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southbristolvoice June 2016 No. 13
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Slowing Totterdown traffic Page 3 Windmill Hill car crime: police act
Page 6
Fighting stigma of mental illness
Protest at work on gasworks homes Page 13
Food hero: Chef Barny Haughton
Knowle West’s BBC food hero TOP chef Barny Haughton has won the BBC Local Food Hero award in the Radio 4 Food & Farming awards for his work with the Square Food Foundation in Knowle West. It makes it the second year in a row that Knowle West has taken the award – last year it was won by Steve Griffiths, the tireless gardener who works at Springfield Road allotments for Knowle West Health Association. Barny was delighted with the award, saying that it shows there Continued on page 6
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Marvin Rees writes for the Voice EXCLUSIVE
Page 17
New mayor Marvin Rees opens a cycling centre in South Bristol – p4-5 SOUTH Bristol residents are waiting to hear what impact new mayor Marvin Rees will make on the area’s biggest issues. Mr Rees has vowed to review 20mph zones, and residents parking, but it’s not clear if he will make residents pay for the parking restrictions likely to be
needed near the arena. Mr Rees, who beat George Ferguson in the May 5 election, has already halted the sale of council land to developers – including one Totterdown plot. Labour also took control of the council, winning both seats in Windmill Hill. Mayor’s challenges: p4
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Intro: Marvin’s challenge
TO SAY that mayor Marvin Rees faces a challenge is to state the obvious. He inherits a city with serious transport problems, shortly to be made worse by a bigger Ashton Gate stadium and the arena. Air pollution is above legal limits, school places are short, there’s a housing crisis and inequality is rising. He has the prospect of a new “metro mayor” being
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appointed over his head. And there’s a looming £59 million shortfall in the city’s budget in 2020. His Green rival for mayor, Tony Dyer, warns the real figure will be worse, and people “should not expect too much” from Mr Rees. Bristol South Labour MP Karin Smyth also warns that options are limited in a city starved by Tory cuts. However, the city’s Lib Dem leader Gary Hopkins says, with the right will, Mr Rees could hit his target to build 2,000 homes a year. If he can make a real difference in housing, he may be forgiven much else.
Road riverbank on Sunday June 5 in the company of the Friends of the New Cut (Franc). Richard Bland of Bristol Naturalists’ Society will be leading the walk following the success of his guided walk last September. Start at 10am to walk between the Bedminster and Bath Road bridges. • franc.org.uk
l REGISTRATION for Totterdown Arts Trail 2016 is now open. The theme this year is Circus. Registration is £30 and will be open till October 3. The event was Bristol’s first art trail and it runs from November 19-20. Queries to enquiries@ frontroom.org.uk. l A SHOW from comedian,
TV star and Bristol-based medic Dr Phil Hammond at Arnos Vale is billed as probably the world’s first comedy evening in a cemetery. Hammond is previewing his Edinburgh Fringe show, Life and Death (But Mainly Death). The evening will
June 2016
be hosted by local comedian and friend of the cemetery, Mark Olver, and all money raised will be doubled by the Lottery fund to secure the future of Arnos Vale cemetery. 8pm, Wednesday June 22. Tickets £10. • arnosvale.org.uk
l ONE Of the biggest box office
disasters of all time is the choice of Bristol Bad Film Club for their open-air family screening in Victoria Park. Cutthroat Island (cert PG) cost $115 million to make but performances were so wooden it took only $10m at the box office. Tickets are £5 (free for under 10s) for the August 22 show at 8pm, near Mrs Brown’s café. Profits to Friends of Victoria Park in association with VPAG. • bristolbadfilmclub.co.uk
l THE SECOND Stanley Hill
street party and temporary road closure was a success on May 19, with plenty of children and adults who brightened up the road with chalk drawings. The next event is on June 19 from 5-6.30pm, when the theme will be Beach Party.
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NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUMS Windmill Hill September 7, 7-8.30pm, Victoria Park Bowls Club, Nutgrove Avenue, Windmill Hill BS3 4QF Knowle September 16, 7-8.30pm, Redcatch Community Centre, Redcatch Road, Knowle BS4 2EP
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bristol.gov.uk Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem leader) Email: 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 Email: Cllr.Lucy.Whittle@bristol. gov.uk Jon Wellington Labour, Windmill Hill Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Email: Cllr.Jon.Wellington@bristol.gov.uk
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My MP? Karin Smyth MP Labour 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 June 10 and 24 at Knowle West Health Park, Downton Road BS4 1WH, 9.15-10.45am. Appointments on 0117 953 3575. My councillor? Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Email: christopher.davies@
Emergency: 999 Inquiries: 0117 926 2061
Neighbourhood partnership Bringing together the area’s three forums: June 22, 6-8pm, Windmill Hill Community Association, Vivian Street
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 | Company no. 09522608 | VAT no. 211 0801 76
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Flowers help to slow Totterdown drivers
Home-made planters reclaim streets – but no sign of rat-run being closed off
GUERILLA gardening tactics in reclaiming roads in the Totterdown Triangle are having an effect, members of community group Tresa have been told. Work to reclaim the roads for pedestrians has included making several planters out of pallets, chalking extra lines on the road, and “lamppost gardens” of plants fixed to lampposts. The effect has been to slow some drivers when they make the cut-through from Bath Road to Wells Road in the triangle between the A4 and the A37. However, there is still no news from the council on when the long-awaited restrictions to end rat-running in the area will be brought in. The planters have no official permission but have attracted mainly positive feedback. They have been installed at several points on Stanley Hill, Angers Road and nearby. It follows a project by architecture students from the University of the West of England for Tresa, which outlined ideas for
temporary installations which might slow drivers or deter them from driving through the triangle’s No Entry signs. “They have probably halved the number of people going the wrong way,” said Tresa member Julian Noble at the group’s meeting on May 18. “I think the very fact that we have claimed the street by putting planters on it makes them [drivers] realise they are breaking the law on someone’s street,” he said. On Facebook, most people have welcomed the interventions. “The planters are so lovely and much appreciated!” said one resident. A few complained that they get in the way, and there has been some vandalism. One resident said: “I think some are placed in silly areas but they do look lovely.” However, hopes that traffic
Zone A mosaic
Our many faces Lunching out
A MOSAIC is planned by community group Tresa on Zone A, the open space on Wells Road next to Firfield Street. It will be partly a commemoration of the many Totterdown streets that were torn down to make way for a 1960s ring road that was never built. It will also include a view of the new life that is springing up in the area, with shops reopening that have been closed for years. Installation is planned for August, Suzanne Audrey, chair of Tresa, said.
A BOOK to celebrate the multicultural heritage of Totterdown is also being planned by Tresa. It will contain interviews with people from the many cultures who live in the area, who originate from all corners of the British Isles to Asia, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. People will be asked what brought them to Totterdown, what they like about it, and which parts of their homeland heritage they have retained.
Our space: One of the planters on Stanley Hill, next to extra white lines could be prevented from using the Totterdown triangle as a short-cut from Bath Road to Wells Road are still unsure. Tresa and local residents won agreement two years ago that £10,000 could be spent to solve the problem. Tresa’s own consultation showed that most people favoured closing off access to Angers Road from Bath Road. South Bristol Voice was told by the council last summer that formal consultation would be carried out in the autumn to confirm the most suitable option. Tresa was told to expect the work to start in February 2016. Now the Voice has been told that two more months of work is needed to assess a survey of traffic in the area. Transport officials are worried that the Triangle route is an important safety valve for traffic. Removing it might hold up buses, it is said.
A STREET Party called the Big Lunch is being hosted by members of Tresa on the communal open space at the bottom of Park Street, Totterdown, from 1-5pm on Sunday June 5. The road is expected to be closed to traffic. Everyone is welcome to bring food, and chairs – tables are provided. If you’d like to help out, or to find out more, email tresacic@gmail.com, or search Tresa Totterdown on Facebook. • tresa.org.uk
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Park Street land sale put on hold by new mayor NEW mayor Marvin Rees’s policy of halting sales of council land for housing has raised hopes that an open space in Park Street, part of the Totterdown triangle, can be saved. The Park Street plot has been cleared of rubbish and vegetation by residents and is used by children and for community events such as the Big Lunch on June 5 (see below). Part is also used as a car park. It is next to Totterdown’s community orchard which was created by local people. Members of Tresa, meeting on May 18, heard that the sale of the plot has been halted for now. The group helped gather 600 signatures on a petition protesting against any sell-off. Jon Wellington, newly-elected Labour councillor for Windmill Hill, said all sales of council land for housing are on hold. This includes a bigger plot on the north side of Bath Road between Totterdown Bridge and Three Lamps. New mayor Marvin Rees wants the council to keep ownership of any land it owns which is suitable for housing, and invite developers to build more affordable homes. • Marvin Rees interview: p4-5
Handouts for open spaces THE VOICE has been unable to get a clear answer from the council over how much money is available to Knowle and Windmill Hill parks as a spin-off from the sale of land for housing in Salcombe Road, Knowle. The council’s total receipt for the land was £895,000. But after contingencies and sums already spent in Perretts, Redcatch and other parks, it is thought about £200,000 will be left. The area’s neighbourhood partnership will decide how to allocate the funds. • There will be no extra cash to compensate for any loss of green space next to Three Lamps junction to make way for a new footbridge to the arena. The council told the Voice that the new footway will not be a change of use, so no payout will be made.
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June 2016
Marvin: I want to hear from
New mayor says he wants local views on RPZs and 20mph
BRISTOL’S new mayor, Marvin Rees, has told South Bristol Voice that he wants local councillors to be at the forefront of a review of residents’ parking zones – and of 20mph zones. No details have been announced yet, but the mayor signalled his clear intention to give councillors a bigger voice in his administration. Consultation will start later in the summer on the expected parking restrictions near the arena (see pages 14-15). In his first week, Mr Rees announced a shake-up of home building, visited the city’s first family cycling centre in South Bristol, appointed his cabinet of senior councillors, and found time to write a column for the South Bristol Voice (see page 35). Asked about his first week as Bristol mayor, he said: “I expected there to be a huge volume of work. But actually what surprised me was the recognition on the street from the public. Someone came up to me today and said, ‘You are the
The vote for mayor
FIRST STAGE votes Tom Baldwin TUSC 1,876 Kay Barnard Lib Dem 8,078 Tony Britt Independent 877 Tony Dyer Green 10,000 George Ferguson Ind 32,375 Stoney Garnett Ind 1,384 Mayor Kudehinbu Ind 341 John Langley Ind 367 Charles Lucas Con 19,617 Marvin Rees Labour 56,729 Paul Saville Ind 545 Christine Townsend Ind 1,010 Paul Turner UKIP 7,115 SECOND STAGE After 2nd preference votes
George Ferguson Ind Marvin Rees Labour
39,577 68,750
CITY COUNCIL MAKEUP Labour 37 seats (up 7); Conservative 14 (down 2); Green 11 (down 3); Lib Dem 8 (down 1); UKIP 0 (down 1).
