The Talk of TotterdownThe Newsletter of Totterdown Residents Environmental and Social Action Community Interest Company

Issue No 55, Winter 2019 www.tresa.org.uk

The 19th FRONT ROOM Arts Trail takes place overthe weekend of 15-17 November 2019, andOrganiser, Gaily Orr, who took over the organisationof Totterdown’s annual Art Trail in 2016, is lookingforward to another creative weekend with artyhappenings in the houses, public venues and on thestreets of Totterdown. Gaily is delighted with the energy and enthusiasmof participating artists “We are generating anengineering theme this year, calculating a weekendof entertainment and interesting art as part ofBristol’s longest running and largest arts trail.Engineering is the art and science of nuts and bolts,and our talented artists will be wowing the crowdswith their immaculately constructed, painted or sewnmasterpieces.” Most artists open their houses from10-6pm on Saturday and Sunday, and some artistsare also hosting a preview night on the Friday from7-9pm. Hillcrest School, local shops, cafes and churcheswill be hosting artists working across a wide varietyof mediums. Aaron Wardle, who hosts artists inTotterdown Canteen throughout the year, isparticularly looking forward to welcoming Australianborn Illustrator and mural artist, Pencil Girl, who willhave a 6 week exhibition running in the cafe. At Foxand West, Jen Hamilton of The Village Pottery, willhave a display of her exquisite hand-crafted items.Floriography will be open throughout the weekend,with a creative flow of energy and an eclectic mix offresh flowers and floral inspired arts and crafts forsale. Newly opened venues are also embracing the arttrail vibe. Amba House are hosting a range of artists,and on the Sunday will be working on a collaborativecommunity art piece set up by Catherine Knight incollaboration with John O’Connor who has beenrunning The Road Project in Totterdown - everyoneis welcome to get involved. ‘Bloop’ welcomesTotterdown Apothecary and Wool Quarter, DakotaRae Dust and Totterdown Potterdown. Not to be leftout, The Bakehouse, will be displaying woodenhomewares crafted by the talented sisters who runthe bakery, Anna and Bo. Check out the sustainableand fun alternative Christmas trees! A fun stop for a refreshing mulled cider is ‘TheApple Chapel’. Hosted by Richard Jones ofTotterdown Press and Tangent Books, this BalmainStreet bolthole is the place to check out a greatselection of interesting books, including NakedGuide to Cider, in addition to cards, chutneys andBristol gifts. Also dancing entertainment from theShiny Pop-up Emporium on Saturday afternoon. “We really want people to get involved,” explainsGaily “and have plenty more packed into thetoolbox, with music throughout the weekend at TheOxford and The Shakespeare. We have a ‘Constructa wheel from cardboard tubes’ challenge and a‘Building block game’ (for grown-ups as well as littleones!) using our specially engineered ‘girders’.Street performers include Fanny Flappers Fan Club,the soulful clown Dorothy Cotton, and music-hallperformer The Great Baldini. We invite everyone tojoin in the fun and help us construct the mightycontraption that is the Totterdown Arts Trail!” With over 130 artists and performers alreadysigned up to the trail, 2019 is looking like a vintageyear! In addition to the activities and events takingplace in the public venues, there is an amazingselection of local talent displaying beautifully craftedworks of art, including ceramicists, jewellers, printmakers, collage artists, textile artists, painters andphotographers as well as some more unusualtalents and crafts. Engineering meets art at BoonaBoona Coffee Roasters in Hill Street - watch theHuky 500 home roaster in action and enjoy somefreshly roasted coffee. Totterdown during the art trail weekend is a greatplace to be if you have a sweet tooth!! You reallycan have your cake and eat it - wander in and out ofartists houses fuelled by delicious home madebrownies, sponge cakes and buns.

