South Bristol Voice, August 2016 by South Bristol Voice

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southbristolvoice August 2016 No. 15

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Summer holiday activities P38

LETTERS P19 | PLANNING APPLICATIONS P27 | MP on Brexit P36

United after mosque verdict

Murder charge after Knowle death

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Totterdown woman dies in jail Page 8 How we voted in the Brexit poll Page 11 Arena: Latest on consultation

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Call for £100m leisure domes

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Delay to plan for generators Page 16 Zaheer Shabir, speaking, with from left chief constable Andy Marsh, Arif Khan, chair of the Councll of Bristol Mosques, Veron Dowdy of anti-hate crime group SARI, and South Bristol police chief Ch Insp Marie Wright “TODAY, we can reclaim our flag for England,” declared Zaheer Shabir, the secretary of Totterdown’s Jamia mosque, as he welcomed the city’s media and VIPs to mark the end of the six-month legal process following the racist attack on the mosque on January 17. Speaking two days after the four attackers were each handed jail terms at Bristol Crown Court, Mr Shabir said he hoped that the

criminals would learn in time to show respect for people who are different to them. “We hope they will also learn to appreciate that every person is entitled to live in peace and without fear, especially when we live in a city which is multiculturally enriched, diverse and multi-faith – a common British value,” he said. He thanked the Totterdown community for its overwhelming

support, which started within hours of the attack, as news spread on Facebook that racial abuse had been shouted at worshippers and bacon deposited by a flag of St George. Around 400 people responded to an invitation to Tea at the Mosque the following week and hundreds more sent messages of support. The mosque has been in Green Street since 1968 – longer Continued on page 5

Meet man who puts the bang in the Balloon Fiesta

Pages 20-21

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Intro

THERE are times when it seems there is too much news flooding in to absorb it all. The weeks since the Brexit vote have been filled with controversy as well as tragedy on the world stage. In South Bristol too we have had more than our share of distressing news. This month we report on two cases in which local people have been charged with murder; with one sad death in custody; with the sentencing of a paedophile; and with the court case over the

racist attack on Totterdown mosque. If we are looking for a true reflection of our community, however, we should turn to the last of these incidents. On January 17, four people made a public protest against the Muslim faith. A week later, one hundred times as many people visited the Jamia mosque to voice their opposition to racist prejudice. A judge has now reinforced the view that racism is not a defence of England: it is an attack on English values. In or out of Europe, our community is one that stands together.

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Briefly

q THE SQUARE Food Foundation, the community cookery school in Knowle West, is running a week-long summer school for children aged 7-14 to learn how to make a range of dishes from around the world. The week will culminate with a party on Friday to cook a feast. The school will run from August 22-26, 10am-1pm. Cost is £125. • squarefoodfoundation.co.uk q WINDMILL Hill Community Centre’s kitchen has been repainted and features a new cooker, tiling and ice machine. Much of the work was funded by a grant from Filwood, Knowle and Windmill Hill neighbourhood partnership. A team of volunteer plasterers also painted the entrance and cleared the garden. q A 91-YEAR-OLD war veteran has lost his treasured medals to a burglar. The victim had left six medals in the kitchen ready to be cleaned, then went shopping at 12.15pm on Wednesday June 22. On his return at 2.15pm a

August 2016

silver and green French Legion d’Honneur medal, a bronze 1939-45 star, a bronze France and Germany star and a police long service medal were missing. All were engraved with his regimental number 2666006. Anyone with information is asked to ring police on 101. q THE FUNFAIR at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta has been “much reduced” in size this year. It follows complaints of violence at last year’s funfair and calls by some for the attraction to be removed altogether. Instead, the funfair will be smaller, and space given to Cirque Bijou, where attractions will include balloon workshops, junk modelling, facepainting, circus workshops and stilt walkers. • Balloon Fiesta special: p20 q THE SHAKESPEARE pub in Totterdown is in a hunt for a new landlord after its unexpected closure last month. Owner Enterprise Inns says it hopes to appoint someone soon.

How do I get in touch with ... 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: People who would like to contact Karin Smyth MP for help with any issue are asked to contact 0117 953 3575.

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My councillor? Christopher Davies Lib Dem, Knowle Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY Email: Cllr.christopher.davies@ bristol.gov.uk USEFUL NUMBERS Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000 Waste, roads 0117 922 2100 Pest control and dog wardens 0117 922 2500 Council tax

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Gary Hopkins Lib Dem, Knowle (Lib Dem leader) Email: Cllr.gary.hopkins@bristol.gov.uk Phone: 0117 985 1491 or 07977 512159 Lucy Whittle Labour, Windmill Hill Post: Brunel House, St George’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UY 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

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 Neighbourhood partnership September 21, 6-8pm, Knowle West Media Centre, Leinster Ave, BS4 1NL

EDITOR’S NOTE: South Bristol Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. Feedback is welcomed: call editor Paul Breeden on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk. All stories and pictures are copyright of South Bristol Voice and may not be reproduced without permission in this or any other plane of the multiverse. South Bristol Voice Ltd | 18 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BX |

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News

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Family in shock after losing gentle brother

Tributes to Kamil after man is charged with his murder

FAMILY and friends of Kamil Ahmed gathered to pay their respects to him in a vigil outside the house in Knowle where he was found dead a week before. Kamil, in his 40s, died at the supported living home run by the Milestones Trust, where he had lived for four years, on July 7. Jeffery Barry, 55, of Wells Road, Bristol, is charged with murder and has been remanded in custody. An investigation into whether the death coud have been prevented is being carried out by the city’s multi-agency Adult Safeguarding Board. Kamil, an Iraqi Kurd, lived in the home for people with mental health difficulties while he applied for asylum in the UK. Brother Kamaran Ahmed, 40, said: “He was a lovely man and everyone liked him. “All we want is for that thing never to happen to anyone else.” The family do not know what lead to Kamil’s death. He had been living in Bristol for five years though, like many of his family, he had fled Iraq many years before. The family are Kurds from Kirkuk, a community savagely persecuted by Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussain until he was deposed by US and allied forces in 2003. “We left because of the violence but at different times,” his brother Kamaran told the Voice. Around 12 brothers and cousins live elsewhere in the UK, including Derby, and another cousin is in Sweden. All are stunned by what happened to Kamil. His friend Adil Jaifar, from Fishponds, met Kamil regularly in their work for Bristol Refugee Rights, where they both volunteered as interpreters to

Investigation: Police move in to examine the house at 346 Wells Road

Kamil Ahmed, pictured on a day out with Bristol Refugee Rights help others who could not speak English. “His needs were really simple,” said Adil. “He didn’t need more than a little place to live in peace. “He really cherished his freedom. He grew up as a Kurd under Saddam and as a teenager he was arrested and tortured, but he never mentioned it because it was too painful for him. I only discovered this from his family,” said Adil. “In Bristol he felt safe. I visited him several times here – his room was really clean and tidy and he didn’t have any problems with the people who

live here. This shouldn’t have happened. We all hope that the authorities draw a lesson and protect vulnerable people like Kamil and others.” The gateway to the Milestones house at 346 Wells Road was festooned with flowers and messages from Kamil’s friends and family. “So sorry and outraged to hear this,” read one message. “You should have been better protected. You were a valued and loved member of our community.” Another said: “He was really a good guy, very gentle. His sudden death is so sad and very painful.” A statement from Bristol Refugee Rights said: “Kamil is remembered as someone who always greeted people with a smile. He was warm and friendly, a gentle presence. “Since his death, there has been a lot of sadness among staff, volunteers and the refugee community, especially among those in the Kurdish community who knew him best. We will all help Bristol City Council’s Adult Safeguarding Board and the police with investigations into the circumstances leading up to Kamil’s untimely death.”

Church defends plan for housing on derelict plot

THE GUINNESS Trust can go ahead with plans to build six terraced three-storey houses on land behind Holy Nativity church in Totterdown, after councillors granted planning permission. More than 20 objections were made to the council. Neighbours complained that the threebedroom homes, each with a garage, would worsen parking problems in the narrow street. Some fear the tall houses will look out of place, and will ruin the iconic views of the church, which can be seen from far away. Others said the homes will be unaffordable to local people – the Voice revealed in May that the rent and mortgage costs are likely to top £1,000 a month. But planning officials said the long-distance views of the church would not be badly affected. The costs to residents cannot be controlled under planning rules, they said. Fr Chris Kinch, vicar at holy Nativity, defended the church’s decision to sell the plot – home to a derelict scout hut. In a letter to the Voice he said the church had to raise funds to ensure its survival. But it had not tried to sell to the highest bidder and had instead chosen a charitable trust which will allocate the homes to deserving families who could not otherwise afford to live in Totterdown, he said. • Letters, page 19

Market makes a date switch THE POPULAR BS4 street market is switching dates to the second Sunday of the month from August. A spokesperson said the change is to avoid competing with many other markets held across Bristol on the first weekend of the month. The market will continue to champion local arts, crafts and food producers and will remain on the Wells Road from 11am – 3pm, stretching from outside the Little Butcher shop up to Craftisan. There are 15 regular stalls and many more guest stalls selling art, dog treats, jewellery, artisan food and more. • Facebook: BS4 Market

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Mosque attack

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Judge exposes lies of racist The judge’s conclusion: • Attackers struck at basic English values of freedom of worship • Witness who heard abuse was credible • Defences mounted by foursome were ‘ridiculous’ or ‘lies’ A JUDGE has sentenced all four people who admitted a racist attack on Totterdown’s mosque to prison – dismissing the defence given by some of them as “ridiculous” and “lacking all credibility”. At an earlier hearing at Bristol Crown Court, all four said they had not shouted racist abuse when leaving a flag of St George and bacon sandwiches outside the Jamia mosque in Green Street on January 17. But on Wednesday July 20, Judge Julian Lambert dismissed their claims, calling some of their defence “fairy stories”. One, Mark Bennett, had claimed he didn’t even know that bacon was offensive to Muslims. He claimed he had wanted to hand out bacon sandwiches in the same way he sometimes did for homeless people in Bristol city centre. That, said the judge, “lacked all credibility,” and his account from the witness box was

Mosque at the heart of community THE Jamia mosque in Green Street, Totterdown is the oldest in the South West of England and was founded in 1968 – the same year the oldest of the defendants was born. It has been at the heart of the close-knit Totterdown community since then – a fact proved by the hundreds of wellwishers who turned out to show their support the week after the attack. These included several Christian ministers and a Jewish rabbi, as well as then-mayor George Ferguson. Following the trial, Alex Raikes MBE, director at Bristol anti-racism group SARI, which has been supporting mosque members, said: “It is “extravagant lies”. He said the foursome’s attack was “an attack on England” and on English values of freedom of worship. A witness from the mosque told an earlier hearing that two men and a woman had shouted racist and anti-Muslim abuse. The week after the attack, 400 people – one hundred times as

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Standing together: Former mayor George Ferguson with mosque secretary Zaheer Shabir as hundreds gathered after the attack heartening to see such a positive and clear response from our police and judiciary to this act of extremism on our Muslim community. “This sends out a clear message to all – Bristol will not tolerate hate crime. The perpetrators here thought they could get away with this flagrant and deeply

offensive behaviour that attacks not just that mosque – it attacks a whole community. “It is thanks also to the bravery of the victims that we’ve seen this result. SARI is proud to have stood by the side of the team that have seen this through to its just conclusion.”

many as the attackers – responded to an invitation to an event called Tea at the Mosque. Hundreds more showed support online. The attack, said the judge, “had a wicked tendency to undermine community relations in the area.” But that was not allowed to happen, he said, “because the decent people who live in the area came together quickly.” All four defendants had admitted committing a racially aggravated public order offence. Kevin Crehan, 34, of Springleaze, Knowle, was sentenced to 12 months and told his offending was “wicked”. Crehan had to be wrestled from the dock, shouting “This is what f***ing England’s come to.” Bennett, 48, of Spruce Way, Patchway, showed incredulity when the judge gave him nine months. “You’re sending me to prison? For a bacon sandwich?” he said. He was then also manhandled from the dock, protesting that he

needed his heart medication. Bennett’s wife Alison, 46, was sentenced to six months, suspended for two years. She had claimed she didn’t know why her husband was taking her to the mosque that day, but that was “a fairy story”, said the judge. Angelina Swailes, 32, of West Town Lane, Brislington, was sentenced to four months, suspended for two years. She too claimed not to know where Crehan, her partner, was taking her – but the judge rejected this. Both women are subject to a curfew which means they will be electronically tagged and must stay in their homes from 7pm to 7am for six months. All four are subject to a 10-year restraining order not to go within 100 metres of any mosque in England and Wales, not to contact a key witness in the case in any way, and not to enter the vicinity of the Jamia mosque in an area defined on a map, which they have each been given.

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Mosque attack

four who targeted mosque THE four involved in the attack on the mosque all denied that any of them had shouted racist abuse. Kevin Crehan and Mark Bennett admitted placing the flag of St George outside the mosque, bearing the slogan “No more mosques, no more refugees”. They also admitted leaving bacon sandwiches on the doorstep, but said they didn’t throw any bacon. Bennett said he didn’t know the meaning of a slogan on the flag, GNLS, saying he had been told to write it during a phone call on the morning of January 17. GNLS, the court heard, stands for Good Night Left Side, and is used by far-right groups as a taunt to left-wingers. The men had claimed they intended to give out bacon sandwiches to worshippers at the mosque, but Judge Julian Lambert said this was “ridiculous” – partly because the bacon was raw. “There were no facilities to cook it on a street in Totterdown on a cold winter’s day,” he said. The judge found Crehan’s claim that there was no racial abuse shouted to be “utterly incredible”. A witness from the mosque told the court at an earlier hearing that he first saw a man’s head in the mosque doorway, then the man disappeared. Following him outside, the witness said he met two men and a woman, who all hurled vile racist and religious abuse at him. However, a second witness who was driving past and stopped to remonstrate with the attackers, said he heard no abuse. Defence solicitors claimed that this undermined the credibility of the mosque witness. Judge Lambert said he had considered the point carefully, but decided that the mosque witness was “clear and compelling” and “had no motive to invent Continued from page 1 than most of its attackers have been alive. Mr Shabir praised the rapid and effective police response, and the support of many other religious and political leaders. Mayor Marvin Rees sent a message, saying: “We’ve seen Bristol coming together to say

‘I know I’m going to jail’ DURING a break in the case at Bristol Crown Court, Kevin Crehan told South Bristol Voice that he knew he was likely to end the day in prison. “It will be a miracle if I don’t,” he said. He admitted knowledge of far-right groups, referring to the South West Infidels, a successor to the English Defence League and Bristol United Patriots. “Anyone in any of these groups gets called Nazi scum,” he said. “But to me that’s out of the question.” He claimed he regretted the attack on the mosque deeply – partly because he grew up around Totterdown and knew many Muslims. “It was the wrong place to do it,” he said.