Ambition is for
Mayor Marvin Rees at the opening of the new Family Cycling Centre new new mayor!’ and that is just what I want to be.” His priorities are the same, he said – headed by more housing, with a pledge to build 2,000 new homes in the city each year by 2020, 800 of them affordable. Other priorities, he said, are making sure that people can get their children into good quality schools, and working with the community and voluntary sector. “I have been getting a lot of briefings into the scale of the challenges that we face,” said Mr Rees. “There are decisions that haven’t been made, that we now have to face, and that’s our intent. We want to get [these
major challenges] sorted, so that we are not just firefighting. “Housing is one of my first priorities and that’s why I have appointed Paul Smith as my cabinet lead for housing. “We will be setting up a delivery vehicle to bring together partners who can help us build homes which Bristolians can afford to live in. “I don’t want any longer to see the council selling off land onto the open market. We will be inviting our partners to say come on, build with us.” He has previously announced plans for a Bristol Bond to allow residents and businesses to
The mayor’s dilemmas
MARVIN Rees faces a likely gap in the city council budget of £59 million as the Government cuts support for town halls. His Green rival for the mayoralty, Tony Dyer, believes the real shortfall could be up to £80m, and says people should support their new mayor but “should not expect too much.” However, the city’s Lib Dem leader, Knowle councillor Gary Hopkins, believes Mr Rees’s ambitious plan to build 2,000 homes a year is possible. The council owns plenty of land, and Bristol is a profitable place to build homes, he says. Other clouds loom for Mr Rees. He has to solve transport problems around Ashton Gate stadium and the arena (see pages 14-15). He must create school
places to meet rising demand, and cope with ever higher needs for social care for the elderly. He also has to take the extra role of leader of the Labour party on the council. Usually mayor and leader posts are split, but the party has a national policy uniting the roles, so former leader Cllr Helen Holland has stepped down. Then there is the prospect of a new “metro mayor”. A devolution package from Chancellor George Osborne promises Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath councils £1bn if they can work under a regional mayor. So far the councils can’t agree a joint approach. In Bristol, Labour and Lib Dem councillors want a referendum on whether a metro mayor is needed. • MP’s warning to Labour: p19
THE OPENING of a new family cycling centre in South Bristol to serve the whole city could mark a new era for the popularity of twowheel transport in the city. The ageing Whitchurch Stadium athletics track, once used by Olympic gold medallist sprinter Jason Gardener, was closed in 2003. But now the track has been transformed, thanks to £400,000 of funding from the Department for Transport. For organiser Janine McCretton it’s a dream come true after years of hard work. invest in a city housing fund. “We know there are people who really want to invest in Bristol,” said Mr Rees. He claims developers have been put off building in Bristol because they didn’t find a willing partner in the council. Plans for private developments will be looked at closely to see how many affordable homes they provide, he says. “If a proposal includes zero affordable housing, that’s not a neutral action,” he says. “It’s harmful to Bristol, because it compounds the problem of inequality, and then you end up having to pay public money on
Local council seats
Winning candidates in bold WINDMILL HILL votes Lucy Whittle Lab 1,844 Jon Wellington Lab 1,692 Rosa Targett Green 1,597 Eleanor Vowles Green 1,339 Andrew Brown Lib Dem 1,034 Natalie Jester Lib Dem 877 David Morris Con 331 Pam Skelding Con 258 Tom Baldwin TUSC 245 KNOWLE Gary Hopkins Lib Dem Chris Davies Lib Dem Thomas Cottrell Lab Carolyn Magson Lab Anna Jordan Green Heather Mack Green Debra Jones Con Jenny Rogers Con Domenico Hill TUSC Patrick Hulme TUSC
votes
2,177 2,154 1,336 1,029 515 336 268 242 92 70
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the local councillors the region’s top cycling centre
“I’m so chuffed to see it all happen,” she said, after welcoming new mayor Marvin Rees to declare the centre open. She wants the site, off Bamfield, close to the new Hengrove swimming pool, to become the South West’s centre for cycling for families, the disabled and young people. One of her goals is to see future paralympic cyclists training at Whitchurch. The centre is open five days a week but is seeking funding and sponsors to open all week. One priority is to provide services that are then needed.” Told that it is not clear how much affordable housing will be included in the £100 million redevelopment of Bedminster Green, he said “We will take
facilities where everyone can join in together. “Lots of people told us that they don’t send their disabled child to a disabled-only session, they want to come and cycle all together,” said Janine. The centre has a range of cycles for all abilities, from machines that can carry a wheelchair to several that can be operated by hand. The opening day attractions included a display of stunts by BMX rider Mattie Stemmings. Among future ideas are an annual bike chariot race. • betterbybike.info stock of all that. Our priorities are to build houses that Bristol people can afford to live in, whether to buy or to rent. “The review of residents parking zones will be led by local
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councillors who will talk to local communities, schools and businesses, and come back with costed recommendations. “Then we will take a view of all the recommendations, because we don’t want to end up with a patchwork of different ideas. “I want them to come back to me with suggestions of where 20mph zones are working and where they are not working. “They [councillors] have to have the opportunity to speak up for their areas. We have to be investing in that kind of local democracy.” Whether that would involve a greater role for Bristol’s 12 neighbourhood partnerships, and 35 smaller neighbourhood forums, he declined to say. Mr Rees’s cabinet includes members of each party on the council. He also has a City Office which includes representatives of the police and business.
Higher turnout
TURNOUT, city council seats Citywide 44.76 % Highest Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze 60.56% Lowest Central ward 35.50% Bedminster 50.28% Knowle 46.83% Southville 53.20% Windmill Hill 50.99% TURNOUT, mayoral
44.87%
Police election INDEPENDENT Sue Mounstevens was reelected as Avon & Somerset police and crime commissioner, polling 118,547 votes across the region. Labour’s Kerry Barker was second with 100,565 votes, due mainly to a strong Labour vote in Bristol. Turnout was 44.46 per cent in Bristol – roughly double the turnout in other areas such as Bath and North Somerset, where there was no mayoral election. The turnout across the region was 26.64 per cent.
Now supporting Children’s Hospice South West
COME AND SEE LOCAL TALENT IN OUR WINDOW! We are pleased to announce that winner of the Greenwoods and Hillcrest Primary School Art Competition is Jet Ward, aged 6!
Congratulations to Jet and the other winners, 2nd Jorja Harrison, 3rd Olive Menler & Betty Dougall. Thanks to thinkIMAGE for providing the window vinyl.
OUR HEAD OFFICE IS ON YOUR Temple Meads DOORSTEP at 148 Wells Road, Totterdown BS4 2AG
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Barny’s BBC food honour
Continued from page 1 has been progress since he started promoting the message of healthy, sustainable eating through cookery sessions at the Park Centre in Daventry Road. Sessions are run for pensioners, sex workers, school children and virtually every sector of the Knowle West community. Barny is well-known for founding several of Bristol’s best-known restaurants, from Rocinantes tapas bar to Quartier Vert and Bordeaux Quay. Now he wants to create a bridge between “middle class Bristol and areas such as Knowle West, where people have less access to good food, and less access to knowledge,” he said. Barny believes eating healthily is less about money and more about being able to buy good quality food – and knowing how to cook it. “I know plenty of people who live on absolutely nothing, but eat well, because they put good food first,” he said. He is delighted that areas of Bedminster, and Knowle around Wells Road, now have a thriving, high-quality food culture, with shops and restaurants selling locally-sourced food, which was not there 10 years ago. “If you create demand, you find a supply [of good food] will follow. We are on the cusp of that in Knowle West, though nothing happens overnight,” he said. Barny was voted his award by BBC Radio Bristol listeners. • squarefoodfoundation.co.uk
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June 2016
Report car crime or we can’t help: police Drug users to be targeted in tower block
RESIDENTS must report crimes if they want the police to do anything about them, Windmill Hill neighbourhood forum has been told. A spate of car break-ins and vandalism in Cotswold Road, Windmill Hill is known to police but several of the crimes may not have been reported, PC Sue Coates told the meeting on May 11. Two youngsters have been arrested and interviewed following a series of incidents which caused £1,500 of damage but because of their age no decision has yet been taken on a prosecution, said PC Coates. Residents told her that the attacks on vheicles were continuing. “I looked out at 2am and saw someone coming down Cotswold Road loking at every vehicle either side of the road,” said one resident – who added that he hadn’t called police because he couldn’t see the man well enough to have identified him. PC Coates urged residents to call police immediately on 999 if they thought a crime was occurring. “It’s really important that these calls come in because
What foods are toxic to pets?
T’S tempting to share food with our pets, especially when they give you those ‘please feed me’ eyes – but some foods are toxic to animals. Chocolate is the best-known poisonous food. It contains theobromine which can affect the heart and nervous system. Depending how much chocolate was eaten by your pet, and what type (dark chocolate is particularly dangerous), you may see symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle tremors or seizures. Onions and garlic can cause
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digestive upsets and anaemia, while grapes, raisins and currants can cause kidney failure. Caffeine can cause reactions similar to chocolate poisoning including restlessness, rapid breathing and heart palpitations. All parts of the avocado are toxic to rabbits, rodents, birds and reptiles, due to a substance called persin. Persin can cause heart failure in rodents and breathing difficulties in birds. Contrary to popular belief, cats shouldn’t be given cow’s milk, or excessive amounts of cheese and butter. Cats and
SEVERAL people have been named as possible culprits for a vicious knife attack on a woman in Totterdown. PC Sue Coates told the Windmill Hill meeting that the efit picture of the attacker – printed in last month’s Voice, and reproduced here again – had prompted several calls to the police. No arrests have yet been made. The woman needed surgery to her hand after she tried to stop the man taking her red Radley handbag at 10pm on April 9. The man is said to be white, in his 20, of slim, athletic build, with short brown hair. He wore a light sit’s intelligence like this that often leads to arrests,” she said. She pointed out the value of community tip-offs in uncovering cannabis farms. The most recent was in March, in Green Street, Totterdown, where neighbours became alarmed at the strong smell of cannabis from a bedsit. Police are also appealing for help in dealing with anti-social behaviour in Polden House, one of the council tower blocks on Windmill Hill. Drug users have left needles and other drug paraphernalia in the stairwell at Polden House. Needles have also been found
dogs cannot digest lactose effectively and it can cause nasty digestive upsets. The artificial sweetener xylitol, often found in sweets and chewing gum, can make an animal’s blood sugar drop and cause liver failure. Macadamia nuts are particularly toxic to dogs, causing symptoms such as weakness, depression, tremors, vomiting and increased body temperature (hypothermia). Too much salt can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, depression, tremors, hypothermia or seizures. Frequent feeding of
Suspects: Several names were suggested after April 9 attack coloured jacket, jeans, trainers and was carrying a rucksack with both straps on. several times in Victoria Park, the meeting heard. Several forest school sessions in the park for children at St Mary Redcliffe primary school have been cancelled after needles were found. Parents have been alerted, and children have been taught to recognise the needles. The needle exchange which supplies drug users will be asked to try to persuade them not to leave their needles lying around. Police will make Polden House and the drug issue one of their top priorities in the area, said PC Coates, along with vehicle crime.
Jenny Hamilton-ible MRCVS Veterinary Surgeon at Highcroft Veterinary Hospital, Whitchurch raw fish can cause a vitamin B deficiency, resulting in seizures. If your pet has eaten any of the above foods, always seek veterinary advice. Contact our 24-hour hospital in Whitchurch on 01275 832410.
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Voice Concorde winners get a tour of the Blue Glass secrets DELIGHTED winners of the South Bristol Voice competition to win a special Bristol Blue Concorde commemorative penny were treated to a demonstration of glassblowing at the Bristol Blue works in Arnos Vale. The Voice asked for memories of Concorde to win a Bristol Blue Penny to mark 40 years since Concorde first flew commercially. We received many touching stories of personal connections with the supersonic plane. Angela Leslie of Ashton treasures her memory of flying on Concorde with her husband, who sadly died six months later. Angela and her husband were passengers on what turned out to be Concorde’s last-ever day charter flight in 2000.
Supersonic prize: Winners Angela Leslie and Jimmy Neale, centre, are presented with their Blue Pennies by Blue Glass marketing manager Sharon Crapanzano, left, and head glassblower Aaron Golding “When we landed, the pilot said to my husband, ‘How was that?’ and my husband said, ‘I’m so happy I could kiss you,’ at which the pilot said, “No thanks, but I’ll kiss your wife instead!’ “I will always remember it. The pilot said that over the
Atlantic we were the highest and fastest human beings on Earth. The sky was navy blue because we were on the edge of space. “My face was aching from smiling so much when we landed. It was worth every penny of the £600 each we paid.”
June 2016
Jimmy Neale of Arnos Vale regrets he never flew on the plane – but he did spend 27 years working at the plant where it was built and first flown, at Filton. Jimmy said BAC staff were offered flights in Concorde for a discounted rate of £300, but it seemed a lot of money so he didn’t go. He regretted it, especially when he found out that travel agents were selling the same package for £3,000! “I remember the first flight of the prototype,” said Jimmy. “They weren’t sure how much of the runway she would need to take off, so they had her backed right up to the perimeter fence at Filton. When the pilot opened up the engines she took off, and blew the fence down!” Bristol Blue marketing manager Sharon Crapanzano showed the winners around the Bath Road glassworks, and glassblowers demonstrated how a wineglass is made by hand. Other winners were Matthew Jackson, Ella Wheatcroft and Elizabeth Sheppard.
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June 2016
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DAY of events in Knowle aims to help those who don’t just have to cope with the problems of mental illness, but also have to deal with rejection from people around them who don’t understand what they are going through. People suffering from diseases such as depression or bipolar disorder – where their mood can swing from depressed to very elated – can find that the stigma is as difficult to deal with as the illness itself. An NHS project called CASS – the Community Access Support Service – aims to help people with mental health problems in South Bristol find the services they need. On June 28 CASS is running an event at the Park Centre in Daventry Road, Knowle, to hear what volunteers, group leaders and others who are active in local communities think about mental health services in Bristol. It’s co-hosted by SARI – Stand Against Racism and Inequality – a Bristol group which supports victims of hate crimes, including those targeted because of disability. CASS put the South Bristol Voice in touch with one family who have lived with mental illness and came out the other side.