A popular and prolific local artist, Jane Vellender, willonce again be throwing open the doors of her home inBrecknock Road. Her portraits of South and CentralBristol, and colourful quirky animal paintings dance withvibrancy. Her drawings, paintings and needlework arejoyful celebrations of colour and life. Her mother was aseamstress and her father a sculpture and stonemason,and Jane enjoyed growing up in the Cotswolds withbeautiful rural landscapes and nature to inspire herdrawing and painting. In addition to her own creative endeavours, Jane alsoruns drawing and painting courses for small groups of 6from her Totterdown home. Sharing her passion andencouraging creativity in others is a great driving forceand to date she has taught some 400 students.“Sometimes people don’t know where to start, or theymay have lost their confidence. I encourage them torelax and enjoy the experience – accept you can’tcreate a masterpiece straight off. Take time to observe,learn techniques, and practice. In these uncertain timesthe creative process provides much needed calm andpleasure.” Jane is passionate about South Bristol, having livedhere since the early ‘90s, and she is very supportive ofher local community, its people and businesses. “Thereis a strength of identity in Totterdown, fiercely rebuiltfollowing the ‘road fiasco’ – long may it last!” Since setting up ‘WhenArtMetCloth’ 5 years ago, Janehas been increasingly busy selling her artworks andcrafts across Bristol and beyond, including customers inthe USA and the Antipodes! She is also a trustee ofLoveFromTheArtist (LFTA) a not-for-profit communityrun by volunteers that aims to provide practicaltechnological support for artists developing commercialactivity around printed products. Closer to home hercards are on sale at The Banana Boat, and also at Foxand West alongside a range of colourful fabric sandwichwraps, and brooches and cards in Floriography. She isalso a trustee of LoveFromTheArtist (LFTA) a not-for-profit community run by volunteers that aims to providepractical technological support for artists developingcommercial activity around printed products.   A relative newcomer to the art trail is Lieģis, who firstexhibited back in 2007 when she moved to Totterdown,and then for a second time in 2018… with a singlepainting which she sold. She is very attracted to textureand layers, and her oeuvre includes mixed media works,sculpture/modelled pieces and objects created out offound items. She has always enjoyed the creativeprocess and in the 1980s worked as a volunteer for theBolex Brothers, an independent Bristol based animationstudio first established as a collective of artists. At thesame time she was also keen on photographing theeveryday life of Bristol streets. She had never considered selling her work, butinspired by the sale of her solo artwork in the 2018 trailshe approached a number of Bristol galleries with aselection of old and new works and has also hadsuccess with online sales. She has spent the past 12months developing her painting as well as taking aneclectic interest in all sorts of creative projects. Lieģisoften takes inspiration from her Latvian heritage and alove of social history. Whether painting fromphotographs or creating artworks from found objects,her work captures both the everyday and theextraordinary – from washing on a line to a dramaticbrooding forest scene, or a dog which she created fromthe filling of an old car seat. She has recently embarkedon an extraordinary series of paintings on hessian,some of which will be on display with her other work,including prints and cards, at Knowle Constitutional Clubduring the art trail. “I often have a lot of works on the goat once. My favourite media is oil pastels, chalk pastelsand acrylics – sometimes all together and other timesseparately depending on how the work is developing. Iwill have a wide selection of my work for sale at FRONTROOM this year, including limited edition photo prints.” Venue and artist details are available via an onlineapp and map at frontroom.org.uk or pick up a papermap from The Oxford or The Banana Boat.

Lieģis - LaundryOil pastels and chalk pastels on paper, 2019

Engineering a great Arts Trail

Jane Vellender - Sunset Green StreetWatercolour, 2019

Trams of Old BristolZetland Road to Durdham Downs,Drifting through the busy town.Hanham, Nags Head, Bushy Park,Luminous islands in the dark.

Eastville, Fishponds, Staple Hill,I can see them running still.Skivvy’s Island to Temple Meads,Stylish seating, sedate speeds.

Horse-drawn at first, but soon to bePowered by electricity.Drivers in greatcoats braving the rainUp to Filton and back again.

Through the First War they never failed,Against the buses they prevailed;The Bristol Blitz, their final hour -German bombs took out their power.

Old Market to Kingswood, the final ride,Powerless, but still with pride.My Uncle Reg and his mate BillHelped push the last one up the hill.

