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Tuesday, 21st January 2020
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“Unjustifiable” payment to housing association to be reviewed P5
Parking crackdown planned in bid to reduce emissions
Proposals include higher parking charges for the most polluting vehicles Stephen Sumner
Local Democracy Reporter
DRIVERS of dirty vehicles could pay more for parking permits in the Bath area, on top of a new ‘clean air zone’ for the city, in another bid to change behaviours. Bath and North East Somerset Council is considering introducing higher parking
charges based on carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions, as part of its commitments to clean air and the climate emergency. Council officers have also proposed new pay and display charges, a crackdown on permits offered to hotel guests and health professionals, and new fees for blue badge holders. An officer told scrutiny panel members on Monday 13th
January: “There will be a significant change to the status quo within the city. “Parking charges are one of the immediate tools available to change behaviour and increase the use of active travel options like walking, cycling and public transport. No decisions have been taken to date and no new tariff levels decided.” Meeting papers say the permit prices for more polluting
vehicles will be set higher based proportionately on their emissions. Councillor Tom Davies said: “This is exactly the direction we want to be moving in. Could there be a significant lead time before the charges happen, or when people next change their car? “If they make the right decision in the first couple of years, could we offer a refund? Continued on page 2
Date set for introduction of Cleveland Bridge weight restriction P5 Grow Your Own Soup campaign launched with Bath City Farm P6 Annual Bath Rugby Walk to return in March in aid of two local charities P17 Gym, health food retailer and bike shop to open at Spring Wharf P18 Get the latest news for Bath 24/7 on our website www.bathecho.co.uk
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In this issue... Top stories Education
P2-9 P10
Health P12 What's On
P15
Community
P16
Business P18 Politics
P20
Puzzles P22 In Other News
P23
Sport
P24
Useful Information The Bath Echo newspaper is produced fortnightly. Thousands of copies are distributed across the Bath area via our dedicated distribution points and at various cafes, venues, waiting rooms and local libraries.
How to get in touch with us... For news items and press releases: news@bathecho.co.uk 01225 585484 For sport and match reports: sport@bathecho.co.uk 01225 585484 Want to have a letter published? letters@bathecho.co.uk Subscriptions/Distribution: subscribe.bathecho.co.uk 01225 585484 Advertising & Marketing: advertise@bathecho.co.uk 01225 589789 Contact the editor: Sebastian Hawker editor@bathecho.co.uk Published by Media Bath Limited
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ISSN 2632-7805 The Bath Echo is regulated by IMPRESS: The Independent Monitor for the Press CIC. We adhere to the Standards Code adopted by IMPRESS, and can only deal with complaints which relate to an alleged breach of the standards set out in this Code. You can find out more about the code on the IMPRESS website: www.impress.press/standards/. If you believe we have breached this code, you can make a complaint to us regarding it. For more information, please visit: www.bathecho.co.uk/complaints/
Director ordered to pay £30,000 after company digs up vulnerable woman's driveway THE director of a company that dug up a vulnerable Bath resident’s driveway without permission and charged her more than £12,000 has been ordered to pay £30,000. Johnny Rooney, the sole director of Drivescape Limited, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on 10th January, where as a result of criminal offences committed by both him and his company, they were jointly ordered by Judge Lambert to pay £30,000. In September last year, Rooney was handed a suspended sentence after being found guilty of failing to prevent his staff carrying out aggressive commercial practices following an investigation by Bath & North East Somerset Council’s trading standards team. Rooney, aged 32, of Semington, Wiltshire, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on 6th September where he and his company were found guilty of an offence each under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Rooney was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, 120 hours community service and has been banned from ‘On Licence’ premises for 12 months. The court heard that Rooney was the sole director of the company
when its employees dug up the driveway of a vulnerable Bath resident without permission and charged more than £12,000. During a trial at Bristol Crown Court in June 2019, the court heard from Bath & North East Somerset Trading Standards officers that Rooney failed to stop his employees from digging up a driveway in Bath without permission. The resident, a lone disabled female who had said no to any work being carried out, told the court how she was followed and pressured by the company. The following day she arrived home and found several Drivescape Ltd staff digging up her driveway. The resident said she felt violated and intimidated by this and was pressured to pay the company £12,300 for completing the block pave driveway and other work. Drivescape Ltd failed to provide the consumer with a written contract and written cancellation notice detailing the consumer’s right to a 14 day cooling-off period. In the hearing on 10th January, it was ordered that Rooney and the company should jointly pay £13,193 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Compensation of £12300 will be paid to the victim
Price increases and overnight parking charges proposed Continued from page 1 We want to avoid a cliff edge. “Can this be rolled out to pay and display car parks? It’s about encouraging better behaviour from visitors to Bath and residents.” Other proposals included introducing on-street parking charges on Sundays and rolling out overnight charges. Fees already apply in Charlotte Street. But scrutiny panel members said the idea of increasing costs for disabled drivers was a step too far. The proposals include charges for blue badge holders who use Keynsham car park. Councillor Lisa O’Brien said: “Making the overnight charges applicable in all car parks is frankly a fundraising opportunity. I query its effectiveness. “After a certain time in the evening there’s no public transport available. It’s a moneymaking approach. The big one for me is charging blue badge holders for parking in Keynsham. It’s a money-making exercise.” She said it was not fair to charge blue badge holders to park in Keynsham because unlike in Bath there are few alternatives. “The spaces are essential to allow people with disabilities to get into
the high street,” she added. “I will challenge this.” Councillor Sue Craig said: “I don’t think we should be doing anything that means life will be more expensive for people with a blue badge. “It’s about choice and people with blue badges don’t have that choice. We should be encouraging people to move to cleaner vehicles. “There are low earners in the city who have cars that aren’t compliant and are very likely to not have a fund they can dip into the change their cars. “They have no choice about having that charge. “I think that’s absolutely wrong, without any sort of scrappage scheme – we need to be very careful about how we penalise these people.” Officers have proposed increasing prices for visitor parking permits and digitising medical permits to reduce misuse. The council could also review the permits hotels can issue so they cannot be sold to customers. Councillor Manda Rigby said hotel permits should not stop residents from being able to park. Any proposal taken forward would be subject to further consultation.
from this amount. In addition, Drivescape Ltd was also fined £100 and the company ordered to pay costs to Bath and North East Somerset Council. Councillor Paul Crossley, Bath and North East Somerset Council cabinet member for Community Services, said: “I am pleased that the victim has seen justice done and that she will now receive compensation. I want to thank our officers for their hard work on this case. “Our team runs an approved trader scheme called ‘Buy with Confidence’ where residents can search for local businesses which have been vetted and approved by Trading Standards. “We would always encourage anyone looking for a local business to carry out some work for them to visit www. buywithconfidence.gov.uk.” Anyone who thinks they might have fallen victim to a rogue trader should report it to the
Citizens Advice Consumer Service who work in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Trading Standards on 0345 40 40 506. Before agreeing to any work, consumers should: • Read reviews of traders and if possible use the Buy with Confidence Approved Trader Scheme. • Ask at least three approved traders for quotes. • Never pay up front and avoid cash. • Say no to doorstep sellers. • Always get a detailed written quotation/contract. • Check the builder’s references and even pay visits to the referees. • Ask your neighbours, family or friends for personal recommendations of builders who have worked for them and carried out a good job. The Buy with Confidence directory is available free of charge to callers to Bath & North East Somerset Council’s One Stop Shop in Lewis House, Manvers Street, Bath; The Hollies, Midsomer Norton and the Civic Centre in Keynsham. It is also available online at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/ services/trading-standards/buyconfidence or by calling 01225 3966759.
Appeal launched after horse shot with nail
AVON and Somerset Police have launched an appeal for witnesses and information after an incident in Foxcote near Radstock in which a horse was shot. A nail gun was fired at the horse’s head. The incident happened in a field between Green Street and Single Hill between 4.30pm on Saturday 28th December and 2.30pm the following day. A vet was called to treat the animal and a 50mm nail was removed. The horse has suffered scarring but is now recovering. PCSO Mike Storey, from the neighbourhood team, said: “This
was a nasty attack on an animal, with no apparent motive. “Thankfully incidents of this nature are rare, but we would urge horse owners in the area to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.” Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 101 and quote reference 5220004702. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers completely anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court or have to speak to police when contacting Crimestoppers.
Tuesday, 21st January 2020
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Bath's new Clean Air Zone to begin in November HIGHER polluting vehicles will be charged to drive in Bath’s Clean Air Zone from Wednesday 4th November, if the approved plans are given official sign-off by the Government. The switch-on date has been set out in a timeline of works to install the clean air zone which will see charges of £100 per day for higher emission buses, coaches and HGVs, and £9 per day for higher emission taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, LGVs and vans to drive in the zone. Private cars and motorbikes will not be charged, regardless of their emissions. A report set out before the council's cabinet on 16th January was approved, meaning the council’s full business case for the zone will now be submitted to the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) for final approval. Th business case sets out the details of the charging zone, taking into account feedback from the latest public consultation, including its boundary and the charges, concessions, exemptions and payment policies which will apply. It also sets out a timetable for the zone’s installation, including the switch-on date of 4th November. Councillor Dine Romero, leader, said: “Tackling pollution is a priority for us if we’re to improve people’s lives and address the
climate emergency. “A great deal of work has gone in to getting to this point, and I want to thank everyone who took part in our consultations and had their say. “This has been a complex process and I’m pleased that the final business case, going before government, strikes a balance for the city, its residents and businesses. “This is of course the first step in our ambition to make Bath cleaner and greener for everyone.” Bath & North East Somerset Council hopes that the government will sign off the programme by Friday 14th February. The council will then focus on encouraging the uptake of the financial assistance scheme among local businesses and individuals affected by charges to upgrade their vehicles. It will also start installing the necessary signage, cameras and infrastructure required for switch-on. Councillor Sarah Warren, cabinet member for Climate Emergency
News in Brief 38-year-old man appears in court A 38-year-old man, Piers Hansen, of no fixed address, appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 13th January, charged with a dwelling burglary and possession of Class B drugs. He was charged in connection with an incident on 8th January in which a multi-occupancy house on Caroline Buildings in Bathwick, Bath, was broken into and a range of items including a video games consoles, numerous laptops, clothing, a bicycle, food, documentation, other electrical items and aftershave were stolen. The possession of Class B drugs charge relates to an incident on Sunday 12th January in which a man was arrested and was found to be in possession of Class B drugs believed to be Spice. Hansen has been remanded in custody ahead of his next court appearance at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 7th February.
The boundary of the proposed Clean Air Zone in Bath
and Neighbourhood Services, said: “While this is a significant step towards clean air, there’s more to do to encourage everyone to consider the ways that they get around the city. I want to see better facilities for walking, cycling and public transport that will allow us to tackle carbon emissions and congestion, as well as air pollution, across the whole
of Bath & North East Somerset.” Speaking at the meeting on 16th January, Cllr Warren said: “The public’s help has been invaluable in ironing out the unintended consequences that might have arisen, had the council gone live with earlier iterations of the proposal, and in ensuring we have the best fit scheme that we can for Bath.”
Permission sought to demolish Plumb Centre Planning permission is again being sought to demolish the former Plumb Centre and Genesis Lifestyle Centre on Locksbrook Road to make way for a new mixed-use development that includes 80 student flats. A previous application for the site in Newbridge was refused last August.
Concerns raised over possible closure of Entry Hill golf course USERS of the Entry Hill golf course in Bath have raised their concerns over a potential change of use for the site. Bath & North East Somerset Council is currently running a consultation over the future of the course, with opinions welcomed on a range of options, including an urban mountain bike park, a community growing space or use for outdoor education. There is also the option to keep it as a golf course, which would be welcomed by current users who claim the site “could become a destination" if there was investment and advertising to attract new members. B&NES Council says that use of the golf course has declined over the past few year, however users have told the Bath Echo that the site is treated as a “liability and not the wonderful asset it is". Entry Hill is currently operated by Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) on behalf of the council. Glenna Gillingham, a regular user of the course, told us: “It is a very beautiful course with hills and valleys and fabulous views over Bath. Most courses are flat and rather dull. “You do not need a handicap to play there as most other
clubs require, but you can earn your handicap with one of the members taking you round the course. “Entry Hill can be reached by bus, clubs can be borrowed, dressing decently is the dress code, and you can turn up when you want and Pay and Play. “Most of club members are way over 50 and fit as fiddles because of the exercise and friendships they have made at Entry Hill." The final decision about the future of the course would need to be in line with the council’s climate emergency declaration, to help meet its goal to achieve carbon neutrality for Bath by 2030. Ms Gillingham continued: “If the proposal was to close the Two Tunnels or the cycle path to Bristol or the playground in Victoria Park, there would be an uproar. None of these make any money and cost a lot to maintain. “We are constantly being told to get out in the fresh air and get some exercise. What is golf but that with some arm swinging thrown in?" Speaking last month, when the consultation was launched, Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Services,
Entry Hill Golf Course in Bath | Photo © B&NES Council
said: “Entry Hill is an important community location and is valuable in terms of its heritage and ecology, but its use as a golf course has been in decline in recent years as people’s sporting choices change over time. “We’d like to see more people making use of the site for leisure activities in the open air, which is vital to health and wellbeing. “We are exploring the potential
for alternative uses and therefore encourage ideas from the community about the future of Entry Hill. “The options we have laid out are not an exhaustive list, so we are keen to hear more suggestions from residents about what is important to them before any decision is made.” Any change of use for the site may require a full planning
application. The council, through GLL, will continue to operate the Approach Golf Course in the Royal Victoria Park. To have your say on the consultation, take part in the survey by visiting: https://www. surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EntryHill. At the time of publication, GLL had not replied to a request for a comment on the concerns raised.
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Tuesday, 21st January 2020
Date set for introduction of Cleveland Bridge weight limit A TEMPORARY 18-tonne weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge in Bath, which will affect heavy goods vehicles and larger coaches, will come into effect on Monday 3rd February. The restriction is being put in place ahead of essential structural repairs to the Grade II listed structure which are being planned for later in the year. Surveys show some structural parts of the bridge have come to the end of their life, and the weight restriction is being introduced as a precautionary measure. Bath & North East Somerset Council has submitted a funding bid to the Government’s Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund to secure financial assistance for the significant programme of repairs, with the outcome of the bid expected shortly. Signed diversion routes, using designated roads suitable for large vehicles will be in place for through traffic while those vehicles needing to go into Bath city centre will be directed to the city from the west using the A4. The distance on the diversion from Bath to Warminster is 25 miles; the normal distance using the A36 is 17 miles. The diversion would add eight miles to journeys for traffic heading to the south. Councillor Neil Butters, joint cabinet member for Transport
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The proposed diversion routes for vehicles over 18 tonnes
Services said: “The weight restriction is being taken as a prudent measure until we have completed the necessary repairs to the bridge. “We have asked for financial assistance from the Government and we hope to hear about the result soon, which will enable us to move forward and get on with the work this year. “We have a very extensively signed diversion route for heavy vehicles which has been drawn up with our neighbouring authorities and we are asking operators of HGVs to use this route and not follow unsuitable roads.”
