THE online community newspaper for Nailsea people, their family and their friends

March 2025

Our town is a very, very pink town

Property people

North Somerset Council has now been asked to find development sites for 23,895 homes from now until 2040. That’s 8,620 more than was proposed in the last Local Plan consultation. The consultation ends on Friday, March 21, with 2 drop-in dates in Nailsea and Backwell to discuss plans which would increase our population by 36 per cent. More on our Hensons sponsored property page HERE

What's On 2025

This month our farmers' market launches PINK fortnight, we have pancake and world book days and on our What's On page details of first panto for 2025! At the top of this page are lots of pub and club quizzes, bingo sessions, local walks and library opening hours then scroll down for other gigs. Read more HERE

Gallery 2025

We have lots of slideshows in our galleries and for 2025 we have the first wet and cold farmers' market, wonderful Backwell Lake and atmospheric weather photos too. This work of art is the much admired pudding made by former Nailsea School student now top chef Amber Francis who is a finalist for Great British Menu competition which we feature on our Breaking News and VIP page HERE

Goodbye Dancing On Ice

Mamma Mia – here we went again.

Can you believe our superstar Mollie Pearce competed in seven episodes of the 17th season of Dancing On Ice before being voted out?

Marvellous former Nailsea School student Mollie and her professional partner Colin Grafton performed live on ITV1 at 6.25pm on Sunday, February 23, to a scary but brilliant dance routine.

It had been a busy week for Mollie with apart from training hard she appeared on Loose Women (watch on ITVX https://www.itv.com/watch/loose-women/1a3173/1a3173a4681) talking about her support for charity Crohn's & Colitis UK and improving children’s bowel and bladder health and made another national newspaper magazine.

In the show hosted by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern the final five couples perform routines inspired by well-known musicals in hope of securing a place in the semi-final.

For Mollie and Colin alas it was not to be - although she made the final two in the Traitors for Dancing On Ice it was time to say goodbye.

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe opened the show with the cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical which comes to the Bristol Hippodrome this summer.

Did you know Mollie's mega rise to fame has resulted in her own Wikipedia page - read more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollie_Pearce.

And she has 116,000 plus followers on Instagram!

Read all about Mollie's journey on our VIP page HERE

Town turns PINK

This March let’s turn Nailsea PINK!

Nowhere Fundraisers for Cancer Research UK are turning Nailsea into a sea of PINK from Saturday to Sunday, March 15-30.

Everyone is invited to join in the fun with knitters busily clicking their needles to make covers for the street bollards.

Sewing machines are whirring away, turning out metres and metres and metres of pink bunting to decorate the High Street and Crown Glass Shopping Centre.

Shops and businesses are decorating their windows in a pop of PINK, not only the town centre shops but also those on the periphery.

Schools, clubs, pubs, churches and local organisations have all been invited to join in and do their bit to raise awareness and funds.

There will be an award for the best pink window (shops and business) and a competition for carrying out the most imaginative fundraising activity (open to all).

Children can join in by taking part in the PINK duck treasure hunt - competition sheets will be available from 65 High Street for £1 each.

Besides having fun and bringing the community together, the event also has a serious side.

Cancer affects everyone, either personally, through family, friends, colleagues and neighbours.

Nowhere Fundraisers are a small group raising money for Cancer Research UK whose main intention for this community event is to raise awareness of cancer and its research.

The news is positive and more people are living longer and surviving but there is still a long way to go.

CRUK is looking at treatment and how it can be matched, not only to the cancer but also to the individual.

Cancer Research UK is looking at three main aspects:

Diagnosis - it is vital to catch cancer early and we all need to know the signs to look for
Treatments and Remedies - many of which are aggressive and so kinder remedies are being researched
Prevention - what we can all do to reduce the risks to ourselves, and what governments can do to ensure a safer environment eg banning the use of toxic substances

Information leaflets can be found on the Turning Nailsea PINK stall at the Farmers’ Market and at No 65 the High Street and shoppers are asked to wear their best PINK outfit to the outdoor shopping event on Saturday, March 15.

