southbristolvoice
April 2020
April No. 542020
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Never has it been more important for our great community in South Bristol to rally round. For many people, communication will be vital, especially those who are housebound or vulnerable. At South Bristol Voice we will continue to give you updates online and on social media ... please email us at news@southbristolvoice.co.uk if you have news or if your business is offering help to residents at this difficult time.
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Becky Day Editorial director news@southbristolvoice.co.uk (Currently on maternity leave) Ruth Drury Sales director 07590 527664 sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk Rich Coulter Editorial director 07775 550607 news@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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April 2020
southbristolvoice HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH ... My MP? Karin Smyth MP By email: karin.smyth.mp@ parliament.uk By post: Karin Smyth MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA By phone: 0117 953 3575 In person: Call the above number for an appointment My councillor? Post: (all councillors) City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR. Celia Phipps Labour, Bedminster
By phone: 07469 413312 By email: Cllr.celia.phipps@bristol.gov.uk Mark Bradshaw Labour, Bedminster. By email: Cllr.mark. bradshaw@bristol.gov.uk By phone: 0117 353 3160 Stephen Clarke Green, Southville By email: Cllr.stephen.clarke@ bristol.gov.uk Charlie Bolton Green, Southville By phone: 07884 736111 By email: Cllr.charlie.bolton@bristol.gov.uk
USEFUL NUMBERS Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000 Waste, roads 0117 922 2100 Pests, dog wardens 0117 922 2500 Council tax 0117 922 2900
Housing benefit 0117 922 2300 Social services 0117 922 2900 Police Inquiries 101 Emergency 999
COMPLAINTS
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Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get things wrong. We always try to resolve issues informally at first but we also have a formal complaints procedure. If you have a complaint about anything in the South Bristol Voice, contact the Editor using the details below. We aspire to follow the the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code. Further details of the complaints process can be found on our website (below) or can be obtained by contacting the Editor by email: news@southbristolvoice.co.uk or by post: 111 Broadfield Rd, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2UX or by phone: 0777 555 0607.
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n CORONAVIRUS ADVICE
Mayor's clear Coronavirus message - stay at home The message is clear, stay home and save lives. Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, is urging people to stay at home to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect vulnerable people in the city. Bristol City Council is working hard alongside city partners, health services, and the voluntary sector to support people in the city, including special measures for homeless people. But the mayor has warned this critical work will be hampered by people not listening to Government advice. The government recommends: • Avoid social contact • Work from home if you can • Don’t use public transport unless you have to • Do not attend social or extended family gatherings • Contact your GP or Health service via phone or online • Only leave home if you have to
– to buy urgent supplies, go to key work, or get fresh air a safe distance from others. Pubs, clubs, gyms, cinemas and theatres should now have all closed, and restaurants and cafes should only be providing takeaway or delivery. However despite this clear advice, people are continuing to congregate in areas of Bristol including outside pubs, in nonessential shops and in playparks, says Mayor Rees. He said: “The longer people ignore the advice and keep going
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out, the higher the chance that more people will get coronavirus. Catching the virus will prove fatal for some people. “Bristol’s hospitals and healthcare services are under huge pressure. It is everyone’s job to act now to help prevent more people needing medical help. The message is clear, stay home and save lives.” As we went to press, 20 people in Bristol had been reported to have coronavirus. Bristol City Council Director of Public Health, Christina Gray said: “At the moment only people in hospital are being routinely tested, so if you have symptoms and you are not sure if you have the virus, you may well not find out. “Therefore it is really important if you or someone you have close contact with displays symptoms to take extra precautions and selfisolate at home. The common symptoms to look out for are a
new continuous cough and/or a high temperature. If you have these symptoms stay at home for seven days. If you live with other people it is likely you will infect each other or be infected already. ” The most common symptoms of coronavirus are recent onset of: • A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) • A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual) More information about social distancing is available online and in multiple languages at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/ covid-19-guidance-on-socialdistancing-and-for-vulnerablepeople
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n NEWS
'24 bus route not working' say residents By Marcus Stone First Bus has been under increasing pressure from Ashton Vale residents following controversial changes to the no. 24 bus route, which saw the existing single decker replaced with a double-decker bus – meaning it could no longer travel under the railway bridge on Ashton Drive. As a result, the double decker stops at Winterstoke Road and a small shuttle bus (the 24A) takes passengers from outside the Robins pub to remaining Ashton Drive stops. Local community group Ashton Vale Together (AVT) has continued to put pressure on First Bus to review the arrangements as it has caused concern for many bus users. One of the main complaints is that the shuttle bus doesn’t always match up with the main 24 bus, with waiting around 15 minutes between the shuttle and the main 24 bus. Also the shuttle bus only runs from
7am to 7pm, leaving users with a long walk late at night, or even discouraging many people from going out at all, or needing to get taxis. And, for elderly or disabled passengers the shuttle bus creates an additional embarking and disembarking issue, especially as some claim the small bus cannot easily take wheelchair users. Alan Pratley of AVT said: “Drivers seem unsure of the route and what to do after 7pm, with some stopping at the Winterstoke Road stop by the Robins after 7pm when they are supposed to go on to the end of the journey at Langley Crescent. There have been people paying for their full journey on the 24A and then the driver on the 24 not accepting the ticket for the rest of the journey. “Overall many people are saying that the change that First have made to the 24 service is not working and that they should revert back to the old journey
with the single-decked buses. All of the double-decker buses are old and noisy, and there has been a lot of problems with them breaking down.” When South Bristol Voice spoke to First Bus, they said: “Any potential service changes will be agreed in May for introduction in September, however there is no intention of removing service 24A, without a replacement service for this part of the route.” It is thought the double decker was added to cope with higher levels of passengers, and First Bus mentioned Ashton Gate and the Bower Ashton campus when the changes were made, however most users say that the bus only really gets busy after it travels through the centre. It is not just the elderly being affected by the changed service, as many younger people use the service, especially at times when the shuttle bus doesn’t
run. Alex Connell, 21, uses the 24A/24 to travel from Ashton Vale to her stylist job at Central Studios in town, she said: “Since the changes the service has been rubbish, especially when I’m working late and there’s no shuttle bus, so I have to walk. This is a serious safety concern.”
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April 2020
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n NEWS
Sustainable supermarket to open in Bedminster By Charley Rogers A trio of South Bristol businesses are joining forces to launch an eco-supermarket in Bedminster. The Bristol Loaf bakery, zero-waste shop Zero Green and Hugo’s Greengrocer are all environmentally conscious businesses looking to expand their provision to the people of Bristol. “It’s like the stars aligned,” says Gary Derham, co-owner of The Bristol Loaf, whose current site is in Redfield. Gary has wanted to expand the bakery to meet community demand for a couple of years, having already grown from six bakers in 2017 to 30 currently. As well as wanting to create a “bakery, café and sustainable supermarket where you can get all your daily shopping in one place,” Gary explains that this new project will also provide a
space for the community. When the 60-seater café area isn’t being used during the day, the team hope to have community members use it for workshops, talks, and other projects. Gary said: “Because it's going to be a large space which can be used, we're hoping to put it back out to the community. “If people contact us with their ideas, we can start curating something in the evenings, especially because for us it will be unused space.” The team are already in contact with Colourful Minds workshops, which is planning to use the space for children’s arts and crafts. The Bristol Loaf already has impressive eco credentials with around half of its power coming from solar panels, and this is also a theme that permeates throughout all three businesses.
