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

November 2024

Our town is a very, very nice town

Property people

Backwell Playhouse benefited by a £1k donation from a Persimmon Homes Severn Valley community fund. The parish will also received £500k from the Community Infrastructure Levy as the builder has planning permission for 90 homes on land at Fairleigh Fields, Backwell, read more HERE

What's On 2024

It is goodbye to Halloween and hello bonfire night as November is remembering all those who have and are suffering conflict worldwide. We have a special Christmas page which features parties, pantos, festive feasts and CHSW Santa Run are HERE while What's On page is HERE

Gallery 2024

Lots of slideshows in galleries. Added to the October to December page are more autumnal images of markets, Backwell lake, country walks, drone photos from The Causeway and Land Yeo. We have a decade and more to explore! This Church Peeps image at Bristol Cathedral launched its autumn 2024 programme with a view of Luke Jerram’s suspended earthwork

We have told you where to see Santa, to buy Colin the Christmas caterpillar cake and that Harrods Christmas shop is open but also among the sparkling gems are a foodbank advent calendar for giving, details of the ice rink at Weston and disco nights at Cadbury House.
We also have fab posters with festive events some of which have to be pre-booked or are members only.
We have festive menus with some restaurants/pubs already fully booked for Christmas day, December 25, and a plea from beauty salons for clients to please hurry up and make their appointments along with concerts, pantos and Christmas raffles, 18+ jingle bingo, beat box Boxing Day and Christmas Eve karaoke - what more could you ask for?
Well, perhaps all this on our Christmas page in chronological order, it is not so please scroll down...

Saturday, November 9

10am-4pm craft fair at Nailsea Methodist church
10.30am-3.30pm gold leaf painting workshop and afternoon tea at Cadbury House – Christmas edition

Sunday, November 17

7.30pm wreath making workshop at Nailsea Social Club

Monday, November 18

extended deadline for entries to 65 High Street Christmas bauble competition

Friday, November 22

last day to pre-order Christmas trees from Nailsea School PTA delivery 9-11am Saturday, November 30
3pm onwards Santa Claus at Nailsea MicroPub serving mulled wine, cider and mince pies
5.45pm for 6pm Nailsea Town Council light switch-on at village green with Vee Dubs High Street parade
6.15-7.30pm reindeer hunt for families along the High Street

Saturday, November 23

7pm wine-tasting at Aimee's at Backwell WI hall

Sunday, November 24

10am-3pm Christmas fair at Long Ashton community centre

Wednesday, November 27

5-8pm Christmas fair at Cadbury House

Thursday, November 28

7.30pm festive floral art class at The George

Saturday, November 30

10am-3pm Christmas fair at Holy Trinity and Tithe Barn
6-8pm candlelit preview of Fairy Tales at Tickenham church then every Saturday and Sunday in December noon-3pm
7.30pm festive floral art class at The George

Sunday, December 1

6 for 7pm start 18+ jingle balls bingo at Nailsea Social Club

Thursday, December 5

4-8pm Christmas market at The George, Backwell
7-10pm floral art class at Jacklands Lakes farm shop

Saturday, December 7

7am-7pm Nailsea High Street closed for Eat:Festival with more than 100 stalls
10am-4pm Eat:Nailsea food and drink festival in High Street and Crown Glass shopping centre
setting off at 10,30am arriving at 1pm hundreds of riders with be taking part in the annual Santas on a Bike from Bristol to the Children’s Hospice at Charlton Farm
2pm floral art class at Ring O'Bells
Bristol Hippodrome panto opens with Goldilocks & Three Bears and runs until Sunday, January 5
The Playhouse, Weston, panto opens with Beauty & the Beast and runs until Tuesday, December 31
7pm Nailsea Choral Society performance of Handel's Messiah at Nailsea Methodist church
Adele tribute night at Nailsea Social Club

Sunday, December 8

11am Santas on the Run at CHSW Charlton Farm, Wraxall

Wednesday, December 11

6.30pm-1am not sure if it is murder on the dance floor but Cadbury House is entertaining with a murder mystery and disco night - there are other disco and live music nights on calendar up until New Year
Nailsea School PTA Christmas raffle draw

Thursday, December 12

1.45pm Backwell & Nailsea ladies choir in Christmas concert at Backwell WI hall
from 6pm carol service and toy appeal at The George, Backwell

Saturday, December 14

7.30pm North Somerset Philharmonic play A Carol Symphony at Nailsea School

Saturday, December 21

9am-1pm Nailsea farmers' market
11.30am breakfast with Santa at Royal Oak Nailsea
X-Factor finalist singer Marisa Mortimore make a very welcome return visit to Ring O'Bells