Closing celebrations are on Saturday, March 29, at 2pm in Somerset Square.

Residents are also encouraged to Turning Nailsea PINK by putting up bunting or having a pink window at home, and also by supporting the shops and businesses who are taking part.

They will have collecting boxes for any loose change you may like to donate. Posters showing your support will be available for collection from the CRUK stall at the Farmers’ Market.

Florist Sweet Pea will be leaving random bunches of pink posies in parks and other town centre places during the Turn Nailsea PINK fortnight and already more than 60 businesses have agreed to take part.

A CRUK spokesperson said: "Nailsea fire crew have agreed to help put up the bunting being made by a team of lovely ladies, Brabantia has given us a very generous donation of £500 towards the costs of the campaign, which is fantastic.
"So far we have 63 shops and businesses joining us in the campaign - there will be lots of pink windows!
"Hannah More infants and Grove juniors are having a pink themed non-uniform day and some schools and preschools are drawing pink themed pictures to be displayed in empty shop windows in the precinct.
"Nailsea Social Club have gone to town with their fundraising with a Friday night ‘pink’ quiz and a comedy act at the club.
"SP Hair is having a pink cake sale and Sweet Pea floral will be distributing pink posies in the town.
"Ring O'Bells is having a pink cake sale and a pink raffle on Saturday, March 22, and Nailsea Tesco is also having a pink cake sale.

"Nailsea Micropub is planning a Pink Drinks night on Friday, March 21, Pink Shirt night on Wednesday, March 26, and will also holding a Pink Raffle.

"They are hoping to involve the appropriately named Pinkers Craft Brewery from Weston-super-Mare too.

"Nailsea in Bloom gardeners are involved too and Nailsea Knitters are busy making bollard and postbox themed 'hats'.
"This is just a sample of the events being planned.
"We love how people are throwing themselves wholeheartedly into fundraising and the ideas they are coming up with!"

Nail technician Shannon Elkington, of gelsforheroes@outlook.com, is teaming up with Nowhere FUNdraisers to help raise money for Cancer Research UK by offering a gorgeous set of pink gel nails for just £15 (normally £25). Email or message via Instagram

To download a poster in pdf format click HERE.

To donate go to the fundraising follow this Just Giving link

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/unite/nowhere-fundraisers-for-cruk

It nearly didn't happen

UPDATE: Links to new timetables on our On The Road page HERE.

A new First bus timetable will operate from Sunday, April 6.

In a nutshell for Nailsea the X8 is scrapped replaced by the X7 which will run between Bristol and Clevedon via Nailsea and Backwell.

This will mean no more double-deckers on this route as it will go under the railway bridge.

Nailsea people still can’t get a direct bus to The Mall, major hospitals or Bristol airport but luckily The Availables and Nailsea & District Community Transport will hopefully fill in some of the service gaps.

Here are the major route changes for our area:

X7/X7A: Bristol – Nailsea – Clevedon – The X7 will take on the previous X8 route through east Nailsea and Nailsea and Backwell Station, but will no longer serve Long Ashton. The service will operate as the X7A during evenings and on Sundays. The X7A will serve Long Ashton.
X8: Bristol – Backwell – Nailsea – This area will now be served by the X7 service.
X9: Nailsea – Bristol – A revised timetable on all days to improve punctuality and reliability includes minor changes and is coming soon.

More Service changes in the West of England from 6 April 2025 | First Bus

X7 & X7a (Clevedon – Bristol)

Service X7 will undergo significant changes to provide better connections between the towns and villages of North Somerset, offering a greater possibility for direct journeys between large parts of Clevedon, Tickenham, Nailsea and Nailsea & Backwell railway station. At Clevedon, journeys will serve the Walton Park/Dial Hill area during Monday – Saturday daytimes, replacing the X6 there.

