 new homes on open land in Ashton Vale, known as Alderman Moore’s allotments. About 55 of these – or 40 per cent – would be council homes available for social rents, while the rest would be sold. At Hengrove Park and Hartcliffe Campus another 1,400
Windmill Hill
homes are proposedas part of a £175m, five-year, city-wide plan. Mayor Marvin Rees made an election pledge to ensure that 2,000 homes a year are built in Bristol, 800 of them affordable. Over the last five years, fewer than 1,400 Bristol homes have been built each year, only 12 per cent affordable, or 170 a year.
Celebrate Easter at your local church
CHURCH OF CHRIST – Jesus is Alive! St John’s Lane Easter Sunday, April 16: 10am Bible Hour for all ages; 11am breaking of bread- all welcome; 2-4pm Easter Gospel Trail, Victoria Park, for children under 12; 5pm Celebration Service at our chapel, all are welcome. For details, please contact Jason 07795 560990. ST MICHAEL’S, Windmill Hill BS3 4LW April 1: Stainer’s Crucifixion – Come and Sing. Concert 7pm, Choir, open to all, meets 1.30pm. Palm Sunday, April 9: 10am Procession of Palms Maundy Thursday, April 13: 7.30pm Fish and Chip Supper, Foot-washing & Communion. Phone 977 6132 if you would like to join us. Good Friday, April 14: 10am Stations of the Cross; 10.45am Hot Cross Buns and Procession to Mrs Brown’s Cafe. Easter Sunday, April 16: 10am Easter Day Service VICTORIA PARK BAPTIST CHURCH, Sylvia Avenue Palm Sunday, April 9: 10.30am Family Service. Maundy Thursday, April 13: 7.30pm Communion and Vigil Good Friday, April 14: 10.30am Service. Easter Sunday, April 16: 8am Sunrise Service with Communion; 10.30am Family Service.
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Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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n NEWS
Knowle Golf Club Ladies Taster Sessions May & June 2017 Course situated just 1 mile from the A4 Bristol Park & Ride.
Ladies, an Invitation to
experience the game of golf! Lessons with our coaching professional James. All equipment provided. All you need is comfortable outdoor clothing, casual trousers (no Jeans) trainers or golf shoes.
May Sessions
June Sessions
Sun 7th
1.30pm
Wed 7th
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Sun 18th
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Sun 21nd
1.30pm
Wed 21nd
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Wed 24th
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Sun 25th
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Cost: Absolutely FREE An opportunity not to be missed! Excellent surroundings. Join us for a drink in the Clubhouse following the session.You are very welcome to visit the Club House anytime. For further information please contact Knowle oďŹƒce on 0117 9770660 or oďŹƒce@knowlegolfclub.co.uk. www.knowlegolfclub.co.uk Knowle Golf Club, The Fairway, Bristol, BS4 5DF
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To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664
April 2017
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n NEWS Lucky winners WIN a meal for two at ANOTHER happy winner – Bonnie Hewson was the name picked out of a bumper crop of correct entries to our competition last month to win a special heart pendant from the Bristol Blue Glass workshop in Arnos Vale. Bonnie was delighted to collect her prize from the Blue Glass showroom in the High Street. Also a winner last month was Pauline Sparkes, who says she very much enjoyed her prize of a meal with her son in The Eating Room on Wells Road. Meanwhile the Blue Glass team are gearing up for another
the UK’s No1, A cappella
Bonnie Hewson: Blue Glass prize kind of award – they have been nominated in the Creative category of the 2017 Bristol Life Awards, to be unveiled on April 27.
Residents want to save local forums PEOPLE want to save their neighbourhood forums even if the council won’t fund them. The last scheduled meetings of the council-run forums for Windmill Hill and Knowle both heard pleas for the gatherings to keep going. Drastic cuts agreed by the council mean the neighbourhoods network will lose £500,000 in 2017-18 and most of the rest of its budget within two years. This will mean the local groups will no longer be able to fund local roadworks, or make many grants to community groups. But residents agreed that the meetings are a good place to raise a host of problems with police, councillors and other officials. These range from anti-social behaviour and rubbish dumping,
to problems with council services like refuse collection, roads, pavements, trees and parks. “These sessions are a way of getting your opinions out in the open, and get feedback from the councillors,” said one resident at the Knowle forum. “Quite often if you phone a council officer, they don’t phone back.” It seems likely that minimal funds will enable the Knowle and Windmill Hill forums to meet about twice a year. The future of the neighbourhood partnership, which united the two areas together with the Filwood ward, is less certain. • Anyone interested in the forums can contact Lloyd Allen on 0117 922 4320, 07825 315628 or Lloyd.allen@bristol.gov.uk.
THERE’S been something of a pizza revolution in Bristol in the past couple of years, but none of the competition can boast the accolades that have been thrown at A cappella, the Totterdown pizzeria which opened its door on Wells Road 10 years ago this July. It’s been acclaimed for ”the best pizza in Bristol” by the Guardian, while the Bristol Good Food awards gave it Best Café status. But it won most attention when Trip Advisor voted A cappella Best Independent Pizzeria in the UK, 2013. Owners Paul and Jennifer Stewart had a simple ambition, after Paul trained in Melbourne, Australia, with a very experienced chef from Naples. “Our vision was to bring a continental café and authentic Napolitan pizza – which was something that wasn’t being done in Bristol at that time,” said Paul. “And to be top quality, friendly, and cheap. “We use the finest Italian ingredients – the mozzarella and the stoneground flour come direct from Naples.” Meat also comes from Italy. Even the coffee is Italian, roasted by the Ferrari family in Wales. Everything is made fresh: the dough is proofed for 48 hours and toppings are roasted on the go. A cappella is also two venues in one: a continental café during the day, serving a Mediterranean menu, transforming at 5pm into a Napolitan pizzeria. They took a deliberate decision not to be tempted by dreams of expansion, and to stick at being a family business doing everything
as well as they can, every day. During the couple’s 10 years in South Bristol they have had three children, and Jennifer is now a full-time mum. Paul is still in charge at the restaurant every day, where many of the 11-strong team have been working for years. A cappella is so popular there can be delays getting pizzas delivered at busy times. But Paul always wants to under-promise, and then over-deliver. Regular customers will know it’s one of A cappella’s hallmarks: “It’s always better to promise a delay of 40 minutes, and then to deliver in 30!” • acappellas.co.uk
WIN A MEAL AT A CAPPELLA
TO CELEBRATE A cappella’s 10th birthday, one lucky reader can win a meal for two worth £25. This value can be spent as you wish, on pizzas for delivery or to eat in. We’ll pick a winner at random from all the correct answers to this question: What’s the name of A cappella’s coffee supplier? Answers by April 16, with your name, address and phone number, to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or 18 Lilymead Avenue, BS4 2BX.
Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
An exclusive development of 2 semi detached 3 bedroom homes in the heart of Southville blending a traditional façade with a high quality contemporary finish. Both homes have a fantastic master bedroom suite and a 20 kitchen/dining space opening onto its south west facing garden. One has the rare advantage of a detached 280sq studio – suitable for a variety of uses.
W O E NG SH OM HI H C N UN OO LA S
n NEWS
DEVELOPMENTS BRISTOL
Register your interest now by contacting Ocean 0117 946 9832 / landandnewhomes@oceanhome.co.uk To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664
April 2017
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n NEWS Find help with eating disorders DO YOU have trouble controlling the way you eat? Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is a 12-step recovery programme for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, under-
eating or bulimia. Meetings are held at 6.30pm each Monday at Totterdown Baptist Church, Wells Road. For more details, call 07886 545228. • www.foodaddicts.org
It’s going to be really a-mazing Malago clean-up turns into a plan for a massive maze IT’S GOING to be a big transformation – from what was a field of overgrown weeds last year, to a maze full of edible fruit. That’s the plan for the Malago Greenway, the patch of land next to the River Malago leading off Brixham Road, which used to be uncared for and full of rubbish. Now it looks like a different place. And if funds can be raised, it could be turned into a Berry Maze. Plans drawn up with the help of children from Parson Street primary school envisage 200 plants with 16 types of berries. It will have benches to sit on, and residents will be able to help themselves to fruit. Organiser Raluca McKett said: “It’s a huge project and we will need lots of volunteers, but the council’s parks department have given their approval and £300 has been raised through the kind contribution of house
builder Redrow, and National Tool Hire have offered to lend us tools free of charge. “However, with a budget of around £3,500 we are far from the target!” If the money can be raised, and volunteers found to help, it’s hoped the maze could open in June 2018. Residents and businesses who’d like to show support can email malagocommunity@gmail.com. To help with crowdfunding, visit the webpage below. It was only last year that volunteers first got together and began regular clean-up days. A big effort on March 11 saw huge piles of rubbish collected from the open space, Somer Lane and the banks of the Malago. Raluca praised the efforts of locals as well as “the lovely people from Good Gym” – the Bristol group of keep-fit fanatics who are not content with going out for a run but like to find some community work to do when they stop. She also thanked Greggs and East Street Fruit & Vegetable Market for contributing food to the volunteers. • spacehive.com/the-berry-maze
EXCITING JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN CARE Find local jobs for local people Contact us admin@silvacare.org.uk 01179642828
Take five: Ruth marks the fifth day of her 100-day charity event in memory of her dad, Rod
Ruth’s running for Rod RUTH Drury has devoted herself to a 100-day challenge to keep her father’s memory alive. Ruth, who’s the Voice sales executive, lost her father Rod Chapman in January. He died aged only 62 from heart disease. Ruth, her two children, husband Dave, mum Bev and sister Liz, were left with a terrible sense of loss as the death of Rod, or Pop as he was known to his grandchildren, was completely unexpected. Not one to sit still, Ruth is now several weeks in to her big challenge, to run 100 miles in aid of the British Heart Foundation. “My dad’s heart couldn’t be saved, but others’ can be,” said Ruth. “The plan is to run one
mile a day for 100 days, finishing on what would have been Dad’s 63rd birthday – June 7. Dad enjoyed jogging in Victoria Park every morning. The money can go to help develop treatments to save others from heart disease. “Dad died very suddenly and it’s a terrible time for us all but I want to put all my grief in to making him so proud.” Already Ruth has hundreds of pounds pledged from family and friends. Rod had lived in Park Avenue, Victoria Park, for nearly 40 years and was well known to many people locally, not least at Victoria Park Baptist Church where he was a deacon. • justgiving.com/fundraising/ Runningforrod
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April 2017
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A stroll through Window Wanderland The imagination on show in Windmill Hill on March 3 and 4 was just amazing – here are some of our favourites
A wonderful tree for climbing ...
This window is a rabbit warren ...
While this is a familiar cityscape ...
Fronds and salamanders here.
A visit from the Wizard of Oz ...
This house became an ants’ nest ...
And beware who lives here!
Now supporting Children’s Hospice South West
Emma Vincent and Lisa Pearson
Grimsted Phil Marsh, James right, Vicki Kittlety, Sales – from left to ay lw Sa Dibble and Chloe (Director), Louise
MEET THE TEAM!
Lettings – Emma Vin
cent and Lisa Pearson
Come in and discuss your property needs over a coffee!
OUR HEAD OFFICE IS ON YOUR Temple Meads DOORSTEP at 148 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AG
Three Lamps junction
Bath Road
GREENWOODS Wells Road
Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
Wills, Trusts + Probate
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
When’s the best time to write your Will? There’s never an ideal time to write a Will. But changing circumstances mean there’s a natural time for you to start planning for the future. Angela Thomas of Barcan+Kirby’s Wills + probate team looks at some of the life events that might trigger the need for you to make or update your Will. You’ve moved in together It’s not uncommon for joint homeowners to be unmarried. But that makes it doubly important that you protect your financial interests, as well as those of your partners. It’s a common misconception that your share of the property will automatically pass to your partner if you die. This is because the law of intestacy – or dying without a valid Will in place – doesn’t recognise cohabitation in the same way it recognises marriage.
Your relationship has changed
Your Will is probably the most important legal document you’ll ever own. You’ve had children
Life changes don’t get much bigger than this! Every parent needs a Will, which is why having children is often the driving force behind couples making their first Will or updating an existing one.
Life circumstances alter periodically and relationship changes are commonplace. Have you married, divorced (and remarried) or become a grandparent? If so, you may need to update your Will.
