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The final public meeting of the Sea Mills & Coombe Dingle Community Project will be on Tuesday 4 November at St Edyths, starting at 7:30 pm. |
Community Voice
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| (SJ) |
When SureStart first proposed a children's centre for Sea Mills it was hoped that a good quality play area, safe, imaginative, robust and well sited, would be one of the priorities. However, SureStart's coverage has to be limited to the under-4s, and a free access play area must serve a wider age-range to be worthwhile.
So parents from SureStart's consultation committee started a group called Kingsweston Playgardens which is looking for suitable sites in Sea Mills where parents can take their children knowing they can play safely. They are already looking to earmark one particular spot in Sea Mills.
Working with Bristol's Children's Unit they have come up with sketch designs for a suitable scheme - the first step before getting grants and sponsorship.
The kind of facilities they have in mind would be high quality areas where children can develop their creativity and learn social skills as they play together.
If you agree with these proposals do join the group and help make it happen by ringing Lynne Stevens on 9687335.
Our very own Millennium Stone was finally placed on the Square in January - 3½ years after our Millennium Festival on the Rec! It's been a long haul (well, the stone came from Cornwall…) ever since a meeting of the Community Project agreed to Mrs Dorothy Ridout's proposal to commemorate the Millennium out of the event's profits following Mike Vincent's suggestion that we do something really visible with the money.
We'd particularly like to thank Dorothy, as well as Fay Wilkinson - they both undertook countless visits to the De Lank Quarry to haggle, measure up and decide on the stone. And thanks too to Dennis White (chair) and Graham Quinn who took part in the subcommittee to get it going. AB Johnson Ltd transported and installed the stone, and Alan Cox (Bristol CC) kindly agreed to ensure it remains graffiti-free.
None of it, of course, would have been possible without the hard work and determination of Jane and Gordon Macfarlane and their Flower Show Committee who formed the core (and more) of the original Festival. The Rec had seen nothing like it before, and may never see anything like it again!
| (TW) |
worried about children or young people hanging around the area during the day when you suspect they should be at school? You can ring Education Welfare on 9038427.
And parents surely won't need reminding of their own duty now to guard against truancy, failure to do so being the risk of legal action ('Not before time', we hear you say!).
| (GS) |
What do you say when you're asked to talk about a new book? - on tv! This was the question the Library Book Club asked themselves when it was put to them suddenly one Tuesday - and the film crew were arriving the next Monday.
Well, first you have to read the book, and if it doesn't arrive until a day or two before the weekend it needs some intensive speed-reading.
Then you have to make up your mind about it - at least so you can utter one or two intelligible comments. The Book Group did all this, and finally performed for an hour in a relatively hushed Library.
The programme will be aired on BBC1's Imagine programme, possibly in May, and will follow the progress of the story from writing to publication (and readers' views from around the country).
The book, Run For Home, is set on an estate in Sunderland called 'Seahills', so we're left wondering if there's some connection more than mere chance!
It's a first novel from a grandmother who has spent her life trying to keep kids away from drugs, and, perhaps for that reason, was written with frequent resort to the 'f-' word.
One of our group liked the book because it was about children, while the rest of us disliked it - possibly for the same reason - or it might have had something to do with that word...
| (TW) |
Once again we'd like to thank our army of distributors (over 40 of you altogether) who brave all weathers to get The Community Voice to every local household (approx 2500 of them!).
It's an example of community spirit that the directors of the Project and the editors of the newsletter greatly appreciate. We are always looking out for new helpers, so drop a line into our box at the Library if you'd like to help us and want to get fit three times a year!
We also appreciate our advertisers, local and otherwise, & our contributors (both repeat & first-time) without whom The Community Voice could not continue in its present form.
| (Eds) |
Are you a photographer? The Community Voice always likes to illustrate local stories with photos - and it's difficult getting good ones. Or do you draw or paint local scenes we could print? It may not have escaped your notice that our articles are mostly written by the same few people. Ditto with our photos (such as they are!). But we'd like to change that. After all, the newsletter should be a community effort. If we start with your pictures, maybe the literature will follow!
| (Eds) |
Did you know that most patients remember just four facts from a consultation with their doctor? - and not necessarily the most important ones. It never ceases to amaze me what people recollect I said and then quote it back to me years later when I can't even remember saying it.
So when visiting the doctor remember the appointment is only 10 minutes long and is really only meant for one problem, unlike one patient who came to see me and said that as they didn't usually see a doctor they had saved up a whole list for me. Needless to say we overran our time and still didn't get through the list.
Some people find it useful to jot a few questions down before they come, as their mind goes blank in the surgery, and then they can jot the answers down. Some patients like to take a leaflet to remind them of the facts related to their illness. If your doctor doesn't offer one you can always ask them if they have one.
If you don't get through everything you can always book another appointment and if you need more than 10 mins why not ask for a double appointment?
Lastly doctors have many skills but mind-reading isn't one of them! So if you don't tell them your symptoms they won't be able to build up a complete picture of your problem and advise you appropriately.
| (MMcG) |
Tuesday 6 Apr - Brilliant Easter Bunnies - this is a free craft and play event for children aged 10 and under from 10.30-11.30.
