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

Issue No 47, Winter 2017 www.tresa.org.uk

The misty November weather which rolls in over ourmulticoloured enclave on the hill makes for a perfectbackdrop to this year’s ‘Fairytales, Myths andLegends’ themed Totterdown Art Trail. FRONT ROOM 2017 takes place over the weekendof 18 & 19 November, and there are a host of excitingworkshops and creative happenings to keep theadults entertained and the young ones spellbound. Inaddition to the themed activities – think dragons,toadstools and assorted goblins and fairy creatures -there will be some serious, and not so serious, art ondisplay in houses and public venues acrossTotterdown. As always there is a huge range of art and crafts toenjoy, and lots available to purchase to suit allpockets; from delicate jewellery, cutting edge fashionand knitted goods, fine art, bold graphics, woodwork,pottery, recycled and upcycled objets d’art andintriguing artworks. FRONT ROOM has alwaysfeatured an amazingly eclectic artistic offering, and itdoesn’t disappoint in its seventeenth year! There arehand-knitted mini Morris-dancing mice, seascapespainted over vintage maps and shipping charts,marbled porcelain bowls and recycled robots. And should a mysterious thirst take over, after allthat arty action, then there will be plenty of wateringholes available to magically revive. Both The Oxfordand The Shakey will feature fantastic live musicthroughout the weekend, with plenty of foot tapping,stomping action to enjoy until the witching hour… andbeyond. In addition to our fabulously friendly pubs, the‘Down The Rabbit Hole Bar’ will be back on HighamGreen serving spellbinding cocktails in the MadHatters Marquee, and Roof Terrace Tunes at 2aUpper Street offers cocktails, music, and dancing withthe best view of Bristol as a backdrop. Never one tobe missed, The Apple Chapel in Balmain Street willbe offering reviving mulled cider produced in thesevery fair lands by Totterdown Press. The FRONT ROOM team invite you to take a leapof faith on platform 93/4 (Totterdown Square!) andenter a Quidditch tournament against other witches,wizards and warlocks. Those seeking more gentlepursuits might participate and enjoy a sublime “bakeoff” style competition which will take place on theSunday. But who will be the mystery guest judging theflaky baked treats and awarding minus points forsoggy bottoms?

Craftisan, The Eating Room, The Lounge,BocaBar, A Cappella, Assilah Bistro, The Officeand Totterdown Canteen open their doors to localtalent throughout the year, so do take time to visitthem during the art trail for splendid eats and treatsfor breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. You can alsotry out some of the pop-up offerings in people’s ownhomes with cake aplenty and even our very owncoffee roasters at Jon’s Beans at 12 Hill Street. Weaving its very own special blend of magic andwonder, is Floriography and The Healing Courtyardwith exhibitions, installations, workshops andperformances mainly made and created by women;one big sensory experience in a magical space.Whilst there you might want to take time to marvel atthe changes taking place at The Totterdown Centrealso at 142-144 Wells Road. In the process of beingrefurbished, the owners are keen to talk about theirvery positive plans for the future. They are busyuncovering the layers of history of the building andare keen to show people around, and would love tohear from people who have memories of the space asit was previously. Children can enjoy workshops at venues across theart trail with Colourful Minds hosting lantern makingworkshops up at Hillcrest School (in preparation forSunday’s lantern parade) and ‘Pottery on Wheels’up at Higham Green, where little pixies can mouldtheir own magical unicorn horns, mystical dragon'seyes and fairytale toadstools from air drying clay.Dressing up is the name of the game this year, withplenty of opportunities to join in the fun and mayhem! This year’s event will draw to a close on Sundaywith a fabulous lantern parade from Hillcrest Schoolstarting at 4pm and stopping off at The HealingCourtyard where the floriferous Floriography fairieswill be judging a Fairy Wings competition at 4.30pm.FRONT ROOM 2017 will then formally close with aFire Ceremony straight from the pages of NorseFolklore. Expect plenty more surprises from artists andperformers across the art trail. Take a look online atwww.frontroom.org.uk or get hold of a map to planyour route through an artistic wonderland. The mapwill feature a detailed overview of times and venuesfor events taking place throughout the weekend. Turn to page 2 for a sneaky peek ‘Behind the

door’ at some of the artists exhibiting this year…

A whole new shopping experience awaits

NameAddressEmailJoining date:

