NAILSEA
PEOPLE
Our town is a very nice town
THE online community newspaper for Nailsea people, their family and their friends
There is a new abridged What's On 2020 HERE postponed events have been archived
August 2020
PROPERTY PEEPS
January homes for sale by Property Peeps page sponsors Hunters Estate Agents and Letting Agents in the High Street HERE. Plus news that district council has decided to go it alone with a Local Plan is also on this page
Breaking News
You read it here first...the brilliant photo by John RIxon of the bus stuck under the bridge with its LED advetising panel saying Stay Alert reached a quarter of a million on the Nailsea People Facebook page. First bus company investigation underway. Full story with photos HERE
Food and drink
In the interests of research Nailsea People visited several local pubs and restaurants this month - with a few more to go. They received a warm welcome at Karen and Wayne Allen's new world - the White Lion at Silver Street which reopened at end of July. More HERE
Gallery 2020
Nailsea - the year so far in slideshows in this Galley including the ongoing Project 366 by geography graduate Eloise Massett. Also on this page is the ex-straw-dinary Nailsea scarecrows, Nailsea to Bristol via the Festival Way and VE Day celebrations. Click HERE to see
FLOWER POWER: More on the What's On page with virtual reality events HERE
LIGHT POLLUTION: Artificial light that’s excessive, obtrusive and ultimately wasteful is called light pollution, and it directly influences how bright our night skies appear. With more than nine million streetlamps and 27 million offices, factories, warehouses and homes in the UK, the quantity of light we cast into the sky is vast. While some light escapes into space, the rest is scattered by molecules in the atmosphere making it difficult to see the stars against the night sky. What you see instead is ‘Skyglow’. Grete Howard took the photograph from Golden Valley playing fields. She said: “Here is a picture of the Bristol glow over Golden Valley - the stars even came out for me.” The streetscene photos of LED lights are by Grete (left) and Mandy Knapman (right). Leigh Woods is the perfect spot of family stargazing or if it is a clear night the Failand Observatory is hosting an event on Saturday, October 3, 7-9pm. Learn more HERE
Getting switched-on to LED streetlights
Nearly three quarters of Nailsea street lighting has been switched to environmentally-friendly LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs.
Across North Somerset 18,500 streetlights are being swapped to save energy and reduce maintenance costs.
A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “The LED project is on track with an expected completion date of April 2021.
“Nailsea, is currently ongoing and is approximately 70 per cent complete.”
As well as the lights more than 2,300 corroded concrete lighting columns are being replaced with new galvanised steel units.
The energy saving low energy LEDs conserve energy and reduce electricity bills for the council.
And the white light, which makes colours look more natural which is better for security facial recognition and CCTV.
The LED lights can shine for up to 100,000 hours.
From October to March between midnight-5am the lights will switch off and because they cannot change to British Summer Time between March and October the lights switch off from 1-6am.
Safety has always been the biggest consideration in deciding whether street lights can be switched off.
These areas remain lit all night:
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traffic signal junctions, pedestrian crossings, subways, at risk roundabouts and junctions identified by night time personal injury and accidents
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parts of town centres that are active during the night
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footpaths, alleyways, public rights of way and walkways in open spaces
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potential hazards on the highway such as traffic calming and speed humps
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locations where there is a high average of accidents at night
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areas with a high record of crime or where incidents of hate crime are a problem
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areas with CCTV or police surveillance equipment
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areas with sheltered housing or residences for vulnerable people
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entrance and exit points to 24-hour operational emergency services sites, such as hospitals, police, ambulance and fire stations.
On a clear, dark night it is possible to view somewhere in the region of 4,000 stars. The number of stars we can see at night depends largely on the amount of light we emit from the Earth’s surface.
Nailsea Town Council host 'virtual' AGM
Nailsea Town Council annual meeting on Wednesday evening, July 29, was a 'virtual' event as the coronavirus crisis cancelled its usual yearly AGM at the Tithe Barn.