The bridge was originally constructed in 1826 for horsedrawn vehicles and pedestrians, and now carries 17,000 vehicles a day including more than 600 HGVs. The structure was freed from tolls in 1927, and then restored in the following years. During the restoration, concrete reinforcements were introduced under the roadway to strengthen the bridge for heavy vehicles. The repairs to Cleveland Bridge will require one of the most significant road maintenance projects the council has undertaken for many years.
Air ambulance charity sees increase in demand with busiest ever year THE Great Western Air Ambulance Charity has said that 2019 was their busiest year to date, with the Critical Care Team receiving over 2,000 call-outs to incidents across the region. In 2019, they received 173 call outs in Bath and North East Somerset alone, a 33% increase on 2018’s figures in this area. The air ambulance and critical care service, which is charity funded, provides emergency medical care to the most seriously ill or injured across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. GWAAC’s Critical Care Team consists of highly skilled Critical Care Doctors and Specialist Paramedics, who bring the skills of an emergency hospital department to the scene of an incident. They have the ability to carry out life-saving interventions, such as blood transfusions or emergency anaesthesia to the patient, where it’s needed the most. Last year saw an almost 6% increase on the total number
of call-outs from 2018, with the crew attending over 5 incidents a day on average. Cardiac arrests continue to be the most common incident that the team are called to, making up over a third of the missions, with road traffic collisions the second highest. This increasing demand on the service means the charity needs to raise over £4 million a year to remain operational, yet they receive no day to day funding from the Government or National Lottery, relying on the generosity and support from local communities. A former patient of the charity’s services, Chris Hickey, said: “GWAAC saved my life! I had a sudden cardiac arrest and without the intervention of the air ambulance, I wouldn’t be here today. You just never know when you might need the service and it can only keep going if it has the help of the whole community. “Please give whatever you can so that someone else has the opportunity to have their life saved.” To find out more about how you can support the charity, visit www.gwaac.com.
“Unjustifiable” £450,000 housing payment to be reviewed Stephen Sumner
Local Democracy Reporter
A £450,000 payment from the public purse to get a housing association out of a Bath building is set to be reviewed. The Guinness Partnership said 23 Grosvenor Place needs substantial investment and asked to end its lease 39 years early. Bath and North East Somerset Council was set to pay it a six-figure “reverse premium” so it could reclaim the listed former hotel – currently a block of 20 bedsits valued at around £1.5million – and decide its future. Challenging a decision they branded “unjustifiable”, opponents slammed the lack of transparency and said the firm would be “laughing all the way to the bank”. They condemned the loss of housing for vulnerable people, and said the proceeds should be ringfenced for social housing. Leading the call-in with backing from Labour, Conservative and fellow independent members, Councillor Colin Blackburn told a scrutiny panel on January 13: “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen dubious decisions come from this crucial part of our council [property services]. “It’s high time an independent review was done before any more
damage is done to the financial background of our council. “At minimum, this looks to have been incompetently handled. The lack of transparency might be masking something worse. “We lose 20 social housing dwellings, reclaim the building with a current stated valuation of £1.5million, or about £3million when it’s refurbished, and it’s costing us £450,000 for the privilege. “It appears we’ll look for a quick sale to recoup our £450,000 – a fire sale. “We might get £1.5million but it will get redeveloped by a property developer into 20 luxury flats for £250,000 each.” The building opened as a hotel in 1790. It was later bought by Bath City Council and turned into 20 flats, and then in 1993 the authority signed a 65-year lease with Guinness. Cllr Blackburn said the housing association pays B&NES Council £20,000 a year in rent and probably gets £100,000 from its tenants, but it wants to surrender the lease 40 years early. He said councillors had been given no explanation why the council should pay it £450,000 so it can walk away. Former councillor Bob Goodman, a chartered surveyor, said Guinness “must be laughing all the way to the bank”, and called
for a “root and branch” review of the commercial estate department. Following a private session where members were shown commercially sensitive figures, Cllr Winston Duguid said: “We now understand why the principle of reverse premium exists on this property. That wasn’t clear to us before. “We now understand why the reverse premium was appropriate and is in everyone’s interest to have.” Cllr Andy Furse said there was a lengthy waiting list for social housing but the deal with Guinness meant the 20 tenants of 23 Grosvenor Place were being allowed to jump the queue. He added: “All councils are strapped for cash. Are we just selling off the family silver to pay for some basics and the loser is the social tenant? “By trying to ringfence the money, some social tenants will benefit from better dwellings. This could be a way to improve the social housing stock.” The decision to approve the payment to Guinness was taken by Cllr Samuel, the cabinet member for resources. He told the scrutiny panel discussions about the council reclaiming the property began in 2015, under the previous Conservative administration – but cabinet
23 Grosvenor Place on the London Road in Bath | Photo © Bath Echo
members were unaware, as was he as the Walcot ward member. Cllr Samuel said: “These questions should have been out there at the time. There’s a gap in the council’s decision-making procedures that needs to be plugged. “When the council is operating in the commercial sector it’s in competition with other purchasers. At times, speedy decision-making is necessary. “I don’t think the property team can be criticised for needing to do that kind of work. “There’s a high level of delegation to officers in this particular arena. “I don’t think that should be confused with a culture of excluding people.” The panel upheld the call-in. It said information should be shared at an early stage with cab-
inet members, and some of the capital receipt should be spent on social housing. The council will also encourage Guinness to spend some of the money it receives on social housing. A spokesperson from the Guinness Partnership said: “The building required substantial investment to bring it up to current standards for housing. “Guinness offered to purchase a lease extension from the council in order to enable us to invest in the building, or to surrender the lease. “The lease surrender was effected on terms supported by an independent valuer. Guinness owns 476 social homes in Bath and North East Somerset and we remain committed to investing in the area.”
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Campaign Grow Your Own Soup with Bath City Farm THE Bath Echo has partnered with Bath City Farm to launch a campaign, Grow Your Own Soup, to encourage the local community to grow more vegetables and use any leftovers to create soup, in a bid to reduce food waste across the area. In the UK, we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink each year, the majority of which could have been consumed. We're working with Bath City Farm to help residents reduce the amount of food that is thrown away, especially vegetables. If you're green-fingered, you'll know that growing veg is simple and doesn't take up too much time. In future issues, we'll be sharing gardening tips as well as giving away packets of seeds for budding gardeners to give vegetable growing a go. Editor of the Bath Echo, Sebastian Hawker, said: “We are extremely pleased to be launching such an important campaign with Bath City Farm, and we hope it helps local residents reduce food waste and encourages more people to enjoy veg - either as soup or simply by growing it in their gardens. “I look forward to seeing how the campaign progresses and the benefits it will bring." We'll be keeping you up to date with the Grow Your Own Soup campaign in coming issues, so keep an eye out for more information both here in the newspaper and via our website.
Launching the campaign
Food is such a great way to bring friends, family and communities together. At Bath City Farm, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, our amazing regular volunteers will sit down together for lunch after a morning planting veg in the poly tunnels or spending time looking after the hens. It’s a wonderful time to enjoy freshly cooked food and start up conversations all sat round the table. That is why we’re so excited to be launching the Grow Your Own Soup campaign with the Bath Echo today. In the midst of winter a warming bowl of soup is a welcome sight and there is something so satisfying about making your own soup and growing the ingredients. We grow as much of our own veg as possible in poly tunnels and raised beds, helping to reduce food miles and cut the amount of food waste. Seeing the fruits of your labour as the veggies grow is really rewarding. January is not the best time we know to be growing veg. But you can start now to plan ahead for the spring and in the coming months we’ll help guide you with some top tips. The beauty of growing your own soup is that you don’t need loads of space to grow the basics that you need. It is amazing what can be grown in the smallest of gardens or on a balcony. One of the big challenges that we face on the food front is waste. Every year we, as a nation, throw away a lot of food – about 5 million tonnes which equates to about £840
worth of food per year for a family of four. We all know the challenges of getting to the end of the week and thinking what do we do with left over veg that might be at the back of the fridge. Making nutritious soup is the answer – it is full of minerals and vitamins and tastes so satisfying when you’ve made it. It helps cutdown on waste, save you money and you can create amazing combinations. The essential ingredients to making soup are an onion, stock cube and water. Seasoning is important too, adding in salt and pepper and spices if you want some heat. Add in the veg and you have your soup after some blending. It’s not difficult and once you’ve given it a go you’ll be regularly making soup. Why not keep it for lunch or maybe team up with friends or neighbours to organise a soup night or have a bring homemade soup to work day. To help kick off our campaign, to the right you’ll find one of our recipes that we serve in our Farm café to get you going. We’d love to hear about experiences via social media and any top tips using the hashtag #growyourownveg sharing any images of your soup on Instagram. Next time we’ll focus on getting ready for the start of the growing season once the frosts have finished and you can keep up to date with the campaign via http://bathcityfarm.org.uk/blog/. Yours, Helen Fisher General Manager Bath City Farm
Tomato & Red Pepper Soup (Makes approximately 6 portions)
Ingredients • 5 large salad tomatoes, quartered • 1 red pepper, large chunks • 1 stick of celery, diced • 2 carrots, diced • 1 red onion, cut into 8’s • 1 white onions (or all red/all white), diced. • A small sweet potato, small cubes. • 4 cloves of garlic, ½ finely chopped • ½ a red chilli, cut into chunks • 1 tin of plum tomatoes. • Rosemary, sage, thyme, bay. • Lots of fresh basil. • Vegetable stock enough to cover • Balsamic vinegar • Brown Sugar, ½ tbsp • Smoked paprika, dried herbs. • Crème fraiche (optional)
Method 1. Fry diced white onion, carrots, celery on a medium heat until softened. 2. Roast the sweet potato, tomatoes, pepper, chillies and red onion with the whole garlic cloves in the oven on 180c.lightly coat with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar and sprinkle over a mixture of some of the chopped herbs (rosemary, sage and thyme) as well as a light coating of smoked paprika. 3. Once the fried vegetables have softened, add vegetable stock, basil stalks and bay leaves. 4. Add the tinned tomatoes and sugar. 5. When all veg is soft and cooked add to the soup pan. 6. Use a stick blender to blend all the soup and add in the basil just before serving and blend into the soup too. 7. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche.
Mobile library routes set to change in bid to extend reach MOBILE library routes across Bath & North East Somerset are set to change to extend the reach of the service, improve safety for users and reduce the library’s carbon footprint. The route review has been designed to encourage greater use of the mobile library by focusing on areas with no community library provision and removing dangerous stops. Every fortnight, one day will be set aside for the mobile library to take part in outreach events, such as visiting schools to promote the Summer Reading Challenge or delivering a pop-up service at themed events. As a result of the new timetable: • All stops will be a minimum of 30 minutes; • Multiple stops in the same village will be combined to improve footfall and safety; • Stops will be reordered to improve the efficiency of the journey; • Stops which are difficult to access or dangerous will be removed; • Additional stops will be made in areas of social deprivation to deliver focussed programmes in partnership with other agencies; • The mobile library will be withdrawn from villages with a community-run library. Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Servic-
es, said “We understand how important the mobile library service is to its users and want to encourage more people to use this fantastic resource, which is why we regularly review routes to ensure the mobile library continues to meet the needs of the community. “Over the past few months we’ve looked very carefully at where we position the vehicle and some of the changes have been made for safety reasons. We also carried out an impact assessment as part of the review. “We’ve tried to keep disruption to current users to a minimum and where stops have been removed others nearby have been extended. “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to extend the length of a number of stops, including those at Marksbury and Mulberry Park. “In fact, Mulberry Park will benefit from a stop every week greatly extending the reach of the service into local communities. “We appreciate it may take time for people to adjust to the new timetable, but we’re talking with Parish Councils, Residents Associations and those who use the service to explain why the changes are needed.” The mobile library will no longer stop in Peasedown St John, Timsbury or Bishop Sutton as these villages all benefit from commu-
A brand new mobile library vehicle entered service last July
nity-run libraries. For full details of the changes and the new timetable go to https:// beta.bathnes.gov.uk/mobile-library-service, call Council Connect on 01225 394041 or email Mobile_Library@bathnes.gov.uk Customers who find it difficult
to access the mobile library as a result of the changes are encouraged to speak to mobile library staff or the Home Library Service team to discuss the most appropriate way to access library services. The Home Library Service is a
free service designed for readers who have severely restricted mobility and are not able to reach their local library. Volunteers collect books or audiobooks from the council’s libraries and deliver them to service members at home.
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Local shops being encouraged to ‘shut that door’ SHOPS and businesses across the Bath area are being asked to ‘shut that door’ as part of a new drive to save energy and help them cut fuel bills. Bath and North East Somerset Council and Bath BID are supporting the campaign to get shops, restaurants and cafés, to keep their doors closed during the working day. Councillor Sarah Warren, cabinet member for Climate Emergency, said: “We want to see our local shops, cafes and restaurants adopt this policy which will help them cut their energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and play a part towards addressing the climate emergency. “I know some stores believe an open door makes their business seem more welcoming but studies have shown that closing the door doesn’t have a detrimental effect on profits and many major retailers and coffee chains are now adopting a closed door policy.” As well as lower fuel consumption, a shut door can help provide healthier working conditions for staff and deter shoplifting.
Eve Beddows, team leader at tea too, in New Bond Street, said: “All businesses across the country need to be on board with this initiative. We have our doors closed as much as possible. “When we have the heating on we close the door so energy isn’t wasted.” Allison Herbert, CEO of Bath BID, said the project makes sense: “It’s a great response to consumer demand for increased environmental responsibility as well as a win for businesses as it will reduce their costs.” Shopper Abbi Cole of Fairfield Park added: “It’s not a big deal to have to open the door. I expect businesses to be more environmentally conscious these days and I am more likely to notice and think less of those that don’t
This week, The Pig is mostly...
Cllr Sarah Warren and Eve Beddows from tea too promote the campaign
make an effort.” A team from the BID will visit shops and cafés in Bath, Keynsham and Radstock over the next few weeks to encourage them to shut the door. They will supply stickers for doors
or windows, allowing customers to easily recognise and support participating retailers. Any business that would like to take part and would like a window/door sticker should contact info@bathbid.co.uk.