Totterdown needs YOU!TRESAcic brings together residents in Totterdown withthe aim of improving and protecting our localenvironment and to promote a vibrant cultural life.Membership is for anyone aged 18 years or over, wholives within the TRESA boundary. Members have votingrights and influence the projects we undertake and joinus in providing a strong voice in commenting on issuesof local significance.ALL REGISTERED MEMBERS WILLRECEIVE A FREE COPY OFTOTTERDOWN HERITAGE TRAIL MAP!The map highlights buildings and sites ofhistoric interest in our area, as well assome of the quirkier elements ofTotterdown (also available at £1 fromTRESA website, and Totterdown Canteen).Membership fees also help towardsprinting costs of The Talk of Totterdown.To join or renew your membership (£3per annum): www.tresa.org.uk to pay viapaypal or complete this form and postwith cash or cheque, (payable toTRESAcic), in one of our letterboxes at Patco, Craftisanor the Post Office (in Tesco).

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Help shape a newcampus for BristolThe University of Bristol is planning a £300 million campusat Temple Meads. The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campuswill give us opportunities to work with the city, create jobsand celebrate Bristol culture. The development will turn an eyesore into a green, opencampus, that will bring benefits to Bristol and the wholeregion. We want to work with local businesses, socialenterprises and charities to create a welcoming publicspace that’s embedded in the life of the city. This campus will attract jobs and investment and bringopportunities to Bristol and the region. It will be mainlypostgraduate and our research will blend society, businessand technology to drive innovation with scale and impact.Our postgraduate students will work with industry andcommunities to deliver real-world benefits and tackle theglobal challenges facing us now and in the future. We know that as our new neighbours you will have lots ofideas and questions about the campus and we’re keen tohear from you as we shape the plans. TRESA has invited the University of Bristol to discuss thecampus at the next public meeting at 7:30pm, onWednesday 15th November, at Hillcrest Primary School. Ifyou can’t make it or you’d like to talk to the team directlyyou can reach us by email temple-quarter@bristol.ac.uk

Totterdown-based publisher Tangent Books islimbering up for Christmas with a wide range of localbooks and gifts.

Kate Pollard’s TotterdownRising is back in print andTotterdown photographer PeteMaginnis has overhauled DonPedro Presents Politics &Protest to create a third editionof the photographic collectionwith new content and morepages. There’s a new edition (thesixth) of The Naked Guide toBristol and a reprint ofBanksy’s Bristol and a new

music title – My Festival Romance by WOMAD co-founder Thomas Brooman. Tangent has also produced two football titles, a newand updated edition of Freedom Through Football,the story of the Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls and anew title, Harry Bamford: Bristol Rovers’ FirstGentleman of Football. The Bamford book tells the story of one of Bristol’smost iconic footballers who was born and bred just

down the road from Totterdown in St Philip’s Marsh.Bamford played for Rovers from 1946 until his deathin 1959 when he died when his motorbike was incollision with a lorry near the top of Whiteladies Road. And for those of you from the red half of Bristolthere’s a seasonal offering from Bristol Books CIC inthe form of Harry Dolman: The Millionaire InventorWho Became “Mr Bristol City” – a biography of theremarkable City chairman HarryDolman. And finally, Tangent’s lastoffering of the year is the BristolShort Story Prize anthologywhich celebrates its tenth year.The anthology contains the 20best stories from the 2,000 or soentries submitted to the 2017competition. Tangent, which is based atPaintworks, also stocks a rangeof Stokes Croft China and Beastclothing at its website at www.tangentbooks.co.uk.Use the code ‘supporter’ to get 20 per cent off allitems at www.tangentbooks.co.uk (The HarryDolman book is available from www.bristolbooks.org)

Buy the book!

