The organisers of the BetterBath Forum are keen for people in Twerton to come along and have their say at the meetings. They have asked for the following message to be displayed:

Are you concerned about traffic and transport in Bath? How can we help people to get around freely without creating more congestion and pollution? What should be done about parking? What scope is there for pedestrianisation? If cars are restrained, won't business suffer? What steps should the Government and Council be taking?

The BetterBath Forum gives you a chance to have your say on important local issues. Everyone who lives and works in Bath is welcome to attend. The organisers hope to see people from Twerton at the next meeting.

Arrive 6pm for 6.30pm, at St Michaels Church, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ. Admission free with raffle and refreshments in aid of the local charity, Bath Community Transport. Finish around 8.30pm.

For more details visit www.betterbath.org.uk, or telephone 01225 427497.

Henry Brown, BetterBath Forum, 31/03/08

The photo opposite is of the Save Our Hillside 'scoreboard' at The Hollow, which shows the number of known objection letters to a planning application by Somer Housing. About 100 letters were filled in when the Save Our Hillside team set up a display at Twerton Market on Thursday, and more than 200 letters were completed when the same display was put up in the foyer of Sainsbury's this Saturday.

The deadline for objections to the planning application has been extended to the 3rd of April, so there is still time to get involved. Scroll down this page to find out more about Save Our Hillside and what you can do.

More photos: Twerton Market    Sainsbury's    ariel view    conjectural outline

Joe, 31/03/08

A display was set up at the White Horse yesterday, to inform the public of the implications of plans to build on a grassy hillside at Twerton. The planning application by Somer Housing proposes to build 24 houses and 6 flats on a plot of land at The Hollow situated next to Bath City Farm.

As well as eroding a green area that provides an attractive view for Bath, there are fears that the housing complex will result in flooding. Somer are not allowed to connect the site with the Wessex Water drainage system, so they will be relying on ditches to drain the area naturally. But protestors argue that the field is very boggy and that once the soil is covered over, water running off could fill up the ditches and overflow into properties further downhill. There are also safety issues concerning a new blind junction opening into Cotswold View which is to be used for access to the site.

The display attracted quite a lot of public interest throughout the day and many more protest letters were signed. Visitors suggested some additional arguments for not building on the land, which the campaigners will chase up. One of the more interesting of these, was that development of the land is forbidden because there are ancient species of grass growing there.

The deadline for putting in objections to the planning application is the 3rd of April. You can register your protest by signing the online petition here. However, a more effective method is to object in writing to Mark Reynolds, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP.

A template objection letter can be downloaded from Councillor Tim Ball's blog here.

Joe, 20/03/08

What a great craft session at 'the Whiter' today. The recently formed craft group was led by Liz Bennington, who gave a hands on introduction to Chinese brush painting. This art form uses an economy of brush strokes and often vibrant colours, to produce quite striking images of plants, animals and people. Take a look at the video of the craft group in action.

The Craft Group meets at the White Horse, Shophouse Road, every Wednesday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm (not during school holidays). The group is friendly and informal, and newcomers are very welcome. To find out more call Jacqui on 07977 239782, or Christina on 01225 396834.

Joe, 27/03/08

Two fans of Bath City FC, Andy Fuller and Nigel Branscombe, have launched a campaign to boost awareness of the football club. The enthusiasts are able to use their skills and resources employed in their advertising firm Design Bull, to produce a series of posters promoting the football matches. The posters are downloaded for free over the internet and put up by Bath City fans in places where people will see them. The intention is to raise support and revenue for the club.

Andy writes: "The club is in a fantastic position to reach the play-offs and win promotion to the Blue Square Premier league... In business it's all about perception and for Bath City FC, our campaign strategy is built on passion, pride and belief for the club."

You can download posters advertising Bath City games here: www.designbull.co.uk/poster.

Joe, 26/03/08

The organisers of the Save Our Hillside campaign have erected a new 'score board' at The Hollow. The board shows how many objections to an application to develop a greenfield site on the hillside have been officially received by the Council. The tally comes from a Council website which records the total number of objections to be processed so far.

There is a backlog of submitted objections in the pipeline and Council staff hope to have caught up by Friday. The campaigners' own records show that at least 232 objections have been made and they are hoping to raise that figure to 500.

Joe, 25/03/08

The piglets at Bath City Farm are now about 3 months old, having been born at Christmas. They've grown quite a bit and their mum, Molly, has been moved into a separate sty because the piglets were still trying to feed off her. If you've never been to the farm to see the piglets you can watch a short video clip of them by clicking on the picture below. There's no substitute for going to see all the animals in person though.

Bath City Farm has a club for under fives called Roots & Shoots, which gets the children doing outdoor activities like gardening and helping to feed the animals. In addition, the Community Playrangers run after school play sessions for children aged 5 to 13 at the farm. They do all sorts of exciting activities such as outdoor cookery, rope swings and mud sculptures.

Bath City Farm has it's own website at: www.bathcityfarm.org.uk.

Joe, 24/03/08

Bored with the daily routine? Why not try a new activity that is fun and doesn't cost anything to do? On 26th March, the Craft Group that meets at the White Horse on Wednesdays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, will be having a go at Chinese brush painting.

Past craft sessions, such as decorating boxes and making lavender felt bags, have been very enjoyable. The White Horse Craft Group is friendly and informal, and all newcomers will be made very welcome. To find out more call landlady Jacqui Clarke on 07977 239782, or Christina Chow from the Community Learning Service on 01225 396834. You can see a poster for this event here.

Joe, 18/03/08