£1m funding boost to help reduce serious violence THE drive to reduce serious violence among local young people, through a multi-agency working group headed by PCC Sue Mountstevens, has been given renewed funding from the Home Office. The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), co-ordinated by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), is made up of partners including police, all five local authorities, education, clinical commissioning groups, public health departments, charities and community groups. The VRU was set up in September after the PCC and Chief Constable Andy Marsh pushed to be one of 18 force areas in England and Wales to be awarded additional money to tackle offences like stabbings and serious violence among young people – a problem that has soared nationally. The VRU was initially given £1.16m, and the Government has just announced a further £1.16m for Avon and Somerset for the financial year beginning in April 2020 – part of a national pot of £35million. Sue Mountstevens said: “We wel-
Avon and Somerset PCC Sue Mountstevens
come the announcement from the Home Office of renewed funding to establish and build on a public health approach to tackling the root causes of these terrible offences that are having a devastating impact on victims, perpetrators, their families and entire communities. “Recent cases in our area which involved the conviction of a
14-year-old for manslaughter involving a knife and another 14-year-old who was charged with murder in December following the fatal stabbing of a 17-yearold, only reinforces to me how important it is to identify and provide interventions for these young people at a much earlier stage before they are so far down that path.
“If it gets to the stage where paramedics are picking these children up off the floor having been stabbed or police are arresting them for hurting someone then we have already failed. “We are going to have to be brave and understand that we can’t only police our way out of this issue and this is not going to go away overnight. “Sustainability is going to be the key to this work. “It is important to be clear that this is not a quick fix and taking this bigger picture approach, which is widely recognised by all partners as the only way to tackle it effectively, is going to need commitment and long term investment.” Earlier this week the second strategic meeting took place in which partners met and discussed their initial findings from assessments of the scale of the problem in the five local authority areas and plans for the type of interventions they are planning to roll out for young people who are at risk of being becoming involved in criminal exploitation, grooming and knife crime.
BOOKING today for fabulous Filipino street food funkateers JC's Kitchen inaugural Supper Club event at the Good Bear Cafe (Bear Flat) on Friday 7th February: just £45pp for a 4-course Filipino feast (www.jcskitchen.co.uk/) EAGERLY anticipating No. 15 Great Pulteney's Steak and Lobster Supper Club – the first in a series of head chef Matt Gillard's sparkling Supper Club events hosted in the Dispensary restaurant – on Monday 27th January: expect fizz on arrival before a spectacular menu accompanied by equally spectacular wines for £64pp (www.no15greatpulteney. co.uk) GRABBING a meaty bargain on the first Tuesday of every month at the Marlborough Tavern, when this perfect pub's legendary Steak Night bring a juicy 28-day aged steak from just £12.50 (accompanied by fries and salad) to the table... and offers you the option of a bottle of Malbec to go with it for just a tenner (www.marlborough-tavern.com) MAKING the very most of the complimentary glass of luxurious Pol Roger Champagne that precedes luxurious set lunches (already remarkable value at just £40 for four courses) at the glamorous Bath Priory, being splashed out all the way through to Saturday 13 February. Cheers! (www.thebathpriory.co.uk) COMBINING two of life's greatest pleasures at the Abbey Hotel on Wednesday 29th January when Great Western Wine's very own pro-singing, music-loving wine tutor Tristan Darby will be hosting a Vinyl & Vine wine tasting session and raising a glass (or several!) to celebrate the brightest stars of both music- and wineworld (£25pp; www.greatwineschool.co.uk/wine-tasting-bath/ courses/vinyl-vine-tasting-1750) CELEBRATING Independent Venue Week (27th Jan - 2nd Feb) at The Grapes on Westgate Street: local live music all week long; unique food at Bath's only Japanese-style Izakaya (the Budo Ba) on Friday/Saturday evening (www.thegrapesbath.co.uk) For more news, views and food-related chat, visit The Pig Guide at www. thepigguide.com and follow The Pig on Twitter @ThePigGuide.
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Residents thanked for record-breaking recycling efforts RESIDENTS across Bath are being thanked for their recycling efforts over the Christmas period that resulted in the biggest collection day Bath & North East Somerset Council’s waste team has ever seen. Recycling crews handled more than 166 tonnes of recycling – the equivalent of the weight of 24 full grown African elephants – on 2nd January, which beats the previous highest record of 161 tonnes in 2017 and is around 60 extra tonnes than on an average day. The drive to recycle across the district has also contributed to the council being placed in the top 20 English local authorities for household waste, recycling, composting and reuse rate in the latest table from environment website www.letsrecycle.com. Residents are also being reminded that their rubbish and recycling collections are one day late this week, but will be back to normal from Monday 13th January. Councillor David Wood, joint cabinet member for Climate Emergency and Neighbourhood
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Services, said: “Our recycling achievements in Bath and North East Somerset this Christmas and New Year have been second to none. “I’d like to thank our residents for their great efforts and co-operation in helping us to successfully recycle the Christmas waste, which increases by almost a third at this time of year. “I also congratulate our waste and recycling teams for working hard during extended hours and poor weather to get all the collections done so that our residents continue to have an efficient service during the holiday period. “I’m looking forward to our figures going up again in 2020 – please keep on recycling.”
New debt management service being launched THREE local organisations have teamed up to provide a weekly debt management advice service for the residents of Twerton and Whiteway. In 2019, Twerton and Whiteway were listed as two of the most deprived areas in the UK. This deprivation is made worse by residents being located on the outskirts of Bath, far from charitable support services like Citizens Advice. Bath City Football Club, Wessex Water and Bath & North East Somerset charity Citizens Advice have created a partnership to tackle the issue. With the support of the other organisations, Citizens Advice is establishing a satellite advice service at Bath City FC, in an effort to alleviate the financial challenges that some residents are facing. B&NES Citizens Advice CEO, Les Redwood said: “The effects of 10 years of austerity on communities and charities like ours are really laid bare by the dire circumstances of some of the residents of Twerton and Whiteway. “That’s why collaborations such as this one are vital for the future provision of support to some of the most disadvantaged people in our society and it’s great that our partners are helping us to help others.” A launch event on Saturday 18th January was attended by film-
maker Ken Loach and comedian Dr Phil Hammond. General Manager of Bath City Football Club, Carole Banwell said: “The inequalities between Twerton and Whiteway and parts of the rest of Bath are alarmingly wide. So Bath City Football Club is really happy to be able to help with this project and hopes it will provide a real lifeline to local residents. As a community-owned club, we’re emotionally and financially invested in making Twerton and Whiteway a better place for residents and in the end, that’s good for Bath.” Director of Customer Policy and Engagement at Wessex Water, Sue Lindsay added: “We strive to offer help for customers who struggle to pay their water bills, but we know that those living in deprived areas without any local support initiatives, like Twerton and Whiteway, can be hard to reach and may be missing out on these vital services. “We’re delighted to be a part of this satellite advice service and hope to be able to help our financially disadvantaged customers in these areas get back on track.” The advice service, which will offer booked appointments and drop-ins, will take place every Thursday, starting 13th February from 9.30am to 2.30pm at Twerton Park, Bath City Football Club, High St, Twerton, BA2 1DB.
Council set to take action over empty property Stephen Sumner
Local Democracy Reporter
COUNCIL staff are set to clean up an “eyesore” Bath home that has been left empty and neglected for more than a decade. Council staff are set to clean up an “eyesore” Bath home that has been left empty and neglected for more than a decade. Neighbours have a long list of complaints about the state of 76 Leighton Road in Upper Weston – culminating last year with sightings of rats – but the absentee owner has done little to address their concerns. Now Bath and North East Somerset Council is set to carry out enforcement action, and councillors hope more interventions will follow on other problem properties. Enforcement boss Richard Stott told planning committee members on January 15: “I don’t know why the owner has left this property in disrepair – the property he lives at in Bath is substantial and very well maintained. “This has got to a point where it’s become too much for him to handle. “It’s on the radar of our empty property team to get it back into use. It’s been empty for well in excess of 10 to 15 years.
“The owner doesn’t want to engage with us and I don’t know why. He is an old gentleman. “We’ve notified him these works are going to happen.” Mr Stott said this will be the first use of a fighting fund the council has secured from Government, but resources are limited. The work is expected to cost around £1,500 and will be carried out by the authority’s parks department. The costs will be recovered from the owner. Officers have taken enforcement action once before, against a property in F rome Road in Radstock in 2015. Substantial work was needed after asbestos was found but the costs were successfully recouped from the owner. Councillor Manda Rigby said: “I’m very keen on enforcement, on everyone knowing what the rules are and sticking to them. “I’m pleased we’re doing this and hope it’s not low hanging fruit that’s easier to enforce against than other things. “I hope we have a robust discussion about future enforcement.” Cllr Eleanor Jackson said: “This costs the council money. There’s a budget and they can only do so much. There are seven or eight
The property on Leighton Road in Upper Weston | Photo © Bath Echo
properties in the officers’ sights but they haven’t got the cash to do it.” The first complaints about 76 Leighton Road date back to 2008. The council investigated and the owner agreed to maintain the site. Officers threatened action after more complaints in 2012, and the following year the owner removed two mature trees. Fresh complaints came in in 2018 but council letters went unan-
swered. Neighbours reported rats in or around the house in April 2019. The following month the council issued a formal notice requiring the removal of all vegetation, reseeding of the front lawn, regular maintenance and repairs to the garage door. In November officers said the site remained an eyesore – and the garage door had start to rot – so got a quote for work they needed to be signed off by councillors.
News in Brief Firefighters tackle accidental kitchen blaze Firefighters from Bath Fire Station tackled a blaze in a kitchen at a property in Bloomfield Drive on Wednesday 8th January. Crews were called to the scene at around 8pm, and on arrival, firefighters found a fire in the kitchen of the residential property. Firefighters used two breathing apparatus for safety, two highpressure hose reels and one 45mm jet to extinguish the fire. They also used a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear smoke from the property. The cause of the blaze is thought to be accidental. Avon Fire & Rescue Service is taking the opportunity to offer some kitchen safety advice, which can be found here: https:// avonfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/ fire-safety/kitchen-safety.
Designs to enhance Keynsham go on show New designs to enhance Keynsham town centre and create a better environment to encourage more walking and cycling will be available to view at a public exhibition starting on 24th January. Bath & North East Somerset Council’s detailed plans for Keynsham come after improvements to the public realm were highlighted as a key priority by local people in a consultation held between November 2018 and January 2019. Permanent improvements to the public space between Bath Hill and Charlton Road will include footpath decluttering, widening and resurfacing, better signage, cycling and bus stop facilities, new street furniture, streetlights, landscaping and trees. Work is expected to begin this summer. The scheme is funded by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) which supports economic growth in the region. The council was awarded £1.5 million towards the cost of implementing the first phase of public realm improvements in June 2019, and the scheme will help create a better retail environment, encouraging an increase in footfall and support the local economy. The public realm enhancements come on top of a range of investment for the town including the Riverside View redevelopment of the council’s former offices into contemporary apartments and improvements to the leisure centre facilities. Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Services, said: “We recognise that it is important to residents in Keynsham that their high street becomes a nicer place to be. I’m excited that we can now share the detail of our plans to revitalise the town centre and improve sustainable transport by encouraging more cyclists and bus users. The sessions run from 9.30am – 4.30pm in the Keynsham public library.
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New electric vehicles for fire service Jobs roadshow planned AVON Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) says it is delighted to announce the introduction of its first electric vehicles into its fleet. The two electric vans will be used by the Community Fire Safety team and will help ensure the team reduce their emissions ahead of the pending Bristol and Bath Clean Air Zones in 2020. Along with electric charging points that have been installed at Bedminster and various other AF&RS sites, the vans will benefit Avon Fire & Rescue both economically and environmentally. Not only will the energy used to charge the vans be 100% renewable, but with zero tax, lower maintenance costs and electric charging costing a quarter of diesel or petrol, introducing the vans into the fleet makes financial sense. As awareness grows around the impact made on the planet, Avon Fire & Rescue says it is important that it does everything it can to become a more sustainable organisation. The rolling out of the vans is an important step in the effort to combat climate change and is just one of the steps AF&RS is taking to reduce the emissions and pollution from their fleet to help improve the air quality in the communities it serves. It is hoped the rollout of the elec-
The new electric vans will be used by the Community Fire Safety team
tric vans will encourage others to go green and to help the environment, as every step taken towards eco-friendly living is one that benefits the planet and can save you money, too. Annabel Harford, Environmental Manager for AF&RS, said: “We recently ran a trial of different electric and hybrid vehicles with staff before purchasing the vans. “We worked with the Energy Savings Trust to review our fleet and identify opportunities to transition to low emissions vehicles that were suitable and made financial sense. “Mileage range, performance and ease of use were all monitored
and considered before choosing the vans. “The introduction of the vans is a step in the right direction for us as an organisation. We understand the importance of becoming a more environmentally friendly service and this for us is something we want to improve on as a Service.” AF&RS currently supplies all of its sites with 100% green energy and biogas, both of which are supplied from Bristol Energy. The biogas is produced at an anaerobic digestion plant based in Avonmouth, which is also where the Service sends food waste from their fire stations.
FREE advice and support to get adults across the area back into the workplace or to help them change career is on offer at a job roadshow being held in Bath on 29th January. The New Opportunities event at Bath Central Library is a day of helping residents aged 19-55 get into work, find volunteering opportunities, build CVs and learn tips on interview experience and confidence. The roadshow will be hosted by Bath and North East Somerset Council’s libraries team in partnership with support services including Future Bright, Curo, Bath College, St. John’s Foundation, Clean Slate, deafPLUS, Achieve in Bath, Job Centre Plus and West of England Works. The free event is open to residents across the district of all ages, but will particularly target adults seeking to change or progress their career, as well as those
looking for work. Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Services, said: “New Opportunities is an all-day event where anyone can receive help to get into work, change their career or get advice about the workplace and interviews. “Sometimes looking for work or a new direction can be quite a lonely process, so I’d encourage anyone in this position to come along to the job roadshow and see if there’s a new avenue for them.” There will be free workshops running throughout the day on CVs and interview techniques. The event takes place from 10am– 5pm. Anyone who is unable to attend the event can still use the council’s libraries at any time for their job search, including access to free Wi-Fi and support to improve their digital skills.