As well as appointing guardians to care for your child should anything happen to both parents, you can also invest money in trust in preparation for adulthood or to make provision for higher education.
As well as adding beneficiaries to your estate, you can also remove people if your relationship with them has ended.
Changes in your assets Throughout our lives our personal wealth can go up as well as down. If the value of your assets or estate
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Regular check ups It never hurts to review your Will on a regular basis. It’s a living document and will change as you and your individual circumstances do. Your Will is probably the most important legal document you’ll ever own. But without one, the courts will decide how your estate will be distributed and it’s very likely that this won’t be as you intended. Barcan+Kirby has six offices across Bristol and Gloucestershire and a team of solicitors experienced in all areas of Wills, trusts and probate. Professional advice, simply stated.
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n NEWS
Rollo Homes promises social housing – and consultation DEVELOPER Rollo Homes has defended its plan for 217 flats, in buildings of up to 10 storeys, at Bedminster Green. In a lengthy response to a list of questions from the Voice, a spokesperson for Rollo said: • It accepts criticism about lack of consultation; • The scheme will contain up to 20 per cent social housing; • Rollo will release its site viability study. The fightback comes after a wave of opposition to the plan, with more than 200 objections to the planning application. Paul O’Brien, the Bedminsterbased builder who owns Rollo Homes, told the Voice his plans had local interests at heart. “We’re local born and bred and our roots are firmly embedded in the BS3 local economy,” he said. Rollo was answering local demand by including 99 one-bed flats in the scheme, he said. It also removed shops from the ground floor so as not to compete with East Street. “Being a local developer, we’ll still be here long after the national developers have gone. We also plan to contribute to the new infrastructure, and we will be sharing proposals and listening to local residents in the not too distant future,” he said. However, his spokesperson accepted that criticism of a lack of consultation “may be justified”. The community will be consulted “if and when” Rollo revises the plan after talking to council officials. Following that, the firm will also share its site viability study, justifying its claim that the site isn’t profitable enough for more social housing. Rollo said its figures show a 17 per cent return over three years, when lenders usually require a 20 per cent profit. In a statement, Windmill Hill community group WHaM said: “Rollo Homes have failed completely to consult with the local community, which they now appear to admit, therefore failing to comply with Bristol city council’s Statement of Community Involvement. At WHaM’s recent public meeting, not one person of the 100 present
Rollo plan: “Meeting local need” raised their hand when asked if they had been consulted about the Pring site. All but three of 217 comments on the council website oppose the application, which shows that the local community totally rejects this plan. “Residents have raised many concerns such as the featureless ground floor, green spaces or parking, but Rollo Homes rather arrogantly refuses to address any of these. The developers would do well to read WHaM’s community brief, which was drawn up after extensive consultation.” WHaM urged residents to continue to register their comments with the council. The Rollo plan for the former Pring & St Hill factory is the first to be submitted for Bedminster Green. Another developer, Urbis, has drawn up a framework for the entire site, envisaging 800 homes, a rebuilt Bedminster station, a health centre and other community benefits. Rollo declined to contribute to the framework benefits, though Urbis said all the other developers it has lined up for the area will do so. Rollo said it will pay a Community Infrastructure Levy, which contributes to neighbourhood projects. Rollo and Urbis are also at odds because both are proposing
a district energy centre to provide heat and power for local homes. Rollo’s energy plan has drawn several detailed queries from the council’s sustainability office, which the firm said would be “answered fully”. The firm is in talks about providing up to 20 per cent of the homes on the site for shared ownership under the government Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme. Meanwhile Windmill Hill Labour councillor Jon Wellington has joined the list of objectors to the plan. Calling it “a damaging proposal”, he cited complaints that the “unpleasant standalone tower” would rob light from Windmill Hill residents, especially in Cotswold Road, Mendip Road and Eldon Terrace. He also criticised the lack of consultation.
New place to get creative SOUTH Bristol drama company Brave Bold Drama are moving into a new home, and they’d like other creative folk to share it. Brave Bold, who stage innovative children’s shows (the last one was the award-winning Alf the Highwayman), are leasing a building in Queens Road, Withywood. It has several rooms and a rehearsal space, and could suit children’s workshops, adult classes, music lessons, or children’s parties. To find out more email bristolcreative workspace@gmail.com
Jewel of a class FREE workshops in jewellery making are on offer at Filwood Green Business Park. Starting in April, the sessions are for over16s on Thursdays from 10am1pm. Details from Knowle West Media Centre on 0117 403 2306.
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n WEDDING GUIDE   Advertisement feature
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n FEATURES
Green roofs
A green roof is not just a pretty sight – it may keep your house warmer, says Alex Morss
I
MAGINE Bristol’ s concrete canopy transformed – satellite dishes robbed of their lofty limelight by emerald jewels of sedums, summer meadow flowers and waves of silken grasses, swaying on our roof tops. What a difference it would make, if we planted a green cloak on all those ugly, terraced slabs of boredom that keep us dry, and multiplied this across the city? There would be more birdsong to cheer up the hum of traffic, while at twilight we would see amazing acrobatic displays by hungry bats. And conservationists might start telling us some good news - that urban pollinators are, for once, starting to do better, thanks to all the extra nectar and pockets of lush habitat. A green roof is not just about looking pretty and wildlife gain. It gets environmentalists cheering for an impressive list of other reasons too (see box). And our former Green Capital is predicted to see the concept take off, big time, from now onwards, as the wider benefits are realised by planners and designers, eager to tick boxes to meet environmental rules. Bedminster heralded the way back in 1995, when botanist David Bellamy opened the grassy roof on the GreenHouse - the Federation of City Farm HQ, below Windmill Hill. More recently, prominent public buildings have started following suit, to comply with new policies. Now, city home owners and businesses are also catching on. The GreenHouse was designed by Walter Segal as a low-energy, eco building. The roof was planted with local wild flowers liked by bees, butterflies, birds and other fauna. The Federation’s assistant director, Ian Egginton-Metters, said the roof is still going strong, 22 years on, with zero maintenance. He recalls: “I watered it twice in the first summer, which was a very dry year, but think it would have survived anyway. I cut the grass in the second year, but just the once. Some couch grass has invaded, but in general it has
Above: The City Farms building, Bedminster.
PICTURE: Federation of City Farms
Left, James Fiddick on one of the university’s green roofs. He has tried several, including flower meadows PICTURE: Alex Morss
Why your roof is the new place to grow settled to a mixture that suits that particular environment. “Apart from inserting a few plug plants in the first spring to increase diversity we have not forced any change. What is there is natural for that local environment, with birds depositing seeds, and it gives a wonderful range of colour and height throughout the year.” Mr Egginton-Metters says the environmental benefits have been ‘ very significant’ and he highly recommends green roofs. “They can often be no more expensive in general than so called ‘ conventional’ roofs, but offer greater insulation, reduce run-off, absorb air pollutants, create new wildlife habitats and are more pleasing to the eye.” Albert Adams, of Eastonbased carpentry firm Peddler on the Roof, has been busy greening up Bristol’s front yards for two years by building bike shelters using recycled wood, topped by sedums. Mr Adams said sedums are the most popular plants: “They are shallow-rooted and work well on small shelters,” he explained.
“It would be interesting to do other wild flowers but you would need a stronger structure and more soil.” The evergreen sedums are as tough as boots, thriving on neglect in harsh, dry environments. They offer year-round colour and an attractive flush of pink and yellow blooms in summer. They provide a rich nectar source for
pollinators if mixed with certain wildflower species. A green roof can be home to many species, including rare beetles and bugs, many other invertebrates, and can be food sources for birds and bats. There are different types of green roof, with varying habitats and varying water storage and energy saving qualities. Sedum roof designs are typically low maintenance, cheapest and lightweight. Stronger structures offer more planting choices and potentially better wildlife value. The University of Bristol has green roofs on five buildings, including the new Life Sciences building opened by Sir David Attenborough. Grounds manager James Fiddock, told the Voice: “There is potential to see a huge amount of them appearing in the city, because of the need for point scoring to comply with sustainability rules, especially at the university because we want to get our buildings rated at an excellent standard.”
BENEFITS OF GREEN ROOFS 1. Energy use Green roofs help insulate your home. 2. Flooding They retain up to 80% of rainfall, reducing run-off. 3. Less damage The plants protect the roof membrane from UV rays and ice, trebling its life. 4. Noise They reduce noise pollution, indoors and out. 5. Carbon sink They capture and reduce carbon emissions. 6. Air quality By reflecting more sunlight, they offset the urban ‘heat island’ effect, and cut ozone. 7. Biodiversity A new habitat. • thegreenroofcentre.co.uk
Can you help our children read? We need adult volunteers to hear children reading at Christ the King RC Primary School in Knowle West. Individual attention really helps children learn to enjoy books! To find out more call 0117 966 4844 or email mrs.higgins@ctk.education
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n NEWS Get to Knowle you better HERE’S advance notice of a day of guided walks exploring Knowle, starting with a display of old prints and photographs of the area at Knowle library in the Broadwalk shopping centre. The event has been organised by the library and Bristol South Skyline Walk. It’s on Saturday May 6, with the photos on view at 11am and the walks starting off at 11.30am. The short walk goes from the library to Arnos Vale cemetery and park, and along the New Cut to Temple Meads. The medium walk goes to Redcatch Park, Perretts Park and Victoria Park to Temple Meads. The long walk also passes through Redcatch and Perretts parks to Northern Slopes, Malago Greenway and Victoria Park, and back to Temple Meads. Details from John Scott at jesscott@blueyonder.co.uk or from Knowle library. • bssw.org.uk
Free tryout of a sport for all EASTER marks the beginning of summer – and for many people in Knowle and surrounding areas, it also means the beginning of the bowling season. And to celebrate, Knowle Bowling Club is offering free coaching to anyone who thinks they might enjoy the game. The club marks a new chapter in its 108-year history this year as the ladies’ section, formed in 1999, becomes fully merged with the main club. Knowle Bowling Club is one of the oldest in the Somerset area and has arguably the best green in Bristol. It has won the Bristol and the Somerset Cups on several occasions. Bowls is often seen as a sport for the retired, but that’s no longer true – an increasing number of teenagers and younger adults are taking up the game, said club president Keith Howell. “The trend over the last 20 years has been for more younger players to take up the game.
All summer long: Knowle Bowls Club is active almost every day Teenagers especially are learning bowls and becoming very competitive,” said Mr Howell. Many members join after giving up sports like football or hockey, and anyone who can hold a bowl and get it to the other end of the green is made welcome. There is a full fixture list from
mid April till end of September. Ladies play on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and there are mixed games during the summer on Sundays and some evenings. The men’s section play many friendly matches on Saturdays and Wednesdays. They also play league matches on Friday and Saturday afternoons and Thursday evenings. The club enters national, Somerset, and Bristol and District Cup competitions. Members also have a variety of inter-club competitions to enjoy. Matches are rarely cancelled as members all have wetsuits for the occasional shower of rain. The club has a new clubhouse with a well-stocked bar and a kitchen. The old clubhouse has been converted into spacious changing rooms. Social activities in the winter help fund the club – from weekly bingo nights and a meat draw, alongside race nights, quizzes and cabaret evenings.