Kevin Crehan: 12 months’ prison

Mark Bennett: Nine month term

“I feel a f***ing idiot. I have a long history of criminal convictions, for football violence, nothing like this. There’s a lot of crimes I have done in my past. I have been shameless and I couldn’t really give a s***. He blamed his previous offences on drug addiction, which he said he has now beaten. His complaint was only against radical Islam, he claimed. And he agreed that the

huge gathering of support for the mosque the week after the attack was much more successful than the attack itself. “That backfired massively didn’t it?” he said. “That’s the community coming together, the tight community they have there.” Later that day, as the judge sentenced him to 12 months, Crehan shouted “This is what f***ing England’s come to,” and yelled racial abuse as well.

things. His demeanour was of sorrow at the things he described.” Mark Bennett had denied any connection with a Facebook account bearing racist messages in the name of “Marc Bennet” which included the slogan “Burn your local mosque!” But the account had a picture of Bennett and his wife on their wedding day. The overwhelming inference was that the Facebook account “was his, and only his,” said Judge Lambert. Alison Bennett’s defence was that she was with her husband because he was meeting someone called Bunny, who she thought must be a woman. But men are often nicknamed Bunny, said Judge Lambert. Mrs Bennett’s claim about fearing her husband was having an affair was “a fairy story”, he added. Mrs Bennett told the court she had no idea why her husband

had added bacon to their shopping that morning. But the court heard a tape of her police interview in which she said her husband had told her a day or two before that Sunday was to be “taking bacon to a mosque day, or something.” Crehan and Mark Bennett said the same thing was due to happen at mosques all over the country on the same day. Mrs Bennett filmed the incident, at her husband’s request, but she quickly realised it was wrong and she got back in the car, she said. Her video later found its way onto social media. Asked by police if she thought their presence at the mosque would cause worshippers alarm or distress, she said: “Yes, it would do. If someone did that to me I would feel exactly the same.” Angelina Swailes claimed she knew nothing of where Crehan, her partner, was taking her. They

had no conversation in the car because they often went out for a Sunday drive, she said. “I didn’t know it was a mosque until I saw the bacon,” she told the court. But she quickly realised she was in the wrong, she said; after taking two pictures on her phone, she deleted them without sharing them. The judge said: “I cannot be satisfied that she personally issued any racial or religious abuses. But I reject her assertion that she didn’t know why she was being taken to the mosque.”

this is not acceptable, and we’ve seen the criminal justice system send a clear message to perpetrators of hate crime that they will be dealt with.” Avon & Somerset chief constable Andy Marsh praised the dignity shown by the Muslim community. He also appealed for more minority applicants to

join the police, so that they can represent every part of society. Fr Chris Kinch, vicar of Totterdown and Knowle, said the attack had not just been on the Islamic community, but on every single citizen in the area. Totterdown Methodist minister Henry Lewis said the attack had horrified people of all faiths.

n his summing up, the judge said: “The mosque was a place of quiet dignity, of contemplation and of prayer.” “Those in the mosque were simply adhering to their faith and praying in the mosque that day. “Those at the mosque ask nothing from you other than peace and quiet for their prayer and contemplation. “That tolerance and respect is the very cornerstone of a democratic society. Your attack was on the very foundations of society. Your attack is an attack on England and in particular on freedom of worship in our land. “I regard your offending as extremely serious.” Crehan’s Continued on page 6

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Uproar in the dock at mosque jail sentences

Continued from page 5 lawyer, John Lamb, said his client was the carer for his brother, who has motor neurone disease and lives in an adapted bungalow. As he was sentenced, Crehan’s father shouted from the public gallery, “What’s his brother going to do? He [Kevin Crehan] is his main carer.” The judge ordered Mr Crehan to leave the court. Kevin Crehan had to be wrestled from the dock, shouting. Crehan has a long criminal history, mainly connected to football violence, amounting to 32 court cases and 55 offences, and has served prison sentences. In 2008 he racially abused an Asian police officer. Mark Bennett also has a criminal record, though not for similar offences. He has a heart condition and has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour, said his lawyer, Anthony Bignall. Avanti Pursell, for Alison Bennett, said she was in poor health, on anti-depressants, could not work, and had suffered abuse and had her windows broken since the incident. Swailes’ lawyer, Lee Mott, said his client realised she had done wrong and had offered to apologise to the mosque. She is jobless but is due to start a beauty therapy course in the autumn. Neither woman had a previous criminal record.

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A PENSIONER who once lived in Totterdown has been sentenced to 24 years in jail for sexual offences against children committed between the 1960s and 1980s in the UK. Douglas Slade, 75, was tried at Bristol Crown Court on July 1 after he was expelled from the Philippines. Formerly of Sea Mills and Totterdown, he was

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Paedophile is jailed for 24 years found guilty of all 13 offences against five children. The youngest was 10 years old. Slade was involved with the Paedophile Information Exchange – a campaign group in the 1970s and 1980s calling for sex with children to be legalised. Slade was living near a school

in the Phillipines when he was arrested and expelled in 2015. Det Sgt Paul Melton asked any other victims of child abuse to call police on 101 and quote Operation Falcon. • A longer version of this report can be found on our website: southbristolvoice.co.uk

Bringing art to the people

Toilets transformed: Artist Ollie Gillard will return to Redcatch Park to perform another makeover mural IT’S ARTISTIC, it’s family friendly and it’s free – Arts in the Park returns to Redcatch Park, Knowle, for a second year in September. It’s been organised on September 11 from 12-5pm by Entertaining Local Knowle, a small group of locals, with the help of funding from the neighbourhood partnership. Graffiti artist Ollie Gillard, known as Gage, is returning to paint a work on the pavilion to complement his stunning kingfisher painted on the toilet

block at the last event. Anthony Garratt, recently featured on BBC TV’s Countryfile, will be painting the park scene on a large canvas. Brave Bold theatre company are bringing their children’s show My Way or the Highway, and Bedminster-based theatre group Show of Strength will be popping up around the park. In addition there will be lots of stalls selling arty things, and workshops where visitors can throw a pot, weave some willow, sculpt some stone and more

Locally-made food will include Gopal’s Curry, Pickled Brisket and Lucille’s Ice cream. Bradley Stoke Radio will introduce musical acts on the main stage, while the Bard of Windmill Hill is in charge of music and dance on the second stage. Amateur artists of all ages can join a contest to produce a picture of the scene – within two hours – to be judged by John Palmer RWA. The winner will become Redcatch Artist of the Year! • elknowle.wix.com/elknowle

Is my dog at risk of lungworm?

OGS of all ages and breeds can contract lungworm. However, younger dogs seem to be more prone to picking up the parasite. Also, dogs who are known to eat slugs and snails are considered higher risk. Lungworm can be fatal to dogs and it is easier than you’d think for your dog to become infected.Lungworm (also known as Angiostrongylus vasorum) is a parasite commonly carried by slugs and snails. Dogs can

become infected when they eat these pests (either intentionally or accidentally) or if they come into contact with their slime trial. Some dogs do not show visible signs of a lungworm infection; however, there are some symptoms to look out for, including coughing, tiring easily, nose bleeds, excessive bleeding (even from minor wounds), anaemia, weight loss, vomiting and/or diarrhoea, or lethargy and depression. Lungworm can be easily

prevented by using a monthly spot-on or tablet treatment. These are available from your veterinary practice, and are very much encouraged as part of your pet’s regular prevention treatment. Speak to Highcroft Veterinary Hospital on 01275 832410 for more information or to check if your dog is protected against lungworm. For those who are interested in learning more about the infection, Lungworm.co.uk has a

Jenny Hamilton-ible MRCVS Veterinary Surgeon at Highcroft Veterinary Hospital, Whitchurch number of stories about pet owners whose dogs have been affected.

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Totterdown time capsule at Front Room A ROOM full of memories could be a feature of Totterdown’s Front Room art trail in November. Gaily Orr, chair of the organisers, wants to find a venue where photos and videos can be shown and people can share memories of Totterdown events and characters. After trailing the idea on Facebook, she says there is a lot of interest. One character likely to be featured is the legendary Mad Ernie, past landlord of the Shakespeare pub. Mad Ernie can be seen online in a short film made by Penny Russell, reminiscing on a wild night at the Shakespeare. Search Vimeo.com for “Totterdown Stories”. If you would like to help set up a Totterdown Time Capsule at Front Room, email enquiries@frontroom.co.uk

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August 2016

Woman dies in prison after death charge AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after the death of a Totterdown woman in prison – shortly after she had been arrested and charged with manslaughter. Michaela Sweeting, 38 and from William Street, Totterdown, was facing a crown court trial over the death of Robert Hines, 56, from Horfield. He was found dead in the Quaker memorial garden on Redcliffe Hill, opposite St Mary Redcliffe church, on May 24. Three days later, Michaela Sweeting was arrested, along with Matthew James Hill, 31, also living in William Street, Totterdown. Both were charged with manslaughter and appeared before Bristol magistrates the

next day. Sweeting was remanded in custody and taken to Eastwood Park prison in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, a women’s prison holding 362 inmates. It is believed she was found dead at the prison on June 2. Police attended but found no reason to treat her death as suspicious. No other details have been released but the Voice understands it is being investigated as a case of sudden death with no other people involved. The case has been passed to the Prisons & Probation Ombudsman, which examines all deaths in prisons. The investigation is likely to take around six months, and after that the results will be passed to the

Avon coroner, who will decide if other evidence is needed. Ms Sweeting’s case is likely to be heard before a jury at the coroner’s court in Flax Bourton some time next year. The court formally opened and adjourned her inquest on July 13. Hill will face Bristol crown court on the charge of the manslaughter of Mr Hines on September 19. Meanwhile police would still like to talk to two men who may have seen the incident in which Mr Hines died. Officers have released CCTV images of the men, which can be seen at avonandsomerset.police.uk by searching “Quaker”. The two men are asked to call police on 101 quoting reference 5216113385.

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Street art that comes with a Brexit message YOU can guess pretty easily what street artist Odeith thinks of Britain’s vote to leave the EU. He’s painted a huge wall in Raleigh Road, Southville, with a picture of TV comedian Benny Hill in his guise as the idiotic character Fred Scuttle. The artist was one of 350 taking part in Upfest, Europe’s biggest street art festival. A full report and many more pictures will be found in the Bedminster edition of the Voice. • issuu.com/southbristolvoice

Dismay over plan for 10-storey flats block NEIGHBOURS have reacted in dismay after they were shown proposals for developing Plot 1, one of the most significant sites on Bedminster Green, with blocks of flats of between eight and 10 storeys. Members of WHaM, the Windmill Hill and Malago residents’ planning group, fear that if the plan is allowed to go ahead it will set a precedent for the rest of the sprawling Bedminster Green area, which is all earmarked for redevelopment. Developer Paul O’Brien won a bidding war to buy the site of the former Pring & St Hill steel plant, which closed in 2003. The site was granted planning permission in 2007 for 183 flats in up to five storeys along with shops, a café and parking, but this permission has now lapsed. Paul O’Brien is now understood to want to put in a scheme for 221 flats in blocks of up to 10 storeys with parking on the ground floor. It is not clear if any social or affordable housing would be included. The density of homes would be more than 300 per hectare – very high compared to the terraced streets of much of South Bristol. “We are very disappointed,” Howard Purse, chair of WHaM, told South Bristol Voice after members were shown the plans.

First proposals revealed for Bedminster Green’s Plot 1

“It’s a massive block which is completely out of keeping with the surroundings. “Our big fear is that it’s going to end up as a precedent for the whole thing” [the Bedminster Green area]. WHaM members fear there will be no social housing and say the block is a poor design and the density is too high. Members also criticised the ground floor car park, which means the street scene along Malago Road will be blank at pavement level. Mr Purse said the developer had asked to hear WHaM’s views, and had said they would be taken into account in drawing up a planning application. But he fears that the bidding war for the land has forced the price up so high that only a large, highdensity development will be profitable. The Voice asked to see the proposals which were shown to WHaM but these were not available as we went to press.

The sale of the Pring & St Hill site will not disrupt the master brief prepared for Bedminster Green by developer Urbis, according to Urbis managing director Richard Clarke. The Urbis scheme was prepared under a memorandum of understanding with the council. It envisages a new Bedminster station and a range of housing, workplaces , health facilities and commercial spaces across the site, with student and elderly accommodation among about 800 homes. Mr Clarke told the Voice he still expects to put in a planning application for the first phase of this scheme, comprising a district energy centre to provide heat and electricity for 2,000 homes, in August. He expects construction of the energy centre – at the far end of Plot 1, at the Lidl end of Malago Road – to start in early 2017. Urbis also expects to start consultation on another site, Plot 5, around the Hereford Street car park, to begin this year, with a planning application to include the new station plaza to be made before Christmas. Urbis is in negotiation to buy the land for the energy centre from Paul O’Brien. Both sides have confirmed to the Voice that a deal is being discussed.

A CHARITY which helps struggling families is challenging people to explore their limits by raising money in a hair-raising abseil. Home-Start Bristol is holding the event on a 150ft cliff in the Mendips on September 24. The charity recruits, trains and matches volunteers with families that need support. Much of its training takes place in South Bristol. “By taking part in the fundraising abseil, you will contribute towards making a lasting and positive impact on the development of children, and the health and welfare of families in the community,” said a spoeksperson. To book a place at the abseil, register at uk.virginmoney giving.com and search for HomeStart, or email abseil@ homestartbristol.org.uk

Gardening with dementia group A GARDENING group for people with dementia and their carers has been started in South Bristol, supported by Bristol Aging Better. Called Growing Support, the new scheme is offereing a free weekly gardening session at Langhill Avenue, off Novers Lane in Knowle West. The group will meet every Friday from 10.30am-12.30pm from August 19. If the weather is bad there will be indoor activities. To find out more call Dale Cranshaw on 07581 281578. • growingsupport.co.uk

Childcare plea KARIN SMYTH MP called a Commons debate to raise fears that a Government pledge to double free childcare hours for three and four-year olds next year would fail. But Ms Smyth said the public accounts committee, on which she sits, had found a lack of planning to ensure there will be enough qualified early years staff. Childcare minister Sam Gyimah told Karin Smyth that the 30 hour pledge is “a high priority”.

