At Southside Youth Centre an event celebrating food throughout the ages, gave people a chance to see what meals our ancestors ate and how they prepared food. You could find out what foods the Romans brought to Britain like olive oil and wine, how the Georgians made bread, and what rations our grandparents had to make do with in the war.

There were craft activities, different types of food to try, and you could put on a land girl's uniform (pictured below left). During the second world war the land girls worked on farms to produce the country's food, while the men were away fighting.

I told the staff some of the things that people around here used to eat in the 1940s and 1950s. When times were hard a family might supplement their meals with a few garden snails. You would soak them in saltwater overnight to kill them, and then they could be rolled in flour and fried. Some folk used to make dandelion wine and people would also drink the water that a cabbage had been boiled in, to get the nutrients. Eating habits have changed a lot over the years.

Joe, 30/12/09

Mr John Rawlings of Whiteway has sent in some photos that depict change in the local area with the new year approaching. Below left, the vehicle on the Whiteway Road protests against proposals to build 2,000 houses on land west of Twerton. Below right is a new student block on the Lower Bristol Road - note the reflection on the glassy surface of the river.

Photos:  Christmas lights   Redland Park   No to houses   Student block

Click on the above links to see a few more pictures. The photo of the house lit up by Christmas lights makes a striking contrast between the bright decorations and the ink black night sky. The photo of Redland Park shows a wooden hoarding erected around some buildings on a frosty but clear morning. You can almost smell the wood. Art isn't only found in an art gallery; it is present in the shifting scences of life.

Joe, 29/12/09

The White Horse Pub at Shophouse Road became the setting for a mini carol concert on Wednesday night. The event was organised by Landlady Jacqui Clarke and Rector Richard Wilson of St Michael's Church, at the suggestion of a local person who attends both the church and the pub. On the keyboard was Kevin Rowe, a talented musician who lives in Twerton.

Some children at the pub requested that Away In A Manger be sung. You can hear it if you turn up the volume on your computer and play the above video clip. Quite a few pub regulars joined in with the carols, especially the rousing ones, although The Twelve Nights Of Christmas proved a bit of a struggle!

Lots of people said afterward what an enjoyable occasion it had been. £100 was raised for the church's Rec House project which provides streetdance and drama workshops for young people and aims to establish a recording studio for youth.

Joe, 25/12/09

Fun event

A Heritage Feast celebrating food throughout the ages will be held at Southside Youth Centre on 29th December from 12 noon to 3pm. The museums of Bath and North East Somerset invite you to try some food, explore museum collections, take part in fun activities, find out how Georgians made bread, dress up in World War II Landgirl and Home Guard costumes, meet a Roman soldier and take part in the honey cake quiz! All food and activities are free.

Toddler group

First Steps Nursery has started to run Stay and Play sessions at Southside Youth Centre on Mondays from 9.30am to 11.30am. For more information telephone 01225 314111. First Steps also has groups for parents and children which meet at Dominion Road (see here).

Whiteway project

A community development scheme in Whiteway has proved so successful that the Council has secured Government funding to extend the work to Queen's Road in Keynsham and the Snowhill area of Bath. The scheme, which is managed by the charity RE:generate, talks to local people to find out the things that matter to them. It then works with them on projects to improve their lives, with residents becoming community leaders and taking ownership of the projects from the start. To read a report on the work in Whiteway, click here.

Joe, 23/12/09

Do you know where Sladebrook Evangelical Church is? It's the church that you see is tucked in by the side of the Tesco store when you go down Englishcombe Lane. A lot goes on there during the week, including a fitness class, a parent and toddler group, clubs for young people, a coffee morning and a men's group. The church also has a bunch of keen five-a-side footballers who play at Culverhay Sports Centre on Tuesday evenings.

On Saturday I went to their Festive Funtime, a great event that attracted a lot of people. There were craft activities, hot dogs and soup, and a mini Christmas nativity play / panto with carols. The children who came enjoyed making paper angels and decorations, as well as singing along with the panto. This is an example of how there are some lovely resources in our community for people who are looking for things to do.

I picked up a newsletter which said that their Frij Youth Club has just had a fantastic term, with an ice-skating trip, bonfire night at the farm, a Moonwalk Challenge Night, a 70s Christmas Disco and more. The club is open to 11 to 18 year-olds and costs 50p a night. It runs on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month. For more info telephone 07958 351775.

Joe, 20/12/09