PLAY LAWN GREEN BOWLS AT KNOWLE BOWLS CLUB With summer almost here, 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. Why not have a try and see how much fun you get? 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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n FOCUS WEST OF ENGLAND ELECTION SPECIAL
Another new mayor – but who will get the West’s vote? IT’S THE election no-one asked for – so how well will it be supported? The new position of metro mayor for the West of England will be decided by a vote across the region on May 4. Unlike the position of Bristol’s mayor, this post wasn’t created by popular demand. Bristol people voted – narrowly – to have a new mayor with wider powers over the city in a referendum in 2012. This led to the election of George Ferguson in 2012 and Marvin Rees in 2016. But the decision on whether to have a metro mayor was instead left to the local authorities in the area. Last year, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councillors backed the plan. North Somerset did not, and will not be part of the new West of England Combined Authority – which will probably become known as Weca. The absence of North
Metro mayor will have power over housing, planning and transport Somerset immediately weakens the case for Weca, it can be argued. The purpose of the authority is to oversee major issues for the region – transport, housing and employment. North Somerset has always been part of discussions on these issues with the other three councils. Now it will be left out of Weca. And with calls for major housing development in North Somerset’s Green Belt just outside Bristol (see page 10), this may be one area where the new metro mayor finds themself lacking in influence. So what will
Tim Bowles Conservative Manager at global events company, district councillor; president, Bristol & South Gloucestershire Conservative Association
A
S A local community campaigner, I’m passionate about our region and that’s why I’m standing to be the first West of England Mayor. I’ve combined a successful business career with public service as a local councillor over the last 14 years and I want to use my skills, experience and determination to make our region even better. Our community is a great place to live with a growing economy and new jobs. But success brings demand for more housing - and transport infrastructure is just not keeping up. Local people want to see further improvements to transport and they want to be able to get on the housing ladder more easily. If elected, I will adopt a better approach to development – so the right homes are built in
Weca be able to do? It will have £30 million a year to spend and several new powers devolved from the Government. • It will be able to set up franchised bus services, for example, giving it more influence over bus companies than councils have at present. This will require an Act of Parliament, however, so won’t happen quickly. • It will have broader powers over transport – including responsibility for a Key Route Network of local roads. • On rail, it will be expected to assess the need for new routes – possibly building stations itself. • It will set targets for housebuilding, and agree where major developments should be. • It will draw up a regional strategy for housing and planning – and it will be able to “call in” planning applications where they are of importance to the whole region. Some of this Continued on page 25
ON THESE PAGES 23-27 Candidates’ statements in alphabetical order by surname 23-25 What the new role of metro mayor will mean 25
New mayor – the powers and responsiblities
WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES AND WHAT ARE THEIR ODDS? Stephen Williams Lib Dem 11/10 Tim Bowles Conservative 11/10 Lesley Mansell Labour 6/1 Darren Hall Green 50/1 Aaron Foot UKIP 100/1 John Savage Independent* N/A *No odds declared for john Savage at press time • Odds from ladbrokes.com ELECTION FEVER Bristol voters have had five elections in the last two years – voting for councillors in 2015 and 2016, for MPs in 2015, for the city mayor in 2016, and for the police and crime commissioner in 2016. How many will turn out for this one on May 4? After this, no elections are planned until 2020.
Aaron Foot UKIP Dairy farmer, parish councillor. Candidate in 2015 Police and Crime Commissioner election.
the right places, protecting our green spaces and prioritising urban regeneration. I’m also determined to make transport a priority like a new station at Henbury and Horfield, speeding up the Portway Park and Ride station, and increased services from Sea Mills and Shirehampton stations. The West of England mayor can make a real difference to the lives of people in the West with nearly £1 billion of extra Government money and key powers over housing, transport, the economy and jobs. But we need a strong local voice to champion our region, we need a mayor who can work with our Government, local MPs and Councillors to get things done instead of using the role to score political points.
A
S YOUR local UKIP Candidate for the West of England metro mayor, I have three commitments. Firstly, as a farmer, I understand the vast importance of the Green Belt and thus I do not want to see our nation stripped of its prime agricultural land and natural wildlife habitats. This is why I will fight hard to prevent our countryside becoming swamped by over-development, as our countryside must be preserved to be enjoyed by future generations. I will also pledge to get the Bristol and Bath gridlock sorted once and for all. This will be achieved by ending the war on motorists and implementing an integrated transport network where bus, train and road user all work together. Finally, I want to be the voice that represents you, the public, this is why in the first 100 days
in office, I will create a direct democracy platform so we can shape the West of England together. This will be done so that we can all champion change. For many people within the new combined authority, choosing the region’s first metro mayor will be an important decision. Therefore it’s crucial that come May 4, voters aren’t restricted to choosing between a selection of career politicians that are almost indistinguishable from one another. With me on the ballot, they’ll have the opportunity to vote for someone completely different. People elected for UKIP are able to stand up for their constituents free from the bounds of the party whip. My focus will be to deliver the people’s wishes.
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Lesley Mansell
n WEDDING GUIDE   Advertisement feature
for Metro Mayor My key pledges to you are to: Build more social housing and affordable homes. Create better jobs, training opportunities and apprenticeships. Provide reliable, green and accessible transport. Secure the best business deal for the region, including rolling out high-speed internet. Promote green energy policies and protect our beautiful countryside.
I am standing for election because I want to change the way things are done. My vision is to ensure everyone in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire can share equally in our region’s success. I want devolution to work for the many, not the few. I will put people first. mansell4mayor.org @MansellForMayor www.facebook.com/MansellForMayor 07955 619 632
Vote
Thursday 4 May Promoted by Pete Daw on behalf of Lesley Mansell, both of Tony Benn House, Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6AY.
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n FOCUS WEST OF ENGLAND ELECTION SPECIAL Continued from page 23 will mean taking powers – and money – from the local councils. Weca is expected to attract businesses to the region, and help make sure workers have the right skills – for this purpose, it will have powers over adult education. It will also design a Work and Health programme to help the long term unemployed CAN I VOTE? Only if you are on the register of electors. To vote on May 4, you must register by April 13. Visit • bristol.gov.uk/votingelections/register-to-vote WILL BRISTOL LOSE SOME OF ITS POWERS? Possibly. The idea is that the “Devo Deal” wil devolve powers from central government to local level. But some of Weca’s powers for public transport, roads and planning are currently controlled by town halls. It remains to be seen how much influence Bristol, and its city mayor, will retain. WHAT ABOUT OVERSIGHT? Each of the three member councils will appoint a member to a Weca scrutiny committee.
The new leader’s powers with health and disability issues. Whoever the new mayor is, they will have to co-operate. The new authority is led by the metro mayor, with the other members being the mayor of Bristol and the leaders of the Bath and South Gloucestershire councils. One of
THE DEVO DEAL: FACTS • The West of England Combined Authority – Weca – will have a £900 million budget over 30 years – worth £30m a year. • It covers Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset (BaNES), and South Gloucestershire. The three councils will continue with most of their duties – for schools, social services, waste collection and so on. • Weca will have powers over issues that affect the whole region – transport, housing and skills. Previously these decisions were made in Whitehall. Some powers will overlap with the local councils. • With a population of over one million people, an economy worth over £31 billion a year and over
Darren Hall Green Director of social enterprise company and not-for profit events company. Parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, 2015
I
GREW up in Gloucestershire and lived in the Bristol area for the last 15 years. After graduating from Swansea University as a mechanical engineer, I joined the RAF as an engineering officer. Later I undertook a Masters in Business and worked in public services in a number of roles spanning crime and drugs, culture and media and sport. I was the national spokesperson for the Frank drugs campaign and supported Gloucestershire’s recovery from 2007’s flooding. I spent five years working with Bristol city council, running the Bristol Green Capital Partnership, and led the team that won the European Green Capital Award. Over 20 years, I have become more active in campaigning on environmental issues and despite my reservations, I was persuaded to enter politics. I ran as the Green party’s Bristol
these council leaders will be appointed deputy metro mayor. Some decisions will have to be unanimous – the “spatial development strategy”, or regional plan, will have to be agreed by all the leaders. Other decisions can be by majority vote.
43,000 businesses, the West of England is one of the UK’s most prosperous regions. • Weca will work with partners including the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, North Somerset council and others, to deliver economic growth for the region. • The authority members are Cllr Tim Warren, leader of BaNES, Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, and Cllr Matthew Riddle, leader of South Gloucestershire. • Weca’s first public meeting took place on March 1 at the Watershed in Bristol. It’s not been decided where the new authority will be based.
WHERE CAN I MEET THE CANDIDATES? • Transport debate, 6pm, April 3, Bristol & Bath Science Park BS16 7FR. Register at Eventbrite: search West of England metro mayor. • Lib Dem candidate Stephen Williams will be at Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle, at 7pm on April 10. • European hustings, 7pm, April 10, BAWA, Filton BS34 7RG. • BBC Points West debate (televised) 6-8pm, April 19, tbc. • Women’s question time, 7pm, April 24; email info@ bristolwomensvoice.org.uk. • Sustainability hustings, 6.30pm, April 25, Priory Road Lecture Theatre, University of Bristol. Book a place by emailing contact@ bristolgreencapital.org • westofengland-ca.org.uk WILL THERE BE ANY MORE CANDIDATES? Possibly – nominations close on April 4 and the official list of candidates is unveiled on April 5. A THREE-MAYOR TOWN Bristol will have three mayors after the poll (see Intro, p2). Too many? Only a referendum could remove one of the roles.
Lesley Mansell Labour NHS manager and trade union negotiator. Parish councillor, former town council leader
West MP, achieving 23 per cent of the vote, a close second to Labour. During the campaign I saw how the Green party’s vision and messages of hope connected with residents fed up with the hollow promises from the “greenest government ever”. As metro mayor, I can improve the lives of thousands who live and work in the West of England by investing in better public transport, affordable housing, and jobs that pay a living wage. We must do more to provide people with meaningful work and investing in people. We have the opportunity to be a world leader in the smart cities agenda, creating a strong local economy that protects and regenerates the natural resources which we all enjoy.
M
y vision is to ensure everyone in the West of England can share equally in our region’s success. The metro mayor is a new role and a chance to change the way things are done. I will put people first, working hard to get the best out of the three local authorities so devolution works for the many, not the few. This election presents an opportunity for us to tackle the inequalities of our housing market, the insecurity of our jobs market and to end the frustrations of our journeys across Bristol. After the election I will meet with the leaders of the local authorities about their housing plans, where they plan to build, when and how many. I want to see more social and affordable housing being built, focusing on the areas of greatest need. We have already seen in Bristol what can be done when
there is the will to build houses. I will work closely with Marvin Rees to replicate Labour’s success across the region. It can take me two hours to drive the 24 miles to work, so I have first hand experience of Bristol’s gridlock. Too many of our roads, buses and trains are over-crowded, with congestion damaging our local economy and air quality. One solution is to encourage employers to allow staff to work from home more often. I will push for improved broadband in all areas. Imagine the difference to our congestion and air quality if commuters stayed at home one day a week. The West of England needs a Labour metro mayor to champion the fight against the region’s inequalities.
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for Regional Mayor New rail stations, more frequent trains, night buses & capped fares Affordable homes to buy and rent, protecting precious green belt Against a damaging Hard Brexit
1st choice for Regional Mayor on 4th May
Bookies make Lib Dems favourite for Metro Mayor Bookmakers Ladbrokes have made Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Williams an early favourite in the West of England Metro Mayor election on 4th May.
Lib Dems: EVENS Conservative: 11/10 Labour: 7/1 Green: 50/1
UKIP: 100/1
It’s a two horse race between Stephen Williams and the Conservatives
Prices correct as of 15th March 2017
www.stephenwilliams.org.uk Published and promoted by Daniel Kelly on behalf of Stephen Williams (Liberal Democrats), both at 31 James St West, Bath, BA1 2BT.
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n FOCUS WEST OF ENGLAND ELECTION SPECIAL John Savage Independent Chairman of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust and executive chairman of Bristol Chamber of Commerce
T
independent candidate for this election and draw upon my vast experience of partnership working – with government, local government, businesses and charities – to bolster the status of the West of England and champion it as the best place to live and work. In our region businesses, charities and academia lead the way globally. The local political system is not supported and has little inclination for long term planning. We must compete with other city regions in the UK, in Europe and beyond if we are to maintain and improve the golden opportunity of our place. We cannot afford the complacency of the past. The role of metro mayor is for someone who can match the ambitions of every sector and get the job done.
HE election of a metro mayor for the West of England is an exciting opportunity to take our region forward. London has benefitted from the strategic leadership of its mayor. Now we will have the same powers and new sources of money so that we can make the big decisions locally. The new metro mayor will be able to invest in the economy, with £120 million available in the first four years. I will invest in cheap start-up space for new businesses and social enterprises. I want to encourage tech and digital entrepreneurs, the fast-growing industries of the future. I will also support those businesses that are developing a low carbon, sustainable economy. I will lead trade delegations to bring more jobs to our area, building a world recognised brand for Bristol and Bath. I will set aside land for new homes that are affordable for
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purchase and rent, safeguarding the green belt. I will use new powers to regulate bus providers, enabling a common method of cashless payment. This will cut journey times and improve air quality. I will reopen rail stations, starting with Ashley Down, Charfield and Saltford. I will work with our county neighbours to bring more rail improvements and a new tram link to Bristol Airport. This is a big job, needing someone with the right mix of political experience, personal skills and good ideas. I am the only candidate to have served as a minister in the government, as well as an MP and councillor. This knowledge and experience enables me to make the case to the Government for even more resources and powers.