H
elen, a mother of three from Brislington, has helped her daughter deal with bipolar disorder for the past 10 years, and also has a husband who suffers from depression. “The worst thing for people with a mental illness is that others think there’s nothing wrong with them,” Helen said. “If you have a broken leg you can see it, but when people see someone with a mental illness they can say, ‘Why aren’t you going to work? There’s nothing wrong with you.’ My daughter
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Why is there shame for the mentally ill? Trying to lift the stigma that can make mental illness much harder lost a lot of friends when she was diagnosed in her early 20s. She lost her job as well because she was in and out of hospital. “We had neighbours who stopped asking about her. Sometimes people don’t know what to say. “It’s very hard but gradually things get better. She didn’t want to have any emotion – she would sit and stare at the TV but it was just a blank screen to her. “We knew she was getting better when she cried at something she saw on a TV programme.” It took Helen’s daughter several years to recover, but with the help of her parents, her sisters and her support workers she is now much better. She has just had a daughter of her own. Helen now shares her experiences with families who are going through the same things she was. As a Champion for the mental health charity Time to Change, she has regular lunches with a group who met at Callington Road hospital in Brislington. She gives talks to students at City of Bristol college who are learning about caring. “I think it’s healthier if you can talk about it. I tell them that people with a mental illness can
Toy library is open for playtime SOUTH Bristol’s Toy Library now has a regular venue. From June 10 on Fridays from 2-4pm the toy library will be running free swap and play sessions during term time at Oasis Academy Marksbury Road primary school. Organiser Annie Berry said: “We really encourage anyone who cares for a child – grandparents, foster carers,
extended family and parents to come along.” If you decide to borrow a toy there is a membership fee of £10 for the year, with fees from 20p to £2 for two weeks. New summer toys include slides and water play tables. A few volunteer roles are also available. • southbristoltoylibrary.co.uk Facebook: southbristoltoylibrary
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think they will never get better. It’s a long process, but over time they do improve,” she said. Helen believes that in the past 10 years, some of the stigma attached to mental health conditions has decreased. Organisations like CASS are there to help, and increasingly celebrities are setting an example by talking about their own mental problems. But there is still plenty to do. • time-to-change.org.uk
LEARNING ABOUT THE RIGHT HELP
CASS Network event Tuesday June 28 The Park, Daventry Road, Knowle BS4 1DQ 11am-1pm: discussion • Learn about mental health services and how to find the right support. • Give feedback about your experiences or learn more about what CASS could provide. 2-4pm: A free workshop on challenging mental health stigma. For information email info@cassbristol.org or call 0117 304 1400 • sariweb.org.uk • bristolmentalhealth.org/ services/community-accesssupport-service
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Plea to put residents first ‘Community facilities mustn’t be forgotten’
CAMPAIGNERS in Windmill Hill have asked the council to make it clear that the local community will be the first priority in the redevelopment of Bedminster Green. Members of WHaM, the Windmill Hill and Malago planning group, voiced dismay at the release of a pre-application document by developer Urbis, which is proposing to build 800 homes on the five hectare site. Once open space is taken out, this equates to 380 homes per hectare – a much higher density of housing than the surrounding area. Terraces in Totterdown have about 120 homes to the hectare. Even the flats planned for the old Imperial Tobacco offices in Bedminster Parade – Regent House and Consort House – will only be 213 homes per hectare, say campaigners. They fear this will mean a number of tower blocks of between eight and 14 storeys. WHaM believes the same number of homes could be built
High hopes: St Catherine’s Place, next to the Bedminster Green site in blocks of no more than five storeys – although they accept this could mean less open space. “We feel that our efforts to positively engage in a discussion about the content and form of development has been largely disregarded by Urbis,” said Carlton Bodkin, speaking on behalf of WHaM. “We think it is important for the council to take some control of the development to ensure that other services are included. “We think it should be somewhere to be proud of, where people meet, can socialise and importantly access essential infrastructure and facilities, such
as doctors or dentists,” he said. Urbis said a medical centre, community centre and dentists are all aspirations for the scheme. The quality of the scheme depends on a high density of homes, but the scheme will not be overly crowded, said Richard Clarke, Urbis managing director. “It’s high density compared to somewhere like Emersons Green, but not compared to an inner city high rise,” he said. He promised there would be extensive consultation before any planning applications are submitted, and apologised that a meeting to discuss the housing element with the community had
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been cancelled because of illness. “Our aim is to build a lot of homes for Bristol, a lot of good homes, which will be bigger than the required space standards.” They will be of high standard with excellent insulation to minimise fuel bills, which will be reduced further by a district energy centre, said Mr Clarke. The energy centre application should be made shortly, he said. Urbis is aiming for up to 30 per cent of the homes to be affordable, partly made possible by rising house prices in South Bristol, he said. No affordable housing was included in St Catherine’s Place, the 16-storey block given planning permission in 2014, when values were lower. However, Urbis is looking to the council for help to pay for some of the public amenities such as the public open space and the redesigned Bedminster railway station. St Catherine’s place will have an expected 188 homes, all for private rental, to be owned and let by property firm Longharbour. The wider site, between Malago Road and East Street, is planned to have university accommodation, retirement homes, and housing for sale and rent.
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June 2016
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News Take the Big Green challenge
BRISTOL’S Big Green Week is coming. As well as events in Victoria Park, in Whitchurch and at Windmill Hill City Farm, the organisers are challenging South Bristolians to make their own positive steps towards a greener future from June 11 to 19. These include holding street parties on June 11 – not only to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday but to get neighbours talking to each other and forge stronger communities. “We’re trying to get people to engage and think about the impact they they make as an individual,” said Shanks Raj, one of the Big Green Week directors. Other challenges include changing the way you travel;
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GET GROWING GARDEN TRAIL June 4 and 5 Bristol’s secret fruit and veg growers on show, among them: Andy’s Haven, Park Centre, Daventry Road, Sat 11am-3pm Bramble Farm, Stockwood Crescent, Knowle, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm Springfield allotments, Andover Road, Knowle, Sat 11am-3pm Dean Lane orchard, Warden Road, Bedminster, Sat 2-4pm Totterdown Sprouting, Park changing what you eat so you take less out of the environment; recycling more; using less energy in the home; or buying more goods locally. Among scores of events citywide, on Saturday June 11, Windmill Hill city farm in Philip Street hosts Garment Revival from 2-3pm, devoted to making old clothes out of new. Old clothing can gain a new look by
Street, Totterdown, Sun 1-4pm Windmill Hill city farm, Philip St, Bedminster, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm • bristolfoodnetwork.org screen printing a design on it. Sunday sees a session of green-tinged poetry from collective The Spoke at the Tobacco Factory bar in North Street, Southville, 7.45-9.30pm. Also on Sunday, women can sample jogging with the This Mum Runs group, starting at the top of Sandy Park Road, Brislington, at 8am. All week, 151 Luckwell Road,
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Bedminster, a typical Victorian house, will be transformed with natural materials – hemp, lime and clay – to make it better insulated and drier. On Monday June 13, the new Family Cycling Centre in Whitchurch (see page 4) hosts a Heart Health cycle ride and a picnic with sports nutritionist Alison Preston. There are also dance workshops in Victoria Park, and a green business session at Filwood Green business centre – details on the website below. Supporting local firms and keeping money in the local economy – such as by using Bristol Pounds – is a major theme of the week. “We’d like to see people consuming less and thinking about every penny they spend and where it goes, so that they support local entrepreneurs sourcing local goods, rather than handing money to multinational corporations that might end up in tax havens,” said Shanks. • biggreenweek.com
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June 2016
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News
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Protest over demolition at gasworks site THE CONSTRUCTION of 107 homes on the site of the old gasworks in Bedminster Road has come under attack from a neighbour who says the builders are abusing the planning rules. Redrow Homes is building 91 homes for sale on the open market and 16 “affordable” homes under planning permission granted year ago. In April it applied for permission for builders to start work half an hour earlier, at 7.30am instead of 8am, from Monday to Friday. The planning permission allows work from 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday. Now a resident of Bedminster Road has objected to the request, telling the council the demolition workers on the site are flouting the permitted hours already. They have also been abusive and brought clouds of dust and noise, he claims. “As a resident who lives backing on to this development the noise and dust is horrendous at the moment, let alone extending the hours,” he wrote. “It is impossible to sit in your garden while the demolition work is going on because of the noise and dust.” He said he used
a calibrated decibel reader to record the noise which showed 95-115 decibels –above the 85 decibel legal limit for ear protection. He added: “My wife approached a demolition worker who started to break concrete at 7.45am on a Saturday morning and was given a volley of abuse. He carried on regardless. “I strongly oppose the extended hours. There are a lot of young children and elderly people living in the area who are not able to or are too frightened to complain about bullying demolition workers for fear of reprisals.” The homes will include apartments, terraced housing, semi-detached and detached houses. The affordable homes will consist of six one-bedroom flats, five two-bedroom flats, three two-bedroom houses and two three-bedroom houses. The open market homes will be 12 two-bedroom, 57 threebedroom and 22 three or four-bedroom houses. A spokesperson for Bristol city council said the complaint would be investigated. The Voice asked Redrow homes for a comment but none was received.
Pupils dig in Bristol’s unique tree PUPILS from Cleve House school and Little Cleve Nursery have helped to conserve a rare tree. Children braved the rain to dig in the Sorbus bristoliensis, or Bristol whitebeam, in the school garden in Wells Road, Knowle, as
part of One Tree Per Child. The project plants one tree for every primary school child in Bristol. Expert John Atkinson told the children that the tree grows wild only in Bristol’s Avon Gorge and Leigh Woods.
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Plenty of fun activities at half term HALF term fun is in store at Windmill Hill City Farm and Ashton Park sports centre. On Tuesday May 31, the Ape Project holds outdoor activities for children of all ages at the farm in Philip Street, from 11am-3pm. On Wednesday June 1, it’s time to get messy with mud play and seed sowing from 10am12pm, also suitable for all ages. Later on Wednesday, try a comic book workshop with Rosie Faragher, for ages 8-12, 10am-3pm. This costs £24, lunch included. Booking essential. On Thursday June 2 there’s pizza-making, 9.30am-12pm, £2 per pizza. All ages welcome. And
on Friday June 3 there will be farm tours at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. £1 per person. Over at Ashton Park sports centre in Blackmoors Lane, there’s also a full programme. For those who want to improve their cycling, there are sessions in BikeAbility, levels 2 and 3, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Try hip-hop dancing on Tuesday, archery on Thursday, and canoeing on Friday. Sailing sessions are held each day. For more details, visit the website or call Ashton Park sports centre on 0117 377 3300. • ashtonparksports.com • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk
Get growing if you want to be a winner IT’S TIME to get growing if you want to enter vegetables or flowers in the Summerfest, to be held at St Anne’s church in Salisbury Road, Brislington, on July 16. There will be craft stalls, food, live music, a barbecue,
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June 2016
Arena
Arena: Who RESIDENTS of Totterdown and other areas close to the arena are waiting to hear if Labour’s victories in the May elections will change the way the new venue has an impact on its neighbours. Mayor Marvin Rees has asked councillors to review the operation of all residents parking schemes. But it’s not clear if this will affect the parking restrictions which are likely to be needed for the area within walking distance of the arena, which opens mid-2018. Previously local councillors have said residents should not have to pay for parking permits which are made necessary by the arena. Bristol South Labour MP Karin Smyth backed this position in her Voice column in July 2015. In the same month, former Windmill Hill Labour councillor Sam Mongon told a council
meeting that local people were “not prepared to pay for an RPZ when there wasn’t a need before, and the arena operator is making a vast profit.” Knowle’s two Lib Dem councillors, Gary Hopkins and Chris Davies, have been vociferous in calling for any RPZ permits made necessary by the arena to be free – or at least provided at a minimum cost. However, other councillors, including former Windmill Hill Green member Deborah Joffe, have cautioned that South Bristol should not necessarily be a special case. People in other areas could easily ask for a developer to pay for their parking permits, it has been suggested. A Lib Dem proposal for local control of the arena parking zones to be written into the planning permission was rejected by Labour, Conservative and Green members in April. The Lib
Wells Road & Queen Charlotte Street
Osteopaths Receptionist Needed We are looking for a friendly part-time receptionist to join the professional team at our Queen Charlotte Street Clinic. Two days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday) plus occasional holiday and sickness cover. Experience of using Microsoft Office required (Word, Excel, Outlook). If you are interested in applying please contact David Richardson or Tim Chapman on 0117 922 7788 or email a C.V. to info@southbristolosteopaths.co.uk.
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June 2016
Arena
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will pay for parking?
New bridge: Footway across the New Cut from Victor Road (next to the RSPCA) to Arena Island. The bridge has won planning permission on Dems have called the prospect of full-scale RPZ charges for residents “the Totterdown tax”. Labour’s position on the issue has yet to be decided. Jon Wellington, elected alongside Lucy Whittle as Labour councillor for Windmill Hill on May 5, said he was sympathetic to the view that residents should not have to pay. In principle, “I would support whatever residents want,” he said. But he stressed that as new councillors, he and Cllr Whittle want to have a detailed briefing on the arena before making up their minds. They are due to meet Cllr Helen Holland, who as the council’s cabinet member for place, will have responsibility for the arena. (Cllr Holland, who represents Hartcliffe and Withywood, was until recently the leader of the Labour group on the council.
condition that its lights do not disturb bats, which use the river as a flightpath. The river is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest; wildlife is protected
However, a rule drawn up by the national Labour party says that an elected mayor must also be the party leader, and Cllr Holland has stepped aside to hand the leader position to Marvin Rees.) Cllr Hopkins and Cllr Davies have told residents in their Focus newsletter: “We will now have a difficult battle to protect local residents from an inappropriately designed scheme, and rip-off charges that could so easily have been avoided. The [former] mayor claimed that RPZ charges were fixed to cover costs, but our investigations have shown that to be untrue, and the head of transport admitted at the planning meeting that charges bore no relation to what is needed to run the schemes.” The council has earmarked £900,000 to cover the set-up
costs of any arena parking schemes – likely to cover Totterdown, Knowle, Windmill Hill, St Philips, Arnos Vale and Barton Hill. Consultation with residents is expected to begin in September and continue into next year.
RULES to keep track of public money need to be rewritten after the controversy surrounding Bristol’s Green Capital accounts, says Bristol South’s Labour MP. Karin Smyth, who is a member of the Commons public accounts committee, says she is “dismayed” at responses to her queries on the Green Capital 2015 accounts. The council set up a private company, Bristol 2015 Ltd, to manage the £12.6 million budget for the year, with the council’s city director, Nicola Yates, made the firm’s chief executive. Bristol 2015 Ltd has provided a summary of its accounts to the council, but not a detailed list of expenditure. New mayor Marvin Rees has promised a review. Ms Smyth said she was not suggesting rules were broken. “But it has become clear to me that long-standing arrangements to monitor accountability for public money have become outdated.”