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Education Charity receives funding for Record number to primary school reading programme attend B&NES Youth Climate Summit NATIONAL reading charity, Coram Beanstalk, is set to launch a new project with the aim of getting more local primary school children to enjoy books and reading. With a £30,000 grant awarded by Bath-based charity St John’s Foundation, Coram Beanstalk is set to deliver its impactful reading programme, for free, over the next twelve months. Primary schools in Bath are being invited to apply now to take up these funded opportunities, along with a call to action for volunteer reading helpers from the local community. For over 45 years, Coram Beanstalk has been working with schools throughout England to support children on a one-to-one basis with their reading. Thanks to the generous funding from St John’s, Coram Beanstalk will now be working with schools in Bath for the very first time. Volunteers will be trained and matched to schools where they will support children aged 5 to 11 through weekly sessions to read well – not just through recognising the words but through the enjoyment of sharing books together, chatting about them and developing a deeper understanding of the content. Ginny Lunn, Managing Director of Coram Beanstalk said: “We are delighted to have received this funding from St John’s Foundation, enabling us to give children in Bath the gift of lifelong reading.
“Often the children our volunteers work with just need that bit of extra support and encouragement on a regular one-to-one basis that is just not always possible in the classroom. “After a year’s support, the child’s confidence towards reading and their love of books is often transformed. Whether you are a school looking to have trained reading helpers or a potential volunteer looking to pass on a love of reading, we would love to hear from you.” Louise Harvey, Director of Funding and Impact from St John’s Foundation said: “At first glance, Bath is a beautiful city but its wealthy veneer masks a city with its own share of issues and social needs. “Did you know that BaNES has the 150th (out of 151 local education authorities) worst academic attainment gap between children living in poverty and those who are more affluent in the whole of the UK?
“And while we cannot say that all young children who struggle with their reading are experiencing some form of inequality, it is likely to be a significant proportion. “Not being able to read at an age when their young, enquiring minds are at their most receptive, will diminish the opportunity for these children to access and thrive later in the education system. “We need to enable them to be ready to learn and we believe the work of Coram Beanstalk is setting them on that journey and are extremely pleased that we have been able to help.” The charity is now welcoming enquiries from primary schools in Bath, as well as potential volunteers who would like to be matched to schools by Coram Beanstalk. All volunteers will receive training and ongoing support, as well as the opportunity to attend workshops and events to meet with fellow reading helpers. Applicants will require a DBS check which the charity helps coordinate. Schools taking part will receive the service free for the first twelve months. A drop in afternoon will take place for potential volunteers to find out more on Tuesday 21st January in the Drawing Room at the Roman Baths between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. Visit www.corambeanstalk.org. uk to get involved or call 02077 294087.
AT the 12th B&NES Youth Climate Summit on Friday 14th February, around 150 Bath school students will be stepping up to take responsibility for the way we interact with the world around us. For the first time ever, the annual summit will be held at King Edward’s School’s main site, enabling a record number of local schools to attend. In a world where forest fires, animal extinctions and record temperatures reach the headlines on a daily basis, it is more important than ever for younger generations to get involved. With speakers ranging from Green Party member, Fay Whitfield to Michael Pitts, an underwater photographer, Alisdair Naulls from the Marine Conservation Society and sustainable
business leaders from organisations including Sustrans (the UK walking and cycling charity) and Grow Bristol, there will be a variety of diverse and current topics discussed. There will also be workshops available to further consider in small groups the issues raised by the event’s speakers. The one-day event is intended to inspire students to think about the changes they can make in their schools to be more sustainable, display the wide variety of environmentally-oriented careers that are available and build their discussion skills in a friendly environment. Schools attending the Summit include Hayesfield, KES, Kingswood, Norton Hill, Prior Park College, Ralph Allen, St Laurence and St Mark’s.
Bath engineer wins Royal Astronomical Society Medal A UNIVERSITY of Bath electrical engineer and physicist has been awarded for her work in understanding space weather by the Royal Astronomical Society. Professor Cathryn Mitchell received the 2020 RAS Chapman Medal for her pioneering research revealing how the Earth’s ionosphere responds to extreme space weather events. Professor Mitchell developed a new and innovative Earth observation technique by adapting medical tomography to image the Earth’s ionosphere, revealing the dynamics of the near-Earth space environment. The ionosphere is the upper layer of the Earth’s atmosphere that is charged by solar and cosmic radiation, and which plays a key
role in how radio signals work. She said: “I was really surprised and grateful to hear I’d been given this honour. “I previously won a prize from the RAS as a PhD student, so to win one later in my career is especially pleasing. “Understanding how space weather works is important to infrastructure, applications of new technologies and communications, so it’s an extremely interesting area to work in. “I’ve been lucky to be very handson during my work by travelling to do field work in both the Arctic and Antarctic. “It’s one of those areas of research where you can really take it in many directions so I’d urge anyone interested in engineering or physics to consider it.”
Her use of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signals as a source for assimilating space-weather data, through a new mathematical algorithm, has given scientists the first global-scale, 3D time-evolving view of the ionosphere in response to space weather storms. Professor Mitchell’s innovations
in tomography have crossed traditional discipline boundaries and are now applied in other fields including medical and nuclear imaging. Professor Mike Cruise, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: “The RAS awards recognise the achievements of an extraordinarily talented group of people from the UK and across the globe. “In this special bicentenary year, we’re continuing our longstanding tradition of honouring the very best researchers, those who rise to the challenge of engaging the wider public with our science, and those who make our science possible with their behind the scenes service.” The award comes as the University of Bath prepares to host the Na-
tional Astronomy Meeting 2020 (NAM2020). Taking place from 12th June to 17th July, the meeting will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Society’s founding president and his sister Caroline lived in Bath in the late 18th century, carrying out work in astronomy that led to discoveries including the planet Uranus, numerous comets and nebulae, and infrared light. NAM2020 will bring together astronomers and space scientists for the UK’s largest annual astronomy and space science event. Leading scientists from around the world will present cutting-edge research, and the conference will mark the society’s anniversary with a wide programme of public engagement events.
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University collaborates with council for “Our Shared Future” THE University of Bath and Bath & North East Somerset Council are collaborating on a new initiative, “Our Shared Future”, in a bid to bring people together to solve local issues. Launched on Monday 13th January, the initiative will bring together skills, knowledge and expertise from across the city in order to explore possibilities and address some of the challenges faced in Bath and the region. The launch began with a series of workshops, attended by academics from a range of disciplines along with colleagues from B&NES and local organisations, exploring the themes of cohesion and inclusivity, infrastructure and climate change in Bath. To enable a wider range of voices to be heard, initial findings from the workshops were shared at an evening reception where discussions were chaired by local journalist Richard Wyatt. The chairs of the respective working groups described the progress their initial discussions had made, and plans for next steps, including the desire to create a decarbonisation task force, explore new ways to utilise the 8,000 vaults under the city, and how to establish partnerships between “anchor” institutions in the city including the universities, NHS, voluntary sector and council. Professor Ian White, Vice-Chan-
cellor and President of the University of Bath, said: “I’m delighted that we are in a position to launch this project at the start of the New Year. “As a new Vice-Chancellor working with a new Chief Executive at B&NES, this is an opportune time to review the contribution that the University can make to the future of our home city. “Working in partnership with the Council, businesses and local residents will provide an opportunity to achieve real impact.” Councillor Dine Romero, council Leader, added: “The large turnout at the Our Shared Future event is testament to how people in Bath are passionate about working together to make the city an even better place to live and work. “There were some excellent discussions around tackling the climate emergency, our local economy and infrastructure and I hope the range of expertise and perspectives in the room, including both our universities, will enable us to find some innovative solutions to
The launch event of the “Our Shared Future" collaboration | Photos © University of Bath
the challenges we face.” The University also announced its plan to develop a Civic University Agreement. In signing up to such agreements, universities commit to prioritis-
ing the economy and quality of life in their home towns or cities, working alongside partners including schools, colleges, local authorities, charities, the NHS, civil society and businesses. Professor White added: “A Civic
University Agreement, a pledge of our commitment to the local economy and community, will be a fitting way to formalise our contribution to Bath and the region, and demonstrate how proud we are to be part of this unique city.”
Smartphone cameras to help speed up UTI diagnosis BIOLOGICAL Engineers at the University of Bath have developed a test that could help medics quickly diagnose urinary tract infections (UTIs), using a normal smartphone camera. Similar in principle to a pregnancy test, the process can identify the presence of harmful E. coli bacteria in a urine sample in just 25 minutes. As well as being far faster than existing testing, it could make accurate UTI testing more widely available in developing nations and remote regions thanks to its potential to be made portable, and far more cheaply than existing lab-based tests. E. coli is present in 80 percent of bacterial UTIs, so if it is found it tells medical professionals that an antibiotic treatment is needed. As well as a smartphone camera, the test, which could be adapted to detect a variety of bacterial infections, takes advantage of widely-available reagents and new micro-engineered materials. Researchers say the simplicity of the test, which has now passed the proof-of-concept stage, could deliver a new way to quickly identify treatments for patients in poorer or remote regions. Described in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, the test uses antibodies to capture bacterial cells in very thin capillaries within a plastic strip, detecting and identifying the cells optically
rather than through the microbiological methods currently used. Dr Nuno Reis, from Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering, led the development of the test. He said: “The test is small and portable – so it has major potential for use in primary care settings and in developing countries. “Currently, bacterial infections in UTIs are confirmed via microbiological testing of a urine sample. That is accurate, but time-consuming, taking several days. “We hope that giving medical professionals the ability to quickly rule in or rule out certain conditions will allow them to treat patients more quickly and help them make better decisions about the prescription of antibiotics.” The lack of rapid diagnostics for UTIs has in many cases led to a catch-all prescription of potentially unnecessary antibiotics, which increases the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to treatment – accepted as one of the biggest threats to global health and development. The test is carried out by passing a urine sample over a ridged plastic micro-capillary strip, containing an immobilising antibody able to recognise E. coli bacterial cells. If E. coli is present in the sample, antibodies in the reagents will bind with it, stopping it from
passing through the section of plastic strip. Finally, an enzyme is added that causes a change in colour that can be picked up by a smartphone camera. The system also measures the concentration of E. coli in the sample by analysing an image taken by the camera. The procedure is simple and could be manually operated or fully automated without any need for a mains power supply. To date, bodies such as the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have not granted approval to techniques that use smartphones – citing the potential for both non-lab conditions and software updates to the phone to make tests unscientific. But Dr Reis hopes that the way the test uses a variable scale to digitally compare the pixels within an image will convince regulators to allow the treatment to move toward eventual production. Dr Reis added that wealthier nations could also benefit from adopting the methodology, as it could make testing within primary care facilities such as GP surgeries more viable, reducing the need to send samples to central labs for testing. He said: “The UK and wealthy countries have seen a big shift to decentralised diagnostics to reduce the load on national or regional labs and provide doctors with important tools to make informed diagnoses.
Dr Nuno Reis, from Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering
“Driving more of this will bring better outcomes to patients in terms of speeding up the process, but will also lower the cost to healthcare providers. “We are not talking about replacing centralised diagnostics services but providing the first point of contact with affordable and rapid tools to support prescription of antibiotics and avoid their overuse.” The next step for the process is clinical trials, which will require collaboration with clinical and commercial partners. Beyond this, the team will shortly
begin working on refining the test to allow for the detection of other bacteria and their concentrations, which will help prescribe correct dosages and avoid the overuse of antibiotics. Dr Reis concluded: “The smartphone solves one of the biggest problems of the decentralising of diagnostics because their capabilities are actually very sophisticated in certain conditions. “They offer the same functionality as sophisticated scanners that have until now been available only in labs.”
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Health Royal United Hospital recruits first patient to £2.1m Parkinson’s disease trial THE first patient has been recruited for a UK-wide trial into tackling one of the most disabling complications of Parkinson’s disease, led by the Royal United Hospital and the University of Bristol. The trial, funded by a £2.1 million grant from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will test whether a commonly prescribed dementia drug could prevent debilitating falls for people with the disease. Falls are a frequent complication of Parkinson’s, leading to patients suffering from injuries and broken bones and often needing hospital admission. RUH Research Lead Nurse Ruth Hamlin said: “To recruit our first patient is hugely significant and marks the official start of what is a really important study. “While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, our hope is that this research and its eventual findings will help to improve patients’ quality of life.” Gitte Dawson, from Freshford, near Bath, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s seven years ago and has experienced a number of what she describes as ‘Parkinson’s falls’.
She said: “I’m very interested in this research and learning about its findings. It’s very practical and do-able for a patient like me on a daily basis, which is important because we’ll be taking part for a year.” The three-year trial is led by Dr Emily Henderson, a Consultant Geriatrician at the Royal United Hospital in Bath and Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol. It will recruit 600 paClinical Trials Officer Vicky Page with Gitte Dawson and Research Lead Nurse Ruth Hamlin tients across 26 UK hospitals to determine whether a and, if successful, this treatment that they post back each month drug, known as a cholinesterase will improve the lives of people for a year. inhibitor (ChEi) will help people living with Parkinson’s now and Dr Tim Craft, Trust Director of with Parkinson’s. Earlier phase has the potential to be tested in Research and Innovation, said: trials have shown that ChEi treat- other groups of patients who are “I’m delighted that this trial has ment has the potential to almost at high risk of falling.” now begun and proud that the halve the number of falls and im- Trial patients will be randomly RUH is leading with the Univerproves the regularity of walking, assigned a 12-month course of sity of Bristol in such important speed, and balance. either a ChEi via a patch or a pla- research that has the potential to Dr Henderson said: “This re- cebo (dummy) treatment. benefit people worldwide.” search will provide definitive evi- However, neither the researchers Findings from the trial, funded dence as to the role of these drugs nor the participants will know by the NIHR Health Technology for falls. We are working hard to which group they are in. Patients Assessment programme (HTA), tackle one of the most disabling will be asked to record any falls will be published in a research complications of Parkinson’s that they experience in diaries journal.
Campaign challenges locals to ‘walk all over cancer’ PEOPLE across the Bath & North East Somerset area are being challenged to kick start the New Year by taking steps to support Cancer Research UK. The charity is encouraging everybody who feels they’ve had too many mince pies or helpings of Christmas pudding to sign up to Walk All Over Cancer and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day for a month. In the South West, almost a quarter of people are getting less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week. Alison Birkett, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the South West, said: “For many of us, the start of a new year is a great time to commit to be a bit more active. “If you are thinking about a New Year’s resolution for 2020, why not visit our website and sign up now to Walk All Over Cancer. “We are asking people to get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps a day in March. So there’s plenty of time for supporters to start building up to the challenge and planning new, fun ways to fit in some extra steps – from getting off the bus one stop early to organising walks with family and friends. “Sticking to a New Year’s resolution can be hard, especially through the cold, dark months of January. Registering now and
making a public pledge to take part in the Spring, could help people steel their resolve.” Not only will taking on the challenge help raise money, it has health benefits as well. Moderate exercise can help build stamina, burn calories and keep a healthy body weight, which reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer. Walking has many positive effects on both the body and mind. It can help generate a sense of well-being and help people think more creatively.
