Thornbury Voice January 2021

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January, 2021 Issue 44

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A shot in the arm Housing plan for old school site

THE site of the Castle School Sixth Form Centre - and former Thornbury Grammar School will be used for new housing after students are moved to a new building, South Gloucestershire Council has confirmed.

PAGE 4

Alveston pensioner Jack Vokes, 98, was the first person in the region to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccination as a national programme got underway. Full story: Page 2 Picture: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

New market for High Street A TWICE-monthly market in Thornbury High Street has been given the go-ahead, despite objections from some traders and residents.

The town’s chamber of commerce was among 15 opponents of the block street trading application from market organisers Green Top Events, who cited concerns about road safety and shops losing trade.

But South Gloucestershire Council’s licensing sub-committee granted permission for the market, on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, after being given assurances that most of the stallholders would eventually be local traders and artisans, and that it would increase the number of customers visiting stores.

Turn to page 3

Bright future for woodland

A WOODLAND area near Thornbury’s leisure centre which was saved from development now has a new name, a new purpose and £25,000 of investment.

PAGE 5

Severn Bridge renaming row

A PROPOSAL to rename the Severn Bridge after the Queen could embarrass her – and lead to "toxic" nationalist arguments, it has been claimed.

PAGE 8

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February deadline Our January edition deadline is January 13.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Thornbury Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. We cannot vouch for any services offered. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor. Thornbury Voice is distributed each month to local residents. If for some reason you do not get a copy, please get in touch or collect one from local pick-up points. Feedback is welcomed, call Richard On 01454 800 120 or contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

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Jack Vokes celebrates after receiving his COVID-19 vaccination.

Picture: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Jack's jab is the first of millions ALVESTON pensioner Jack Vokes made history when he became the first person in the Bristol area to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as part of a national programme.

Jack, who is 98, was given the jab as he prepared to leave Southmead Hospital on December 8.

A week later a programme of community vaccination began, with GPs calling patients in for jabs, initially to a single hub for South Gloucestershire.

Jack said: “I hope I’ve helped by having this in advance.

"I live in hope that by the middle of next year we’ll hopefully be living a normal life.”

Southmead was one of 50 hospital hubs across the country to start the first phase of vaccinations, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Since the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine got the green light from regulators, staff from across the area have been working around the clock to manage the large-scale logistical challenge of deploying the vaccine.

Speaking as Jack was given his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Dr Tim Whittlestone, Clinical Director at North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead, said: “This is a historic moment for the country, and I want to thank staff across our health and care system who have worked incredibly hard to get us ready to deliver the vaccine locally."

People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers were the first to receive the jab, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.

The first patients of surgeries in South Gloucestershire were due to start receiving calls to come and have coronavirus vaccinations from mid-December, with GPs pooling resources to set up vaccination centres where nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other NHS staff will work alongside GPs. The NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, which is in charge of funding local NHS services, announced one South Gloucestershire surgery in its first wave of hubs, at Kingswood Health Centre in Kingswood.

Dr Neil Kerfoot, from the surgery, said: "We are really excited to be able to start vaccinating local residents to help protect them against coronavirus.

"We have been booking patients in for the last few days and inviting those over the age of 80 to come and get their jab. We are asking everyone to be patient and not to contact their surgery in relation to vaccination – we will contact you when we are ready to book you in."

COVID-19 deaths rise: Page 12

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January, 2021

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n NEWS

Market approved despite traders' concerns Frome page 1 Gary Marsh, owner of independent home interiors shop Papilio at Heritage, told the meeting on December 15: “Bluntly, the days when there was enough footfall and custom for shops that we were able to support a street market, as well as the high street retailers, are long gone.

“We are fishing in an everdecreasing pool.”

Mr Marsh said only two of the 30 market traders listed in the application were local, with more than half from Wales and three from Hereford.

“Almost all of those traders will compete with the existing high street retailers in Thornbury,” he said.

“I don’t need to emphasise the perilous nature of the retailers.

“We are one of the largest independent retailers in the High Street, and we broke even the year before covid. Goodness knows where we will be next year.

“In terms of the local economy, my picture for the committee would be: you’re being invited to build a pipeline between Thornbury and Wales and ask all the High Street retailers to shovel £20 notes into it, because that will be the effect – people coming into the town to sell their goods and wares, in competition with those of the high street.

“Most of that money will go out over the Severn Bridge and certainly out of South Gloucestershire.”

The meeting also heard

The first of two street markets held on an experimental basis in October.

Picture: Roger Gosling from Thornbury Chamber of Commerce secretary Zoe Gilbraith, who said deliveries to one side of the High Street could not be made to the rear of properties, and the market would cause safety issues.

“Having markets doesn’t help money be spent in shops,” she said.

“We don’t think it’s the right time or the right frequency to have a market.”

Penny Skinner, who used to run food fairs in Castle Street, said approving the street market would take income out of Thornbury and should be delayed until the consultation on the experimental pedestrianisation of the main road to help social distancing had been completed.

Alan Jones said takings at the charity shop where he worked as a volunteer halved on the day of the organisers’ inaugural market in October.

“We already have a Saturday market licensed in the car park in Rock Street, which has diminished over the years, so I can’t see a market in the High

Street being of any use to us.

“Basically we don’t want it.

End of story.”

But Jan Walsh, of Green Top Events, told the panel that the firm had been organising markets for 10 years and that they increased shops’ visitors.

She said: “The model has always been collaborative.

“The first market held in Thornbury was a test, and while I can absolutely understand the concerns that there were quite a number of stalls that were not local, we had to provide a good quality to demonstrate the type of traders we’re looking at.”

Ms Walsh said their market in Chepstow began as a monthly event three years ago but had become so popular it was now weekly, and that local businesses and hobbyists were now the predominant traders, which would be the model for Thornbury as it grew.

She said: “We have experience and knowledge that footfall is driven up quite significantly in a town that has a good quality market.”

Gareth O’Sullivan said on

behalf of the company that, unlike the test event two months ago, which had been a “learning curve”, stall gazebos would face the shops, so customers could go easily between both.

He said that while some people objected, 300 to 400 others were in favour of the market.

Donna Whinham, the council’s regeneration manager for economic recovery from coronavirus, wrote in support and told the hearing that the market would support the High Street.

Members approved the application for the market, which will trade from 10am to 3pm between Castle Street and The Close from February 27, with conditions, including ensuring no stallholders were selling the same goods as high street shops, so they were not in direct competition. n People have until January 31 to respond to the public consultation on the experimental closure of Thornbury High Street to through traffic.

South Gloucestershire Council's questionnaire on the closure can be found on the consultations section of the council website, at bit. ly/32MQKXM. Anyone without internet access can call 01454 866000 to request a copy of the survey to be posted to them, with a free post address to return completed surveys.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Extra £15 per household to pay for police HOUSEHOLDS across Avon and Somerset could have to pay the police an extra £15 next year or see PCSO numbers cut.

Payments to the force are just one part of council tax bills and local authorities are expected to be able to increase their share by up to five per cent after the pandemic squeezed their budgets.

Councillors have warned of a cumulative effect on families who are already feeling the pinch.

Police and crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens has launched a consultation on the mooted 6.6 per cent increase to the police precept to understand the impact it

will have.

She told the police and crime panel on December 8: “This is a really big decision, one I didn’t think we’d have to make this year.