FRONT ROOM 2017: 18 & 19 November

The Talk of Totterdown Issue No 47, Winter 2017 www.tresa.org.uk As Autumn turns to Winter we celebrate the arrival of the annual art jamboree thatis FRONT ROOM. This is always a fantastic event thanks to the hard work of theorganisers and artists who participate, and an opportunity to celebrate the artistictalent that lies at the heart of Totterdown. As always there will be plenty of artyhappenings in the houses, pubs, cafes, church halls and up at Hillcrest School. Sodust off your fairy wings, pull out your pointy hat and get ready for some mysticalmagic Totterdown style! With FRONT ROOM to perk us all up in the run up to Christmas, I thought it wouldbe fun to ask our regular contributors what they would wish for. It seems a shinypenny and a satsuma are no longer the items of choice as stocking fillers. Needlessto say, there are some interesting answers! My own wish? Well, whilst an everlastingProsecco tap sadly still remains a pipe dream (oh yes!), I will turn my attentioninstead to wishing for a bit more patience and goodwill for the neighbourhood. Lessroad rage in our narrow streets and a few more smiles and chats with the neighbourswill do just fine. Whatever you wish for, let’s hope for a peaceful Christmas. And with New Year just over the horizon, make a resolution to join TRESA as wehead forward into 2018. You can find out more about our projects and events, andhow to join us and get involved via our website www.tresa.org.ukCarolyn Jones, EditorEmail talkoftotterdown@tresa.org.uk

Surprisingly warmsummer!Summary of the spring weather in Totterdown 2017Provided by Barry Horton of the Totterdown weather stationwww.bristolweather.orgYou may be forgiven for thinking that the summer just past in Totterdown was notthat exceptional. It was a surprise to me also… when after working out all the data itwas actually the joint third warmest summer in 127 years of continuous data in Bristolwith an average summer temperature of 19.0°C, equal with 2006. The warmestsummer was 1995 with an average temperature of 19.4°C. As regards rainfall, the summer of 2017 wasn’t particularly notable as the summerof 2017 was the 58th driest of 136 years of continuous data so slightly on the dry sideof the average. Generally the summer of 2017 got off to a good start as a notable warm spell fromthe 17th until the 22nd June saw the highest June daily maximum temperature sincethis data started in 1937. On the 21st the maximum temperature reached 33.5°Cwhich was 0.7°C higher than the previous record set in June 1976. The averageminimum temperature of 13.8°C for June 2017 was the highest since this data statedin 1893, (with 6 years of data missing). By July the warmth had largely gone and the rainfall for the month in 2017 was145.5% above the 30 year average for the month. July 2017 saw the second lowestsunshine, as a percentage of the maximum, of 46.4%. This data began in 2005 andthe lowest of 46.1% occurred in 2016. During August at least it was considerably drier than July but temperatures haddefinitely dropped off as the average temperature was -0.6°C below the 30 yearaverage for Bristol.P.S. My wish for the festive season, as requested by the Editor, is that people start torealize that all the people of the world are just one tribe – humans (from BenjaminZephaniah). With this in mind we should be able to treat everybody with respect.

Thank you, Barry

Weather Report

My children, now adults, are all somewhat scattered; and not just in this country as Ihave a daughter, Lowena [Cornish for joy] living in Switzerland. This Christmas thefamily will be gathering with her there, and Julian and I plan to visit for the Solstice,her birthday and days before Christmas. She has a love of blueberries and this summer, as a housewarming present, Ibought her a blueberry plant, also warning her it would need to be maintained in anacid soil. Blueberries are American but closely related to our native Whortleberry orBilberry, and as a child I remember her being shown by her grandfather in Cornwallhow to collect Whortleberries, or ‘whorts’ as he called them in Cornish dialect, on themoorland above St Austell. These berry bearing plants, Vaccinium myrtillas, are found across the UK andNorthern Europe, growing on high land where there are acid soils. They havenumerous names, more commonly being known as bilberries but other local namesinclude wimberry, blaeberry and hurtleberry. They are related to, but not the same asthe American blueberry, Vaccinium cyanoccocus, which produces the blueberries wecommonly see on our supermarket shelf. It is my understanding that most of thesupermarket blueberries are imported but plant breeders in Scotland are attemptingto cross the blueberry with our native plant to produce a variety they can grow butwhich still produces the lush clumps of berries of the blueberry. Anyone who hasgathered bilberries will know there is not much gain for a lot of work. That said, both bilberries and blueberries are rated as ‘superfoods’ being high inantioxidants and vitamins K and C. The NHS’s own website, while being cautiousabout overstating the outcomes of tests, does give blueberries a big ‘thumbs up’ andblueberries may protect against heart disease, some cancers and improve memory.Bilberries have been used as a medicine for at least 1,000 years across NorthernEurope for gastrointestinal disorders, coughs and ‘agues’; also as a food in jams,pies and cakes. What do I want for Christmas? Lowena tells me the blueberry plant has grownsome shoots so it would be good to see these and then I would like to see somesnow. Anne Silber

Julian Quaye returns to The Shakey with hiswonderfully imaginative anthropomorphic animalportraits.

