Rake Up and Grow is a community garden service run by volunteers. They offer a reduced charge for people on pensions and benefits but will do gardening for anyone. The organisation works mainly with adults who have disabilities, as a means of education and work-training leading to employment opportunities. They also welcome volunteers from all walks of life who would like to support adults in horticulture or learn more about horticulture themselves. You can see a poster for Rake Up and Grow here: poster. To find out more, telephone 01225 396063.

Joe, 14/01/08

The new piglets at Bath City Farm are about three weeks old and are still quite small, although they have no problem in making themselves heard when they want their mum, Molly, to feed them.

The piglets spend quite a lot of time sleeping inside their shelter, but occassionally they trot out into the open area of their sty to have a look around. Taking a photo of them is not very easy as they don't stay still for long! These are Tamworth pigs - a rare breed descended from the wild boars of Europe.

Joe, 12/01/08

For several years, Rose Cottage at Twerton High Street has been open on Thursdays as a place to get a wholesome meal, a cup of tea and friendly conversation with some of the regulars. Starting on 16th January, the Rose Cottage team will also be opening the centre on Wednesdays at 10am, with meals served from 12 noon. The type of meal will be a roast dinner or something similar, with a dessert and a mug of tea for £5.

Members of St Michael's Church and Grace Community Church (which meets in Randall's at Twerton Park), spent a Saturday morning making colourful artwork to decorate the rooms in Rose Cottage where people eat and drink. Some of the children helped too, and a number of great paintings were produced.

All of the paintings were done using bright acrylic paints. You can see some other photos of the art morning here: Jackie  Tim  Angus  Rose Cottage.

Joe, 12/01/08

Southside Food Co-op are running a catering course for people who are looking for work. It will run on Monday mornings between 10am and 1pm, for 8 weeks from 21st January until 17th March. It will not run in the half-term break, so there will be no class on 18th February.

The course is based around a small project providing healthy lunch boxes for staff at Culverhay School. The first week is a general introduction and will include some basic cooking. In the second week you will receive food hygiene training and sit an exam to get the Food Hygiene Certificate.

The purpose of the course is to help unemployed people get the skills they need to find work. The Food Co-op can provide help with preparing a CV and applying for work, and offer general help in overcomings obstacles to finding employment. Telephone Cordelia on 01225 787912 (Mondays) or 01225 442814 (Wednesdays).

Joe, 15/01/08

Some time ago a workman discovered a circular stone structure approximately 12 feet in diameter, beneath the lawn of Pennard Court at Watery Lane. The shape and dimensions of the stonework suggest that the object was a medieval dovecote belonging to one of the two Twerton manors, that once stood at opposite ends of Twerton High Street.

Now Peter Little, a local history enthusiast, is trying to organise a survey of the site using machinery that will give a reading of what is below the lawn without the need for any digging. Solid objects such as the remains of old walls should show up as dark lines, allowing a better understanding of what was there.

Dovecotes were buildings designed to house pigeons or doves, which were an important source of meat and eggs in times past. Many dovecotes were circular and contained pigeonholes where the birds would nest. A dovecote at Twerton would probably have been seen as a status symbol belonging to a lord of the manor. For more information and photos of dovecotes see the article on Wikipedia here: Dovecote.

Joe, 11/01/08

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Some dates for January 2008

Here are some details of events due to take place in January. Please pass on this information to anyone else who might be interested.

January 11th: Street meeting to be held at Highland Road

As a result of problems that have been concerning residents in the Highland Road / Landseer Road area recently, there is to be a street meeting for residents to express their views to PC Brendan Keegan. This will be followed by a walk about, during which PC Keegan will highlight some important points that people should be aware of. The meeting will be held in the car park area of Highland Road, Twerton, on Friday 11th January from 5pm to 6pm.

January 16th: Disco at Culverhay School

Culverhay School is holding a disco for 12 to 16 year-olds on 16th January. Please contact the school for more details.

January 16th: Child-Safe seminar

Child-Safe is a registered international charity which aims to encourage children and young people to participate in travel, sport, community groups and specific school programmes. Child-Safe aims to provide practical advice and promote the safety, welfare and pastoral care of children and young people involved in such activities. The scheme is approved by the police and provides a seminar and resource pack to help organisations put child security measures in place. The next seminar in Bath and North East Somerset will be held at St Lukes Church Hall, Wellsway, near Bear Flat, on 16th January from 6.30pm to 8pm. For further information, telephone Tara Savage on 01225 842473.

January 21st: Catering course

An eight week catering course run by Southside Food Co-op and designed for those out of work begins on 21st January (see article further up this page).

January 23rd and 30th: Creative activities at The White Horse

Free craft sessions will be held in The White Horse Pub at Shophouse Road, Twerton, for anyone who fancies having a go at a bit of art and craft. You can decorate a box or picture frame and make a lavender felt bag. The craft activities will take place on Wednesday 23rd and 30th January, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Telephone Christina on 01225 396834, or Jacqui on 07977 239782 to find out more. The sessions are organised by the Community Learning Service which will also be running a computer skills course at the pub in February or March.

See this poster full-size here

January 28th: Twerton's first PACT meeting!

The first PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting for Twerton has been organised and will be held in St Michael's School, Newton Road, on Monday 28th January from 6pm until about 7.30pm. PACT meetings are attended by representatives from the police, the Council, local businesses and anyone else in the community who wants to go along, to discuss local issues to be sorted out. Turn up and have your say!

Joe, 09/01/08

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Southside news in brief, January 2008

The news items in this section summarise parts of two newsletters recently emailed by the elected Councillors for Twerton, Whiteway and Southdown. If you want to receive the full newsletters by email, contact Tim Ball for the Twerton newsletter, and Paul Crossley for the Whiteway and Southdown newsletter.

Postal scam

Royal Mail and the Trading Standards Office are alerting people to the following postal scam. A card is put through your door from a company called PDS, saying that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you should contact them on 0906 6611911. DO NOT call this number. If you ring them and begin to hear a recorded message, you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call. If you receive a card with these details, contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 2396655 or PhonepayPlus (the premium rate service regulator) at www.phonepayplus.org.uk.

Piglets

Some eagerly awaited new piglets have been born at Bath City Farm. Visit the Bath City Farm website here: www.bathcityfarm.org.uk.

Twerton

It is hoped that Twerton will have its first PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting organised by the middle of January. A PACT meeting is attended by representatives from the police, the Council, local businesses and anyone else in the community who wants to go along, to discuss local issues to be sorted out.

Whiteway and Southdown

The next Southdown PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting will be held at Southdown Methodist Centre, The Hollow, on Monday 4th February at 7pm.

Information from newsletter, 01/01/08

A free six-week course introducing people to the basics about computers, is to be held in the comfortable surroundings of The White Horse Pub at Shophouse Road, Twerton. Classes will also be held in the FOTEC adult learning centre at 80 Twerton High Street.

The course is organised by the Community Learning Service and will start in February or March 2008. Book your place now by calling Christina on 01225 396834, or Jacqui on 07977 239782. Please pass this information and these contact numbers on to anyone else who might be interested.

Joe, 16/01/08