Residents Association Report No. 92
Dear Friends and Neighbours,
Jubilee Picnic
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the common by the church, it was a very enjoyable afternoon and all the feedback seems very positive. For the hard working Frenchay Residents Association (FRA) team we are inspired by your enthusiasm for more community events, so we will definitely plan some more. If anyone wants to help the FRA team we have opportunities and projects galore, the same applies to the wonderful Frenchay Museum. Don’t be shy, come and join in with all of the fun that we have working together in Frenchay’s best interests.
We are very grateful to Frenchay Parish Church as our partner, the vicar Charles Sugden assures me that their intervention gave us the good weather, to fulfil that rash promise we repeatedly made in previous FCN articles. Fortune favours the brave? We are also pleased that for the Reverend Judith Lee we finally fulfilled her dream to have a ‘songs of praise’ on Frenchay Common. That sets us up nicely now for the Flower Show on 9th July.
So many thanks to the FRA team on the ground, Concord Wind Band, the Church Choir with Frenchay Foxes and The Provision youth jazz band. (seen here) Hopefully something for all.
We are also very grateful for your generosity with our bucket collection for the musicians, which raised a total of £300.50. So we will donate £100 each to Concord wind band and The Provision jazz band towards their expenses and young person’s’ development work.
£50 will go the Church Choir and Frenchay Foxes for their community work. The balance will be retained towards the event expenses, like the two portaloos, which were £148 total.
Many of you sampled the excellent samosas and refreshments which were organised by a family in Frenchay Park for the Bristol Gurmat Charity (1182218) raising £300.
They would like to thank Jeevan Sweets (pure vegetarian Indian restaurant & takeaway/sweet centre, 415-417 Stapleton Road) for donating the samosas, Costa Coffee in Filton and Henleaze for the hot drinks cups and Eggless Cake Shop (58 Filton Road, Horfield) for the cupcakes. Many thanks to them all for such wonderful support.
And finally thanks to all of you as the common and loos were spotless at the end, a fantastic show of respect to our wonderful green spaces and event organisers.
Village Wild Flower Projects
You will hopefully have enjoyed the lovely wild flower drifts by Becks Pool recently, the thorough preparative work done there last year has meant that this summer we have a truly natural display that includes some rare orchids. The same applies to the other sites around the village where marker signs show you what is set aside, which we will continue to develop and enhance.
As an experiment we have been able to leave the Tuckett common haha’s to see what comes through and to provide much needed habitat/protection for wildlife. These are now being lightly trimmed every six weeks and a project will start soon to remove excess invasive plant growth, which will be used as training for our DofE student team.
As a long term project there is still much work to do and in a future article we will do a feature on just what is involved to prepare and maintain our wild areas.
I think it will surprise you all just what it entails, but the results are well worth the effort!
Tuckett Field Proposals
In June’s copy we highlighted a proposal that has been received for regenerating the wild flower meadow, similar to that planned by the National Trust in the adjacent field.
The initiative being put before Winterbourne Parish Council (WPC) aims to replant the field with local wildflowers, add some replacement native trees and improve the area around theTuckett pond. The plan also aims to implement a conservation grazing regime.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey that FRA circulated which was most helpful in gauging public opinion on this opportunity to enhance, and improve, that well used space.
Please note that this is not at all connected to the search for a suitable location for some new allotment space, this is being considered by WPC as there are long waiting lists for current allotment space and more is required.
We understand that some funds from development S106 monies is available to Frenchay for such provision. Once the new voluntary village green space has been transferred officially to the Parish all possible locations can be considered and consulted upon with residents. This is something that WPC will ask FRA to assist with organising with a public meeting later in the year.
Help Needed Please
We have had a request for help from someone in the village who assists a local family.
She collects and delivers an online order from TESCO Eastgate for them, but needs back up when she is away. Timings and frequency are flexible.
Please e-mail FRA through adriancollins1958@gmail.com if you are able to help our Good Samaritan. Thank you.
Observation Corner
Each month we will pose a question where the answer might surprise you, or at least make you stop and think.
Q The new primary school is due to be finished and start to be occupied this September, part of that plan included additional nursery school provision, where the old Observation Ward buildings were a possible solution, before they were sold by SGC for private development.
FRA provided a detailed feasibility report in June 2020 upon how this provision could be made and to propose how the old school buildings could be used.
So in light of all of this effort by FRA have we had any progress or news of a viable solution to resolve this vital need to support our residents with pre-school children?
A At this stage we know that the sale proceeds for the old Observation Ward have now been set aside for nursery school provision, but no definitive plan has been announced.
It could be that our thoughts were not welcomed and a better plan will become clear to us all very soon? We sincerely hope so!
I look forward to seeing you at the Frenchay Flower Show on Saturday 9th July, thank you all for your engagement and continuing support.
Adrian Collins (Chair - FRA)