First Steps

First Steps has released a timetable of its activities for pre-school children during the summer holiday. Here is the programme for South West Bath:

Tuesday - from 10am to 12 noon, Holiday Play at First Steps Annexe, Dominion Road, Twerton.
(On 4th August, Holiday Play turns into an Avon Valley Trip if booked in advance.)

Wednesday - from 11am to 3pm, Holiday Play at Bath City Farm, Kelston View. And from 1pm to 3pm, Young Parents Group at First Steps Annexe, Dominion Road, Twerton.

To see a flyer with all the times and contact details click here.

Bath Area Play Project

A holiday playscheme will be held at The Hut, Newton Road, Twerton, from 3rd to 21st August and from 10am to 3pm. It is open to children aged 5 to 12 years, including disabled children. You have to book in advance by completing a registration form and a booking form. Both forms must be completed, signed and returned to the BAPP office at Odd Down Community Centre, Odins Road, Odd Down, Bath.

Another holiday playscheme is held at Southside Youth Centre, Kelston View, and is open-access, meaning that children are free to come and go. Children attending are asked to get a mini consent form signed and returned to the Playleader.

For more information and to download the forms online, click here.

Also, the Community Play Rangers organise activities for children aged 5 to 12 years every week. Children can come and go as they please. Times are:

Monday from 3.30pm to 6pm - at the Brickfields, Lymore Avenue.
Wednesday from 3.30pm to 6pm - at Bath City Farm, Kelston View.

Joe, 26/07/09

There will be two Bath City Footballs Schools held in South West Bath this summer holiday. The first will run from 4th to 6th August, and the second from 25th to 27th August. These football schools are for all ages. A chance to play at Twerton Park and get some training from FA qualified coaches, with certificates, medals and prizes given out.

In both cases the football schools will be held at Culverhay School on the Tuesday and Wednesday, and at Twerton Park on the Thursday.

A full day is from 9.30am to 3pm, and a half day is from 9.30am to 1pm. Prices are: £15 per day or £40 for all three days; £10 per half day or £25 for all three half days.

You will need to suitable clothing e.g. boots or trainers and shin pads, and a packed lunch with a drink. Telephone Paul Gillings on 01225 423087 or 07813 026285.

Joe, 25/07/09

On the 29th August (Bank Holiday Saturday) the White Horse Pub at Shophouse Road, Twerton, will be hosting some extreme activities for people to try. Have a go at firewalking, bar bending and arrow breaking (on your neck).

The event will begin at around 2pm and there will be food available, with live music in the evening. The activities will be used to raise money for the Dorothy House Hospice in Winsley. Sponsorship forms are available over the bar.

Joe, 25/07/09

Younger residents of Whiteway engaged in a two hour football session at Rosewarn Park on Sunday, with goals and nets specially brought in for the occassion. Unfortunately other activities that were planned, such as a car boot sale, had to be postponed due to the showery weather and a lock that wouldn't open on the gate leading into the park.

After the match, some of the players talked about different sports that they could do locally as a group. In August there will be a workshop in the park enabling residents to develop their ideas on how the six acres of land can be improved as a space for everyone to enjoy. One of the aims is to dispel myths about the park and remind people that it is a really great resource lying right on their doorstep.

Joe, 22/07/09

We get no shortage of community events organised here in South West Bath, and I think it's a good sign, suggesting that a lot of people want to help build up our communities. Go along and support them! Yesterday we had a fete at Southdown and a fun day in Twerton.

The fete was held in the grounds and hall of St Barnabas Church opposite Roundhill, with lots of stalls, tea and cakes, games, a raffle and a bouncy castle. There was quite a variety of stuff on sale, including videos, spirits, cakes and jewellery.

The left-hand photo is of a couple with their grandchildren running the Fishing for Ducks game. The right-hand photo shows from left to right, Joyce, June and Ruth managing the tea and cakes in the church hall. Joyce is the caretaker and June is a regular attender of the church.

Meanwhile, down in Twerton, a Fun Day was taking place at First Steps Children's Centre, Woodhouse Road. St Michael's Junior School kindly allowed First Steps to use its grounds to bring in a big inflatable slide which the children loved.

First Steps will be sending out a press release with more details on how the day went. I'll add it to this page as a separate entry when it gets emailed across. Above is a photo of local DJs Andy and Mike from Inverness Road who came along to give the event some sounds!

