Goodnight Irene! Stadium Victory!

Celebration - but we couldn't be sure for another 13 days...

After a hearty celebration two weeks ago, when it was announced that the Judicial Review brought by TrasHorfield had been dismissed, we found it wasn't the end of the story.

Our petition, www.bristolsnottrash.bristolpetitions.com attracted over 13,000 signatures of support for the Memorial Ground being sold for a Sainsburys, housing, community facility, parking and memorial park, in order to enable to building of a new Stadium for Rovers in South Gloucestershire.

The reasons why the petition was so popular were clear: This was not just about Bristol Rovers fans, in fact, I received some very kind words and support from arch-rivals, Bristol City - they know what it's like to have a major and exciting infrastructure project that will benefit the whole city stopped by a minority group, skating on the edge of legislation to impose their view.

It was also supported by people who wanted to see Bristol give out a loud signal that this is a city open for business, a place worth investing in, and not a backward backwater where any good and exciting idea or investment is met with a muttered 'not in our backyard'.

It was supported by people who want to see major music acts come to our city, who want to see major sporting events - like our own Lee Haskins defend his title to a huge home crowd...

...and it was supported by many who want a transport revolution in our gridlocked city of fumes, knowing that the Rovers Stadium would play a huge part in boosting the business case we need to win, to get a full Henbury Loop Line. 

Contrary to what you might think, many traders on Gloucester Road also supported it - they are not competitors of a supermarket, and the extra footfall and parking space was something they saw as a positive.

After the decision was announced, Trash then appealed, the appeal was dismissed by the judge, and thankfully, Trash did not take this decision further to the High Court. That is a relief. To do so would have been painful and very costly for all involved - and those who are always winners in these situations, and who tend to defend and like judicial reviews - the lawyers - would have been the only ones certain to gain.

No, we had already spent enough public money on this, and so it was with joy and relief that decency and common sense - having been approved by the democratic planning process, then by the judicial process, finally prevailed.

It's impossible to name everyone who was so brilliant in getting Rovers the home they have wanted for over 30 years - but David Thomas is a hero, Angela Betts, Nigel Currie, our Councillor Claire Hiscott, George Maggs, Nick Higgs who was superb and unwavering,  the 13,000 who supported our petition... 

And personally, a very warm thank you to all those who posted such lovely, and supportive messages for the campaign, both on the Rovers fan-page and on twitter. It really made the world of difference and really helped keep morale up. Thank you.

So, A huge thank you and well done to all those who campaigned so hard, and to those thousands who signed the petition. This is your victory  #UTG 

 

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...

Not all going swimmingly in Bristol - and we need your help

I was one of those who spent most of their teenage years, and those before, ploughing up and down a swimming pool in my bid to become an Olympic Champion. It never happened. The most I ever achieved was a couple of age group National Finals in 200m and 100m backstroke. ( my feet were always too small, was my excuse).
But I spent many hours at Easton swimming pool at silly o' clock in the morning ( breakfast in the car, drying my hair on the car heater-fan, and I kept a sleeping bag in the corner of my classroom where I'd grab a crafty few minutes of kip if I got into school early enough...) and many evenings at the old red brick Barton Hill Pool ( badly run and managed, and filthy towards latter years - with an array of nasty things spotted drifting along the bottom of the pool where Olympians were training. )
I swum first for Thornbury Swimming Club, then Southwold in Yate, then City of Bristol, with a truly brilliant swimming coach, Eric Henderson (who was APPALLINGLY treated by Bristol City Council in the mid-90s as an archive newspaper search will reveal.)

I have always said that my club swimming experience is one of the things that formed my identity as I was growing up, and has contributed so much to my life,taught me so much and given me so many lasting friends.

That is why I am so outraged and concerned that Bristol City Council is currently forcing clubs who are providing excellent beginners swimming lessons to give them up, in order that the council's private provider, SLM, can have a monopoly over beginners swimming.

I am campaigning with Portway Swimming Club to end this disastrous policy - which is bad for children, communities -and ultimately our Olympic Legacy.

Please sign our national petition
www.keepclubswimming.bristolpetitions.com
and please make sure you also sign the link to Portway's own petition, which is linked-to on the site.

And yes, I couldn't resist getting back in the water with Portway's wonderful young swimmers! Please keep their swimming lessons in-club, for them!