These are fascinating interpretations and beautifullyexecuted works which illustrate his love of ironicjuxtaposition with a touch of steam punk sensibility and ahuge dose of kitsch. Featuring sumptuous fabrics andwith a distinctly Edwardian and Victorian vibe, this is arton a grand scale.

Exhibiting at Hillcrest Primary School is Viva LosMuertos, Texas born artist Danielle Greenwood,whose art is influenced by the Mexican culture andinfluences she grew up with.

Her art pieces and accessories are handmade withup-cycled frames, materials and imported trinkets,charms and fabrics from Texas and Mexico. Uniquehandcrafted gifts include cushions, bags, art, andjewellery.

At 21 William Street is Tom Lietzau who has a Master’sDegree in Fine Arts, and creates work in a variety ofmediums and styles, with a special interest in exploring theheritage of colourism.

His “Landscape Brine” series comprises atmospheric imagesinspired by Bristol landmarks and places the artist hasvisited across the South West. These are stunning paintingswith a richness of colour and depth; images of places youwill recognise from everyday walks or weekend trips broughtbefore your eyes with a symphony of colours thrown intovibrant compositions.

Enjoy these, and all the other talentedartists taking part in FRONT ROOM 2017!

FRONT ROOM 2017

Whortleberries and bilberries

Christmas cheerLandlord Jon Evans and his family will be bringing festive cheer this Christmas toolder people in Totterdown, with plans to host a 3 course lunch on Christmas Dayat The Oxford public house. Jon is in the early stages of organising events and hoping that people willvolunteer their services to help make things happen. In particular they needkitchen help, bar staff and chaperones with transport to help get people to andfrom the party. They are also hoping local musicians might be interested inproviding musical entertainment on the day. As Jon explained “The idea has moved on since initial thoughts of a party earlyin December. After researching ideas and speaking to the Marmalade Trust itwas clear that Christmas is a time when loneliness can be felt the most and wemade the decision to go for it! Having a big family of four daughters and fourgrandchildren of our own it took a bit of convincing to get everyone on board, butwe are all 100% behind the idea now and are looking forward to sharing our daywith some new faces, meeting new people and hopefully making a difference totheir Christmas.” To find out more, offer assistance or volunteer on the day contact Jon via the Facebook page: Oxford Totterdown

A highlight for many visitors to Totterdown Art Trail is discovering unique artistic offerings from professional and amateur artists. FRONT ROOM is an opportunity to discoversome diverse talent and celebrate art in all its forms. Here’s a few of this year’s “must view”:

www.tresa.org.uk Issue No 47, Winter 2017 The Talk of Totterdown

Lights, Camera, Action!It seems I’ve been a busy bee with the BBC lately. I have been on Radio 4 talkingabout Bats and Goths for a programme called Natural Histories. It was great fun andwell received (so I was told). I didn’t like hearing the sound of my own voice on thewireless though! So, after the BBC Radio 4 broadcast, I thought my 15 minutes of fame were spent!But it seems not, as the BBC invited me to film a piece for Countryfile. So, onSeptember 18 I had to go and meet the team, straight after work, at Arnos ValeCemetery. Naturally they all wanted to see the bats in the roost, but I had to tell themthat that was not possible. So in the end, I went to count the bats in the roost with acamera person who had a very good infrared camera that does not need visible light.They were pleased with the shots and it looks a bit ‘Blair Witch Project’ like! Aftercounting the bats, we did some “piece to camera” shots and were filmed walkingaround chatting. We had a look at the badger set, talked about owls and what thecemetery is like at night. It was a fun evening; a bit repetitive as we had to say the same things over andover again at different angles, and it was funny seeing how they can edit things tolook as if it’s all natural! The producer was a young lady who looked stressed, thecamera people were really nice and the presenter “Jules” was a nice guy and verycharismatic! Big voice and presence, yet he said I was a natural, I guess we shalljudge that for ourselves when it airs! Potential date is October 31 at 09.15 (whathappened to my prime time spot!), and the BBC will be sending me a DVD once ithas been shown on TV. Next stop… Sir Dave and Dan’s wild adventures…!So what else have I been up to? Well, apart fromspying on the local badger and fox, I have been goingto an art class, and I must say, I am really loving it. Iam now planning to do some bat pictures with the tipsthat I have learnt. My best picture to date from theclass is of a Hare. I would never have thought I couldproduce a picture like it! It’s given me confidence inmyself. Maybe I can become a wildlife artist? Abotanical illustrator? Who knows where my path maylead in my quest for all things wild (drunk most of thetime) - only joking! It’s amazing how much more you appreciate ananimal if you draw it, as you see things in it that youwould never really notice, such as different shades ofcolour that are oh so slight. Until next time, take it easy, Dan FlewP.S. Christmas is coming and I will be getting fat….what would I like Santa to bringme? Main big presents: world peace, no poverty, Victorian house on Somerset Roador close by. Other gifts: new clothes, homewares, art kit, new bat detector with Ipad,parts for my Harley! Stocking fillers: books on bats, reptiles and art. Jack Daniels,chocolate coins and some Body Shop smellies! To be honest, I will be grateful foranything as Santa may forget me this year…

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ALEXANDER TECHNIQUELessons in Alexander Technique for stress, head, neck and back problems,improved poise, posture, performance and awareness.James Gray (MSTAT)www.stat.org.ukjgalextech@gmail.com  / 07779261232CBT & PSYCHOTHERAPYLow-cost psychotherapy and CBT: whatever you bring, we can explore it together.Short and long-term work with Stephanie White.www.bristolandbathpsychotherapy.comStephaniewhitepsychotherapy@gmail.com / 07592 626410PSYCHOTHERAPYAffordable psychotherapy with Hannah Stewart. I aim to create a non-judgmental,confidential space to explore your concerns. Free initial session.www.bristol-psychotherapy.co.ukhannah@bristol-psychotherapy.co.uk / 07816 917353YOGA AT ARNOS VALEYoga for health of body and mind. Monday evenings Dynamic Hatha Flow 6pmweekly drop-in class and Yoga and Mindfulness courses with Morven Hamilton.www.yogabynature.orginfo@yogabynature.org / 07938 889028YOGA & PILATES CLASSES FOR EVERYONEA daily schedule of yoga & pilates classes in a dedicated space. We also offer:Beginners yoga course, Mum & baby yoga, Pilates & Pregnancy yoga. Choose oneof our attractive membership offers or drop-in.Contact Manon 07572 246031 / Book & Info: www.flowyogabristol.co.uk

Time to take action for cleanair for all of us

Every year some 300 people in Bristol die from airpollution. That's about 5 people a week! This is mainly caused by Nitrogen Dioxide and fineparticulates. The primary source of these is from localroad traffic emissions and especially diesel vehicles.Essentially, we're all being harmed by the cars drivingaround us. Air pollution is a public health emergency and hasbeen for a long time. As well as people dying early dueto pollution, it can affect a person’s health throughouttheir life. Children growing up in areas with highconcentrations of NO2 often have impaired lungfunction growth and can develop health problems that stay with them for life. To tackle this problem, Bristol declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)back in 2003. This area covers the city centre, most of Totterdown and extends outalong the Bath and Wells Roads.  An AQMA means the city must regularly monitorpollution levels and tackle the issue. The area has existed for over 14 years but littlehas improved; despite increasing numbers of people cycling, walking and usingpublic transport, the amount of car journeys remain high and the air quality hasstayed poor. So how does this affect Totterdown? Well, most of us live close to the trunk roadsso will be regularly breathing in the fumes. Several large developments are alsobeing planned along the Bath Road which will add more cars to the area (and morepeople to suffer the effects!). Many of the children attending Hillcrest School will becrossing Wells Road during rush-hour and deeply breathing those fineparticulates. We are all being affected… slowly and silently. In 2015 and 2016 environmental lawyers ClientEarth won cases at the High Courtpressing the government to act on air quality and take decisive steps to reduce theharm it's causing. Five cities were instructed to introduce Clean Air Zones that placea charge on polluting vehicles for entering the area (like the London CongestionZone). Bristol is likely to follow this approach and introduce a clean air zone thatmatches the existing AQMA which means it would cover Totterdown. The council willlikely start consultation on this next year, and TRESA will be keen to give itsthoughts. We would also encourage people living in Totterdown to get involved, asdoing nothing means continuing to poison all of us.