Zero Green is Bristol’s first zero-waste shop, offering eco alternatives to household goods, and organic, package-free groceries such as grains, nuts, herbs and spices. Hugo’s also offers organic produce, with around 80 per cent of its stock being certified,
and as much as possible sourced from farmers in Bristol and surrounding areas. The project is currently fundraising to continue its build via Crowdfunder. Details of how to contribute are available at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ thebristolloaf
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n NEWS
Local councillors react to election postponement Local councillors have reacted to the decision by Bristol City Council to postpone the local election due to the coronavirus crisis. The Conservative and Lib Dem groups say going ahead with May’s vote could have “undermined” a legitimate result as large sections of the community – if not everyone – would have stayed away from the ballot box. Meanwhile, the Greens have backed Labour mayor Marvin Rees to continue in office for a further 12 months. The position of mayor and all 70 council seats were set to have been contested before the Government called them off across the country last week. Southville Green councillor Charlie Bolton said: "I was planning to stand down, and looking forward to it. Having got over my initial annoyance, I think that spending a another year getting paid to listen to Marvinspeak and Labourballs well, there will be a lot of people far worse off, so I’ll just get my head down and get on with it." Bedminster councillor Mark Bradshaw said: "These are exceptional time’s and elections this May would be both a resource distraction and public health risk. Colleagues across all parties were not planning to stand again and this will cause some difficulty. As community leaders, our number one tasks are to reinforce public health advice on Covid-19 and to support community and citywide initiatives helping the vulnerable and others, such as those in BS3.
Thanks to all who are doing what they can.” Fellow Bedminster councillor Celia Phipps said: "I think the decision to postpone was the right one to make . I think this will bring challenges, as the Civic year will be disrupted but I am more than willing to continue. "A year is a long time in politics, but our communities are worth fighting for. I am very heartened by the huge community response and the spirit of support for others that the Pandemic has generated. Let's hope this continues long after this cloud has passed." Windmill Hill councillor Jon Wellington said: " was due to stand down, mainly as I could not commit for another four years. "I am pleased to be able to continue to represent Windmill hill ward for another year and will continue to do my best to
ensure all residents’ voices are heard." Knowle councillor Gary Hopkins said: "Neither Chris Davies nor I were planning to stand down but is obviously a danger that those that were planning to step down have other plans that may prevent them from continuing to be fully engaged in serving their local community. I think that the government had no choice but we are aware that many people are disappointed not to have the opportunity to make progress towards getting rid of the position of mayor." Bristol City Council says the only costs incurred in preparing for the ballot involved officer time, and that it is continuing to provide day-to-day services in line with Downing Street guidance, which is changing daily. Mr Rees said: “Bristol, the
country and the world are facing a public health crisis. “These are unprecedented times and things are changing quickly, so it was right for the Government to postpone the local elections. “Our priority is keeping people safe. “We are working round the clock with the NHS, emergency services and Public Health England to protect Bristolians.” Tory group leader Cllr Mark Weston said: “From a personal point of view, this delay in the local council elections is disappointing. “We were confident of doing well here in Bristol. Nevertheless, in these extraordinary times, it is essential to follow our Government’s advice and judgement in this matter.” Green group leader Cllr Eleanor Combley said: “Obviously, it is a disappointment to have the election postponed. “I have been hearing on the doorsteps that Bristol is impatient for change – the kind of change I hoped to see coming with Sandy Hore-Ruthven as our Green mayor. “However, given the need for us to slow the spread of Covid-19 as much as possible, I am fully supportive of the decision to postpone the local elections." Lib Dem mayoral candidate Mary Page said: “Due to the rise in coronavirus causes and related deaths, people are understandably scared right now, and it is the Government’s and the local council’s duty to look after its citizens.”
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April 2020
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n NEWS
Youth climate strike activists lead 30,000-strong march
By Charley Rogers Bristol Youth Strike for Climate, a group of young activists, welcomed the cause’s teenage initiator, Greta Thunberg, to a huge rally of over 30,000 people on 28 February. Greta is known around the world for starting a global action against climate change, which involves pupils marching out of school every Friday. But she isn’t the only one making a big change. Here in Bristol, there are numerous young people taking to the streets and organising rallies to speak up for a cause close to their hearts. Two such activists are South Bristol-based Issaca and Billie, below, who at 16 and 17 years old respectively, helped organise February’s mammoth march. The girls are homeschooled and joined the Youth Strike for
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n NEWS Climate as a way to act on their beliefs. Both Issaca and Billie are from eco-conscious families, and feel that although change on a personal level is great, it is large corporations who should be held responsible for the bulk of action on climate change. Billie said: “One of our chants is ‘system change not climate change’, and although personal change is obviously important, me not using plastic ever again won’t do that much.” It’s up to corporations and the government, says Issaca, to make sure that eco-friendly options are more affordable. Issaca said: “One main criticism, a valid criticism, is that being ecologically conscious is a privilege. It's a massive privilege to be able to not shop from fast fashion places, to be vegan, to take the train instead of the plane, all these sorts of things. I can do it because I’m fortunate enough to come from a family that can afford those things. But that's just not a reality for a lot of people. “That's why I think it's so
important to put emphasis on the big businesses who can absolutely afford to do that, and on the government to fund [services] so that people who are less fortunate can still afford to do these things.” There’s also so much more to the cause than Greta, said Issaca: “[Greta] started the movement because she wanted change to happen, not because she wanted her face on magazines.” However, she added, the good thing about focusing on Greta Thunberg is that her presence in Bristol gave extra coverage to the greater cause. Both Issaca and Billie say they find Greta inspiring, but that it’s important to recognise the wider range of people working every day to shed light on climate change. Billie said: “There are so many inspiring climate activists of different races and genders.” More information about Youth Strike for Climate is available at www.ukscn.org Bristol Youth Strike for Climate is an apolitical organisation.