“We’ll have to make cuts if we go for a less than five per cent increase. If we want proactivity we have to go higher.

“We have families that have been extremely hard hit by Covid. There’s some real fragility in our economy. This isn’t an easy decision in any way, shape or form.

We will put up our antennae to capture the public voice.

“If the rise is less than five per cent it

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will be a cut in staff, and the equivalent of 64 PCSOs. I can’t cut police officers, they have been ring-fenced.”

A five per cent increase would allow the force to balance its budget, but a 6.6 per cent hike – the maximum allowed – would allow another 70 officers to be recruited.

The £15 increase would take the police’s annual share of council tax to £240 for the average band D property.

An online consultation is being held at pcc.policedigital.services/forms/ops.

By Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

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January, 2021

Housing plan for Castle Sixth Form Centre

THE site of the Castle School Sixth Form Centre will be used for new housing after students are moved to a new building, South Gloucestershire Council has confirmed.

The former Thornbury Grammar School in Gloucester Road is one of six council-owned land holdings earmarked for new housing.

The sites, selected from more than 100 owned by the council, were revealed in cabinet papers at the start of December.

The Voice reported in October that the sixth form site would be sold off, when the council and the Castle School Education Trust confirmed details of a £16.7 million revamp of both Castle and Marlwood schools.

As well as investment in both schools, the plan involves moving their shared sixth form provision from Gloucester Road to the main Castle site in Park Road.

The sixth form site was the home of Thornbury Grammar

School for almost a century, until it transferred to Alveston to become Marlwood School in 1972, after which the buildings became the Castle Upper School and later the Castle Sixth Form Centre.

It was built following the merger of two 17th century free schools in Castle Street and St Mary Street in 1879.

No more details of the future of the site were revealed in the council papers, but a planning application has already been submitted for another site on the

council's list: a site in Frenchay which had been earmarked for a new primary school but is no longer needed.

That application, for 30 homes, has been made by Aequus Developments, a housing company owned by Bath & North East Somerset Council.

South Gloucestershire Council is setting up a housing delivery partnership with B&NES via Aequus, as an alternative to setting up its own housing company.

It has indicated that it wants

to work with other like-minded developers, such as housing associations, to provide "higher than market standard" housing, where at least a third of the homes are affordable.

Council cabinet member for corporate resources Ben Burton said the Frenchay development illustrated why he believed the joint venture approach to housing is the "right way to proceed".

He said: "Thirty-five per cent of those properties are going to be affordable housing.

"Air handling units for heating have been proposed, and EV (electric vehicle) charging points have also been included in those plans.

"I think there’s actually an opportunity for the council as a whole to actually deliver better quality housing, the type of housing our residents want to live in."

By Amanda Cameron, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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January, 2021

5

n NEWS

Bright future ahead for woodland A WOODLAND area near Thornbury’s leisure centre, which was saved from development, now has a new name, a new purpose and £25,000 of investment.

South Gloucestershire Council recently announced funding to remove dangerous trees to make the Vilner Lane Wood site safe for use.

It has accepted a change of name to Thornbury Farm Wood, which was put forward by a new group, the Friends of Thornbury Farm Wood. The friends include the Thornbury Community Composting Group, which has been active at the site for some time, Forest Explorers Forest School, and youth organisation Krunch South West.

They are now working on the arrangements needed before the money is spent.

Friends group chairman Brett Harrison was part of the Woodland Action Group set up

Bob Quilty, Jerry Dicker, Tom Usherwood and Brett Harrison, of the Friends of Thornbury Farm Wood with Thornbury Community Composting chairman Dave Moore at a socially distanced meeting help plan the wood's future. in 2016 to save the woods, a former tree nursery which had previously been recommended for sale as a site for a care home.

He said: "After hearing the good news that funds have been allocated to make the woodland safe, the newly formed friends group has been encouraged.

"Losing Vilner Lane woodland would have been a great loss for the community of Thornbury and so it is fantastic that it will remain part of the local landscape."

The Forest Explorers and Krunch plan to prepare a communal area for outdoor

educational sessions for children and young people, including bushcraft and shelter building.

Composting group founder Jerry Dicker, an arboriculturist, believes sessions for outdoor education can coexist well with enhancing wildlife.

He said: “It is already rich in plant, bird and insect life but we want to encourage more. The wood is fenced off to protect the fragile habitat, but it will be opened from time to time for public events engaging people with the natural world.”

Thornbury Town Council chair Jayne Stansfield said: "We look forward to seeing it used for a range of outdoor education and events over the coming years."

South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member Ben Burton said: “This investment will go a great distance in securing the wood’s long-term future."

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January, April, 2021 2017

n NEWS NEWS ■

Food growing on the menu at Thornbury open meeting ANYONE interested in producing their own vegetables, fruit and salad is invited to an open meeting of the Grow Your Own Food Group in Thornbury.

The group was set up to share knowledge about food gardening and last year held two successful open meetings, which resulted in new members joining.

With the start of the new growing season, the exercise is being repeated, with the event taking place in The Chantry, Castle Street, on Los Pacaminos, band featuring 80s pop star Paul Young, Thursday, Marchthe 30,Tex-Mex from 7.30pm-9pm. were one of the performers booked to play at this year's cancelled Thornbury Arts Festival

Horns of plenty in 2021 arts festival fund raising concert is off bycalled Cornucopia

LUKE HALL MP MP for Thornbury, Yate and the surrounding villages Write to Luke at: Luke Hall MP, 26 High Street, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6AH e: luke.hall.mp@parliament.uk w: lukehall.org.uk Promoted by Luke Hall MP, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA.

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ORGANISERS of Thornbury Arts Festival have taken the “difficult” decision to call off the 2021 event due to continuing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

But organisers hope some flavour of the festival could be preserved with some one-off events laterbyinCornucopia, the year, including some A CONCERT in Thornbury a quartet of held outdoors. professional horn players, will raise money for the town’s The decision shelve the annual programme of music, comedy, Armstrong Halltodevelopment project. drama and talks follows the his cancellation the 2020 festival in at short Music

by Mozart - and son - andof Haydn will feature notice last spring, after andStreet, the first the performance in theCOVID-19 Cossham took Hall,hold Chapel onnational Friday, lockdown was introduced.

March 31.

InThe normal the finishing touches would bealso made the line19th times, century piece Bird of the Forest will be to played, upwith of events beforeclosing winter,with withGordon tickets going sale inSongs.

February. the evening Carr’son Chinese But with the 2021 event startplayer at theNicki end of April and Cornucopia will join upscheduled with localtoflute Woodward Government forecasts of restrictions being in place at least in the (Barnes), baritone Niall Hoskin andstill pianist Steven Hollas for the early part of the new year, the festival committee felt itavailable. was too risky concert, tickets for which cost £12, with concessions to plan for are liveon performances.

They sale in Thornbury Town Hall, High Street, or by The event’s traditional phoning 01454 412272. venue, the Armstrong Hall, has also been closed since the start of the first lockdown and remains shut for the “foreseeable” future.

The committee said: “Given that our festival was scheduled for April 23 to May 1 and that we currently do not have a viable venue, we feel that the option to continue with the festival on those dates is too precarious and hence we have resolved that it will not go ahead.”

