An insect walk organised by the Carrs Woodland Forum ended with a search for a species called the Dotted Bee-fly this Saturday. Beginning at Walwyn Close, the walk was led by wildlife expert Mike Williams who drew attention to interesting plants and animals along the way.

The main hunt for the Dotted Bee-fly took place in a sunny meadow that is part of the Carrs Woodland nature reserve at Twerton. The Bee-fly is not a true bee but it is thought that the creature lays it's eggs in the nests that some solitary bees make in the ground. It feeds on nectar from certain plants such as Ground Ivy and Primrose.

The Dotted Bee-fly is an endangered species but it seems to thrive in the habitat of the Carrs Woodland reserve. You will have to watch the video to find out whether the people who attended the walk were able to find one.

Joe, 14/04/08

Workers at Southdown Methodist Centre organised a 3 day programme of entertainment stretching from Tuesday to Thursday this week. Called Holiday at Home, the community event was attended by about 60 to 70 people of all ages. The event is the brainchild of lay worker Jane Parsons and enables people to get some fun without having to go away.

This year's Holiday at Home was packed full of activities. The Community Learning Service ran a ceramic painting class, and local choirmaster Grenville Jones came to lead some Golden-Oldies sessions where hit tunes of the 50s, 60s and 70s are sung. Older people were taught chairobics in which a chair is used to aid some simple exercises to help with mobility and blood circulation.

Tables with games and puzzle books were another feature, and a team of enthusiasts attempted to complete an intricate jigsaw within the 3 days. A cooked dinner and tea were included in the daily programme. The guest speaker was a community worker called Monica Sandy who described the community work that is going on in Nunney.

The above photos are of the card-making session on Thursday. This was followed by a practical lesson in flower arranging and gardening tips. Deacon Steph Ford said, "The 3 days have gone really well and all the people enjoyed themselves."

The leaders of the Southside Methodist Centre are planning to extend their nearly new shop and drop-in cafe to an advice centre that will be called The Point. There are also plans for a children's holiday club in August. You can see details of regular events at the Methodist Centre here.

Joe, 11/04/08

This is an update on the fight to prevent a housing complex being built on a greenfield site at The Hollow, Twerton.

Bath Heritage Watchdog have thrown their hat into the ring by sending in their own letters of objection to the planning application by Somer Housing. These expand upon the points made in the original template objection letter.

A crowd of locals gathered by the Save Our Hillside objection scoreboard on Saturday, for a Bath Chronicle photographer to take a picture. The photo should appear in this week's Chronicle and will be like the one opposite.

The Council have agreed a press quote of "in excess of 1000 objections" having been made.

Bath City Farm are also against the planning application. Their trustees, Dine Romero (Councillor for Southdown) and Gerry Curran (Councillor for Twerton) will be opposing it.

Three BANES consultative departments are objecting as well - Highways (due to the unsafe road junction that would lead to the site), Ecology (due to factors such as great crested newts in the field), and Landscapes (due to the way that the development would affect Bath's green scenery).

Want to know more? See the Save Our Hillside movie here.

Jackie Parfitt a teacher and community worker in Twerton commented: "In plain English, people need to be told that Twerton isn't the 'arse end' of Bath. We like to have a quality of life here, and we need to see flowers and trees and green areas just like everybody else."

Joe, 09/04/08

The Belvoir Castle Pub is situated in the Westmoreland ward, in a part of Bath that used to be known as East Twerton. The pub is historically interesting and Swift and Elliot write that the Belvoir Castle "opened in 1850 ... forming as instructive an example of 19th century pub design as you are likely to find anywhere" (Lost Pubs of Bath, p. 125). The pub also has associations with the working men of the old Stothert and Pitt engineering firm. John Payne writes of the "Belvoir Castle, where my Twerton uncles used to drink, and behind which Bath City Football Club used to play before their ground was taken over, soon after the end of the First World War" (Stothert and Pitt, p. 48).

Now the local activist June Player and some other Bath people are objecting to a planning application to convert the pub into accomodation. You can read June's point of view by downloading a copy of her objection letter here and see details of the planning application here.

Joe, 09/04/08

A Twerton historical researcher has reprinted his book documenting the history of Twerton from Roman times to the present. The book includes information about the Twerton Colliery, The Gaol, the Carr Family and the parish church of St Michael and All Angels. The engraving opposite shows the church in 1837 and is on the front cover of the book.

To buy a copy for £7 (includes postage and packing) contact Peter Little by email .

Joe, 10/04/08

The news items in this section summarise parts of a newsletter recently emailed by the elected Councillors for Whiteway and Southdown. If you want to receive the full newsletter by email, contact Paul Crossley . The original newsletter is far longer and with more topics than are reproduced below.

Southside Centre

Sponsorship has been found to install a new bicycle rack and secure locking facilities for the Southside Centre.

Whiteway Respect Association

Councillors Paul Crossley and Dine Romero are supporting residents as they set up this association. Funding has been gained to help with the first project - a Saturday cooking club at the Southside Centre.

Culverhay School

The Council is proposing to close Culverhay School and rebuild it as a Community Comprehensive for boys and girls. It may also become an academy sponsored by Bath Spa University or a large business. Paul and Dine are keen to hear the opinions of residents on this issue.

Southdown Infant School

Children from Southdown Infant School have planted a new hedge in the countryside at Englishcombe. The hedge will link up two woods, one of which has dormice - an endangered species.

Mount Road shops

The Mount Road shopping area has been cleared of chewing gum on the pavement, and a new litter bin is to be situated there. There are also plans to have yellow lines around the Co-op cash machine to improve security for users.

TESCO

TESCO have had their application to sell alcohol for 17 hours a day at premises under construction at Kingsway, reduced to 15 hours a day, after protests were made.

Information from newsletter, 07/04/08

Bath City retained their chance to reach the play-offs and gain promotion to the Blue Square Premier league, with a win over Cambridge FC on Saturday.

Walsh scored the first goal against Cambridge in the opening minutes of the game, the Cambridge side not playing at their best following a long delay on the motorway. Then the referee gave City a penalty in the second half after Foley was brought down in the box. Gilroy took the shot, bringing the score to 2-0.

Commentaries on the Cambridge FC website claim that the penalty decision was a bad one, and that Foley had taken a dive over the defender's outstretched leg. You must be joking! Take a look at the replay by clicking on the picture above.

You can download posters for City's home games against Thurrock (15th April) and Sutton United (19th April) here: www.designbull.co.uk/poster. Get all the City news here: www.bathcityfc.com.

Joe, 07/04/08

A swap shop was held from 10.30am to 12 noon at Southdown Methodist Centre this Saturday, enabling people to exchange any unwanted items in good condition. This is one of a series of swap shops to be held in Bath as part of the Hope08 communities initiative. You can see a short video clip of the Southdown swap shop by clicking on the picture below.

A mix of young and elderly people and children turned up to browse through the items available for swapping and to get a free cup of tea and a bacon roll.

Dates for subsequent swap shops are:

Thursday 8th May, at Rose Cottage, Twerton High Street; Saturday 14th June, at Sladebrook Evangelical Church, Englishcombe Lane; Saturday 12th July, at Oldfield Park Baptist Church. All between 10.30am and 12 noon.

Joe, 06/04/08