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Revealed: How South Bristol voted in Brexit referendum SOUTH Bristol is split on whether to stay in the European Union. The revealing figures, which show the way each ward voted in the EU referendum on June 23, show that, though Bristol as a whole wanted to remain, much of South Bristol wanted out. Across the Bristol South constituency, 47 per cent voted to leave and 53 per cent to remain. But this disguises much bigger Leave votes in some areas. In Hartcliffe and Withywood, the least affluent part of the city and one of the most deprived wards in the country, two thirds or 66.9 per cent voted out. It was the biggest Leave vote in the city. In Filwood and Hengrove & Whitchurch Park – two more wards with many low-income

Ward No. of votes Bedminster Remain 4,780 Leave 2,704 Bishopsworth Remain 2,766 Leave 3,807 Brislington East Remain 3,131 Leave 3,182 Brislington West Remain 3,595 Leave 2,944

% 63.8% 36.1% 42.1% 57.9% 49.6% 50.4% 55.0% 45.0%

households – the Leave vote exceeded 60 per cent. Bishopsworth also voted out, while Brislington East was almost evenly split. In more affluent Southville and Windmill Hill, the vote was convincingly for Remain, in both

Ward No. of votes % Filwood Remain 2,300 39.5% Leave 3,524 60.5% Hartcliffe & Withywood Remain 2,338 33.1% Leave 4,721 66.9% Hengrove & Whitchurch Park Remain 3,361 38.1% Leave 5,456 61.9% Knowle Remain 4,126 56.1% Leave 3,227 43.9%

Ward No. of votes Southville Remain 5,360 Leave 1,699 Windmill Hill Remain 5,437 Leave 2,035

cases by well over 70 per cent. Bedminster was not far behind with almost 63 per cent opting for in. Knowle voted in as well. Bristol South MP Karin Smyth, writing in her column for South Bristol Voice, says Remain supporters need to understand

the reasons for the Brexit vote. “In some parts of South Bristol there’s a serious feeling of being left behind from prosperity elsewhere in the city,” she wrote. “Sadly these problems were too often laid at the EU’s door.” • Karin Smyth: Page 36

BRISTOL OVERALL Remain 141,027 Leave 87,418 Total 228,646 Turnout

% 75.9% 24.1% 72.8% 27.2% 61.7% 38.2% 73.2%

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Parking consultation delayed to next year

Local brewers at beer festival on our doorstep

CONSULTATION on parking controls around the Bristol arena has been delayed until next year. But this will still leave enough time for residents to be consulted in Totterdown, Knowle, Windmill Hill, St Philips and other areas that could be affected by the 12,000 seat venue, members of community group Tresa were told. The newly-announced delay will give time for the council’s cabinet to consider the implications of a wide-scale review of existing residents parking zones, a key promise of mayor Marvin Rees when he was elected in May. It is a new setback for the £91 million arena, which will now not open until at least the summer of 2018. Further delays – and cost increases – are possible once contractor Bouygues UK reports its project plan to the council in the autumn. Bristol will benefit from being the last core city in Britain to get an arena, council officers assured residents at the Tresa AGM on July 20. Measures like noiseproofing will be the best in any UK city, they said. Questions from residents included a plea for major concerts not to be on weekdays to minimise disturbance. People on Stanley Hill can hear platform announcements at Temple Meads, it was pointed out. This can’t be guaranteed, but concerts tend to be at weekends and the venue will be soundproofed, said council

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Big show: Worries about crowds project manager Oliver Roberts. In addition the operator will need a licence from the council, and this will be subject to separate consultation. Several members called for the consultation to be widely publicised – something the Voice will attempt to do. Transport and parking were the major worries. What can be done to get 12,000 people away from the venue quickly, asked Tresa member Anne Silber? Park & Ride buses are already often full, she said. Additional Park & Ride buses will be provided, with the aim being to line them up like taxis at peak times, said strategic projects team manager Oliver Coltman. Longer term, there is a desire for a new Park & Ride site off the M32, he said. Another Tresa member, Becky Mears, asked what benefits the arena will bring to Totterdown? Could schools and other groups use the facilities during the day? She was promised that the operator –Live Nation – has a lot of experience working with communities, and has encouraged local bands to play in the foyers before major events. With the area set to become a

car park for the arena, what chance is there of the developer funding the parking zones, added Becky Mears. Nothing has been decided on parking zones, was the reply. Cllr Jon Wellington asked if there were plans to make Bath Road safer for pedestrians and cyclists – because it’s not safe at the moment, he said. A wider footway has already been started with exploratory work on the wooded bank near Three Lamps, he was told. This will make access from Three Lamps much safer. But widening the walkway from Temple Meads needs two new bridges, and is uncosted, said Mr Coltman. At first, pedestrians will be guided by stewards from Temple Meads and Clarence Road to the safest access to the arena, off Cattle Market Road. But future development of the Temple Quarter enterprise zone to provide 17,000 jobs will require the new footway to be built. It will have to allow for a possible car park on the Kwik Fit site, which is now owned by the council, said Mr Coltman. Can the arena redevelopment be extended into St Philip’s Marsh? asked Knowle resident John Ross. There is a sharp contrast between the arena and the industrial uses in St Philips, said Mr Coltman, but much of the area is a floodplain. Until the flood risk to central Bristol is reduced, housing and other uses are unlikely to be allowed there. • Cattle Market Road is set to reopen at the end of August – nine months after its first scheduled date. The delay has allowed for a new cycle and pedestrian access to be built.

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MANY of Bristol’s breweries are laying in extra stocks for the first Bristol Craft Beer Festival, which takes place at Motion Skate Park on Avon Street, St Philip’s, on September 2 and 3, part of Bristol Beer Week. They will host two days in which to sample dozens of beers, many of them local, as well as food and music. It will be the first outing for new outfit Lost & Grounded, which is putting the finishing touches to a £1 million brewery in Wick Road, Brislington. Australian brewer Alex Troncoso chose Bristol as the base for his new venture because the city has such an appetite for new brews. He is promising a

range of lager and Belgianinflunced ales. Alex has promised to show the Voice around the new brewery for a feature in a future issue. Also attending will be more established local brewers such as Moor – based in Days Road, St Philip’s and Left Handed Giant, based a stone’s throw away in St Philip’s Road. Arbor Ales, one of the pioneers of the craft beer movement in Bristol, will arrive from Easton while Wiper & True is from St Werburghs. In all, around 250 different beers will be available. Tickets – which include unlimited 90ml pours of beer – are £35. • bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk

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Isla almost hits the exam max A TOTTERDOWN pupil at Redmaids school has scored almost the maximum number of points possible in the International Baccalaureate. Isla Waring gained 43 points out of a possible 45 and will take a one-year art foundation course while applying to study English at Isla Waring university. The baccalaureate is a broad qualification which is offered as an alternative to A-levels. Isla was recently placed runner-up in the national art competition ARTiculation. Redmaids is the oldest girls school in the country and this year merged with Redland high school for girls to form Redmaids high in Westbury-on-Trym.

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Leisure domes plea at South Bristol site A PETITION is calling on the council to back an ambitious plan for a Center Parcs-style leisure park in South Bristol. Led by a Christian charity, the Joshua Trust, the petition calls for part of a development zone in Hengrove Park to be earmarked for a major leisure centre with two domes – a cold zone for skiing and snowboarding and a hot zone with an indoor beach. The trust said: “This project will bring many jobs to South Bristol and provide unique facilities which will be affordable for local communities and schools to enjoy. It is time that South Bristol enjoyed greater prosperity.” Spokesperson Anne White said the site is large enough to accommodate many homes, local shops, facilities, cafes, a public

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Dome alone: An artist’s impression of the proposed snow dome, which supporters say would make South Bristol a major destination park and rugby club as well as a major leisure facility. The petition calls on the mayor, Marvin Rees, to set aside land for the project. It has almost 2,700 names – not far short of the 3,500 which would trigger a debate on the issue at a full council meeting. Ms White said a study by engineers Atkins had proved the idea was feasible. She said she has a backer ready and able to finance the scheme. She wants to hold a meeting with council officials to discuss the plan but has so far been unable to get an appointment. Hengrove Park has seen major developments in the last decade. It has a leisure centre with a 50m pool, a community hospital, and the Skills Academy. The next phase is the building of 1,000 homes plus a public park.

So far, the domes have not won council backing. A spokesperson said: “There are already plans in place for this site which will be subject to the usual planning permission considerations.” In March the council selected Kier Homes as its partner to plan up to 260 homes there, about a third of them affordable. Knowle councillor and Lib Dem leader Gary Hopkins said the leisure dome idea “looks exciting” but faced obstacles. “It would require at least £100m to build and for the 15 years or so that it has been proposed, no financial backing has been secured,” he said. The site earmarked is of special scientific interest, which would make it very difficult to get planning permission, he said. “It would be interesting to see if we could progress the idea at a more suitable site,” he added.

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Experts want all your finds

Fresh approach: Pupils at Hillcrest primary, left, and Victoria Park, right, are growing their own vegetables

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TWO primary schools, Victoria Park and Hillcrest, are celebrating special awards for their hard work in improving the all-round health of their children. Hillcrest has also emerged from the shadow of two Ofsted reports which said that it & required improvement. The school has twice been mayor Marvin Rees. Hillcrest ordered by the schools watchdog deputy head Bridget Norman led to improve its standards after a huge range of activities, inspections in 2013 and 2015. including a healthy lunchbox But on July 14 head teacher award, baking sessions, and a Tim Browse wrote to parents school allotment. saying the latest inspection The award scheme also raised the school’s rating to rewards educating children about Good. It is ranked Outstanding their health and relationships. for pupils’ personal development. Jack Lacey, headteacher at In 2015 Ofsted had found Victoria Park said: “We are trying many improvements at the to adopt a holistic approach to school and praised most aspects promoting healthy lifestyles of the education, but said the which recognises that children’s governors needed to do more to healthy lifestyles and show that they were supporting environmental awareness go and challenging the school hand in hand.” leadership team to improve “It has been a joy watching outcomes for pupils. how much the children have got  Design Mr Browse told parents he  Construction out of learning about our school was delighted with the latest  Plumbing  Tiling values, growing their own Ofsted report, and praised the vegetables at our allotment and  Decorating  Electrical role played in making the learning about their bodies.” improvement by staff, governors, As well as the mayor’s award, children, volunteers, external it has been awarded Eco Schools agencies, parents and carers. Green Flag status, and teacher Meanwhile the school has also Eleanor Walker has been won an award for excellence as a shortlisted for a World Wildlife Health Improving School from Fund Global Ambassador award.

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EVER found something in your garden which you were sure was a historic remain? There will be no need to wonder whether it’s trash or treasure if you take it to the Bristol Blue Glass showroom on Saturday August 6. Bristol & Avon Archeological Society is holding a roadshow at the glass studio, 357-359 Bath Road, Arnos Vale, 10am-4pm. Experts will be on hand to identify all kinds of finds. “Bristol is full of archeological remains from the prehistoric through to the present day and a lot of it will be buried in gardens such as yours,” say organisers. “Even the smallest part of an object can reveal a huge amount of information about our past. So explore your flowerbeds and bring in anything you can find for our experts to identify – just like Antiques Roadshow.” To find out more, call 0117 972 0818.

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Malago clean-up a real success MORE than 40 people joined in a clean-up of the Malago open space and then celebrated their community spirit with a picnic. There are hopes that the group can get together again to repeat the action in September. One resident, Monika, told the Voice: “The picnic was a great success and an important step towards more community action in this area. People seem to be interested and very friendly. You feel safer in the community if you know people around you. “Also, it’s crucial that children see adults caring about nature and making the environment they live in nice and clean.” Picnic food was donated by Bedminster businesses including Greggs, East Street Fruit Market, and Polish shop Krakus. Anyone wanting to get involved can email magdalena. kowalik-malcolm@bristol.gov.uk

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August 2016

Generator plan hits the buffers – again PLANS for a bank of diesel generators in St Philip’s Marsh have been sent back to the drawing board for a second time after a wave of objections. A London firm, Plutus Energy, wants to site 48 generators to provide back-up power to the national grid at Avonbank, off Feeder Road. It says the generators would run for no more than two hours at a time and for less than 200 hours in total over a year. It has also tried to minimise the environmental impact by using a type of biodiesel not seen in the UK before, sourced from Finland and made from soya. Planning officials recommended the plan for approval and warned that a delay could leave the council open to

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an appeal. However, councillors on the planning committee meeting on July 13 threw the plan back to the developer, asking for more information about air pollution and noise. Labour and Green councillors opposed the plan, and almost 300 objections were received, including from the head of the St Philip’s Marsh nursery school, parents of children there, and and RADE (Residents Against Dirty Energy). Green councillor Clive Stevens, who said he had found

gaps in the information provided on noise, air pollution and CO2 mitigation, said: “Air pollution is a silent killer and no decision to worsen the already polluted air in St Philips should be taken lightly.” Cllr Stevens, who represents Clifton Down, said: “I am particularly concerned that the effects summer heatwaves have on the air pollution may not have been adequately modelled, and that old limits for NO2 dating back to 1997 are being used when we know truly safe limits are far lower.” Plutus first submitted the plans last year, proposing to use ordinary diesel, but withdrew them after council officials advised that the pollution caused would be too high.