Councillor Jan Barber was confirmed as chairman for a further year with former chairman David Packham taking over from Jonathan Argles as vice-chairman.
Mrs Barber reflected on the past year and took the opportunity to thank Gina Gregory who organised the successful scarecrow competition and all the kind residents who had regularly shopped for and helped out their neighbours and friends during the coronavirus crisis.
She said: "I am proud that I live in Nailsea and commend residents on how welll many have coped with the difficulties as a result of the pandemic."
She also mentioned the sad death of David Hopper who had been a long standing town councillor before he moved to Shropshire.
This was the annual general meeting of the town council - the annual town meeting which was scheduled for April has not taken place due to lockdown.
Mrs Barber added: "There is no way that we are able to hold that at this moment.
"Giving cheques out to organisations we sponsor is not a possibility on Zoom!"
It was agreed to fund the first two years of an online high street for Nailsea being put together by Employtec who are the creators of www.wearebs3.co.uk which is Bedminster’s virtual high street.
Councillor James Steel came up with the idea.
He said: "This is a very difficult period for our local businesses but we have seen a great return to shopping locally in Nailsea during the crisis and we want to support this shop local mentality as much as possible.
"We hope the virtual high street will inspire residents to explore their community shops and ultimately spend more locally where possible."
This website will allow people to check stock and shop online but will also allow small independent businesses who do not have an online presence to do so at a minimal cost.
Anyone interestested can get more information from the town clerk Jo Duffy by emailing clerk@nailseatowncouncil.gov.uk.
The council also approved more than £29,000 for the upgrade to the CCTV system in Nailsea which will be completed as part of the wider North Somerset Council CCTV upgrade.
As well as upgrading the current cameras in Nailsea it will invest in a new high spec camera for Millennium Park and three new ANPR cameras on entry points to Nailsea to help the police track and trace vehicles they have identified as being of interest.
It hopes to jointly fund a redeployable CCTV camera with other councils that can be installed on most lamp posts which can be used by police to target areas that are not currently covered by CCTV but are experiencing anti-social behaviour.
RECYCLING RULES
Trailers can now access the recyling centres for the last hour of opening each day and people can also now make more than one visit per month.
Normal restrtrictions on trailers apply including no access on Sundays.
Summer opening hours at Backwell until Wednesday, September 30:
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10am-4pm Monday, Tuesday and Friday
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9am- 4.30pm Saturday
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9am-4pm Sunday
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closed Wednesday and Thursday
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closed bank holidays
Backwell Recycling Centre is at Coles Quarry, Church Town, Backwell.
Some restrictions to manage queues and social distancing apply.
Click HERE for more Information on recycling centres during the coronavirus pandemic
SLOW DOWN
After Nailsea Speedwatch recorded a BMW driver travelling at 65mph on Nailsea Park town councillors want a 20mph limit introduced on certain roads as a matter of urgency.
The BMW driver was one of 22 recorded speeding in just one hour in mid-July.
The road was full of young children and their families on their bikes.
Nailsea Town Council decided it will lobby North Somerset Council to introduce a 20mph speed limit on roads in the centre of Nailsea including Stockway North, Stockway South, Mizzymead Road, Brockway and Station Road.
A Nailsea Speedwatch spokesman said: “65mph is stupid, dangerous, antisocial.
“Stop it before someone gets hurt or worse.”
The 'no right turn' into the Link Road from Waitrose car park has been moved although the red and white plastic bollards blocking car parking spaces in the High Street remain.
The villages of Backwell and Wrington also want 20mph limited on rat run roads.
EATING OUT
You don't have to register - the pubs, cafes and restaurants do.
Get maximum £10 discount at participating places - 50 per cent discount from Monday-Wednesday during August..
Read more on the food and drink page HERE.
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For those on a tighter budget read about new summer holiday initiative for families from the Nailsea Community Group foodbank scheme on this page.