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n YOUR MP
April 2020
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KARIN SMYTH
Labour MP for Bristol South
Community health services will be vital during Coronavirus
I
n April we will see the changeover of provider in adult community health services across the Bristol area. Bristol Community Health, which has run the service here for many years, now hands it over to Sirona care and health – which has been awarded a £1bn contract to run these services locally for the next 10 years. Community health services include things like community nurses, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, services that help recovery after a fall or a stroke, and services for people with dementia or learning disabilities. With some of the worst health outcomes in the city, people across Bristol South really do rely on this support. Demand for healthcare services across the area is expected to be particularly high in the coming months due to Coronavirus and I know
that the local teams are working hard to ensure this change of provider does not impact the NHS’s ability to cope. As a former NHS emergency planner, I pay tribute to former colleagues for their work tackling this pandemic. I’m pleased that the government is following their expert advice. Most people with suspected Coronavirus won’t go to hospital or even their GP, but will be supported in the community by services provided by local government and voluntary sector. This is where adult community health services are particularly important. I raised my concerns about this process and changing providers when Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG) put this out
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to tender early last year. Working for the NHS, I have seen first-hand how changing providers can impact care. It’s a high-risk strategy; delivering quality community health services relies on a huge amount of local knowledge and relationships built up over years between staff and patients. I'm keen to ensure that people in Bristol South have access to the healthcare they need - now more than ever. I recently met with representatives from the CCG who have assured me that the changeover of adult community health services will result in an improved service; in more consistent care for patients and carers and improved access to care, as well as better joined-up working between partner organisations. This has an important role to play in helping tackle Coronavirus. I look forward to seeing this in action and will be following developments closely. Please do get in touch to share your experience of local adult community health services as I would like to hear more from you. Thank you. Twitter: @karinsmyth Facebook: KarinSmythMP Website: www.karinsmyth.com
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n NEWS
Cemetery expansion plan to solve space crisis South Bristol cemetery is set for a £1.4million expansion onto neighbouring fields as the city faces a “critical” shortage of burial plots. A cafe, hospitality services and memorials could also be provided to recoup some of the costs. The city council is also spending £300,000 to explore options for North Bristol where the situation is more complicated because there is no available adjacent land. A report to cabinet on Tuesday, 3 March, says: “The council owns eight cemeteries within Bristol, four of which no longer accept new burials. “Within the four remaining operational sites there is a shortage of burial space, which is becoming critical. “This includes provision at both South Bristol cemetery and Canford cemetery, which also house the council’s two crematoriums.” It says the South Bristol site in Bedminster Down, which underwent refurbishment seven years ago, including new cremators and more car parking, has room for just two more years of graves, so the plan is to expand onto council-owned agricultural fields in the greenbelt, which the report says is an acceptable use. “The designs for South Bristol cemetery will also explore further opportunities to improve the quality of the service currently provided, and to increase the offer of commercial options, such as memorials and hospitality,” it says. “Extension of cemetery
provision in North Bristol is more complicated due to sites being landlocked by surrounding uses. “A significant amount of investment in the chapel and crematorium would be required to bring the provision up to the space, quality and technological requirements required of a modern bereavement service. “There has been no significant investment at Canford crematorium, at which cremators are now over 30 years old and have exceeded their economic life. The report says the cremators do not abate mercury emissions, which are released when tooth fillings are vaporised. “New cremators would also allow the option to be explored of moving towards a carbon neutral provision through use of electric – rather than gas – cremators, with the energy supplied via green electricity sources. The report continues:
“The council’s cemetery and crematoria provision offers an important service for Bristol, producing a net income of £2million per year. “The service provided, and income, is at risk due to little recent investment in the service, with it reaching a critical point. “If the council does not improve the quality of services, it is likely that Bristol citizens will increasingly opt to use alternative provision outside Bristol.” It says the council leases land next to South Bristol cemetery for agricultural use, and that negotiations will take place with the aim of agreeing a release of the area for the expansion “rather than a full termination of the lease”. Three plots totalling 11.7 acres have been identified for the new graves, which will take 27, 22 and 21 years to become full, based on 800 graves per acre at a burial rate of 227 per year of which 30 per cent would be single-depth
plots. Bristol City Council says it does not stack plots on top of each other if the deceased are unrelated or unknown to each other, and that this is not a future consideration either. The report adds: “Hydrological studies are taking place to monitor the suitability of the plots for burial, and a report will be produced and submitted to the Environmental Agency in order to acquire the necessary permissions for progress with the development. “Architects have been appointed and are currently looking into three options (low, medium and high costs) for office/reception aiming to improve the customer and staff experience. “Commercialisation options such as memorialisation products and a cafe provision are also being explored and will be added to the business case.”
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April 2020
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n NEWS
Parson Street railway station to benefit from Government funding to improve access Railway stations across the region, including Parson Street in Bedminster, will have better access, after the West of England Combined Authority was able to secure £548,000 of Government funding. The investment will support access improvements at a total of eight stations, including Parson Street, Freshford, Lawrence Hill, Nailsea & Backwell, Patchway, Severn Beach, Stapleton Road and Yate stations. Work is anticipated to begin at some stations in April and roll out across the region later in the year. WECA’s successful bid to the Government’s “Access for All” fund focused on a range of improvements based on what rail passengers had said were important to them in GWR surveys: - Better awareness of rail services - Improved integration of rail
services with other travel options - Improved signage and wayfinding to connect stations with communities - Replacement of old-style shelters with modern, accessible facilities - A more consistent offer across the West of England area West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles, said: “I want to make sure our transport network works for all our residents, whether that’s building new stations and railway lines, accommodating the significant growth in passengers we’ve seen in the last 10 years, or making our stations more accessible. “This additional funding we have secured will improve eight stations in the West of England and help bring them up to my new MetroWest standard, with new waiting areas, accessible stations and better signage. “My MetroWest rail plans
will bring improved rail access for 80,000 people across the region and, as part of my vision
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n NEWS
Art and soul of the community A former fancy dress shop, then motor spares store, is now a thriving community arts gallery – reflecting the changing fortunes and interests in North Street. North Street Gallery is gearing up for the forthcoming South Bristol Arts Trail on the 16/17th May, and will be holding a special preview evening on the 15th of May, plus demonstrations over the Arts Trail weekend. Over 13 artists are involved in the co-operative, plus guest artists, and the gallery is mainly open at weekends when it is staffed by the artists themselves. Jonathan Rolfe, artist and member of North Street Gallery said: “We’re a very hands-on gallery both for the artists involved and those interested in art. Most are local, and the South Bristol Arts Trail shows the huge range of talent in the area.” For more information, head to Instagram (@northstreet gallery) and Facebook (@northgalleryworkspace).
Life changing Come and visit us to discover all that we can offer your child Call Hollie Matthews on 0117 933 9885 The only co-educational school in Bristol to offer A levels and the IB Diploma in the Sixth Form
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April 2020
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n NEWS
Mixing his love of rugby and acting, Stewart set for Bollywood stardom An actor from South Bristol is to appear alongside top Bollywood actors in a featurelength international film, which premiered at Cannes in 2019 and is due to be released in cinemas this year. Stewart Wright, 46, will be starring alongside Abhay Deol and Emily Shah in Jungle Cry, directed by Sagar Ballary. Based on the inspiring true story of a group of Indian street kids who surprised the world in 2007 when they came to the UK and won the junior Rugby World Cup, Jungle Cry follows their triumphant journey. Wright secured the central role of Paul Walsh, the reallife rugby coach and former employee at British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, who inspired the team to play and helped them make Indian and British history.
The son of two doctors, Stewart Wright attended Wellington College in Berkshire in the early 1990s where his passion for rugby led to his
captaining the 1st XV and being a non-travelling reserve for the England Under 18s. Stewart went on to complete a BA in Acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1996, and he has lived in South Bristol since 2004. He has been a regular performer at the Bristol Old Vic, starring in eight productions there including Swallows and Amazons and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Wright has played a wide variety of roles in film and TV for over twenty years, since his debut in Fierce Creatures, starring John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis. His breakthrough came playing Nick Levick in the awardwinning mockumentary series People Like Us in 1999. For two series’ he was Martin Clunes' foil, PC Mark Mylow, in the worldwide hit Doc Martin. In October 2019 his character
was brought back for a one-off special. Discussing his role in Jungle Cry, Wright said, “My first love as a kid was rugby. "When an injury cut my playing days short I travelled to India aged 18 and became inspired to follow my other passion of acting, so to find myself back in India 25 years later on a Bollywood film set playing a rugby coach has been very special. "I went from pottering about at home in Bristol to being flown out to Bhubaneswar in East India and being immersed on a Bollywood set with about two weeks’ notice. "It was such a privilege working with the talented Indian cast and crew and meeting and getting to know Paul Walsh who I play in the film. "He set up a rugby charity in Kolkata, where a lot of the Indian kids in the film were sourced from, and it was great fun getting them tickets to watch my inspiring home team Bristol Bears play when they were over in the UK filming.”