Thur 8 Apr - Exciting Easter Egg Hunt - egg hunt and quiz designed for ages 10 and under, 2.30 - 3.30pm, cost 50p per child.
Fri 16 April - The whole community is invited to join staff between 1.00 and 3.00 o'clock to celebrate 70 years of Sea Mills Library. Refreshments will be available as well as the chance to browse our 'community memory board' which includes comments, photos and letters from customers past and present.
Sat 17 Apr - We invite children from the community to join us as we celebrate 70 years of Sea Mills Library with a birthday party to mark the occasion. Refreshments will be available as well as the chance to win prizes for the best picture drawn or painted of Sea Mills Library. So bring your entries along 11.15 - 12.45 (this event limited to children aged 12 and under).
Wednesday 28 April - 7.30pm: 'Sea Mills and the Battle of the Styles!' Tim Wallis helps us explore the conflicts and convictions of the architects who built our environment. Tickets for this event £2.50 per person, including refreshments available on the evening.
Wednesday 12 May - 2.30pm: Join Ralph Hack as we delve into 'The Years of the Squirearchy 1833 - 1935' and discover the secrets of the Miles family and Kingsweston House. Tickets for this event £1.00 per person, including refreshments available on the afternoon.
Tuesday 25 May - 'The Rocks Railway': take a train ride along the Portway and beyond with Peter Davey - 7.15 pm. Tickets for this event £2.50 per person, including refreshments available on the evening.
Throughout May Sea Mills Library will be holding an exhibition devoted to Roman Sea Mills, compiled with the help of local librarian Anthony Beeson.
Tickets are now available for all of the above events from Sea Mills Library.
Waiting at a bus stop can be one of the more boring parts of daily life. But how different if the bus stop is Park Gates with its wonderful outlook over the Golf Course and beyond. There, the sparkling green fairways (aptly named) flow gently down to the river as it wends its way through the Avon Gorge. It is a lovely view in all seasons but never more so than now with spring just around the corner.
But it was not always so. I can recall the time during the last war when the whole of the golf course disappeared under tons of grey concrete walkways - row upon row of drab huts and the US Army.
We were accustomed to our own troops stationed at Penpole and in the grounds of Kingsweston House but this was something different. It's difficult to understand that unlike nowadays, when travel abroad is so easy, foreign troops were almost like visitors from another planet then.
And we thought the golf course would never be seen again! Thank-fully we were proved wrong, and once again we have a 'pleasant prospect', thanks to Capability Brown's original landscaping of the whole area.
| (' C ') |
What a shame that with all the road improvements on Shirehampton Road, some thought could not have been put into widening the road running down the side of the Post Office. What a pickle the grass is getting into, with the number of cars that park on it. A little less grass would not make that much difference and it would make the road parking so much safer.
Is there any way this could be looked into? What do other residents think?
| (Sea Mills Resident) |
I have elderly relatives in Sea Mills and a crossing is needed at Westbury Lane by the shops. Also pedestrian lights are required at the Shirehampton Road/Sylvan Way junction. I read in your newsletter concerning this.
Please inform me of any clubs at Sea Mills Community Centre or High Grove for pensioners. I have enclosed a SAE for a reply.
Please will you let me know of any help available for pensioners in this area. I have a relative who is very isolated. Thanks for any help.
| (Ms G A Radford) |
I am fed up with the state of our phone boxes. The one on the Square is always vandalised and is dangerous apart from being a disgrace to look at. What must visitors think? If it can not be kept in good repair why not get rid of it what with everybody having mobiles now.
| (Disgusted resident) |
Telecom are pretty prompt at repairs but yes, it does need repainting. Removal would need listed building approval as it's a conservation area.
| (Eds) |
The letters in this issue raise questions that still need sorting out: the state of our incidental open spaces/facilities and the age-old traffic problems at some junctions. The Project continue to press for attention to these but so far to little avail. As usual it's a matter of funding - there isn't any.
Some grass wear is impossible to prevent, eg opposite the Spar on the Square, but other spots are the result of changes to roads etc. The patch opposite the Library (see photo) has been churned up ever since contractors were there last year and should be dealt with under the terms of their contract. The area opposite the Post Office, is apparently not considered to result from the loss of two parking spots on the main road, so all we can suggest for now is that car users keep off the grass and maybe walk a bit further.
CV will reply to Ms Radford separately re help for pensioners. Meanwhile we intend to publish a new edition of the Handbook later this year. If you wish to contribute, use our box at the Library or try emailing us at communityvoice1@hotmail.com (also if you can recommend any services for pensioners).
Open Garden 4 Haytor Park, 12 May, 2-6pm. Plants and refreshments by Sea Mills Garden Club
Scouts &c AGM & BBQ Scout Hut, Woodleaze 14 May
May Ball/Family Evening Community Centre 15 May
Millennium Stone dedication Sea Mills Square, Tues15 June, 7.15, then refreshments at the Methodist Church hall
Blaise Children's Day (incl Sponsored Toddle) 19 June
Infant School Infant & Junior Schools' Summer Fete 10 July
With huge effort from a very strong committee and local support we've just had another successful event at the Community Centre - where 120 people enjoyed a great night on Valentine's. The tickets sold well and the night was enjoyed by all.