Trams of old Bristol, in the faraway days,Horfield Barracks and back to Tramways.Trams of old Bristol, think on them whenYou’re sitting stuck in traffic. Again. Nick Walters

The Talk of Totterdown Issue No 55, Winter 2019 www.tresa.org.uk

I always look forward to the FRONT ROOM Arts Trail; the colours, sights,sounds and creativity seem to sum up what is best about Totterdown. This is aneighbourhood that has undergone extraordinary change over the years - a goodportion demolished to make way for a road that never happened, and there iscontinuing pressure on our enclave on the hill from developers wanting to buildbig and high. Community action is more important than ever. TRESA is your community association and with support from residents andbusinesses we will continue to provide a strong voice for our community; alertingBristol City Council to issues of concern; calling developers to account when theyput forward unsustainable and inappropriate development proposals.Membership costs just £3 a year so make a New Year’s resolution to joinTRESA. Visit our website www.tresa.org.uk to find out more about our projectsand join via PayPal. Finally, just as we went to press we heard that Eat Your Greens was named‘Best Cafe’ in the Crumbs Awards 2019. Delicious food, great teamwork andexcellent service - huge congratulations all round!Carolyn Jones, Editor Email talkoftotterdown@tresa.org.uk

Warm dry summerturns to deluge…Summary of the summer & early autumn weather in Totterdown 2019Provided by Barry Horton,Totterdown weather stationwww.bristolweather.orgWell the summer is now well and truly behind us and we have been reminded veryrecently as the rain has returned, especially in the last few days of September. The summer was overall a warm and dry one and, despite a cool June, it was in factthe 19th warmest summer (June-August) since records began in 1891. The warmest was1995 when the average temperature was 19.4°C. This year's summer averagetemperature was 17.9°C which is 0.4°C above the 30 year average (1981-2010). It was the 42nd wettest summer out of 138 years of data with 247.5 mm of rain. Thedriest was (again) 1995 with only 36.9 mm of rainfall. The 30 year average is 195.7 mmmaking 2019's rainfall 126% above the average. July was perhaps the best month of the summer with rainfall only 53.3% of the 30 yearaverage for July in Bristol and between the 26th June and July 16th there was only 0.2mm of rain recorded. The average temperature for the month of 19.6°C was 1.3°C abovethe 30 year average for Bristol. The high of 33.2°C on the 23rd was the highest Julytemperature since 34.1°C on July 19th 2016 and was the 4th warmest July on recordsince this data started in 1937. August was another warm month, but the rainfall was higher than average and perhapsa welcome return for many gardens after some long dry spells. Despite the rain it wasalso a sunny month with over 53% of the average sunshine for the month. In September, after a dry pleasant start, the rain arrived with some energy and rainfallamounts were high - in the last 10 days of the month a 113.3 mm fell. The totalSeptember rainfall was 127.5 mm which was 182.7% of the month's 30 year averagerainfall. It was the wettest of any month since November 2016.

Weather Report

HazelnutsRecent publicity about diets for a Green Planet and eating sustainably has brought tomind some ideas on hedgerow diets. Blackberry picking was always a popular autumnactivity in my household but archeological excavations show that hazelnuts were asignificant contributor to the diets of the ancient and Neolithic peoples in this country. Hazel was one of the first trees to colonise the British Isles after the last ice age,retreating to more rocky ground as the bigger trees and forest took over. The nuts weremuch prized, particularly by the Celts for whom they were a staple, and who createdclearings in the forest to encourage their cultivation. As late as the early 19th centurythere are records of good hazelnut harvests and complaints from landowners of ‘idle anddisorderly men and women’ gathering under the pretence of harvesting the nuts but‘taking beer and spirits into the forest and affording themselves of the opportunity of allsorts of debauchery’. Harvesting has always been an occasion for socialising andcelebration! Hazelnuts, also known as cobnuts or filberts, are named after St Philbert’sDay 20th August, when they were supposed to be ripe. Whilst blackberrying and other hedgerow harvesting remains popular hazelnuts havefallen out of fashion. You have to get to them before the squirrels and the increasingnumbers of grey squirrels, released into this country in the late 19th century, leavesmeagre pickings for us. One tactic is to collect them while still green but care is neededto dry them out without the nuts going mouldy. ‘Google’ hazelnut recipes and most of the offerings will be cakes rather than savouryrecipes. Many hazelnuts sold in shops are imported; why are we focused on importinghigh protein options for vegan and vegetarian diets that are not suited to growing in ourclimate? Surely the cultivation of hazel trees native to this country, would be a betteroption – if we can persuade the squirrels to leave us some. The challenge then is tocome up with a greater variety of recipes, or perhaps a return to the custom in someparish churches after the annual harvest; crack them open noisily during the sermon. Nowadays hazel is commonly planted in hedgerows, and is also found in city plantingsuch as the ‘edible hedge’ around ‘Zone A’ on the Wells Road. So even if I can’t find anyhazelnuts I look forward to seeing the catkins in spring. And that’s it in a nutshell.