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Marvin Rees Show me how you want our budget to be managed

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IKE all councils in the UK, Bristol faces big financial challenges in the coming years. We know that funding will go down, costs will go up and more people will need our services. Because of this we’ll have some really difficult decisions to make on how we spend money to meet your needs and create a fairer city where no-one is left behind. These decisions will affect most of us in one way or another. So I want to hear what you have to say. I want you to tell us how you think we should spend and save. To help, we’ve built an online simulator to let you do just that. The budget simulator breaks down the services we provide and describes what they do. It puts you in control of increasing or

The Mayor’s view Marvin Rees tells us his vision following his election as Bristol mayor decreasing budgets in a bid to save at least £60m, so you can get a real sense of the issues and the impact of making savings. Visit the simulator from your computer,

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

smartphone or tablet at bristol. budgetsimulator.com. While this isn’t a referendum – so no promises about our final decisions - it is a chance for you to show me what your priorities are. In return we’ll absolutely consider all the responses as we plan for the future. It isn’t all budgetary doom and gloom. The West of England region is seeking around £1bn of new money and power from the Government and has agreed a deal in principle. This moves new control to the local area, so while the money can’t go towards closing our existing budget gap, it will mean more local control over things like housing, planning, transport, and education and skills. In short, the potential for more homes, jobs and local investment. To have your say on this deal and the things that come with it – like a directly elected regional mayor – visit our online survey at westofenglanddevolution.co.uk. All too often local councils are accused of not engaging local people. I really hope you’ll take a little time to be part of these important conversations – because in these uncertain times there’s no doubt they’ll have a real impact on Bristol’s future. If you have any ideas or suggestions please email mayor@bristol.gov.uk.

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We can’t cope with bus lanes

Why church has opted for homes I’VE READ with interest and had a number of conversations with fellow Totterdown residents concerning the development of the derelict scout hut behind Holy Nativity church, on Goolden Street, for the construction of six affordable homes by the Guinness Trust, which has now been granted planning permission. These reactions have ranged from overwhelming positivity to concerns, and in

YOUR report that at the recent Knowle nighbourhood forum concern was raised about the bus lanes on the Wells Road confirmed the view I have expressed many times during the past 25 years since they were introduced. It seems incredible that after all these years so few drivers are aware of the difference between 24-hour bus lanes and peak-hour lanes. Despite virtually the whole length of the Wells Road, from Airport Road to the Bush junction in either direction, having a peak-hour bus lane with many repeated signs giving the times and the days, 99.9 per cent of drivers ignore them. Outbound traffic attempting to turn right into roads from Lilymead Avenue to Calcott Road cannot safely manoeuvre into the centre lane for fear of facing lorries head-on, thus causing a queue. A bus at the bus stop likewise cannot be passed for the same reason. A bus stopped by the Methodist church can cause gridlock extending back beyond Broad Walk. When driving down the hill and wishing to turn right onto the forecourt of the shops I always find a queue behind me afraid to move into the nearside line for fear of being ‘caught’. How ridiculous. Letters to the Bristol Post and appeals to councillors Gary Hopkins and Chris Davies have had no effect and I am now awaiting a chance to ask our new mayor if he knows ‘When is a bus lane not a bus lane?’ Perhaps if the blue signs were the same size as the four foot letters on the road they might be understood. Gordon, Knowle

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August 2016

some instances negativity. Of the negative reactions and comment, most have been amicable. Some appear to have been based on assumption. Sadly, one or two have been, at best ill-judged, accusations of “staggering incompetency”. It’s important that people have freedom of expression. I hope therefore people will recognise my right to reply. A major concern has been that the six houses will alter or block the iconic views of Holy Nativity church. This is untrue. Our architects have taken great care to preserve this. The images shown to the planning committee, and throughout the public consultation, clearly demonstrate this. As a parish church, Holy Nativity has no outside funds. There is no endless pot of money from which churches can draw. We rely for our survival purely on people’s giving and donations. At the same time, our outgoings are huge. Our heating and lighting costs are ever on the increase, we have insurance costs, and we also have to pay the diocese £20,000 a year in parish share (which funds ministry and resourcing costs such as safeguarding). Put simply, Holy Nativity is in desperate financial need. Many churches across Britain, iconic buildings also, have been sold off and turned into nightclubs and the like: iconic buildings forever lost to the communities around them. As the trustees, Holy Nativity parochial church council do not want to see this iconic part of Totterdown lost. So we must be as imaginative and daring as we can to raise funds with the limited resources we have. And this is where our derelict scout hut comes in. Now, we could have just sold this land off to the highest bidder. But we did not want to do that. It goes against everything we as a Christian church believe in. There is a desperate need for affordable housing. Young couples and families starting out are priced out of the market.

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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. They too want to live in Totterdown, but they simply cannot afford to. And this is where our wanting to work with the Guinness Trust comes in: to think imaginatively in order to turn our financial need as a parish church into an opportunity to provide an affordable home to a young family starting out. In an ideal world, it would have been lovely to widen the project to include the land next door into the scheme, as many people have asked us to consider, but we do not have the funds. I recognise that parking in Goolden Street is already a huge concern. It is in all of Totterdown, my road included.

But let me be so bold as to ask you this. Is the inconvenience of parking a small price to pay for the preservation of the iconic building of Holy Nativity church as a place of worship open to all the community, not just for current Totterdown residents, but for future Totterdown residents to come? Father Chris Kinch Vicar, Holy Nativity

Update on the air raid shelter THANK you very much for another interesting South Bristol Voice, July 2016. In the piece on page 32 about World War 2 air-raid shelters, the wartime newspaper clipping is correct. What is now Oakmeade Park used to be Queensdale Road and the shelter was where the Knightstone flats are now. We understand it was changed due to mail being wrongly delivered due to all the other Queensdales being the other side of Redcatch Park near Knowle Park school. Margaret Scott, Knowle

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August 2016

Balloon fiesta special

Meet the man who wants to fill the sky with a show you won’t forget

LAN CHRISTIE is a man with a passion – he likes to make people gasp with wonder. And it’s one he gets to fulfil many times a year as designer and creator of fabulous firework displays. Events organised by his Bedminster-based company Skyburst take place by the score, up and down the UK, but his favourite is about to begin – the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, where the two big firework displays are eagerly awaited every year. What makes Alan especially proud of the balloon fiesta fireworks is not only that they celebrate Bristol, but that the whole event is put on for the free. He first got involved with the fiesta 20 years ago. He had already built Skyburst into a successful company with a string of fireworks shops – so successful that he wanted to give something back to the city. “I sent an email to the council and several others saying that we wanted to give a firework display to Bristol – the only criteria was that it had to be free,” he said. “The only response I got was from the balloon fiesta – they thought it was a great idea.” At that point the Ashton Court fiesta had a fireworks display but it was fairly traditional, with classical music. Alan’s approach is to inject a bit more drama, and excite the audience with a real mix of music from pop to swing to jazz, with film scores and classical pieces too. The balloon fiesta displays are famous for drawing gasps of

One of the UK’s top pyrotechnic experts gives Bristol a free show every year

What a display: The Ashton Court estate is an ideal setting for the spectacular fi

appreciation. Alan’s events are far more than using the odd rocket to hit the beat of the music – they are works of art. He chooses from thousands of fireworks and effects, from rockets to strobes, to shape colour and movement across the sky. From the design stage to igniting the fuse on each firework, everything is now computer controlled, meaning that effects can be timed pretty well perfectly to the music. The impact on an audience can be awe-inspiring, and this is what Alan loves. “We do the November display

for Downend Round Table and last year I was at my controls and all of a sudden I felt the stage bouncing. I looked round and all the presenters and everyone else was dancing! It really lifts everybody’s spirits,” he said. The annual Downend display is one of Alan’s favourites, but for him it’s an even better experience at Ashton Court. “For me there’s really nothing better than standing in the arena at the balloon fiesta and seeing the response from the audience, from the opening sequence, which last year made them all gasp, to the big finale.

“It makes me feel really good to see how we are making Bristol stand out from all the other cities.” There’s no doubt that the balloon fiesta is a unique event, and the fireworks are one of its main talking points. In keeping with the cooperative spirit of the event, Alan still does the display for free, creating a musical sequence with 600-odd fireworks – thousands of pounds worth – and working with a crew of 15-20 who all give their time for nothing. Work starts on the display months before. At a meeting in

Saturday & Sunday

Saturday Afternoon: Helicopter landing as Great Western Air Ambulance stage a mock road accident. 9pm Nightglow and fireworks 10.30pm Fiesta closes Sunday 8.30pm Fiesta closes

WHAT’S ON Bristol International Balloon Fiesta August 11-14, Ashton Court Thursday 12 noon Balloon tethering 6pm Mass hot air balloon lift 9pm Nightglow and fireworks 10.30pm Fiesta closes Friday 6am Mass hot air balloon lift 8am Model balloon competitions 12 noon Balloon tethering 6pm Mass hot air balloon lift 8.30pm Fiesta closes

6am Fiesta opens and mass hot air balloon lift 8am Model hot air balloon competitions 12-5.30pm Arena entertainment and air displays, including the Pitts Special aerobatic biplane, Matt Younkin in his Beech 18, and the Parabatix Flying Display team in powered paragliders. No timings for displays were avaiilable as we went to press. 6pm mass hot air balloon lift.

TRANSPORT A shuttle bus will run every 10 minutes from Temple Meads and the city centre. Admission to Ashton Court is free but parking and programmes are not.

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Balloon fiesta special

Perfectly timed: Alan plots a musical display with pyrotechnic software

fireworks which follow the nightglows every year. Inset, Skyburst’s mini-balloon the spring, ideas are tossed around and suggestions made for the music. Eventually a sequence is agreed and Alan starts coming up with ideas. Heart FM radio DJ and producer Jay Dormer mixes the music together – and finally, this year just a couple of weeks before the big event, Alan can begin creating the show. He’s a keen musician himself – he used to play the drums – and often he can see the sequence he wants in his mind. But it needs careful attention to punctuate and dramatise the music – he reckons he must have-played one of this year’s

ATTRACTIONS

SLIDERIDER A 500ft water slide to raise money for Cancer Research UK. £15 for two slides. To book, search website for SlideRide: • cancerresearch.co.uk CHILDREN The funfair is much reduced this year to allow Cirque Bijou to perform circus skills, street theatre and acrobatics, as well as children’s workshops. • bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

tracks, by Coldplay, 40 or 50 times. He’s looking for key points where he can insert a timed cue which they will aim to hit perfectly with the right effect. From the time an electronic signal lights the fuse, to the 2.4 seconds a three-inch shell will take to reach 500 feet, to the moment the firework must burst in the sky, it’s all calculated by very specialised software. The computer will even print a label for each firework telling the crew where and when it fits in the sequence. Just picking out the fireworks for an event like the balloon fiesta takes a day, and setting them up takes two more. At Ashton Court, out in the 210-metre wide launching field, an £1,800 gizmo called a Time Machine stores the music and the timings and sends instructions through an impressive-looking firing panel and dozens of connecting rails (£300 a pop) and firing modules (£500 each) that are finally connected to the fireworks. But the human touch is vital. Alan will often shave a tenth of a second off the software’s cue if he judges it’s needed. “I’m always

tweaking. You know that some effects take 0.2 seconds to get everything going,” he said. Amazingly, the fuses that light the fireworks are still cut by hand. Much like the cartoons about criminals with round, fizzing bombs, these are a cotton string containing gunpowder which burn at a reliable 11mm per second. Sometimes old technology is simple and reliable. These days Alan can craft the show on his computer. It will take 50 or 60 hours but at the end he can play the entire event through– if it’s for a client, he can send them a copy. But little more than 10 years ago, before software and the Time Machine made the job easier, it was a case of reading the musical score and making notes, then working out all the timings. The display depended on operators hitting the Fire buttons right on cue throughout the show, setting off short sequences of fireworks in the hope it would all be in time with the music. One of Alan’s other favourites is a series of events called the Battle Proms, at stately homes like Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, where a live

A SPECIAL TREAT THE VOICE has been sworn to secrecy – but we can tell you that if the weather is good, Balloon Fiesta goers will be in for a treat this year. If the winds are not too strong, Alan has planned a fireworks effect on the Saturday that’s not been seen before and promises to be visible to the entire city. Listen out for music from Disney’s Frozen and from Coldplay – and hope that the weather is kind!

orchestra and the thrill of massed cannons going off mean that Alan can’t leave it all to the software. He has to keep in time with the conductor, or his display will finish 20 seconds before the music – or, worse, after it’s over.

lan got into the big bang business almost by accident. A boyhood in Frome lit the fuse – Bonfire Night was the big event of the year and like other boys he saved every penny he could for fireworks. Moving to Bristol as an adult meant there were plenty of firework displays to admire, which led him to design a short display for a friend on a weekend in Wales. The result was so good the friend offered to pay for it to be repeated. Realising he needed to learn the ropes, he joined the Fireworks Company in Devon, rising to become one of its supervisors. Fireworks were still a weekend occupation, alongside a workshop in Cooperage Lane, Southville, in which he restored classic Volkswagens. But when the recession of the early 1980s hit the car business hard, he found fireworks were still selling. Eventually he was to take over The Fireworks Co too, moving its operations to Bristol. Today he retains one shop in Nelson Parade, Bedminster – open by appointment only except in the run-up to November 5. Tons of equipment and a workshop are kept at a warehouse in Langford, Somerset, while the fireworks are kept where they can do no damage – mainly at a secure site deep in the Mendips. With his partner Debs he now lives in Claverham but lived for many years in Totterdown – “I Continued on page 22

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August 2016

Plan for bridge firework special Continued from page 21 have always been a South Bristol person,” he said. Skyburst has only a handful of staff – including Alan’s sons, Luke and Jay – but has 200 trained firework operators all over the UK, from Land’s End to the Shetland islands. That means they can run 130 shows in Guy Fawkes season on top of about 170 more through the year. These range from weddings, costing from a few hundred pounds, to corporate events and major set-pieces costing thousands. Alan has his eye on the top spot at October’s British Musical Fireworks contest at Southport, where the UK’s top pyrotechnics experts compete. He’s previously taken second place. There’s one ambitious project he’d love to bring to Bristol. Alan has a spectacular show planned for the Clifton Suspension Bridge. He hopes to find a sponsor to make it happen one new year, when he says, it will be

“a show for Bristol that will make the London Eye look like a little back garden event.” Strangely, Alan’s design didn’t win the bid for the fireworks for the 150th anniversary of the bridge in 2014, but he’s determined the people of Bristol will see it. The Voice has seen a preview – and it’s spectacular, creating movement that dances around the bridge, making a picture of its iconic profile. Let’s hope we all see it one day!

PHOTO COMPETITION GET shooting! We want your pictures of balloons, taken from South Bristol (not Ashton Court). Email your photos of this year’s fiesta to paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk by August 18. Once again Greenwoods estate agents are generously sponsoring the prizes – 1st place £25, 2nd £10, 3rd £5.