However, the committee said it was exploring opportunities it might have to provide ad hoc events later in the year at alternate venues, which could include outdoor sites.

It also still plans to run a full festival in the spring of 2022.

The committee said: “This has been a very difficult decision and we very much regret that we will not be in a position to host an arts festival week in 2021 as previously intended.”

This year's festival had been due to take place between April 24 and May 2 at Armstrong Hall and ticket sales were already well underway when the pandemic hit, with several events close to selling Wednesday 14th June 2017 out.

Acts who hadArmstrong been due to appear impressionist-turned Hall,included Thornbury classical pianist Alistair McGowan and pop singer-songwriter Paul Young's Tex-Mex band Los Pacaminos.

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January, 2021

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Covid rules turn out the lights A CHRISTMAS lights display which raises thousands of pounds for charity every year has had to turn visitors away after the crowds it attracted breached covid restrictions.

Sue and Graham Hawkes have been running the spectacular event in Cope Park, Almondsbury, for 15 years.

Last year the display, which covers their garden as well as the house, raised £9,000 for local charities St Peter’s Hospice and Paul’s Place.

The couple started planning this year's display back in September, when Graham rang the police and South Gloucestershire Council for advice.

He was told it was fine to go ahead, as long as they had covid safety measures in place, including social distancing, hand sanitisers and a one-way system.

The couple added floor markings, a contactless card machine, and set up a page for online donations to avoid handling cash. They asked their neighbours if anyone was vulnerable to COVID-19, and went ahead with their support.

Instead of holding the usual switch-on evening event, which in other years has pulled in crowds of up to 400 people, they made a video for social media.

Initially all was well – but on the first Saturday night, visitors just kept on coming.

Graham said: “People just kept turning up and turning up.

In the past people would park up and walk round for 5-10 minutes and take a photo, but because they were taking so long

Sue and Graham Hawkes' spectacular lights in Cope Park, Almondsbury to get through and see the house and move on, the queue kept building.”

A member of the public phoned the police, who told Graham and Sue to turn off the lights, which they did at 8.15pm that night.

Graham said “There were hundreds of comments on Facebook from people who were gutted. The following morning the neighbours were coming round with bottles of wine to cheer us up. We were crying like a couple of five year olds, and so upset with it all.”

The couple are still collecting money online but are concerned about the loss of income to the two local charities, which are close to their hearts.

One of their son’s friends was

supported by St Peter’s Hospice, and Graham’s brother-in-law, Kevin, who lives in Thornbury with his wife Debbie and their three children, was looked after

by Paul’s Place following a stroke in his 40’s, which left him largely dependent on a wheelchair.

If donations from the first week had continued at the same rate, Graham believes the display would have raised at least £10,000.

He hopes that people will view the display on YouTube and Facebook by searching for Christmas Light Display Almondsbury, and keep donating online: donation pages for each charity can be found by searching for Cope Park Christmas Lights Display at JustGiving.com.

Graham said: "It’s been so upsetting this past week. We never thought we’d end up raising this sort of money and never thought we’d end up with the police coming and telling us to turn the lights off."

The couple have discussed whether to bring the display back for Christmas next year but Graham said: "If this pandemic hasn’t cleared up, it’s a definite no."

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January, 2021

Severn Bridge name change 'could embarrass Queen' A PROPOSAL to rename the Severn Bridge after the Queen could embarrass her – and lead to "toxic" nationalist arguments, a councillor has claimed.

South Gloucestershire Council passed a motion on December 9 to write to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to request the change in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Severn Vale ward councillor Matthew Riddle proposed the motion as a "suitable" tribute to mark the monarch's 70 years on the throne in February 2022.

But while his Conservative colleagues supported the motion, opposition councillors abstained, raising concerns over Welsh sensitivities and the cost of changing the signs.

The Queen opened the bridge in 1966. It carries the M48 between Aust and Beachley, before the motorway continues over the Beachley Viaduct and Wye Bridge into Wales.

Council Labour group deputy leader Ian Boulton said renaming the bridge without consulting Welsh politicians and the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent could "embarrass" the Queen, and "reignite arguments of toxic nationalism on both sides of the border".

Cllr Boulton said: "My dad was on duty as

a police officer at the opening of the Severn Bridge.

"Dad was responsible for staying close to hand to the Gloucestershire chief constable with the technology of the day – a large radio backpack – to keep in touch with HQ, because threats of terrorist attacks from the Free Welsh Army were real and everyone was on a state of alert.

"We forget about the Free Welsh Army, however, genuine sensitivities remain as real today as they were in 1966, which could be hurtful, divisive and to the detriment of the efforts over the decades and to the very institution this proposal is seeking to honour."

Liberal Democrat group deputy leader Maggie Tyrrell said: "What is worrying about this motion is that it’s completely uncosted."

She said a Freedom of Information request last year revealed £216,000 was spent changing signs on the Second Severn

Crossing when it was renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in 2018 by the Welsh government – without prior consultation.

Cllr Tyrrell said: "If public money is to be spent, we would prefer to see it spent on a project that is of benefit to the community which, to be frank, the name on a bridge isn’t."

Cllr Riddle said the Queen was a "symbol of leadership and hope for our country through good times and bad" and renaming the Severn Bridge after her would be an "ideal tribute".

He admitted he had been "quite critical" of the renaming of the Second Severn Crossing and said Highways England would have to "reflect very carefully about how much money they spend".

Cllr Riddle said he had left the wording of the new name “quite loose” in his motion so it could be decided on after careful consideration.

“If the secretary of state is keen on this idea, I would expect him to launch a full consultation, not only on the name but also on the need for it,” he added.

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January, 2021

9

n NEWS

Pandemic puts squeeze on school funds

Quiz events, like this one at the Castle School in 2019, have been impossible under COVID-19 rules. list run by FOMS, which enables parents to buy resources, is still going strong, with everything from Bluetooth speakers to calligraphy pens recently purchased.

There is still support from local companies: a social media appeal from PE teacher Matthew Richards for a new tumble drier was answered by the firm Team Knowhow in a matter of days.

At the Castle School, the Friends have benefited from the Co-Op Local Community Fund.

Shoppers chose them to benefit from a donation of 2p in every £1 spent on certain Co-Op goods.

Friends associations have also risen to the challenge of finding new covid-safe fundraising events.

Gillingstool head teacher Caroline Carter says the school's friends group is has been "getting imaginative". They came up with the idea of a Halloween window trail around Thornbury and organised letters from Santa and a Christmas jumper day, as

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well as a project enabling pupils to sell their own Christmas card designs, which raised enough money to buy a digital camera for each class.

She said: “The money raised won’t be anywhere near the level normally achieved but every little bit helps.”

FOMS chair Jo Baxter said:

“We’ve just had to become more inventive with how we can fundraise.”

She cites the example of a virtual balloon race which was hugely successful, raising almost £800 for food tech equipment.

But both Jo and Justin Warr, the vice chair of CSF who went on his own fundraising bike ride from Land’s End to John O'Groats, raising more than £1,500, agree that friends groups are as much about building community, through gardening days, DIY days and other events, as they are about raising money.

In 2021 CSF is pursuing "covid-proof" ideas such as a PayPal giving fund, online quizzes, and a 100 club lottery, but more significantly it hopes to be able to get parents to continue building its garden for children with special educational needs.