Alison added: “Participants can tackle our Walk All Over Cancer challenge in their own way. They can take part on their own or ask family, friends and colleagues to join them. “It offers a great opportunity to explore new places together or to carve out some ‘me time’ by doing the challenge alone. “It is also a good way to get to know your local town or city better by taking the time to explore it on foot, rather than by car, bus or train.” She continued: “10,000 steps is
equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides. That’s quite a challenge for many people. “But adopting small changes that you can stick too – from walking to work or taking the stairs instead of the lift – will help make the goal feel achievable.” Keeping check on the number of steps taken each day is a great way to boost motivation and a sense of achievement. It’s easy to do, with many smartphone apps, pedometers and wearable activity trackers. Alison continued: “Cancer survival has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress – but every step our doctors, nurses and scientists take relies on donations from the public and the tireless fundraising of our supporters. “There are over 200 types of cancer and we need continued investment in research to help us find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat them. “That’s why we need people to step up to the challenge and Walk All Over Cancer.” To sign up and receive a fundraising pack, with tips and ideas to help with the challenge, visit www.cruk.org/walkallover.
Mental Health with Karen Bray
LOVE AND VALUE YOURSELF As Valentine’s Day approaches, we may get the message that - rather than seeking love and approval from others - its healthy to focus on loving ourselves. That, the theory goes, makes us more able to find or develop happy relationships. After all, how can we expect others to value us if we don’t value ourselves? Great advice - but if we don’t love and value ourselves already, how can we start to do so? Often the difficulty is identified as “low self-esteem”. But the problem with this definition is that self-esteem is usually tied to how well we feel we are performing in the world - are we good or bad, competent or incompetent, kind or selfish? And no-one can get it right all the time. We all make mistakes sometimes major ones with serious consequences. Or we’re tired or bad-tempered or a bit dishonest. Many of us have expectations of ourselves that are always a bit beyond our reach, so we have a constant low-level nervousness about how we are doing. Others feel we fall so far short of family or social expectations that we’ve given up even trying, and may live with a crushing sense of wrongness that keeps us isolated from others. Wherever we are on that scale, “chasing worthiness” can be a futile, exhausting treadmill. Instead, let’s try some self-compassion. This means accepting the realistic idea that we are fallible and imperfect human beings - and that’s OK. Nature (or God) didn’t design us to be perfect. What’s valuable about us - each and every one of us - is that we are that very rare thing in the universe, a conscious being. We experience fear and sadness and pain despite wanting love and contentment. And we deserve compassion purely for that reason. Perhaps we can consciously challenge our belief that we “ought to” be something different from what we are. There’s a short exercise to help do this here: https://www. karenbray.co.uk/self-compassion/. And when we’re kinder to ourselves, we’ll become kinder and more comfortable with others - and that can improve our love life, too. Karen Bray (MBACP) is a counsellor with a private practice in Bath. Her website is at www.karenbray.co.uk
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Proposal to transform local maternity services is approved THE joint Governing Bodies of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (BSW CCGs) have approved a proposal to improve and modernise maternity services across the region. The decision follows a three-year period of engagement and consultation with more than 4,000 mums, families, staff and partners in the community to develop a new vision for maternity services, proposals for change and final recommendations. The proposal was developed to better meet the needs and choices of women and families across the whole of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. The changes will mean more equal access to choice for women about where to have their babies, a more effective use of resources, a better supported homebirth service and enhanced antenatal and postnatal care. Sarah Merritt, Acting Deputy Director of Nursing and Midwifery at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust said: “These proposals will help us provide more choices for birth to more women and will build a strong foundation on which to enhance continuity of care so that more women can see the
same midwife or small team of midwives before, during and after labour. “The addition of Alongside Midwifery Units at the Royal United Hospital in Bath and at Salisbury Hospital will give our birthing mums a new option for labour and delivery, significantly enhancing choices in Salisbury in particular. Our midwives and staff are excited to embrace this new way of working in purpose built facilities.” The BSW CCG Governing Bodies approved the proposal to: • Create an Alongside Midwifery Unit at Salisbury Hospital Foundation Trust. • Create an Alongside Midwifery Unit at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. • Continue to support births in two, not four Freestanding Midwifery Units. This would mean births ceasing in Trowbridge and Paulton with antenatal and postnatal care continuing. • Enhance current provision of antenatal and postnatal care. • Improve and better promote home birth services. • Replace the five community postnatal beds in Paulton and the four community postnatal beds in Chippenham with support closer to, or in women’s homes. This will be phased with four beds remaining in Chippenham
for up to 12 months to support co-creation of new pathways. Dr Ruth Grabham, Medical Director for Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group and Governing Body member said: “We are very grateful to everyone who gave their time and expertise over the last three years as this proposal was developed and refined. From mums and dads who use the services to clinical experts and local organisations – everyone has helped to steer a path through the complexities of service change. “We know that in both Paulton and Trowbridge there were strong feelings in support of women continuing to be able to give birth in the existing Free Standing Midwifery Units and some people will be disappointed by today’s decision. “However this proposal was approved to help us better meet the needs and choices of women and families across the whole of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. “As a result of feedback we have delayed the closure of four of the community postnatal beds to allow more time to work with mums, families and staff to co-design a new community postnatal offer that will meet the needs of local people. The feedback, for example around breastfeeding
and mental health support, will also be used to help shape our future maternity services.” While services will be changing, it is important to note that approval of the proposal will not result in the closure of any buildings or reductions in budget and staffing for maternity services. Maternity services will remain available at all four FMUs with antenatal and postnatal care continuing to be provided at these sites. Chaya Tagore, Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) Lead and one of the members of the Expert Panel that reviewed the consultation results and developed the final recommendations said: “It’s really important that all women across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire have easy access to maternity
services and this proposal means more choice to more women about where to have their baby. “I encourage expectant parents and those who have used maternity services in the last five years to get involved with the MVP. “The next steps as new community hubs are developed, where women can access integrated care from pre-conception to postnatal care are wonderful opportunities for co-creation. As MVP Volunteers we are really excited about enhanced support for home births and ongoing care.” The BSW CCGs will continue to share information on the Transforming Maternity Services Together website www.transformingmaternity.org.uk. This will include proposed timeframes for changes to services.
Youngsters to benefit from latest blood analysis tech
Prestige Nursing + Care has been providing home care and support to clients and their families since 1945 and is delighted to be able to offer services within the Bath area.
Now recruiting for Nurses, Care Assistants and Support Workers. Offering many great benefits, including holiday pay, free uniforms and a discount scheme. We offer paid training, flexible working options, a local supportive office team and an employee assistance programme. To find out more, pop in today or call us for more information.
Call us today on 01225 330 966 Prestige Nursing + Care Bath The House, Kelston Park, Kelston, Bath, BA1 9AE
e: bath@prestige-nursing.co.uk www.prestige-nursing.co.uk
Consultant Paediatrician Chris Tate, Senior Sister Clare Scott and Coordinator Nicola Hodges
YOUNGSTERS on the Children’s Ward at the Royal United Hospital in Bath are benefiting from the latest in blood analysis technology. The ward now has a new blood gas analyser machine, which is helping medical staff to diagnose and treat patients more quickly. Previously, staff would have had to take blood samples from the ward to the hospital’s on-site Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care to have them analysed. Now that samples can be analysed on the Children’s Ward, it saves staff time and means critically ill children can be treated even more quickly. Consultant Paediatrician Chris Tate said: “The new blood gas analyser has already made a really positive difference to how we do things on the Children’s
Ward and how quickly we can diagnose and treat our patients. “Before, samples had to be taken to NICU to be analysed which took up staff time. Now we are saving that time and also able to treat our high dependency patients even more quickly. “It also means we can easily analyse multiple blood samples from our most seriously ill patients, which helps us to monitor and manage their condition.” The machine can also help to indicate whether a patient may be at risk of potentially life-threatening sepsis. The Children’s Ward at the RUH has 33 inpatient beds for children with both medical and surgical conditions. There is also a Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) within the Children’s Ward with five designated spaces.
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What's On Review | Ghost Stories
Comedian Simon Evans set to perform at Widcombe Social Club
Theatre Royal Bath
When promotional material suggests that you should stay away if of a nervous disposition or that there is an age limit, the attraction of something quite so scary becomes even greater. There is nothing to disappoint with this Bath premiere of Ghost Stories; it is a great example of good storytelling with an excellent cast of Joshua Higgot (Prof. Goodman), Gus Gordon (Simon Rifkind), Paul Hawkyard (Tony Matthews) and Richard Sutton (Mike Priddle). There are moments of true shock
in this neatly handled metadrama. We meet Prof. Goodman who is here to lecture us about Ghosts: do we believe or not? The subsequent 90 minutes takes us through a series of events and first-hand experiences. No spoilers here. But definitely some fine moments of theatre. What makes this particularly effective is the atmospheric soundscape, the excellent lighting and extremes of either sensory overload or deprivation.
The clever nightmarish design by Jon Bauser allows a freedom of settings within the piece and the illusions are both effective and genuinely surprising. It may take the more cynical a little longer to become immersed in the story, however it is well worth the watch. Theatre Royal Bath could not have chosen a greater antithesis to panto. I am certain these ghost routines will not be seen again for some time.
Coming up this week in Bath (21/01 - 26/01)
Petra Schofield
AFTER twenty years of watching one of the country’s most erudite, well-loved and downright funny comedians, Simon Evans’s fans could be excused for thinking they know who is and what he’s about. Dry, teasingly non-PC and openly baffled by much of modern life – not to say his own family – Evans has created a strongly defined on-stage persona that has served him well over that time. But almost incredible revelations about his true identity left him reeling last year – and have made his new tour show, The Work of the Devil, by far his most memorable, eye opening and thought provoking work to date. It’s also his most engaging, audiences reporting that tears of laughter mingled at the end with stronger currents of emotion. “It’s an unusual show for me in that regard,” he says. “Because the message of the show – almost beyond my conscious control – has become one that is genuinely heart-warming and uplifting, rather than just another weary sigh at society’s collapsing values and so on. And honestly, I couldn’t be happier. The subject matter, the show itself and audience reaction to it – it’s no exaggeration to say that it had a positive effect on my mental health, just performing it every night.” It’s a very different kind of vibe to his last show, Genius 2.0, about the effect that “dumbing down” has had on everything from our
political culture to our kids. “It starts in a similar vein – scrutinising identity politics and resurgent Nationalism, subjecting them to my usual piggy-eyed scrutiny and scepticism. But then we move through a gradual shift of perspective as I approach the Big Reveal – the news I received last year that throws literally everything I’ve said in the show – and arguably as a comedian, ever – into a dramatic new light.” The title of the show - The Work of The Devil, comes from Evans’ comedic hero, Douglas Adams. “It’s from one of his unpublished, unfinished passages for Dirk Gently – a theory about the three different stages of progress in everyone’s life. Firstly, there’s what existed before you were born and until the age of about 12 or 13: with me, I grew up accepting that television, for instance, simply existed. Then there are things which are invented in our late teens and 20s which are exciting innovations that offer us opportunities to experience the thrills our parents never knew. For me, again, computers, digital watches, and arguably sandwich toasters. And then there are things which arrive from our mid-30s onwards, by which point we can no longer keep up with change and which we therefore denounce as the work of The Devil.” Simon Evans will perform at the Widcombe Social Club in Bath on Saturday 4th April 2020.
On the way in Bath next week (27/01 - 02/02)
Snow White
Max & Ivan: Commitment
Derek Owusu: That Reminds Me
Skunk
Roman Rescue
Ecolution: Sustainability Fair
Volunteer Recruitment Day
Spring Awakening
Grayson Perry Exhibition
Transporter
From Shakespeare With Love
Ash Wilson
St Philip & St James Church 22nd - 25th January, 7.30pm Based on the traditional story, this show is packed full of music, dance, jokes, larger-than-life characters and a few surprises, so is one not to be missed. Tickets £8 for adults, £5 for children. The Roman Baths 24th - 26th January Help free the desperate Roman slave from his centurion master in the newest twist on the escape room. A fun experience for friends, families, or colleagues. Available selected dates January – May. The Holburne Museum 24th January - 25th May The first exhibition to survey Grayson Perry’s earliest forays into the art world. Reintroducing the explosive and creative works he made between 1982-94. General Entry tickets include all exhibitions.
Komedia 22nd January, 8pm Commitment is the trust story of the unreasonable lengths one best man (Max) will go to give one groom (Ivan) the greatest weekend of his life. With support from Olga Koch. Green Park Station 24th January, 10am - 4pm The aim of the event is to raise awareness about sustainability practices and products, as well as showing the public how fun sustainability can be. Attendance is free. The egg theatre 24th - 25th January, various times Transporter is a bold, spellbinding show, born out of a belief in the power of words to transport. Just one performer in an empty space, and an audience. An act of shared imagination.
Toppings, Bath 28th January, 8pm The story of one young man, from birth to adulthood, told in fragments of memory. It explores questions of identity, belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, family and religion.
Dyrham Park 29th January, 11am - 3pm From helping with events, in the house or welcoming visitors as they arrive, why not go along and chat with staff and volunteers about the various volunteering opportunities at Dyrham Park. The Mission Theatre 31st January - 1st February, 7.30pm Featuring scenes and sonnets, personal anecdotes and live music, love is showcased in its many forms, from first love to long-term relationships. An intimate show full of humour, passion and truth.
Ustinov Studio 30th January - 1st February, 7.30pm Otto is a normal teenager with normal parents. They have the usual parent aspirations for him. One day, Otto wakes up to find as been inexplicably transformed into a skunk. The Rondo Theatre 30th January - 1st February, 7.30pm Spring Awakening is a harrowing tale of misguided youth, the struggle for sense, and the reality of mis-education. This fraught, raw and honest musical is an exploration of 19th century repression. Chapel Arts Centre 1st February, 8pm Drawn to the Blues music his parents introduced him to, it became obvious his ambition as a 14-year-old was to become a great artist like his heroes. Tickets £12 in advance, £14 on the door.
