Christmas Starts Here! Brailsfords light up Brentry

Fireworks go up, as the lights come on

 It's become more traditional than opening your advent calendar; Every year Lee and Paul, the now notorious Brailsford Brothers, light up Christmas for Brentry and Beyond.

Two years ago, they starred in a Channel 4 documentary on Britain's greatest Christmas Lights, and you can read about them this year in our very own Bristol Post.

every year, the Brailsford Bro's add more and more lights!

Very proud. My first Christmas Present. I'm going to wear it in the House of Commons. Shhh...

 I always tell the story of how I  came across Lee in his garage, fiddling around with wires and large snowmen one boiling hot September afternoon, some years ago now, already preparing for Christmas. 

Now the Brailsford Brothers hope to smash the £20,000 mark in raising money for Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal.

Gromit's had a big year, this year. But still found time to support @brailsfordxmas

Each year, the spectacle gets bigger and better -this year it was almost hard to get to see the house for the crowds, and as the count-down went off, the fireworks went up. Amazing!  We are also now lucky to have some really brilliant local talent performing to get us all in the festive mood.

This year was a bit special for me- as Lee and Paul gave me my first Christmas present - my very own Brailsford Lights hoodie which I will wear with pride! I've been dared to wear it in the Chamber at the House of Commons. So shhh... watch this space... and don't tell the Speaker...


If you missed the lights - turn-on, don't worry! You can enjoy the festivities again on Christmas Eve, and the lights are on every day until January 3rd between 5-10pm.

You can also donate online at www.brailsfordlights.co.uk 

Or by texting rixy88 and £1, £5 or £10 to 70070.

Henna-bury Fun Day! (groan)

Henna-bury. Geddit, geddit!  ahem. I'll get my coat.

Amongst many of the highlights at Henbury Funday on Saturday was Pria's (sorry Pria, I have a feeling I've spelt your name wrong) free Henna Tattoos. She's training to do this professionally and she's already a master.

The community of Henbury and Brentry are indefatigable when it comes to putting on events to keep the community together, and it really makes all the difference. I was honoured to open the event and, for once, speechless as I was given flowers to say thank you for work that I've done. All I can say is that whatever I do is a fraction of what people like Rose, Cynthia, Carol and many, many others ( you all know who you are!) do day in, day out, with out fanfare or recognition to make our community a better place. Thank YOU!

Avon Talking Magazines for the Blind - 40th Anniversary!

Drinking tea with Cynthia for a good cause. Yes, tough, I know

The Avon Talking Magazine for the Blind  is one of those unsung, but exceptional charities that makes such a difference to so many peoples' lives on a daily basis.

Cynthia Reynolds has for many years not had to press-gang me into coming to fund raising events - often wonderful teas like this one, to support an incredibly valuable cause.

signing the 'Avon Talking Magazine Tablecloth' (nicely posed)

This year they held a very special event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the organisation.

Signing the Avon Talking Magazine Tablecloth - in reality

Services like this can make all the difference to those with limited sight and blindness, in a world that can otherwise seem very hostile and self-referential and sufficient.

Star-studded guest list - Our Lord Mayor & Cllr Chris Windows

The hall was packed and we were lucky to welcome the Lord Mayor and other celebs such as the notorious ( in a good way) Cllr. Chris Windows from Henbury, over some excellent cake, and a cup of tea - served impeccably by the superb team from Avon Talking Books for the Blind. 

I got to sign a magnificent table-cloth, with embroidered signatures from many supporters over the years, all beautifully done by Cynthia Reynolds.

Thank you to Cynthia and the whole team not only for a beautiful tea, but for all the extraordinary work you do year in, year out, to change people's worlds. Inspiration.  

LDubstock - Woodstock, eat yer heart out

Despite quite torrential rain, LDubstock was a raging success - thank you so much to all the organisers for a really great evening! The music was superb, the wraps at the Chilli Van enormous, and the company superlative. Such as that below with our new(ish) Councillor Jason Budd, the infamous ( in a good way) Mark Pepper and Norman Routledge, who we have to thank for the glory of Kings Weston House.

Sheltering from the storm at LDubStock with beers and friends!

Policies that emerged from political discussions in the food queue include instituting a King ( or Queen) of Bristol ( there were several nominations for this post) and re-building the Bristol Wall.  I won't blog all of it as I'm sure the politically-correct amongst any readers this blog might attract may not be amused, but suffice to say it was brilliant to see so many friends - and make new ones - all in one place.
I was speaking to our local councillor, Wayne Harvey who was there with his brother Darren, and he told me he had met up with people he'd not seen for 15 years.  That's why communities that are built up around places like Lawrence Weston Football Club are so important - they bring people together.