The absence of community togetherness is what Justin calls the "real loss" of the pandemic.

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MONEY raised by schools' supporters groups pays for more than just the little extras nowadays.

As the Voice has reported on many occasions, parent teacher and friends associations provide vital funds schools have come to rely on to plug gaps in budgets, with donors providing everything from pens and computers to fridges for food tech classrooms.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit fundraising hard, with most traditional events having to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

But groups are finding new and innovative ways to keep money coming in.

The Friends of Marlwood School (FOMS) usually hold two big quizzes every year, which bring in about £1,000, in addition to Marlwood’s Got Talent which can raise another £1,300, and the traditional Christmas Fair, which contributed £750 last year.

In 2020 all these events were cancelled.

The Castle School Friends (CSF) estimate that they are down around £5,000 since the start of the pandemic because of the loss of a host of events: quiz nights, a car boot sale, refreshment stalls, a Halloween party and Christmas market.

Primary schools have also been affected. At Gillingstool Primary the friends would usually hold discos and film nights in the autumn term which, along with the Christmas Fair, would bring in over £1,000 to fund school projects.

Some fundraising methods have survived. The Amazon wish

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thornburyvoice

10

January, 2021

n NEWS FROM STROUD AUCTION ROOMS

Tsar'sdogcollar gift hasbidders' tailsup ALWAYS a popular time with buyers, Stroud Auctions’ December sale exceeded expectations once again.

And while jewellery and luxury wristwatches attracted the highest prices among more than 2,000 lots, the biggest stir at the auction was caused by a not-so-humble dog collar.

It seems that the British are not alone in their devotion to their canines, and this particular collar was a fabulous one, with royal provenance.

The Russian silver dog collar was a gift from the Tsar to the breeder of his Afghan hound, and eventually sold for £750 after some intense bidding.

Luxury wristwatches continue to be extremely popular, so it was no surprise that a Molex Daytona example sold for £7,700. Equally desirable but lesser-known makes also made great prices, including a CWC military chronograph (£1,200) and a Butcherer (£2,100).

Even vintage Seiko watches were

making up to £500.

Good pocket watches are always sought after as Christmas gifts, this was reflected in the £1,600 hammer price of two gold examples and the £2,000 realised by a doctor’s chronograph.

Antique pieces in good condition among the 850 lots in the jewellery section once again

sold extremely well.

A Victorian rivière necklace, discovered in a lot of costume jewellery by Stroud auctions’ jewellery specialist Alexandra, made an astonishing £800 – once again proving the difference it can make when a qualified specialist valuer catalogues your items.

Other notable results from the

jewellery section include an Art Deco platinum ring, set with a natural untreated cornflower blue Sri Lankan sapphire and diamonds, which sold for £3,500, a Victorian gold bangle set with pearls which sold for £1,050 and a Georgian ring set with seven foiled rose cut diamonds which made £1,100.

Both port and whisky made excellent prices in the fine wines and spirits section, while a selection of high-quality wines including Chateau D’Yquem made as much as £300 a bottle. Even a missing label did not deter bidding on two bottles of Barros 1945 port, which eventually sold for £600.

To have something you would like to have valued by one of Stroud Auctions’ specialists, contact us by phone on 01453 873800 or email valuations@stroudauctions. co.uk.

We are accepting entries for all upcoming auctions including the next sale of jewellery, watches, silver and coins in March 2021.

STROUD AUCTION ROOMS Including specialist sections of jewellery, silver, watches, clocks, coins, designer goods & textiles

To advertise, contact Richard on 01454 800 120

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

thornburyvoice

January, 2021

11

n NEWS

Return of long-lost station moves closer THE return of a station for the village of Charfield, 55 years after its rail link was cut, has moved a step closer.

The new Charfield station has been included in a list of projects outlined in the West of England Combined Authority’s first 10-year rail delivery plan.

Approved on December 4 following an agreement with Network Rail, the plan aims to transform the railways, create fast, frequent, low-carbon, “turn up and go” train services and make improvements to existing stations, including step-free access for all.

Among the aspirations are the launch of the long-planned MetroWest regional network and electrification of the line between Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway and Chippenham.

The new Charfield station would serve a growing population – 291 new homes are currently planned – and also serve passengers from Thornbury and other surrounding villages, who currently face a journey to Yate, Bristol Parkway or Cam & Dursley to join the rail network.

Other new stations for Ashley Down, Ashton Gate and St Anne's Park in Bristol, as well as Saltford, between Keynsham and Bath, could also open.

The old Charfield station buildings A report to Weca said the 10-year rail plan aimed to deliver MetroWest services and infrastructure over two five-year periods.

The first, up to 2025, focuses on existing schemes such as half-hourly trains between Temple Meads and Yate, plus a possible extension to provide more frequent services to Gloucester.

A new entrance and roof for Bristol Temple Meads, a new Portway station on the Severn Beach line and junction improvements are also included.

The new Charfield station is a "pipeline

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project" intended to be ready by 2030, with a strategic outline business case now approved.

An hourly train in each direction would form part of the MetroWest phase two extension to Gloucester.

South Gloucestershire Council leader Toby Savage said he hoped the scheme could "continue to progress rapidly through the next stages with Network Rail".

He said: “Charfield is an important development location in delivering new homes in South Gloucestershire and will provide an attractive and sustainable travel option to Gloucester, Yate and Bristol.”

A location for the station and details of transport links, including parking and bus services to Thornbury and nearby villages, have yet to be confirmed.

Details of the outline business case are expected to emerge early in 2021.

The previous Charfield station opened in 1844 and was best known as the scene of a disaster in 1928, when two night trains with gas lighting collided and caught fire, killing 15 people.

The station was taken out of service in 1965, although its original buildings remain.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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thornburyvoice

12

January, 2021

n NEWS

Warning against complacency as COVID-19 deaths in South Glos pass 230 THE official in charge of the battle against coronavirus in South Gloucestershire has warned people not to let their guard down.

Director of public health Sara Blackmore said people should not become complacent, as the number of cases in the area started to rise again following the end of the second lockdown.

Deaths of South Gloucestershire residents with COVID-19 have risen by a total of 59 in the four weeks to December 4, the most recent for which figures are available. Some 21 of those deaths came during the most recent of those weeks: 12 of them in care homes and nine in hospitals.

In total, 238 residents had died with coronavirus since the start of the pandemic: 106 in care homes, 122 in hospital and 10 at home.

In the week to December 10 there were 437 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Gloucestershire, an overall case rate of 153.3 per 100,000 population. That is below the national rate of 184 but above neighbouring Bristol, Bath & North East

Somerset and Gloucestershire.

It is also higher than the rate of 134.3 recorded a week earlier in South Gloucestershire, showing that cases are rising again.

The second lockdown helped cut infections from levels which saw 983 new cases recorded in the week to November 12 in South Gloucestershire, a rolling rate of 344.8.

Numbers of new cases recorded in the Thornbury area are currently among the lowest in the district, according to Office for National Statistics figures.

Over the seven days to December 10, there were 12 cases in the ONS Thornbury North area, which includes roads off Gloucester Road and the northern half of Morton Way. In Thornbury South, including the High Street, Gillingstool and Midland Way, the number was 'below 3' - the ONS withholds exact figures for areas with zero, one or two cases.