Anne Silber

Since Autumn 2019, an exciting new project has beentaking shape at 1 William Street - former home to ThaliCafé and before that Glasnost. The project is the brainchild of Totterdown resident andteacher, Georgina Dawson, who loved the iconic andquirky building and had an aspiration to create an arts hubin the very heart of the community. The building had beenempty since closing in March 2019, and had beenmarketed for prospective restaurant/food use. Georginaapproached the owners and presented her vision tothem…and was delighted to find that her ideas mirroredthe hopes which owner Peter Croft had for the building!!Together they worked on a plan to bring the project tofruition, with Georgina taking on the role of artscoordinator and the owners offering their support asrequired. In a nod to the past, the building has beennamed ‘Amba House’, referencing back to the 1970swhen it was owned and run by a company called Ambawhich made hospital supplies. “We want to provide the sort of activities and eventswhich the community want,” says Georgina. “I’ve had lotsof interest from people looking to run various workshops,and we are already hosting regular dance, pilates andyoga sessions. The intention is to look at hosting all sortsof courses for both adults and children.” Amba House is alive with possibilities, and thecommunity hub already hosts a wide-ranging programmeof activities, events and workshops including the popular

monthly Bollywood family event on the last Saturdayof every month run by Farrah Fortnam. Caroline Franks runs Path2pilates sessions onWednesday mornings from 7.15-8am “The space isso warm and welcoming and benefits from a real feelgood factorwith itswarmcolours andwoodfloors, andso lovelywith thesunshining. My class just love the space!” A talented artist herself, Georgina is keen toencourage artists and practitioners across the board

to contact her with their ideas. “With one foot firmlyplaced in the arts world, Totterdown is the perfect placeto encourage and develop all sorts of creativepossibilities. We are delighted to have Amba House full oflocal artists over FRONT ROOM weekend and lookforward to a collaborative community project taking placeon the Sunday. A Christmas Artisan market is alsoscheduled for the first and third Saturday of December,with some space still available if artisans andcraftspeople want to get in touch.” 2020 is already shaping up to be buzzing with activitywith a Reiki course starting in the New Year, luciddreaming workshops, yoga brunch workshops plus popup dining experiences already on the Amba Houseschedule. The space is also available for private hire for smallevents and parties, and Georgina is delighted that thecommunity has embraced the new arts hub; “We havealready hosted a range of events, including a stringquartet rehearsal, a vintage photo shoot, a book launch,and even our first wedding party!” For booking information and more details visit the socialmedia pages:

https://www.facebook.com/ambaarthub/https://www.instagram.com/amba_arthub/

Email:Ambahousebristol@gmail.com

Amba House, 1 William Street, Totterdown, BS3 4TU

Amba House

Congratulations to Richard Jones, co-founder and publishing director of TangentBooks, which this month celebrates its 15th anniversary. Totterdown based, and a former Editor of Talk of Totterdown, Richard ispassionate about his work as an independent and radical publisher. “Tangentstrives to tell untold stories and give a voice to people who may not otherwiseget into print. We also have many titles which have a Bristol connection as wellas a number of community projects including ‘A Taste of Totterdown’ communitycookbook and ‘Totterdown Rising’ the story of how Totterdown was bulldozed inthe 1970s to make way for a road that was never built!” The publisher is marking its 15th anniversary with the release of the seventhedition of its very first publication, ‘The Naked Guide to Bristol’. For moreinformation on Tangent Books, visit www.tangentbooks.co.uk Welcome to another independent shop in our community, bloop which isowned and run by Jayne Rutland. The shop opened at the beginning of Octoberat 123 Oxford Street, and promises a sustainable alternative for bodycare andhome cleaning products. Encouraging less plastic waste, the shop will specialisein environmentally friendly product refills – customers refill their own containersor the shop has spares. bloop is also part of @refillbristol, so if you are passingby and need to refill your water bottle they will be happy to oblige. Do pop in tomeet Jayne and the shop dog Graham. OPEN: Weds to Fri 10-7 and Saturday10-4. More on bloop in a future issue… in the meantime visit Facebookbloop.bristol Meanwhile, at 109 Wells Road the premises adjoining Patco has been refur-bished and launched as Yogmandala, a yoga and naturopathy wellness centre.A variety of wellbeing classes and treatments is available throughout the weekwith a host of different therapies including a wide selection of massages, reiki,shiatsu and reflexology. The studio hosts workshops and special events and isalso available for hire. Check the website for timetables of classes, forthcomingworkshops and events http://yogmandala.co.uk/