Boxing clever for Britain

We'll all be crossing fingers and wishing Natasha Jonas, our brilliant lightweight Team GB boxing representative the very best of luck in London 2012...  it was an honour to meet such a superb ambassador for the sport

When I first started my (very amateur!) boxing attempts at Spanniorum Farm Gym, back in the mid-'90s, as an inexplicably angry teenager, women's boxing was still something of an 'unofficial' activity, struggling to make its mark and win respect as a recognised sport. I was luck enough to train alongside our very own Jane Couch, who has done so much to get womens' boxing on the map.

So I find it particularly moving that London 2012 should be hosting the first Olympic Womens' boxing, and that we should have such talented hopefuls.  Lightweight Natasha Jonas, ( I am feeling a bit over-awed to be standing next to someone who has achieved something I only ever dreamed about!) is not only a real hopeful for a medal, but is also a superb ambassador for the sport.

I realise, and appreciate that some people are a bit squeamish about the idea of women boxing. All I can say is, if you get the chance, meet and talk to female boxers like Natasha who are an inspiration. And in a world where girls are increasingly getting into the kinds of violent trouble as boys on our streets, the need for women to be able to strive to achieve excellence in competitive boxing as an alternative to a life of a cul-de-sac of gangs, depression and hopelessness, is more pressing than ever.

As Natasha says, she's a 'fighter' - we should all be incredibly proud and grateful that thanks to boxing, she's fighting for nothing less than Britain's place on the Olympic podium!

C'mon England.

It's not often you can watch the World Cup, (responsibly) enjoy a pint of beer with your friends and watch a sunset at the same time. But at the Mouse's pub beer garden you can do just that.

This is the happy scene just before the USA equalised last night.
There are very many more people who can provide more informed commentary on the match than I can, so I won't even go there; but suffice to say, if you have to watch England do it yet again, the Mouse garden with its outside TV is a very nice place to do it.

One of the great things about the World Cup is that it provides such a boost for our nation's pubs. So I'll use this opportunity to remind you to go to www.backthepub.com to support the campaign to save our nation's pubs. The World Cup just wouldn't be the same without them!

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.

Help support David from Brentry in the Special Olympics

I was tipped off by Rose, who seems to know just about everything that's going on in Henbury, to go into the flower shop on Crow Lane and talk to the lady in there whose son has autism and plays judo with the KoDachi Special Needs Judo Club in Southvill.

So I did. It turns out that David Woodland ( pictured, middle, ) has autism has been offered a place at the Special Olympics. It's a huge achievement and fantastic news - except for one thing: As anyone who has done international sporting competition knows, it can cost. And David and his family really need help to cover the costs of all the kit, travel and accommodation of the Special Olympics GB, in July, and in the international competitions David has to attend in leading up to it. They told me they'll have to raise around £800-£1000. They've already given up holidays, luxuries and going out to support David, and David has done a sponsored judo-throw to raise funds.

But there's still a long way to go. If you'd like to sponsor David, either get in touch with me, (charlotte@charlotteleslie.com) or the KoDachi Special Needs Judo Club secretary Helen Goodchild on 01275 874547. Or alternatively, go into the flower shop on Crow Lane to find out more...

Football is more than just a game

I went up to London for the day yesterday to visit The Football Foundation and The Premier League, to see if they can offer any help to Shirehampton Football Club. Here's me, slightly overwhelmed, with the English Premiership Cup.

Apart from the high-light of seeing the cup, we had an interesting meeting. As expected, there's a lot more work to do to see how they can best help. But while I was there, Alistair Bennett from the Football Foundation ( left) and Dan Johnson from the Premier League ( right) told me about some of the social inclusion work that they do through football.

It's all really simple. If young people are doing something they can engage with and become good at, it changes every aspect of their lives. They told me about one of their boys who was a young offender. He got into football, now earns money coaching his local club and goes back to his old estate as a powerful role model for boys and girls growing up as he did.

I sometimes worry that as the credit crunch bites, schemes like this that use sport ( or music, or drama or anything like that ) will get sidelined. That would be a very false economy. It costs thousands to keep a young offender locked up, and in their lifetime they will cost society hundreds of thousands through lost potential earnings and episodes with the criminal justice system. Social inclusion through sport is not a fun optional-extra. It really works. And as we tighten our purse strings for the future, it makes more sense than ever before.

