Quite often there has been bad press arising regarding the relationship between students and permanent residents in Oldfield Park. In order to help remedy this and improve the relationship between permanent residents and students in this area, the charity V Inspired, the Council, University of Bath and Bath Spa University’s Students’ Unions have created a project that aims to do just that.

The project, run by a core volunteer group of 4 students, seeks to match underutilised student household gardens with permanent residents who wish to grow their own food (responding to a local lack of allotments). The proposal is for a research project that will lead to a pilot scheme, designed and delivered by the volunteer group working in and with the community.

Currently being carried out is research into the market by distributing questionnaires, and semi structured interviews to determine the likely supply of gardens and also estimated demand for growing space in the community. The group are also attending local community meetings and collaborating with similar schemes that already exist such as the Bath Area Garden Share (part of Transition Bath) and Bath Organic Group, and taking inspiration from existing garden share schemes such as the one in Totnes, Devon.

The aim of this part of the project is to find out if it is feasible within the Oldfield Park area. If it is found to be feasible, by the middle of April it is hoped that two gardens will be being piloted with members of the local community using student gardens to plant their vegetables in, just in time for the recommended planting season!

If you feel your garden has a good space that someone could grow their veggies in please contact us!! If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information please email: op.growers@googlemail.com

The 782nd Mayor of Bath is searching for his Citizen of the Year. Councillor Colin Barrett wants to thank volunteers who help to enhance the quality of life in the City. All those who live, work or belong to a group based in Bath can be nominated. The Mayor said:

My theme is ‘A Lifetime of Change’ so I want to recognise those who change lives for the better by giving their time, energy and enthusiasm to fund raising for the many charities in Bath and all kinds of volunteers who deserve recognition, whether they run sports, music or drama clubs.

Last year’s Mayor’s Citizens were Conductor Grenville Jones, founder of the Golden Oldies singing sessions; Chris Kilminster organizer of the annual Bath Blitz memorial ceremony, Joan Bird, founder member of the Rosewell Court Residents’ Association; Jennifer Skellett for her support of charities and voluntary work at Partis College almshouses and Clarissa Notice for voluntary work particularly with Bath Mind.

If you know someone who deserves a pat on the back just complete the nomination form on the Charter Trustee website or available from The Mayor’s Office in The Guildhall, and send it back by Friday 26 February 2010. It does not matter if they have been entered before, as long as they have not actually won the award.

At a special ceremony the Mayor will present this year’s Citizens with a piece of Bath Aqua Glass and runners up will each receive a certificate.

Bath MP Don Foster has signed up to the Royal British Legion campaign, ‘Time To Do Your Bit’.

The campaign sets out the Legion’s priorities for the next Government to improve conditions for Service Personnel and their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependents. Don Foster commented,

I am delighted to support The Royal British Legion. They have an important role to play in highlighting the needs of the whole Armed Forces family. I have pledged to do my bit, and will continue to work with my colleagues in Parliament to ensure the welfare of our service men and women is a priority.

The Royal British Legion manifesto and further details of the campaign are available at www.timetodoyourbit.org.uk

King Bladud’s statue will be back on public view in Bath’s Parade Gardens at the end of the month thanks to work done by King Bladud’s Pigs project in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council.

The life size statue of King Bladud will be officially unveiled on Saturday 31 October by Chairman of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Councillor Bryan Chalker and Gitte Dawson from the King Bladud’s Pig project as part of Heritage Open Week. The statue of King Bladud will stand alongside a stone pig carved by Nigel Bryant and students from The City of Bath College.

The statue, sculpted by Pieroni in 1859, depicts King Bladud the supposed founder of the city of Bath. During the 19th century, the statue stood on the top of the fountain in Bath Street. In 1872, it was removed from Bath Street and has been in the grounds of various houses on Entry Hill and in the gardens of Springfield Nursing Home.

In 2007, the statue was placed in storage. Ever since then, the Council has been keen to get the statue back in its rightful place. This has now been possible thanks to support from Kind Bladud’s Pigs project who have cleaned the statue and helped with the installation.

To mark the unveiling of the statue, 30 of the brightly coloured King Bladud’s Pig sculptures from the 2008 project will also be on show in the Parade Gardens on the day.

Councillor Bryan Chalker, Chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council said:

“Bath and North East Somerset Council is delighted that the statue of King Bladud can once again be enjoyed by the public and would like to thank King Bladud’s Pigs project for their help with the move. We want to celebrate the history of the city and get a new generation interested in learning more about the world class arts and culture on our doorstep.”

Gitte Dawson, King Bladud’s Pigs project, said:

”Right from the beginning, the King Bladud’s Pigs project team were keen to restore this statue to public view, and so were the members of the public! Some people donated money towards this end, and we are very pleased that it has been possible to finance both the installation of the statue and the creation of the stone-carved King Bladud’s Pig from the proceeds of our poster, book and mini pig sales which carried on long after the pigs had all been sold.

“This is in addition to the £200,000 the project raised for the Two Tunnels project. A display about that project – on which work is due finally to start in January 2010 – will also be available on the day.”

Bath MP Don Foster is backing the Live Music Bill put forward by Lib Dem Peer Lord Clement-Jones. Don has also signed a petition on the number 10 website, calling on the government to change laws which came into place as part of the 2003 Licensing Act.

The Live Music Bill aims to revive live music by:

• Creating an exemption from licences for the performance of any live music in a pub or similar venue

• Reintroducing the rule allowing up to two performers to play live music anywhere without the need for a licence

• Enabling hospitals, schools and colleges to perform live music without the need for licences

Don said, “When the licensing laws were changed in 2003 we were promised an explosion of live music, but in reality many small scale events have been stifled by bureaucracy.