Thanks again to all the organisers for a really wonderful afternoon and evening - now we need to get your club house rebuilt...

The Avon Gorge Ascent - a change from climbing the greasy pole...

Doesn't look too bad! All going to be fine!

Things not feeling so fine now...

This was the easy start-bit. Things got worse!

 It all seemed so far away as to be unreal, when I accepted Climb Bristol's kind invitation to see the glory of the Avon Gorge climbs for myself, by climbing up it.

When it came to it, I wasn't so sure it was such a great plan. Climb Bristol were keen to show me first hand the unique nature of the Avon Gorge cliffs, with its plant life unique to Bristol and its very special climbing features.

As someone not tremendously keen on heights, I had never dreamed of being one of those people you see scaling the Avon Gorge cliffs as you drive past, but I was keen to see what Climb Bristol was talking about.

The day dawned sunny and bright, and I hoped for rain and that it might be delayed for another day. No rain arrived. But everyone from Climb Bristol were incredibly professional, and tolerant of my nerves. They tried telling me about the access issues to the rock face, and the challenges of maintaining the climbing routes, free from shrubs that drown out the rare and unique plants around them, but I was somewhat preoccupied by the thought of what I was about to do, so we cracked on with the climb.

The route I was given was apparently 'severe' (which didn't make me feel much better.) I felt slightly better as they told me how many other grades of slope were above 'severe' - right up to 'extremely severe' which itself has several grades of difficulty. Once I'd started climbing I was surprised how well the climbing shoes gripped, alarmed by how polished some of the rock had become with the frequency of climbers and intrigued by the 'physical chess' nature of the climbing - an almost sudoko-like challenge of where to place hands and feet on limited little cracks and chinks. But once I'd got into my stride a bit more about 3/4 of the way up, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it, and understood why people get addicted to climbing.

Climb Bristol highlighted how special this climbing area is;  how much work they have done on a voluntary basis to clear it of over-grown shrubbery; the possibilities the area presents if the decent car-parking spaces are returned, and how Bristol should celebrate this superb venue for climbers far more than it does.

When the climb was one, pumped full of adrenalin and endorphines, we walked back down to the car. As I stepped out onto the Portway bus-lane, it struck me that for all the thrill of clinging to a rock-face a long way up, the most dangerous part of the whole episode was probably about to begin- walking the short distance along a brutal road to get to the lay-by where we parked.   There was plenty of room for the shrubs to be cut back and a footpath laid.  That's the kind of danger and risk that should be actively removed, so people can enjoy the beauty, exhilaration and calculated risk of climbing in far more safety. 

Thanks to Climb Bristol for such a great experience

 Thank you Climb Bristol! I hope I can do it again sometime...

Southmead Festival fun

With local girl and campaigner, Paige Golding

I'm beginning to say things that I remember my mum saying about getting old...  Watching Ronan Parks at the brilliant Southmead Festival was one of those times - Ronan is exceptionally talented 14 year old,  but I found myself muttering all sorts of things about feeling very past-it!

The Southmead Festival, now held in the Greenway Centre was a huge success - helped by the weather and the tireless energy, enthusiasm and talent of the Southmead Community. I feel humbled and proud to be the MP for such a great communities, and Southmead is one of the very best.

Southsound Radio deserve a special congratulations for pulling in a real celeb in Ronan for the Southmead Festival - what a superb day.

Littlemead School bring Christmas to Dunmail

Despite the cold, ( and the fact many of us had colds) Littlemead School children gave Southmead a great carol service on Dunmail Fields this afternoon - all under the musical leadership of Snowman Ronda. ( Seen here without her snowman head.)

Santa and his elves turned up, and may have had something to do with the cakes and refreshments we all enjoyed afterwards.

It was great that the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were able to find time to come and visit - and came prepared with wellington boots to tackle the mud...

Dunmail fields are so much a part of this community in Southmead -and they couldn't be fighting more powerfully for the fields to be saved for the community and generations to come.

Henbury Funday - best ever?

It's hungry work, milling about browsing over stalls, resisting the bungee-run, watching live entertainment and chatting to friends and neighbours - so good thing Nick Merrick's culinary BS10 Youth Forum crew were on hand with succulent hot-dogs, with onions and mushrooms... Cllr. Chris Window's evident enthusiasm only begins to do justice to the cooking...