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June 2016
Discover the South Bristol Skyline
Wildlife revealed: New sign in Redcatch Park with volunteers Shaun Hennessy, Christine Higgott, John Smith, Len Wyatt
THE Skyline Walk – the project which put South Bristol’s many stunning viewpoints on the map – marked its first birthday with a guided walk on May 7. Around 40 people – many from the north side of the Avon – grabbed the chance to take a new look at their city. Two versions of the walk are either two miles or six miles long. Funded by Green Capital 2015, the project also erected a new sign in Redcatch Park, left, showing local wildlife. • bssw.org.uk
No mural for Windmill Hill bridge A MURAL can’t be painted on the graffiti-ridden railway bridge in Windmill Hill because it could prove a distraction to car drivers, residents have been told. Steve Payne of Network Rail said workers would remove the graffiti on the bridge and paint it over. But a mural, which has
been called for by many residents, won’t be allowed, he told the Windmill Hill neighbourhood forum on May 11. Engineers have to inspect the bridge regularly in detail for structural problems, and painting a mural could make this more difficult, he added.
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Govt promises change after trailer tragedy DRIVERS who fail to make sure their trailers are safe could face stiffer sentences after lobbying by an MP on behalf of a Bedminster family whose three-year-old son was killed in a trailer accident. Karin Smyth, Labour MP for Bristol South, hailed “significant concessions” following a meeting between transport minister Andrew Jones and the parents of toddler Freddie Hussey. Freddie was killed in January 2014 as he and his mother walked home along Parson Street. A two-tonne trailer towed by a Land Rover came loose and crushed Freddie. Now the minister has promised a number of changes including new guidance and publicity about safe maintenance of trailers. Mr Jones will also talk
to the Ministry of Justice about including trailer roadworthiness as a factor in an imminent review of driver sentencing. Freddie’s parents, Donna and Scott Hussey, said: “We are not celebrating these changes, but we are really pleased because they represent major progress on a vital safety concern.” The Husseys’ initial demand for trailers to have an MOT test has not been met. The driver, Tony Davies, 37, from Hallen, was given 200 hours community service for careless driving, and banned from driving for six months. Mr and Mrs Hussey said the sentence was a “joke”. Ms Smyth said the minister’s concessions were a tribute to the hard work of the Husseys.
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June 2016
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Marvin Rees I’m asking you how we can make Bristol empowered
A
S I SETTLE in to my first few weeks as Bristol Mayor I am reminded constantly how important it is to harness the energy, ideas and distinctiveness of our communities to create a Bristol in which every person has equal opportunities and can thrive and prosper. Local people know best what they need from their council and mayor. I believe in a style of leadership that is broader and wiser than the city council alone. I want to encourage a more consensual and collaborative relationship with the city. My focus is on what’s best for Bristol and its communities. So I will be asking you, as individuals and communities, to work with me in deciding how we deal with major challenges. Bristol is a great city but it is far from
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The Mayor’s view Marvin Rees tells us his vision following his election as Bristol mayor perfect. I believe we can all play a role in making it a city in which children get the best possible start in life; where economic background is not a factor in education and work opportunities, where we break the link between wealth and health and do development in a way that reduces inequality
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and makes the city more, not less affordable. That’s why I will set up a City Office in which I hope you will all play a full part. It’s here that your expertise and priorities can come together to deliver the city we all want and need. It’s here we will ensure that all the major elements that make up civil society will not just be consulted, they will be empowered to lead. This is the only way we will be able to exploit the opportunities and tackle the challenges of building homes the city desperately needs; making our urban spaces cleaner, greener and congestion free; tackling inequality; rolling back the child poverty that blights so many young lives and creating decently paid jobs and meaningful careers for our young people. Yes, these are big themes and challenges and different parts of the city each have concerns that are unique to them. Realistically there is often no quick fix. However, I believe solutions often lie in creative, collaborative thinking from the people who face these challenges. We don’t need a ‘one size fits all’ city, but a city that works for everyone and can give them the life and opportunities they want and deserve. Give me your thoughts and ideas about what works for your neighbourhood and community. Help me build a better Bristol. • mayor@bristol.gov.uk
Cooke Painter Ltd Solicitors
Make us your friendly local solicitors for your legal needs We offer specialist expert advice on: • Conveyancing – Domestic and Commercial Property matters • Wills, Trust and Probate matters • Lasting Powers of Attorney • Divorce, Separation and Family Law • Employment Law www.cps-sols.co.uk Cooke Painter Ltd Solicitors Knowle branch: 314 Wells Road, Knowle BS4 2QG 0117 977 7403 Email: knowle@cps-sols.co.uk Other offices at Whitchurch and Brislington Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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Lilymead Avenue KNOWLE £565,000
Victorian period home, 3 bed, 3 reception rooms bay windows, delightful kitchen/ breakfast room, sash windows. In need of modernisation, large garden, EPC E
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Lilymead Avenue KNOWLE £605,000
Victorian period family home arranged over 3 floors, 3 reception rooms, 5 double bedrooms, period features throughout. EPC E
VIEWING SATURDAY 4TH JUNE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
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Lilymead Avenue KNOWLE £POA
Victorian period family home arranged over four floors, 2 reception rooms, large garden, Sold at open day.
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Goolden Street, TOTTERDOWN BS4 3BB £370,000
Stunning three bedroom family home situated in the ever so popular Goolden Street. This property oozes charm and character with the added benefits of stunning views of Totterdown & Bristol. This stunning property has been refurbished by the current owners providing modern living in a truly unique period property. This property is set within walking distance of Bristol Temple Meads, the City Centre and Bedminster. This property provides in excess of 1300sq ft of living space, well in excess of many houses in the area. This property provides balanced living including ensuite to bedroom one. It also has a huge garden that “totters” down the hill. EPC E
Offering 0.5% Fee as Standard
Coming soon for Autumn 2016 an Exclusive Development by Whitecroft Developments TREETOPS IN KEYNSHAM PRICES FROM £270,000
Treetops is an impressive unique development in the heart of Keynsham providing a balanced mix of Victorian conversions, detached new build homes and apartments including quality design throughout. www.whitecroftdev.co.uk
Tel: 01761 490092 sales@gabrielhirst.co.uk www.gabrielhirst.co.uk To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Paul on 07811 766072 or Emma or Hollie on 0117 908 2121.
June 2016
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Competition DINING
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... more giveaways P20-21!
WIN an evening for 2 to wine and dine! 1st birthday giveaway TO CELEBRATE the first birthday of the South Bristol Voice, we’ve lined up some special competitions to say thank you to our readers – and we’re sure this one is going to be popular! Would you like to win a meal for two, with a bottle of wine, at one of South Bristol’s best bar restaurants? Southside Bar & Kitchen has become a popular fixture on Wells Road thanks to its winning formula of a simple but interesting menu with quality food at good prices, in a bar with a welcoming atmosphere. Owner Will Pollet has made this corner site next to Holy Nativity church an evening destination for local couples and families. Chef Rob Wheeler previously worked at London restaurant Quo Vadis, and has created a menu that’s a little trendy but isn’t fussy – and all created fresh from the tiny kitchen. The staples include burgers made from 28-day aged Herefordshire beef, or Moroccan lamb. They’re especially popular on Wednesdays, when a burger (veggie option included) can be had with chips, a drink and freshly made coleslaw for £10. Other mains include barbecue short ribs served with caraway coleslaw and onion rings for £10, and fried polenta with chicory, walnuts and parmesan at £7.50. Intriguing small dishes include roast romanesco cauliflower with homemade harissa, chorizo fried in
Prize attraction: Southside’s chef Rob Wheeler makes every dish fresh vermouth, and bresaola (Italian air-dried salted beef) with cornichons – all at £3.50. “I’ve tried to make it the sort of place I wanted to bring my family to eat – and I do,” said Will. “Everything is cooked from scratch – Rob wouldn’t have it any other way – and it’s good value. “I just want the place to be known for its good quality, and for people to come in and want to tel their friends about it.” Would you like to win our prize of a meal for two with a bottle of house wine at Southside, 172 Wells Road, Bristol BS4 2AL? Just answer this question, and submit your answers by June 12 to to paul@ southbristolvoice.co.uk or to
Totterdown’s unique apple tree A MYSTERY apple tree in the Totterdown orchard in Park Street cannot be identified by experts at the National Fruit Collection in Kent. This means it may be unique, the result of a chance germination from seed. Anne
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Silber of Totterdown Sprouting reports that cuttings have been taken. If they mature, a name may be needed for Totterdown’s very own apple variety. Volunteers at the orchard have recently dug a pond to increase biodiversity.
SBV, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX. • How long is the beef in the Southside burgers aged for?
Labour’s wins not a blueprint, says MP Smyth SOUTH Bristol’s Labour MP has warned her party not to read too much into winning control of the council and the city mayoralty. Karin Smyth, writing for the Labour List blog, cautioned that the May victories did not form a blueprint for the national party. After Labour’s victories in Bristol on May 5, party leader Jeremy Corbyn rushed to the city to meet Marvin Rees. It came the day after the party also won the London mayoralty, though victor Sadiq Khan did not choose to meet Mr Corbyn for several days. But local factors were at play in Bristol, said Ms Smyth. Exmayor George Ferguson had become deeply unpopular, even detested by some, she wrote. In contrast, she added, Mr Rees attracted enthusiasm for change across the spectrum. In what may be taken as a message to her divided party, Ms Smyth said Labour success in Bristol was partly down to “listening hard, grasping issues that matter” to voters. In Bristol South the party was talking to all kinds of people, “not just those we believed would back Labour”.
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Competition: COMEDY Win tickets to top comedians
DO YOU want to see some of the country’s top stand-up acts performing their newest material? Double Deckers Comedy Week is when the Comedy Box hosts some of Britain’s top stand-ups giving previews of the shows they will take to the Edinburgh Fringe. South Bristol Voice has teamed up with our friends at the Comedy Box to bring you a great competition. We have two pairs of tickets for each of the four Double Decker shows. All you have to do to win a pair is answer this question and send the answer to paul@southbristolvoice. co.uk by June 15: Q: Whose Edinburgh show is called Little Misfit? Please state which of the four shows you’d like to attend, and any that you can’t make.
June 2016
1st birthday giveaway
Edinburgh’s top acts ‘Mock the Week is a boys’ club but I don’t let it bother me’
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OE LYONS is most familiar as a lone female on Mock The Week – more on that later. She’s been winning accolades for years, has been called the most impressive female comic on the circuit, and she’s bringing her new show to Bristol: Little Misfit. South Bristol Voice What’s the Edinburgh show about? On the publicity it’s called No Gods, No Golf, but online it’s called Little Misfit. Zoe Lyons Ahh yes, that, my
Zoe Lyons: ‘Don’t ask me to sing, my singing voice could shatter steel’ friend, is what we call a last minute title change! It happens all the time because you have to start preparing for Edinburgh way in advance. Little Misfit just suits what I am talking about better. The show is themed on the idea of what it means to not belong to any groups. I think I have reached a point in my life where I still don’t really fit in but I am now delighted by that fact. SBV You’re a big name now, called the most impressive female comic on the circuit, done all the top TV and radio shows – has it gone to your head? ZL I have a tiny, very manageable ego, fits in a coin purse. I have been kicking about on the circuit for a while now, done all the gigs, stayed in all the awful Travelodges and cried in lay-bys. I am just happy to be busy and working. SBV You certainly don’t look outplayed on Mock the Week, but is it sometimes a male bear pit? ZL There has been one woman maximum per show so far with Mock so it still looks like a bit of a boys’ club. I never let it bother me. The show has a reputation for being quite competitive and that is still true but that bullish competitiveness has gone down a notch or two in recent years. SBV Which gig would you enjoy more, Live at the Apollo or the Tobacco Factory, Southville? ZL Doing Live at the Apollo was a dream come true and I bloody loved it but gigs like the Tobacco Factory are what makes the UK comedy circuit so great. The
audience are a delight. SBV Which up-and-coming comic would you tip to be famous next year? ZL Stephen Bailey has been supporting Katherine Ryan recently on her tour and he has developed so much over the last year. He has a great stage presence and I think he will go far. SBV What’s the worst thing about being on the road all the time? ZL Eating badly. I try not to, but it is such an easy habit to slip into. Sometimes you have no choice but to dine on three sandwiches a day. I really try and rectify the damage when I get back home, where I cook lots of good stuff. I get lonely too sometimes, you just have to find ways to occupy your mind. I like visiting local museums. SBV What’s the best thing about playing Edinburgh – and the worst? ZL You don’t have to travel for a month, all your gigs are in one city. The downside is that it is about a week too long. Three weeks would be just fine, after four I start to unravel. SBV You’ve been doing theatre as well as comedy; would you like to do more acting? ZL Definitely, I like acting and I “play out” characters in my stand-up sometimes. I like to embody the material. I would love to do more theatre in the future if the opportunity arose. Just don’t ask me to do a musical, I have a singing voice that could shatter steel.
To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Paul on 07811 766072 or Emma or Hollie on 0117 908 2121.
June 2016
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Competition: COMEDY
flock to South Bristol ‘I love the way that the M32 welcomes you’
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EOFF NORCOTT is a South London comedian who’s written for many of the stars of TV. He grew up on a council estate, the child of a Liberal mother and a trade unionist father. For some reason he became a Conservative voter, and realised this was unusual for a stand-up comic. His new show is called Conswervative. South Bristol Voice There aren’t many stand-up comedians who are Conservative – has it been a problem? Geoff Norcott I don’t want to equate myself with the struggles of coming out as a gay man! But I have faced a bit of hatred for it. It wasn’t an act of rebellion but a reaction against certain experiences when I was growing up. I can remember being eight years old, when we moved to the council estate, and looking at the number of people who didn’t go to work. A lot of them stayed in their dressing gowns all day. But I can’t help thinking people shouldn’t be wearing them all the time. SBV Do you think that left-wing comics take the moral high ground?