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m be ra nd 21st January
O
N May 4, we enter a new phase of devolution that will profoundly change the way that our region is run. I have lived in the West of England for the last 40 years and for the first time in my life I see the possibility of a real shift in power from Westminster to local people. This is an unprecedented opportunity and it is essential that we do not waste it. We need a leader who can work across the three local authorities; someone who will not be bound by bureaucracy nor party interests. This is not the time to be divisive, but to unite the West of England around a common purpose and, in doing so, truly let this region reach its full potential. The West of England’s mayor must use their position to facilitate co-operation between the local authorities for the good of all. I intend to stand as an
Stephen Williams Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West, 2005-2015. Local government minister, 20132015
Friday Knowle NEW CLASS PLUS new From Feb 3 book easy-start Filwood Community Centre of menus Co Barnstaple Road, Knowle e BS4 1JP un ec tdo 9.30amwn between 25th D Tel: Kim 07920 023170 Saturday Bedminster Salvation Army Dean Lane, Bedminster BS3 1BS 9am Tel: Susan 07711 388511
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Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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n NEWS
Free pain consultation for Voice readers A SOUTH Bristol back pain specialist is offering Voice readers an exclusive care offer worth £45. The Bristol Back Pain Clinic, at Paintworks in Bath Road, is offering a free assessment and diagnosis, for which it usually charges £45, to the first 25 Voice readers who apply by April 30. Readers must quote “South Bristol Voice” when booking. Once this offer has expired, the clinic is also offering £20 off a consultation and treatment – see the advertisement below. The clinic treats headaches and migraine, shoulder and arm
pain, hip and knee pain; osteoarthritis, and pain during pregnancy and childcare. It’s also reaching out to people who may be suffering because they work at computers. New research from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) has revealed that computers are the top tech back pain trigger for people in the South West, with more than a third (35 per cent) of those surveyed having experienced back or neck pain after using their laptop, and 27 per cent after using a desktop computer. As part of Chiropractic
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Awareness Week, from April 10-16, Harry Kauntze, chiropractor and director at the Bristol Back Pain Clinic, is urging people to take a break from their tech. Despite these figures, just 14 per cent of people in the South West have limited or stopped using their laptop due to concerns for their back and neck health or posture. Mr Kauntze said: “We all know how easy it is to become glued to your tech. However, it’s important to think about the impact this is having on back and neck health, as well as our posture. “Think about limiting the
amount of time you spend using it, and start building regular breaks into your day so you can give your back a rest.” For tips on looking after your back while using computers, see • chiropractic-uk.co.uk/ straighten-up-uk/ • Offer valid until April 30 at the Bristol Back Pain Clinic at The Paintworks (4.23), Bath Road, Bristol, BS4 3EH or at the Southville Clinic at 68 Coronation Road, Bristol, BS3 1AS for new patients only. Please quote South Bristol Voice. Call 0117 972 3518 or visit • bristolbackpain.com
Costa told it can’t come to the Broadwalk; there’s nowhere for deliveries COSTA will not be allowed to open a café in Wells Road, Knowle – disappointing many residents who posted on social media about how they were looking forward to the arrival of the coffee chain. Planning officers have told Costa that its chosen site – the former Britannia building society close to the traffic lights at the Broad Walk junction – won’t be safe for deliveries and waste collections. The road has no parking and no loading or unloading restrictions and to lift them would be against planning policies, they said. “The restrictions are in place to provide protection to the junction in order to maintain safe visibility for pedestrians and other road users. There is no justification for allowing the unit to operate in a manner which contradicts the restrictions,” said
a council report. It’s not clear whether Costa will appeal, but it appears to be a significant obstacle to any firm wanting to use the former building society for any purpose that requires regular deliveries. The unit has been empty since early 2014. Costa wanted a café with 50 seats at 18 tables. No cooking facilities were proposed – the only hot food on offer would have been heated sandwiches. News that Costa wanted to move to Knowle attracted fierce debate on social media with more than 100 comments. Many complained about the arrival of a corporate chain instead of an independent coffee house. But others claimed it would help bring life to the Broadwalk area. In February Costa was refused a separate application for two illuminated signs on the unit.
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April 2017
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LETTERS No one wins from hostility I WAS disappointed in the tone of a recent letter regarding the Filwood Quietway (Why Should Cyclists Prevail?, March 2017). One of the strengths of the FOG/ Forward Together Campaign was that it was not crudely anti-cycling, and instead offered a reasoned case as to why the proposals surrounding Victoria Park needed reconsideration (I disagreed with their conclusions, for the record). By contrast, language such as “extreme pro-cycling lobby” and reference to the “self-anointed halos” of cyclists is regretful and unhelpful. As a cyclist I readily admit that there is an element of self-righteousness among some of my two-wheeled comrades. But in a city with poor air quality, ever-present congestion, and a creaking public transport network, encouraging cycling is surely a no-brainer. The only way we can improve the above issues is to take cars off the road, and for medium-length commuter journeys walking is rarely an option. As to the number of cyclists in Filwood, such schemes aim to increase numbers of cyclists as well as cater for
Send letters to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk or to 18 Lilymead Ave, BS4 2BX
current needs. No one benefits when pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers form hostile camps. A little more understanding and respect on both sides would go a long way to addressing the reluctance that always seems to greet proposals for better cycling infrastructure. Harry Wood, Knowle
Cyclists are not the problem THE LETTER from MB of Windmill Hill about cycling in Victoria Park shows all the worst features of the Filwood Opposition Group’s bigotry and propagandist nonsense. People who cycle are not asking for special treatment, as is claimed. MB is simply creating a false position in order to attack it and demonise people who cycle. People who cycle are fully entitled to cycle through Victoria Park, as with any park in Bristol. This is a shared common space, paid for through common taxation. The existing paths are narrow and have given rise to conflicts between dog owners with long leads and people on bicycles. The real problem is not people who cycle, it is the aggressive attitude of a minority (note) of selfish dog-owners who
claim “ownership” of the park. I have news for them: it is not yours. It is owned by all and shared. A wider path, as proposed, will be better for all concerned because it will mean more space for everyone, whatever their mode of transport. And contrary to what some may think, the park is not “owned” by immediate residents – it is a shared public space. MB’s blatant bigotry and intolerance has no place in civilised discourse. The comments say nothing about people who cycle but reveal a great deal of MB’s prejudices and ignorance. People who cycle will continue to use the park, and enjoy it, as others do, hopefully with improved facilities. JW, Windmill Hill
Charge for entry to parks? I AGREE with the letter-writer FR of Knowle that the city parks cannot pay for themselves. Budget cuts mean there are serious questions over maintenance of Victoria Park. One possible solution would be to charge people for entrance, with perhaps a discount allowed for people who live in the immediate locality. This could
POLICE REPORT With your help, we’ll clamp down on vehicle crime
W
E’RE seeing a spate of vehicle crime in and around Windmill Hill and Totterdown at the moment, particularly overnight. We’ve made some good arrests in other areas on the back of phone calls from people spotting suspicious behaviour so please, if you see someone hanging around looking into vehicles or trying doors, call us immediately. We’ll do our best to attend, find them and check them out. The more detailed the description you give, the better.
29
Some of the PCSOs have run some small operations to enforce the No Entry at the junction of Cambridge Street and Oxford Street in Totterdown which, if you live locally, you’ll know is a huge bugbear. One local resident told us the problem was so bad he couldn’t even get out to take his daughter to school in the mornings. Six Traffic Offence Reports, which give drivers the option of attending an awareness course, were issued in one morning. It’s No Entry for a reason and, hopefully, the enforcement we’ve carried out lately will help to deter people from breaching the sign. Last month we highlighted the issue of motorbike and moped theft. In March, a motorbike was spotted riding up and down Leinster Avenue. After the bike stalled, the riders
raise funds for maintenance. Or perhaps levy an extra charge on local households in the immediate vicinity of Victoria Park. Some of them seem to think they own it anyway, and that other people’s views don’t count. John Wilson, Knowle
An accident in the making I UNDERSTAND that the police may be taking an interest in the number of motorists who drive the wrong way through the chicane at the corner of Bayham Road and Sylvia Avenue, Knowle. I hope they do – it’s only a matter of time before there is a nasty accident there. Several times I have seen drivers actually speed up as they pass through the one-way section the wrong way. They seem to imagine this gets them out of harm’s way, but it’s really dangerous, because sooner or later one of them is going to collide head-on with someone coming out of Brecknock Road. The same applies to impatient commuters who cut through the one-way at the other end of Sylvia Avenue. Any action cannot come too soon. SG, Knowle
With Sgt Caroline Crane Broadbury Road police station struggled to get it started again and a woman was arrested on suspicion of its theft. The bike has been returned to its owner. If you own a motorbike or moped, please continue to pay extra attention to ensure it’s well secured.