Alveston, Olveston & Oldbury had three new cases, Charfield, Wickwar & Iron Acton had five and Almondsbury, Pilning & Severn

Beach had seven.

Numbers have fallen since the start of the second lockdown: four weeks earlier each area of Thornbury had 15 new confirmed cases, Alveston, Olveston & Oldbury had 17, Charfield, Wickwar & Iron Acton had 14, and Almondsbury, Pilning & Severn Beach had 41.

Ms Blackmore told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I think people are still overwhelmingly trying to do the right thing, but COVID-19 is spread by contact and closeness to others and, as people have returned to work and been out and about more, even under the restrictions of Tier 3, cases have risen, as we’ve seen.

"Because the disease can be passed between people who don’t show symptoms, it is essential that at all times we follow the guidance, Hands Face Space.

"It will take a long time to vaccinate everyone, which is why at the same time as we can be happy that the vaccine is coming, we cannot let our guard down."

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thornburyvoice

January, 2021

13

n THORNBURY CLINIC

Train smart: avoiding injury when going back to exercise

Craig Boustead is a Senior Physiotherapist at The Thornbury Clinic who specialises in sports injuries. Alongside his work at the clinic Craig is the head physiotherapist at premiership rugby club Bristol Bears.

WITH the New Year round the corner, you might decide to challenge yourself with some healthy resolutions. Don’t let injury set you back and stand in the way of your 2021 health and fitness goals!

With the unprecedented year we have just had, our training and exercise regimes may have changed – either by choice due to the recent lockdowns, meaning we have more time on our hands for physical activity, or by enforcement due to closures of gyms, pools and leisure facilities.

For some, the start of the new year may just be the start of a new you and the beginning of your health and fitness journey.

As we enter January, most of us will likely fall into one of these groups. If not, we may have just been less frequent with our exercise over the festive period and tempted by a few extra mince pies instead!

All these factors can increase our risk of injury. However, we should not let this deter us from physical activity, as the benefits by far outweigh these risks. Instead, follow this handy guide to ensure you stay in the low risk and even injury-free population!

1 Ensure your work station is suitable: its likely you will spend most of your day here, so its crucial your set-up is posture-friendly. Postural changes can alter the way we move, particularly when performing physical activities.

These changes will ultimately affect our movement mechanics and increase our risk of injury. Ergonomic advice is recommended if your work station has changed or never been assessed.

2 Know your limitations: if you haven’t performed physical activity for a few weeks, or even months, your training

capacity and threshold will have decreased. Ease yourself back into any training schedule and ensure progressions are gradual.

3 Allow time for recovery and adaptations: when a muscle has worked, it produces waste product and becomes fatigued.

This effectively leaves us with a short, tight muscle. It is essential we perform some low-level active movements and stretches (eg yoga) to ensure muscle length is returned and able to perform again under physical activity demands. A short, tight muscle is a weak muscle when asked to lengthen. Don’t be a victim of an injury that “started with tightness, then I felt it go”.

4 Suitable equipment: invest in your health, especially when it comes to footwear. Everybody is different – ensure you have

the right footwear or running shoe for your needs. There is a lot of research out there for all types of footwear from barefoot to stability and arch support.

My main advice would always be comfort first! Always follow expert advice if you have been prescribed corrective footwear/ insoles. Medical professionals should always prioritise comfort when prescribing orthotic needs.

In summary, our aim should always be to move well first, before we then move quicker and more often. The above guide should enable us to achieve this, whilst reducing the risk of injury burden that will set us back and prevent us from achieving our training goals, however big or small. As with all guides, this will only work if we remember to train smart, and know our limitations when progressing.

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Lee Challenger is understood to have connections in the Thornbury, Downend and Yate areas.

Officers are calling on anyone who sees him not to approach him but to instead call 999 immediately.

Challenger is 29, white, about 5ft 9in tall and of large build, with short, light, ginger hair, and is believed to have a beard.

Anyone with information which could help police trace him is being asked to call 101, quoting incident reference number 5220 246 190.

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Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

14

thornburyvoice

January, 2021

n NEWS

Milestone for flood defence scheme AN £80 million scheme to defend low-lying areas beside the river Severn from floods has finished its first stage.

An earth embankment along Passage Road, next to the Severn Estuary at Aust, is described as a "significant section" of the defence scheme being carried out by Bristol city and South Gloucestershire councils, the Environment Agency and West of England Combined Authority.

As well as protecting 2,500 homes and businesses along a ten-and-a-half mile (17km) section of the river from flooding, the authorities say the work will enhance the Embankment work in progress. natural environment and "help to unlock up Picture: South Gloucestershire Council to 12,000 new jobs" in the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area by 2027.

Known as the Avonmouth and Severnside providing diverse wildlife habitats. A petition Enterprise Area Ecology Mitigation and Flood was raised to save the trees between New Defence Project, the defences are intended to Passage and Aust. protect against anticipated rising sea levels The authorities say the scheme will create and reduce flood risk for at least 60 years.

80 hectares of new coastal wetland habitats Some £63m of the funding has come at Northwick and Hallen Marsh. from the West of England Local Enterprise Work on the embankment finished on Partnership, administered by the West of December 11.

England Combined Authority.

South Gloucestershire Council leader When it was approved last year, critics Toby Savage said: "Our engineers are now said the scheme was taller and wider than preparing for the next sections of new or it needed to AW.qxp_Layout be and would destroy 500 WB Generic 1 23/09/2020 21:57reinforced Page 2 flood walls and new embankments mature trees and 4,000 metres of hedgerow, along the River Severn and Avonmouth

Docks.

"Driving this project is the urgency for society to take measures to tackle the climate emergency, support the natural environment and protect local communities at Pilning and Severn Beach from flooding before it is too late.

"This major investment is creating jobs and despite the challenges of COVID-19; our contractors BMMjv have introduced safety measures to continue construction, sustain momentum and make sure we are on schedule to complete by 2026/27."

Environment Agency area director Emma Baker said: "The scale and complexity of this project require some changes to the natural environment. But we are planting much more in terms of high-quality tree numbers and shrubs than we are removing over the course of this project.

"For example, over the past twelve months, we created new ponds for thousands of new plants and protected wildlife, like Great Crested Newts. The new wetland habitats will reinvigorate a thriving environment to be one of the most important in the country."

A video of the work is on the council's YouTube channel.

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thornburyvoice

January, 2021

15

n NEWS A DEMAND to postpone the election of the region's next Metro Mayor has been made amid a row over the expansion of the West of England Combined Authority.

A cross-party councillors group of councillors says delaying the election could be the only way to bring warring sides together for talks on the admission of North Somerset to the regional partnership.

Last month the current West of England Mayor, Conservative Tim Bowles, and the leaders of South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset and North Somerset councils, accused Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees of “putting party politics before doing the right thing for the region” by blocking Weca’s expansion.

Labour politician Mr Rees said he was disappointed “an ongoing internal debate” had been made public and said he did support North Somerset joining – but only when the Government had put in place “a clear financial offer that benefits Bristol and the West of England economy”.

Bristol city councillors have passed a motion backing North Somerset’s inclusion but an amendment by the ruling

Call for delay in election to replace Metro Mayor

Marvin Rees

Tim Bowles

Labour group removed the deadline for the necessary public consultation, which Tories and Lib Dems claimed had “kicked the issue into the long grass” for at least another four years.