Geoff Norcott: Anti-dressing gown GN The thing about left wing views is that they tend to get associated with nice people, whereas if you say right wing, you think of Hitler or Gary Numan. But perhaps it’s changing – Adele says more or less rightwing things and she seems to get away with it. I don’t know if I will always vote Conservative anyway – sometimes I look at them during Prime Minister’s Questions and think, ‘I don’t like this’. SBV You have a huge list of writing credits – from Sarah Millican’s TV show to Live at the Apollo. What’s it like writing for other people? Do you feel you are
giving away your best lines? GN No, it’s a real buzz if a very talented person thinks you are good enough to help them out on telly. SBV Don’t you ever run out of material if you are writing for other people as well as yourself? GN No. If you have learned how to be funny, then even for a very busy comic there’s only so much stuff you can try out live. If you have something topical but you can’t use it in your own show, there’s no harm at all in expunging what’s in your head for the benefit of someone else. And you aren’t giving stuff away – it’s not a charity! SBV What are you like to live with then? Is it a laugh a minute in your house? GN My wife will sometimes wake up and find me staring at her, and I’ll come out with something like, ‘Why is it people always presume all dogs are male?’ She says it’s nice when the humour has been worked on and perfected, but not so much when it’s still being worked on. SBV Finally, what is Bristol like as a place to play comedy? GN It’s great – Bristolians have a very strong sense of humour about themselves. So does Birmingham. Places like Newcastle and Liverpool are a bit more precious. It’s the only city I know where the motorway welcomes you right into the heart of the city, unlike some places where it ends 15 miles away. The M32 welcomes you, saying “All right my luvver!”
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1st birthday giveaway DOUBLE DECKERS COMEDY WEEK
Edinburgh previews Tobacco Factory theatre, Raleigh Road, Southville. All shows at 8pm, tickets £10 • thecomedybox.co.uk Wednesday July 27 Lloyd Langford: Fun & Sustenance Langford is always on the radio, and often mistaken for Rhod Gilbert. Jimmy McGhie: Work in Progress Clever, personal and hilarious, his sixth solo festival show. Thursday July 28 Chris Turner: Observational Tragedy Longlimbed award winner tries to pin down the things we should really let go. Sam Simmons: Not a People Person “The rage of Basil Fawlty with the lunacy of Spike Milligan” said the Evening Standard. Friday July 29 Stuart Goldsmith: Actually My Sixth Rodeo Anecdotes galore and infectious banter delivered with effortless charisma. Ellie Taylor: Work in Progress Of Mock the Week fame: “Smart, self-mocking and telegenic,” said the Scotsman. Saturday July 30 Geoff Norcott: Conswervative Zoe Lyons: Little Misfit
Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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Let’s clean up Malago together
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WITH its beautiful stream and old willow trees hosting wildlife, Malago Greenway is a little paradise, right here under our noses. Sadly, it has been neglected for a very long time. Litter, dog mess, even abandoned shopping carts are spoiling the view and making it less friendly for the families living around. This could be a wonderful community space, but in order to make this happen we need to work together as a team: you, me, the neighbour next door. So why don’t we all get together, clean it up and claim it back for us? To start it all, we are planning a clean-up event and picnic on Saturday June 4 between 10am-12pm. All you will need is a pair of sturdy shoes or wellies. Litter-pickers and black bags will be provided, and the council will get rid of the rubbish we collect. You can meet your neighbours, enjoy a picnic and to top it off, East Street Fruit & Vegetable Market and Krakus will kindly
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provide free treats for everyone to enjoy after all that hard work! Just come along on June 4. We will be meeting on Malago Greenway, the bit stretching between Parson Street/Lynton Road and Marksbury Road. Together we can make a change to improve our neighborhood! Raluca McKett Bedminster
Homes will be too packed in IT IS with alarm that I have heard the revised suggestions of developers Urbis Living for the Bedminster Green site between
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Have you got strong views about what’s happening in South Bristol? Email paul@ southbristolvoice.co.uk, post to Letters, South Bristol Voice, 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX or call us on 07811 766072. Please keep letters short. We may edit your letter. Bedminster and Windmill Hill. Initially Urbis Living proposed around 900 living units for the site, requiring tower blocks of between six and 12 storeys. For some nine months, the Windmill Hill and Malago Community Planning Group (WHaM) have expressed the communities’ concern at this, proposed alternatives and awaited Urbis Living’s plans, hoping for positive amendments However, Richard Clarke of Urbis has recently stated that he wishes to build on this site to a density of 380 dwellings per hectare (dph). This could only be achieved through buildings of, for example, 12 and 14 storeys. To put this tower block
June 2016
nightmare in context, historic developments have densities around 85 dph (Southville) or 120 dph (Totterdown). Densities of contemporary developments have increased, as necessary to deal with the housing shortage, but they are much more acceptable: The Zone, Temple Quay (150dph); Wapping Wharf (200dph); Regent and Consort House, to be built behind Asda, Bedminster (213dph). These developments range from four to seven storeys. Bristol has a policy subjecting all proposed new developments, outside of the centre, of six storeys or more, to stringent criteria (Tall Buildings Policy, BCC SPD 1, 2005). Clearly Urbis have been encouraged by their success in stretching these criteria, with the granting of planning permission by Bristol city council for their 16 storey St Catherine’s Tower, soon to be built adjoining the site discussed here. A precedent has been set to ignore any rights to a quality of environment which Bristol residents formerly enjoyed. Nigel Biggs Windmill Hill
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Bristol Dogs & Cats Home Will you join in our week of activities?
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OIN us and get involved with the annual RSPCA Week, happening from June 6-12. This is our National Awareness Week aimed at highlighting the ongoing issues surrounding animal welfare and to inspire the public to help their local animal homes, by volunteering or raising funds for animals in need. This year, one of our wonderful supporters has organised a collection at her local Co-op. So head down to the Co-op on Gloucester Road, Bishopston on Saturday June 11 from 10am-12pm and see the staff and our volunteers dressed up in animal outfits and raising money for the animals in our care. There are plenty of ways you can get involved during the week, to promote animal welfare and
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We’re holding a week of fun events to raise money – can you come up with an idea?
raise money for the animals in our care, who are patiently waiting for their forever homes. How about holding a coffee morning or bake sale, and asking friends to donate for a scrumptious cake? Or perhaps holding an animal art competition where entrants make a donation to draw their pet or favourite animal. However you want to get involved, we can provide a
You don’t have to run a marathon – though some do! fundraising pack, full of information and tips for making your event a great success. For more information, or to receive a pack, please get in touch with Harriet on 0117 300 3968, harriet@rspca-bristol.org.uk or visit our website below. There are always plenty of ways to get involved with our charity and help the animals we care for, either by attending our events,
Police update
With Sgt David Deakin, Broadbury Road police station
Don’t make it easy for thieves with open doors or windows
(ASB). We know that ASB is a crime with a seasonal trend and we do get more reports in the summer months. If you have any problems in your area then report these to us by calling 101 or at www.avonandsomerset. police.uk/contact-us, so we can look into them.
UMMER is here and as the weather improves, we are all more likely to have windows or doors open. Unfortunately this can provide an opportunity for thieves to take advantage of. More than a third of burglaries in the force area are opportunistic, with a thief gaining access through an open window or unlocked door when the householder is out, or is in the garden or in another part of the house. Remember to always shut and lock your doors and windows when you are away from the house. It’s also worth doing this when you are in another part of the house or in the garden. Don’t leave valuables on display near
ou may have noticed more of our PCSOs in south Bristol out on bikes. As part of a pilot project, we have a fleet of new bicycles here at Broadbury Road police station, which aims to help PCSOs use bikes and foot patrols as their default patrol method in their communities. The bikes have many advantages; they can get to places that cars can’t reach and sometimes more quickly than if an officer was on foot, so they can be very useful for catching criminals and for disrupting anti-social behaviour. They also make officers more approachable, so we hope to build up better relationships with the local community.
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Too easy: Leaving keys in a door windows or doors – especially those with cat flaps, and don’t leave keys visible through the front door, as thieves could try to hook them out through the letter box. It’s worth registering all your valuables on Immobilise.com to make them easier to trace and return to you if they are stolen.
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t the Windmill Hill Neighbourhood Forum last month, priorities were set around vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour
volunteering with us, donating to and shopping at our charity shop in Bedminster, or challenging yourself to raise sponsorship from a heart-racing activity, such as the upcoming Bristol Half Marathon. We would love for you to get involved in any way that you can, so feel free to get in touch to discuss any ideas you have! • www.rspca-bristol.org.uk
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inally, the new Psychoactive Substances Act came into effect at the end of May, making it an offence to supply, be in possession with intent to supply, import or export so-called legal highs. Possession in a prison will also be an offence, including visitors. Buying online could result in importation charges and giving such substances to friends could result in supply charges. Huge media attention in the run-up to the new Act has helped to highlight just how dangerous and addictive many of these substances are. Support for anyone affected is available from Bristol Drugs Project www.bdp. org.uk Sadly, this is my last column as neighbourhood sergeant for the area, and I hand over to Sergeant Caroline Crane. I wish her all the best and want to thank the communities of Windmill Hill, Totterdown and Knowle, who have made my time as their neighbourhood sergeant a really enjoyable one. All the best, Sergeant David Deakin
Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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Returns to Bristol Hippodrome for the first time in 15 years
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June 2016
Third plan for flats on Totterdown corner Taller: The flats are one storey higher than houses opposite on Bathwell Road A DEVELOPER is making a new plan for flats on a long-derelict corner site in Totterdown after it was told the planning permission it claimed it had was not valid. Bristol city council has told developer Crossman that a 2005 permission for eight flats and two maisonettes on the corner of Goolden Street and Bathwell Road has expired. Crossman appears to have accepted that the 2005 plan is dead. A plan for a house next to the flats has been withdrawn. Bath-based Crossman has circulated drawings for a new scheme of nine two-bedroom flats to neighbours, asking for their feedback before it makes a formal plannng application. Last
year Crossman withdrew another plan for flats on the site after it was condemned as “hideous” by residents. Linn Waite of Stanley Hill welcomed Crossman’s offer of pre-planning consultation. She said the new plan is better, but is still three storeys high – taller than the houses in Bathwell Road. It may also block some of the iconic view of Holy Nativity church, which can be seen from trains at Temple Meads. “They have a responsibility to the sensitivity of the site,” she said. Comments on the new proposal can be sent to totterdownenquiries@ crossmanhomes.co.uk.
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News WILD PARK
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News from the Wildlife Group of Victoria Park Action Group
We’re putting nature in your face
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ONFESSION time. When this writer five years ago first moved to the area from St Anne’s (where he had failed to get the amazing River Avon banks upstream from Temple Meads designated an official Bristol nature reserve), he looked upon the 50 apparently wildlife-free and shaven acres of Victoria Park and thought, if only this could be like the buttercuppedand-may-blossomed Downs over which he used to walk to lectures 50 years ago. Well, soon it will be. This week, the slope alongside over-trafficked St Luke’s Road looks like a solid sheet of buttercups; scented may and hawthorn blossom fringes the top coppices, from which the occasional chocolate-andcream-spotted speckled wood
butterfly flits; great burdock leaves are shoving up on the steep grassy slope above the avenue to Fraser Street. And we know from last year’s BioBlitz that hedgehogs and bats are in the park edges by the railway (where they may or may not have been living all the time). The Victoria Park Action Group has now more or less agreed with the council where the meadow grass areas will be: a wide reach from Fraser Street, past the school, around the copses, over to embrace the still-boggy patches on the sunny southern slope (a possible future mini-wetland). It will be a brilliant corridor for wildlife, beautifully contrasted with the mown areas which by comparison now resemble manicured lawns, stunning and complementary. It’s great that
Taking shape: Newly-planted willow tunnel is in leaf Picture: DAVID SMITH nature can be ‘in your face’ for city families, where previously it had been reduced to hidden wildlife corridors along neglected railway sidings. We must get the Avon Wildlife Trust more involved in parks. Meanwhile our new willow tunnel
is bursting into life; student Luke is lovingly tending the Butterfly Garden by Mrs Brown’s café, and soon we’ll be whacking the dock leaves to stop them swamping the meadows. There’s always work to join in. • vpag.org.uk
Summer is here - time to fix all your damp and roofing issues
Before you speak to anyone else, speak to the experts at copingcovers.com We specialise in Victorian properties The customer always comes first with Copingcovers.com. Once a project is completed, we don’t expect to return to it other than to start new work. Throughout our 25 years of experience within building, roofing and construction, we have never been called back due to poor workmanship and work very hard to keep it this way. You will be amazed as to how inexpensive and effective Coping Covers are and just how simple they are to fit. We also undertake all types of building
work such as loft conversions and extensions etc. These days, due to the very nature of our business, we specialise in all aspects of roofing/chimney/parapet wall projects. Our clients become our friends as they have full trust in our honest advice, our approach and the quality of our workmanship.