H
ate crime has risen disproportionately in south Bristol in the past two years. Last month, we began a local campaign to celebrate diversity and the things that bring our communities together. We are proud communities, we are proud of our home and want to share the message to the rest of Bristol that “hate has no home here”. Please help us. If you see a hate crime then call it OUT. Take the opportunity to stand up for the victim if you feel it is
safe for you to do so. Understand how it must feel to be a victim and offer them your support and understanding after the event. Tell us – it doesn’t have to be straight away but if you want to do something then report it to us with as much information as you have. You can even do this online. For more information search “hate crime” on • avonandsomerset.police.uk
F
inally, if you’re running the Bristol 10k next month, look out for my colleagues who will be taking on the course dressed in full riot gear – which weighs in at 30lbs - to raise money for charities that support the emergency services. Give them a cheer – they may well need it! Until next time, Sergeant Caroline Crane
Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
April 2017
southbristolvoice
30
n FEATURES
The New Weird, where Bristol is a Utopia
R
EBECCA Lloyd wrote her book Oothangbart in 2000, but didn’t submit it to a publisher – “I couldn’t imagine anyone would grasp it, or want to publish it, because publishers want books they are sure will sell.” That was, until she found Mick Lloyd (no relation) and Pillar Publishing - an independent publisher based in Limerick, Ireland, who produces books that
Beccy Golding meets an author who made Bristol a place of fantasy are “out there and weird.” She sent it to him and he emailed back but “I couldn’t tell if he wanted it or not.” He did. He even came over to Bristol for the book launch last year. New Zealander Rebecca lived in Tanzania for two years, working as a medical parasitologist. Then she settled in East London for 14 years, working in community development. Coming to the UK was difficult. “I wanted to live where people are poor, I’m more comfortable with that; where people live their lives more publicly.” She chose to move to Bristol and has now lived in Bedminster for more than a decade. “I’m not English so I don’t do the class thing,” she said. “But I like people’s ingenuity when they don’t have a lot of money.” Rebecca started writing when
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Rebeccas Lloyd: The New Weird is ‘an attempt to lift the horror genre, get it back to where it belongs ... to something more literary, more considered’ she was living in Africa. “There was no electricity and nothing to do in the evenings. I lived with the Wapari people. In their tribe people who are the same age but not relations become confidantes, like brother and sister. I worked with a brilliant guy, who was rather twisted and weird, who was exactly my age. His stories were gob-smackingly wonderful, and gruesome. I started writing them, and never put the pen down. It’s an addiction.” From those beginnings came Rebecca’s first novel, but it was never published. “It’s a precious thing and I hold on to it.” Rebecca now has an extensive body of published work, including short story collections Jack Werret, the Flood Man (2016); Ragman & Other Family Curses (2016), Mercy and Other Stories (2014) and View From The Endless Street (2014) and novels Halfling (2011) and Oothangbart, published in 2016. She has accumulated a number of awards. “I’m supposed to be proud of being nominated for the World Fantasy Award.” But the actual prize was an effigy of early 20th century writer HP Lovecraft. “He was an appalling racist. If I’d won I would have given it back. What I’m really proud of is winning the Bristol Short Story Prize in 2008, for The River, a love letter to the Thames.” Rebecca is part of a loose movement known as the New Weird. It’s about “brilliant ideas
and fantastic writing” and “an attempt to lift the horror genre, get it back to where it belongs – away from B movies and Stephen King, to something more literary, more considered; more delicate even.” Rebecca’s next book is due out sometime in 2017, but there is no name yet. “The publisher doesn’t like the name I gave it,” she told me cheerfully. The book includes seven or eight long short stories, or novellas. It’s her attempt to “fit in with the New Weird. I wrote deliberately into that genre, with ghosts and psychological peculiarities.” There’s a story about HP Lovecraft and his childhood, and one from the point of view of a neighbour of real-life occultist Aleister Crowley. In the meantime Rebecca is working on her next novel, set in the 1850s, about spiritualism. Rebecca started writing Oothangbart, her most recently published work, when she was “dying to move to Bristol, it was on my mind.” In the book Bristol is a kind of Utopia, characters wonder if it really exists (some say it does, some say it doesn’t) and are forbidden to talk about it. “I’ve no idea where the name came from,” Rebecca said. “I started writing it in the lunch hour of my last London job. I was really concerned about time; getting up at 4am to write before dawn, with a two-hour commute.” She started asking herself about time, “Who owns it? We’re always watching it.” Time is different in Oothangbart and includes New Time, when you wake up, and Trumpet Time, when you eat lunch. Donal, the hero, is a dreamer struggling for individuality. There is also a love story, and adventure. And bagels ... used as a building material. The whole thing is summed up in the phrase ‘Flags are foolish, kites are fun’. “Flags separate people,” said Rebecca, “kites can go anywhere, do anything. I’m delighted if younger folks read and understand this – they don’t have to be constrained, they can try to live bravely. It’s a simple story, with a lot of passion.” • Oothangbart is published by Pillar at £9
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31
RSPCA UPDATE
From Bristol Dogs & Cats Home
Microchip ID is such a boon for us – and for pet owners
I
N APRIL 2016 the new microchipping law came into effect. This made it compulsory for owners to ensure that their dog is microchipped. One year on, and we have definitely seen the benefits. First and foremost, more strays who come into us can be instantly and happily reunited with their owners. This has led to lots of happy days at the Home! Secondly, this ruling has also saved us money. We have always chipped any animal who passes through our doors which doesn’t have a microchip, but we now find that this is needed less and less. The microchipping law may be celebrating its first birthday, but we wanted to go further back in time and share with you how the Bristol Home for Lost and Starving Dogs historically dealt
We can rehome strays more easily
with the problem of stray dogs. As early as 1890, the committee had developed their own registration system: “On payment of one shilling per annum the owner is given a metal tablet, which can easily be attached to the collar, bearing a number corresponding with the description of the dog entered in the society’s register. Thus, immediately on a dog being brought to the Home, the number is referred to and the
Roll up for the Music Fest CAN YOU sing or play an instrument? Then you’re welcome to join in the Music Day held by Totterdown Methodist Church on Saturday April 29. The church will be open all day – from 9am to 6pm – with performers playing to help raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society and church funds – the proceeds to be divided equally. “We would like to invite anyone in the area to take part by singing, playing an instrument or dancing, singly or playing as a group,” said a spokesperson for the church in Bushy Park. “We would like all of those
that wish to take part to obtain sponsors to help us raise as much as we can. The church will provide performers with sponsor forms. Visitors will be welcome and they can make a contribution if they wish.” Refreshments will be available throughout the day. If you’d like to take part, inquire before April 14 to allow the organisers to prepare a programme. Contact Rachel Burke on 0117 971 2378 or email burkerachel@ live.co.uk, or Colin Trowbridge on 0117 977 5189 colin_dt@ yahoo.co.uk.
Class in comics
Not so lonely
A COMIC artist who writes and draws for The Beano, Doctor Who and Marvel comics is holding a Comic Masterclass at Zion in Bishopsworth Road on Monday April 10. The class, by Kev F Sutherland, is for anyone over seven, and costs £10. They’ll take home a comic containing a strip by everyone in the class plus an individual caricature by Kev F. www.zionbristol.co.uk
BEDMINSTER’S Acta community theatre has started weekly Daytrips – a day out at the theatre for people who may be isolated. It’s on Tuesdays and involves an arts activity and a hot lunch, inspired by the Campaign to End Loneliness. Free transport can be provided. Volunteers are need to help with lunch, arts or transport. Call 0117 953 2448. • acta-bristol.com
Jack waits patiently while his microchip is read. It makes ID-ing pets very quick owner communicated with at once … several valuable animals have been returned to their owners without delay.” What innovative thinking from our team in the past! Imagine how many families we have reunited over the past 130 years! To ensure that we can keep reuniting pets and their
owners, please make sure that you keep your pet’s microchip up to date. If you get a new phone number, or move house, make sure you tell your microchip provider. If you ever get a call from us saying that we have found your cat who wandered too far, you’ll be grateful you took the time to update your details!
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32
n NEWS In witch Goldilocks enters our lives
A
PAIR of tiny weenie shoes were sitting by my front door. I stopped and listened. No sound of children’s voices. Strange. We are all giants in the foot world: no shoe under the size of 8, although Evil will tell fibs at school and say she is a neat 6, for which I do not blame her. Having large feet is horrible. Not only are you mocked but getting a shoe that size to look feminine is a serious challenge. Take TK Maxx for example, they line the shoes in order of size. I pause by size 5s and 6s, admiring their perfect dainty beauty, before making my way to the dark space at the back where the 8s and above
Global name for local brew
ONE OF South Bristol’s brewers has been chosen as the new vice chair of the Society of Independent Brewers. Justin Hawke is owner and head brewer at Moor Beer, based at Days Road, St Philips. Moor Beer is one of many thriving small breweries in Bristol but unusually has won international acclaim through its combination of German, American and British beer making traditions. Californian-born Justin started the business in Somerset, but moved to St Philips in 2014, where Moor not only brews but has a tap room and shop. Justin plans a series of events to celebrate the brewery’s 10th birthday in the summer.
Who is she? We don’t know – she bewitches all in BS4
THE WICKED WITCH OF KNOWLE
are hidden, almost embarrassed by their largeness. In this area the spiky shoe that looked amazing in a 5 now looks like it belongs on a drag queen’s meaty foot. The variety diminishes, the colours limited to black and 50 shades of grey. You will usually find a fellow bigfoot staring despondently, head cocked to the side, weighing up between a desert boot or a flip flop. It really is that bad. Anyway, I digress. The owner of the tiny shoes was Eldest boy’s new girlfriend. We met later that day
when I bustled into his bedroom, singing; I chucked open the door, threw some towels into the airing cupboard, and screamed! She was tucked up in Eldest’s bed. Just like Goldilocks, masses of blond golden hair and big unblinking blue eyes. Unlike the real Goldilocks, she was not at all upset by my appearance. In fact she got up and made me a cup of tea and a bowl of porridge while I recovered from the shock. Goldilocks is a breath of fresh air to our family as we are, on the whole, very reserved; hugs are tolerated stiffly, kisses given awkwardly; in fact Don’t Touch Me is our family motto. Goldilocks is the opposite, she is a bundle of bubbly energy and loves everyone. She sits on Eldest’s lap when we are watching telly and strokes his neck, relaxed and happy in her own being. The
rest of us, including Eldest, sit stiffly, eyes flicking in her direction with a mix of awe and terror. She also bring lots of laughter and chatter into our house and is incredibly generous. The other day a pair of walking boots appeared in my bedroom. Goldilocks had left them for me. They were used but she said her Dad had been wearing them and they were a bit tight so she thought I would like them. Oh how I thanked her, such a little sweetheart, so very kind. As I tightened the laces, admiring their clown-like appearance in the mirror, I asked if her Dad wanted something for them. “That’s OK”, she smiled, “my Dad inherited them from our neighbour who died.” I looked down in horror. Dead man’s boots. Yes, she is going to fit in just right.
Foul-mouthed man follows woman down deserted path A WINDMILL Hill woman has spoken out after she was subjected to foul sexual language by a man who followed her down a footpath. The woman – who is not being named by the Voice – left Lidl in Sheene Road with several bags of shopping at about 2pm on Monday January 23. As she started walking down the footpath beside the Malago river, towards Windmill Hill, she realised a man was following her. Staying behind her, the man started using obscene language and carried on as he followed her. The path is usually quite busy, but happened to be deserted at
the time. The woman, 47, walked faster until she reached the end of the path near Bedminster station, where she saw some friends. Turning suddenly, she shouted at the man to go away. Apparently unconcerned, he laughed and walked off towards Bedminster Green. The woman said she wants other women to be aware of the man, in the hope that any other incidents will be reported to police. “If more people report it, the more likely he is to get caught,” she said. “I don’t want him thinking he can go around treating people like that. I have a daughter
and I think of her as well.” The man was about 50 to 55 years old, with jet-black, hair, of Turkish or Eastern European appearance. He wore a smart casual blazer and dark trousers. Inspector Rob Cheeseman at Broadbury Road police station said: “We haven’t had any other incidents of this nature reported to us recently, but we would be keen to speak to anyone who may have had a similar experience. We take matters like this very seriously and I would encourage anyone who has any information about this incident, or others, to come forward and report to us.”
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33
n THE MAYOR
MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol
Use your vote for the new West mayor
W
E’RE now in April and spring is truly upon us. We have agreed our budget for the next year and are looking to the future to see how we can put our ideas for making the city a fairer place into action in difficult circumstances. The Bristol Impact Fund is a significant part of that work. Last month my cabinet approved £3.29 million of grants for charities and organisations around the city that do essential work to help support our communities and some of the city’s most vulnerable people, including grants for 23 groups who have not benefitted from any council funding previously. These grants have been spread across the city with a focus on 49 life-improving projects, targeting support where it is most needed. I am conscious that not everyone who applied could receive funding. We are arranging to meet these organisations to talk about their applications and try to hook them
up with other potential funders. To see a list of which projects received funding, visit • news.bristol.gov.uk Another way we will be working with communities during 2017 is through our year as a European City of Sport. We want to use this award as a platform to help bring more world-class sport to Bristol and encourage home-grown talent. We need to make sure that the city as a whole feels enabled to get involved in sport and to get more active. On Sunday April 2, we are holding a family fun morning with our sports partners from around the city at Eastville Park.
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Everyone’s welcome to come and try a range of sports including basketball, football, rugby and tennis for free. There will also be some cricketing and we’ll be bringing along the ICC’s Women’s World Cup trophy, promoting the upcoming tournament fixtures hosted by Bristol in the summer. The fact that Bristol is a host for one of the biggest events in the international cricketing calendar just goes to show Bristol’s potential to draw in world class sport. Elsewhere, big changes are under way. On May 4 you will be able to vote for your choice as mayor of the new West of England Combined Authority (Weca). The authority will have new powers and control of funding previously held by Westminster. Our deal is worth over £1bn over 30 years, meaning you’ve got a billion reasons to get out and vote. If you’re not registered to vote you’ll need to do so by midnight on April 13: visit • gov.uk/register-to-vote. Whoever you choose as mayor of the West of England will work with me and the leaders of Bath & North East Somerset council and South Gloucestershire council on Weca, alongside our business community and other partners as we manage new powers over regional transport, housing, adult education and skills. For more information: • westofengland-ca.org.uk.
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34
n YOUR MP
KARIN SMYTH Labour MP for Bristol South
Govt’s approach to Brexit is putting our local economy at risk
I
N THE December Voice I wrote about the importance of members of the public being able to be rightly represented through Parliament in the ongoing Brexit process. Following the conclusion of parliamentary processes surrounding the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill in mid-March I thought it would be helpful to provide an update. In the final House of Commons votes I backed two key changes to the Bill. One would have given much-needed certainty for the three million EU nationals living in the UK. Meanwhile the other would ensure a meaningful vote on the final Article 50 deal – including if Theresa May fails to reach an agreement. This would provide the public with an all-important final say, via their elected representatives.