Simon Hobeck, Chair of TRESA

P.S. I'd love to have snow for Christmas to take my son sledging in Perrett's Park

A tale of Epicproportions…As Christmas fast approaches, thoughts wearily and inevitablyturn to the buying of presents. If you’re stuck for inspiration thisyear, Little Epic Theatre might be able to help – if you’ll helpthem in return. Little Epic Theatre are fundraising to pay for a workshop of their latest play The Artof Getting Unlucky, the funniest, most entertaining and totally brilliant work of theatreever written (enough already! Ed).

Backers who make contributions to their fundraisingcampaign – hosted by Indiegogo – will receive unique andhilarious perks, including handwritten insulting letters, ascene from your favourite movie badly remade withterrible special effects, or even your own personalisedsong… where else can you get a gift like that? Anotherridiculously great gift idea that you can receive from themerriment of Little Epic Theatre is a portrait of yourself…interpreted by both Naomi and Vince, meaning they will

literally double the enjoyment of your face. Remember, art is subjective. If however you are one of those organised people who has already got Christmaspresents sorted (we hate you) then maybe you would like to donate your interest andlove (aka money), to a needy yet incredibly talented and hilariously funny localtheatre group. “Who are Little Epic Theatre?” I hear indifferent voices cry. Vince Stadon has livedin Totterdown for seven years, and has been producing and writing since moving tothe area to produce The Sitcom Trials; his one act farce Checkpoint Dave didabsolutely nothing to inform audiences about the Cold War. Writer and actor NaomiCarter moved from Worcester to join The Sitcom Trials and bring much neededconfusion to Bristol’s sensible stand-up comedy scene - her second ever gig was atThe Oxford, in an event organised by Angie Belcher, and headlined by Broad-church’s Becky Brunning – who was also in Vince’s Sitcom Trials team. Naomi’sBarbara and Jeffrey, produced a few years later, was a smash hit at the BathComedy Festival, and was the first (and so far only) full theatrical production stagedat Bath’s prestigious Natural Theatre. Little Epic’s latest play, The Art of Getting Unlucky, part written in The BancoLounge, is in the first stage of development. Key scenes need to be workshopped bythe cast without any loss of life... again. Little Epic will be taking lots of photographsand filming the workshop in order to raise enough interest and money to take theplay to full production, and delight crowds with their wit, passion and cheap ticketprices*. Their new play doesn’t promise to solve any of the world’s problems (in fact,it may even add to them), but it does promise to provide the most fun andentertaining experience you can have with your clothes on (please come to thetheatre with your clothes on). Find out more by visiting: http://littleepictheatre.blogspot.co.uk/*That’s a fib – they won’t be cheap.

Your local Windmill Hill CouncillorsAdvice surgery - First Friday of each month 6.30pm – 8.00pm

at Victoria Park Baptist Church, Sylvia Avenue

Cllr Jon Wellington: 07392 108804 / cllr.jon.wellington@bristol.gov.ukCllr Lucy Whittle: 07392 108805 / cllr.lucy.whittle@bristol.gov.uk

� Problems with Bristol City Council services?� Concerned about your streets or local area?

Whatever your problem, they will try and help you or find someone who can

The Talk of Totterdown Issue No 47, Winter 2017 www.tresa.org.uk

Fellow ResidentsHere at Totterdown Mansions relationships between Mr Broom and I havebeen frosty since the fiasco at the Totterdown Union of Gardeners (TUG)meeting. Muriel was being somewhat melodramatic when she declaredwalking along her street was like a scene from The Day of the Triffids, butI agreed that something needs to be done about weeds in the streets.Invasive weeds can damage footpaths and cause accidents, makepavements and kerbs difficult to sweep, and block drains. Weed control is,therefore, important for my campaign to Tidy Up Totterdown and TactfullyUphold Taste (Tut, tut!). When the matter was raised at TUG it became clear there were threefactions in the room: those who thought Bristol City Council should meettheir obligations by spraying the pavements and kerbs regularly with weed