Knowle Constitutional Club is hosting a speaking group SpeakUp KCC … forpeople who hate speaking! The new monthly group is the brainchild ofcommunication coach, Tony Coll, a former BBC reporter and public speaker whonow helps people with speeches and media interviews. The group meets for anhour between 6 and 7pm on the second Thursday of every month. The idea isthat small business owners and others who find it difficult to get their messageacross will learn public speaking skills in a small, friendly and informal group."People who are not good at communication - not just public speaking but alsoassertiveness in meetings and difficult conversations - have a greatdisadvantage in life. I would like to redress this." says Tony. You can booktickets for SpeakUp KCC for £10 through Eventbrite:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/speakup-kcc-tickets-68997426159 or you can payon the door.

NEWS IN BRIEF…

The Talk of Totterdown Issue No 55, Winter 2019 www.tresa.org.uk

Eyes of the DragonIt’s that Spooktacular time of the year again, pumpkins, golden tinted red leavesswirling about the damp earthy air with a slight chill in it and the nights closing in, Ilove it! But how long will our seasons be like this, or is it going to change for good ifclimate change has its way? Scary really! I think protests are a waste of time forclimate change, I think we would be better off joining as a nation and having a set daywhere no one drives or travels, we could see then the impact of cars/transport, butgetting a nation to do that would be difficult! We would need a get drunk day by law,and then it would probably work!!

Talking of mass extinctions, I’m sure crocodiles survivedwhen dinosaurs died out, and that crocodiles areworshipped in many cultures with the most notable croc godbeing Sobek, an Egyptian god. Some say that a reptilianrace rules the world. I was thinking about this when I tookthe kids to a crocodile zoo in Oxford recently (we held babyalligators sqweee). The animals seem to be looking at youwith such intelligence, such piercing eyes and so full ofconfidence. What if these animals do actually rule the world,and they are watching our every move?! What would they

be thinking of our actions and do they have a plan to survive our extinction like theydid the dinos? Don’t judge me, its been a tough summer!! I do normally like to champion local wildlife, but my trip to the croc zoo made merealise that I have been so in deep with UK wildlife, I really am a bit ignorant to worldwildlife! I found myself being very simple minded at the croc zoo, as in, they are all thesame aren’t they? I didn’t realise they lived here/there/grow that big/small…in a way itmade the day better as me and the kids were reading all about each species and thedifference in its ecology. It was great. It also reminded me of the stories of the Bristolcrocodile. I always keep an eye out on the banks of the Avon at low tide, in the hope Imight spy our very own Captain Hook chaser! I bet some of you do as well. NO? justme then! The next time I sit down to write an article for the TOT the UK will probably be in avery different position than now, scary times! Will I still have a job? Being that I surveyEuropean protected species, I’m not too optimistic! Anyway, enjoy your Halloween, and let the garden birds sing your troubles away….

Bye for now, Dan Flew

The Climate EmergencyMark Leach, Project Manager in Bristol City Council’s Sustainability Team, recentlygave a presentation to TRESA about the Climate Emergency. We asked Mark togive us his reflections on the meeting, as well as some background information tohelp us understand the issue within a local context.What do Bristol people think about Climate Change? Bristol people are concerned about Climate Change. Bristol’s Quality of LifeSurvey data shows people are concerned in every ward of the city, that the fastestrate of increase in concern is in some of the most deprived wards, and that concernis shown across equalities groups.What is Bristol’s target for carbon emissions now there is a ClimateEmergency? Bristol’s previous target was Carbon Neutral by 2050. We’re actually on track tomeet that – depending on what you measure (more on that in future pieces). However, the Climate Emergency target is Carbon Neutral by 2030. This isincredibly ambitious – but then it is an emergency.Escalating Targets

2000 – Local Agenda 212004 – First Climate Change Strategy – 60% by 20502008 – The Big Ask – Climate Change Act – 40% by 2020/80% by 20502015 – European Green Capital – 100% by 20502018 – Climate Emergency – 100% - All scope - 2030

So what did the Council Motion actually say?Full Council calls on the Mayor to:

� Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’;� Pledge to make the city of Bristol carbon neutral by 2030, taking into

account both production and consumption emissions� Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030

target possible;� Work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to

determine and implement best practice methods to limit Global Warming toless than 1.5°C;

� Continue to work with partners across the city and region to deliver this newgoal through all relevant strategies and plans;

� Report to Full Council within six months with the actions the Mayor/Councilwill take to address this emergency.