Monday

Knowle Filwood Community Centre Barnstaple Road, Knowle BS4 1JP 9.30am, 11.30am, 5.30pm, 7.30pm Tel: Kim 07920 023170 Clifton St Peter & Paul Cathedral Pembroke Road, Clifton BS8 3BX 5.30pm Tel: Susan 07711 388511 Ashton Ashton Vale Primary School Avebury Road, Ashton BS3 2QG 7.30pm Tel: Emma 07701 030460

Traditional treat: Lizzie Neyland, Claire Harper, Vicky Murray and Jess Frew were among those joining in the Duchess’s birthday tea event

Making time for tea in Totterdown SCORES of people enjoyed a cream tea for free as the Duchess of Totterdown celebrated its fourth birthday. Owner Leo said she wanted to give something back to the Totterdown community who have supported her ever since

Tuesday

Bedminster Salvation Army, Dean Lane, Bedminster BS3 1BS 9.30am, 6pm Tel: Virginia 07938 567886 Knowle Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk, Knowle BS4 2RD 9.30am, 11.30am, 5.30pm, 7.30pm Tel: Susan 07711 388511

Wednesday

Bedminster St Francis Church, North Street, Bedminster BS3 1JP

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Thursday

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Saturday

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Bristol Dogs & Cats Home There’s no bigger or better dog walk

ORGET your everyday walk around the block, we’re offering you and your doggie companions the chance to take part in the best walk ever! On Sunday October 16, we will be taking over Blaise Castle estate and are inviting you all along to take part in Bristol BIG Walkies 2016! BIG Walkies is a sponsored mass dog-walking event and we’d love to see you there. We have planned two routes for you to choose from on the day. Whether you go for the 1.5 mile Kings Weston Trail or the 3-mile Rhododendron Walk, you will be able to explore the beautiful grounds of the estate. We will have an event village near the main car park, where there will be refreshments and other fun activities.

We’re planning the best walkies ever in beautiful surroundings for your and your canine companion Ready to join in the BIG Walkies 2016: Pickles and Chutney

Last year, BIG Walkies raised over £100,000 across the country and this year we hope to top this to help protect even more animals. Big Walkies registration costs £10 for you and your dog. Additional dogs are £5 and you can bring up to four dogs per registration. After registering, your dog will get a BIG Walkies neckerchief to wear with pride! If

Police update We’ll be looking out for summer ‘anti-socials’

UGUST can feel like a long month, especially with the schools closed. While the majority of young people are sensible, law-abiding and responsible, a minority cause trouble. Over the summer we will be issuing dispersal notices in areas where groups of people are congregating and there has been a history of antisocial behaviour (ASB). These last for 48 hours and involve us removing all young people suspected of causing ASB, taking them back home and talking to their parents. The first of these dispersal notices was issued in mid-July, following complaints from residents that young people were congregating and behaving anti-socially. We did this before the start of the summer holidays, to send a clear message that ASB

With Sgt Caroline Crane, Broadbury Road police station

won’t be tolerated. Please do report any problems with ASB in your local area, so that we can act quickly to stamp it out before it becomes a regular problem.

you don’t have a dog, you can still register for £10 and join in with the fun of the walk. Perhaps you’re looking for a charity activity at work, or just a group of dog-mad friends? You can register as a ‘pooch troop’ team and walk and fundraise together for a fun day out at BIG Walkies. Once you’ve signed up, we’ll

n June, the owner of a dog that bit a delivery person was convicted of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control causing injury. The incident happened last November at a house in Bower Walk in Totterdown. A delivery person was bitten twice on the leg by a Japanese Akita cross dog which was at the back of the property on a long chain which reached round to the front. The 28-year-old owner of the dog was banned for life from owning a dog. He was also fined and had to pay costs and compensation to the victim. A destruction order for the dog was also issued and the dog has now been destroyed. This case should send a message to all dog owners that you are responsible for your dog’s behaviour, even in your own property. If the victim had

been a child or a more vulnerable person then the outcome of the attack could have been devastating.

here have been a number of theft from motor vehicle offences on our patch recently, so please remember to always lock your vehicle and not to leave items on display which are tempting for thieves. If you see anyone acting suspiciously around parked cars, then please contact us so we can investigate. I hope you managed to follow some of our Police Live day last month, where we lifted the lid on our organisation for 24 hours to show the broad range of work we do. Hopefully you enjoyed following #ASP24 not just on Twitter, but in the wider local media, and gained an insight into the massive variety of jobs we deal with day in, day out in our force. I think it reflected the hard work, humour, passion, and human side of policing and shows how we juggle things every day to keep our communities safe and feeling safe.

send you a BIG Walkies pack. Inside you’ll find fundraising ideas to help you raise as much as possible to give dogs and other animals in need another chance at happiness! For more information and to sign up, visit the BIG Walkies website and search for the Bristol event. • rspca.org.uk/bigwalkies

Cadets help make access for disabled THE Hartcliffe Police Cadets, along with the Filwood and Knowle neighbourhood policing teams, have joined efforts in a clear up at the Springfield Road allotments in Knowle. Both teams helped to install a rubber footpath to help wheelchair users get around the site in all weathers. They worked alongside council staff and community volunteers. The teams, all aged 14-17, got stuck in by cutting the ground for the new path. They also helped with a tidy-up of the site. PC Nigel Ingram, who leads the Hartcliffe Police Cadets, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for the police cadets and the local neighbourhood teams to give something back to the community. It’s great that wheelchair users will now find it easier to access the allotment, come rain or shine.” To find out more about the volunteer police cadets, visit the police website and click on Recruitment. • avonandsomerset.police.uk

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Features

What dwells in the shadows? Dark trails link Arnos Vale and maybe your loft with a cryptic creature… Alex Morss reports

T’S FRIDAY 13th as we lurk in the blackest, deadest corner of Arnos Vale cemetery. There is a shrill echo, then a glimmer of the moon teases a shy, dancing silhouette over the gnarled and toppled gravestones. Its wings dart into the gloom and we give chase. Our tantalising quest is a rare and mysterious Lesser Horseshoe bat that dwells among the forgotten crumbling chambers and vaults somewhere in this enchanting Bristolian memorial ground in Totterdown. She has been carefully radio-tagged with a tiny device on her back, attached with great care by a

August 2016

On graveyard patrol dedicated team. She will reveal her secret flight paths through South Bristol’s urban green corridors, as she is stalked through the night by 15 Avon Bat Group volunteers, led by bat researcher Dan Flew. This summer the volunteers have devoted many hours to monitoring the elusive habits of these 3-5cm mammals, which are among the smallest bats in the world. They are mapping where they commute in Totterdown, Windmill Hill and Bedminster and how the species copes in such an urban environment, being so conflicted by disturbance, light and everincreasing development. Tonight, split into teams dotted about the cemetery, they wait patiently in the shadows, aerials tuned towards a Victorian crypt. If they are lucky, they will pick up each bat’s aliensounding, high-frequency

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Lofty: Lesser horseshoe bats. They cause no hazard to human health, and it’s illegal to disturb them. PICTURE: © Joe Black, www.bats.org.uk echo-location calls on their bat detectors, as these fast and agile flyers emerge from their tomb roosts and forage for flies, spiders and moths. Dan, an ecologist and former gravedigger, has inside knowledge about the hidden underground tunnels in this Victorian setting. He is also interested in South Bristol’s above-ground dark ‘corridors’ – flight passages linking historic Arnos Vale cemetery with surrounding green spaces. He hopes to answer a few ecological questions. “It’s amazing that this light-shy, woodland species roosts here in the city, right next to the busy, well-lit Bath Road,” said Dan. “Is Arnos Vale a dark island that the bats are trapped in, or do they leave, braving the

light and noise of the traffic to get to the river and commute to other areas like Ashton Court?” The cemetery and its surroundings offer one of relatively few refuges in England for this charismatic creature, which is one of 18 bat species native to Britain. They are all rather enigmatic but Dan and the team have found at least seven species in the area: Common and Soprano Pipistrelles, Lesser Horseshoe, Noctule, Leisler’s, Serotine and Myotis. The river, railway and darker city gardens provide a flight route linking green spaces across the city. The challenge for Bristol residents is keeping these bats welcome. One of their biggest city threats is loft conversions, as well as increased lighting and

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with the top bat detectives

Follow that bat: Dan Flew and his radio detector loss of vegetation. It is illegal to disturb a bat or its roost in your loft, but this happens by mistake if people convert their lofts without first surveying for bats. Jo Ferguson, spokesperson for the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), said city houses have become essential as artificial roosts because bats’ natural habitats have declined so much in the past century. Many old houses around Bristol now offer perfect roosts - until the builders arrive. “Converting loft spaces without proper consideration for any bats roosting in the roof structure impacts greatly upon bat populations,” she said. “Specialist advice is needed to take them into account.”

PICTURE: Alex Morss

She said several bat species use lofts regularly and it is illegal to disturb them. Weighing as little as 4g, they can hide in tiny crevices. “These bats can easily squeeze into gaps no bigger than an adult’s thumb to roost, such as under roof tiles or behind fascia boards, leaving them vulnerable to activities involving building renovation or conversion.” Even if your loft work does not need planning permission, Jo said, anyone converting their roof space remains legally responsible for covering the cost of expert checks for bats, and people can be prosecuted if they don’t. “Prosecution should be a last resort, as it could turn people against bats, and we want to

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encourage greater support for bat conservation,” she said. Bristol city council spokesperson Amy Jones said that while most smaller loft conversions do not need planning permission, any bat in a loft is legally protected: “Any works affecting bat roosts require a licence from Natural England,” she said. Homeowners should consult an expert ecologist before starting works. They might be asked to adjust works and lighting or put up bat boxes. Jo added: “Bats are amazing animals that are important to ecosystems. They are inconspicuous, unassuming and delicate creatures. They do not make nests. Their droppings are dry and relatively contained, with no known risks to public health.” If you suspect a roost or have found a bat, you can get free advice from the Bat Helpline: 0345 1300 228.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BATS… • Introduce garden features to attract bats and their food, such as night flowering plants, ponds for insects, hedges, trees and bat boxes; * Seek advice from an ecologist before doing loft works; * Get a bat detector and become a citizen scientist, recording species for the National Bat Monitoring Programme run by BCT; * Join Avon Bat Group or looke out for Dan Flew’s guided bat walks in Arnos Vale via the cemetery’s website: arnosvale.org.uk

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Planning applications 8 Addison Road BS3 4QH Lawful development certificate for proposed rear roof extension. Granted

11 Maesknoll Road BS4 2HF Erection of a ground floor, rear extension. Pending consideration

66 Bayham Road BS4 2DP Single storey rear extension. Granted subject to conditions

Novers View, 5 Somer Lane BS3 5DL Conversion of garage into additional habitable room. Pending consideration

26 Kingshill Road BS4 2SG First floor rear extension over existing single-storey annexe. Granted subject to conditions

31 Lilymead Avenue BS4 2BY Demolition of conservatory and rear extension and construction of single-storey rear extension. Pending consideration

21 Pylle Hill Crescent BS3 4TN Proposed access from ground floor to rear garden, installation of a door and bathroom window to rear, enlargement of window to rear, widening of kitchen window to rear. Withdrawn 16 Greenleaze BS4 2TJ Two storey, detached building to provide two self-contained flats. Granted subject to conditions 285 St Johns Lane BS3 5AZ Construction of two-storey dwelling house. Granted subject to conditions 1 Hill Avenue BS3 4SG Proposed redevelopment of existing house (derelict) and garage site; conversion of house into four apartments and erection of four terrace houses on Montgomery Street. Granted subject to conditions Land at School Road, Totterdown Proposed demolition of garage building and the development of a new 3-storey dwelling. Granted subject to conditions 22 Belluton Road BS4 2DW Single storey rear extension to extend beyond the rear wall by 5.8 m, with maximum height of 3.5m and eaves 2.9m high. (Option 1) Granted 12 Ketch Road BS3 5DQ Decking extended and steps repositioned to the rear. Granted subject to conditions 366 St Johns Lane BS3 5BA Erection of two rear access bridges from the two first floor flats to the rear upper garden level and parking & relocation of 50% of bike lockers to the rear. Pending consideration

Oasis Academy, Marksbury Road BS4 5EY High level lettering to front of building – navy blue Perspex lettering mounted onto existing cladding. Pending consideration 469 Wells Road Knowle BS14 9AG Construction of two upper floors to existing dwelling to comprise three 2-bed flats and one studio flat. Pending decision 110 & 112 Sylvia Avenue BS3 5BZ Single storey rear extension to two houses. Granted subject to conditions 24 Clinton Road BS3 5PB Single storey rear extension to extend 3.8m, with maximum height of 3.9m and eaves of 2.8m. Granted 40 Calcott Road BS4 2HD Ground floor extension and loft conversion with dormer window to rear. Granted 72 Somerset Road BS4 2HY Loft conversion with rear dormer and front rooflight. Granted subject to conditions 34 Summer Hill BS4 3BE Proposed window replacement works. Granted subject to conditions 15 Broad Walk BS4 2RA Change of use from a vacant retail unit (Class A1) to a hot food takeaway (Class A5); installation of extraction/ventilation equipment and other external alterations. Granted subject to conditions 15 Broad Walk BS4 2RA Proposed internally illuminated fascia sign and projecting sign. Granted subject to conditions

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34 William Street, Totterdown BS3 4TT Single storey rear extension to extend 4.38m, with maximum height 3.7m and eaves of 3m. Refused 61 Beckington Road BS3 5ED Single storey side extension and rebuilding of existing rear extension. Granted subject to conditions 12 Lilymead Avenue BS4 2BX Single storey rear extension to extend 3.5m, of maximum height of 3.3m with eaves 3.0m high. Granted Bristol Arena, former diesel depot, Bath Road BS4 3DT Application to approved details in relation to condition 12(1) (2) (Contamination) and 18 (part) (BREEAM) of permission 15/06069/F Construction of 12,000 capacity indoor arena (Use Class D2), public plaza in front of arena and landscaping of the site; Permanent disabled parking (45 spaces) and cycle parking facilities, temporary surface level parking for operational staff and VIPs (200 spaces) for a period of 5 years; Pedestrian and vehicular access via bridge from Cattle Market Road (under construction) and new pedestrian access and steps from Bath Road. Granted subject to conditions 12 Beckington Road Bristol BS3 5EB Demolish existing garage, and erection of two storey and part single storey side extension and single storey rear extension with decking. Granted subject to conditions 279 Redcatch Road BS3 5DY Proposed side extension. Granted subject to conditions 74 Somerset Road BS4 2HY Proposed rear first floor extension. Granted subject to conditions 154 Marksbury Road BS3 5LD Detached, ancillary building to be located in rear garden. Refused 127 St Johns Lane BS3 5AE Remove 8 pennant kerbs and prepare area to lower kerbs for vehicle access. Excavate footpath to form slope to kerbs and reinstate footpath. Refused