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June 2016
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Planning applications Land at Junction of Goolden Street and Bathwell Road, Totterdown Construction of town house with linked garden room. Withdrawn
72 Somerset Road BS4 2HY Loft conversion with rear dormer and front rooflight. Pending decision 34 Summer Hill BS4 3BE Proposed window replacement works. Pending decision 4 Greenmore Road BS4 2LA Prior approval for single storey rear extension to extend beyond rear of house by 4.5m, of maximum height 3.2m and eaves 2.6m high. Pending decision 27 Ravenhill Avenue BS3 5DU Certificate of Proposed Development for new ground floor window as part of a kitchen redesign. Granted 102 Wedmore Vale BS3 5HY Prior approval for single storey rear extension to extend 6m, of maximum height of 2.7m and eaves 2.5m high. Refused 34 Somerset Terrace BS3 4LJ Construction of a rear dormer window. Granted 4 Camberley Road BS4 1SZ Proposed two storey 2-bed dwelling, attached to existing house. Granted The Park, Daventry Road BS4 1DQ Single storey detached building for use as youth space and replacement of existing ‘muga’ with astroturf pitch. Granted subject to conditions 5 Fitzroy Street BS4 3BY Two storey rear extension along with upper ground floor terrace and steps into garden (NB: There is a concurrent application for 7 Fitzroy Street). Granted subject to conditions 7 Fitzroy Street BS4 3BY Erection of two storey rear extension along with upper ground floor terrace and steps into garden. Granted subject to conditions 21 Pylle Hill Crescent BS3 4TN Raised deck at rear, bi-fold doors and bathroom window to rear, widening of kitchen window to rear. Pending decision
26 Kingshill Road BS4 2SG Proposed first floor extension over existing single-storey rear annexe. Pending decision
26 Knowle Road BS4 2EE Lawful Development Certificate for hip to gable loft conversion. Granted 16 Greenleaze BS4 2TJ Proposed two storey, detached building to provide two selfcontained flats. Pending decision 40 Calcott Road BS4 2HD Ground floor extension and loft conversion with dormer window to rear. Pending decision 17 Ravenhill Avenue BS3 5DU Detached building in rear garden to replace garage, to provide play room and additional storage. Granted subject to conditions 50 Fitzgerald Road BS3 5DH Application to approved details in relation to conditions 2 (Hard Landscaping) and 3 (Contaminated Land) of permission 13/03613/R. Renewal of permission 10/02703/F for construction of a three-bed, single house attached to side of existing property. Granted 102 Wedmore Vale BS3 5HY Single storey front, double storey side and rear, single storey rear extension. Granted subject to conditions
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Crescent. Granted subject to conditions 17 Broad Walk BS4 2RA Internally illuminated fascia either side of internally illuminated pod. Non-illuminated projection sign. Granted subject to conditions 34 William Street, Totterdown BS3 4TT Single storey rear extension to extend beyond rear of house by 4.38m, maximum height 3.7m and eaves 3m high. Pending decision 2 Withleigh Road BS4 2LQ Single storey rear extension to extend 4.1m, have maximum height of 3.8m and eaves 2.7m high. Pending decision 80 Broad Walk BS4 2RE Prior approval for single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear by 4.4m, with maximum height of 3.5m and eaves 2.4m high. Pending decision 74 Somerset Road BS4 2HY Proposed rear first floor extension. Pending decision
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463 Wells Road, Knowle BS14 9AG Proposed rear extension and conversion into four self-contained flats. Pending decision 72 Harrowdene Road BS4 2JJ Application for lawful development certificate for a change of hip end roof to gable end roof. Dormer roof to rear. Pending decision 66 Bayham Road BS4 2DP Single storey rear extension. Pending decision 154 Marksbury Road BS3 5LD Detached, ancillary building in rear garden. Pending decision 12 Beckington Road BS3 5EB Demolish garage and erect two storey and part single storey side extension and single storey rear extension with decking. Pending decision
• The status of these applications may have changed since we went to press. Check for updates at planning online.bristol.gov.uk
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Flat C, 220 Bath Road, Totterdown BS4 3EQ Loft conversion with rear dormer window roof extension to second floor flat. Granted subject to conditions 90 Lisburn Road BS4 1NG Proposed two storey, rear extension. Refused 120 Broad Walk BS4 2RS Two-storey side and single-storey rear extension, to replace rear conservatory. Granted subject to conditions 42 Carisbrooke Road BS4 1SA Erection of two 2-storey houses. Granted subject to conditions
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Land to rear of 17 Stoneleigh Road BS4 2RH Erection of a 2-bed, detached house on land fronting Stoneleigh
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southbristolvoice www.southbristolvoice.co.uk Reports from your councillors – Knowle
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HILST we have always been supportive of the arena, indeed started the process and Gary set up the city deal Hopkins, which will be used Lib-Dem, to finance it, the Knowle previous mayor’s failure to take into account the needs of South Bristol residents was a huge problem that South Bristol Lib Dems have been campaigning on for some time. We will firstly be looking for a review of the road planning in the area that will, if unchanged, cause difficulty for the Bath and Wells Road corridor. There now seems to be a good possibility of progress with our campaign about parking issues in Knowle and Totterdown. The good news obtained before the elections was that we had got the best part of £1 million put in to the arena budget to set up a local protection scheme together with a promise of local consultation.
The bad news was that there was still an intention to squeeze local residents for cash, and consultation meant very different things to different people. We now have a new mayor and transport assistant. Both have promised to not force any schemes on residents and to review existing parking schemes. We can help here in a big way as, having got the money to pay for a scheme if wanted, we also have hundreds of survey returns, both before and after the arena plans, showing what people do and do not want. This is the perfect opportunity for the new team to show that they will match words with action. We will provide every assistance but also expect results for our residents. Rectifying some of the issues with existing RPZ schemes could be complicated and costly. Getting the design and management right for a potential scheme when the money is already earmarked is simple by comparison. It will have a significant affect on local quality of life.
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FEEL sure the many readers of the Voice will have heard by now that both Gary and I were re-elected Chris as the councillors Davies, for Knowle. I Lib-Dem, would like to take Knowle this opportunity of thanking everyone that supported us in the election and give you our assurance we will continue to work hard over the next four years to make Knowle an even better place to live. It’s also good to hear from the newly-elected mayor that he will be consulting the residents of Totterdown and that part of Knowle (up to Redcatch Road) included in the proposed residents parking zone/arena project, before any decision is taken to impose it. We still maintain the congestion linked to this scheme must be solved first, by a turning point or roundabout at the Three Lamps junction. This would also help to solve the
June 2016
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continuing problems of congestion on both Talbot and Callington roads. The other issue is that the removal of the roundabout at Temple Circus will mean that to get to Temple Meads from Wells Road will require a long detour to Old Market and back! Other highway matters seem to be moving forward at Axbridge/Friendship Road, where, after lobbying, we have been assured parking and pedestrian lines, together with additional bollards, are being installed, which will neutralise the crossing and pavement area from any possible pedestrian accident occurring. We are pursuing a raised platform crossing at Ilminster Avenue school, as well as the request for a Woodbridge Road one way and a raised crossing point on Redcatch Road, with renewed requests for start dates. Also we still await the outcome of a citywide bye-law we requested regarding No Parking on grassed verges.
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www.southbristolvoice.co.uk southbristolvoice Reports from your councillors – Windmill Hill June 2016
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E: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk
AM very pleased to write my first column for the South Bristol Voice, a newspaper which Jon in the year it has Wellington been in circulation Labour, has been doing an Windmill outstanding job Hill in bringing local news and issues direct to people’s letterboxes, and reporting on the matters that affect our streets and neighbourhoods. I am also delighted to have been given the opportunity to represent the community in which I live, and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted in the local elections on May 5. Voter turnout in Windmill Hill was nearly 51 per cent – a very high figure for a local election, which demonstrates the degree of engagement with local matters in our community. After what feels like a very long campaign, the real work
begins now. Lucy and I have already met with many community groups and received correspondence from individuals about issues large and small. The coming four years will see some major developments on the borders of the ward such as the arena, the Temple Quarter development and the Bedminster Green regeneration, and we want to make sure that all residents’ views are heard in City Hall. We spoke to hundreds of you on the doorsteps and elsewhere during the campaign and it is clear that you are proud to live here. People enjoy living in an area with a distinct and unique identity and it is important that we work together to maintain that. We’d like to hear from you on whatever issues or concerns that you might have. Please contact me at cllr.jon.wellington@bristol. gov.uk and I will reply to you as soon as possible. We are also planning to hold regular advice surgeries so that individuals can get help and advice from us directly.
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WOULD like to say a huge thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. I feel humbled and proud, and Lucy will be working for Whittle, everyone, whether Labour, you voted for me Windmill or not. Jon and I Hill spoke to as many people as we could in the ward, and that won’t stop. We want to hear from you; we want your views, concerns and issues. We are planning a regular surgery, and we will advertise dates, times and venues as soon as we have finalised these details. I also plan to be available at more informal settings; attending local community events, neighbourhood forums and social gatherings, so please do come and speak to me. Some of the concerns we heard on the doorstep included the speed of cars using our residential streets as rat-runs, and we hope that we can find
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ways to make the streets safer, in a way that works for the community. I also plan to work closely with WHaM (Windmill Hill and Malago community planning group) to make sure that the proposed development on Bedminster Green takes into account local concerns. I have been impressed with the effort WHaM have made to include the wider community, and I have already looked into the ways in which Jon and I can support local residents. I would like to extend my best wishes to all the other candidates in the Windmill Hill ward – I have a huge amount of respect for the work they put in. I felt we all worked hard to run positive campaigns, and, with a turnout of more than 50 per cent, maybe voters did too. I am delighted to be part of a strong Labour team, and to be working with our fantastic new Mayor Marvin Rees, for the benefit of Bristol and Windmill Hill.
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History
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June 2016
The children’s preacher who
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N THIS multicultural age, a cemetery like Arnos Vale is one of relatively few signs that, only a century ago, Britain was seen as almost entirely a Christian nation. Like most other municipal cemeteries, Arnos Vale is predominantly Christian and Protestant, though there are also some Jewish memorials. For many Victorians, the height of achievement was a life devoted to doing God’s work. That was taken by many to mean putting the Christian message into action, often by working with the poor, the overworked, with the victims of sickness and of drink, and with children. It’s into this mould that the Reverend John Adey Pratt fits; and the degree to which he was judged to have succeeded can be measured by his tomb, one of the most prominent in Arnos Vale.
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UCCESSFUL preachers such as the Rev Pratt were public figures. They were often quoted in the newspapers, some had their sermons and principles endlessly reprinted and distributed, and they were treated with respect. The Rev Pratt’s working environs were the factories and terraces of St Philips, the industrial heart of Bristol, where the sheer degradation which the new inner cities imposed on the working poor was beginning to be appreciated. Independent churches – that is, those outside the Church of England – were a social movement as well as a religious one. From John Wesley in the 1700s on, charismatic non-conformist preachers saw their life’s purpose Bristol and Gloucestershire Archeological Society THE information in this article, and the picture of John Adey Pratt, are taken from a paper written for the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archeological Society (BGAS) in 2009 by Dr Martin Crossley Evans. We are very grateful for his permission to quote from his research and to reproduce the picture. • bgas.org.uk
John Adey Pratt was one of the best-known men in Bristol in the 1860s, a revered figure for his work in the city’s slums Tales from the cemetery
Another of our unique stories inspired by a grave in Arnos Vale cemetery as bringing the Christian message to those who were ignored by the established church. Wesley famously preached to Bristol’s miners, starting in 1739. The families working the coal mines from Kingswood to Bedminster were often treated as a lawless lot, outside the bounds of civilised society. But Wesley thought Christ’s teaching was meant to reach everyone. This tradition was central to the nonconformists who followed, Methodists, Baptists and others, as industrialisation took hold, and cities like Bristol threw up great factories to make the new commodities of soap, paper, beer and industrial goods. The former marshland of St Philips, close to the harbour, next to the River Avon and its water supply, was home to many of these new works, which worked families hard and spat them out when they could work no more. Lawlessness, prostitution and alcoholism become the new fears of the respectable classes. The non-conformists made these evils their targets as they sought to bring the civilising principles of Christianity to life in the heart of the Victorian slums. Such a man was John Adey Pratt. He came from a long line
The children’s preacher: Carving on the tomb of Rev John Adey Pratt, showing the affection he won over the years with Bristol’s youngsters of dissenters stretching back to the Civil War, though the infant John was baptised by the Church of England in Painswick, Gloucestershire, in October 1811. Little is known of his early life. His family were nonconforming Congregationalists and he attended Painswick’s Upper Chapel with his mother. In 1831, aged 20, he moved to Kingston-upon-Thames, near London, as an apprentice to a tailor. Influenced by a minister, William Crow, he had a religious revelation, and began to help out at the chapel. He assembled a Sunday school of chimney sweeps – the relentlessly exploited child labourers whose indignities were yet to be exposed by Charles Dickens. Here he acquired a lifelong disdain for the effects of alcohol. Drinking alcohol was not forbidden to worshippers, but those who over-indulged could expect criticism or even exclusion
from the church. Pratt came to believe that abstinence from alcohol was the only Christian path, and he spent the rest of his life preaching the Temperance message. In 1836 Pratt moved to Southwark in South London to run his own tailoring business. This was close to the Union Chapel run by his cousin John Adey, at Horsleydown, on the opposite side of the Thames from the Tower of London. Adey was the kind of Christian who wanted to change things. He didn’t just want to save souls but to improve people’s lives. He backed the campaign for early closing for shops, thinking six full days’ labour too much – eventually this led to the custom that each town and city had an early closing day where shops and many businesses closed their doors one afternoon each week. Adey wrote hymns and
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won the respect of the city
by setting dogs on the women. He beat one woman, Emma Williams, with a stick, and kicked her when she was down. Then he ordered the workers to be drenched with fire hoses. The women responded by throwing stones, which damaged both the factory and some machinery, and injured several people. At Bristol magistrates court the next day, Ashworth and the women presented wildly different versions of events. The manager claimed the women had rioted, and he had to control them. But after a day of evidence, the court found Ashworth guilty of assault and fined him five shillings.