Under devolution legislation, a combined authority cannot change its boundaries midterm between metro mayoral elections, because any new district would not have had a say in the vote.

Calls were made at a Weca overview and scrutiny committee in December for the election in May 2021 to be pushed back, until an agreement on North Somerset joining is reached.

It follows a letter signed by all committee members – including Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens and independents – to the mayors and council leaders urging them to hurry up and sort it out.

They wrote: “We understand that if this issue cannot be resolved urgently then North Somerset will not be able to join Weca until 2025 at the earliest and this is not acceptable.

“Therefore, we ask that all parties meet to discuss this urgently and try and ensure that our region has the ability to speak with one voice when decisions are being made by central government that impact on all our citizens.”

Mr Bowles, a former South Gloucestershire councillor, recently announced that he would not stand for re-election to the post and intended to retire from politics.

While the Tories have yet to announce a new candidate, Labour and the Lib Dems have already each selected a former MP to be their hopeful: Dan Norris for Labour and Stephen Williams for the Lib Dems.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Electoral maths lie at root of row THE argument over allowing North Somerset to join Weca seems to be a dry one about funding and representation, but just under the surface it is the electoral interests of the political parties that are fuelling the fire.

And as with so many areas of life this year, it is the coronavirus pandemic which has changed the electoral maths.

The first election took place in 2017, a month before that year's general election but with no other elections that day.

Conservative Tim Bowles won, on a low turnout of just under 30%.

The 2021 election might also have attracted a similar turnout – but when the pandemic led to the cancellation of Bristol's council and mayoral election in May this year, it changed the odds.

The Bristol elections are now due to take place on the same day as the Metro Mayor elections in May 2021.

With the turnout in the last Bristol elections at nearly 45%, the Tories and Lib Dems fear that the larger number of Bristol voters will boost Labour, handing

them an advantage in the metro mayor election because of its lower profile in other districts.

Adding the electors of North Somerset into the equation, however, gives the Tories new hope.

Traditionally a Tory stronghold – notwithstanding the council's current Independent-Lib Dem administration, elected at the nadir of Theresa May's unpopularity – the voters of North Somerset could tip things back in the Conservatives' favour.

With independents and Lib Dems leaving them a distant fourth there in 2019, adding North Somerset to the electoral mix does Labour no favours at all, so you can understand the party crying foul at the prospect of the area being added at the 11th hour, however flimsy the reasons for resisting it sound.

Likewise, moving the Metro Mayor election to a date away from the Bristol local elections also takes away Labour's potential turnout advantage.

Other factors could yet change the

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game. Just as independents won in Bristol in 2012, and in the two police and crime commissioner elections, a candidate from outside the parties might yet emerge, although time is running out for one to start campaigning.

The fallout from Brexit could lead to another national wave of unpopularity for the Tories.

Or another wave of coronavirus could see elections postponed again – but it's hard to see the Weca vote moving to a different date from Bristol's local elections if that is the case.

Of course, if the Tories who ran North Somerset Council back in 2016 had toed the party line and voted to join Weca, none of this would be happening now.

Fearing membership of an authority dominated by a Labour-run Bristol, they voted to stay out.

The irony is that, had they joined back then, the electoral maths would be far more favourable to the Tories now.

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

thornburyvoice

16

January, 2021

n LOCAL MP

New railway station is vital to our future

A

S we step into 2021 and build back better from the coronavirus pandemic, investing in our local infrastructure such as Charfield station remains key.

Living in South Gloucestershire my whole life, I have seen how congested our local roads can be and know just how vital improving our local transport links is for local people.

Schemes such as re-opening Charfield station are now more important than ever, as our local economy begins to regain momentum.

I am delighted that, as we step into a fresh year, we are taking one big success with us: Charfield station.

The case for Charfield station has been approved, meaning that we are one step further in our

station becoming a reality.

This new Charfield station is intended to comprise two platforms, a pedestrianised foot bridge and a small waiting area with shelters and seating on each platform.

Work now begins to continue to deliver the station and bring back vital railway services for the village and surrounding area, enhancing connections between places like Yate, Bristol, Gloucester and Bath.

Delivering this station will help to relieve some of the growing pressure on the road network.

This will mean quicker journey times to Bristol and Gloucester, and will provide a vital link to employment, schools and colleges.

The next stage in this campaign is to confirm the

location of the new station, establish new facilities to support the station’s reopening and the eventual Network Rail construction.

Charfield station joins the list of successful transport schemes we have worked, with the help of the community, to deliver in the past few years.

These also include scrapping the Severn Bridge tolls, agreeing new electric car charging points in Thornbury, Yate and Frampton Cotterell, doubling the frequency of trains to Yate, resurfacing our rural roads, and re-instating the Southmead Hospital bus link from Chipping Sodbury.

As we start 2021, I want to reassure Voice readers that I will continue to fight for better transport links in our area and continue pushing

Luke Hall MP writes for Thornbury Voice

for schemes such as an A38 transport investment package for Thornbury, Junction 18A on the M4 and completing the Yate to Bristol cycle path.

As ever, to find out more about our Positive Plan for Transport, or if there is anything else that you need assistance with, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

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thornburyvoice

January, 2021

n NEWS CHILDREN at Christ the King Primary School in Thornbury studied the techniques used by famous painters and used them to create their own works during a special arts week.

Every year group bubble took part in the event, which was an opportunity to study different art forms in detail.

School art lead Anna Wansall said: “We looked at a wide range of artists, looking at the more traditionally well-known as well as contemporary artists from all around the world, and we talked about how the artwork was created and how we felt about different pieces of art.

"We all had lots of fun in the week and produced some beautiful work.”

The reception class studied shapes, looking at the work of Kandinsky. Year 1 looked at pop art, Year 2 studied watercolours, Year 3 explored mosaics and Year 4 learned about collage.

Year 5 teacher Rebecca Stephens said: “We looked at Paul Cezanne’s still life, a picture of Jesus and Zaria Forman’s Antarctic landscape pictures.

"Portholes were created by the class, each completing a small section then putting it all together.”

The children used oil pastels to create their own artwork.

Year 6 chose William Morris and learnt printing techniques.

Head teacher Mary

17

Famous painters inspire school's arts week

Children painting during Christ the King Primary School's art week, and some of the work inspired by famous artists

Mainwaring said the event had been "amazing", adding: "We have had to face many challenges during this difficult year and, as a staff, we are all so proud of our incredible children. It was wonderful to watch the children at work and to see them all so enthusiastic and excited to learn new techniques."

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thornburyvoice

18

n NEWS

January, 2021

Call for halls to reopen 'without delay' A FORMER artistic director of the Thornbury Arts Festival has called for the town's Armstrong Hall and Cossham Hall to be reopened.

Daphne Ashton, who has had a key role in the development of young musical talent through her involvement in the Thornbury Eisteddfod, has written an open letter to the Voice in which she says the venues in Chapel Street should reopen "with no more delay".

The chair of the Armstrong Hall Trust, town mayor Jayne Stansfield, has rejected the call and says many other venues remained closed and had benefited from considerable government support not available to the trust.

During the first national lockdown, the trust announced that it would be "unable to reopen the Armstrong Hall Complex in the near future" due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Five jobs were lost, after a review of funding examined the “severe negative financial impact” of the pandemic and found a lack of further options for external funding.