16 Leighton Road Knowle BS4 2LL Proposed single storey rear extension. Granted subject to conditions 249 Redcatch Road BS4 2HQ Application for removal or variation of conditions 2 (Contamination), 3 (Contamination), 4 (Variations to scheme), 5 (SUDs), 6 (Bird nesting and bat roosting details), 10 (Further details) and 15 (List of approved plans and drawings) following grant of planning permission 14/06254/F. Granted subject to conditions 1 Green Street BS3 4UA Change of use of ground floor from retail unit/bedsit to self-contained flat and new external steel staircase within courtyard. Granted subject to conditions 48 Nutgrove Avenue BS3 4QF Demolition of garage and construction of dwelling house. Pending consideration 8 Beckington Road BS3 5EB Single storey extension to lower ground floor with balcony on top and the addition of patio doors to rear. Pending consideration 402 Wells Road Knowle BS14 9AA Change of use from 9 bedroom bed & breakfast accommodation (Use Class C1) to a 9 bedroom house in multiple occupation. Pending consideration 58 Queensdale Crescent BS4 2TR Single storey side and rear extension to include removal of prefabricated garage. Pending consideration 111 Oxford Street Totterdown BS3 4RL Change of use from A1 (Retail) & C3 (Residential) to a 4bedroom HMO (C4). Pending consideration 147 Wells Road Totterdown BS4 2BU Change of use of rear area of 147 Wells Road from A3 to C3 (Residential), re-configure the A3 public and staff areas, new front window, adjusted signage. Pending consideration • 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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southbristolvoice www.southbristolvoice.co.uk Reports from your councillors – Knowle

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O THE referendum result is in. Last month I was writing an article before the result was known and Gary I was complaining Hopkins, about the very low Lib-Dem, standard and tone Knowle of campaigning from both sides on the national stage. It got even worse! People voted either way for a whole variety of reasons and the fact is that the majority of people were not convinced it was in their interests to stay. In particular many did not believe the dire financial warnings. The early financial outcomes do not look good but it is too early to know what the long-term consequences will be. Knowle and Bristol as a whole voted to remain but for good or ill the Government is taking us down the exit path with the rest of the country. Bristol will be pressing the government to do their best to protect our major industries.

In our case financial services and the aircraft industry are potentially threatened. What we can do at a local level is to consider the human scale effects. Whether justified or not there has been considerable worry caused to EU citizens living here and also to many British citizens living in the rest of Europe. There has also been a significant increase in hate crimes reported. It is a matter of regret that our previous mayor did not seem to understand crime or its importance and downgraded the partnership that coordinated the city’s response. I am glad to say that at July’s full council meeting the motion that I put, condemning hate crime and pledging support and resources to tackle it, got unanimous support from all parties. It is for the mayor to make that commitment real but each of us can make a difference by offering support to those who feel worried or threatened. Knowle is a great community. We must keep it that way.

0117 977 0033 & 0117 977 4012

How to get in touch with your councillors – page 2

E heard a lot during the election campaign from the new mayor about listening Chris to local people and Davies, councillors. Lib-Dem, Clearly one of Knowle the major issues affecting Knowle and Totterdown will be the arena. We welcome the development but know that we represent the large majority of local opinion when we have called for measures to protect us from extra traffic and parking. In fact the pronouncements on parking during and just after the campaign seemed to chime extremely well with what we had been calling for. So, after giving the new administration a little time to settle in, we e-mailed the Labour cabinet councillor responsible for transport and parking, who was leading a review into RPZs, to point out that it was far better to avoid mistakes in the first place.

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We urged early discussions to avoid another Southmead hospital fiasco. We pointed out that we had won the money from the arena development to fund an RPZ scheme and that we had a huge amount of data on local priorities. No reply to our e-mail, not even an acknowledgement. Gary raised the matter with the mayor and we sent a follow-up e-mail to the mayor, the cabinet member and to the Labour member responsible for the arena. When that failed to get a reply Gary raised the situation at the last full council. The cabinet member apparently needed more staff to be able to cope and we are assured that plans will be brought forward in September for the review. Not a great start but we will see how we can progress. One of the measures that Liberal Democrats will be pressing for are Park & Ride sites on more of our main arterial routes, and in particular on the A37 outside Whitchurch.

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www.southbristolvoice.co.uk southbristolvoice Reports from your councillors – Windmill Hill August 2016

E: paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk

ITH the political fallout that has followed Brexit, Lucy and I remain determined Jon to focus on our Wellington ward and Bristol Labour, as a whole. Soon Windmill Hill afterwards, councillors faced a difficult decision on whether to accept the West of England devolution deal which, along with devolving power and £900m of funds over 30 years, would create a new metro mayor to govern certain areas of policy across the three councils involved. For our first substantial vote since being elected, this was one with uniquely far-reaching consequences. Along with our counterparts in Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils (and most of the other councillors in Bristol), we voted to accept the agreement, albeit with reservations. Councillors have been given reassurances

that the deal on the table is ‘phase one’, and that we can bring enhanced powers over wider policy areas and further funds in future phases. I agree strongly with the principle of devolution to regions and welcome the fact that policies in transport infrastructure, higher education and skills, and economic development will be formally joined up. Like many others, however, I have reservations about the imposition of yet another layer of politics in the requirement to have an elected metro mayor for the region, which seems unnecessary at this point with the limited powers that are to be devolved. Nevertheless, I believe that this will be of great benefit to Bristol, to Windmill Hill and to the wider region. We would encourage everyone interested to join the public consultation which can be found at www. westofenglanddevolution.co.uk. We are keen for your views on this matter, so please get in touch.

T HAS been an incredibly turbulent month since the results of the EU referendum, the outcome of which Lucy many of us were Whittle, not expecting. I Labour, helped volunteers Windmill to canvass in our Hill ward, and – by a considerable margin – we found that voters wanted to stay in the EU, even if they were critical of some of the institutions or the policies that it produced. This was reflected in the results for Windmill Hill ward, which registered a 73% ‘remain’ vote, 11% higher than the Bristol average. This is of course little consolation to those of us who believe in a UK and a Bristol that is part of a connected Europe and a wider world. I was encouraged that Marvin Rees, the new mayor of Bristol, immediately pledged to keep Bristol at the heart of Europe, and has since visited Brussels to build relationships

with our partners and to demonstrate that Bristol is still open for business with Europe. I am also delighted that Bristol will continue to bid for the title of European Capital of Culture. In Windmill Hill, I was pleased to chair the first neighbourhood partnership meeting since being elected, and was especially happy to approve the wellbeing grants for local groups in the ward. Please get in touch if you would like more information about applying for these. I believe that more decisions should be made locally by residents and councillors and I am pleased that we will be seeing decisions on issues that affect local environments and residents like residents parking zones being devolved to neighbourhood partnerships, so that the widest number of people can participate in the decisionmaking process. This is not only good for our roads and streets, but is a positive development for local democracy and for public participation in general.

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August 2016

Tune in on South Bristol’s Did you know that Windmill Hill is a broadcasting hubbub? You do now ... as Beccy Golding talks her way into Base Radio’s studio

HEN I met Mike Shipway (DJ Shippers) to talk about South Bristol’s own station Base Radio, we sat in the tiny studio while trainee DJ Dawn confidently delivered her half-hour slot. Getting local people involved, finding new DJs and training them up is one of the station’s big things. Dawn works with kids and is into performing, so when Mike approached her, wanting to include some programming for children, she “jumped at the chance – I love this stuff, and I

like the sound of my own voice!” As Dawn played songs from kid’s musicals, she was doing intros, outros, shout outs and dedications, fading in songs and pressing buttons like a pro. I asked how long she had been training, expecting an answer in months. “Three weeks!” was the answer! “There’s only three or four buttons to get the hang of,” Mike told me, “it’s quite simple. People have a perception that it’s difficult, but it’s not. You just need to like to chat!” Base Radio started about

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DJ Dizzy D, aka Dawn, mastered the controls after just three weeks seven years ago, in 2009, when Mike and fellow DJ Darren were youth workers in Hartcliffe. “We noticed that young people were responding to DJ-ing, and had an idea to start a youth station. But there was already something similar running in the city centre and we didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.” But they realised that South Bristol didn’t seem to have any radio representation – “other parts of Bristol had BCFM, Ujima, Bradley Stoke Radio etc.” So they decided to set something

up for those of us south of the river. The first test run was broadcast from a room in Darren’s home. “A family member was working at Windmill Hill City Farm at the time. We asked them (the farm) if they wanted a community radio station and they said yes! They’ve been really good at backing us. They give us a free room to broadcast from, and we give them radio ads and play at their events.” Their first space at the farm

Base Radio: schedule highlights Monday 6-8pm Stevee Paul’s My Music, Your Dedications: Motown, soul, disco & funk classics Wednesday 5.30-7.30pm Dizzy D’s Bedtime Show:

children’s request show - Disney, nursery rhymes & more – and a bedtime story Friday 5-7pm The Friday Mix Tape: hip hop & dance from DJ Feather Touch

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one and only radio station

Dawn and station founder Mike Shipley – Shippers to the listeners – in the tiny room that houses Base Radio was upstairs in the eaves of the adventure playground building, but this year they moved into a room next to Bristol Wireless (a social enterprise offering digital access to the community – bristolwireless.net). They are now on ground level, with a window, in the city farm’s community building, and very happy with their new home. Base Radio is an internet and app-based radio station. Broadcast live (when I was there on a Saturday morning there were 1,200+ live listeners), the

shows are also recorded, edited, then uploaded. Each DJ has their own Mixcloud stream, accessed via the website – so if you like what a particular DJ is playing you can follow them and listen whenever you like. Most DJs also play live, out in the real world – there are regular Base Radio nights at Alterego on Whiteladies Road (last Friday of the month), and the Cider Press on Gloucester Road (Sundays). They also play one-off events – at the farm and other local venues. Dawn, DJ name Dizzy D, played

Friday 7-9pm DJ Daddi’s Dance Show: house, club classics & Vintage Vinyl feature Saturday 10am-noon Shippers Saturday Morning Breakfast Show, classics,

requests & 30-minute DJ-intraining slot Sunday noon-2pm The Red Raydio Super Sunday Hangover Show: country, blues, rock’n’roll

at a Hengrove Play Day in July. “There are 10 directors of the station,” Mike told me, “but that’s a bit official – we’re more like a family.” There are an additional 10 or so other regular

DJs and presenters – all doing different shows, playing different stuff; some have a bit of patter, some presenters get more deeply into showcasing artists and discussing their discographies. There’s a listing on the website with who plays what, when, so you can find programming that suits you. Or just tune in and see who you stumble on! “We are always looking for new DJs,” Mike told me. And it doesn’t matter if you haven’t done it before; like Dawn, within three weeks you could be confidently sharing your music with your community. It all felt very friendly, relaxed and non-pressured while I was there. “If you’re interested just email us and come on down. Training is provided.” You’ll start with a half-hour slot in Shipper’s Saturday morning show. Dizzy D now has her own show, on a Wednesday evening. What does the future hold? “We really want to get South Bristol involved – this is your community station.” Mike would love more people to get on board. For local bands “we are looking for artists who would like air play on our new Bristol Sounds Show.” So send in your demos and CDs. There are opportunities for DJs and presenters, researchers, admin and more. You can also send in dedications, chat on the website, and listen in! • Instagram base_radio_bristol Twitter @baseradiobristo_wmcf Facebook Base Radio Bristol baseradiobristol.co.uk email: base_media@ymail.com

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August 2016

Afghan trials pull Fr Chris back toward army service

NOWLE is saying goodbye this month to Father Chris Kinch, the parish priest at Holy Nativity church in Wells Road, as he leaves to take up a post as an army chaplain. Father Chris is well known to many more than his congregation at the church. He has made friends all over the area in his five and a half years at the church and, he told the Voice, he feels a responsibility towards everyone in the parish, not just those who go to church or are Christians. But he’s such a gregarious soul you feel he’s not performing a duty when he pauses in his rapid stride towards Holy Nativity to greet someone he knows. He admits that it takes him ages to walk anywhere in Knowle, as he’s always meeting someone on the way. Fr Chris’s relentlessly welcoming approach must have something to do with the doubling of the congregation at the church. Numbers had shrunk after the sad departure of his predecessor, James Brown, who died after a long illness, following which the Church of England left Holy Nativity without a regular priest for two years. Fr Chris arrived to find a depleted congregation of 30 and a church which had been excused from paying its share towards diocese funds. Media stories about churches are usually about declining attendance but Fr Chris believes more people are ready for the Christian message. “People are faced with endless consumerism and secularism, more people get broken and hurt, more people face austerity, and more people are lonely,” he said. “More people are worried about where their children are going to get a sense of right and wrong. “We are living in a society where people are defined by their

Knowle priest takes up role as military padre

economic ability, but the Gospel offers an alternative: that there is a God who has an interest and a love for you.” Growing up on a council estate in Reading, his mother went to church but his father didn’t, and religion was not a big part of his life until he fell in with a rough crowd as a teenager. “I came to faith through a youth group in my late teens. It was a big shock to people!” he said. But his later ambition to become a priest was not easily realised: his parents couldn’t afford to put him through college. So Chris worked on building sites for a year, then carried on as a labourer to pay for his theology degree. Then he worked as a lay assistant at a parish in Milton Keynes before winning a place to train as a priest in Oxford – where he felt very out of place, but stuck at it. Ordained in 2005, he served as assistant curate in Nottinghamshire for four years, then for three years in a team ministry in Swindon, where he worked with homeless people and asylum seekers. Then came the offer of his first parish: Holy Nativity, Knowle, to which challenge he added another, a role as a chaplain with the Army Reserves. Many in Knowle know that this led Fr Chris to serve as an army padre in Afghanistan. Not many will realise how deeply the experience of working at the British military hospital in Camp Bastion affected him. “We were dealing not just with UK soldiers as casualties but

Father Chris Kinch: Sad to leave Knowle after five years in his parish with civilians, multinational soldiers, children and the enemy, who were treated with as much dignity as anyone else,” he said. The toll of warfare and improvised explosive devices or IEDs meant that much of his time was spent not just on the hospital wards but in the morgue. The tour of duty left its mark. Returning to Knowle after four months in early 2013, he found – as many soldiers do – that he could not share his experiences, even with his wife, Suk. “I remember feeling incredibly lonely when my wife went to work,” he said. “The day after I got back I went to a Macdonald’s and sat there just because there were people there.” Yet it took two years before the full symptoms emerged and Fr Chris was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. He received counselling through an NHS scheme to help ex-services personnel, and is on top of his problems. His experiences have left him with a sense that soldiers are not always appreciated by society. “They are often not properly valued because their stories are not heard,” he said. In his new job, as a chaplain major at the Royal Artillery

Training regiment near Salisbury, he is determined to listen to and support his soldiers. “Soldiers are just amazing people,” he said. ”They get a bad press, but they go above and beyond the call of duty and they have the most amazing skill set – but civvy street doesn’t always recognise those skills.” He’s particularly looking forward to working among people whose bond is forged through shared experiences. “Sometimes you just want to be around soldiers: you don’t have to explain stuff because they know, and they know you know.” He is looking forward to his new job, but he’s sad that it will take him, Suk and children Rosie, two and half, and Peter, four months, away from Knowle. “I have loved living in Knowle and I have loved getting to know all the people in the local shops and businesses,” he said. But as well as looking forward to working in the army again, there is a practical reason why he has to move on: though he’s been working five or six days a week as parish priest, he’s only been paid for a part-time role. Many in Knowle will not blame him for his decision but will be sad to see him go.