The next social event will be 15 May with a May Ball/party theme, so watch the area for more details.
We are continuing to develop the hall and have many private parties already booked. We also have new clubs, and welcome the new Keep-Fit on Weds 7-8pm - all welcome. And a FREE Community Education course on Cake Decorating expected to start Friday mornings after Easter - April 23rd.
In the next column is an outline of the coming events (don't forget - every evening after school the SOS provide expert childcare for primary aged children at the hall):-
Mondays: Yoga 1.30, Camera club 7.30.
Tuesdays: Judo 6.30.
Wednesdays: Keep Fit 7pm.
Thursdays: Art Group 10am. 3rd Thurs of month Gardening Club 7.30.
Fridays: Free cake decorating course (details to follow), and Judo 6.30.
SOS are also having monthly coffee mornings - 10 April (Table top sale), 8 May and 12 June - all starting at 10.
I am going to start a What's on in Sea Mills poster on a monthly basis to ensure everyone gets the chance to join in. With so much starting to happen in our area - wouldn't it be a shame not to be part of it?
If you would like to hire the hall for a party, wedding etc., phone Andy for more details on 9071811.
| (LW) |
There'll be no Chirp'n Chomp event in April. The summer meetings are May 13, June17& July15 at 4.30.
Children's cooked tea costs 50p and there are separate activities for infants and juniors.
If you are the parent of primary age children why not come along to the church centre and see what happens?
| (GS) |
It was a great shock to all who knew him to learn of the passing of Michael (Mike) Young, whose accountancy office is on Sea Mills Square. He died suddenly just before Christmas, aged 57 years.
Mike audited the accounts for the Sea Mills & Coombe Dingle Community Project and we were always grateful for his willing and professional help and advice.
We send our condolences to his wife Mary and family.
Summer Term
Mon 19 April - Fri 28 May, 04
Mon 7 June - Fri 16 July, 04
Academic Year 2004/2005 will be in six terms as follows:
Term 1: Tues 31 Aug to Wed 20 Oct
Term 2: Mon 1 Nov to Tues 21 Dec
Term 3: Wed 5 Jan, 05 to Fri 11 Feb
Term 4: Mon 21 Feb to Thur 24 Mar
Term 5: Mon 11 Apr to Fri 27 May
Term 6: Mon 6 June to Fri 22 July
Barnardos are organising an all day event at Blaise Castle on June 19 2004. There'll be various activities for children of all ages, some are free but others will incur a fee. There'll also be a Sponsored Toddle to raise funds for Barnardos and for your local Pre-school - Little Monsters - who hope to take their 'Olympic' team to participate!
Look out for more info locally nearer the time, or contact Little Monsters on 9685167 (especially if you feel the urge to sponsor any of the team!!) and ask for Val.
| (VB) |
Year 6 pupils are all aiming to be fit and healthy for their SATs week, Mon 10 to Fri 14 May. Good Luck all!!
| (VB) |
Little Monsters Pre-school (Blue-bell Close off Woodleaze, Sea Mills) are now taking names for places in September. If you'd like to enrol your child or find out more, please phone any morning 9.30-12 on 9685167. We take children aged 2½-4 yrs.
| (VB) |
On sunday 25 January, fourteen pupils from Sea Mills Junior School took part in 'Stages 2004'.
'Stages' gives children in Bristol an opportunity to perform on stage in front of a paying audience. Children from Infant, Primary, Secondary and Special Schools are all able to take part and the variety of dances made for a very entertaining afternoon.
The children from SMJ all enjoyed putting on stage make up, costumes and rehearsing, let alone their actual performance on a live stage. Although it was a long day for the children, their behaviour and enthusiasm was outstanding. All staff and friends of the school involved, Mrs Hooper, Mrs Izzard, Mrs Wilcox and Miss Willows were very proud of their achievement, as were the parents.
Here's to 'Stages 2005'!!
| (Rachel Hooper, Class 7 Teacher) |
Two property marking kits are now available at Sea Mills library to lend out on production of your library card. The kit contains a UV pen, two engraving tools, a stencil and some stickers declaring that your property has been security marked. You can keep the kit for up to three weeks.
| (GS) |
Service 41 now operates via Westbury Lane every 20 mins rather than via Sylvan Way & Sea Mills Square. The 42 is now withdrawn and the 43 operates via Sea Mills Square. Timetables can be got from Post Office and Library.
Do you approve of these changes - particularly if you live in Westbury Lane? Please let us know.
| (GS) |
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Comments? Feedback? Let me know what you think. This page last updated: 6 February 2006 Copyright © 2006 Sea Mills & Coombe Dingle Community Project. You are welcome to create a link to this page or to print it for your personal use, but if you would like to use some or all of the content in any other way, please contact me first. |