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Community Foxhill residents benefit from over £30,000 of Curo community grants CURO has awarded over £33,000 to projects making a positive contribution to Bath’s Foxhill community, with a further £3,000 available until the end of March for projects or groups that need a helping hand. The Bath-based housing association awarded 20 grants over a two year period from 2017 to 2019. Curo calculate over 1,900 Foxhill residents have benefitted from Community Chest grants they’ve given to local projects and initiatives. Vanessa Collier, Community Development Manager at Curo, explained: “Our mission at Curo is to make our neighbourhoods great places to live. “Our Community Chest grants have supported some fantastic projects that are making a positive and profound contribution to the Foxhill community.” A variety of projects have benefitted from Curo’s support, including play sessions, family
theatre shows, exercise and dance classes, craft workshops, over 50s activities, community fêtes and holiday camps. Curo helped a professional animator living in Foxhill host workshops for young people at The Hub in Mulberry Park. Angela Frankham has worked for Wallace and Gromit filmmakers Aardman Animation and on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Pingu and Bob the Builder. Curo’s grant also allowed Angela to offer work experience to a recent graduate and employ a freelance artist. Angela’s workshops at The Hub have been a great success and are always fully booked. Angela explained: “These are difficult times for people working in arts activities and Curo have really supported me. It’s been really exciting to share my knowledge and experience with local children through the animation workshops.” Foxhill Youth Club was given
£600 by Curo towards the cost of a sports and craft trip to Devon. Stuart McLachlan, youth minister at the youth club, said: “The trip allowed our young members to develop a range of skills and make new friends. They got to try new sports activities and have time out from their normal routine. For some of the young people attending this was their first trip away from home and they were able to be able to consider new opportunities in a different setting.” Curo have got a further £3,000 available for projects or groups based in Foxhill, and are calling for residents to contact them if they need any financial support to get a project off the ground. Vanessa Collier, Community Development Manager at Curo, said: “We’ve got £3,000 available until the end of March. We want Foxhill residents with ideas to get in touch. It’s really easy to apply for funding. Go to the Curo website for more information."
Stone King offers free divorce information sessions in Bath STONE King’s Family and Mediation Team will be offering free information sessions to people considering divorce as part of Family Mediation Week. The awareness week, which runs from 20th to 24th January 2020, is organised by the Family Mediators Association (FMA), which seeks to help separating couples to take control of their situation and make decisions together, as well as ensuring that the views of children are heard. Rebecca Eels, Senior Associate in the Family and Mediation Team, was recently appointed to join the board of the FMA. Tracey Smith, head of Stone King’s Family and Mediation Team, said: “Separating couples need to know that it can be
possible to resolve things constructively with your partner, avoiding conflict to find the best way forward for you and the whole family. “Our specialist team of mediators can help you through this process, enabling clients to co-operate with each other to negotiate and find ways forward, thereby lessening conflict at an emotionally draining time. “We are offering free information sessions during Family Mediation Week that we hope will provide some clarity to aid people’s decision making at what can be a very difficult time.” All free mediation information appointments must be booked in advance and will take place at 3 or 13 Queen Square. To book your free half an hour information session, call 01225 337599.
Volunteers sought for Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal CHARITY Marie Curie is urgently calling for volunteers in Bath to give just two hours of their time to hand out the charity’s iconic daffodil pins, in return for donations. Volunteers will be supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal – Marie Curie’s biggest fundraising campaign, held every March. In the next 10 years, more than six million people will die in the UK and of this number, 75% will need end of life care. The money raised from Volunteer Victor Butchers with his wife Sue, collecting in Bath the Great Daffodil Appeal will help Marie Curie “Volunteering is also an easy way to get provide much-needed expert care to involved in your local community and people with terminal illnesses, as well as meet new people.” support for their loved ones. Victor Butchers from Bath said: “My wife Emma Hildesley, Marie Curie Community Sue and I signed up to collect for the Fundraiser for Bath and Wiltshire, said: Great Daffodil Appeal in Bath last year “Whether you wear a daffodil pin in and we’re delighted to have signed up celebration, in solidarity or in memory of a again this year. loved one, you are joining with millions of “It’s a great feeling to be supporting others to help make sure all dying people such an important cause. I’ve met so get the care and support they deserve. many kind and interesting people along “Volunteering just two hours at a local the way – many of whom have directly collection is a great way to show your benefitted from the care or support support and help us raise money to help provided by Marie Curie.” make sure that we can be there for more To volunteer for Marie Curie’s Great people at the end of their lives. Daffodil Appeal and give out the charity’s “Collecting can be a lot of fun too. You daffodils pins in return for donations, can do it on your own or with family and visit mariecurie.org.uk/collect or friends, and we will support you every step contact Emma on Emma.Hildesley@ mariecurie.org.uk or call 07713080412. of the way.
Bridgemead is a local Christian charity offering residential and nursing care for 32 residents. We have been serving the local community for 27 years. Needing a break from caring? We offer a Day Club facility Monday to Friday, a chance to socialise over good food and entertainment. Places are available on request. Needing a holiday? We offer a respite bed. This can be booked up to a year in advance. Currently we are recruiting for a Clinical Lead Nurse and Care Assistants for day and night duty, full and part time to join our friendly team. Salaries dependant on experience. There may also be opportunity for some flexible working. We welcome Volunteers to join the team. There are a number of ways to become involved, befriending residents, fund raising, making coffee/tea to name but a few. Please contact us for more details or an application form on: 01225 484904 or email: pam@bridgecare.org.uk
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Theatre Royal's Charities Week raises over £5000 PANTOMIME audiences at the Theatre Royal in Bath have raised more than £5,500 to be split between four local organisations, thanks to collections made over the annual Charities Week. Collections were made over seven days during Christmas week, between Sunday 22nd December to Sunday 29th December, by the Theatre’s Front of House staff and volunteers after matinee and evening performances of Beauty & The Beast. During Charities Week, Wendi Peters, who plays Fairy Bon Bon in Beauty & The Beast, made announcements from the stage on behalf of all four charities at the end of each pantomime performance when bucket collections were held. The actress, well known on TV for her roles in Coronation Street and Hetty Feather, said: “We are bowled over by the generosity of pantomime audiences who wholeheartedly embraced the fundraising bucket collections during Charities Week here at the Theatre Royal Bath. “Between them they have raised a truly impressive total which will really benefit four wonderful charities in the year ahead. “We applaud everyone who made a contribution and thank them for their kindness on behalf of Sense, Acting for Others, St John Ambulance and Canine Partners, who will be able to use this money to continue their important work in 2020.” Wendi was joined on stage by Jon Monie who plays Louis La Plonk, Nick Wilton who plays Polly La Plonk, Ben Harlow who plays Hugo Pompidou, Shaun Dalton who appears as Prince Albert and
The pantomime cast with Ushers George Miles and Gabby Finnegan from the Front of House Team
the Beast, Clare Maynard who plays Belle, Marcus Knibbs who plays Clement and George Miles and Gabby Finnegan from the Theatre Royal’s Front of House Team to celebrate the donations given by theatregoers. The money raised during Charities Week, which already exceeds £5,500, continues to be counted and the total sum donated by Bath’s panto audiences will be divided equally between the charities: Sense, Canine Partners, Acting For Others and St. John Ambulance.
Sense provides personalised support for everyone who is deafblind and living with complex disabilities to take part in life. Through Sense centres, holidays, short breaks and at home, they provide early intervention for children, help young people access education and support families. Canine Partners transforms the lives of people with physical disabilities by partnering them with assistance dogs, bringing a greater independence and quality of life to their partners; offering security, companionship,
and practical help with everyday household tasks, as well as psychological and social benefits including increased confidence and self-esteem. Acting for Others supports people who have worked in the theatre industry who are ill, injured or elderly and can no longer work or find themselves in need. St. John Ambulance is the nation’s leading first aid charity; its volunteers offer their skills and time in the heart of their community and at public events, including performances at the Theatre Royal.
News in Brief Shoppers help donate thousands of meals Thousands of meals have been donated to local foodbanks and groups feeding people, thanks to the generosity of Tesco’s Bath shoppers. Local shoppers donated 1,117 meals as part of the overall total of 2.5 million meals donated to charities the Trussell Trust and FareShare by shoppers during last month’s Tesco Food Collection, with Tesco topping up the value of all the donations by an additional 20%. The donations to foodbanks in the Trussell Trust’s network are being used to provide food parcels for people in crisis, while donations to FareShare go to charities and community groups such as homeless shelters and older people’s lunch clubs who also receive surplus food from Tesco stores. The donations from the three-day collection are in addition to items donated by customers throughout 2019. In the year to October, more than 7 million meals were donated to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network at those in-store collection points. Tesco Director Christine Heffernan said: “On my visits to stores during the Collection I was taken aback by the generosity of our customers. “I would like to thank all those who donated.” The Trussell Trust’s Chief Executive Emma Revie added: “Food banks could not do what they do without the incredible support of the public and their loyal volunteers, who work tirelessly to help people when they need support the most.”
Annual Bath Rugby Walk set to return in aid of local charities THE annual Bath Rugby Walk is set to return in March, raising vital funds for local charities Dorothy House Hospice Care and the Bath Rugby Foundation. Taking place on Saturday 7th March, the walk will once again follow the Kennet and Avon canal path route between the two charities, starting at Dorothy House’s Winsley base at 11am and ending at the home of Bath Rugby in Bath city centre. Last year over 530 people took part in the walk. Once at the Rec, walkers will be able to enjoy a well-earned drink and a pie while watching Six Nations action together: • Ireland v Italy – 2:15 • England v Wales – 4:45pm Men and women aged 12 years and over are invited to take part, and help raise vital funds for the Bath Rugby Foundation and Dorothy House Hospice Care. Emily Knight, Event Fundraiser, Dorothy House Hospice Care said: “Last year’s walk was a fantastic success with over 530 walkers getting involved. “The funds raised for Dorothy
House this year will help us provide patients with specialist palliative and end of life care and support for their families. “We’re looking forward to a big turn out for this year’s Bath Rugby Walk which is always an important fundraiser for both charities.” Halena Coury, Head of Fundraising at Bath Rugby Foundation, said: “The Bath Rugby Walk is always a highlight of our year, seeing so many people walking along the canal path in great spirits. “The money raised by walkers makes a huge difference to the lives of young people in Bath, many of whom have had the toughest start to life. “The fact that this money is raised by people having a lovely time – with a bit of light exercise thrown in, is a bonus.” Victoria Dulley, who took part in the 2019 Bath Rugby Walk as a member of the St John’s Foundation team, added: “Last year’s Bath Rugby Walk was a brilliant occasion and the whole St John’s team had a great time. “We all encourage everyone in
Photo courtesy of the Bath Rugby Foundation
Bath to take part – you’ll have a lovely day and help raise money for Dorothy House and Bath Rugby Foundation.” If your team is between 12 and
20 people and you’d enjoy a private space to watch the Six Nations, you can even reserve a box at the Rec. Entry is £25 for men and women aged 18 and over. For
children aged 12-17 and students with an NUS Card, the cost is £17.50. Sign up to take part in the Bath Rugby Walk at www.bathrugbywalk.org.uk.
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Business Gym, health food retailer and bike shop to open at Spring Wharf
Popular Bath pub The Chequers to close after 10 “great” years
The Spring Wharf development on the Lower Bristol Road in Bath
THE commercial units at the new Spring Wharf development in Bath have now been fully let with three leisure and retail occupiers signing deals, Deeley Freed Estates and Legal & General have announced. Pure Gym, the chain of no-frills health clubs, has agreed on a 15year lease for ground floor and mezzanine level space. It will be Pure Gym’s first centre in Bath, continuing its expansion into the South West following the opening of gyms in cities including Bristol, Exeter, Portsmouth and Plymouth. Scoop Wholefoods, the UK’s largest zero-waste health food retailer, is expanding into Bath following the opening of its first store in Bristol. It has agreed a 10year lease on the ground floor. The final retail occupier, the American cycling icon Trek, has agreed a 10 year lease for the remaining ground floor space. Formerly known as Roseberry Place, Spring Wharf occupies a prominent location alongside the junction of Lower Bristol Road
and Windsor Bridge Road, as part of the Bath Riverside Enterprise Zone. Construction of the first phase, which includes the residential apartments and retail units, has now been completed and the second phase is due to come forward shortly. Duncan Costin, Property Director, Pure Gym, said: “Pure Gym is delighted to be opening our first site in Bath. “The city has been a long-time target and finally we can bring our exciting gym offer to the people of Bath. “We’re hopeful that this could be the first of several sites in the area.” Stephie Mizzi, Managing Director of Scoop Wholefoods, added: “We are delighted to open our second zero-waste store in our home city of Bath, following the success of our first outlet in Bristol. “This new outlet will be opening at Spring Wharf in March 2020. “Scoop Wholefoods has the UK’s largest range of natural & organic wholefoods, with over 350 bulk
foods, and hundreds more in reusable or home compostable packaging, all sourced from ethical and responsible suppliers, many of which are local to the South West. “With competitive prices and free parking on site, we hope to become Bath’s sustainable alternative to a supermarket.” Andrew Maltby of Deeley Freed said: “At a time of uncertainty for many retail and leisure operators we are pleased to see this development has attracted three successful businesses. “This area of Bath is an increasingly attractive residential location and we have always envisaged Spring Wharf to be a vibrant local hub offering a healthy mix of new homes and retail/leisure space. “We are pleased to see Phase 1 come to fruition and look forward to Phase 2 being equally successful.” Carter Jonas acted for Deeley Freed and Legal & General on the lettings of the Spring Wharf commercial units.
THE Bath Pub Company has announced it has turned down the offer of a new lease at their popular Rivers Street pub The Chequers, and plans to cease trading there from Monday 27th January. Bath Pub Company Managing Director, Joe Cussens said: “Our lease is up for renewal and following a review of the business, we’ve concluded that the size and location of The Chequers site doesn’t fit with our plans for future growth of the company. “So after 10 great years there, we’ve taken the decision to cease trading at The Chequers later this month. “We’ve enjoyed some great times over the years at The Chequers some of the highlights being winning a Bath Life Award, Bath Good Food Awards, Trencherman’s Awards and receiving a glowing review from Giles Coran in The Times. And 2019 has seen our best year ever for customer satisfaction, so it’s great to be going out on a high.
“The sadness of losing this muchloved site is being offset by the excitement here at the prospect of opening a new site in the spring. “Plans for this are at an advanced stage and we hope to make a formal announcement in the near future. “I’d like to thank all our customers for their support over the years – and of course, all the wonderful, talented people who have worked with us here. “It’ll be sad to say goodbye to The Chequers, but we’re looking forward to using these last few weeks as a chance to say goodbye to our customers and treating them to some fantastic Chequers hospitality one last time.” The company has started consultations with staff and expects to be able to offer most, if not all of them, positions within their other pubs. The Bath Pub Company currently operates three other pubs in Bath, The Marlborough Tavern, The Hare & Hounds and The Locksbrook Inn.