Importantly, recognising that, like it or not, the UK is definitely leaving the EU, neither of these amendments would have delayed the triggering of Article 50. It was very disappointing that the Prime Minister ignored the proposed changes in the final vote and that so few Conservative MPs were willing to support us. The Government’s majority in the Commons was used to push
through the Bill, defeating the amendments. It seems the Prime Minister was more concerned with getting ‘clean’ legislation than considering the merits of the amendments. In my view this sets a worrying precedent for the negotiations. Turning to what happens next as the Brexit process accelerates, I will continue to argue for the best possible Brexit deal: one that prioritises jobs and the economy, and leads to no changes to all EU-derived rights, including environmental protections and workplace rights. With my colleagues I will continue to insist that all EU-derived laws are introduced into UK law without qualification or limitation. I will also argue for a close, cooperative future relationship with the EU and make the case for continued engagement – not isolation from our most important trading partner and closest neighbours. I believe the Government’s approach takes huge risks with the economy of South Bristol, the city and the UK as a whole, and with our future place in the world. This increases the threat of no deal being reached, which would be disastrous for trade and businesses. Along with my colleagues I will continue to use every means possible to continue raising these issues in Parliament, and as ever I welcome Voice readers’ thoughts.
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April 2017
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n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Bart Spices, York Road, Bedminster BS3 4AD Single storey extension between the existing buildings. Granted subject to conditions 235 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2PH Demolition of bungalow and garage and erection of two semi-detached dwellings and eight flats (Major application). Pending consideration 13 Haverstock Road BS4 2DA Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear wall by 5.2m, of maximum height 3.7m with eaves 2.5m. Pending consideration 84A Raymend Road BS3 4QW Raised parapet wall and rooflights for loft conversion. Pending consideration 28-30 Eldon Terrace BS3 4NZ Approve details in relation to condition 2 (Further details), 3 (Construction plan), 4 (SUDS), 5 (Contamination), 6 (Remediation scheme), and 7 (Implementation of remediation scheme) of 15/01736/F for construction of three 3-bed town houses on land to rear of 28-30 Eldon Terrace with access off Cotswold Road North. Pending consideration 360 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QL Approve details of condition 2 (Cycle storage) and 3 (Refuse and recycling) 16/06709/F for change of ground floor (use class D1, medical premises) to residential (use class C3) to form single house. Pending consideration 39 Brecknock Road BS4 2DE Single storey rear extension.
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to conditions St Martin’s Court, St Martin’s Close BS4 2ND Installation of a mobility scooter store. Granted subject to conditions
50 Fitzgerald Road BS3 5DH Variation of condition 8 (Approved plans) of 13/03613/R: Renewal of 10/02703/F: Construction of three-bed house attached to the side of existing property; revised plans to show hip to gable end roof. Granted
1 Raymend Road BS3 4QR Change of use of garage to 2-bedroom maisonette. Pending consideration
22 Ravenhill Avenue BS3 5DU Lower ground floor and ground floor rear extension. Pending consideration 40 St Martin’s Road BS4 2NG Single storey rear extension. Pending consideration 15 Brecknock Road BS4 2DE Single storey rear and side extension, enlarging the existing rear dormer window. Granted subject to conditions 74 Somerset Road BS4 2HY Roof extension to rear. Granted 8 St Agnes Walk BS4 2DL Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear by 3.5m, of maximum height 3.2m with eaves 2.4m high. Granted 41 Imperial Walk BS14 9AD Outline approval for 3-bed dwelling on land adjacent to 41 Imperial Walk. Refused 14 St Martin’s Gardens BS4 2NJ Demolition of garage and erection of two bedroom, two storey house. Granted subject
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25 Haverstock Road BS4 2DA Single storey side extension. Granted subject to conditions 59 Somerset Road BS4 2HX Rear dormer window and roof extension over back addition. Granted 75 Bayham Road BS4 2DP Single storey rear extension. Granted 46 Bristol South End BS3 5BH Single storey conservatory to rear. Granted Former City of Bristol College, Marksbury Road BS4 5EY Reserved matters for access, appearance, layout, scale and landscaping following 12/05581/P: Build 75 dwellings and car park. (Major application) Granted 4 St Martins Walk BS4 2SH Single storey side extension. Pending consideration 241A St Johns Lane BS3 5AT Single storey rear and side extension. Granted subject to conditions 13 Lilymead Avenue BS4 2BY Single storey rear extension
to extend beyond the rear by 5.85m, of maximum height 3.95m with eaves 2.5m high. Pending consideration 248 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2PN Conversion from dental surgery (Use class D1) and one flat to a House of Multiple Occupation (Use class C4). Pending consideration 198 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AX Replace shop window of café with bi-fold doors and extended canopy over external seating area. Pending consideration 32-38 St Johns Lane BS3 5AD Demolition of garage and erection of three 4-bedroom dwellings and six 3-bedroom dwellings with associated works. Pending consideration 47 William Street, Totterdown BS3 4TY Conversion of house into two flats. Pending consideration 72 Bedminster Road BS3 5NP Two storey side and single storey front and rear extension. Pending consideration 378 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QR Conversion from doctors surgery (Use class D1) to six flats. Two storey side extension and part two storey, part single storey rear extension and external alterations, off-street parking, refuse store and cycle store. Pending consideration • 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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n YOUR COUNCILLORS
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HE BIGGEST issue in our area recently has definitely been the potential closure of Jubilee Gary pool. This is Hopkins the second time Lib Dem around for us: Knowle five years ago the pool was scheduled for closure as the Labour and Conservative Councillors believed that the Hengrove pool was enough for our part of town. Lib Dems were the minority administration at the time and we solved the problem by an investment in a mini gym, reducing the need for the subsidy massively and by appointing new operators. In the budget consultation this year the mayor said that he wanted to abolish the remaining £62,000 annual subsidy. No discussion took place with local councillors or residents and the outcome was not clear. I set up the petition, called a demo, started discussions with the
Knowle
operator, Parkwood Leisure, and worked with concerned local residents. When it came to setting the council budget, the proposal was to close the pool, backed up by a three-page “dodgy dossier” justification. The mayor and all the Labour councillors voted for this, and rejected all amendments, but more recently, after the strength of the campaign became clear – with huge support for the petition, with great help from the Friends of Jubilee Pool and local shopkeepers – the mayor said there had been a mistake in the paperwork and that they now hoped to do a deal with the operators. In fact the operators have reacted very positively to our campaign and the record extra business and membership it has generated for the pool. Although not finalised I now expect the pool to continue to operate and we will be working on a marketing campaign to make sure our pool has a long-term sustainable future.
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ANY of the results of the mayor’s budget will not become clear to residents for Chris some time. It was Davies no doubt a difficult Lib Dem job to balance the Knowle books, especially after the mess left by the previous mayor, but some choices have been unacceptable. It is sheer fantasy to suggest that the parks budget can be cut completely, as the service is already starting to struggle with existing staff cuts. What angered me more than any other measure was the seizure of funds for local parks, raised by the sale of open space in Knowle. We were not happy about other money for local groups and road safety schemes disappearing, but those were from money generated by the council. Salcombe Road open space was no longer used for football or other sports, and we were in need of low cost housing and money for
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n YOUR COUNCILLORS
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AST month Bristol City council set its budget for the forthcoming financial year, a budget proposed by the mayor of Bristol and one which we supported. It was clear when we were elected in May 2016 that the funding situation the council would have to work with over the coming years would be challenging, to say the least, thanks to the cuts to the local government grant from central government. The Government grant is to reduce from £74 million a year this year to £19m a year by 2020, and local authorities are expected to raise their own cash to make up the shortfall, or cut services. This already challenging situation was exacerbated by the financial situation the new administration inherited, which was far worse than anticipated, with an overspend of £29m from previous years. The recently published Bundred Report (available on the council website) found that in recent years senior
Jon Wellington Labour Windmill Hill
Windmill Hill
Lucy Whittle Labour Windmill Hill
officers routinely concealed the council’s true financial situation from councillors, and so the finances seemed healthier than they actually were. This is why the new administration is having to make severe cuts to services of £35m in the 2017-18 budget, as well as using £6m of reserves. This is in addition to an ongoing spending freeze for non-essential work, making redundancies and using £11m of reserves to balance the budget for 2016-17. As a result, this year’s budget is a corrective, almost emergency, measure to bring the finances under control. We do not like to bring party politics into this column. We
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prefer to focus on local issues. However, on this occasion it is unavoidable. Our view is that the reduction in funding to local government from the Conservative government is nothing less than an overt attack on the worst-off and most vulnerable in society, as it is they that rely on council services the most. The same can be said of the cuts to the NHS, to police, and to education, which will also affect the poorest communities. All we can do as Labour councillors is set a budget that protects services to the most vulnerable – for example we have retained the council tax reduction scheme for people on low incomes – and look for other ways of delivering non-statutory services that the council traditionally provides to the community. For example, the libraries budget is facing large cuts and we will need to see what can be achieved with the voluntary sector and with local communities to keep services like
Marksbury Road library open. Jubilee Pool in Knowle is having its £62,000 annual subsidy removed, as are many other community groups and voluntary sector organisations who do vital work in communities across Bristol. I have raised this issue with cabinet members on behalf of Windmill Hill residents and we are hopeful that Parkwood Leisure, the private company that operates the pool, can keep the building open and the service available without the subsidy. However, the fact is that the council can no longer afford to subsidise as many services as before. As councillors we are bound by law to set a balanced budget. £17m of the city’s reserves have been used to plug the gap from the previous year’s overspend and to meet the shortfall this year. It is important in the coming years that the council regains control of its finances, does not spend money that it does not have, and ensures we are not in this position again.
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April 2017
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n HISTORY The story of William Herapath The confident chemist who knew he held
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HAT is the magic that turns wheat into bread? Milk into cheese? The skin of an animal into a warm coat? Water into beer, or wine? Humans have known how to do all these things for millennia, but they had never known how the processes worked. That is, until the 19th century, when the realisation dawned that the world is formed of much more than earth and water, fire and air; it contains a multitude of elements, which react in predictable ways when heated, or dried, or agitated. This dawning of the age of chemistry began to transform our knowledge of all the natural processes that humans have learned to exploit. William Herapath, who now rests in Arnos Vale cemetery, was the son of a brewer. He was fascinated by the way his father mixed water, malt and hops to produce a drink that not only
gave imbibers a pleasant buzz, but it didn’t go off for weeks; in fact, it was safer to drink than water. Brewing was viewed by early societies as a kind of magic. But even as a teenager, William didn’t believe making beer was alchemy; he knew it was a series of chemical transformations. He began doing his own experiments with the ingredients his father used at the brewery in Packhorse Lane, Lawrence Hill – close to where the Packhorse Inn now stands. Before long he was being consulted by Bristol businessmen about their industrial problems. Rope-making, soap-making, paper manufacturing – the city was full of industries that depended on the new science to help them expand. Herapath’s earliest forays into industry are not recorded. Born in 1796, he learned the maltster’s trade from his father, but found
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experimenting much more interesting. More than that, he enjoyed explaining his work, and using it for the benefit of others. In 1819, aged 23, he married Sophia Bird, and they made their home at 2 Old Park on St Michael’s Hill. (It’s still a narrow lane today, but is overshadowed by the University of Bristol’s chemistry department.) In 1823 he made his mark, showing how he had isolated the newly-discovered element cadmium, found in the dust from a Bristol zinc smelting plant. It had been discovered that cadmium, used as a paint pigment, was left over when zinc was made; how to remove it? Another chemist, Wollaston, suggested using iron. That wouldn’t work, said Herapath; instead he put the mixture in tubes packed with paper in a process called sublimation, and he invented a precise test to check all the zinc was gone. Herapath’s first scientific paper, printed in the prestigious Philosophical Magazine, showed his dedication to results. He went into great detail of the process he used, believing that if he had done his work correctly, and described it fully, any competent chemist could repeat his success. If their results differed, of course, it might be that they weren’t as careful as him – something that he wasn’t scared of alleging later in his career. His reputation grew. In 1828, when the Bristol Medical School opened not far from his house, he was one of its founding lecturers, and became its first professor of chemistry and toxicology. He would hold the post till his death.