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April 2020
southbristolvoice
n NEWS
A Royal Duke of Edinburgh’s Award visit for Bridge Learning Campus HRH The Earl of Wessex spent time with young people, teachers and volunteers from Bridge Learning Campus and New Fosseway School who are involved in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) on Wednesday, 11 March. The visit was planned to thank local schools and organisations who run the DofE for their young people, and showcase how doing the DofE could benefit more young people, schools, businesses and youth organisations in the area who are not yet involved. Since the DofE started at the schools in 2011, 160 young people have achieved their DofE Award. Both Bridge Learning Campus and New Fosseway School ensure that every student has the opportunity to take part by making the DofE very low cost and accessible through special sessions for students who find group activities challenging. Currently 100 students are preparing for their Bronze or Silver expeditions, a record number for the school. During the visit The Earl met students from both schools who demonstrated the skills they are building through doing their DofE, including drawing, Ancient Greek, netball, cookery and football, as well as their kit preparation for planned expeditions to the Mendips. He also heard about how Licensed Organisations are using funding from the #iwill Fund, through the DofE’s Diamond Fund, to expand their DofE offering. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to a £50million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. Lead teacher for the DofE at Bridge Learning Campus Stefan Dewer said: “We were able to share with The Earl the effort that goes into ensuring all our students have access to the valuable opportunities provided by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. At Bridge Learning Campus there are no barriers
to taking part, and I’d like to thank the volunteer teachers, funding organisations and supportive families who make it all possible.” Achieving a DofE Award helps young people to enhance both personal and professional skills, empowering them to unlock their potential. It provides young people with the opportunity to have new experiences while volunteering, learning a skill, getting fit, planning and going on an expedition and, at Gold Level, taking part in a residential activity. Any young person aged 14-24 years old can do their DofE, regardless of ability, gender, background or location, and it isn’t a competition or about being first; it’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries. Heather Thompson, Director - South West at The Duke of Edinburgh’s, added: “Doing the DofE takes young people out of their comfort zone and supports them in building a vital set of skills for life and work, such as confidence, resilience and communication, as well as providing the foundations for life-long friendships. “We encourage other schools, businesses and youth organisations who see the value in offering this opportunity to their young people to get in touch to explore how the DofE can help them.” For further information on the DofE, visit www.DofE.org
Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk
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Clifton Village 62-64 The Mall Bristol BS8 4JG
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The Bespoke Furniture, Upholstery & Soft Furnishings Experts To advertise, contact sales@southbristolvoice.co.uk or Ruth on 07590 527664
April 2020
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n NEWS
A cleaner green for Windmill Hill? Work by local residents and changes being looked into by the Council may result in reduced rubbish on Windmill Hill green and less fly-tipping at Holyroyd House, which is next to the green. Ruth King, who lives nearby, started collecting rubbish from the Green around 18 months ago, and has enlisted other helpers thanks to her Facebook Group ‘Keeping the Green Clean’. Meanwhile Joe Wood, another local resident, has been in contact with the Council to see what can be done about the fly-tipping, which had become a major issue after waste cleaning contractors walked off, following nappies being thrown from a flat above. Since then a team from Community Payback has cleared most of the rubbish and as the Voice went to print, further waste collection had been carried out. Ruth King said: “The two problems are connected, as rubbish from fly-tipping can blow onto the green. Things have certainly got worse since cutbacks and rubbish collections seem worse, but we’re keen to
work alongside the Council to see what can be done.” A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “We are exploring changes to the site at Holroyd House itself to deter fly-tippers, including moving recycling bins from the top car park to the bottom and siting parking bays in the space created to deter fly tipping. “We rely on people in communities to report anyone they see fly-tipping to the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team and let us know of areas where rubbish is regularly dumped. But despite receiving a number of reports at this site, we have so far been unable to secure the necessary details to help track down offenders. “Fly-tipping is not only illegal, it ruins areas of our city and is intolerable for people who live by it. The council takes the issue and aims to tackle it head-on and clamp down on offenders, investing an additional £1 million in dealing with this problem. Members of our litter enforcement team are working alongside Bristol Waste
to monitor known fly-tipping hotspots in order to target offenders.” Join online by searching for ' Keeping the Green Clean' on Facebook.
n UPDATE FROM WEST OF ENGLAND MAYOR TIM BOWLES
Rail investment update Being situated just a stone’s throw away from the station, I regularly see Intercity Express Trains going in and out of Temple Meads from the from the Combined Authority offices. It was only two and a half years ago that these services were first introduced and yet they have so quickly become an everyday sight and symbol of our region. And, with the new timetables introduced last December, an even quicker link into London and other cities. I look forward to a time when my MetroWest suburban rail plans are fully implemented and residents won’t be able to remember a time before Portishead was connected by rail to Bristol or before communities such as Henbury or North Filton had stations. The West of England Combined Authority has been investing heavily to progress
these plans, and they are well under way. A year ago, it wasn’t even certain that we would win the Government’s commitment and funding to re-open the railway to Portishead and Pill. And yet now, thanks to the Combined Authority and working closely with our partner councils, we know that this project will be going ahead. At the end of last year,the Development Consent Order application was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate for examination, a process which will be ongoing over the next year or so. That’s not the only good news on our railways that the work of the Combined Authority has brought to our region. I was thrilled at last month’s announcement by the Prime Minister of investment to upgrade Bristol East Junction.
My team and I have worked closely with Network Rail and the Government to secure the commitments we need. This is a real boost for our region and a vital step in in realising the full MetroWest network with new destinations and services to make getting around the West of England easier, cleaner and more reliable. On the Severn Beach line, we’re planning direct services to Bath and Westbury, re-opening the Henbury line and more frequent services to Yate. We will also be opening new train stations in Portishead, Henbury, Ashley Down, North Filton, Portway, Pill, and Charfield, with plans for more. This will give 80,000 more people direct access to the rail network and 180,000 will have better services to and from existing stations. The Prime Minister’s announcement also
means that we can get on with building a new Eastern Entrance into Temple Meads, funded through the Combined Authority, simultaneously to the Junction upgrade work. This will save money and inconvenience to passengers to make sure Temple Meads is a fitting gateway to the West of England. Further to the improvements at Temple Meads, we will also be improving access to eight other stations across the region thanks to the Combined Authority’s successful bid to the Government’s “Access for All” fund. This investment will deliver improvements such as accessible access,new waiting areas and better signage. As part of my vision for inclusive growth, it is crucial that all our residents will be able to access the new services which will come with MetroWest.
Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk
April 2020
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n TAKE A BREAK PUZZLE PAGE
Txtpert
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April 2020
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n PLANNING APPLICATIONS Bedminster and Southville Bedminster ward: Awaiting decision
raised decking. GRANTED subject to condition(s)
36 Swiss Drive Bristol BS3 2RL Single storey side and rear extension.
29 Sturdon Road Bristol BS3 2BB First floor side extension, over an existing ground floor extension and associated works. GRANTED subject to condition(s)
106 Chessel Street Bristol BS3 3DJ Notification of prior approval for the erection of a single storey rear extension that would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 6 metres, have a maximum height of 3.4 metres and have eaves that are 2.35 metres high. 4 British Road Bristol BS3 3BW Introduction of a 1.8m fence and gate across driveway entrance to side of house. Addition of trellace along top of existing bounday walls to side of house to a height of 1.8m above ground level. Fence, gates and trellace to be stained softwood materials. Dean House Clanage Road Bristol BS3 2JX T1 - Cherry - Fell. Land Adjacent To 52 Brighton Crescent Bristol BS3 3PR Erection of a detached single dwelling and associated works. 53 Ruby Street Bristol BS3 3DX Retrospective planning permission for a rear roof extension. 35 Hebron Road Bristol BS3 3AE Mansard Roof extension, and renovation. 3 Trevenna Road Bristol BS3 2QX Notification of prior approval for the erection of a single storey rear extension that would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 3.6 metres, have a maximum height of 3.5 metres and have eaves that are 2.5 metres high. 14 Trevenna Road BS3 2QX Rear single storey extension. Bedminster ward: Decision 3 Trevenna Road Bristol BS3 2QX Notification of prior approval for the erection of a single storey rear extension that would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 3.6 metres, have a maximum height of 3.5 metres and have eaves that are 2.5 metres high. Prior Approval NOT REQUIRED 5 Albert Place Bedminster Bristol BS3 3BN Single storey rear extension and associated works. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 23 Swiss Road Bristol BS3 2RU Double Storey Side Extension above existing garage with Single Storey Rear Extension add on and
15 Swiss Drive Bristol BS3 2RS Single storey rear extension, to replace existing outbuilding. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 11 Beryl Road Bristol BS3 3DH Single storey rear kitchen/dining room extension. GRANTED subject to condition(s) Former Allotments (land Adjacent To 65 Silbury Road) Silbury Road Bristol BS3 2QE Install the new substation for UK power solutions UKP next to the existing substation by Western Power Distribution WPD. Application Withdrawn Land Bounded By Winterstoke Road, Luckwell Road Winterstoke Centre Lynwood Road Bristol BS3 3HH Application to vary condition numbers 3 (Highway Works) and 34 (Approved Plans) attached to planning permission 18/02302/F Demolition of all existing buildings, and the erection of buildings to facilitate 67 residential dwelling units consisting of 8 terraced houses and 59 flats, external landscaping, parking and other associated works. Proposed discharging of conditions 4 (Construction Management Plan) and 5 (Highway Conditions Survey). GRANTED subject to condition(s) Southville ward: Awaiting decision 3 St Peters Court Bedminster Parade Bristol BS3 4AQ. Application to approve details in relation to condition 2 (Noise Assessment relating to noise from adjacent gym use) and 4(Flood Emergency Plan) of permission 19/03631/COU Notification for prior approval for change of use from office (Use Class B1(a)) to a dwelling (Use Class C3) - 8 no flats. | Windmill Hill City Farm Philip Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 4EA Removal of existing shipping container and construction of single storey office unit (B1 Business) with reconfigured external access. 38 Greville Street Bristol BS3 1EF Single storey rear extension. Bristol Self Storage Clift House Road Bristol BS3 1RX Proposed telecommunications rooft top upgrade and associated works.