Bristol was the first city in the world to declare a climate emergency but there arenow 228 in the UK and 1039 across the world. Next month will be 1 year on from the declaration, and so in the next issue we willinclude an update looking at what has happened since the declaration was made. Itis clear from feedback at TRESA public meetings and events that residents do findthis an issue of concern and so we will publish a regular column and updates on theclimate emergency including more on what is being done in response, a focus onyoung people, and actions we can all take.

When are we going to take back control of our air? Astonishingly, four out of five urban areas in the UK continueto have illegal levels of air pollution. Legal limits supposed toprotect our health and our lives go unenforced, notwithstandingofficial promises to clean up our air. Against this background, the widespread anger following yetfurther delay in Bristol’s clean air plans is hardly surprising. Having already missed the deadline three times this year, at the end of SeptemberBristol City Council was given another five weeks by the government to submit itsoutline business case for its proposed Clean Air Zone. Earlier this year, the then environment minister, Therese Coffey, had alreadyexpressed her astonishment at the Mayor’s delay in improving air quality for thepeople of Bristol, which is now lagging behind cities like Birmingham and Bathwhere clean air zones will take effect next year. Even if, and when, Bristol does set up a clean air zone, on its own published datait will still be another ten years before the city meets legal compliance tests on airquality. Evidence of the pernicious effects of air pollution on the health of young and oldalike is overwhelming. Besides pollutants causing asthma, heart disease and lungcancer, it is now known that airborne particles even pass through the placenta andpenetrate deep into the tissues of unborn children. Instead of prevarication, Bristol needs to see decisive action now. The city needsto take back control and deliver that fundamental birth right of everyone – the rightto breathe clean air. Geoff Allan, Chair of TRESA

5 Small Things…It’s been a magical, moving journey, beginning with @138youngpersonscollective andVera exploring what they could create when they moved from the Totterdown Centreto Floriography. They wanted a dark room. So underneath Floriography a dark roomwas created. And through weekly talk, art and exploration ‘5 Small Things That MeanA Lot’ emerged. The group worked with participants who brought in 5 objects that mean a lot tothem, the young people created photograms of them and explored their stories. Therewere drop-ins, fundraisers, workshops exploring emotions, intense editing andtranscription sessions; all leading to the exhibition at the Knowle Constitutional Club.

The exhibition was a mix-up of photograms, pictures, objects,transcriptions, poetry, video and audio recordings. As with allthings full of feeling, it is hard to describe. No words encapsulatethe stories of the objects of all the beautiful people who took part.Vera described the space as a ‘container of essence’; a beautifulold room in a building with its own rich history which, for onespecial weekend, was filled to the brim with the feelings, storiesand memories of eighty people aged three to eighty years old.Over 150 people came, using torches to explore this ‘container ofessence’. People had fun, cried; lots discovered depth of

connection to others through their 5 Small Things. The group achieved what they hadhoped for; to ‘freeze time’ and ‘catch sentiment’. And, hopefully, no-one leftuntouched by something within the room. Here is a comment from one person who attended: “It was a wonderful exhibition…interesting and meaningful. I don’t think I have been to something that I felt soconnected to in a long time. A real joy to share a sense that we have so much incommon and stories to tell…” So what next? The young people worked hard. But there are unexploredpossibilities, so watch this space… Team Floriography 5 Small Things was created by 138 youngpersonscollective and Totterdown HealingSpaces (THS) and funded by Floriography, THS activities and donations. For moreinformation on any of the above please contact totterdownhealingspaces@gmail.com