It was also a good chance to catch up with people you've been meaning to see for ages- and it was good to be able to introduce people with similar interests to each other. ( One family had a daughter who was very keen on dancing, so introducing them to Paul Thompson, who runs Emmanuel Chapel's youth activities and Dance Group was the obvious thing to do...) Families and people of all ages were enjoying themselves and even the weather held out.

But stuff like this doesn't happen by magic. Behind every smooth-running community event, there's a hard working team of individuals who very often give up their own time, completely free of charge.

For the last six years, local lady Chris Pratt, with her brilliant team of helpers, has organised Henbury Funday. This year is her last year of doing it. Everyone thanked Chris at the end of the afternoon, and she was presented with a bouquet of flowers as a gesture of the community's thanks. She's got great successors, but she'll be a hard act to follow - thanks Chris, for all the sterling work you've put into Henbury for so long.

Pub Politics at The Bear and Rugged Staff

I have to say, as an unrepentant supporter of our community pubs, it's always a pleasure, never a chore, to hold a 'Pub Politics'. They're always lively, lots of issues always get discussed and people often swap contact details and keep in touch if they don't already know each other. Last Friday's pub politics at The Bear and Rugged Staff in Southmead was particularly lively, since the landlord, Richard Porch had organised a surprise performance from the local street dance group D-Streets. (See other blog posts for how you can support them in their bid to go to the World Championships in Blackpool later this summer... ) That's something that's often underestimated about pubs - they are often not only a place where the community comes together, but also a place which does fundraising and supports local causes. In short, pubs are definitely 'Big Society'!
People stayed on after the performance and joined in the discussion. I find it really helpful to make sure I'm listening to what's really going on locally, and also getting a straight, honest opinion about what's going on, what what issues people are facing. That's the only way politicians can really keep an understanding on what's going on in the real world, outside the Westminster bubble. Oh, and half a can of Natch helps as well, thanks Richard!

Southmead's Ds Streets for world championships!

As I arrived at The Bear and Rugged Staff for my 'Pub Politics' session, the upper level of the pub had been mysteriously cleared of the pool table... It soon became clear. The landlord Richard had organised a big surprise performance by Southmead's very own Streetdance group, Ds Streets.

Their performance was really impressive - and they are raising money to go to the World Championships in Blackpool later in August.

We all chipped in, and at the pub alone they managed to raise over £400. They need more, and they are also fundraising to afford some basic equipment like mirrors and a proper sound system.

If you can donate, please email Dwain Trivett at martialparts78@hotmail.com - let's take Southmead's Ds Streets to the world championships - watch out Blackpool!

Fairbridge: Turning around lives ( and making great cakes)

One of the perks of being an MP is that occasionally it means being forced to sit down to a nice cup of tea and eating some sinfully enormous and rich chocolate cake. I know. Tough, isn't it...

My visit to Fairbridge was one of those tough times: The young people ( some pictured here) many at risk of exclusion, come to Fairbridge for a variety of activities that, in their own words ( and I didn't see any of the staff kicking them under the table to say this!) - really has turned their lives around.

One of my young constituents in Southmead had made an obscenely superb chocolate cake for the occasion - and cooking is one of the activities that the Fairbridge centre offers. It had banana and chocolate goo in the middle, and over cake and tea we discussed what the young people had gained from the scheme, what their future plans were, and I spoke to one young man who had benefited from Fairbridge, who has now come back to help and plans to be a youth worker. That, and the views of the young people themselves, is testament enough to the great work the organisation does.

Sea Mills Am Dram in action!

Around two years ago now, I took part in a day of revamping Sea Mills Community Centre. We painted it and began to clear out the area behind the stage.

But it soon emerged that clearing out the place was far more than a day's task, so we were more than happy to abandon ourselves to simply painting.

But since then, wonders have taken place at Sea Mills. They now have their own Sea Mills Amateur Dramatics group ( SMAD) run by Nick White and Tosh ( Nick is just behind me, Tosh is in pink in the middle.) They are writing plays, putting on pantos, and have around 20 members.

And not only that, they have completely cleared and revamped the Hall. The stage is now usable, and ready for productions!

If you want to find out more about SMAD, get in touch with Tosh: getintouch_amdram@hotmail.com

Southmead Rugby Club celebrates new changing rooms -with Darth Vader!

On Sunday, I spent the day at Southmead Rugby Club's celebration of the opening of their brand new changing rooms. I visited the changing rooms only a few weeks ago, and to be honest, when I saw them, I couldn't believe they were going to be ready in time. But thanks to the sterling work of Barry Jakes, Mickey Pierce, Gary Mills, Jason Silcox and the team, I was proved spectacularly wrong! It was particularly impressive because many of those working on building the changing rooms were either local men, or members of the club, working for a reduced fee to get it done for the community.