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Satanic mill: Barton Hill cotton works, where children were put to work
Picture © BRISTOL REFERENCE LIBRARY
worked with seamen – another group thought in need of moral guidance because they often fell on hard times when on land. Adey’s brother, the Rev Edward Adey, was pastor of Leighton Buzzard Baptist chapel, where he reached out to the navvies building the railway. Navvies – unskilled labourers who worked at great risk to their health, digging the canals and railways – were seen as “wild, ungodly, immoral and dangerous,” according to Dr Crossley Evans of BGAS. Pratt’s cousins, then, were setting an example. It was in Southwark that Pratt first became known as a children’s preacher. With his brother Daniel, John Adey and others, he set up his second Sunday school, which grew to be 500 strong. Among the youngsters were eight or nine who went on to be church ministers, and more who became teachers or missionaries. Pratt was appointed a deacon of the chapel – still a part-time role. But when his cousin fell ill, it was Pratt who stepped in to fill an appointment to preach. Soon he was travelling up to 20 miles from London to preach in
it had an imposing classical facade and pillars, in contrast to the Great Western Cotton Works, half a mile away in Barton Hill, where many of his worshippers worked. This was an archetype of an oppressive Victorian workplace. If the looming chimney, belching smoke and rattling, dangerous machinery were not enough, the management enforced long hours, short breaks and child labour on its workers. In 1840, according to the Bristol Radical History Group, 923 people were employed there – mostly children, valued for their small size and ability to nip between and under the looms. In 1845 it was recorded that children who missed a day’s work were to be imprisoned. Yes, that’s right, imprisoned. By 1849 there were 2,000 workers. And in 1852, the year after Pratt came to St Philips, the cotton works erupted in violence when the mainly female workforce, fed up with deductions from their wages, went on strike and refused to leave the factory. The manager, John Ashworth, responded not by negotiating but
chapels, rooms and the open air. Once he spoke in a cow shed: nowhere was to be beyond the reach of the Lord’s word. In October 1839, aged 28, he married Ruth, the daughter of a miller. As common for Victorian women, little is known of her life, but she had four children with Pratt – James, Kate, Thomas and Lucy. He was still a working tailor when, in the autumn of 1850, Pratt was invited to preach a sermon at the Independent chapel at St Philips, Bristol, which needed a pastor. He went down well and was invited back the next Sunday, and then for the whole of November. Then, as now, non-conformist congregations often chose their own priest. The St Philips folk were impressed, and asked Pratt to take the job. After some prayer, he decided this was more important than tailoring. He closed his business and moved the family to the Dings in March 1851.
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he Independent Kingsland chapel in St Philips is long gone. But it was no tiny, anonymous meeting house:
here is no record of the Rev Pratt’s reaction to the strike at the cotton mill. But can we assume that he had at least an understanding of their plight? He certainly did more than look after locals’ spiritual needs. The Bristol Mercury reported after his death that he was remembered for starting a savings club, “by means of which he induced the poor class to put some portion of their earnings during the summer that they might meet the increased requirements of winter.” Every ninepence saved attracted a generous threepence in interest, possibly funded by Pratt and his friends. The savings club was so successful that shortly before his unexpected death in 1867 he distributed £180 in payouts to the savers of St Philips. This was not his only social effort – as the Mercury report put it, “Since [he arrived in Bristol in 1851] all the social movements for the amelioration of mankind, especially of the working classes, in whom he always manifested a deep interest, have commanded the attention of the rev. gentleman, and by his kind-heartedness and liberality a considerable part of his private means became absorbed.” No doubt many of his efforts went unrecorded. But while there were many aspects of slum behaviour which he opposed, such as drinking alcohol, he Continued on page 32
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Gentle, amiable, almost child-like
Continued from page 31 seems not to have been the kind of preacher who tried to win people over by threatening eternal damnation if they didn’t do the right thing. Indeed, many in the poorer parts of Bristol had no time for that kind of minister. Dr Crossley Evans records that the lay minister Charles Richard Parsons (1840–1918), who worked in much the same area of Bristol as Pratt, wrote of his own experience: “I try to find out if he [the person upon whom he had called] has a Bible in the house, but [he replied that] if he had his mind he would hang every ‘holy Joe’ with their white chokers [the distinguishing badge of a minister] up by the neck! I was quite innocent of the said appendage – but he has set me down as belonging to a very offensive class, and all at once he closes the conversation by slamming the door.” The Rev Pratt seems to have had a much more positive approach, emphasising the loving nature of God rather than the threat of hell. Pratt’s obituary in the Congregational Yearbook called him “a consistent adherent and zealous, but courteous, advocate of the cause of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors”. The Bristol Mercury summed up his approach: “Gentle, amiable, almost child-like in his manner, with an intense love of the bright, cheerful and pleasant aspect of everything around him,
June 2016
Sunday afternoons, which most preachers feel, and justly feel, they need to spend in quietness at home, he devoted to the service of the Sunday schools. At anniversaries, missionary meetings, tea meetings, his presence and aid had come to be regarded as almost indispensable, and they were as freely rendered as they were constantly sought.”
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The Rev John Adey Pratt, in a portrait by the Bristol photographer Frederick Snary, of 26 Castle Street, taken about 1860. From the collection of Dr MJ Crossley Evans, reproduced with permission. he presented a striking contrast to those who only look upon the dark side of human nature, and too often paint the evil to be avoided without picturing the comfort and happiness to be attained by following the right course.” This, it seems, is what
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won Pratt the title which was carved on his memorial in Arnos Vale: “The Children’s Minister”. “To the school children of nearly every chapel in connexion with the Independent body in Bristol he was especially well-known and beloved; and for a long number of years, on the occasion of any school gathering, the deceased has been the particular favourite of the children. No minister that we know was more happy in his addresses to the young than was Mr Pratt, and his appearance at any tea meeting or social gathering was sure to elicit a most hearty and cordial welcome,” said the Mercury. George Wood, minister of the Zion Chapel which still stands next to Bedminster bridge, delivered Pratt’s funeral address: “The Sunday schools in Bristol owe to him a deep debt of gratitude, and have lost in his removal an invaluable friend and helper. A large proportion of his
ratt was not only active in St Philips. He supported missionary work abroad – this is sometimes seen as a form of cultural imperialism now, but to the Victorian Christians it was an act of pure charity. One of the members of the Kingsland chapel was Dr William Wyatt Gill, who became one of the best-known missionaries of the century. He worked in Polynesia and New Guinea from 1851 to 1888, and translated part of the Bible into Raratongan. Pratt also worked for Bristol’s City Mission, which took the Gospel to those who didn’t attend church, often the poor and the sick who wanted some spiritual consolation in their own home. In modern times we don’t expect our priests to show signs of wealth. But in the Victorian age it was a very middle-class role, and some Church of England parishes made their priests quite wealthy. The Rev Pratt was not very well-off, but he arrived in Bristol in 1851 with a 13-year-old maid as a servant, and lived at a respectable address, 31 Armoury Place, in Trinity St Philips. It was quite normal for a minister to keep a household servant; but we can see that Pratt’s income declined while he was in Bristol. The 1861 census showed the family living in a more humble neighbourhood, and there was no live-in servant. When he died it was reported that the family employed only a charwoman to do the heavy domestic work at their home in Easton Road. It’s quite likely that whatever money he had went to support his savings club, to those he met who were on hard times, and in contributions to various church causes. At any rate, he left an estate of less than £450, which was not thought enough to support his widow and family. Pratt died unexpectedly, on January 4, 1867, after only four
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John Adey Pratt remembered in verse .... a man of stirling worth, Who ranked among the the purest sons of earth. A pastor he, who, while he taught the truth To crowds adult, took special care of youth. And here close clustered at the pastor’s knee, A listening group of children we may see, His hand upraised towards heaven’s azure dome.... though long years since then have passed away, Thy place remains unoccupied to-day; For though good men we have and true, who preach With consecrated fire, and children teach, Yet none, like thee, are fluent to unfold The Gospel truths thy lips so often told With winning words of anecdote and grace To please and fascinate the rising race. From Arnos Vale, a poem by JB Taylor, c.1880
Mark of respect: Pratt’s tomb was paid for by his Sunday schoolers days’ illness, which had not stopped him talking to Sunday school children at the Zion chapel two days before he died. His funeral was besieged by fiercely wild weather. More than 30 carriages carrying mourners arrived at Arnos Vale, containing only male members of Pratt’s family, as was the custom. Torrential storms of wind and rain battered George Wood as he gave an address at the graveside – but it did not stop several hundred staying to pay their respects. Wood’s words were reported to have brought tears to many eyes.
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fter his death, no less than Henry O Wills, the great Bristol tobacco baron and non-conformist, led an appeal to benefit the family, and between £500 and £600 was collected. The Sunday school children of the city raised a further £100 to pay for the impressive memorial which stands in Arnos Vale, in a prominent position to the right of the main gate, close to the large
tomb of the revered Indian leader Rajah Rammohan Roy. Contemporary guides to the cemetery pointed out Pratt’s memorial as one of the three most worth seeing – a mark of the reverence that Bristolians felt towards their modest spiritual leader. Pratt’s monument shows a bas-relief of him talking to a group of children – an unusually vivid picture for a Victorian grave. Perhaps fitting that it is his lasting memorial then, because a marble tablet erected in his memory at the Kingsland chapel disappeared when the building was pulled down in 1980. Another memorial came almost 40 years later when, in 1906, Thomas Buller Mitchell published his autobiography, which he called Tommy’s Book. In it he recorded how in 1852, as a young man of 19, he went with his sweetheart, Eliza, a servant girl, to hear Pratt preach one Sunday. “Mitchell was already an ardent teetotaller, and was attracted by the man and the message in his sermons,” wrote Dr Crossley-Evans in his paper on Pratt. Tommy and Eliza were won over by Pratt’s hearty welcome and his concern for their spiritual welfare. Soon the couple were both regular helpers at the Sunday school, and in 1857 Pratt married them; “and he did it free of charge, which was very acceptable because money was none too plentiful,” said Tommy. Tommy became a gas fitter and plumber but he stuck with the Kingsland chapel right up until Pratt’s death when, he
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noted, the church had more than 400 members –more than it ever had before – and a sizeable staff for the Sunday school. Pratt was succeeded at the chapel by preacher John Knox, thought by some to be a superior
preacher to Pratt. But Tommy was greatly offended by any comparison with his revered minister. He wrote: “Mr Pratt was well-known, he was greatly loved by all, both old and young; he was a man ready to help in any good work.” Like many others, Tommy and Eliza voted with their feet. They chose to worship elsewhere, and the Kingsland congregation shrank considerably. Tommy’s was the voice of the ordinary church member who found inspiration in the leadership of a minister who was kindly but firm, welcoming and hard-working, who didn’t rely on the power of prayer alone but tried to tackle the everyday problems of his underprivileged neighbours. • More on Rev John Adey Pratt: www.bgas.org.uk/tbgas_bg/ v127/bg127291.pdf • More on the Barton Hill cotton mill: www.brh.org.uk/site/ articles/great-western-cottonworks-barton-hill
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News Totter’s back in the groove IT’S BACK! The Totterdown Music Festival returns to Oxford Street on Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12. With the Shakespeare pub until recently shut, most of the action will be centred on the Oxford. Landlord Jon Evans is asking customers to buy plastic glasses for £1 and re-use them. Jon will use the profits from the glass scheme to help pay for a holiday for a Totterdown grandmother. “Due to unfortunate circumstances, and despite ill-health, she has single-handedly brought up her grandson. Any profit from our cup scheme will send her on a holiday that we think she needs and deserves,” said Jon.
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How to be a better knitter
Crowd pleasers: The Relay Rips on the Oxford Street stage last year THE LINE-UP: Saturday 1pm Break Out Voices 1.15 The Horsley band 2.00 Sundance 3.00 Smokey Biver Band 4.00 African Sambistas 5.00 SuperD 6.00 The Love Vultures 7.00 Natty Dapps 7.45 Immigrant Swing 9.30 Natty Dapps (inside)
Sunday 1pm Maddie & Melissa 1.15 Oliver James Page 1.30 The Malarkey 2.00 The Dunbars 3.00 Chuggaboom 4.00 Troy Ellis 5.00 Vamos 6.00 The Model Folk 7.00 RSVP • Facebook: Oxford Totterdown
HAVE you always wanted to know how to knit? Art shop Craftisan is hosting a new course which promises to tell you how to knit, purl, cast on, off and more. Those attending will make a cushion cover and take away a bonus pattern for a shawl that can be made with one ball of yarn. Included in the £50 cost are eight hours of teaching, plus yarn and knitting needles. It’s on Thursdays from 6-8pm starting June 16. To book a place call 0117 971 3822, email workshops@craftisan-shop.co.uk or visit 186 Wells Road, BS4 2AL.