Daphne, Barbara Ray and Joan Hawkins have dedicated the last ten years to raising funds for the planned redevelopment of Armstrong Hall, mainly by holding concerts

as the Armstrong Arts Group.

More than £100,000 has already been raised, specifically for the redevelopment project.

Daphne said: “Clearly, venues have to pay attention to current covid restrictions but it is notable that other similar spaces have found a way to maintain services for the community which they serve."

She said a venue for artistic and theatrical performances would be “doubly necessary post pandemic as an aid to re-building a sense of community and well-being of the

townsfolk”, adding: "We must not give up these events."

Jayne said that neither hall would have been allowed to open under lockdown or the Tier 3 COVID-19 restrictions which replaced it in December.

She said many other venues, including the Tobacco Factory and St George's in Bristol, also remained closed despite receiving substantial Arts Council grants which the trustees "do not have access to".

Jayne said: “A simple cost-benefit analysis concluded that whatever small income could be generated from any hirers at the moment would be heavily outweighed by the costs incurred in honouring those bookings, which would reduce the small reserves held more quickly than the option of remaining closed.”

The pandemic had forced some clubs and organisations which previously used the complex to run in a different way, while some had closed altogether.

Jayne said: “We need to reconsider the operating model of the hall in order to be viable going forward.”

One option is that those who use the hall help out with running it. The Trustees will be contacting user groups soon to find out what they think.

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WARDS Solicitors’ brand new office in Thornbury is opening this month. Head of Conveyancing Rebecca Stuart and Wills and Probate Partner Rachael Thomas look at what’s ahead.

Tell us a little bit about Wards We’re a forward thinking and friendly law firm that focuses on giving practical, sensitive and jargon-free legal advice to our clients. Thornbury is a natural location for us - we have 11 offices in and around Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire and many of our clients are already based in the area. We were recognised for excellent client service this year by the independent Legal 500 guide.

What services will the new Thornbury branch offer?

Our Thornbury team will provide a full range of legal services to individuals and business owners, including family matters, wills, trusts and probate, conveyancing, dispute resolution and personal injury, as well as commercial property, insolvency issues and employment for SMEs. How do people get in touch?

At the moment, people wishing to contact us can either email or give us a call on 01454 204899. Better still, when the current restrictions lift, people are welcome to drop by in person to our High St office.

Why should people use Wards?

We’re all specialists in our field, but what sets us apart is our genuine commitment to clients, many of whom have known us for years, including generations of families and long-established businesses. We may be legal experts but we’re also very approachable and down to earth.

Wards Solicitors LLP 41 High Street Thornbury BS35 2AR Telephone: 01454 204899 Email: contactthornbury@wards.uk.com www.wards.uk.com

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

Solving all your legal problems‌. locally‌.

Opening in Thornbury

For You:

January 2021

Accident and Injury | Cohabitation | Conveyancing | Court of Protection | Crime Disputes | Employee Relocation | Employment | Family Law and Divorce Medical Negligence | New Homes | Notary Public | Probate Probate Disputes | Wills and Mental Capacity

For Your Business:

Business Disputes | Business Employment | Business Relocation Commercial Property | Commercial Services | Crime | Debt Recovery New Homes Developers | Notary Public

Get in touch: 01454 204899 Wards Solicitors, 41 High Street, Thornbury BS35 2AR Email: contactthornbury@wards.uk.com Offices in: Bradley Stoke | Central Bristol | Clevedon | Henleaze | Keynsham Nailsea | Portishead | Staple Hill | Thornbury | Weston-super-Mare | Worle | Yate

wards.uk.com

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January, 2021

n COMMUNITY NEWS

A huge thank you from Thornbury Foodbank WE have been overwhelmed and are so grateful to our community for the amazing support you have given to Thornbury Foodbank since the start of the pandemic.

It has been such a difficult time for so many people in the locality, which means that so many more families and individuals have benefited from your support through donations both financial and in kind.

From March 27 to December 11 we have fed 711 adults and 307 children, issuing 12.48 tonnes of food and essential items,

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OR

NB

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Y

open daily WalK-in oRdeRS & deliVeRy Monday - SatuRday 11:30aM - 2pM & 4:30pM - 9pM Sunday 4:30pM - 9pM Gluten FRee aVailaBle Sunday & Monday lunch: until 2pM & eVeninG: until 8pM ORDER ON-LINE TO PRE-ORDER & PREPAY FOR COLLECTION OR DELIVERY www.deepbluerestaurants.com SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES IN PLACE 26A High Street, Thornbury, BS35 2AH

Got News? Call Richard 0n 01454 800 120

and received 13.28 tonnes of donations.

Compared with the same period last year, all these figures are up by over 50%.

We also purchased 1.76 tonnes of extra items, made possible by amazing amount of financial donations we have received. These extra items include fresh vegetables, bread, spread and items where we were low in stock.

It is impossible to thank each individual personally, so we would like to thank everyone who has donated to the foodbank from individuals to local businesses in our locality for their generous donations of food and money.

We do, however, want to thank Tesco Thornbury for their support.

We have a collection basket situated in the store where donations can be left.

We have built up a good relationship with their community champion, who ensures our monthly list of needs is made visible on the basket.

The photograph illustrates some of this generosity, as it shows the extra parcels we were able make up of Christmas items, donated and bought from financial donations which we hope brought some loving care into those lives for whom Christmas would not have been a happy time.

We are also most grateful for our team of dedicated volunteers, who have freely given of their time during these difficult times.

So, on behalf of all of those benefiting from your kindness, we want to say thank you for making life a little easier than it would have been without your support.

Wishing you all peace, joy, health and all good things in 2021!

Mair Vaughan Lead Volunteer Thornbury Foodbank

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

January, 2021

thornburyvoice

21

n MOTORING

A guide to pre-owned cars with Richard Cooke

Second-hand Style New Year, new car?

JANUARY is typically a great month to buy a used car, precisely because not many other people are doing so.

A dealer kicking their heels on a freezing forecourt is, the thinking goes, more likely to do you a deal.

A private seller will find the phone doesn’t ring as much as it might in high summer.

This January, I suspect, will be no different. Or will it?

There are of course several external forces exerting some unpredictable influences on the market right now. Covid has meant that the government has suspended repossessions on lease-hire cars until the end of January, so supply is maybe artificially lower and prices higher.

People are switching from public transport, perceived as riddled with germs, for private cars. Supply and

demand then gets further out of whack.

On the other hand, some people are struggling for money as they lose their jobs, but are they yet forced sellers? When they are, this will drive prices down and supply up. I know one thing for certain – even the experts don’t really know.

And my track record on the topic is pretty shaky as well.

I wrote in November '19 about how I thought the classic car market, certainly for cars over 45 years old, would go bust. It had got to dizzy heights that were, in my view, unsustainable. I said that as elderly owners died, offspring would sell the cars and demand would not be there to soak them up.

This year I thought covid would accelerate this trend, sad to say.

However the market reports nothing of the sort: instead it seems that wealthy collectors are snapping up the best examples in what is now a fairly flat market (albeit flat at high price levels).

I’m not sure what percentage of my readership is in the market for premium classic Ferraris, so let’s turn for a moment to more everyday buying concerns.