5-nil at home... but Shirehampton F.Cs got potential for more...

This is the house that Jack built.

Well, not Jack. And it's not a house. It's the Shire F.C clubhouse. And Jack didn't build it. Pete McCall did, ( pictured, on the right) with some help from others in the club, ( Like Mark Stockham, on my left) and some friends who helped provide the decking, and wives who helped advise on what nice ladies toilets look like!

It would have taken a council many fathoms of paper-work and planning to build something like this. Members of Shire F.C did it in a fraction of the time, for a fraction of the cost, with no payment, in their own time. Impressive and really quite humbling that people should give up so much of their time and resources to build facilities for the younger generation. It really sets the standard for the rest of us.

When I went to see the club play at home, it was a lovely autumn day ( one of the ones we should have had in August) and Shire F.C annihilated the opposition 5-nil. We celebrated with BBQ-ed burgers ( left over from the dismal summer) and a beer on the decking outside the club in the late autumn sun.

The club has got so much going for it - a dynamic welcoming group of club-members supporting it, superb club-house and facilities, lovely grounds, and it's one of the few community amenities still left to Shirehampton now. But as the chairman Pete, Mark and Kelvin, the club president told me, they want to take the club to the next level. Floodlights, for example would enable them to compete on a different level all together.

This is a group with ambition, a vision for Shire and its youth, who deserve masses of support.

Boxer Nathan's high hopes

Nathan Snow, his dad Kelvin and I went on BBC Radio Bristol this morning to talk about the new gym that Avonmouth National Smelting Boxing Club is opening in Patchway.

Although Patchway is not quite in my patch ( no pun intended, if that can be called a pun) I was really pleased that the brilliant work that coach Garry Cave and his team do at the National Smelting club in Avonmouth can be spread further afield to adults and children at Patchway and Patchway School.

Talking about the benefits of boxing with me this morning was Nathan Snow. Nathan is one of the National Smelting Club's rising stars. He coaches at the new Patchway boxing club and has already represented the West of England.

For anyone who still doubts the benefits of amateur boxing, I recommend they talk to someone like Nathan. Nathan epitomises the good manners, self-control and inspiring ambition that is found in amateur boxing clubs all over the city and all over the country.

Nathan has his own website, and is looking for sponsorship for his very promising career. If you would like to get involved in helping Nathan make it to the very top, go to his website: www.freewebs.com/secondsout/

BBC Radio Bristol presenter Richard Wyatt gets very excitied about his guests - Nathan and Kelvin Snow...

Boxing Clever

Boxing's had a hard press in the past, but now the tide is turning: The Evening Post recently devoted a double page spread to the merits of boxing, and at the same time, Avonmouth's National Smelting Boxing Club got the fantastic news that they have finally been given the go-ahead to expand their boxing gym.

I have been supporting the club's coach, Garry Cave, in his bid for funds and know the enormous amount of work ( mostly paperwork) that went into providing more sporting opportunities for our local youngsters. The gym is nearly always packed and I have always been struck by how polite, dedicated and disciplined the young boxers are.

I've not really got the nose for really competitive boxing, but I used to train with local legend, Jane Couch at Spanniorum Farm Gym. I know first hand just how important boxing is in giving young people a chance to let of steam in a secure, disciplined environment - particularly our boys who are falling behind girls at school, playing truant and being expelled or suspended at an alarming rate.

Our young people risk being suffocated by a health-and-safety cotton-wool culture. But the results of bottling up young people's energy and natural aggression are disastrous - just ask anyone living on a street plagued by bored kids, and sometimes violent anti-social behaviour. I know that young men ( and women!) who take up boxing build self esteem, get fit, learn discipline and respect, so do better at school and no longer feel they have to prove themselves by picking a fight- but can walk away.

These days, I enjoy training at Southmead boxing club, under the expert supervision of the coach, Lee Cummings. Areas like Southmead really need a boxing club like Lee's - and they've got some talented boxers in the making, as I saw when two of them competed in a big contest last night. I'm working with local clubs to make boxing more available to more young people. Not only is it a great way to get fit and let off steam, it's also one of the best ways to tackle youth crime. No wonder the Police support it. So a simple message to the National Smelting and Southmead Boxing Club - well done, and let's keep up the good work!