22A Islington Road Bristol BS3 1QB Application to approve details in relation to condition 2(archaeological), 5 (remediation scheme), 6 (elevation) ,7 (materials) and 10 (demolition management plan) of permission 19/02349/F Demolition of existing buildings and construction of a single dwelling. 10 Acramans Road Bristol BS3 1DQ Holly - Ilex aquifolium - T1 - 1.5m reduction to manage in location. 54 Coronation Road Bristol BS3 1AR Mansard loft conversion with small dormer windows following removal of existing butterfly roof. 280 North Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 1JU Mansard style loft conversion to involve extending front roof slope to raise ridge, with rear dormer windows. 57 Gathorne Road Bristol BS3 1LR Demolition of rear extension and construction of replacement single storey extension. Southville ward: Decision 22A Islington Road Bristol BS3 1QB Application to approve details in relation to condition 2(archaeological), 5 (remediation scheme), 6 (elevation), 7 (materials) and 10 (demolition management plan) of permission 19/02349/F Demolition of existing buildings and construction of a single dwelling. Condition application decided 16 Acramans Road Bristol BS3 1DQ Holly - T1 - Ilex aquifolium - Crown reduce by 2m in height and 1m laterally. Preservation Order NOT REQUIRED 30 Greenbank Road Southville Bristol BS3 1RJ Modification to front parapet wall. Raising height of front parapet wall by 200mm. Application Withdrawn Asda Stores Ltd East Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 4JY 1 X Norway Maple - Fell. (TPO 1102). GRANTED subject to condition(s) 9 Carrington Road Bristol BS3 2AQ Application for a Certificate of Proposed Development - Loft conversion. Certificate of Lawfulness BE ISSUED
23 Upton Road Bristol BS3 1LW Proposed rear single storey infill extension to extend kitchen/ dinner. GRANTED subject to condition(s) Castlemead House St Johns Road Southville Bristol BS3 1AL Cherry (T1) reduce by approx 35%. Sorbus (T4) Remove. Sorbus (T6) Remove (T9) Remove. Sorbus (T13) Remove. TPO 1392. Split Decision The Imp Alpha Road Bristol BS3 1DH Application for removal or variation of a condition following consent granted under app.no.19/01144/X - Application to vary condition Nos 4 (Odour Management Plan) and 18 (List of Approved Plans) attached to planning permission 16/03638/F - To increase the amount of floorspace - now proposed changes to frontage, with the addition of 3no. lightwells and reduction in the size of the terrace. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 111 Coronation Road Bristol BS3 1AZ Retrospective change of use of the property from a single dwelling house to a house in multiple occupation (HMO). GRANTED subject to condition(s) 22 Ashville Road Bristol BS3 2AP Proposed conversion of garage, to single storey 1no. bed ancillary accommodation. GRANTED subject to condition(s) First Floor Flat 242 North Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 1JD Retrospective permission for first floor flat, proposed second floor flat and additional two storey rear extension. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 31 - 33 East Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 4HH Change of use of Ground Floor to an A3 restaurant. Conversion and extension of upper floors to form 5 new flats, including new third floor and associated external works. GRANTED subject to condition(s) 14 Whitehouse Place Bristol BS3 4BL Change of use from light industrial (B1) to gymnasium (D2) - Yoga studio, including alterations to Whitehouse Place facade. GRANTED subject to condition(s) Land At Rear Of 70 & 72 North Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 1HJ Demolition of existing structure and erection of new dwelling house. GRANTED subject to condition(s)
Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk
April 2020
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n FEATURE - MATERNAL HEALTH
Baby sensory
Tuesdays at Victoria Park Baptist Church, Sylvia Avenue Bedminster 10.15 (0-13 months), 11.15 (0-13 months) 12.15 (0-6 months) and 13.30 (0-13 months)
Thursdays – The Southville Centre, Southville 9.45 (0-13 months), Please contact Sian on 10.45 (0-13 months) bristolsouth@babysensory.co.uk 11.45 (0-6 months) 12.45 (0-13 months) or to book directly visit
www.babysensory.com/bristol-south
Cooking for growing baby
Moving onto solids but not sure where to start? Learn everything there is to know about weaning whilst cooking a range of freezer-ready foods to take home. Next class to be announced (booking essential) or contact Holly to arrange a private class. Email: easyweaningcookery@gmail.com FB/Insta: @easyweaningcookery
Pregnancy pilates
Pregnancy Pilates classes - strengthen your core and ease
pregnancy aches and niggles, help prevent long term diastasis recti Mondays 6.50pm Keynsham.
Postnatal Pilates classes
- feel free to bring baby! Restore your core, safely regain ab strength, condition whole body. Wednesdays 9.45am and 11am, Keynsham. Parking available, booking essential. www.bwellpilates.co.uk 07984 582228
Relaxation for parent and baby
Baby Massage Massage has many benefits for babies, these can include improving weight gain, aiding digestion, improving circulation, and easing teething pain. Massage is also great for bonding with your baby, you may find it relaxing, too! For more information, email sarah_jordan@ hotmail.co.uk, 07525194486 or Facebook @ IHMSarahJordan
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April 2020
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21
n FEATURE - MATERNAL HEALTH Bringing a newborn into the world is daunting for any parent, but in South Bristol a range of professional are there to hel every step of the way
PRICE LIST Taking Baby Steps to help you through those tricky times Struggling to balance your career and family life? You’re not alone! Parenting is a monumental juggling act and building your career whilst nurturing children may feel like an impossible feat. Perhaps you’re juggling the school run, clubs and keeping your house together and struggling to move forward in your career? Or you’re working long hours in a stressful job and feeling guilty for not spending enough time with your family? Coaching gives you space to think and reflect on what is important to you. Through Baby Steps Coaching you can break down those big career and family goals into manageable steps to achieve sustainable change.