If you need a new (used) car, there’s not much you can do about it. Forced purchases are never comfortable, and this January I reckon the bargains will be fewer and further between. As I said last month, wait for February if you can and in fact, the longer the better.

That’s for modern daily drivers.

If you want to buy something for high days and holidays (remember them?), then get on with it. Short term market fluctuations shouldn’t influence the purchase of something that is or will become a classic, especially if you’re going to hold onto it for many years. And let’s be clear, the clock is ticking on the internal combustion engine now – in a little over nine years the sale of new purely petrol-driven cars will be outlawed.

So instead of the Jensen I wrote about previously, which starts at about £40k, what about the still-undervalued Jaguar XJS? This is arguably a better-built, more reliable and better driving car than the Jensen.

Production started in 1976

and ran for twenty years. The last of the line cars even had twin airbags.

You can’t pick up a decent XJS for £5k, like you could ten years ago, but £10k will get you into a nice 4.0 6 cylinder coupe. Convertible prices are double that.

By the early 90s, the engine was putting out 240hp and returning maybe 25mpg, all delivered silently through a 4-speed auto box. That’s where my money would go today.

The visually identical 6.0 V12 will cost you 50% extra, and for that you get 300hp and 20mpg if you’re lucky.

I think the late model cars from 1993 are really elegant – long, low and wide cruisers. Colour matters with the XJS, and some of the metallic greens and blues offered were stunning.

Like the Jensen, they rust.

Unlike the Jensen, they aren’t yet worth restoring (6.0 convertibles being the exception).

The back seats are hopeless for anyone not aged between 4 and 8, rear visibility is woeful and spare parts supply patchy. I once saw a £1k bill for a few minor electrical parts.

But what a wonderful way to start 2021, roaring out of this endless lockdown…

What to pay: £10k - £15k for a 1994 Jaguar XJS 4.0 coupe.

www.filton-central.co.uk To advertise, contact Richard on 01454 800 120

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

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n COMMUNITY NEWS

Do the donkey work THORNBURY Volunteer Centre is trying to help a local donkey sanctuary, which needs volunteers to undertake all aspects of donkey and stable management.

Duties will include feeding, watering, cleaning out, brushing and cleaning feet.

You must be willing to get dirty – old clothes and wellies are essential.

In particular, help is needed urgently to clean out the stables for an hour every morning, ideally between 9am and 10am.

If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Thornbury Volunteer Centre at mail@ volunteer-thornbury.co.uk.

January, 2021

n NEWS

Overwhelmed by generosity towards Poppy Appeal THE Royal British Legion in Thornbury is delighted, overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of the local community during this years’ annual Poppy Appeal collection.

COVID-19 presented us with a number of challenges, not least of which was keeping our volunteers and the public safe. We worked closely with Tesco, Aldi and the St Mary Centre to ensure we met all the guidelines, introducing social distancing methods such as tables for poppies and collecting tins.

The virus restricted the number of available volunteers but as a result of a local on-line appeal, we attracted several new volunteers and we are extremely thankful to them for their efforts. Then, when we thought we just may make it through, lockdown 2.0 cut our collection period by four days. Despite all of this, the military ‘can do’ ethos shone through.

It is therefore with great delight that we can announce our interim tally for 2020/2021 stands currently at an incredible £17,082.00!

Well done, Thornbury. To put it into perspective, for the period 2019/2020 we collected, in total, around £18,000. This is a great start to our year, and we are hoping to build on this in 2021, so please watch out for us.

In addition to the donations, our volunteers were also treated to spontaneous gifts of coffee, sweets and even fruit to sustain them during their shifts, for which they were very grateful: another great example of local support and generosity.

There are many vulnerable veterans of HM Forces in communities throughout the country, including here in Thornbury.

The Royal British Legion is dedicated to caring for those who have put their lives at risk in the service of our country, and your generosity enables us to do this.

Thank you, Thornbury.

John Black Thornbury Branch, Royal British Legion

Crash appeal POLICE are asking for people who saw or have video footage of a crash on the M4 to come forward.

Four people were left with "life-changing" injuries after the grey Vauxhall Astra car they were sitting in stationary traffic was hit by a black Mitsubishi L200 pickup.

Police issued an appeal two months on from the incident, which happened on the eastbound M4 near junction 22 Pilning interchange with the M49, at about 12.55pm on October 17, as they broadened the reach of their enquiry.

They called on any witnesses or people with dashcam footage of the incident, which happened near the Prince of Wales Bridge/second Severn Crossing, to come forward.

Anyone who can help should call 101 and quote the reference number 5220 238 440.

n SPORT

Tier 3 rules keep Thorns out of action COVID restrictions have meant only very limited football action at Thornbury Town over the last few weeks.

Whilst training has been permitted under Tier 3 restrictions since the beginning of December for both the senior and junior sides, unfortunately the facilities have not been open to enable players and officials to meet up again.

In fact, the only side to have managed to play a game were the Reserves, who surrendered their 100% record when they suffered a heavy defeat to an experienced Old Sodbury team at the start of December.

The First team were due to restart on December 12, when the Hellenic League arranged a local derby with Tytherington Rocks, the only other side in Tier 3. The return fixture was scheduled for the following week at the Mundys, but after representations from both clubs, the league

agreed to postpone the games until later in the season.

At the moment, the First team won’t be back in action until January 9, when Moreton Rangers are due to visit the Mundy Fields, whilst the following week Hereford Pegasus make the trip to Thornbury.

At the time of writing it seems that spectators will be allowed to watch these games, with capacity set at 150, but it is hoped that restrictions may have been lifted further by then.

The Reserves were scheduled to have home fixtures on December 19 (v Bristol Barcelona) and on January 2, v Iron Acton, but these games may also be in doubt.

The A team, who also haven’t played since the end of October, hope to get back to action on January 2, when they are due to host Crosscourt United.

Got News? Call Richard 0n 01454 800 120

Despite the difficulties that this season has brought, club officials are pleased with the progress that has been made both on and off the pitch, with all the senior sides lying in positions in the top half of the table, ready to push for promotion when fixtures can recommence.

At this stage it is not known when any regular football can return but the club will keep members and supporters advised of developments and fixture changes on its social media sites.

In the meantime, the club committee thanks all parents, players, officials and supporters for their wonderful support during these difficult times and wishes them all a happy, and healthy, Christmas and hopefully a much more normal New Year.

Malcolm Carr

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

January, 2021

thornburyvoice

23

thornburyvoice

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WIGS

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We have been supplying all types of wigs and hairpieces for fashion and medical purposes for 45 years.

Wigs can be purchased off the peg or made to measure in hair or synthetic fibre.

We stock many styles and makes.

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0117 956 6556 www.wigsbristol.com

Email: contact@thornburyvoice.co.uk

Tockington Manor School and Nursery for boys & girls aged 2 - 13 Limited spaces for Reception 2021 and 2022.

Join us for Year 7 and 8 and benefit from our enviable success in delivering entry into first choice senior schools

OPEN FOR BOOKED TOURS AND VIDEO TOURS Discover our small friendly classes, family approach to education, wrap-around care how we could be the perfect fit for your family.

We are offering private tours of the School and Nursery out of school hours to minimise contact or 1-2-1 video tours and calls with our Headmaster.

Please contact us to arrange your video call or tour: 01454 613229 asymonds@tockingtonmanorschool.com www.tockingtonmanorschool.com