Monday, December 23

8pm big quiz Christmas night at The Moorend Spout

Tuesday, December 24

7pm onwards Christmas party at Nailsea Social Club with karaoke

Thursday, December 26

DJ Santa plays best jingle beats for Boxing Day family party

Friday, December 27

2.30-4.30pm tea party at Holy Trinity for those who were home along at Christmas
New Year parties at Nailsea & Backwell Rugby FC. Nailsea Social Club and Cadbury House

Tuesday, December 31

NYE at Nailsea Social Club with The Stiff Upper Lips

The roadworks along Whiteoak Way, St Mary's Grove and Hannah More Road could have an impact on the Remembrance Day parade on Sunday, November 10.
With bus services disrupted and the routes to the Ring O'Bells pub, Tithe Barn, Holy Trinity church, Grove Stores and Grove Sports Centre & Social Club all put into disarray by the three months of new gas pipe laying now there are questions about the Remembrance parade.
With the number of old soldiers dwindling every year it was only last year that the decision was made for the uniformed youth groups to join the march with banners held high from 2nd Nailsea Scout HQ to the church to honour the dead from many conflicts.
Plans are to set off at 10.20am and continue along Hannah More Road, St Mary’s Grove and Church Lane to the War Memorial in front of the entrance to Holy Trinity Church where a wreath laying ceremony will take place.
A Nailsea town council spokesman said: "Should the roadworks currently taking place in the area not be completed in time, an alternative route has been prepared.
"If this is the case, we will announce and communicated the alternative route on Nailsea Town Council Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nailseatowncouncil and on the Nailsea Town Council news pages https://www.nailseatown.com/."
People taking part in the parade can be dropped off at the Brabantia car park, on Blackfriar’s Road.
Parents/carers are welcome to drop off their children before parking elsewhere on the car park or on alternative roads.
The spokesperson added: "We ask anyone attending the parade please NOT to use the Tithe Barn car park or Holy Trinity Church car park.
"Also, please do not park along the parade route.
"Once the parade arrives at Holy Trinity, the groups will stand around the War Memorial for the ceremony."
Holy Trinity church rector James Packman will lead the ceremony with a speech with wreaths being laid by various Nailsea groups including Nailsea Air Cadets. Nailsea Army Cadets, 1st and 2nd Nailsea Scouts, Nailsea Guides, Avon Fire Service, Nailsea Police, Nailsea Town Council, Nailsea & Backwell Rotary and many others.
Last year the memorial event was much larger that usual despite the pouring rain.
There is no Royal British Legion in Nailsea at this time but local schools and sports clubs are expected to organise their own memorial events.
Large red poppies have been put up along the High Street thanks to our firefighters, collectors have been out and Nailsea in Bloom memorial poppies has made more than £5,000 for the RBL.

On Sunday, November 10, at 10.45am is St Andrew's annual Service of Remembrance. All are welcome to this ecumenical service, when men and women who lost their lives in conflict are remembered. Uniformed organisations will be taking part and wreaths from various groups will be laid. This will be followed by a short Act of Remembrance on Monday, November 11, at 11am at the war memorial.
Christians Together in Nailsea and District say all are welcome to the Remembrance service in Nailsea shopping centre at 11am on Monday, November 11, with bugler and two minutes silence.
On Sunday, November 16, before the Nailsea & Backwell RFC home game against Old Bristolians there will be an act of Remembrance at the West End ground, ko is at 2.45pm. The Ravens represented by Steve Gillard and son Tyler attended the wreath laying at Bristol Memorial Gate.
At the HoC Sadik Al-Hassan planted a memorial cross outside the building on behalf of North Somerset.

We have lots of photos those above are a mismash of past and present in our galleries and seven years ago we wrote this feature https://www.nailseapeople.com/theatre-reviews/remembrance-day-in-nailsea-2017

BEFORE AND AFTER: Below is from Nailsea History Group Facebook page of what became Break charity shop and in the 1980s was the subject of a planning application for an Indian restaurant. It was refused! Lots of different businesses including a double glazing company have traded from the High Street property but none have/are creating as much excitement as the new wine bar which is due to officially open in the next few weeks. Paul Balsh has to give the outside another lick of paint and North Somerset Council has to formally approve the liquor licence then it is all systems go for Downing's to be run by Geoff and Julie and frequented by all their friends...follow Downing's bar on Facebook

Sadik's first 100 days

It was a shock election result - after 30 years as Conservative MP for North Somerset and once leadership hopeful Liam Fox was defeated by a mere 7,000 votes in the July 2024 general election.
Nationwide Conservative heads rolled and in North Somerset the Cribbs Causeway pharmacist Sadik Al-Hassan took the seat from a well-established incumbent.
It was a jaw-dropping moment and many blame the Reform UK candidate for distorting the result.
Active in local South Gloucestershire politics (and social media) the new boy on the block is married with two young sons and a cat called Sprinkles.