Mighty oak to be felled
CHOP CHOP: 123 year old village green oak tree to go © Grete Howard
The large oak tree on the village green in Nailsea planted in the reign of Queen Victoria is to be chopped down.
A North Somerset Council tree surgeon has inspected the oak and declared it ‘definitely dead, it needs to come down’.
But there will be no cry of ‘timber’ said Nailsea Town Council clerk Jo Duffy as its branches will be chopped off one by one for safety reasons.
Mrs Duffy said the town council is waiting for final costings as they had to get three quotes, but she expects the tree to be felled later this month.
It is hoped enough healthy wood can be salvaged and carved into a commemorative piece like a sculpture.
Mrs Duffy added: “If it is rotten it will just be completely removed.
“We are going to look at the options when the oak is taken out.
“A risk assessment has been done and it is not a danger at this moment.”
Planted more than 100 years ago in 1897 to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria it is one of the oldest oak trees in the town.
The oak tree outside the Royal Oak is thought to have been planted seven years earlier and another on Nailsea Park is believed to be at least 200 years old.
The village green oak according to Terry Smith’s book about Nailsea trees is 95ft tall and has a girth of 595cm.
But it has been dying for nearly a decade, said Martyn Davis, of Nailsea & District Horticultural Society.
Although oak trees are prone to fungus and bacterial disease raising the level of the village green depriving the roots of oxygen and lobbing off branches to restrict its height hasn’t been good for its health, agreed Mr Davis and Mr Smith.
The town council leisure and environment committee hope the smaller oak on the green will survive.
Nailsea’s ’new’ village green is that small raised triangle between New Look and Coates House designated ‘common land’ at the turn of the century.
FOR KING AND COUNTRY: Views of the village green with glimpes of the oak tree from the album of Jane and Bill Knight ©. Left in 1953 seated are Sam Millbank, Glad Wait, May Coker, Mrs Parson and Reg Harvey; top is the old post office and below on the green in 1937 is Mr Wooley, Reg Harvey, Jack Hart, Arthur Webber and Norman Summerell
RA Wait Garage Services is open for business! John, Paul and Nathan have been working throughout the lockdown to help keep key workers, including NHS, supermarket and pharmacy staff, on the road.
They understand that the majority of their customers are slowly beginning to return to work but RA Wait still offer a vehicle collection and delivery service to people in the local area who are self-isolating. This is at no extra cost so please ask for further details when you book your service or MOT. If you delayed your MOT due on or after March 30th now is the time to book.
Find us at Unit 24, Southfield Rd Trading Estate, BS48 1JJ or call us on 01275 866353 or visit www.rogerwait.co.uk
www.nailseapeople.com
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The TEK Hut
The TEK Hut was started by Ben Parker in the summer of 2018.
For 12 years Ben had been one of the team at The ICT Workshop which provided a wide variety of computer services to Nailsea, Clevedon, Yatton, Backwell and even Weston-Super-Mare.
Ben felt it right to continue the same great service customers had previously experienced but under new branding for a new business and The Tek Hut was born.
Trading at the familiar location in Nailsea, The Tek Hut will continue to offer the same cost effective, new laptops and PCs, upgrades, onsite support for homes and businesses through to a wide range of workshop services and accessories.
FIVE STAR
Window Cleaning
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Call 0759 532 3274
Togs
school
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Starting School: Everything you need for that first special day
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Schoolwear: Uniforms, Accessories and Name Tapes
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Sportswear: PE Kits, Gumshields, Shin Pads and Velcro Daps
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Dancewear: RAD Approved for Ballet, Tap, Modern and Jazz
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Activitywear: Uniforms for Rainbows, Brownies and Guides
School Togs
Clevedon Walk, Nailsea, BS48 1RS
01275 857491
Nailsea bed and breakfast
A home from home at Highdale the family-owned bed and breakfast at Nailsea. The B&B at 82 Silver Street is run by Tony and Tina Davey. Call 01275 858004, email mail@highdalebb.co.uk, or go online by clicking HERE for more details