Christmas Wonderland on the Wells RoadThe Totterdown Centre is being transformed into a Christmas Wonderland pop-up art gallery and gift shop from late November.   Local artist Brigitta Lieģis and Richard Jones from Tangent Books are thepeople behind Wonderland. They will be moving into the Totterdown Centreimmediately after the FRONT ROOM Art Trail and are planning an openingparty for Friday November 22.   Wonderland artists and makers already confirmed include Lieģis originalwork, prints and cards; Laura Murray Art; Sarah Jordan and Juliet Flemingpottery; Jerry Ortmans sculpture and drawings; Quint’s candles; TangentBooks; Carolyn Bunt Photography; Bob’s Books and Balms; Easy Action Vinyl;and Garth O’Donnell Prints. There will also be a selection of Margaret May Soaps; Fanny TingleChutneys; Beast Socks and T-Shirts; Stokes Croft China; Sandra Moore Cards;Bristol Archive Records, Bristol Books; jewellery and more… “We will open Thursday to Friday for the first couple of weeks and then everyday in the build-up to Christmas,” said Richard Jones. “We’re also planningsome evening events and a charity fundraising event. Wonderland aims toshowcase the work of a selection of outstanding local artists alongside gifts andhand-made products.”

Bristol Law Centre has launched a ‘Take acloser look’ campaign to fight discriminationand unfair treatment at work by helpingworkers access legal help and representation. Since dramatic cuts to legal aid (LASPO2012), legal advice has only been available fordiscrimination cases (and not general

employment problems) via a government telephone gateway, with little or no accessto face to face advice or representation. This has resulted in many vulnerable people,experiencing discrimination in the workplace, not getting the help they need to seekredress. Millions of people in the UK have Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI) included withintheir standard house or car insurance policies, as well as some bank accounts. BristolLaw Centre can advise on how to access this cover and the strength of your case. LEIallows people to fund specialist legal advice and representation in employment-rightsand discrimination cases - over 25 million households have this cover and many don’tknow that it can help them with employment issues. Bristol Law Centre has developed a range of materials, including a leaflet and shortanimation, to raise awareness of using LEI to access advice and is already workingwith the Equality Advisory and Support Service and other key partners to reachworkers and promote LEI. View a short animation at www.bristollawcentre.org.uk/lei Bristol Law Centre is a leading specialist in discrimination and employment law. Findout if you are covered and more information on how BLC can help. Call 01179248662 or mail@bristollawcentre.org.uk

The Talk of Totterdown Issue No 55, Winter 2019 www.tresa.org.uk

Fellow residentsI cannot say I enjoyed last month’s meeting of TotterdownImprovement Group. Benedetta, the newest member, suggested wereview our monthly coffee mornings. It is true that attendance hasdeclined, but that is certainly not because of the quality of cakes onoffer. My lemon drizzle has been described as legendary on more thanone occasion and, since Ronald’s wife left him and he embarked on‘Baking for the Broken Hearted’ evening classes, we have beenblessed with a superb selection of cupcakes and tartlets. Apparently,the problem is not with our baked goods but with the coffee.Benedetta is of Italian origin and even the finest instant coffeegranules are sacrilege. That accent did her no harm in persuading themen on the committee that we need to splash out on an expensivecoffee machine. When she offered to provide lessons in how to use it

properly, it was obvious she would win the vote and there was no point in suggesting themoney would be better spent on a floor polisher. Mr Broom joined the ranks of those volunteering for Benedetta’s barista training. Hespent far too much time in the bathroom this morning, humming ‘O Sole Mia’ and wastingexpensive aftershave, and then went off for his lesson looking rather too enthusiastic formy liking. What, you may ask, has this got to do with my campaign to Tidy Up Totterdown andTactfully Uphold Taste (Tut, tut!)? Well, dear reader, it has made me aware of the lure ofcoffee. Worse still is the enthusiasm for coffee ‘on the go’. Here at Totterdown Mansions Iset the conservatory table with good bone china to enjoy a pot of Earl Grey tea in theafternoon. Meanwhile millions of people are outside in the streets drinking coffee frompaper cups. An estimated 2.5 billion disposable cups a year are used in the UK and many are foundlittering our streets and green spaces. Less than one per cent of those cups are recycled.Some coffee shops are helping to improve the situation by offering a discount forcustomers who bring their own cup for takeaway coffee. Hugo and Octavia gave eachother ‘reusable cups for the daily commute’ as Christmas presents last year, although Icertainly did not bring them up to wander around the streets drinking coffee or any otherdrink. Despite the discount schemes, billions of paper cups continue to be used so I wasdelighted to learn that Bristol has been awarded funds from the Hubbub foundation for acity-wide scheme of cup recycling facilities (https://www.hubbub.org.uk/blog/hubbub-announces-significant-new-investment-in-uk-recycling). All cups collected will be recycledinto new products, including paper bags and greetings cards which will be manufacturedlocally to reduce travel. So, if you need to use a paper cup, look out for ways to recycle it. While there may be some solutions to the paper cup problem, my other concern iswhether Mr Broom has been unduly distracted by an Italian temptress. But I need not haveworried. He has just returned, full of enthusiasm, with a cup of coffee he made especiallyfor me, with a perfect love-heart design in the froth. Tut, tut!

