Paul Crossley1

12th Dec Rosewarn Walkabout

This morning PC Middleton, Lynn Quick from Somer and myself had a walkabout around Rosewarn Close talking to residents and discussing some of the problems. This follows on from a successful police street surgery the night before which unfortunately Cllr Romero could not attend as she was at a meeting in the Southside Centre discussing future options for the building or myself as I was with Culverhay School for their Christmas Carol service. However the street surgery was very successful for the Police and Somer. This morning talking to residents they are very pleased with the level of police activity in the area at present. Recently there has been a real concerted push by the police to reduce the growing problem of anti social behaviour by a number of young males. It has been very effective with every boy getting involved in the problem spoken to. The push has already reversed the rising burglary figures.

Issues that arose - a need for better street lighting in some of the cul de sacs, renewing the back alley locked gates, identifying an abandoned VW van and arranging for its removal. Although the number plates had been removed - the person abandoning the vehicle had left the door unlocked and anyway the front windscreen had been pushed in so we got in found documentation and one of the plates and through a police call had ID on the van and the previous owner within a minute. Hopefully Somer will now have it removed speedily. We checked out the litter hot spots again and are going to investigate putting on a Community Litter Pick day so that we can build up the number of residents willing to speak out against the litterbugs and fly-tippers.

At the BCP meeting this afternoon we approved a grant for Learning to Succeed @ Twerton. This will proved a purpose built new facility at Twerton Infants to build skills and confidence levels for adults in the Southdown and Twerton area of Bath. We also approved a scheme from Business Link to build up skills in setting up Social Enterprises in the BCP area. These are two good projects that should serve the community well. 

11th Culverhay Carol Service at the Abbey

Culverhay, the local boys comprehensive that we hope will soon be given permission to go co-ed, had its annual carol service at the Abbey. The Abbey was very full with well over 500 young people, parents, governors, teacher and guests present. The musical director from the school put together a great service with lots of good carols and several pieces for the school choir and other groups of musicians to perform music to celebrate Christmas. Well done to everyone who helped put the service on. Well Done Lee Bailey, the musical director.  Culverhay  is a real community asset serving the boys of our area well.  Lets hope that it will soon be admitting girls as well. This service and the large number of boys involved is the true reflection of our youth in the area and not the small number engaged in problem behaviour referred to in the previous paragraph.

10th Marsden Road

In a private garage complex we have an 'abandoned' vehicle in front of an 'unused' garage that no-one seems to be able to trace the ownership for. I was phoned by a gentleman concerning the garage and how to remove the vehicle. I thought it was his and swiftly called round. Unfortuneately he was dealing with the the estate of the garage owner next to it and simply wanted the garage next to the one he was dealing with improved and the vehical removed. So we still do not know the owner of the derelict garage.

9th Southdown Methodist Community Carol Service

Southdown Methodist is merging with Oldfield Methodist onto the Southdown site and so the annual Chirstmas Carol service was very full this year. In addition it was the first Christmas with our new deacon. Had an interesting chat with a young man from South India doing some exchange training in the UK before he completes and is ordained to be a minister in India. Many of the problems his community are facing in South India are very similar to the problems and issues we have in Southdown and centre on community safety, housing and jobs. Collection was for the Southdown-Whiteway Project which helps with outrearch work into our wider community at Southdown.

7th Bath Choral Society - Handel's Messiah at Bath Abbey

Bath is a real singing city with an abundance of Choirs covering all traditions and abilities. One of our finest traditions is the annual performance of Handel's Messiah which has been performed every year in Bath since 1819 by the Bath Choral Society. This is a very good choir that put on a limited number of concerts over the year. The annual Messiah is much looked forward to. This is a real community event bringing together a wide variety of music lovers to share in a fine piece of music excellently performed and with a long tradition to live up to. This was the third time I have been and was there this year as a guest representing the Mayoralty in my role as deputy mayor. The Abbey was packed with over 1200 in the audience and we were treated to an exceptional show. All four solists were top notch but I was particularly bowled over by the brialliant soprano Rachel Nicholls. Local author and choir member, Andrew Clarke has produced a book celebrating 250 years of the Bath provincial choral tradition and 125 years of the Bath Choral Society which was launched at this years show - for more details check the Bath Choral Society link.

»12:29 PM    »Write comment     »Send entry    

Posted by: PaulCrossley    in: My entries

Modified on December 12, 2007 at 5:11 PM

SD_5_dec.doc

Today visited a site in Marsden Road where we have a Western Power owned piece of land which is not kept well. Several conifers have been felled so I am now trying to find out if this was the company starting to get the land ready for sale or something else. The land is right next to a footpath and the fencing has not been maintained by the company so it is often used as a gathering place which causes anxiety for some of the neighbours. Most but not all of the neighbours would like to see a house built on it to increase security. Actually it would also make a nice allotment space.

At our ward surgery today - issues included the police presence over the week, anti-social behaviour, parking, planning comments on Bath Western Riverside and the Two Tunnels project. I am pursuading everyone to vote for Sustrans Connect 2 in the people lottery. It will add a fabulous stretch of cycle way from Newbridge to Wellow and going through the long Combe Down Tunnel. In the afternoon helped with the annual Methodist Church Christmas Bazaar. These Bazaar take a lot of organisation and commitment but the Methodist Church in Southdown is really working in the community. I talked to several stars from our golden-oldies charity launch earlier in the week as Blagdon Park Community Centre has been th pilot program for this new charity which aims to get our older residents together for a good session of singing concentrating on golden oldies from the 50s and 60s. The words are all well known and remembered and they sessions have been great fun. SInging is a great source of community cohesion and entertainment and brings people together and out of isolation. We all have high hopes that this new charity will be so successful that it will go national. It has been organised by a star of local chours - Grenville Jones and Cllr Marian McNeir.

»9:57 PM    »2 comments (0 )     »Send entry    

Posted by: PaulCrossley    in: My entries

Modified on December 2, 2007 at 9:58 PM