killer; those who felt local residents could ‘do their bit’ and reduce the use of chemicals byweeding outside their own home, and; those who agree with Ella Wheeler Wilcox that “Aweed is but an unloved flower” and do not seem to mind if the pavements crumble beforeour very eyes. Mr Broom was flattered to be tasked with leading a session to reach consensus about away forward. He certainly embraced the role and wasted a good deal of time on theinternet, supposedly researching facilitation skills, rather than completing the list of autumntasks that I had prepared. I should have realised he had got carried away when we were all issued with an invitationinstructing us to wear loose clothing and bring a cushion. Why he felt Indian head massagehad anything to do with weed control is beyond me. After spending a fortune on a shampooand set, I was certainly not going to let anyone ruffle my hair. And as for the ‘trust games’,poor Harold probably feels that he can never trust anyone again after he was foolishenough to deliberately fall backwards and rely on the other members of the group to catchhim. At his age it’s a miracle that he wasn’t seriously hurt. Clearly it was up to me to take control of events and so, instead of the ‘humming forhealing’ exercise, I suggested that we report our concerns about rampant vegetationinvading the pavements and kerbsides on FixMyStreet https://www.fixmystreet.com orthe Bristol City Council website https://www.bristol.gov.uk/streets-travel/street-that-needs-cleaning. I also suggested contacting Councillor Jon Wellington by email(cllr.jon.wellington@bristol.gov.uk) or telephone (mobile 07392 108804). It was also agreed that I would ask you, my dear readers, to include amongst your NewYear’s resolutions a commitment to pulling up weeds in front of your own homes, andperhaps even helping a neighbour if they would find that difficult. So, to support Mr Broomin his weed removal duties, I have bought him a new pair of gardening gloves as aChristmas stocking filler. He is still sulking a little because he says I undermined his groupwork skills. However, I’m confident that a slice of my lemon drizzle cake and a cup of finestDarjeeling tea will bring him round. 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

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News from our local councillorWith Winter upon us I have been asked by the Talk OfTotterdown to think about what I would most like forChristmas. The best present, and the most obvious onefrom my point of view, would of course be the return ofthe £104m a year that is being withdrawn from theCouncil’s finances by central government over the nextfive years. With this, we could retain the services wehave at the moment which are already stretched tobreaking point. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to devolveausterity to local councils, who are then responsible formanaging a decline in some of the services that affectpeople directly on their streets, in their parks, in theirneighbourhoods. More realistically, what I’d really like to see is asolution to the parking issues that blight most ofTotterdown. By some distance, the most complaints I receive are about parkingproblems near your home. Currently, I see no way around the fundamentalproblem of resolving people’s need for personal transport on the one hand andthe very limited amount of space on our streets on the other. A residents’parking zone might help, and is something that we will explore again, but doesnot solve the fundamental problem and will push the problem elsewhere. I hopeand believe that in the near future, technology can solve some of the transportproblems those of us living in cities face. Self-driving vehicles, leased on asubscription basis and summonable to your home from a separate locationwould free up the clutter on the streets. In the meantime, I would love to see carclubs given more public funding. Like many of you, I do not use a car as myprimary mode of transport, but own one for the times when I need it. At themoment, car clubs are expensive and there are too few cars available locally.Public subsidy of subscription-based platform models such as this to increasetake-up could significantly reduce the number of cars doing nothing outsidepeople’s homes and free up space in Totterdown’s streets for what they weredesigned for: people. Councillor Jon Wellington

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Call 0117 977 7672or pop in to see us!

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Keep up to date with TRESA news, events and projects via our website:

www.tresa.org.uk

Back in September, Bristol Nazarene Church on Broadwalk hosted its first 'VIP Movie'project. The project offers an opportunity for the 65+ age group to socialise and enjoycinema classics, during the daytime, in a safe and friendly environment. Theevent is supported by volunteers from the local community, and theintention is to host regular ‘VIP Movies’ in the church throughout the year. The next event takes place at 3pm on 11 November showing ThePhiladelphia Story with Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart.There are 50 spaces available at a cost of £3 which includes Afternoon Teaand ice cream! To find out more call Sandra on 0117 971 5058