Boost for Avonvale RFC’s under-13s thanks to Wessex Water AVONVALE RFC under-13s are thirsty for success after receiving a donation of refillable water bottles from their new kit sponsor Wessex Water. The youngsters look smart in their brand new kit and are sure to remain well hydrated for the rest of the season thanks to their new refillable water bottles. Assistant coach Kevin Hall said: “Avonvale RFC is run completely by volunteers and without our strong volunteer base, along with generous donations from sponsors like Wessex Water, we
would not be able to offer these sporting opportunities to young people. “We wanted to develop and promote a more professional approach to our training and match days – the sponsorship from Wessex Water has helped us to achieve this. The new kit and water bottles have given the players a real boost and it’s fantastic to see the pride in their faces when they put on their new shirts.” The water bottle donation is part of Wessex Water’s Hydrate Feel Great campaign.
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Lit experts launch programme of children’s book events BATH-BASED kids lit books experts Gill and John McLay have launched a brand new not-forprofit venture called Wonder. It will host a year-round series of entertaining and inspiring children’s book events in Bath, Bristol and beyond. Capturing imaginations and inspiring future storytellers, Wonder’s aim is to not only bring some of the biggest selling children’s authors and illustrators to local cities, but also to celebrate emerging talent, offer workshops and clubs that centre around hobbies, favourite characters and games, and to bring the magic of stories into creative spaces that spark kids’ imagination. The first events of Wonder for 2020 have been announced – beginning with award-winning illustrator Levi Pinfold for an in conversation event on Tuesday, 4th February at Waterstones Bath to help celebrate Harry Potter Book Night (6th February). Levi is the Australian-based illustrator of the anniversary House Editions of the Harry Potter series. Michelle Harrison, author of the bestselling A Pinch of Magic will be signing copies of her new novel A Sprinkle of Sorcery in Waterstones Bath on Saturday, 8th February. On Saturday, 2th March – in a
special collaboration with Bath’s Historic Venues – historian and TV presenter Lucy Worsley will be giving a special talk about her new book, The Austen Girls, at The Assembly Rooms in Bath. On Sunday, 8th March, illustrator and suffragette descendant Kate Pankhurst will be celebrating International Women’s Day with a special event at Bath’s Royal High School. Working with many of Bath’s booksellers – including Waterstones, Mr B.’s Emporium of Reading Delights and Topping & Co. – more Wonder events are to be announced soon. From 10th to 18th October, the first Wonder festival will be staged in Bath across a variety of the cities’ modern and classic venues. Events large and small, for public and schools, will see some of the world’s most popular authors, artists and storytellers for families to come together for a new, exciting and distinct celebration of story, imagination and creativity. John said: “Wonder is our chance to do something different for the young book-lovers of Bath. “We’ll be staging amazing events, throughout the year, and not only each Autumn during our big Wonder festival.
Wonder founders Gill and John McLay | Photo © Michael Stevens / Pharos Photography
“There’ll be talks, signings, workshops, clubs, screenings – all with exciting big names from the world of children’s books and loads of new names too. We want to champion new talent, local authors and interesting venues.” Gill added: “It’s really exciting to be bringing everything we do under one umbrella brand – Won-
der! “For a long time we have celebrated art, story, author and illustrators and it’s important that we create more opportunities to discover them.” Tickets for all of the Wonder events are on sale via The Bath Hive (www.thebathhive.co.uk), a ‘What’s On’ of children and family events created by
Wonder to make life easy for parents and guardians, and to support venues that encourage creative learning. To be the first to hear about new Wonder events, sign up to Wonder’s newsletter here: www.eventsofwonder.com, and follow Wonder on Twitter @ eventsofwonder, and on Instagram @eventsofwonder.
Thousands of pounds raised Royds Withy King strengthens by sex toy retailer Lovehoney its Residential Property team ROYDS Withy King has appointed Tim Bunting to its Residential Property and Private Wealth team in Bath. Joining the law firm from Thrings, Tim brings with him nine years of experience in the residential property sector. His role at Royds Withy King will see him specialise in country and international property in Bath, local areas such as Midsomer Norton, Radstock and Frome, and nearby market towns. Previously based in London, Tim worked for two award-winning property firms where he focused on new build developments in central London and travelled extensively to Asia and the Middle East to
represent high net worth clients. Commenting on his appointment, Tim said: “Royds Withy King has such a strong presence in the South West market and a wonderful residential property team which I am very excited to be joining. “Buying or selling a house can be a stressful occasion owing to emotions and life changing circumstances. I enjoy operating within that context to make moving to a new house as enjoyable and as exciting as possible.” Angus Williams, Residential Property partner at Royds Withy King, added: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming Tim into the team at Royds Withy King.”
Newspaper Delivery Rounds The swap event was held at London's Southbank
THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised for the homeless community in Bath at Lovehoney’s first ever ‘Sex Not Socks’ swap event. The world’s biggest sexual wellbeing brand was ‘swamped’ with unwanted Christmas gifts which were exchanged for a free pleasure product worth up to £59.99 at the event. Bath-based Lovehoney opened the event up to the first 1,000 members of the public aged 18-plus who presented a gift or made a small cash donation in return for a free sex toy. Lovehoney Brand & Marketing Director, Helen Balmer, said: “We have been thrilled
by the response to our first Sex Not Socks gift swap. “We were swamped with gifts from the public which will be sold in charity shops to aid the homeless throughout the UK. “We all get a few traditional but slightly dull presents each Christmas, such as socks and gift sets, which are stored away in a drawer and forgotten about. “We wanted to put those unwanted gifts to good use with our Sex Not Socks event. “It really captured the public’s imagination and we had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day." All the money raised will aid the homeless in Bath and throughout the UK.
Available across Bath A number of rounds are now available for delivering the fortnightly Bath Echo newspaper across the Bath area Find out more and apply at: bathecho.co.uk/deliveryrounds Competitive rates of pay. Suitable for ages 13+
(Anyone under 18 must have signed agreement of a parent/guardian)
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Politics Council formally withdraws from JSP regional housing plan Stephen Sumner
Local Democracy Reporter
BATH and North East Somerset Council has become the second authority to abandon a blueprint for 105,000 homes across the West of England that was blasted by Government officials. Councillor Tim Ball said lessons must be learned from the failed joint spatial plan after it wasted six years and millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money. Residents of Whitchurch urged the council to take the chance to scrap plans for their village they said would destroy the green belt. Cllr Ball, the cabinet member for housing, planning and economic development, told a special B&NES Council meeting on 16th January: “It’s very clear that as the plan developed it suffered from political interference and that officers’ clear advice was ignored. “The Government inspectors saw straight through the errors that were made. “Lessons must be learned from the errors of this failed plan and we must never again waste six years and millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money by bungling a
process that should have given this area great prestige and be able to deliver the best for our residents. “We now have to start again to formulate a new plan for the West of England Combined Authority area.” Government planning inspectors admonished the four West of England authorities for trying to make the evidence fit into their housing, jobs and infrastructure strategy for the next two decades, rather than being led by it, and ordered them to go back to the drawing board. North Somerset Council was the first to formally withdraw and South Gloucestershire Council will take a vote next month, but Cllr Ball said Bristol City Council’s reticence was holding up the process. The JSP sparked concerns for residents of Whitchurch and Whitchurch village – which sit on the border between Bristol and Bath and North East Somerset – including plans for 2,500 houses and a new ring road. Public speaker Mary Walsh said: “This is the first time we’ve been treated fairly. The inspectors could see what we were saying but no one else seemed to un-
derstand. We always felt Whitchurch was a dumping ground for B&NES Council to fulfil housing numbers from central government. “Fairness is all we ask. Small developments should be built to enable locals to live in the villages where they grew up.” Whitchurch ward member Cllr Paul May said houses had been planned in the green belt at Whitchurch to tackle a housing problem in Bristol but other sites were more suitable. The JSP proposals would have created significant urban sprawl, no jobs, no facilities for the village, and it certainly wouldn’t add to the economy of Bath and North East Somerset,” he said. “There’s been a blight on my lovely village for too long now. We need this threat removed. “The need for housing remains. Whitchurch will take a reasonable share to develop our community, not destroy it.”
Faye Dicker, who launched the Stop Bristol Wrong Road campaign group, said: “We’re very concerned that the proposed ring road remains on the table. “Whitchurch village can’t take any more houses. South Bristol can’t take any more. “[The ring road would] be a backwards step in the time of a climate emergency. Please talk to us, lis-
ten to us and make the right decisions for the next generation.” In response, Cllr Ball said the housing allocation came from Bristol failures over many years, so B&NES Council is expected to find the space. He said withdrawal from the JSP would affect work on the joint transport plan that had proposed the new ring road.
“It would inflame the tensions that already exist. It would cost the council a huge amount of money. We already have ridiculous waiting lists for housing.” But Mead Lane homeowner Peter Denmead said allowing mooring on the fragile riverbank was reckless, and claimed there are plenty of other sites along the Kennet and Avon canal. “We urge members to take urgent action to avoid this serious environmental risk,” he added. Saltford Environment Group chair Phil Harding called for immediate measures to protect the riverbank and for the site to be designated as a nature reserve. He warned that the longer the mooring ban is delayed, the more extensive and expensive the re-
pairs will be. Councillor Dave Wood was angry at being placed in the position where the council has to choose between “protecting our environment and making life harder for the boating community”. While Paul Crossley, the cabinet member for community services, said the council had searched long and hard for gypsy and traveller sites but the same approach was not taken for boaters. He called for the removal of all the moorings in Mead Lane in 21 days but said the council must look along the riverbank for alternative sites for boaters and ensure their needs are met. He also asked officers to carry out a structural survey of the riverbank. The cabinet approved the proposal.
Boaters to be banned from Saltford mooring to protect fragile riverbank Stephen Sumner
Local Democracy Reporter
LIVE-ABOARD boaters will be forced to leave in three weeks as controversial moorings are removed to protect the riverbank in Saltford. Liberal Democrat council leaders slammed their Conservative predecessors for creating the divisive situation by allowing mooring for up to 14 days in Mead Lane – without consulting homeowners or considering the environmental damage it would cause. Boaters said they had few safe alternatives and Julian House voiced fears families will risk their lives or face homelessness. Speaking at the cabinet meeting on 16th January, Saltford ward member councillor Duncan Hounsell said: “The Conservatives encouraged boaters to moor yet provided no services, provided no funds to monitor and control moorings, and implemented a trial with no agreed criteria to measure success. “They risked catastrophic failure of the riverbank and consequent reputational damage to the council. They should apologise to boaters and residents for their ineptitude.”
The moorings at Mead Lane in Saltford | Photos © Stephen Sumner
A six-figure sum was spent stabilising the riverbank in 2005 to protect a sewage pipe. Growing numbers of boaters started using the site, sparking complaints about unregulated mooring. Animosity between residents and boaters escalated in 2017, when the authority began trialling a number of mooring points that allow users to stay for up to 48 hours or as long as two weeks. Critics said it remained a “free for all”. The Lib Dems launched a consultation of the future of the moorings after it took power of the council last year. Laura Darling told cabinet mem-
bers she was evicted from Saltford marina after she fell pregnant and Moor Lane is one of the few safe and accessible areas for her and five-year-old son. “People will have to tie their boats to random trees if the moorings are taken away, with no access to hospitals,” she said. “The most vulnerable would suffer.” Alice Young, a live-aboard boater who runs the boater outreach service for Julian House, said Mead Lane is a vital lifeline, adding: “I’m genuinely concerned from a professional stance where these people will go. “People are going to put themselves at risk tying to trees in unsuitable river conditions.
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Cricket Club set to buy £150k piece PM agrees to work with of land for student accommodation Bath MP on human rights abuse in Syria
Stephen Sumner
Local Democracy Reporter
BATH Cricket Club is being sold a piece of public land at “less than best consideration” so it can build 136 student flats. It is buying the North Parade Road embankment for £150,000 and will pay Bath and North East Somerset Council a peppercorn rent so it can access the development, which will deliver community benefits valued at £2million. Plans approved in March 2018 include a student block, an indoor cricket school that will be a hub for disability cricket and a new teaching and learning space. Council papers say: “In order to unlock this investment the Bath Cricket Club requires the land to enable the development and subsequent investment to proceed. ”A community asset transfer will enable the club to provide the community benefits, whilst the council will be able to impose a rent for a term of 30 years should the benefits not be provided. This will be monitored by the council. “The Bath Cricket Club will also pay a premium for the lease. “A lease of the land to the Bath Cricket Club will enable a significant amount of funding to be re-
leased to the club, producing improved sporting facilities for current and future members, levering in external funding and delivering sufficient community benefits.” The club will be contractually obliged to provide community benefits and provide evidence of the activities being delivered. The papers say: “Benefits include a new indoor cricket school, which will enable a winter training and coaching programme, and act as a hub for disability cricket. The extension to the cricket club will also provide new teaching and learning space and separate female changing facilities. There will also be further employment opportunities and improvements to the Bath Cricket Club secondary state school cricket programme. “The investment in the club will also enable it to increase the size of the bursary fund available and improve facilities at their second cricket club site in Lansdown. “Additional leisure community benefits as a result of the development create a value of around £2million.”
Under the lease, the club will take over management of the embankment, which will save the council £900 a year. The land has been valued at £150,000. The decision to approve the transfer of the land asset at “less than best consideration” was made by councillor Richard Samuel, the cabinet member for resources. The decision notice says no other viable options would provide these community benefits. Plans for the development was approved against the advice of officers. Their significant concerns about flooding, the loss of trees and the design of the scheme in the city’s ‘green heart’ were shared by some councillors. But they were outvoted by planning committee members in support of the club’s bid to diversify its income streams and to reach the next generation of players. The site is currently occupied by a 128-space car park and an indoor training facility, which will be replaced in the new scheme. The building will be up on stilts so 108 parking bays can be provided at ground level.
LIBERAL Democrat MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse, has secured a commitment from the Prime Minister to work together on Turkey’s human rights violations in Syria against Kurdish communities. Acting on behalf of her constituent, a Syrian refugee who arrived in Bath thirteen months ago from Afrin, she drew attention to the ongoing situation in Syria which has seen large communities of Kurdish people displaced. Speaking at Prime Ministers Question Time, Wera said: “My constituent Rosanna, came to the UK as a Kurdish refugee, fleeing persecution and human rights abuses committed by Turkish backed-fighters in Northern Syria. Her family remain in the region and she lives in daily fear. There have been multiple reports of human rights violations against the Kurdish population including reports that suggest the Turkish forces used white phosphorus on children in Syria. “This is unacceptable. Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity to condemn the human rights violations committed by Turkish forces against Kurdish
civilians? And what will the government do in order to prevent further human rights violations against Kurdish civilians in Syria?” The Prime Minster responded by affirming that he “deplored” the human rights abuses referenced and that he would like to “look at the details of the specific case she has because this is very concerning”. Following the exchange Wera Hobhouse said: “I am pleased that the Prime Minister had agreed to work with me on this issue and look forward to meeting with him to discuss what can be done to move this forward. The key thing now is to make sure that aid and supplies can reach the Kurdish communities who have been displaced and are now being forced to live in camps. These communities have been through hell over the last eight years. The UK government has a responsibility to do all it can to stop any further atrocities and help our Kurdish allies. I will continue to work with the Kurdish community in Bath, trying to secure support and aid for their families back in Syria.”