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“I felt I was being coached in a safe space with a confidence in those early days real person who was non-judgemental and had the I’m a mobile massage therapist. I deliver intellect to understand how best to challenge me”. pregnancy/sport and cancer massage to help Mum's quote busy lifestyles. I also teach first aid for mums and dads. After 11 years of ambulance service, Book a FREE taster session to see how I started my business and I am passionate coaching can help you. that health education helps mums' and dads' Visit www.babystepscoaching.co.uk or email confidence with children/babies. jenny@babystepscoaching.co.uk
Chloe
Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk
April 2020
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22
ADVICE FROM A PHARMACIST COVID-19 How to survive and pass the test Ade Williams of Bedminster Pharmacy shows how pharmacies can help people with a variety of health conditions, and ease pressure on the NHS
T
he backdrop, as I am writing this, is very worrying. Cases of the coronavirus have been rising, sadly deaths also. As a pharmacist, I have been sharing reassuring insights on national TV and
radio. With panic, the legendary British reserve has been cast aside - bringing amusement, shock and disappointment. From stockpiling loo rolls, desperate efforts to obtain hand sanitisers, even driving some to steal from local hospital wards then the selfish overbuying of food with no thought for neighbours and friends.
with Ade Williams
Why this meltdown? Fear. It is unveiling the worst of our flawed survival instincts. However, when the story is told of how we prevailed this crisis, it is not those sitting on the towers of loo roll or even the pasta niggards that will be remembered. It will be our community effort all of us doing our best for each other. We will all be significantly inconvenienced and made poorer for the collective good, but we must rally around those self-isolating with practical and emotional support. Especially showing love for the elderly and vulnerable in our community. If needed to help protect them, we will make it our privilege to. Not affording them this, will be our greatest collective failure. With schools and nurseries closed, families will also be under a lot of strain. To secure our rapidly eroding societal values, we must model for our onlooking adolescents - how family and community inclusiveness entails sacrifice. Maybe get them asking, How can I help? NHS colleagues, like the Bedminster Pharmacy team, will face multiple opportunities to catch the very infection others are avoiding. We will never leave anyone uncared for. Our families and loved ones also will be exposed as a result of our work. To pass this
n ADVERTISING FEATURE My Wild Bedminster
coronavirus test, we must all follow the government’s advice. We must support and pray for each other. Be socially responsible – not panic buying but offering kindness and compassion. Sign up to provide help! Finally, we must show gratitude to others, especially when their actions are keeping us well and safe. Do not let this virus become a fatal moral infection. Need us? Call 0117 9853388, we will be here for you.
CHICKENPOX VACCINATION Contact us for advice & info:
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BS3 Wildlife Group works with local people to encourage wildlife gardening and the improvement of habitats in local parks, allotments and other green spaces. Our members monitor wildlife such as birds and butterflies to see what’s living in our neighbourhood. Membership is free. For more info contact us on mywildbedminster@ virginmedia.com and see our facebook: BS3 Wildlife Group.
Find us at Bedminster Pharmacy, 4-6 Cannon Street, Bedminster, BS3 1BN 01179 853 388
Provided by NHS professionals in your local pharmacy
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April 2020
southbristolvoice
n NEWS
South Bristol Hospital benefits from charity-funded MRI scanner A new £1.5 million MRI scanner has been donated to the South Bristol Community Hospital thanks to the charity Above & Beyond. The scanner and its pod was funded by a generous legacy donation from Rosemary Gladys Hawkins. Staff are currently undertaking training with the new scanner, but when fully operational it will perform around 25 scans per day. Cathy Walsh, head of radiology services, said: “The new scanner is a highly specialist piece of equipment that will enable us to image the head and joints in new ways which will better support treatment decisions. “This is the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust’s first 3T scanner for adults and it gives us the opportunity to develop
23 -
Paul Kearney, Above & Beyond CEO Bristol Lord Mayor Jos Clark Jeff Farrar, Chairman of UH Bristol Peaches Golding, Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol MP Karin Smyth
new and innovate ways of imaging in a relaxed outpatient environment, which means that some groups of patients can avoid the travel into Bristol city centre for scans.” Above & Beyond is the official charity for Bristol City Hospitals. Each year they raise £3 million to help patients, their families and the staff who treat them. Paul Kearney, Above & Beyond CEO, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to provide this piece of equipment, providing world-class clinical facilities to the hospital. “We are extremely grateful to the Hawkins and Heal families for their bequest that will make a huge difference to how patients are treated in South Bristol.” For more information about leaving a gift in your Will to Above & Beyond, visit their website at www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk
n ADVERTISING FEATURE
Supporting families at the worst possible time Ripples of Compassion (RoC) is a charity set up in memory of Ripley Olive Corless who died as a result of leukaemia at the age of 2 in 2017. RoC work with parents that have experienced the death of a child at any age and for any reason to provide them support through one of the most difficult experiences in their lives. There is no time limit on grief, so RoC help families immediately after the death or decades later. The support they offer includes: • Free bereavement therapy and counselling for bereaved parents for as long as it is needed, • Self-care boxes for bereaved parents to help them take time for themselves during difficult anniversaries or holidays, • Keepsakes that allow the family to have an item to help remember their child,
• Well-being walks that offer the opportunity to meet other parents with similar experiences for mutual support, • A bereavement library at support groups to allow families to borrow books that can help through bereavement. After the death of a child the world can feel like an empty and lonely place. By supporting Ripples of Compassion you can help parents feel less alone. For details of how you can support us visit our website: https:// ripplesofcompassion.com/how-you-canhelp/
Got a story for South Bristol Voice? Call Becky on 07912 484405 or email news@southbristolvoice.co.uk
April 2020
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n HISTORY Robert Southey PART 2 The poet's retreat – with a deadly secret Where now there are a couple of builder’s yards, once stood a grand country house on the fringes of South Bristol, writes Paul Breeden Image, left: Robert Southey, Bristol's only Poet Laureate
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ast month we revealed how Bristol’s only Poet Laureate, Robert Southey, first found joy in nature at his grandmother’s house on the rural outskirts of Bedminster. The manor house at Lock's Mills stood where today you’ll find the yards of a building firm, Bray & Slaughter, and a fencing contractor, First Fence. Between the two a straggling line of undergrowth hides the course of the once-important River Malago. A few yards away begin the lines of inter-war housing that characterise this part of South Bristol. But this corner of Bedminster still retains something of its rural past. The line of vegetation covering the river between the two industrial sites is where the millpond once was. And on the opposite side of the road, the path that the Southey family took over the fields to St John’s church in Bedminster, a mile away, is also there. Now it’s called the Malago Greenway, and is part of a cycle route from Filwood to the city centre – but how many of today’s commuters know that the route has been trodden before them for hundreds of years?