Garden awards JUDGING for the Totterdown Front Garden awards, organised by community group Tresa, takes place in late June and July. An event in Totterdown Square will be arranged to reveal the winners. • tresa.org.uk
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Karin Smyth Govt ministers need to listen to the bees
A
S YOUR local MP I get hundreds of emails each week from constituents on a range of topics. Many come from people worried about their personal situation, whether it’s housing, money, employment or something else affecting their family. But people in communities across Bristol are also passionate about environmental issues. To me, the way we treat animals and wildlife reflects how we treat humans and I remain proud that recent Labour governments put these matters high on the agenda. For example, the landmark Animal Welfare Act set new standards for the treatment of animals, with new duties of care for owners and tough sanctions for those who break the law. Widespread concern has recently resurfaced about the threat to bees, a vital part of our food chain, from a relatively new type of insecticide called neonicotinoids. I am
The MP’s view Each month Bristol South Labour MP Karin Smyth gives her perspective in no doubt about the importance of pollinators to our food supply, biodiversity and economy, and so I share worries about declining bee numbers. In 2013 the European Commission restricted neonicotinoid use on certain crops after it was found that some pose an
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unacceptable danger to bees. Yet last autumn the Government approved an application for the ban to be lifted, to allow chemicals to be sprayed on oilseed rape to help prevent crop damage. The Government has since confirmed it received new applications for emergency authorisation in 2016. I appreciate there are many reasons for the decline of pollinators: things like climate change, habitat loss and pests and diseases. But the Government cannot be allowed to ignore the threat that neonicotinoids pose to bees. I think it’s vital to take a science-led approach to pesticide use and to consider how best to support farmers, protect wildlife and reverse the decline of pollinators. So I’ll continue to press the Government to apply evidence-based policy and am pleased that following widespread pressure, ministers now seem to have a more open mind to doing so, saying they will base their view on future regulation on all the available scientific evidence. We need to remain vigilant to ensure they do so. As ever do please get in touch if you feel I can help you as your MP, whether it’s a confidential personal or family issue, or with a wider concern of the type outlined above. You can email karin.smyth.mp@parliament. uk or write to Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
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News
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Grave perspective: The Oasis students visited several WWI memorials
Pupils pay respects at the Somme STUDENTS from Oasis Academy Brislington visited the World War I battlefields just weeks before the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. The trip to France and Belgium involved 48 Year 9 students, who began by going to the German war cemetery at Langemark and the Tyne Cot Commonwealth cemetery. They also visited the Passchendaele museum, which includes an interactive tour
around mock trenches. The group also attended the nightly Last Post memorial service at the Menin Gate, where Libbie Phillips and Alister Edwards laid a wreath on behalf of everyone at the academy. Teacher Katie Reed said it was a privilege to be at the battlefields so close to the July 1 anniversary. The visit, the school’s fourth to the battlefields, also gave students the chance to practise their French – and taste snails!
Night at the Cemetery helps seal its future A NIGHT of entertainment helped tip the appeal fund to secure the long-term future of Arnos Vale cemetery, raising over £500,000. Guests including the Lord Mayor of Bristol Cllr Clare Campion-Smith, High Sheriff of Bristol Helen Wilde and former mayor George Ferguson, joined Arnos Vale for A Night at the Cemetery on April 23. The entertainment focused on acts which had a link to the historic cemetery, having performed at Arnos Vale in the past or with family ties, including Totterdown Chango Drummers, Somerset musician Sophii Negus and magician Adam Richards. There was a charity auction and raffle. The night raised £7,852 which was matched by the Heritage Lottery Fund to make £15,704. The Friends of Arnos Vale also pledged £25,000, which
took the total raised for the cemetery’s Lifetime Fund to more then £500,000. Until the end of June 2016 the Lottery fund will continue to match all donations into the Lifetime Fund, up to £500,000, to create an endowment, with the money providing a lasting revenue source to pay for the upkeep of the Victorian garden cemetery. Arnos Vale cemetery trust chief executive Mike Coe said: “The event went better than we could have imagined with over £15,000 added to our Lifetime Fund. So many guests commented on what a community treasure Arnos Vale cemetery is and got to learn a lot more about the history of the site as well as donating to the cause.” For more on the Lifetime Fund or the history of the cemetery visit arnosvale.org.uk
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What’s on
Wednesday June 1 Animal comic workshop at Windmill Hill City Farm for 8-12 year-olds, 10am-3pm. Join illustrator Rosie Faragher for a day of drawing, inventing characters and making your own comic book. You’ll walk about observing the best characters in Bedminster – the animals of Windmill Hill City Farm – before returning to the craft room where you’ll play drawing games and make your own comic book. All materials provided; £24. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk What if We Could Help The young carers’ youth theatre present their annual production at Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. Also on June 2. 7-7.45pm. Tickets £1. • acta-bristol.com Bristol Unsigned presents Phoenix Club + Atlantic Lights + Destroy The Beast, Find The Baby + Circle Lens + Paragon Sea, The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. “Bristol-based electro pop rock band Phoenix Club bring to the table an eclectic mix of harmony driven melodies laden with pop hooks.” 7.3011.30pm, £5. • thethunderbolt.net Friday June 3 The Diary of a Hounslow Girl Tobacco Factory theatre. Also on June 4. The story of a British Muslim teenager facing a conflict of cultures in a coming of age comedy set in the West London suburb of Hounslow. Tickets £12 and £9. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday June 4 Saltcellar Folk club presents Ange Hardy Ange is a Horizon Award nominee for best emerging talent at the 2015 BBC Folk Awards. As well as the month’s main act there is usually time for audience members to perform. Saltcellar, Totterdown Baptist Church, Cemetery Road, Totterdown. £5; 7.30pm. Refreshments on sale or bring
Modern jazz for the best of reasons REVIEW Syrian Refugee Benefit, The Thunderbolt , Totterdown, April 30 FIVE acts, a memorable live music experience, and over
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June 2016
your own alcohol. • saltcellarfolk.org.uk • angehardy.com The Regz plus support from Hey Bulldog The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Nine-piece The Regz return to the Tunnels with a full brass section to journey from Motown through Stax and Ska. Hey Bulldog are one of Bristol’s top Mod bands. 7.30pm. £8.50 advance, £10 on the door. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Ola plus guests Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, North Street, Southville. “Young driven and hugely talented, Ola is know for his intelligent, edgy humour.” 8.45pm, £10 advance, £12 on the door. • the comedybox.co.uk Monday June 6 Take It On: Shakespeare’s Heroes and Villains Tobacco Factory workshop for 8-11 yearolds to explore Shakespeare’s most wonderful and most devilish characters. “Delve into their delightful/dastardly dreams
and decide which you prefer!” 4.15-5.45pm, £5. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Wednesday June 8 Moonshine Nights Join the Malcolm X Elders’ Theatre Company and Acta’s community choir for a festival preview performance of Moonshine Nights, consisting of stories and songs on a warm Caribbean evening. Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. 7.308.30pm. Tickets £3. • acta-bristol.com Thursday June 9 Playhouse Creatures Tobacco Factory theatre. Graduating students from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School present the story of the first actresses on the British stage. Theatres were restored by Charles II in 1663 after 17 years of Puritan suppression. Women are allowed on stage – but it comes at a price. Tickets £15 and £10. 7.30pm and Sat 2.30pm. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com
Friday June 10 The Hide + Support Bristolbased The Hide have teamed up with Leonie Laws (ex-Breakbeat Era with Roni Size). “Each number takes a different style of music as its starting point and The Hide play anything from jumpy post blues, doomy anthem rock, upbeat funk to dubbed out art-reggae.” 7.30pm. £5. • thethunderbolt.net Saturday June 11 Identify different grass species with an ecologist at Arnos vale cemetey. As part of Bristol’s Big Green Week, join a half-day workshop, 10am-1pm to learn how to distinguish up to 10 different grass species using subtle clues in their stems, leaves and flowers. Tickets £16.67. • arnosvale.org.uk The Meaning of Life – An Introduction to Buddhism Lam Rim Bristol Buddhist Centre, 12 Victoria Place, Bedminster BS3 3BP. Teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Wheel of Life. 10.30am-4.30pm. • info@lamrim.org.uk Abba ReBjorn The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Performing all the Abba classics. 7.30pm. £10. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Tuesday June 14 Wealth is Health Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. A cabaret performance exploring wealth and health inequalities in Britain in the 21st Century by the Third Age Company, Liverpool. 2pm and 8.30pm. Tickets £3. • acta-bristol.com Standing in My Own Truth and Yusuf Can’t Talk A double-bill including Yusuf Can’t Talk, a show from Bedminster’s Acta theatre by Somali mothers of children with autism. Standing in My Own Truth is part of CAN’s Refugee and Migrant Women’s Theatre Programme. “In a world of half truths and lies, when is it safe to own one’s true destiny?” Performances at 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA.
£1,000 raised for Syrian Refugee charities to boot. The Charlie Fortune Experience kicked off with an eclectic mix of lo-fi compositions, received well by the enthusiastic audience. Next: The Future History, the new project from Noah Villeneuve and Billy Golding (exArchimedes). Still only in their early 20s, these local lads have been playing together for nearly
ten years, and their musical synergy shows. Seamless joins between songs, tight precise drumming and solid support from guest bass and synth. And, as landlord Dave put it, ‘pint-sized pop-magic’ from Villeneuve, a frontman performance that was hard to turn away from. Pop Parker offered a witty set of acoustic observations from
his previous album, while John Parish brought the house down with his unmissable version of Heaven 17’s Fascist Groove Thing. Finally Get The Blessing got the crowd moving with mesmerising rhythms and horn riffs which left me realising “I’m listening to modern jazz ... And I like it!” Beccy Golding
Double life: Diary of a Hounslow Girl challenges stereotypes at the Tobacco Factory. See listings for June 3. Picture: TALULA SHEPPARD
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June 2016
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What’s on
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Time to pick your favourite Underdog
BRISTOL’S own “battle of the bands” contest, The Underdog, is back for a second year, supported by the city’s live music industry. The first of 12 heats starts on June 29 at the Thunderbolt in Bath Road, Totterdown – but it’s not a popularity contest, say organisers. “We use a mix of an audience vote and the opinions of our judges from the local industry to score our bands - this way the most deserving bands win,” said spokesman Jon Spencer. The first prize is £1,000 in cash. The second placed band will get recording time with Ben Capp Sound, worth £600, at the Island studio in the city centre. Capp has previously worked with the likes of DJ Yoda, Beans on Toast and many local artists. Five bands will play at each heat, with the best going on to a semi-final. The 7-7.50pm. Tickets £3. • acta-bristol.com Wednesday June 15 Snake Skin Acta theatre, Gladstone Street, Bedminster. Based on personal stories, members of Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre Community Collective present a witty and provocative performance that examines the
Rocking: Hunt for best bands Underdog prides itself on not charging bands deposits or admin fees, and will pay bands using Musicians Union guidelines. Heats are all at 7pm at the Thunderbolt on June 29 and 30, July 6, 7, 13, 15, 20, 21, 27 and 28, and August 5 and 6. Tickets £5. • underdog.synthetica.co.uk labels that society gives us. 7pm and 8.30pm. Tickets £3. • acta-bristol.com Friday June 17 A teaching on Karma Lam Rim Bristol Buddhist Centre with Ven. Geshé Damchö Yönten. Talk is from The Book of Kadam. 10.30am-4.30pm. • info@lamrim.org.uk
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Tuesday June 22 Daniel Kitson’s Polyphony Tobacco Factory theatre. Until June 26. Daniel Kitson writes: “In 2015 I wrote a play – a real humdinger. It has a pretty epic scope, a staggering vision and in the region of 20 characters. Each of which has been performed and recorded in isolation, each of them captured as a single track that will, when played back in precise unison, form a glorious theatrical polyphony. The play is perfect. The recordings are perfect. I just need enough people to hit play.” Age 15+. Tickets £12. 7.30pm, matinee Saturday 2.30pm. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Thursday June 23 Slambovian Circus of Dreams The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. “Called everything from HillbillyPink Floyd to Folk-Pop to Surreal Americana, New York’s Slambovian Circus of Dreams return to play in the UK for the first time in two years. They are a bit of a cult in Britain, following a string of festival appearances at Glastonbury, Rhythm, Acoustic Festival of Great Britain, Beverley Folk Festival, and the like.” 7.30-11.30pm, £15. • thethunderbolt.net Friday June 24 Quiz and supper night Held on the last Friday of every month, 8.30pm-late, Windmill Hill Community Centre, Vivian Street, Windmill Hill. • whca.org.uk The Delta Saints The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Nashville-based Delta Saints describe themselves as bourbon-fuelled bayou rock. 7.30pm. £12. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk
Saturday June 25 Rossini’s La Cenerentola Arnos Vale cemetery. La Cenerentola is Cinderella, here updated to modern day England, where a lonely prince has resorted to reality TV to find true love. Presented by opera company Tessitoura, whose 2013 production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Arnos Vale sold out. Tickets £15, 7.30pm. • arnosvale.org.uk Special Brew – Bad Manners Tribute The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Eight-piece band made of seasoned musicians with a love of ska and Bad Manners. “Because dance floors don’t fill themselves.” 7.30pm. £10. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Wednesday June 29 Into The West Tobacco Factory theatre. The Travelling Light theatre company mark 20 years of this acclaimed production for children about an inner city Dublin family who rediscover their Traveller heritage. Until July 17. 1.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm. There will be a signlanguage performance and a relaxed performance suitable for those with special needs – call for details. Tickets from £28 family to £9 concessions. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday July 2 StockFest annual community festival Run by Bristol Telephones Recreation Association withlive music stage, community stalls, sideshows, children’s entertainments and activities. Licensed bar, cream teas and food. 12-9pm, Recreation Ground, Stockwood Lane, Bristol, BS14 8SJ Tickets £5 adults, under 12s free • btrabristol.co.uk
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