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August 2016

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Old garage can be made into 8 homes

www.southbristolvoice.co.uk

Existing view along Montgomery Street, looking south e

Existing view along Montgomery Street, looking south east

But roof raised by developer will have to be lowered again

A FORMER garage and the owner’s derelict house next to Victoria Park can be redeveloped into eight homes, planners have decided, despite objections. It means the garage at the corner of Hill Avenue and Montgomery Street will be demolished, to be replaced by four terraced houses. The dramatic-looking about its height and top-heavy detached Victorian house will be appearance,” said an officers’ turned into four flats. report. “The original roof was New homes in Montgomery St; inset, the old garage they will replace Community group Tresa was pitched and set back behind a among those objecting. The decorative front gable The developer will have to 1950s. The former church on the group protested that the owner overlooking the park. The roof Proposed view along Montgomery Street, looking south east meet strict safety conditions corner of Marmaduke Street, was squeezing too many homes collapsed many years ago and when removing old petrol tanks which was used for storing cars, in, achieved partly by raising the was patched up as a flat roof set Illustrative Sketch showing terrace extended, on the site. The family-run also has planningexisting permission for height of the house roof. behind the gable. The applicant with four new houses garage was in operation since the housing. Neighbours – particularly one has revised the plans to reduce AD(Sk)001 with a ground-floor bathroom the height of the roof as currently Proposed view along Montgomery Street, looking south east – would be overlooked, and the built, to a height that is proposed basement flight would equivalent to the height of the lack natural light, Tresa said. original pitch roof. Overall, the “The height of the building refurbishment will result in a was recently increased without significant visual improvement.” planning permission, and this The plans meet current has been submitted as the standards for room sizes and will existing house front and rear not cause overcrowding, said Established family firm with 25 years experience elevations,” Tresa protested. officers. However, planning officials No parking spaces will be said they had been told that the provided even though planners roof had been raised only in an acknowledged that “parking can attempt to make it watertight. be difficult in the evenings”. The developer will revise the The new homes will be far plans to make sure the roof is the enough away from neighbours WITH T same height as the original. that there should be no H “Officers have raised concerns overlooking, the report said. ADV IS Project

Redevelopment of site at Hill Avenue/Montgomery Street, Bedminster, Bristol

Drawing

Drawing No :

Project

Redevelopment of site at Hill Avenue/Montgomery Street, Bedminster, Bristol

Date :

Jan 2016

Drawn By :

Scale :

NTS

Checked :

Alpine LANDSCAPING

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Holiday activities

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STUCK for something for the children to do during August? Here’s a selection of events at a range of venues. Most require booking; see the venue websites for details.

Ashton Park Sports Centre

Blackmoors Lane, Bower Ashton 0117 377 3300 ashtonparksports.com Ashton Park has a huge range of activities from the last week of July and every weekday throughout August, for 4-16 year-olds. Costs BikeAbility is from £21.50 to £35.50, sailing is £42, bushcraft £16.50, Escape Zone £17.50 a day, archery, canoeing, raft building, high ropes all £16.50. Dance £7.50. Childcare vouchers can be used. Discounts for parents using the sports centre while their children attend sessions. Sailing in the harbour every day 10am-4pm, £42. BikeAbility Two-day sessions each Monday and Tuesday. Level 2: 9am-12.30pm, Level 3 1-4pm. Kayaking and canoeing From 9am-12.30pm Mondays, £16.50. Dance on Wednesday mornings 9am-12.30pm, £7.50. Many more sessions – see website for details.

Windmill Hill City Farm

Philip Street, Bedminster 0117 963 3252 windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Friday July 29 Flit, Flap & Fly Award-winning interactive theatre adventures for young children. Two 40-minute sessions at 11.30am and 2pm. Free. Monday August 5 Farm & Bushcraft Club A day of exciting activities for 8-12year-olds, 9am-3pm. Bring packed lunch. Drink and snack provided. £25 per child. Tuesdays July 26-August 30 The Ape Project Sessions every Tuesday with water play or campfire cooking (if wet). Suitable for all ages. 11am3pm. £2 per child. No booking needed, just drop in. Thursday July 28, August 11 & 25 Pizza making Come and make your own pizza in the farm’s cob oven. Suitable for all ages. 10am-12noon. £2 per child. No booking needed.

Forest school at Arnos Vale Wednesday August 3 & 17 My Way or The Highway Come along to watch the exciting story of Alf the toy-thieving highwayman, by Brave Bold Drama, the Withywood-based theatre group. Performances at 11am & 2pm with creative play sessions at 11.45am & 2.45pm. £2 per child. No booking needed. Wednesday August 24 & 31 Creative play Join the farm team as they make puppets and tell stories around the farm. 1.30pm. £3 per child. No booking needed. Thursday August 4 & 18 Salad making Make salads and pesto in the outdoor kitchen with produce picked from the gardens. 10am12pm. £2. No booking needed.

Arnos Vale cemetery

Bath Road, Arnos Vale arnosvale.org.uk Activities can sell out so booking online is advised. Monday August 1, 8 & 15 Mud Mondays 10.30-11.30am A messy, outdoor, fun session suitable for toddlers up to 4. All children must be accompanied. £4. Friday August 5 Stomping Story – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Discover what lives in Arnos Vale, and make some lovely bear paws to take home. 10.3011.15am. Suitable for 3+. £4. Summer Stroll: Nature Walk Go on a bug hunt, find out about what hides in the woods. Suitable for 4+. Buy tickets online (advised) or turn up and pay. 1.30-2.30pm. £4. Tuesday August 9 Stomping Story – Pirates Love Underpants Join the Pants Pirate on a special treasure hunt. Make a pirate hat. 10.30-11.15am. £4.

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Family Den Building Workshop You and your child will learn how to build dens, structures and shelters using natural materials. A ticket covers up to three children and two adults. For 5+. £10. 1.30-3.30pm. Thursday August 11 & 25 Forest Funday – Bushcraft Skills Foraging skills, campfire cooking and a feast. Adults welcome to join in. 10.30am-2.30pm. For ages 7+. £20. Sunday August 14 Teddy Bear’s Picnic Bring your kids with their furry, cuddly or fuzzy friends along to the annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic on the grass in front of the Speilman Centre. Fun activities to try. Four legged friends are welcome on leads. If you haven’t got time to pack a picnic, grab something in our cafe. Free; no need to book. 11.30am-2pm. Wednesday August 17 Stomping Story – Gruffalo Meet a quick-witted mouse who journeys into the dark wood, spinning yarns about the scary gruffalo to keep him from being eaten. Discover the animals that live in Arnos Vale then make a gruffalo mask to take home. 10.30am-11.15am. Age 3+, £4. Kite-making workshop Learn how to create your own kite. Suitable for 5+. £8 per family – up to 3 children and 2 adults. 1.30-2.30 pm Wednesday August 2 Stomping Story – The Gruffalo’s Child Walk with the Gruffalo’s daughter who sets off into the woods to discover the only thing her father is afraid of. Suitable for 4+. £4. 10.30-11.15am. Family Minibeast Hunt Get hunting – go on a worm

Ape Project: Playtime at City Farm

August 2016

hunt, find out about what hides in the woods and then make a wormery to take home. Suitable for 4+, £5. 1.30-2.30pm.

Tobacco Factory

North Street, Southville tobaccofactorytheatres.com The Dahl Project A chance for teen actors to explore characters inspired by Roald Dahl, working with a professional director, writer and designer to create a brand new piece of theatre which will be performed at the end of the two weeks at The Wardrobe Theatre. Only 20 places. August 1-12, 10am-4pm daily. Fee £50 (Email bryony@tobaccofactorytheatres. com if this sum is a problem.)

Knowle West Media Centre

KWMC: The Factory (Filwood Green Business Park, Filwood Park Lane, off Hengrove Way) kwmc.org.uk Ultimate Karting Experience Build a soap box cart over two days, August 2 and 3, 10am-4pm. £10 for two days. Ages 10-15. Call 0117 903 0444 or email sandra@kwmc.org.uk

More ideas

Tiny Tours bluesparrowapps.com A NEW app to help plan activities with children. Select two main filters: Places, which covers Parks, Free and Rainy; and Tours, which features ideas for days out with names such as Culture and Cows. The Tours section also displays the amount of time recommended at each attraction and gives a rough idea of costs as well as showing journey planning information for travelling on foot, by bus, train or car. Free to download for Apple and Android phones. Bristol developer Blue Sparrow Apps has plans to add more features. My Green World 07780 964319. mygreenworld.co.uk August 17 and 24 Holiday club for 8-12 year-olds in Leigh Woods. From shelter building, fire lighting and cooking over the fire, to going on a Big Forest Bug Hunt, painting with homemade paints and weaving with wood, it is a full day of outdoor activities. 9.30am3.30pm. £27.

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August 2016

News

THE NEW South Bristol Link road needs to be joined up to the city’s ring road, says a commercial property specialist. The South Bristol Link is due to be completed at the end of 2016 and will connect the A361 at Long Ashton to the Cater Road roundabout at Hartcliffe, crossing the A38 at Highridge. The road has been long awaited by commuters and the business community. It is expected to do much to open up

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‘Give Bristol a proper ring road’ neglected areas of South Bristol to investment. It will also open the “dead” end of South Liberty Lane. It also provides a dedicated lane to the new Metrobus, which will connect from Hengrove to routes to the city centre and the north of the city, dramatically cutting journey times. However, road traffic wanting to get from the new road to the

A4 or the ring road will still have to negotiate a mile of often heavy traffic from Airport Road to Brislington Hill to the Avon ring road at Hicks Gate roundabout. Paul Williams of commercial property firm Bruton Knowles says the council should bite the bullet and spend £3 million on a study to make a case for a new road to bypass this bottleneck.

He said: “Completion of this link would provide a priceless main trunk road route from the M5 to the A371 Weston Road, effectively completing a genuine ring road around our city.” Mr Williams did not suggest a route, but any new road cutting across Stockwood or Hengrove could expect to run into huge opposition from those affected.

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Karin Smyth We need to understand reasons for Brexit vote

ESPITE July’s swift changes in Downing Street, uncertainties created by the EU referendum outcome have dominated my email inbox since the result emerged. In my view it’s important now that the UK takes time to take stock of this huge decision, delaying Article 50 for as long as necessary to get this landmark move right. And it’s the duty of politicians to try to unite communities and the country which, as we know from the result, is split almost down the middle. Voice readers might not know this applied in Bristol South too, with 47 per cent of people in this constituency voting to leave. Misleading Leave campaign claims do not explain the outcome. Brexit voters had reasons

The MP’s view Each month Bristol South Labour MP Karin Smyth gives her perspective for their decision, and those of us who campaigned to Remain need to understand these. In some parts of South Bristol there’s a serious feeling of being left behind from prosperity elsewhere in the city, reflected by the lack of adequate and affordable housing to rent and buy, and by low-paid insecure work. And there were serious concerns about

August 2016

pressures on the NHS, with difficulties getting a GP appointment figuring prominently. Sadly these problems were too often wrongly laid at the EU’s door, when they were in fact the responsibility of the Conservative government. That’s why housing, health, jobs and post-16 opportunities remain my priorities. For example, I’m pushing ministers for clear plans on how the NHS workforce will be managed post-Brexit. I’m also appalled that in some places the anti-immigration stance of parts of the Leave campaign seems to have contributed to a rise in race hate crime. Soon after the referendum I outlined my concerns to Theresa May, then home secretary, seeking a clear explanation of steps the Government is taking to address these. I’ve been in contact with Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI) for local updates and am maintaining contact on these issues with Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner and chief constable. Vigilance and monitoring is essential, and any constituents who are victims, who witness hate crime, or who feel vulnerable should report it to the police so action can be taken. As always I welcome thoughts on this or any matter to karin.smyth.mp@parliament. uk or by post to Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

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August 2016

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Entertainment You’re never too young for the best in music EVERYONE knows that small children love a nursery rhyme – but can they really appreciate classical music? The answer, it seems. is yes. Lilliput Concerts were started in Bristol by former professional singer Jenna Brown, of Southville. When her children were born, she was frustrated that she couldn’t get out to the concerts she used to enjoy – and there were none for her under-fives. So, with the help of viola player Kate Skeet, who had already had the same idea in Cheltenham, they set up a series of events where first-rate classical musicians perform specially for pre-schoolers. The results have been interesting. Some children are fascinated, “for others it’s more about dancing around and having a good time,” said Jenna. “With singers they are absolutely enraptured, they sit really still, especially if it’s the first time they have heard classical singing.” The key, Jenna has found, is to make the concerts last 30-40 minutes, and break them up into pieces of no more than five minutes, with lots of changes of

An evening to bring together a divided nation REVIEW 5x15, Tobacco Factory theatre USUALLY the attraction of 5x15 – an evening where five people talk about a passion for 15 minutes – is that it’s a whirlwind ride through five worldviews. So it was probably a mark of the interesting times in which we live that in July’s session a thread connected all five contributions. Comedian and author Viv Groskop said she felt like tearing up her new Edinburgh show, Be More Margo, which advocates women should ape Margo Leadbetter, the snobbish but fearless Surbiton housewife from the 70s sitcom The Good Life.

