Frenchay Residents Association Reports 2022
This website is no longer updated. For recent Frenchay Residents Association Reports see: frenchay.news
FRA Contacts:
Adrian Collins, Chair, email: [email protected]
Ronnie Barber, President, email: [email protected]
Adrian Collins, Chair, email: [email protected]
Ronnie Barber, President, email: [email protected]
Report No. 88 March 2022
Report No. 87 February 2022
Dear Friends and Neighbours,
Those spring bulbs are starting to appear to brighten up our days and even the days are beginning to get a bit longer as daylight lasts beyond 3pm! So many reasons to be cheerful and the thought of spring and summer events is starting to exercise our minds.
One of the biggest occasions this year promises to be the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration weekend from the 2nd to the 5th of June, FRA are working very closely with all Frenchay stakeholder groups to organise a memorable weekend of activities and fun for all ages. If you have suggestions or would like to help FRA please make contact.
Part of those celebrations include the Queen’s Canopy project, designed to support the planting of new trees, in an attempt to arrest our climate emergency and raise awareness of how we can protect and enhance our environment for future generations to enjoy.
FRA are already engaged on such schemes, including ideas about where new community tree planting can be considered around the Voluntary Village Green spaces.
The new walk to school, where the wall has just been knocked through, provides the ideal space either side of the new path to establish an avenue incorporating a community orchard. This would engage all of the children, and parents, using the walk as the trees grow and bear fruit. So watch this space for further developments.
If you would like to see an example of how such a community orchard can be established to complement an existing open space, we urge you to walk into this end of Begbrook Park just over the border into Bristol. To the right hand side as you walk through the park, with the football pitch on your left, you will see where over 20 trees have been planted recently.
Many congratulations to Bristol CC for using actions, rather than words, to convey their commitment to tackling the Climate Emergency seriously.
Nature Reserve Pond Restoration
So with the fantastic support and assistance from BAM we now have the old ‘pond’ completely dug out ready to line this with ‘puddle’ clay when the time is right. All of the existing pond plants are safely stored in a water filled trough, behind the old pond, so that they can be replanted as marginal vegetation before the spring.
The volunteers who have done all of this preparation have had a thoroughly enjoyable time and there will be many more opportunities to get your hands dirty with FRA, we promise.
Play Area Tree Damage
You might recall that FRA promised to replace the memorial tree by the play area with a flowering cherry tree, identical to the species planted by the old hospital buildings that were demolished for the new houses. This was completed in January and the family who lost their daughter Zoe have been kept informed. The tree has been sourced with the help of SGC’s tree expert Neil Gazzard and used the SGC new tree planting discount scheme.
FRA have spent £160 on this new tree and we are aware that some residents expressed an interest in contributing towards this. Contact us if that is still the case please.
Carols on the Common
This event seems to have gone down very well, when we wrote January’s FCN piece some ‘future assumptions’ had to be made as we prepare our articles three weeks before publication. In fact on the FRA Committee, my ‘mystic Meg’ skills are often admired as we compile our FCN features well in advance!
So we think from a quick head count that over 300 residents joined us including many families with young children which was great to see. The cold clear night and wonderful illuminated church as a backdrop made it the perfect setting and thanks in particular to Tony Joiner on our committee who came armed with generators, miles of extension cable and suitable lighting for the band and audience.
Based upon current news events it was just what everyone needed as we approached Christmas with ever more uncertainty.
We also need to thank everyone who attended for their incredible generosity, as we raised over £300 in our bucket collection at the end.
£100 of this will go as a fee to the band who, in turn, use their performance fee money to help train youngsters to play and perform with wind instruments.
After consultation with Charles Sugden and Kate Davison from the Church, we have donated £100 to one of the UK Government’s supported food aid charities for children and families in Afghanistan. The particular importance of this charity is that the UK Government ‘match’ any contributions, so our £100 will double up to £200, equivalent to 100% gift aid!
The £100 balance we will keep in our funds for future projects. Thank you all so much.