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illiam Herapath wanted to use his skills to improve ordinary people’s lives, through politics as well as science. He was a founder of the Bristol Political Union, formed by professional men in 1831, one of many groups pushing for reform. Many MPs were voted in by a handful of electors, and most people didn’t have the vote. Bristol, a big and prosperous city, had more voters than most, 7,000-odd in 1831. But it too was corrupt: its ancient charities such as Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital
William Herapath didn’t want to be a brewer like his father. Instead he became one of Britain’s most celebrated expert witnesses – among other things were milked for funds by the city corporation. Herapath wanted the charity funds spent on the poor, not on party funds. He wanted to tackle unemployment and disease, and campaigned for democracy, and public bathhouses, and better hygiene to save lives. This made him a dangerous radical to some. Yet when the House of Lords refused reform, and tempers boiled over in the 1831 Bristol Riots, Herapath was actually trying to keep the peace. He made a secret deal with the city’s aldermen that if troops were not called into the city, the Political Union would stay neutral. He even pleaded with the mob as they gathered outside the city gaol on Cumberland Road. The rioters listened to him with respect – but there was too much anger to contain. They tore down the prison gates and ransacked Queen Square. Troops were called in, and many lives were lost. Herapath lost some credibility with the Political Union after this; but he did get elected to the new city council. And he also served as a trustee for Bristol Charities. Eventually, in 1842, a new Liberal majority on the trustees proved that the QEH had been milked of £57,000 – equal to £4m at today’s values. Health was another of Herapath’s concerns. He tried to devise a cure for the outbreaks of cholera which swept the city in 1832 and 1849. But like all scientists, he wasn’t always right. Herapath was convinced that cholera was spread though “bad air” – a reasonable guess in the days when cities such as Bristol stank of sewage and rotting
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n HISTORY The story of William Herapath the power of life and death in a courtroom
William Herapath: His hallmark was careful, repeated experiments, designed to prove his case conclusively – and to convince a jury animals. His cure was fumigation with a mix of manganese oxide, table salt and sulphuric acid. Unfortunately, it was the wrong guess; pioneering doctors such as Bristol’s William Budd realised victims of cholera shared the same water supply. The disease spread through water, not air. But Herapath did not suffer from this misdiagnosis: he soon had a national reputation from another route – the courts. His expertise as a chemist of precision led him to claim that he could detect poisons in tiny quantities with scientific certainty – even long after the victim of a poisoning had died.
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n 1833, Mrs Clara Ann Smith, a widow aged 60, was lodging at the house of landlady Mary Ann Burdock in Trinity Street. Mrs Smith died suddenly, after severe stomach pains, on October 26, 1833. Mrs Burdock arranged her burial at St Augustine’s. Claiming not to
know any of Mrs Smith’s relatives, or even her Christian name, Mrs Burdock paid for the interment herself. Mrs Smith did have relatives, though. After 14 months a nephew heard about the death. Making inquiries, he grew very suspicious, for he knew she had been wealthy, and the family eventually convinced the coroner that the grave should be opened. We fast-forward to the trial of Mrs Burdock on April 10, 1835. Herapath was just one of the medical men cross-examined; but he was by far the most important. He described how he was present on Christmas Eve, 1834, when Mrs Smith’s coffin was lifted from its grave, and he saw the casket opened. “Dr Riley and Mr Kelson opened the body,” reported the Bristol Mercury, “and put the viscera into two clean basins, which witness [Herapath] prepared for the purpose – into one the stomach and duodenum,
and into the other the intestines; on which he tied up the basins in a napkin, and gave them to a person to carry them to the Medical School, never having lost sight of him till he arrived at the school with him. “The body was in a remarkable state of preservation, which witness attributed to the presence of some antiseptic, such as arsenic; the intestinal canal was nearly as perfect as if recently abstracted; he tested first the contents of the small basin, which was the stomach; spread it flat on a new deal board, and slit it open; when his attention was immediately attracted by a large quantity of yellow powder …” It wasn’t an accident that Herapath was asked to examine the body. The authorities already suspected that Burdock had poisoned Mrs Smith with arsenic. A witness said she had asked for some of the poison to be bought for her, for the purpose of killing rats. Yet witnesses said rats had never been seen in her house. There was evidence that Mrs Smith had been about to invest £500 before she died. And that Burdock, before the death, had been short of money; while after it, she refurnished her house, and lent £400 to an acquaintance, and in May 1834 she deposited £400 in a Bristol bank. If this was not enough, there was the testimony of Burdock’s maid, Mary Ann Ellen. Burdock, she reported, told her after Mrs Smith’s death: “Don’t tell anyone that ever you lived with the deceased, and if any one should ask you, say she was a foreigner from a far way off in the East Indies; and, mind, make sure you don’t tell anyone that you saw me put anything in the gruel, for perhaps they might think it curious.” It was a heavy weight of circumstantial evidence; but Burdock denied her guilt. To prove it required evidence that the death had been by poisoning. Herapath claimed he could do it. He talked the jury through his experiments. The other doctors present when he opened the stomach agreed that the yellow substance looked like arsenic, and they believed the symptoms before death showed Ms Smith was poisoned.
But Herapath proved it, describing in detail how he conducted not one but three series of tests to show that the yellow substance was arsenic. From one he produced a distinctive green residue, the results he showed to the jury. He “repeated the experiments five or six times; but was satisfied with the result on the first experiment; no other substance, treated in the same manner, would produce the same results.” Such a wealth of detail, produced by a man so clearly in command of his subject, convinced the jury. Smith was found guilty of murder. Such was her infamy that when she was hanged at the gates of the New Gaol on April 15, 1835, an estimated 50,000 people thronged Cumberland Road. The case made Herapath a celebrity. It was the first time poison had been detected in a body so long after death. The case fascinated the public, and Herapath was called as witness to many more trials. He gave evidence at Taunton Assizes in the case of Sophia Edney, who had a husband she wanted rid of and had read of the Burdock case. But instead of being deterred by the thought that an expert such as Herapath could prove her guilt, it seems she was more impressed by how little arsenic was needed for a fatal dose. She sprinkled some arsenic on a dish of fried potatoes for her spouse. But Herapath showed the jury the distinctive results of the three tests he had done, which proved the presence of minute quantities of the poison, each in a clearly-labelled test tube. Edney was hanged.
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orensics was not the end of Herapath’s innovations. He was the first man in England, outside London, to administer anaesthetic during an operation. The surgeon was James Lansdown, already described in an earlier Voice feature. Herapath and a colleague, Dr Fairbrother, knew about operations conducted in America on patients anaesthetised by ether. Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, had been used as a Continued on page 40
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n HISTORY
The story of William Herapath
He helped turn a recreational drug into a marvel of medicine, adopted by Queen Victoria
Continued from page 39 recreational drug in Bristol decades earlier by two pioneering chemists, Humphrey Davy and Thomas Beddoes, but they hadn’t tried to use it in medicine. On December 31, 1846, at the old Bristol General Hospital in Guinea Street (which predates the current building, now converted to flats), Herapath prepared a “common, but very large, bladder” with an ivory mouthpiece. In the bladder was “an ounce of good common ether”. The Guinea Street guinea pig was a young man, name unknown, with a swelling on his leg so bad that doctors agreed it needed to be amputated above the knee. Normally these operations were horrific affairs: frequently the patient bled to death or died from shock. The only pain relief was wine poured down the patient’s throat. But a lungful of ether knocked out the young man in just a minute. Lansdown got busy with his saws. Fairbrother kept his finger on the patient’s pulse, and if it quickened, he applied more ether; if it slowed, he poured a little wine in his mouth. It sounds crude, but it worked. When the man woke up, he said he felt no pain; and 10 days later he was making a good recovery.
A NOTORIOUS CASE OF POISONING WILLIAM Herapath was a man who believed in his own abilities. This is why he got drawn into one of the 19th century’s most infamous court cases, in which a man was accused of poisoning his friend. William Palmer, a high-living denizen of the horse racing world, was charged with killing John Parsons Cook – another gambler, but with rather more money. Palmer was seen buying strychnine, and while Cook was lying ill he visited him frequently, plying him with gruel and drinks. Yet at the 1856 trial Alfred Swaine Taylor, professor of medical
Far from innocent: Mary Ann Burdock poisoned her wealthy lodger The medical establishment was to take a lot of convincing – decades, in fact – that anaesthesia was of benefit. But Queen Victoria didn’t; she took chloroform to numb the pain of childbirth. And Herapath, who prided himself on assessing the true value of the latest developments, adopted it at once. Days after the first amputation, he gave ether to a young woman from Stoke Bishop while her tooth was extracted at Mr Gordon’s dental practice on Park Street, “without the least pain to the lady”. And in July 1848 it may have been Herapath who attended the birth of his grandchild, soothing the pains of the mother, his daughter-in-law, with both ether and chloroform. jurisprudence at Guy’s hospital, could not produce any evidence of strychnine from Cook’s autopsy. Palmer owed thousands of pounds and had hardly any cash before Cook’s death, but soon afterwards he appeared wealthy. Herepath was a witness for the defence, and it appeared to some that he was not only on the wrong side, but was guilty of attacking a prominent colleague – a case of professional jealousy. To Herapath, however, the issue was simple: Taylor had bungled the case. If strychnine had been present, Herapath told the court, it ought to have been detected, and he could have done so. He described a series of experiments
It was proudly announced in a newspaper advertisement: “Both parent and child continue to progress favourably” – a rebuke to the medical men who continued to ignore the new pain relief, some of them because they believed that pain was God’s will, and should be endured.
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illiam Herapath had more than the usual share of both good and bad fortune. He had inherited his father’s brewery, though he didn’t want it. But he was able to sell the land to the Bristol and Gloucester Railway for £3,000 – worth almost £250,000 today. This fortune may have supported his medical career, because we know that the Bristol Medical School was very short of funds
William Palmer: So famous, he was the subject of a waxwork at Madame Tussaud’ s in London he had done on animal carcasses to identify the poison. He offered to demonstrate his experiments to the jury, though the judge wouldn’t let him. But he seems to have convinced the court that Taylor’s tests were not nearly
in its early days. He achieved national renown, becoming a founder member of the Chemical Society, forerunner of the Royal Society of Chemistry, in 1841. He was also part of a dynasty of Bristol scientists and medics. His eldest son, William Bird Herapath, a surgeon and a chemist, discovered a crystal, herapathite, which led a century later to the invention of the Polaroid camera. A cousin, John, was a great mathematician and physicist who founded a magazine, Herapath’s Railway Journal, which despite the name carried a wide range of scientific articles. John Herapath’s son Spencer became a noted civil engineer, while the son, grandson and great-grandson of William Bird Herapath were all Bristol doctors. Another of William Herapath’s sons, Thornton, became chief chemist to the Mexican and South American Smelting Co while still a young man. Tragically, he died at sea aged only 26. His name is remembered on his father’s grave in Arnos Vale. William Herapath remained a trustee of the Bristol Charities for 32 years and though he lost some of his radicalism, he stayed firm in guarding their funds. He retired from the medical school in 1867, but not from the Charities; he died the next year, aged 71; a decent age for the time, considering he was a diabetic. His reputation survives, though perhaps the only memorial the city has given him is little-known – a road called Herapath Street in Barton Hill, next to the Feeder canal. thorough enough. The forensic evidence was muddy, but Palmer was still found guilty and hanged. Herapath and Taylor clashed in court several times. After another case in which Taylor’s results went the wrong way, Herapath wrote in the Times: “The fact is, the whole set of operations were a bungle.” Herapath believed that he was not rubbishing a colleague, but standing up for high standards in science. “I consider that professional witnesses who give their opinions where the life of a man is at stake are as much upon their trial as the prisoner,” he wrote. Proof, perhaps, that science is too important to be taken as a matter of opinion.
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Get ready for new pension rules, small firms are warned SMALL employers in Bristol are to get a helping hand from South Bristol Voice, a city MP and the Pensions Regulator as they prepare for major pension reforms that will see most workers enrolled into a workplace pension scheme. The 15 monthly magazines in the Voice network across Bristol have joined together to arrange expert pensions advice for small firms on April 10. Whether you’re a shopkeeper, a plumber or employ someone in the home, if you employ at least one person you are an employer and you have certain legal duties. All employers are invited to Orchard School in Horfield, BS7 0XZ, at 1pm on Monday, April 10, to learn more about preparing for automatic enrolment and to pose questions to pensions experts. An official from the Pensions
Alone: With one employee, you can to be liable to pension law Regulator will be attending to provide guidance. The event is free and refreshments will be provided. Failing to comply with the new duties could lead to a fine, so it’s important that each employer understands what they have to do and when. The event will help small employers understand what’s required of them, and the
automatic enrolment right for their workers. There will also be information on what to consider when choosing a pension scheme, making the most of payroll software and how to tell your staff about workplace pensions. The event will be hosted by Charlotte Leslie, MP for Bristol North West, whose constituency includes Horfield. She said: “Failing to get it right could lead to a fine, so it’s important that every small business understands that automatic enrolment applies to them, what they need to do and by when.” The website of the Pensions Regulator will help firms to check what they must do. Register for the event at: • tinyurl.com/hhnp9tv • thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/ en/employers
Cash boost for Park students CONSTRUCTION students at The Park centre in Knowle have been given £750 by building firm Midas on a visit to Saw Close, a £19 million hotel and leisure complex nearing completion in Bath. The cash will pay for new equipment for the post16 construction course, which offers qualifications and work experience. The Park’s director of education, Louise Hunt, said: “Midas has been very supportive of the work that we do, encouraging young people who might not otherwise have good prospects for their working life.”