Alf the pirate has a lesson to learn at the farm

Pick a tune: Lilliput concerts are for the under-5s

PICTURE: Adele Willams

style and temp. The musicians chat to the children and say a little about their instruments. The children are allowed to do what they like during the performance, but they don’t disrupt it, and the performers try to adapt to their inquisitiveness. “We had a French horn at one concert and a four-year-old girl was so fascinated she tried to stick her head inside!” said Jenna. She is not surprised at the reaction: several studies have shown classical music can have a calming effect on tiny infants, particularly premature babies. Since launching in Bristol in January 2015, the Lilliput

Concerts have attracted a loyal core of families who attend. Adults are looked after too, with a range of teas, coffee and cakes on sale at each concert. So far all the events have been on the north side of town, but Jenna hopes that as the project grows she will be able to arrange concerts in South Bristol. The next two concerts are on Wednesday August 17, when Jenna, a mezzo-soprano, will sing with Kate Skeet on viola, and Thursday August 18, with the Vervain Folk Band. Both concerts are at 10.30am at the Colston Hall Lantern Theatre. • www.lilliputconcerts.org.uk

Viv – and her mother, she tells us – have spent their lives admiring Margo’s take-no prisoners attitude. But – speaking on the day that Teresa May was made leader of the Conservative party and the nation’s new PM – Viv declared that her campaign to Be More Margo had already upset the balance of the universe. Historian Professor Jerry Brotton also found parallels with recent events in his tale of the many links between Elizabethan England and the Islamic world. Then, Protestant England was shut out by an offended Europe; trade and relations were severely affected. The nation was in danger of being a remote outpost, friendless and poor. Sound familiar? The surprising answer for Queen Elizabeth I was to start a thriving trade with the Ottoman Empire

(today’s Turkey) and North Africa. Indeed, a plot with Morocco to invade Spain almost came off – how would that have changed history? More unexpected revelations came from Ed Gillespie, who is trying to change the world by altering the stories we tell. Climate change and other challenges can be fought, he says, but only if we stop calling ourselves consumers and seize the people-power that will be possible when, by 2025, the entire population of the world is online. MC Joe Peng opened the eyes of the mainly middle-class audience to a life most of them won’t have seen: being brought up as the mixed-race child of a Roma mother and black father in Bristol and Cornwall. Racism and violence were part of his upbringing but that all changed when he met a

CHILDREN can meet Alf the pirate at Windmill Hill City farm this summer andl join Alf on his quest to steal other people’s toys. But Alf finds that his tricks are not as much fun as he thought. The play is full of songs and activity – including a circus which the children can join in with. It’s been written with orginial music by Hartcliffe-based theatre company Brave Bold Drama. Their feedback shows that they are engaging children of all ages. “This is the first performance my five-year-old has ever been able to sit through,” said one parent. “Absolutely fab! The children were mesmerised,” said another. Performances are at 11am and 2pm on August 3 and 17. There are creative play sessions at 11.45am and 2.45pm. • brave-bold-drama.co.uk

Pirate Alf gets his come-uppance mixed-race punk rocker from Knowle West, and his friends, who helped him find his identity. Now he leads reggae outfit Laid Blak, a major festival act. Lliana Bird brought an evening which had been spent talking about a divided nation, back to the horror, and the hope, of the current refugee crisis. The horror is that millions of desperate people are struggling to find a safe haven, hindered or left to starve by the authorities. The hope comes from the many ordinary people, like DJ Lliana, who decided they couldn’t bear to sit by and do nothing, and became part of a movement – helprefugees.org.uk – that has fed and helped countless thousands. “But we are still putting a tiny plaster on a big problem,” she warns. A moving evening. PB

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What’s on

Monday August 1 The Dahl Project for young would-be actors, 13-19 at the Tobacco Factory. Travelling Light Theatre Company hosts a summer school featuring new, Roald Dahl-inspired characters. Only 20 places available. Cost £50 (email bryony@ tobaccofactorytheatres.com if this is a problem.) • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Darlingside The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Darlingside are a Massachusetts quartet who bridge folk, pop, bluegrass, indie and chamber music “all underpinned by fabulous harmonies”. Winner of the Folk Alliance International’s performer of the year award in 2015. 7.30pm, £10.00. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Tuesday August 2 Make a soap box cart at Knowle West media centre, Leinster Avenue. 10am-4pm on Tuesday; also on Wednesday August 3. Work in teams to build, customize and race a soap box cart and design your team’s racing suits. (More details on page 34.) • kwmc.org.uk Wednesday August 3 Afternoon tea and social with Knowle WI. 2-4pm at Upper Knowle Methodist church hall. Details from Barbara McInerney on 0117 971 5632. Family animal sing-along with Poco Drom, at Windmill Hill City Farm. Weekly sessions re-start on August 3 and every Wednesday at 9.30am. “An interactive performance of original animal songs for kids and their adults that you can hop, wriggle, bounce and roar along to in the farm café. Sing a song about a sheep and then go and find a real one.” All ages. Booking not required. £3 per child, adults free with the purchase of a drink. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Friday August 5 After Hours Tour at Arnos Vale cemetery, 7.30-9pm. “Soak up the last summer rays in the ethereal beauty of Bristol’s “Necropolis” in a tour revealing the darker side of Arnos Vale at dusk, in an atmospheric exploration of tragic tales, folk customs and funeral etiquette of Victorian society. £8. • arnosvale.org.uk Aynsley Lister The Tunnels, Temple Meads. “Fresh from his richly-deserved accolade as Guitarist of the Year in the

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In Verity Standen’s Hug, a select audience can only hear and touch the singers

August 2016

PICTURE: Paul Blakemore

Startling show where you never see the performers REVIEW: Hug, Tobacco Factory ENTERING a room with 20 chairs, we were instructed to find a seat and put on the blindfold there. The room fell quiet. And then came the voices. Harmonies and layers of sound floated into the room and all around us. Some notes swept close past my ears, some soared further away: human stereo. Then hands touched my hands and I was gently brought to standing. My left hand was placed on their shoulder, the other around their waist, and then we hugged. The British Blues Awards and straight out of the studio, Aynsley returns to The Tunnels with a new album, Eyes Wide Open.” 7.30pm, £12. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Saturday August 6 Bench mending in Victoria Park. Volunteers meet at 10am and aim to renovate a couple of park benches. • vpag.org.uk Sound engineering course Would you like to know how to set up a PA? Know your auxiliary from your XLR? This one-day course, 10am-3pm, at Zion, Bristol, could help. No previous xxperience necessary. Suitable for 14 and upwards. £25 • zionbristol.co.uk Marvellous Medicine Tour Arnos Vale cemetery, 11am-

next song was a rhythm of breaths and pants and sighs, and because our bodies were touching I could feel the performer’s diaphragm moving against mine – physical percussion. During the course of 25 minutes (it seemed longer), we were moved, held, and immersed in sound – a belting piece of almost-too-loud discords straight down the lug-hole was followed by a primal sound bath of harmonies that made the hairs on my arms stand up. The final piece returned us to our hug, this time

Medical marvels: Arnos Vale tour 12.30pm. Learn about Victorian medicine and how it transformed Bristol and the world. From fresh water to forensics, childhood disease to cholera, the discoveries of medical professionals saved many lives and made Bristol one of the healthiest places to live. £5. • arnosvale.org.uk Jamaican Night Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Road. Celebrate

with our heads on each other’s shoulders, with deep resonant hums that purred through my body and reminded me of lullabies and a mother’s caress. Then slowly the voices faded out of the room. As we removed our blindfolds only the audience were left, to blink and look about us, never knowing who had bathed us in the most wonderful sounds. Beccy Golding • Sold out at the Tobacco Factory, Hug, created by Verity Standen, now starts an international tour. Jamaican Independence Day with music from Troy Ellis and his Hail Jamaica Reggae Band and food from Agnes Spencer’s Jamaican Cuisine. Tickets £3 adults, £1 children. 7.3010.30pm. • zionbristol.co.uk Go, Go Children Fiddlers Club, Willway Street, Bedminster. 60s soul, rhythm & blues and more, first Saturday of every month. 9pm-6am, £12. • fiddlers.co.uk Friday August 12 Bristol Milonga Tango. An evening of tango at SouthBank Club, Dean Lane, Southville. “Atmospheric, friendly, great music and a sound system worthy of tango Argentino”. 8pm-midnight, £10 • tangoalchemy.co.uk

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What’s on

Laughs delivered at the depot REVIEW Angie Belcher’s Comedy Depot, Zion ANGIE Belcher has been delivering great stand-up comedy and performance poetry in South Bristol and beyond (Edinburgh Fringe, Glastonbury, Cheltenham Festival and more) for many years. Her latest comedy service to the area is Angie Belcher’s Comedy Depot, held monthly at Zion in Bishopsworth, which has been going since January this year. Angie might come across a bit bright and breezy but she is also disarmingly and charmingly sweary, with some innocently-delivered, brash subject matter and scathing one-liners. Angie comperes the night, geeing up the audience and welcoming the four other

Saturday August 13 Sale of books (“all pre-read and cheap!’), bric-a-brac and cakes, 10-12am at Knowle Methodist Church, junction of Wells Road and Redcatch Road. Proceeds to Homeless Day Centre at Barton Hill and church funds. The Big ’Un music night at Windmill Hill community centre, Vivian Street. Takes place the second Saturday of every month, 8pm-late. Tonight’s genre: rock and pop. Next month: Motown. • whca.org.uk Sunday August 14 Vintage kilo sale of clothing, Paintworks, Bath Road, Totterdown. Trade hour 10am11am. Early-bird admission £3 11am-12pm, £1.50 after 12pm. The UK’s largest vintage clothing wholesaler will be bringing 5 tonnes of clothing, including accessories and jewellery. Pick what you like, weigh it and pay £15 per kilo. • paintworksbristol.co.uk Monday August 15 Farm and Bushcraft holiday club, 9am-3pm, Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster. “Sign up for a day of challenging activities on the farm. Go behind the scenes to feed the animals and help our farm team. Create dens, make fires and learn bushcraft skills

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acts on stage. Cornishman Matt Price tells a good story, and drops in some groaninducing puns. Harry Potter look-a-like Chris Chopping is a likeable comic who delivers a slick funny set. Cressida Wetton is determined to prove she’s not as posh as she sounds, and tells some convincing office-life jokes. Bob Wildlife is a snitty animal-handler character with a chip on his shoulder and a badger in his arms. Zion is a great little venue which deserves our support. Tickets for Comedy Depot nights are a remarkably affordable £5 and I shall definitely go again. Every month there’ll be different acts, with different styles, but – ah! Lucky us! – there will always be Angie! Beccy Golding • Next date: Friday August 19, a special Summer Cabaret Depot Angie Belcher: Compere at Comedy Depot is ‘disarmingly sweary’ • zionbristol.co.uk in the woodland area. Bring a packed lunch, waterproofs and wellies.” For ages 8 to 12. £25. • windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Thursday August 18 Flower arranging with Lizzie Valentine. Zion Bristol in Bishopsworth Road hosts a session on making a floral crown or head circlet. 7.30-9pm, £20. “Lizzie will give step-by-step guidance and you will take home a beautiful arrangement.” • zionbristol.co.uk Friday August 19 Four Fighters The Tunnels, Temple Meads. Foo Fighters tribute band who have appeared at tribute festivals in the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, United Arab Emirates and South America. 7.30pm, £10. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Saturday August 20 A Foreigners Journey Tribute to the adult-orientated rock of Foreigner and Journey. The Tunnels, Temple Meads. 7.30pm, £10. • thetunnelsbristol.co.uk Thursday August 25 Franklin Mint + Hierarchy + Sirens Of Titan The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. Expect freaky prog metal from Franklin Mint, billed as “one of Bristol’s rock oddities” after air play on BBC 6 Music’s

Freak Zone with Stuart Maconie, and recently supporting Evil Scarecrow on tour. Hierarchy are described as chain gang punk and Sirens Of Titan as dirty robot rock. 7.30pm, £5. • thethunderbolt.net Friday August 26 Quiz and supper night at Windmill Hill community centre, Vivian Street. Held on the last Friday of every month, 8.30pmlate. • whca.org.uk A Night of Lead Belly The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. An evening of blues, country, folk and rock ’n’ roll in celebration of the life and music of Huddie Ledbetter, including a short documentary, while Bristol bands Urban Cohorts, Ponchartrain, Will Edmunds Trio and The Lewis Creaven Band perform their takes on some of Lead Belly’s most popular tunes. All proceeds will go towards helping to support and keep open some of Bristol’s autistic out of school clubs. 7.30pm, £5. • thethunderbolt.net Thursday September 1 Haze EP launch + Stone Theory + Silverfield + Peter Pan Syndrome The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Totterdown. 7.15pm, £5. • thethunderbolt.net

Trainspotting The stage version of the cult novel and film by Irvine Welsh returns to Bristol in this Tobacco Factory production in the memorable location of the Loco Club under Temple Meads station. The first, extended run in April sold out; now the same cast are back until September 18. Contains violence, drug use, nudity and swearing, as well as the infamous immersive Worst Toilet in Scotland scene: not for the faint-hearted. Do not wear your best clothes. Tickets £14 & £10 until September 4, £16 and £12 September 5-18. • tobaccofactorytheatres.com Saturday September 3 Saltcellar folk club 7.30pm. Jez Lowe, nominated for best singer and for best song at the 2015 BBC Folk Awards. Club meets on the first Saturday of each month (not August) in the basement (or salt cellar) of Totterdown Baptist Church on Wells Road, BS4 2AX. Admission £5. “The club invites good quality folk and acoustic acts from Bristol and surrounding counties to headline each month. In addition, each evening includes local floor singers and musicians. Floor acts should make themselves known on arrival.” • jezlowe.com • saltcellarfolk.org.uk

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August 2016

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