Residents Association Report No. 89

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

We hope that the spring colours have helped many of you as you go about your daily lives, coming out of lockdown has been a relief as we reflect upon two very strange years.

Thank you to everyone who has given kindness and support to others during this time, our community has been truly wonderful and hopefully this spring and summer we can enjoy being together again. Recent developments in the world show the importance of enjoying our freedom and environment, whilst putting some of our problems into perspective.

One thing that we started before lockdown were the Frenchay Residents Association (FRA) community lunches at a local venue for residents to get together once a month, this proved popular and was growing nicely in numbers until Covid restrictions came in. So if you were part of that, or would like to do that now, FRA are happy to facilitate this with a target of starting early May when sitting outside should be comfortable. Please e-mail adriancollins1958@gmail.com

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

Our May edition article in FCN will give detailed guidance and a summary of what will be arranged for you to participate in on Saturday 4th June, on the common opposite Frenchay Parish Church from lunchtime onwards. All parties involved are currently putting their plans together, this will include live music and entertainment as we enjoy picnics on the common together. Such planning, we are reliably informed, includes dry and warm weather!

Becks Pool Update

It was great to see the pond team getting back into action in March, including some youngsters as part of their DofE commitments. Progress is being made on the power supply for a new aeration system and stone plinth information station, so watch this space for further exciting news.

Lots of the marginal and bank planting schemes done several years ago are becoming nicely established and providing an ever improving ‘wild’ habitat for many species now.

This has become a tranquil haven for many who visit it and observe nature at its best.

Biodiversity Projects

We mentioned in March’s article, that our local Councillor Liz Brennan, was facilitating a ‘matched funding’ application for FRA to cover half the costs for a considerable amount of our biodiversity work. This includes all of the bulbs and wild flower seed mixes, plus important scarifying equipment, as we embark upon biodiversity projects for 2022.

FRA will receive £1,560 from this support, so many thanks to Liz for her support of FRA.

Another key project has been the very kind donation by NHS/NHBT of 23 fruit trees to help establish a new ‘Community Orchard’ along the new pathway route to school, from the hole in the wall on Beckspool Road to the nature reserve. In late February a team of FRA and DofE volunteers planted the trees in almost monsoon conditions, very timely and perfect for mulching the next day. We still have guards to put around the trees, which are on order by NHS, but this is coming together nicely now and hopefully will be part of the Parish parklands very soon. FRA and some of the nearby allotment holders will be acting as guardians for maintaining and nurturing these trees. Once the new school is complete the whole community orchard will support educational needs and projects, followed hopefully by some delicious edible produce to share in years to come.

It is also good to see that the Voluntary Village Green links past Frenchay Park House and the grass avenue by the old observation ward bungalows down to the nature reserve and allotments are now nearing completion. This is part of the eventual handover to the Parish, which is making slow but steady progress as all of the making good of that area is finalised. It is nearly ten years now since this land was saved as a Voluntary Village Green as part of the previous RUG campaign. To have that all completed will signal a great achievement, giving us chance to recognise those who worked so hard in Frenchay’s Best Interests.

Getting Current Promises Fulfilled

In our 2022 FCN articles to date we have highlighted the local issues that we continually fight for in Frenchay asking you, as residents, to make representation to our District Councillors on these issues to add weight to our campaigns.

One very important matter in this respect has been the application to extend and modernise Frenchay Museum, which is featured separately in Hugh Whatley’s article in this month’s magazine.

FRA and Frenchay Museum Committee are very grateful for the outstanding public support following FRA’s urgent e-mail appeal two days before the SGC planning management committee meeting.

Councillor Ben Burton had 38 e-mail messages from residents to reinforce his support for the extension, in addition to those who put supportive responses on the SGC planning portal. So the museum can now move forward and ‘modernise’ their facilities, immense gratitude is due to Hugh Whatley and the Museum Committee for persisting with the planning ‘crystal maze’ and to SGC Councillor Ben Burton who supported this all the way.

So, removal and suitable replacements for the Frenchay Common traffic ‘build outs’, adequate Nursery School provision for the new primary school opening September this year and health plus social care facilities next to BIRU are among the promises still left to fulfil.

If any of you receive Downend Voice, please refer to the very good letter published from Barbara Harris on page 42 of the March issue about the promised community hospital facilities, which first were pledged back in 2005. Let us hope that SGC can have a proper plan for us to consider very soon. Like many things in Frenchay that involve infrastructure and facilities (for a village that will have doubled in size over the last four years), it seems that these needs are being ignored or never considered a priority.

Thank you for your engagement and continuing support.

Adrian Collins (Chair - FRA)