On the corner of the Lock's Mills site is Novers Lane – another ancient route. Now it leads up to the housing estate of Inns Court, where almost 600 years ago stood a manor house of the same name, taking its title from its noble owner, Sir John Inyn. Sir John was an important man; not only was he Recorder of Bristol with a 100-acre estate around his manor, but also Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, serving under King Henry IV and Henry V. The occupation of Inns Court goes back much further than this – Roman remains have been found near the manor site, including the grave of a young woman who had been buried in a coffin. (Little remains of the manor now, but we’ll return to its story another time.) Robert Southey, then, was living in an ancient landscape which probably felt unchanging to him. The house at Lock's Mills that he loved so much had been built by his grandfather only 20 years or so before, but Southey would have known that a mill had existed on the site for hundreds of years. It’s uncertain whether the name Lock comes from a previous owner, or whether there was once a lock built into the river here to make it navigable – it’s certainly possible. Last month we learned how much Southey remembered of the place, from memories of his beloved grandmother to the splendid gardens and orchard that supplied every variety of fruit and vegetable. I have so many vivid feelings
connected with this house at Bedminster, that if it had not been in a vile neighbourhood, I believe my heart would have been set upon purchasing it, and fixing my abode there where the happiest days of my childhood were spent. My grandfather built it (about the year 1740, I suppose), and had made it what
KILLED BY KINDNESS ike most families with children of the time in this pre-vaccination era, the Southeys did not escape tragedy. Robert was the firstborn in 1774, followed by his sister Eliza in 1776. Robert scarcely remembered her, as she lived to the age of four and died of measles in 1779. (Modern-day vaccine sceptics please note – measles kills many children if they haven’t been inoculated against it.) A brother, Thomas, was born in 1777, and then another sister, Louisa, in 1779. Southey calls her “a beautiful creature, the admiration of all who beheld her”. He recalls how the Methodist preacher Charles Wesley was walking up Union Street in Bristol when he met Louisa with her Aunt Mary. “The old man was so struck with the little girl’s beauty, that he stopped and exclaimed, “Oh! sweet creature!” took her by the hand, and gave her a blessing.” But, as Southey put it, his sister was soon to receive a blessing of a different kind, “an early removal to a better world” – in other words, death. Louisa died from hydrocephalus, a swelling of the skull due to an excess of cerebrospinal fluid. Today the causes are thought to be mainly inherited. but Southey blamed what he thought was unwitting cruelty for his sister’s death. In the yard behind Lock’s Mill house was a water butt, and into this his sister was ceremoniously dunked every morning. “This was done from an old notion of strengthening her,” said Southey, implying that she was a weak child who needed this extra stimulus. But he could see that it wasn’t doing her any good: “the shock was dreadful, the poor child’s horror of it every morning when taken out of bed still more so. I cannot remember having seen it without horror; nor do I believe that among all the preposterous practices which false theories have produced, there was ever a more cruel and perilous one than this.” Southey didn’t blame his parents or grandmother, and said he was grateful that they didn’t suspect they were to blame for Louisa’s death. MAINTENANCE It may be that Louisa was, PROPERTY like most hydrocephalus cases, born with the condition, in which case the dunking was not PAINTING to blame. INTERIOR & EXTERIOR But it’s known that the condition can also be caused by an infection FENCING • PATIOS • LANDSCAPING – something quite likely to occur from being dipped each day in a butt of standing water. Perhaps the old-fashioned “cure” was to LOG STORES • GUTTERING • FASCIAS blame after all.
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n HISTORY
25
Robert Southey PART 2
DID HE REALLY LIVE THERE? n his autobiography (actually a collection of letters and writings assembled by his son) Southey describes the entire layout of the house and garden, and claims his memory is clear enough for him to draw it all in detail, if he had the skill. He was fascinated by plants and animals, and says he “knew every variety of grass blossom that the fields produced, and in what situations to look for each.” It’s surprising, then, that there is some doubt about whether his family really lived there at all. For example, he mentions steps up to the front of the house. This is odd, as pictures make the house appear on a level with the road. It has been suggested Southey’s childhood memory has misled him and the family home was actually Percy Hall, another grand house of a similar size, and also in Parson Street, but much closer to Bedminster, being almost opposite the entrance to Parson Street station. The modern Hall Street, built shortly after Percy Hall was demolished in the early 20th century, is presumably an homage to its forebear. Little is known about Percy Hall, and no pictures seem to have survived, but it too had a more or less rural outlook in Southey’s time. Intriguingly, both houses had a path which led directly across fields to Bedminster’s church of St John. (This ancient church, which may have had a forebear before the Norman conquest, was finally demolished in the 1960s after being bombed in the Blitz. Only the churchyard remains, as a small park off Malago Road.) Most maps showing Lock’s Mill reveal a large mill pond behind the house. Yet Southey’s description doesn’t mention a pond, which considering the detail he gives of the house and its gardens, is surprising. Neither does he mention the mill itself. Could Southey have been mistaken? It’s possible. He mentions there being only a field and a cottage on the other side of the lane. Early 19th century maps show a building opposite Percy Hall, but none opposite Lock's Mills. This is not conclusive though, as the maps are not contemporary with Southey’s residence. Perhaps more telling are other aspects of Southey’s description of Lock's Mills. He says: “It stood in a lane, some two or three hundred yards from the great western road.” The road he means is the Bridgwater Road leading into West Street. Percy Hall is less than 100 yards from this junction; Lock's Mills is about four times as far. It seems unlikely that the boy poet would be talking about such a long walk to Percy Hall when in reality the main road was in plain sight. Also significant is that Southey revisited Parson Street as an adult, in 1831. “It was a good deal altered,” he wrote. “Bow windows had been thrown out in the front, and a gazebo erected in the roof. After viewing about the front as much as I could without being noticed and deemed impertinent, I made my way round into the fields, and saw that the drawbridge was still in existence.” These details are important. The Loxton drawings and an early photograph of Lock's Mills show that it has bay (though not bow) windows. There is also an unusual structure atop the roof – a sort of little lookout tower which might well have been called a gazebo (the term then could mean somewhere to gaze from, not the open garden structure we think of today). And then there is the drawbridge. Southey says this spanned a “broad wet ditch”. Later maps show a broad mill pond behind the Mill – but perhaps in the mid 18th century this didn’t exist. There don’t appear to be any streams at Percy Hall. On balance then we can be pretty sure that Southey’s childhood refuge – the place that first inspired in him the love of nature that would inform his literary career – was Lock's Mills, Bedminster. Footnote: Lock’s Mill would still be standing if it hadn’t caught a stray bomb in the first major raid of the Blitz on Bristol, on November 24, 1940. In the years after Southey knew it, it was home to a philandering major, a destination for amorous Bedminster workers, and a scene of tragedy for quite a few South Bristol folk. But we’ll tell those stories another time…
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Lock’s Mill and the Malago. A drawing by Thomas Loxton made in about 1917 © Bristol Reference Library Continued from previous page acquaintance had mostly died off, and she had made no new ones since his death. Her greatest happiness was to have my mother there with some of the young fry; and we, on our part, had no pleasure so great as that of a visit to Bedminster. It was, indeed, for my mother, as well as for us, an advantage beyond all price to have this quiet country home at so easy a distance, abounding as it did with all country comforts. It sounds idyllic, and helps explain Southey’s central part in the Romantic movement. He left Bristol for a school in Corston at the age of nine, but returned to the city as a young adult in 1794. He was to introduce Wordsworth and Coleridge in Bristol. He was backed by the Bristol bookseller Joseph Cottle, who lived in Bedminster and later Knowle. Cottle backed his idealistic plans for a utopian community in America (Southey reckoned members would only need to work two hours a day, but fell out with Coleridge when Southey said he was going to take a servant). This story was covered in the Voice article on Joseph Cottle in August 2017. Southey married at St Mary Redcliffe in 1795, and after many wanderings about Europe, settled for the first time in his own house at Westbury-onTrym in 1798 – in a former alehouse which, significantly, had a large garden and beautiful views to the countryside. Here he wrote more poems in a year than at any time in his life, including his most popular
ballads, such as The Sailor Who Had Served in the Slave Trade, about a man who agonises over his role on slave ships, where he had flogged a man to death. Southey made popular the children’s story of The Three Bears, though his version didn’t include Goldilocks, and wrote histories and biographies too, including one of Admiral Lord Nelson, which is still praised today. It’s true he made his name in the Lakes, and lived in Keswick for 40 years from 1803. But part of his heart never left Bristol, and it’s not fanciful to see reflections of Lock's Mills in his poetry. The ballad The Cross Roads, for example – can that be set on the lane to Bedminster? It’s a morbid tale of a servant girl murdered on a farm, but a coroner found her somehow to blame for her fate and ruled she should be buried “Where four roads meet in infamy, With a stake drove in her breast.” Southey swore it was a true tale, which happened a short way outside Bristol. The crossroads is “beside a brook” … “And there were water-cresses growing, And pleasant was the water's flowing …” An idyll that might well be the River Malago, whose gently flowing waters were still growing watercress in the 19th century. Sources • The Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey, Cuthbert Southey, 1849 • Robert Southey and Bristol, Basil Cottle, Bristol Branch of the Historical Association, 1980
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n ADVERTISING FEATURE
Longleat Safari Park - we're open for visitors Longleat has announced its drivethrough Safari Park it was open for visitors from 20th March. While Longleat House, walkthrough animal areas and other attractions are temporarily closed as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the worldfamous Safari Park will continue to operate under strict hygiene standards. The Wiltshire attraction believes the fact visitors will remain inside their vehicles for the vast majority of the experience will enable people to adhere to social distancing and hygiene guidelines. “We are keen to be able to continue to give people the opportunity to enjoy the Park in a safe and secure environment,” said Ceawlin Thynn, Executive Chairman of Longleat Enterprises. “In order to comply with the strictest hygiene standards, card payment pads will be disinfected
after each transaction and cash will not be handled during this period. “Toilet facilities within the Safari Park will be continuously staffed and disinfected, with additional hand washing and sanitising facilities available for guests. “In place of the usual food and
beverage outlets, there will be a takeaway food and drink offering at the beginning of the Safari experience. All of these policies are designed to comply with guidelines on social distancing,” he added. Longleat has said the decision
is under daily review and will be guided by the advice issued by the government and Public Health England. · For more information please visit https://www.longleat.co.uk/ visitor-info/coronavirus-faqs · To book tickets, visit https:// www.longleat.co.uk/ticket/ safari-park-ticket ADVERT OPPOSITE PAGE
n WHAT’S ON Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding coronavirus, we are suspending our normal what's on listings as most events in public places are cancelled until further notice. Please check with your organisers for more information. The following organisations have confirmed their events will not be taking place as scheduled
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• Bristol Zoological Society is temporarily closing Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wild Place Project. • Bristol museums and libraries will close temporarily until 1 May 2020 to help Bristol City Council maintain critical services and public safety during the coronavirus pandemic. • Active Ageing Bristol and its funders/partners took the decision to postpone the 8th annual Bristol Walk Fest, due to take place from May 1 to 31. • Bedminster’s Secret Gardens 2020 will no longer take place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, as this is predicted to be when the pandemic could be at its peak in the UK. Organisers have decided to try to reschedule to September. • Due to Corona Virus, leaflets regarding the BS4 Good Garden Awards will not be delivered but the competition will be going ahead in some form during June and/ or July . Please join the Facebook group for more information and share the details with friends and neighbours. Email bs4goodgardens@hotmail.com to donate or sponsor the event. Without you it cannot run!