Frenchay Parklands - proposed Friends Group
At the time of writing, we are still waiting for the next meeting with North Bristol (Health) Trust which will hopefully confirm that outstanding legal work is progressing towards the planned hand-over of the Voluntary Village Green lands to Winterbourne Parish Council at the end of March. If this date can be achieved, then we are planning to hold a series of 'drop-in' events in the run-up to the early Spring Bank Holiday weekend at the end of April /beginning of May.
Just in case Covid is still of concern, some fine spring weather and lighter evenings would make it possible to use outdoor locations such as near the Village Hall, on the Common to connect with school run and by the Museum & Play Area over the weekend. Hugh Whatley's contact details are 0777 552 2689 or [email protected].
Please come to us with any ideas or skills you have to offer, FRA can hopefully make it happen as we will not let up in our determination to enhance our wonderful environment and maintain our great community spirit.
Thank you for your engagement and support.
Adrian Collins
Chair, FRA
Those spring bulbs are starting to appear to brighten up our days and even the days are beginning to get a bit longer as daylight lasts beyond 3pm! So many reasons to be cheerful and the thought of spring and summer events is starting to exercise our minds.
One of the biggest occasions this year promises to be the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration weekend from the 2nd to the 5th of June, FRA are working very closely with all Frenchay stakeholder groups to organise a memorable weekend of activities and fun for all ages. If you have suggestions or would like to help FRA please make contact.
Part of those celebrations include the Queen’s Canopy project, designed to support the planting of new trees, in an attempt to arrest our climate emergency and raise awareness of how we can protect and enhance our environment for future generations to enjoy.
FRA are already engaged on such schemes, including ideas about where new community tree planting can be considered around the Voluntary Village Green spaces.
The new walk to school, where the wall has just been knocked through, provides the ideal space either side of the new path to establish an avenue incorporating a community orchard. This would engage all of the children, and parents, using the walk as the trees grow and bear fruit. So watch this space for further developments.
If you would like to see an example of how such a community orchard can be established to complement an existing open space, we urge you to walk into this end of Begbrook Park just over the border into Bristol. To the right hand side as you walk through the park, with the football pitch on your left, you will see where over 20 trees have been planted recently.
Many congratulations to Bristol CC for using actions, rather than words, to convey their commitment to tackling the Climate Emergency seriously.
Nature Reserve Pond Restoration
So with the fantastic support and assistance from BAM we now have the old ‘pond’ completely dug out ready to line this with ‘puddle’ clay when the time is right. All of the existing pond plants are safely stored in a water filled trough, behind the old pond, so that they can be replanted as marginal vegetation before the spring.
The volunteers who have done all of this preparation have had a thoroughly enjoyable time and there will be many more opportunities to get your hands dirty with FRA, we promise.
Play Area Tree Damage
You might recall that FRA promised to replace the memorial tree by the play area with a flowering cherry tree, identical to the species planted by the old hospital buildings that were demolished for the new houses. This was completed in January and the family who lost their daughter Zoe have been kept informed. The tree has been sourced with the help of SGC’s tree expert Neil Gazzard and used the SGC new tree planting discount scheme.
FRA have spent £160 on this new tree and we are aware that some residents expressed an interest in contributing towards this. Contact us if that is still the case please.
Carols on the Common
This event seems to have gone down very well, when we wrote January’s FCN piece some ‘future assumptions’ had to be made as we prepare our articles three weeks before publication. In fact on the FRA Committee, my ‘mystic Meg’ skills are often admired as we compile our FCN features well in advance!
So we think from a quick head count that over 300 residents joined us including many families with young children which was great to see. The cold clear night and wonderful illuminated church as a backdrop made it the perfect setting and thanks in particular to Tony Joiner on our committee who came armed with generators, miles of extension cable and suitable lighting for the band and audience.
Based upon current news events it was just what everyone needed as we approached Christmas with ever more uncertainty.
We also need to thank everyone who attended for their incredible generosity, as we raised over £300 in our bucket collection at the end.
£100 of this will go as a fee to the band who, in turn, use their performance fee money to help train youngsters to play and perform with wind instruments.