They laid on a fantastic day; a match with international players, then celebrations in the club house, followed by a superb dinner. Southmead man, Dave Prowse, was the guest of honour - better known as Darth Vader. He gave a speech, including some new words to the Star Wars theme, (which you can see exclusively here thanks to youtube!) and auctioned off his last Light Sabre, which raised well over £2000 for the club.



The dinner was followed by a performance from local band, Hooper - and a good time was had by all.

It was a superb day, and was a good demonstration of the real community spirit of Southmead in action! Well done and thank to all involved.

Informal surgery at Henbury is a recipe for success

Today Chris Windows, the council candidate for Henbury, and I held an informal surgery at Emmanuel Chapel, Henbury.

The aim was to meet local people and listen to their concerns and have a general chat about the area, without the formality or pressure of a 'surgery'.

It worked very well. Thanks, no doubt, in part to Rose's exceptional cakes. (Rose is the one wielding the large knife. She may make a mean cake, but don't mess!) I'd like to think people came to meet me and Chris Windows. But with refreshments like that, it's hard to be sure...

Bangers and Lawrence Weston Community Farm

I'm tucking into these little beauties tonight. Honey and mustard sausages from Lawrence Weston Community Farm. It's good to know that the livestock for these sausages have had good, healthy lives with freedom to roam locally. The Farm run a meat club - produce from the farm. It's limited, so early ordering advised!





And this is what they turned into... The reason the mash is a bit green is not because I am a really appalling cook, but because there are leeks and onions and a bit of old left over cheddar in there. Proper job.

Almost the final installment?

You're not going to be given the chance to get bored of seeing pictures of the ever-developing new Avonmouth National Smelting Boxing Club... because it's almost done.

Ash Bearman, from the superb community group SCAF, Garry Cave the coach and I are standing in the almost-completed new gym. It's got a training ring, punch bags and weights equiptment all installed. All that's needed now is a few finishing touches here and there, some mirrors so the space can be used for other activities like dance and aerobics - and it will be done.

Worth bearing in mind: In the time it's taken for Garry to fundraise and build an entire brand new gym from scratch ... despite all the campaigning, the Government quango The Highways Agency and Bristol City Council STILL haven't come to an agreement on opening the Robin Cousins Centre...

The Royal British Legion Club - about Remembrance and more

I was at the Westbury on Trym Royal British Legion Club's AGM last night ( This isn't it. This is me pulling the world's frothiest pint behind the bar. I blame the fact I was worrying about my camera, but my old employees at The Fox pub in Easter Compton will testify what a rubbish barmaid I was. I was mortified to find little had changed.)

I've been to a lot of AGMs in my time, but what was particularly poignant about this one was that after AOB, the last agenda item was 'Homage'. The chairman cited those words which always bring a lump to my throat

"When you go home, tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow, we gave our today"

and finally

" They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. "

and we had a silence while we remembered the real significance of The Royal British Legion.

The Westbury Royal Legion Club is a remarkable place. It is run completely by volunteers, which is, as I discovered, why the beer is cheaper than usual. Previously, only servicemen and ex-servicemen could be members, but now it is open to anyone ready to join the club. I can't recommend it highly enough - not only because of the great facilities and good company, but because it is a very good and appropriate way to Remember.

Lunch for a song

Disaster struck yesterday - it looks like I've properly lost my wallet. Not temporary loss, the real thing. Card canceling loss. I'm waiting to see what horrors of identity theft await me...

But luckily for everyone at the Upper Horfield Community Trust's weekly lunch, I didn't have to sing for my lunch. A determined rummage in coat pockets and former handbags revealed enough change to buy a superb lunch at UCHT. We had hearty helpings of roast beef and many had apple tart and custard followed by tea and coffee for little over a fiver. Brilliant value and as you can see from the photo, a lovely way to spend a lunchtime.

The Garden of Eden Grove

The garden of Eden probably enjoyed nicer weather than the garden of Eden Grove. But good old English weather is not putting off Ray Hulbert ( pictured) nor the residents of Eden Grove and Upper Horfield from turning this patch of land into their own garden.

The progress is actually more impressive than my amateur photography suggests, and by the time the annual Upper Horfield Festival takes place in the summer, the hope is that the garden will be complete.

I never cease to be amazed at how much goes on at Eden Grove Community Centre and church. Below are just some of the things I've seen this week...

This is the new market at Upper Horfield Community Trust - which sells an enormous range of groceries and fresh produce, as well as offering teas and very tempting home made cakes.