Advice offered to parish Residents being invited to join councils on tackling discussion on plans for the future climate emergency A NEW toolkit giving parish councils advice on how they can act locally on the climate emergency has been published online by Bath & North East Somerset Council. The council’s guide highlights actions that parish councils and communities can take to reduce emissions and energy consumption as well as where they can go to get financial help for local projects. There is also advice on a range of carbon-reducing measures for areas directly controlled by parish councils, including parks, public buildings and facilities, and infrastructure such as street lighting, as well as promoting individual actions such as minimising waste and encouraging walking, cycling and sustainable transport. The toolkit signposts resources for parish councils that wish to scope and develop opportunities for generating energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. The council committed itself to providing the leadership to enable Bath and North East Somerset to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 when it declared a Climate Emergency in March 2019. Councillor Sarah Warren, joint cabinet member for Climate
Emergency, said: “Responding to the climate and nature emergency needs large-scale ambition as quickly as possible, which is why we are leading the way in encouraging people to take direct action to reduce their carbon footprint. “We hope this toolkit will enable parish councils to get going on the three immediate priority areas: energy efficiency of existing buildings, a major shift to walking, cycling and mass transport and a rapid increase in local renewable energy generation. “We recognise that parish councils often don’t have the expertise or capacity to develop projects on their own, so the toolkit points them towards funding sources for renewable energy, support with policymaking, and identifying safe walking and cycling routes. “We’ve compiled a list of useful resources to support parish councils across the district and hope this will enable them to take action where and when they can.” Suggested areas of action for parish councils outlined in the toolkit include: Saving energy and producing renewable energy, reducing pesticides, managing land to enhance nature, increasing tree cover, encouraging sustainable transport, minimising waste, buying locally and investing wisely.
RESIDENTS from across Bath and North East Somerset are being asked for their views on the council’s future priorities, spending plans and Corporate Strategy. Cabinet members and the council’s chief executive will host a public meeting at The Hollies Council Chamber, High Street, Midsomer Norton (BA3 2DP) on Wednesday 22nd January at 6.30pm. It follows two successful public events in Bath and Keynsham outlining the authority’s plan in December 2019. Residents will be given the opportunity to comment on the detailed Corporate Strategy document at the meeting, as well as hear the council’s plans to produce a balanced budget and an outline of how it will deliver on key commitments such as tackling the climate emergency, delivering affordable housing and reducing congestion. Councillor Dine Romero, council Leader, said: “When I took over as council leader in May I set out a range of ambitions for the council, including tackling the climate emergency and giving local people a bigger say. “I believe the council exists for a clear purpose – to improve people’s lives. “That purpose provides the foundation on which our proposed commitments, service provision
The Guildhall in Bath
and spending are based. ‘Improving People’s Lives’ is the key aim of the council, and the ways in which it will achieve this, alongside addressing the climate emergency and giving people a bigger say are set out in the plan. Councillor Richard Samuel, deputy council leader, said: “The council’s new strategy and spending plans are based on three key principles: delivering for residents, focusing on prevention and preparing for the future. “By taking a long-term view, I believe we have developed a clear and sustainable approach which gives us clarity of purpose for the future.
“The Corporate Strategy will shape what we do and how we work to improve the lives of residents. “Before it’s finalised, we want to hear people’s views as part of our continuing conversation with residents.” To view the council’s plans and to submit feedback visit: https:// beta.bathnes.gov.uk/corporate-strategy-2020-2024-survey. All comments must be received by Friday 24th January. The draft Corporate Strategy will be discussed by the council’s Policy Development and Scrutiny Panels and Area Forums before a decision is made in February.
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Crossword
Across 4 Arm joint (5) 9 Cheering person (7) 10 Texan mission (5) 11 Existence (5) 12 Difficult question (7) 13 Brusque (5) 14 Arcadian (5) 17 Sovereign's seat (6) 18 Shooting star (6) 19 Card dispenser (4) 20 Kidnap (6) 22 Small measure (6) 25 Republic between Iran and Syria (4) 26 Plot (6) 29 Far distant (6) 30 Hebrew patriarch (5) 33 Steeps (5) 34 Apprentice (7) 36 Seaport in NW Israel (5) 37 The last of a series (5) 38 Spire (7) 39 Preen (5)
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Codeword
Down 1 Helper (Abbr.) (4) 2 Asked (8) 3 Machinery repairer (8) 4 Cinder (5) 5 Wild rose (5) 6 Move back and forth (6) 7 Formal gesture of respect (6) 8 Group discussion (10) 15 World's southernmost city (7) 16 So be it (4) 17 Semiconductor device (10) 21 Fastens a knot (4) 23 Performs surgery (8) 24 Adults (5-3) 27 Paradise (6) 28 Accident (6) 31 Proof of being elsewhere (5) 32 Fastening device (5) 35 Ridge of rock (4)
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In Other News.... Bath Abbey choirs start year with brand new Christmas CD CHRISTMAS is one of the busiest times of the year for churches, with Bath Abbey’s choirs singing at 15 different services in December to thousands of people. The choristers had a packed schedule, totalling 38 hours of rehearsals and services, and singing over 50 pieces of music, including psalms and hymns. Rather than having enough of Christmas, the Abbey Choirs of Boys, Girls and Lay-clerks will start off the new year be recording a Christmas CD. There are 25 girls (aged 11-17), 24 boys (aged 8-13) and 14 adult lay-clerks (who sing the alto tenor and bass parts) in the Abbey Choir, and they will have another 20 hours of rehearsals and recording in the next fortnight. They will be singing Christmas music, due for release in the au-
tumn and features old favourites (such as Hark the herald!) and some new surprises such as Whitacre’s luminous ‘Lux Aurumque’. It also includes an original arrangement of ‘Away in a manger’ by Huw Williams, the Abbey’s Director of Music, which was written and first performed at Buckingham Palace in December 2015 for Her Majesty The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast. Bath Abbey’s Choir is unique compared to other greater church or cathedral choirs. It comprises three groups – the Boys, aged 8 upwards; the Girls, aged 11-18 and the adult layclerks and choral scholars – and unusually, the boys and girls don’t attend a dedicated choir school but are selected from schools all around Bath. Many of the adults are students
and former students from the two Bath universities. Bath Abbey’s Director of Music, Huw Williams, said: “Recording is hard work, but very rewarding. “The choirs have been working hard and preparing for many weeks and are looking forward immensely to this challenge. “When the boys and girls leave the choirs, they take away this precious souvenir of their time here. “Singing in this glorious building is uplifting and one of the best things about recordings is those who are unable to come and hear the choir live in the Abbey can hear our wonderful choirs through this recording.”
Huw Williams conducting in Bath Abbey | Photo © Deborah J Coleman
Peasedown groups being invited to apply for £4000 grants COMMUNITY groups and projects in Peasedown St John are being given the opportunity to apply for up to £4,000 this year, thanks to the Ward Councillors’ Empowerment Fund. Local councillors Sarah Bevan and Karen Walker (Independents, Peasedown) have been allocated the money by Bath and North East Somerset Council to spend in the village. This year, each B&NES Councillor has been allocated £2,000 to spend in their communities, so local initiatives can receive some
much-needed funding, giving many of the projects that rely on volunteers that extra financial support. The new ‘Ward Councillors’ Empowerment Fund’ is the successor to the former ‘Ward Councillors’ Initiative Fund’. Cllr Sarah Bevan said: “There are many worthy groups and projects in Peasedown St John that could do with some extra cash. I’m looking forward to working with them to decide how the money can be spent. Under the previous Ward Councillor’s Initiative Fund, Cllr Walker and I allocat-
Cllr Walker and Cllr Bevan
ed £6,000 each to local projects, which has benefitted many community initiatives thanks to the funding received.” “The new Councillors’ Empowerment Fund is open to one-off and new aspects of existing projects that give demonstrable benefit to the community to improve the social, economic or environmental wellbeing of a particular area. Cllr Karen Walker added: “In the past we were able to award funding to pay for new defibrillators, brand new signage for either end of the village, and for children’s
play days to be held on The Green and Beacon Field. “The funding that we’re allocated really does go towards supporting the grassroots projects that need it the most!” With £2,000 each, Karen and Sarah have a degree of flexibility over how and when the money is spent. They’d like to hear from anyone who’d like to apply by Friday 14th February. Decisions will be made by 14th March. To request an application form contact Cllr Karen Walker on 07968 401447 or karen_walker@bathnes.gov.uk.
Last issue's puzzle solutions Crossword Across: 9 Close-up, 10 Optical, 11 Audio, 12 Eucharist, 13 Cocker spaniel, 20 Knee, 21 Rated, 22 Aunt, 23 Contemplation, 32 Physician, 33 Price, 34 Average, 35 Elf-like. Down: 1 Scrap, 2 Voodoo, 3 Rework, 4 Appear, 5 Toecap, 6 Strain, 7 Active, 8 Blitz, 13 Cynic, 14 Clean, 15 Eerie, 16 Set-up, 17 Ardua, 18 Iraqi, 19 Lenin, 24 Oxygen, 25 Tribal, 26 Mailed, 27 Longer, 28 Tip-off, 29 Origin, 30 Spray, 31 Tepee.
Sudoku Easy
Codeword Medium
Hard
24
Tuesday, 21st January 2020
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Sport
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Sportive to raise vital funds for the Bath Rugby Foundation A GROUP of cyclists from across the Bath area have decided to take the ‘best bits’ from each cycling event they’ve attended over the years and incorporate them all into their own event, ‘The Rugby Sportive’. All routes will start and finish at Corsham Rugby Club on Sunday, 7th June, 2020 and will pass a number of rugby clubs, some of which will be offering facilities for pitstops with both sweet and savoury offerings, together with plenty of hydration. Already, several International Rugby Legends have agreed to participate in the ride and attend the entertainment in the afternoon. There are three routes being offered, (circa 86 - 61 - 25 miles) along scenic country lanes and through ‘chocolate box’ villages should cater for riders of all abilities. The event has been organised and
will be run entirely by volunteers with all proceeds from the event going to Bath Rugby Foundation. Family supporters are welcome to attend the post-ride celebrations at Corsham Rugby club, where there will be all types of entertainment and refreshments on offer from face painting, a ‘Village Olympics’ , bouncy castles, indoor and outdoor bars and live music. Organisers Martin Smith and Mark Barnett, said: “It might be our first sportive, but we’re determined to do everything we can to make it the best and most enjoyable sportive you participate in during 2020. “Come and see what we have to offer and join in the fun.”
The cycling event will raise much-needed funds for the Bath Rugby Foundation
Homegrown talent progresses Talented Bath golf through to 2020 Superleague squad player named in 2020 England squad ENGLAND age-group defender Rachael Fee has been named as the 15th and final member of Team Bath Netball’s squad for the 2020 Vitality Superleague season. The highly-rated 18-year-old from Devon is the latest homegrown talent to progress through the Team Bath Futures Pathway to the senior ranks having previously represented the Blue & Gold at U17, U19 and U21 level. Exeter College student Fee, who plays at both goal keeper and goal defence, also has international experience with England and toured Australia and New Zealand with the U19s last summer. She is in the England U21 squad this season as preparations begin for the World Youth Cup in 2021. “To be asked to be in the Superleague squad was really quite amazing and I am super excited,” said Fee, who is part of Team Bath’s talent development hub in Exeter and plays for Exeter Netball Club in the national Premier League. “It was quite a shock to get the call but in a good way and I have felt welcome from my first session – you see these players on TV and it was quite nerve-wracking when I first went in to train with them but everyone has been so friendly and quickly put me at ease. “Eboni [Usoro-Brown] is my idol, so to train alongside her and the other senior players is amazing. Being part of a high-performance
Superleague environment will be unlike anything I have experienced before but I really want to improve my own level of skill and ability, and I’m determined to make the most of this opportunity.” Fee’s promotion to the senior ranks continues Team Bath’s tradition of giving talented young players the opportunity to learn and develop within the Superleague high-performance environment. Anna Stembridge, Team Bath’s Head Superleague Coach, said: “Rachael is a homegrown player who has benefitted from the coaching expertise of Lois Jackson and Denise Ellis through both our Futures Pathway system and club netball in Exeter. “She is an exciting player who has great defensive structure and a real hunger for the ball. I have been really impressed by Rachael in her approach and performances in both our recent training sessions and playing opportunities, in which she has held her own. I can’t wait to work with her further and see her grow as a person and player.” Fee joins a Team Bath defensive
unit that includes Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Usoro-Brown, fellow England international Summer Artman, Northern Ireland World Cup player Fionualla Toner and University of Bath student Tash Pavelin, who is supported by a Santander Sports Scholarship. The 2020 Superleague campaign begins on 22nd February when Team Bath take on Loughborough Lightning in the season opener event at Arena Birmingham. There are nine home matches for Blue & Gold fans to look forward to at the Team Bath Arena, including showdowns with London Pulse and reigning champions Manchester Thunder during the opening month. Visit netball.teambath.com/tickets to find out more and book tickets.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE Golf Union are celebrating the announcement that two of their players, Joseph Long and Joe Harvey, both 22, have been named in the England Golf Men’s squads for the 2020 golf season. Seventeen talented players have been picked for the squads. Joseph Long, from Lansdown Golf Club in Bath, was chosen to join the team of nine that compromise the ‘Men’s’ squad, after numerous successes at county, national and international level. He is a graduate from last year’s ‘A’ (amateur) team and has a handicap of -3.8. He is currently competing as a member of the England Team in the South American Amateur Championship in Chile. Joe Harvey, from Kendleshire Golf Club near Bristol, is joining the team of eight taking part in ‘A’ squad training and has a handicap of -2.6. Later this year, the England Men’s squad will travel to Royal Dornoch in Scotland to defend their Home International crown won at Lahinch Golf Club last September. Dave Hares, Coaching Chairman of Gloucestershire Golf Union, said: “We’re all thrilled that both Jo and Joe have been picked for the English teams. It is a testament to their golfing skills,
Keep an eye out for the next issue of the Bath Echo - due out on Tuesday 4th February 2020
Joseph Long at the South American Amateur Championship in Chile
dedication to the game and everyone who has supported them since they first picked up a club. I am positive they will be phenomenal assets to the English team and I am excited to see the results.” This newspaper is produced using paper from sustainably-managed forests.
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ISSN 2632-7805 © Media Bath Limited 2020