After consultation with Charles Sugden and Kate Davison from the Church, we have donated £100 to one of the UK Government’s supported food aid charities for children and families in Afghanistan. The particular importance of this charity is that the UK Government ‘match’ any contributions, so our £100 will double up to £200, equivalent to 100% gift aid!
The £100 balance we will keep in our funds for future projects. Thank you all so much.
Frenchay Parklands - proposed Friends Group
At the time of writing, we are still waiting for the next meeting with North Bristol (Health) Trust which will hopefully confirm that outstanding legal work is progressing towards the planned hand-over of the Voluntary Village Green lands to Winterbourne Parish Council at the end of March. If this date can be achieved, then we are planning to hold a series of 'drop-in' events in the run-up to the early Spring Bank Holiday weekend at the end of April /beginning of May.
Just in case Covid is still of concern, some fine spring weather and lighter evenings would make it possible to use outdoor locations such as near the Village Hall, on the Common to connect with school run and by the Museum & Play Area over the weekend. Hugh Whatley's contact details are 0777 552 2689 or [email protected].
Please come to us with any ideas or skills you have to offer, FRA can hopefully make it happen as we will not let up in our determination to enhance our wonderful environment and maintain our great community spirit.
Thank you for your engagement and support.
Adrian Collins
Chair, FRA
Report No. 86 January 2022
Dear Friends and Neighbours,
Happy New Year to you all, we hope that everyone had an enjoyable Christmas with their families and friends.
2022 will see FRA continue to tirelessly push and campaign for many things in Frenchay that have been promised or that are needed as essential parts of our Infrastructure to support a population that will have doubled over the last three years;
Removal and replacements of the Frenchay Common ‘build outs’, Nursery School provision for the new school, healthcare facilities, shop and café, our Museum expansion and restoring the Hambrook Junction to its previous function are among the many matters top of our list.
The list is probably endless, but the lack of resources and impact upon SGC resources due to Covid, make it even more difficult to bring these tasks to a satisfactory conclusion.
However we all pay our Council Tax for a reason, so we should see some of our expectations delivered. Any private business has to provide good value, the same applies to South Glos Council.
Festive Windows
Thank you in particular to Rebecca Lemin on the FRA committee who conceived, and implemented, the festive window trail. This being the first attempt, we hope that this event will become a permanent festive fixture to inspire many others to be creative and bring joy to our village.
In addition to the very enjoyable Festive Windows, there seemed to be a much earlier display of Christmas lights, and decorations, on many more homes than usual. A very good way of cheering everyone up in the lead up to Christmas. Thank you to everyone for some wonderful displays and the joy that it has provided.
New Primary School Site Visit
Thank you to Jason and his construction team for providing the very informative guided tours around the new school on 16th December as the new structure starts to take shape. The speed at which this project is coming together is testament to BAM and their professionalism, we don’t think that any other contractor could have done the job in time, very impressive indeed. In addition to working flat out to get the new school ready for September, Jason and his team have still found time to engage the community and work with FRA on many joint ventures.
It’s an absolute pleasure to have BAM being so supportive to our community.
Biodiversity projects
So to continue the plaudits for BAM, we are well underway in restoring the nature reserve pond with their resources and financial support helping us enormously. Thus, one very wet and muddy Sunday morning in December saw the removal of the pond plants to a watertight storage area to make the pond ready to be dug out again and ‘puddle clay’ lined.
We had a fantastic team of volunteers, including children and DofE students and, just like before with the Becks Pool scheme, we all had great fun getting wet and muddy together.
In addition to the FRA woodland camping stove team providing hot drinks, volunteers came armed with homemade cake and other sugar laden treats, to keep our energy levels high. Thank you also to NBHT and SGC for helping us with permissions to start work during the cold and dormant season, next spring we can now unveil a spectacular new pond.
As reported before, we have now planted over 5,000 crocus and woodland bulbs, with many families spending an enjoyable hour or two planting them and learning why we are doing this.
It’s great to have everyone working together on these projects in Frenchay’s best interests and we will provide much more in 2022 to keep everyone entertained.