Lavender Broom: Tut, tut!

Talk of Totterdown is edited by Carolyn Jones. Views expressed are not necessarily those of TRESACIC. Available as a pdf document on the website at: www.tresa.org.uk

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Talk of Totterdown is edited by Carolyn Jones. Views expressed are not necessarily those of TRESACIC. Printed by: Doveton Press Ltd www.dovetonpress.co.uk

Find out the value ofyour property

Call 0117 977 7672or pop in to see us!

Our Head Office is righton your doorstep at

148 Wells Road,Totterdown BS4 2AG

Your local Windmill Hill CouncillorsCllr Jon Wellington: 07392 108804 / cllr.jon.wellington@bristol.gov.uk

Cllr Lucy Whittle: 07392 108805 / cllr.lucy.whittle@bristol.gov.uk

News from our local councillorOne of the few remaining opportunities ward councillors such asmyself have to materially improve their local neighbourhoods isthrough the distribution of the local portion of Community Infra-structure Levy (CIL) - money that developers have to pay tolocal authorities to mitigate for their developments. Each year,local councillors are tasked with identifying priorities in theirwards and are then able to - with the assistance of communitygroups like TRESA or others - bid for cash for projects in theirarea. In the three and half years since I have been a councillor,perhaps the most common complaint I hear from Totterdown residents (apartfrom parking!) is traffic problems on St Lukes Road. The speed of traffic and thedifficulty for pedestrians and cyclists has been a recurring complaint. I haverepeatedly reassured residents that doing something on this stretch of road is apriority for me, as soon as I had access to any cash to do something about it. Unfortunately, massive cuts to local authority budgets have meant that wehave very little money and fewer council staff to do these things than before. SoI was delighted this year to be able to successfully bid for cash for a pedestriancrossing and associated traffic calming measures on St Lukes Road near thesteps down from St Luke’s Crescent across to Victoria Park. I know that this hasbeen a long term aspiration for TRESA, and thank members for putting togetherthe application. I prioritised and pitched it to the area committee for approval.Thankfully they agreed and I am very pleased that £60,000 has been allocatedto this project. Work is not going to begin until summer next year at the earliest. I am now looking for projects for funding for next year. If you have ideas forthis, please do get in touch. Councillor Jon Wellington

We are now recruiting for a stylist tojoin our busy team - call us for more

information!168 Wells Road, Bristol BS4 2AG

Silverman chemistTotterdown’s local pharmacy est. 1936

• Free prescription order and collection service• Free delivery service for selected patients• Free yearly medication check up*• Free new medication reviews for selected illnesses*• Free treatment for minor illnesses for children andpatients who do not pay for prescriptions*

(*NHS funded)

180A Wells Road - Mon-Fri: 9am-7pm & Sat: 9am-5pm - Tel/fax: 0117 9776743

We also have a range of natural and organic products

ECOVER REFILLS bio-D refills

Just£12

Available at KCC from mid October

Seasonal celebrations at the Con Club…○ Pub quiz - first Thursday every month

○ Boozy bingo - third Thursday every month○ Fanny Tingle pop-up dining (see KCC Facebook for dates)

FUNDRAISER: Cocktails at the Con!Friday 13 December from 7.30pm

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Join in the festive fun with yuletide snifters,and tasty cocktail bites from the fabulous Ms Fanny Tingle

£5 to cover club fee and your first cocktail/£3 mocktail.You’ll be rocking around the Christmas tree!

Knowle Constitutional Club, 162 Wells Road, Totterdown