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n THOUGHT OF THE MONTH by Nick Hay, Area Dean, Bristol South
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s I write this we are in the middle of uncertainty and confusion over the coronavirus pandemic. Reactions range from panic to fear to boredom to I don't care to, for some strange reason, I need to stock up on toilet rolls. While we have seen some selfishness in the stockpiling, we have also seen some real
loveliness in offers of help going around local facebook groups, in the singing in Italy and in the care expressed for the elderly by so many. As a local vicar I obviously think about what we can do to help, and plans are in place to do what we can, but I also want to hold onto hope. The lovely thing about Easter is it's all about hope, life in the face of death, about new life and
new beginnings. I realise there is a possibility that Easter services will be cancelled, but if they are and I'm alone in my house doing a live feed on our website, then I'll still be celebrating Jesus, who I believe conquered death and offers new life to all. God bless you all at this difficult time and may hope fill your hearts.
n CHURCH SERVICE INFORMATION IN LIGHT OF CORONAVIRUS All Church of England services are cancelled until further notice. For more information regarding St Aldhelms and St Paul's please looke to these websites www.staldhels.org & www.saintpaulschurch. co.uk or to our facebook pages. Live feed services There will be a live feed service every Sunday at 10:30 on the St Paul's facebook page. This will include Easter Day. There will be a live feed Good Friday meditation at 12:30pm on the same platform. All services at Victoria Park Baptist are cancelled until further notice Please check our Facebook page for up to date information South Bristol Methodist Church (at Knowle, Totterdown, Bedminster and St Peter's
Brislington) is sorry to have to announce that our Easter Services and events won't be going ahead this year. We will still be worshipping God and praying at home though, and doing everything we can to support each other and our community. Please email southbristol51@gmail.com, phone Rev Sally Spencer 0117 9776714, check our website at southbristolmc.org.uk or Knowle and Totterdown facebook pages, for more information. No services in St Gerards Majella Church but Mass is being live streamed on the parish website on Tues, Weds, Fri, Sat and Sunday at 10am.
Please check out www.southbristolvoice.co.uk where we will be posting up-to-date information as it arrives with us
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n THE CITY PAGE
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BRISTOL CITY ROUND-UP
Is this season likely to be written off completely? MARTIN POWELL wonders exactly what will happen to this year's football season now there's the very real threat of having it completely cancelled.
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atch postponed. Those two words might not sound quite as devastating as “global pandemic” or “national emergency” but they have certainly thrown a huge shadow over the lives of Bristol City fans. The decision by the football authorities to pull the plug on all games for the rest of March, even though the Government were not at that time banning outdoor gatherings, means that with nine games to go the season is in limbo. It is easy to trot out the Bill Shankly quote: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” But the reality of the virus sweeping the world became more than just pictures of people far away suffering when football took the decisive action. Fans can debate whether it helps Benik Afobe be fit for more games this season and other
academic arguments, but there is no clear idea when or how games will be able to resume. Of course young, fit footballers are not in the top “at risk” category with Covid-19 but who knows which of them will contract the virus, and when and just how debilitated it will leave them. Many are calling for the leagues to be declared null and void – of course, Manchester United fans would be gloating at the thought of Liverpool having the Premier League title snatched away from them. In the past, football has
coped with large swathes of postponements, usually weatherrelated when large snowfalls, frozen or waterlogged pitches, or bad fog have prevented play. If they do get going again in April there is ample time to fit in the fixtures with a bit of jiggerypokery. In local football I’ve known circumstances where two 80minute games have been played in one day – with the fitness of players and size of squads in the professional game now that could even be a possibility. But for now, football must take a back seat as everyone tries to cope with
the challenges we face. Football scarves make ideal face masks until (suitably sanitised) they can be raised above heads once again at Ashton Gate. What a glorious moment that will be when the survivors gather to celebrate the return to normality.
Martin’s shorts City’s last game before the suspension of the league was a celebration of 125 years, treating some past legends and their families to hospitality and a nice view of the match. That was great – what wasn’t so great was the way they were introduced to the crowd. I spotted Alan Dicks looking sprightly, but it would have been nice if the crowd had a better view of them!
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n NEWS
Diesel ban for cars in city could be delayed By Amanda Cameron BBC LDRS reporter for South Bristol Voice Bristol City Council will miss the deadline for submitting its final clean air plans to the Government because it is awaiting a response from ministry officials. The authority’s controversial plans would see Bristol become the first UK city to impose a ban on privately owned diesel vehicles. The daytime, inner-city ban would sit at the heart of a larger charging zone for older, more polluting buses, taxis and other commercial vehicles which would operate 24/7. The council was supposed to submit its final version of those plans to the Government by Saturday, February 29 in order to meet an implementation deadline of March 2021. But a delay at government level means the deadline has
been missed. The council did not respond to a question about whether the hold-up will delay the date for implementation. The authority submitted its outline clean air plans to JAQU, a joint unit of the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in November 2019. JAQU is leading the Government’s work to ensure the
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A council spokesperson said: “Following the submission of the Outline Business Case (OBC) in November last year, we have been working hard on the further modelling work and developing the plans to go into the Full Business Case (FBC). “We have been in regular discussion with the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU), but we are still waiting for a formal response on the OBC, and any direction on the next stage of our plans. “There have understandably been delays from Government due to the General Election and ministerial changes, but we hope to get an update soon.” The council is under a legal obligation to reduce air pollution in the city by lowering NO2 levels to within legal limits as quickly as possible. It was among 24 local authorities given the order by the government in 2017.
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