FRA is also working very closely with the Preservation Society in the preparatory work of setting up a 'Friends Group' to support the long-term management of "Frenchay Parklands". This was explained in detail by Hugh Whatley in last month's
Community News and a number of volunteers have expressed an interest as a result of getting involved with our Sunday morning planting & nature pond work, which is a great start. More details to follow next month, as we prepare for a public meeting in the spring and demonstrate 'ownership' of those 20+ acres!
Please come to us with any ideas or skills you have to offer, FRA can hopefully make it happen as we will not let up in our determination to enhance our wonderful environment and maintain our great community spirit.
FRA look forward to the New Year working with and supporting the Village in any way that we can, plus hopefully some of our traditional summer events can return and get Frenchay buzzing again.
Adrian Collins
Chair, FRA
Happy New Year to you all, we hope that everyone had an enjoyable Christmas with their families and friends.
2022 will see FRA continue to tirelessly push and campaign for many things in Frenchay that have been promised or that are needed as essential parts of our Infrastructure to support a population that will have doubled over the last three years;
Removal and replacements of the Frenchay Common ‘build outs’, Nursery School provision for the new school, healthcare facilities, shop and café, our Museum expansion and restoring the Hambrook Junction to its previous function are among the many matters top of our list.
The list is probably endless, but the lack of resources and impact upon SGC resources due to Covid, make it even more difficult to bring these tasks to a satisfactory conclusion.
However we all pay our Council Tax for a reason, so we should see some of our expectations delivered. Any private business has to provide good value, the same applies to South Glos Council.
Festive Windows
Thank you in particular to Rebecca Lemin on the FRA committee who conceived, and implemented, the festive window trail. This being the first attempt, we hope that this event will become a permanent festive fixture to inspire many others to be creative and bring joy to our village.
In addition to the very enjoyable Festive Windows, there seemed to be a much earlier display of Christmas lights, and decorations, on many more homes than usual. A very good way of cheering everyone up in the lead up to Christmas. Thank you to everyone for some wonderful displays and the joy that it has provided.
New Primary School Site Visit
Thank you to Jason and his construction team for providing the very informative guided tours around the new school on 16th December as the new structure starts to take shape. The speed at which this project is coming together is testament to BAM and their professionalism, we don’t think that any other contractor could have done the job in time, very impressive indeed. In addition to working flat out to get the new school ready for September, Jason and his team have still found time to engage the community and work with FRA on many joint ventures.
It’s an absolute pleasure to have BAM being so supportive to our community.
Biodiversity projects
So to continue the plaudits for BAM, we are well underway in restoring the nature reserve pond with their resources and financial support helping us enormously. Thus, one very wet and muddy Sunday morning in December saw the removal of the pond plants to a watertight storage area to make the pond ready to be dug out again and ‘puddle clay’ lined.
We had a fantastic team of volunteers, including children and DofE students and, just like before with the Becks Pool scheme, we all had great fun getting wet and muddy together.
In addition to the FRA woodland camping stove team providing hot drinks, volunteers came armed with homemade cake and other sugar laden treats, to keep our energy levels high. Thank you also to NBHT and SGC for helping us with permissions to start work during the cold and dormant season, next spring we can now unveil a spectacular new pond.
As reported before, we have now planted over 5,000 crocus and woodland bulbs, with many families spending an enjoyable hour or two planting them and learning why we are doing this.
It’s great to have everyone working together on these projects in Frenchay’s best interests and we will provide much more in 2022 to keep everyone entertained.
FRA is also working very closely with the Preservation Society in the preparatory work of setting up a 'Friends Group' to support the long-term management of "Frenchay Parklands". This was explained in detail by Hugh Whatley in last month's
Community News and a number of volunteers have expressed an interest as a result of getting involved with our Sunday morning planting & nature pond work, which is a great start. More details to follow next month, as we prepare for a public meeting in the spring and demonstrate 'ownership' of those 20+ acres!
Please come to us with any ideas or skills you have to offer, FRA can hopefully make it happen as we will not let up in our determination to enhance our wonderful environment and maintain our great community spirit.
FRA look forward to the New Year working with and supporting the Village in any way that we can, plus hopefully some of our traditional summer events can return and get Frenchay buzzing again.
Adrian Collins
Chair, FRA