The Week in East Bristol & North East Somerset FREE Issue no 330 24th July 2014 Read by over 30,000 people every week In this week’s issue ...... page 3 Keynsham man killed in Ukraine plane crash . Tributes paid to former Wellsway student page 9 Re-think on Market Walk name. Civic Centre decision called in page 17 Plans for solar farm at Hinton . 94-acre site proposed next to M4 in 2 The Week • Thursday 24th July 2014 Keynsham man killed inBen Pocock fromUkraine Keynsham was one of the passengers onplanefamily and friends. crash board the Malaysia Airlines flight which was shot down Wellsway Headteacher, Andrea Arlidge, said in tribute to her over Ukraine last week. former student: The former Wellsway pupil, who was an international business “Ben was a wonderful young man who made such a positive student at Loughborough University, was one of the 283 impact on our school and on us all. He was an excellent student passengers and 15 crew on Flight MH17. He was on his way to and an all-round decent human being. He had a very bright take up a placement in Perth, Australia. future ahead of him that has tragically been cut short. Our Loughborough University told The Week In: “We are incredibly thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family.” saddened to hear that one of our students, Ben Pocock, was believed to be a passenger on flight MH17. Keynsham “Ben had just completed the second year of his International Business BSc degree and was flying out to begin a professional placement and to study abroad at the University of Western 9-year sentence Australia as part of his third year. Aafter 23-year-old man stabbing was jailed last week for a stabbing which “Ben was an excellent was described as just an inch away from being life student and on course to threatening. gain a First class degree. He was also a fine Ryan Robbins from Warwick Road was found guilty of athlete, who played on wounding with intent to cause bodily harm at Bristol Crown the University Athletic Court following an incident outside Keynsham Snooker Union’s Ultimate Frisbee Centre earlier this year. The victim, Darren Thyer was team and won their stabbed through the mouth and needed 20 stitches. ‘Player of the Year’ honour. “We are in contact with Ben’s family and are offering them all the Ben Pocock support we can. We also providing support for the University’s staff and students. “Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Ben’s family and friends, and with all those who have lost family and friends in the crash.” The new Education Secretary Nicky Morgan whose constituency is Loughborough, said she was "very saddened to hear of death of Ben's death and that her thoughts were with his in The Week • Thursday 24th July 2014 3 Keynsham Suspended jail Anger as B&NES pushes ahead with park toilet cuts sentence for groper Conservative councillors in Keynsham have expressed anger at A 21-year-old Kingswood man has been found guilty of the news that B&NES Council is to push ahead with plans to cut sexually assaulting two women on the Bristol and Bath capacity at the public toilets in Keynsham’s Memorial Park. Railway Path. Under plans drawn up by the council’s contractor Healthmatic, Luke Alder, from Crispin Way, had been accused of attacks on capacity at the public toilets in Keynsham’s Memorial Park will be a total of six female cyclists and runners last summer, either reduced to just one unisex cubicle and one disabled toilet. hitting or pinching their behinds, but last week he was convicted Currently, the park has two ladies’ cubicles plus one male cubicle of just two. and a urinal. The announcement that the council is to push ahead He was given a six-month suspended jail sentence, ordered to with the changes comes despite the fact a 675-signature petition pay costs and an £80 victim surcharge. He will be on the sex calling for the plans to be reconsidered was organised by local offenders' register for seven years. councillors and presented to B&NES last month. The six local councillors representing the town have said they feel "angered and betrayed" that B&NES has ignored their pleas, and have pointed to the fact the Council has agreed to amend its plans The Week in for other public toilets in Bath. Pucklechurch Horse rider badly hurt in fall A horse rider suffered what were described as “significant injuries” after a fall on Saturday, 12th July. The air ambulance was called and landed on the green near Oaktree Avenue but the patient, who was in her 20s, was in the event taken by land ambulance to the Major Trauma Centre at Southmead Hospital, assisted by the air ambulance’s critical care paramedic. Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge. 15,000 copies are distributed through retail outlets, libraries, pubs, community centres each week. Verified pick-up rate of 97%. Publisher Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA 0117 986 0381 www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Managing Editor Stephen Rodgers [email protected] Editorial Becky Feather 07973 839936 Christine Rogers 07818 031328 Advertising Jodie Deason and Tracy Broderick 0117 986 0381 [email protected] @theweekineditor No material in this publication, nor its associated website (www.theweekin.co.uk) may be reproduced without the written permission of Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd. All rights reserved. in 4 The Week • Thursday 24th July 2014 Downend Campaign for Cossham’s Primary school needs Cminorossham campaigners injuries are continuing to unit intensifies drum up support for a minor injuries unit at improvement, the Kingswood hospital by staging petition says Ofsted signing events in Staple Hill, Fishponds St Augustine’s of Canterbury Roman Catholic Primary and Emersons Green. School requires A question mark is hanging over the provision improvement, according to or otherwise of the promised unit and a protest the education watchdog meeting is taking place this Saturday, 26th Ofsted. July, at Warmley Community Centre from 2pm Inspectors who visited at the to 4pm. end of June said that teaching was not consistently Health chiefs recently revealed that they do good across the 283-pupil have the legal right overturn the decision to Campaigners collecting signatures in Staple Hill school in Boscombe provide an MIU at Cossham, even though it Crescent. was included in the business plan for the precinct in Staple Hill where almost 500 However, there was praise £19m refurbished hospital, which has now signatures were collected in a few hours. for the leadership and been open for more than 18 months. Last Friday and Saturday they gathered management of the school. signatures from shoppers at Sainsbury’s at The inspection team South Gloucestershire’s Clinical highlighted good teaching at Emersons Green and on Tuesday of this week Commissioning Group is consulting on the the Early Years Foundation best way to provide urgent care services and they were planning to set up their stall at Stage, in Key Stage 1 and will be taking a decision in the autumn on Morrisons in Fishponds. Year 6. The school’s work to whether that will still include an MIU. Meanwhile Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore keep pupils safe and secure was also rated as good. Campaigners say the CCG doesn’t have the has included a questionnaire about whether The report can be seen in full Cossham should have an MIU or not in his moral right to do a U-turn and have spent on the Ofsted website. The another busy week getting signatures for their latest campaign leaflet being delivered to reference number is 109268. petition. Last Tuesday they were at the 35,000 homes across the constituency. in The Week • Thursday 24th July 2014 5 in 6 The Week • Thursday 24th July 2014 Warmley SBL to become part of Wellsway Bomb maker awaiting sentence Multi-Academy Trust A 40-year-old man who admitted making a bomb that led to The troubled Sir Bernard Lovell 80 homes in Warmley being evacuated will be sentenced at School at Oldland Common is Bristol Crown Court on 5th August. to become part of the Michael Thomas, who used to live in Kennmoor Close, but now Keynsham-based Wellsway lives in Bridgwater, pleaded guilty to making an explosive School Multi-Academy Trust. substance. SBL was rated as inadequate by education watchdog Ofsted earlier this year, having previously been considered outstanding. Schools deemed to be failing must become sponsored academies and now the governors at SBL have voted in support of being sponsored by the Wellsway Multi-Academy Trust (MAT). The trust already consists of Wellsway School, the Aspire Academy (a special school in Bath, The Bath Studio School (creative and media) and the new Isambard Kingdom Brunel Studio School (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) due to open on the Wellsway campus next year. The bomb was found by his ex-wife as she was clearing out the SBL’s executive headteacher David Turrell and chair of garden shed last August. Alarmed, she called the police who in governors Diane Francombe said in a statement last Friday: turn called the bomb disposal squad. “We believe that working with the Wellsway Trust will prove to A 100m cordon was established and around 80 homes were be very positive for the school in the short term and in the future.