New lifesaver THE PARK centre in Daventry Road, Knowle, has been given a defibrillator by the British Heart Foundation. The device is in the reception area and can be used to help restart the heart when someone has a cardiac arrest.
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n TAKE A BREAK
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n WHAT’S ON Friday March 31 n The Fall POSTPONED Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. Fall frontman Mark E Smith is ill; the gig will be rescheduled. • fiddlers.co.uk Saturday April 1 n Si Barron The Saltcellar Folk Club at Totterdown Baptist Church welcomes this popular interpreter of traditional and contemporary folk songs. £5; refreshments available or BYO alcohol. • saltcellarfolk.org.uk n Death Café Arnos Vale cemetery celebrates its Life, Death (and the Rest) weekend. “At a Death Café people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.” Hosted by Judith Edwards, who has trained with cancer charity Marie Curie. At the Spielman Centre next door to the café. Free, 2-4pm; register online or email Judith55_jack92@hotmail. com or call 07967 191894. n After Hours Tour Arnos Vale cemetery. Bring a torch for this guided tour as the Life, Death (and the Rest) weekend continues. “An atmospheric exploration of tragic tales, folk customs and funeral etiquette of Victorian society.” 7.30-9pm, £9. • arnosvale.org.uk/events n Go Go Children Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. 60s soul, funk and r’n’b classics with DJs Colin and Stephen from Pumpin Hearts soul club. £5, 8pm-2am. • fiddlers.co.uk n Nearly Unplugged An evening of music, singing and poetry with DJ, bar, hot/cold food. An Art on the Hill event at Windmill Hill community centre, Vivian Street. 7pm; Free entry, donations welcome. • www.artonthehill.org.uk Sunday April 2 n Introduction to green woodworking Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Learn how to make your own hand-crafted woodland products. 10am-4pm, £60. Inquiries: jon@jonattwood.com 07789 279418 • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n Life, Death (and the Rest) Exhibition Anglican chapel, Arnos Vale cemetery. Bristol Steampunk Museum displays its fantasy gadgets that mimic the bizarre instruments used by spiritualist charlatans in the 19th century. Many other exhibits
Stage is set for ambitious police thriller REVIEW: Not Dead Enough, Bristol Hippodrome THE first thing that strikes you about this modern murder mystery is the clever set. A raised section at the back of the stage houses a pathology lab, complete with a wall of fridges which victims are pulled in and out of for their post-mortems, letting off clouds of freezing air. Plenty of action and dialogue happens over the autopsy table. At stage level, to the front, there’s a police station office and interview room. People phone each other, and talk through two-way mirrors. This is a cross between a classic Agatha Christie, a gritty cop drama and a shiny CSI episode, with include suppliers of memorials, eco-friendly coffins, and more. • arnosvale.org.uk/events n Blues and Rock evening Windmill Hill community centre, Vivian Street. New music night on the first Sunday of each month features DJ Barry the Bull playing old blues and rock. 7.30-10.30pm. • whca.org.uk Monday April 3 n Take it on: Physical Theatre Tobacco Factory. Part of a series of workshops for 8-11 year-olds. A theatre professional helps youngsters use their bodies to tell stories and create new worlds. 4.15-5.45pm, £6. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Wednesday April 5 n Introduction to Complementary Therapies Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. Covers the principles of reflexology, aromatherapy and essential oils. 6-8pm, £25 (free to those on benefits). Organised by the WEA: call 0845 458 2758. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Thursday April 6 n Afternoon tea and entertainment Totterdown Methodist Church, Bushy Park, 3-5pm. For details contact Jean
Cold comfort: An autopsy on stage for Shane Richie, right, as DS Roy Grace PICTURE: Mark Douet
some fun detective banter pulled off nicely by leading man Shane Richie and his supporting cast. There were a few places where it wasn’t clear if the laughter was intentional or not, notably the dramatic event before the interval – the audience titters possibly not the reaction that was planned. That aside, the plot gets your brain working – nudging you towards one
solution then another, until you reach the A-ha! moment, as you and the police solve the crime at about the same time. This fun, fast-paced production is a world premiere, based on a book by prolific crime novelist Peter James. It’s the third show featuring DS Roy Grace – definitely worth a watch when it comes round again. Beccy Golding
on 0117 977 7593. n Tartuffe Tobacco Factory theatre until May 6. A new adaptation of Moliere’s classic play by Dominic Power and Andrew Hilton. This version of the most performed play in French classical theatre sees Tartuffe alive and on the make in present day London. A credulous government minister is duped into surrendering his wealth – and nearly his wife and daughter – to one of drama’s greatest conmen. Tickets £16-£24. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Friday April 7 n Evening of dance – swing, jive and bop Ex-Service Club, Winford Grove, Bedminster Down BS13 7DY 8-11.45pm, £8. Email bennettialfred@gmail.com n Ian Prowse and Amsterdam The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Fans of Ian Prowse include Elvis Costello, John Peel and Janice Long. 7.30pm, £12. thethunderbolt.net Saturday April 8 n Stand Up For The Weekend with Alistair Barrie & Co Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street, Southville. “Intelligent, sarcastic, arrogant, witty and hilariously funny in
equal measure,” comedian, actor and writer Alistair Barrie heads the Saturday line-up, with guests. £11/£13, 7.45pm. • thecomedybox.co.uk Sunday April 9 n Tony Law: A Law Unto His-elf Comedy Box at the Tobacco Factory presents a comic show without a hint of a joke – a surreal sort of comedy which aims at making no sense at all. £15.50, 8pm. • thecomedybox.co.uk Tuesday April 11 n Rebecca Pronsky Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Road. Rebecca is from Brooklyn, New York, and her music straddles country roots, jazz, rockabilly, and folk. £12/£10, 7.30pm. • zionbristol.co.uk Thursday April 13 n Little Cooks Windmill Hill City Farm. Monthly cooking classes for preschoolers, today making yoghurt dough pizza. Includes play session while things cook in the oven. 10.30-11.30am. £10 for 2 to 5-year-olds. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Friday April 14 n Posthumous Works Join Ivan Hansen for the show that Continued on page 46
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n WHAT’S ON Trio’s tribute to Bessie, Empress of the Blues MORE than a musical performance, Empress of the Blues: A Tribute to Bessie Smith seeks to recreate the magic weaved by the legendary 1920s singer. Combining spoken word, music and film, the event on April 6 tells the story of the first major black recording star, who rose so high in the 1920s that she toured in her own railway carriage. Natalie Davis takes on the challenging vocal role, accompanied by Brendan Whitmore on saxophone and Dave Merrick, who Continued from page 45 won him Best Performer at Birmingham’s BE Festival, cycling through “memories of foolish friendships, first loves and final farewells, in a story that is as moving as it is hilarious.” Until April 19. A Tobacco Factory production at the Wardrobe theatre, Old Market. £10, 8pm. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday April 15 n Easter event Windmill Hill City Farm. Decorate an Easter basket, turn yourself into a giant colourful Easter egg, and join an egg hunt. Age 6+, £10. Three sessions, 10am-4pm. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk n The Dualers The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Dedicated ska and reggae band. 7.30pm, £15. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Thursday April 20 n Dr Feelgood The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. The lineup has changed since 1973, but the Feelgoods’ commitment to r’n’b has not. 7.30pm, £16. • thethunderbolt.net Friday April 21 n Knowle & Totterdown Local History Society Eugene Byrne, editor of Bristol Times, talks about John Latimer and Joseph Leech, two of Victorian Bristol’s most influential newspapermen. Redcatch community centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle, 7.30pm. £3 members, £1.50 non-members.
narrates and plays guitar. Bessie Smith was the child of a poor family in Chattanooga. Both her parents died before she was nine but she joined a
travelling vaudeville show and her strong contralto voice shone on the crackly acoustic recordings of the early 1920s. But her career was cut short by the Great
Depression of 1929. She died in a car crash in 1937, estranged from her husband – who then pocketed money from fans which was given to pay for a tombstone. The evening at the Thunderbolt in Bath Road, Totterdown, features historic film footage and audio of Bessie as well as live renditions of her numbers. Dave has organised similar tribute events to Woody Guthrie and Billie Holiday, including sell-outs at the American Museum in Bath, as well as evenings at the Thunderbolt featuring the history of jazz and the roots of the classic blues. Natalie and Dave also appear as a duo performing retro blues and jazz. • Facebook: Bessie Smith Story
• knowleandtotterdownhistory. org.uk n Tez Ilyas: Made In Britain Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street, Southville. Tez has sold out a run at London’s Soho theatre; his second Radio 4 series will air this year. 7.45pm, £12. • thecomedybox.co.uk n Kate McNab & John Telfer Zion, Bishopsworth Road. Two actors and musicians – who often tour a show as Fanny and Johnny Craddock – sing their favourite songs. Jazz singer Kate is also known for her oral history shows including Doodlebugs and Bogeymen, while John is ex-Bergerac and is now playing Alan Franks, Vicar of Ambridge in The Archers. 7pm, £10/£8. • zionbristol.co.uk Saturday April 22 n Tartuffe discussion Tobacco Factory. Join director Andrew Hilton and members of the cast as they discuss the Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory production of Tartuffe. 11am, £15 (includes buffet). • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Sunday April 23 n Milk Poetry Tobacco Factory. With UK Slam Champion and internet sensation Hollie McNish, Inua Ellams, who wowed sell-out audiences with An Evening with an Immigrant in October 2016, plus New York’s Amy Leon and stars of the Bristol poetry scene. £7, 8pm.
• tobaccofactorytheatres.com Tuesday April 25 n Tortoise v Hare Yet another new show from Living Spit, local legends of comic theatre, presented by the Tobacco Factory at Spike Island, Cumberland Road. Barry Hare, ultra-fit Wrington running champ, faces Toby ‘Tortoise’ Gollop, eater of doughnuts, in an epic tale of rural running rivalry, told in rhyme and song. £10, 7.30pm. Until May 4. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com n Laurence Jones The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Labelled “the future of the blues,” Laurence has just released his fourth album, Take Me High, by legendary producer Mike Vernon. 7.30pm, £12.50. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Wednesday April 26 n Crushed Out The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Crushed Out have clocked up 600 US shows in five years, supporting Joan Jett and Band of Skulls along the way. 7.30pm, £7. • thethunderbolt.net Thursday April 27 n West Country Feast With Kate’s Kitchen at Arnos Vale cemetery. Menu includes Chew Valley trout, West Country free range pork belly and locally made chocolate. £32. • arnosvale.org.uk/events n Gas Girls Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster.
The acclaimed story of the women who made mustard gas during the First World War in Avonmouth returns to Acta before going on tour. Tickets £4; until April 29, then May 5 and 19. • acta-bristol.com n Andrew Lawrence: the Hate Speech Tour Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street, Southville. “The UK comedy scene’s most bigoted scumbag, Andrew Lawrence, is back. No laugh too cheap. Bring a friend who’s easily offended.” £14.50, 7.45pm. • thecomedybox.co.uk Saturday April 29 n Anzac War Grave tour Arnos Vale cemetery. On Anzac Day, learn more about men and women from Australia and New Zealand who gave up their lives serving their countries during the two world wars and other conflicts. 10.30am-12noon, £5. • arnosvale.org.uk/events n Redcatch Art Club Exhibition and sale of members’ work at the Community Centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP. Tea and coffee, cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes and hot food will also be available. 11am-4pm Sunday April 30 n Spring Fling Riff Raff’s Southville choir jobs with its Clifton counterpart for a concert of modern song arrangements and harmonies at St George’s Bristol. 7pm; £4-£10, plus fees. • stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
Playing respects: Brendan Whitmore, Natalie Davis and Dave Merrick
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