This Bill will not only make it easier for local musicians to get a gig, but it will help small venues who cannot cope with the cost of applying for a license.

It is time that common sense prevailed, and small venues, hospitals and schools were allowed to host live music without having to cope with an expensive, bureaucratic nightmare.

Cllrs Roger Symonds and Cherry Beath now believe that they have enough information to give an in-principle welcome to B&NES Council’s proposals.

Cllr Symonds said:

“There have been many questions from us and from the public about the proposals. Most have been satisfactorily answered. We recognise that there will still be many people suspicious of this change, but we can identify only advantages. Outwardly, we believe that the community will see little difference.”

Cllr Cherry Beath said:

“It is the Community’s desire to protect and safeguard the Firs over the long term, and we would not be recommending this to the Community if we did not believe there are tangible benefits over and above the current position. It is in the Council’s interest to make the new arrangements work better for the Field because they wish also to solve the problem of keeping Bath Rugby on the Rec.”

The Council has been working with the Volunteer Centre on a Community Award to recognise the contribution volunteers make within Bath and North East Somerset. The Chairman of the Council announced the Awards during the National Volunteering Week in June and now we are inviting nominations.

There are six categories, with a particular theme linked to the Chairman’s theme for his year in office: “Grow Your Own Food and Know Your Local Heritage”, although nominations are encouraged from all different areas of work. The categories are as follows:

1. Volunteer of the Year
2. Volunteer Leader of the Year
3. Student Volunteer of the Year (Over 18)
4. Young Volunteer of the Year (Under 18)
5. Volunteer Team of the Year
6. Environmental Volunteer of the Year

Everyone nominated for an Award will be presented with a Certificate as a recognition of their contribution to community work. The winners of each category will receive a Certificate and Award presented by the Chairman of the Council at an Awards Ceremony in December 2009. Nomination forms must be returned by no later than 12 noon on Friday 30th October 2009.

Cllr McGall has full details of the Awards (Five pages of A4), so if you would like more details on how to nominate someone locally, please contact shaun on: shaun_mcgall@bathnes.gov.uk

A reception was held this week to acknowledge the contribution to city life made by the Bath Half Marathon.

The event was hosted by the Mayor of Bath, Cllr Tim Ball, who after starting this year’s race went on to run it with his wife Sharon. Tim and Sharon together with me have so far raised more than £6,000 for the Mayor of Bath’s Relief Fund, which helps local people facing hardship. I managed to run the race in 2hrs 18mins 33sec.

The money will be part of a total of around £1.2 million expected to be raised by this year’s 11,000 runners for charity.

Cllr Ball said:

To start the race and then run the half marathon was one of the highlights of my year – even though it nearly killed me and the mayoress.

The Bath Half Marathon brings the community together, promotes fitness and raises money for charity. It is a healthy event in every sense of the word.

Race director Andrew Taylor, from Running High Events, thanked Cllr Ball for hosting the reception, which was attended by representatives of organisations who ensure the race can go ahead – including FirstBus, Girlguiding UK, Bath and North East Somerset Council – as well as the main race charity, the Forever Friends Appeal.

He said of the civic duo:

They are an inspiration to everyone who doesn’t come from a running background, and a wonderful example of how this event has grown from simply an elite race for club athletes into a community event raising fitness across the whole city.

The date for next year’s race has been provisionally set for Sunday, March 21 and entries will go live on the website www.bathhalf.co.uk in July.

Cllr Shaun McGall completed his first half marathon today.  I ran the race to raise cash for the Mayor of Bath’s Relief Fund (i managed to raise £350).  I was very pleased to complete the race in  2 hrs 18 mins 33.35 sec.  Many thanks to all those friends, family, colleagues and local residents who sponsored me.

On a related issue did any local residents from Oldfield Road or Junction Road have any problems on the day with the transport arrangements and the parking restrictions?  Please let Will or I know your comments about the either the parking restrictions or the general arrangements for the Bath Half Marathon.

The Genesis Trust is a charity which has worked with disadvantaged people in Bath since 1990, providing soup runs and a lunch kitchen, training, life skills and reintegration into employment.

The Trust has been renting the Old Labour Exchange in the city centre from the Council, and has found it an ideal location from which to run its workshop projects and furniture shop, together with the training projects and as an administrative base.

However the Council has confirmed it has plans to put the building on the market in April. As far back as October 2007, The Somer Housing Group, in partnership with The Genesis Trust, had put forward an innovative proposal to develop the premises into affordable housing, together with a ground floor base to accommodate The Genesis Trust. The Council has never formally responded to the proposal, and only revealed their plans last week in answer to a question Cllr Beath tabled.

We believe the valuable work, training and care of disadvantaged people in the community undertaken by the Genesis Trust, goes a long way towards fulfilling some of the Council’s major priorities and objectives. We should give them every support.

The proposal from the Somer Housing Group to purchase and sensitively restore this much loved building is surely one which would gain community support. The provision of low cost / supported housing in the city centre, together with a permanent base for the work of Genesis, is much needed.

The Genesis Trust does a great job in the city, and their proposal with Somer Housing would be an excellent use of this historic building. we are sure local businesses and residents do not want to see more bar and bistro-type development here, and would welcome a more permanent home for The Genesis Trust. We should be supporting initiatives like theirs.

City MP Don Foster also gave his support to the Genesis Trust proposal after visiting the premises with Councillor Beath (Lib Dem, Combe Down) on the morning on the 11th February to hearing all about the work of the Trust.