The family live at Emersons Green although since the election Sadik has been actively house hunting in the constituency with Nailsea a favoured choice.
After spending most of the week in London Sadik has been busy out and about in North Somerset every weekend and when parliament is in recess.

From street markets to surgeries, from social events to farming issues, he has been doing much palm-pressing and popping into local cafes.

Laterly he has taken up arms against EDF's coastal flooding proposals with a strongly-worded letter refreshingly not couched in the usually guarded political speak.
Sadik said: "After 100 days in office I am proud to have helped 943 people in the constituency with issues like housing, healthcare and education.
"One of my goals is make to North Somerset a better place every year than the one before."

And he lists his goals as:

Working to promote innovation in the area for new skills and jobs
Out on the doorstep talking with residents about their key issues
Working to improve our rural infrastructure via improved access to decent Internet
Supporting music and culture in the constituency
Working with local schools to ensure our children get the education they deserve
Pushing for vital infrastructure projects in the area such as reinstating the Portishead and Pill railway line
Celebrating the great work of groups and individuals in the area
Working with our rural and farming communities to ensure they get the help they need to prosper
Meeting with local groups so they can share concerns
Hearing the views and issues from local councillors with detail about their areas
Meeting with local businesses to promote growth and economic activity across the constituency

Sadik has yet to make his maiden speech but has asked this question in the House of Commons in a September debate on Special Educational Needs & Disabilities: 'May I ask my right honourable friend to detail the department’s plans to help to solve the recruitment problem for SEND professionals, to enable schools to deal with education, health and care plans in constituencies such as mine, North Somerset?'
Since the election he didn't expect to lose the newly knighted Dr Fox has been on an extended book tour of the US while many of his defeated fellow MPs have taken seats in the House of Lords.

PHOTOS: The photocall in HoC for the newbies with Sadik, ringed, who has now a staffed Westminster office and accommodation. He is pictured attending a meeting at No10 Downing Street, we give details how to book a surgery appointment in Clevedon, Nailsea or Portishead and publicise his attendance at Nailsea's second residents' meeting this month with an opportunity to ask questions. Also Sadik takes a selfie of him buying a RBL poppy in a Portishead supermarket and a reminder below of the July 2024 election results. More on our Political Peeps page HERE

US super skater Colin Grafton will partner Nailsea's super star Mollie Pearce for the 2025 Dancing on Ice.

Colin, aged 35, is an American pair skating champion who appeared last year in series 15 of ITV show partnered with drag queen The Vivienne. They made it to the final.

And in 2024, he returned as a professional on the show, this time partnered with soap star Claire Sweeney They were eliminated in week four of the competition.

Mollie announced on Instagram she will be part of Dancing on Ice which is set to return in early 2025 – some say mid-January.

On hearing she would partner Colin, Mollie said: "So excited, we are thrilled and can't wait to start our journey.

"It's an absolute pleasure to be skating with Colin.

"All starting to feel very real now."

She has posted images on social media of her wearing the white skate boots practicing on the ice and taking a tumble.

The former Nailsea School student who led 1st Nailsea Scouts summer carnival 2024 collecting for Crohn's & Colitis UK is a fashion model and disability advocate who was runner-up in Traitors the reality tv competition.

Since The Traitors, she has also taken part in Comic Relief, The Traitors: The Movie, The Weakest Link and appeared on Loose Women.

On the announcement of her joining the Dancing on Ice line-up, Mollie told Lorraine during a breakfast television appearance: "It will be fun, I want to challenge myself, I'm ready for the challenge."

Dancing on Ice is a British television series currently presented by Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby.

The series features celebrities and their professional partners figure skating in front of a panel of judges.

The series, broadcast on ITV, began in January 2006.

Each week the celebrities and their partners perform a live ice dance routine.

A four/five-strong ice panel gives a mark between 0.0 and 10.0.

These total scores then create a leaderboard which combines with the public vote to determine the two lowest placed couples with one couple leaving the competition each week.

Our Mollie is dancing on ice

Obviously Nailsea People will be voting for Mollie!.

Here is the full line-up - who have you heard of besides our Mollie?

Ferne McCann
Mollie Pearce
Sir Steve Redgrave
Sam Aston
Charlie Brooks
Josh Jones
Anton Ferdinand
Chelsee Healey
Dan Edgar
Chris Taylor
Michaela Strachan
Dame Sarah Storey

Nailsea People have a VIP feature page all about Mollie HERE

Lest we forget
prayers + parade

UPDATE: Maiden Speech in Parliament made on Monday, November 4. Sadik said: "Today I had the great honour of delivering my maiden speech in the House of Commons. I was able to talk about the history of our great constituency like our vital role in World War 2 and a certain fruit drink with local origins. It was also an opportunity for me to pay tribute to my predecessor as although we may disagree on many issues I know we would agree on our passion for North Somerset."

Some Highlights of the speech