Between Nailsea and Bristol, the service will operate via Backwell instead of Wraxall, and use the Long Ashton by-pass (instead of running via the village), as per the current X8 route, which it will replace. The service will run hourly initially, and on Sundays and evenings will operate as a modified version of the route, service X7a, that will serve Long Ashton rather than use the Long Ashton by-pass. Existing customers of the X7 for Long Ashton and Wraxall during the daytime on Monday – Saturdays should use the X9 which will remain on its current route.

X1 & X1s (Weston-super-Mare – Bristol)

The X1 will have a new timetable including extra evening journeys on Monday to Saturday and a new night service will operate on Friday and Saturday nights. This will run as new route X14 (see below) and will connect Bristol and Weston via the Portway, Portishead and Clevedon.
Two X1 journeys a day will run as an X1s via Long Ashton to provide extra capacity for students attending Backwell School. One journey in the morning will run from Bristol to Weston via Long Ashton, arriving at Backwell Crossroads in time for school opening. In the afternoon, one journey will run from Weston to Bristol via Long Ashton, around school finishing time. This route will be served by the region's first fleet of electric double-decker buses.

Waiting for bus timetables

North Somerset Council executive member for highways and transport Hannah Young is the Labour Party ward councillor for Clevedon.

She said: “Using community feedback is a key part in improving our bus services in North Somerset.

“Following the increased feedback from residents on overcrowding on late buses, we hope that the introduction of late buses on Friday and Saturday nights from Bristol will be popular, and therefore commercially viable services.

“We’re trying to stretch the resources available to match competing demands.

“This does mean that not every person will get the service they would like.

“However, we ask that residents continue to talk to us, and we will continue to make improvements throughout the year.”

“Working closely with bus operators, service changes are put in place every April and September, basing amendments on passenger numbers and community needs as part of North Somerset Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), funded by the Department for Transport. "

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PINK PEOPLE: The CRUK team in Nowhere Woods; then it's Brockley Quilters and former Backwell resident Wendy Dorey now living in Cardiff, sitting at sewing machine with Barbara Pratt holding the bunting. The ladies are friends of Barbara (Boo) Webber, standing, of CRUK, who have been instrumental in organising making of the bunting and last but not least it is the Nailsea in Bloom team our volunteer horticulturalists, who have ‘planted’ more than 300 in town centre ready for the Turn Nailsea Pink launch. Nailsea in Bloom would like to thank estate agents Hunter Leahy and Arthur E Davey & Sons for sponsoring costs

BUNTING GOES UP

Pink bunting is going up in Nailsea thanks to our local fire crew.

Hayley, Joe, Matt, James and Nigel helped on Saturday to Turn Nailsea Pink.

A Nowhere FUNdraisers for Cancer Research UK spokesperson said: "They were brilliant and we can’t thank them enough for coming to our rescue.

"More bunting should be going up in Somerset Square on Monday evening, weather permitting.

"We shall be releasing details of the campaign’s finale celebrations on Saturday, March 29, once everything has been confirmed.

"Really loving seeing the windows turning pink - everyone seems to be entering the spirit of the campaign with such enthusiasm - it’s exceeding our expectations by far."

to book a table and menus go to https://downingsbar.co.uk/

Well, Nailsea is turning a very lovely shade of pink - it all looks amazing!
Shops and businesses have excelled themselves with their decorations and fund raising ideas and are poised and ready on the starting line for our launch on Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market.
Twenty very cute little pink ducks are in position in participating windows ready for the children’s treasure hunt.
Forms are £1 each from the Turn Nailsea Pink stall at the farmers’ market and after that at No 65 in the High Street.
A Nowhere FUNdraisers for Cancer Research spokesperson said: "If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late to decorate your window and join in!
"Don’t forget to join us for our finale celebrations on Saturday, March 29, 2-4pm.
"We have some wonderful guests and we promise you won’t be disappointed."