The Bristol Drop - Friday, July 4
Pioneering neurosurgery stops boy's seizures, fabulous SGS and Amazon project helping young adults with autism find jobs, Turbo Island latest and legendary Clifton nightspot closes.
Good morning, some very strong stories from around the city this morning. Including a couple of really interesting videos from the Bristol Children’s Hospital. Do check out the rest of the headlines below and my ‘drop of the week’. Have a great weekend and the Bristol Drop will be back as normal on Monday.
Bristol news
Seizure surgery: Astonishing report showing pioneering neurosurgery on a six-year-old boy at Bristol Children’s Hospital that has hopefully ‘cured’ his frequent epileptic seizures. (Caron Bell - ITV West Country)
Amazing workforce: Genuinely heart-warming story of how SGS College and Amazon have teamed up to help young adults with autism successfully navigate entering the workplace. Superb feature from the perhaps unlikely setting of Amazon’s giant ‘fulfilment centre’ in Severn Beach. (Damian Whitworth - The Times)
Village stabbing: Two people arrested following a stabbing on the High Street in the small village of Claverham in rural North Somerset yesterday afternoon. (Sarah Lumley - Somerset Live)
Turbo charges: Taxpayers are in for a hefty bill as Bristol City Council solicitors have admitted the Turbo Island ‘village green’ row is too complex and specialist planning barristers’ advice will be required. (Alex Seabrook, LDR - via Bristol 24/7)
Rubbish donations: Multiple Bristol charity shops say they are essentially being used as a bin by some people - who have even ‘donated’ dirty nappies and stained clothes - rather than properly disposing of them. (Mike Gilmore and Martin Jones - BBC West)
Unseen and uncounted: Very concerning story that hundreds more women are thought to be sleeping rough on Bristol’s streets than Government figures are recording. (Hannah Massoudi - Bristol 24/7)
Top class: Nice behind-the-scenes tour meeting pupils and teachers in the special school room at Bristol Children’s Hospital. (Sabet Choudhury - ITV West Country)
Lizard lament: Long-running Queens Road nightclub the Lizard Lounge has announced it is closing - after 28 years as a mainstay of the Clifton Triangle nightlife scene. (Ellie Kendall - Bristol Live)
Hartcliffe hope: The M1 metrobus route is due to be extended to Hartcliffe next year, as part of a £4 million scheme to improve the notoriously bad public transport links of the South Bristol suburb. (Alex Seabrook, LDR - via Bristol Live)
Parole denied: Serial killer Allan Grimson, who is suspected of killing Kingswood naval rating Simon Parkes nearly 40 years ago, has been denied parole. (Adam Aspinall - Mirror)
Evening opening: A Mediterranean-style cafe that opens later into the evening than many Bristol coffee shops has opened in the city centre, on the junction of Clare Street and Baldwin Street. (Hannah Massoudi - Bristol 24/7)
Carnival: It isn’t on the same scale as most years, but tomorrow’s St Pauls Carnival will nevertheless be the biggest event in Bristol this weekend. A reminder of what’s on here. (Ellie Kendall - Bristol Live)
News in numbers
2,500: Number of jobs at one industrial estate alone near Chepstow that are potentially at risk due to the closure of the M48 Severn Bridge to HGVs - with local councillors in Monmouthshire comparing the economic threat to the closure of the Scunthorpe steelworks. Continually surprised this hasn’t been a bigger story on the English side of the Bristol Channel. (Twm Owen, LDR - via Nation.Cymru)
Today’s newspapers
Sport
Dressage dream: Completely brilliant interview with Bristol-based Tegan Vincent-Cooke, who hopes to represent Jamaica in para-dressage in the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. (Ross Arnott - ITV West Country)
Mural launch: A giant mural has been unveiled at the Harbourside ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup - which starts in 50 days, with a number of games taking place at Ashton Gate. (Joe Skirkowski - BBC Bristol)
Drop of the Week
Being July 4 I felt a pint of Independence might just be the order of the day. I cheated and enjoyed this fine pale ale earlier this week, not earlier this morning, honest… One of Bristol Beer Factory’s flagship beers, it is brewed with a variety of US hops, including Amarillo and Nugget. There is a bit of a belief in Britain that American beer isn’t up to much, which I don’t think is strictly true. While some US lagers in the supermarkets are pretty insipid, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some great beer in America in recent years. I have especially fond - albeit somewhat vague - memories of a 9% habanero-chilli infused double IPA at the tap room at Hob Brewing Company in Florida. Over the past decade tap rooms have added hugely to Bristol’s beer scene and I’m a big fan of the Bristol Beer Factory Tap Room on North Street in Southville. Not only a great range of beer, but it is one of the few Bristol venues I know that serves pretty much the perfect ‘beer’ food - an ace Currywurst.
Wider West
Festival freebies: Ten senior councillors at Somerset Council were offered hospitality at last week’s Glastonbury Festival, worth £380 per head. (Harry Mockridge - Somerset County Gazette)
Massive ‘Missing Link’: Aerial photographs of the enormous £460 million construction project to dual the ‘Missing Link’ section of the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester. (Sarah Turnnidge - BBC Gloucestershire)
Community noticeboard
Bristol fashion: The Costume Society is holding its annual meeting and the finals of the Patterns of Fashion and Patterns for Performance awards at Origin Workspace on Berkeley Square tomorrow. (Costume Society)
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The Bristol Drop is curated by Western Daily Press editor Richard Bache. Subscribe to start the day with a brief digest of the morning’s essential news. I’ll be back on Monday with the latest from around the city.
My 10 year old would like me to remind you that the Daleks are coming to the M Shed (while her father takes part in the triathlon)! Bigger events than the carnival some might say.
Thanks for another good newsletter.