Joe, 18/07/09

Yesterday evening's Southdown PACT meeting followed a new pattern. Tables and chairs were arranged so that residents could discuss community priorities in small groups. The purpose behind this was to aid people who are less confident in voicing their opinion.

Each group wrote on a sheet of paper things they liked about Southdown and Whiteway. On another sheet they wrote things they didn't like, and the same again for ideas on how problems might be tackled. Then all the comments were read out from each group in turn.

What people liked

Things that people liked were: good local shops; good views; the bus service into town and the RUH bus; Roundhill; people's homes; the children's nursery; St Joseph's Snooker Club; good access to schools; local surgeries; Bath City Farm; the Southside Youth Centre; good churches that provide a range of support services; green spaces; closeness to both the town and the countryside; friendly local culture with a mix of different people; the police.

The new snooker club at St Joseph's Church

What people didn't like

Things that people didn't like were: increased air flights overhead; lack of a post office counter; poor sense of community over things like litter; bonfires; PACT meetings being held too early for families; overgrown hedges; children vandalising cars; people (including refuse collectors) throwing rubbish into gardens; public toilets closed; better relations with the police needed; dog noise and dog litter at Roundhill Park; heavy traffic and lorries along the Whiteway Road; parking on grass verges; overgrown hedges; long grass at Roundhill encouraging dog fouling; still no light in the back alley at Wedmore Park; slow police response times - although it was recognised that some incidents must take priority over others.

Priorities

Ideas for improvement that the groups gave were condensed into 10 possible priorities: litter bins; dog litter; turn the green triangle near the Beehive Surgery into parking bays; community newsletter; parking issues to be dealt with by the police; traffic on the Whiteway Road; speeding in Southdown; new style speed cameras; bus shelters at Avondown House and Haycombe Drive; Culverhay lollipop lady or man.

We then voted for which three priorities ought to be actioned. These turned out to be: 1) Litter bins; 2) Dog litter; 3) Speeding in Southdown.

Updates on last meeting

Updates were given on what had been done in response to priorities raised at the April PACT. A sports initiative at Culverhay Sports Centre will provide young people with low cost activities, starting with outdoor evening football and a family swim on Sunday mornings. A discounted membership system is also under investigation.

Councillors Dine Romero and Paul Crossley have liased with the Highway Engineer and requested a pedestrian crossing by the Tesco store at Englishcombe Lane. The possibility of crossings at Haycombe Cemetery and the LF Jones store at Southdown road were also discussed.

More than 40 cars that appeared to be speeding in Southdown Road have been stopped by PC Mark Brain. The police plan to set up regular speed checks in Southdown Road to enhance the existing patrol work. A Community Speedwatch project is still being considered.

A calendar of activities for all ages at Southdown is being compiled. Community events and other activities are reported on this website and the Southdown Bath website, as well as in Councillors Paul Crossley and Dine Romero's newsletter which you can receive by email.

Joe, 15/07/09

Big Lunch

Community picnics will be held in Twerton, Whiteway and Southdown as part of the Big Lunch project that is happening across the country. Bring some food and drink and meet your neighbours.

The picnic at Twerton is scheduled for Saturday 18th July from 12 noon to 2pm, at First Steps Nursery, Woodhouse Road. The ones at Roundhill (Southdown) and Rosewarn Park (Whiteway) will be held on Sunday 19th July. Meet at 1pm for the picnic at Roundhill. I don't have a time for the Whiteway picnic but I think it roughly coincides with the one at Roundhill.

Carrs Woodland

Several events in connection with the Carrs Woodland Nature Reserve have been organised for this month. On Saturday 25th July from 10am to 1pm, there will be a litter pick in the wood. Come along and help make the woodland an even better place. Meet by Woodview Terrace at the top of Redland Park.

On Tuesday 28th July from 7pm to 8.30pm, the Carrs Woodland Forum will be holding their meeting at The Hut, Newton Road. New members are always welcome. Then on Wednesday 29th July from 7pm, there will be a guided walk through the wood. Meet at the gate into the cow field at the top of Redland Park.

New book

Akeman Press has just published The Year of the Pageant, by Kirsten Elliott and Andrew Swift, with a chapter on Twerton in 1909 and several old photos. The publisher has kindly sent me a selection of photos that appear in the book, which you can see here. The book is available now at Oldfield Park Bookshop and the authors will be signing copies there on Tuesday 21st July between 10am and 11am.

Joe, 09/07/09