The Bristol Drop - Tuesday, April 29
Historic cricket ground could be sold, mega nightclub Motion seeks financial backing, harrowing cat cruelty and a reality check for promotion-chasing Bristol City
Good morning. The sun continues to beat down on Bristol, with the Met Office saying it could hit 24C this afternoon. Spending sunny afternoons at the cricket ground where greats such as WG Grace, Mike Procter and Jack Russell entertained the masses could soon be a thing of the past though, if plans for Gloucestershire CCC to move from the city to a new ground come to fruition.
Bristol news
Glosters on move?: Major announcement last night that Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have signed a ‘non-binding Heads of Terms’ agreement with a landowner near The Wave to potentially move to a new ground close to Pilning in South Gloucestershire. Any move to the proposed Swanmoor Stoke garden village would mean leaving their historic home at Nevil Road in Bristol, a ground that was bought by the legendary WG Grace in 1889. (Gloucestershire County Cricket Club)
“We know that the subject of a prospective ground move is important to our members, local residents and stakeholders…. So, whilst this looks like a tremendous opportunity, the project is still at concept stage.” (Club chair - Peter Matthews)
Motion appeal: Bristol’s biggest nightclub, critically acclaimed Motion, has launched a £250,000 funding appeal to help the at-risk venue on Avon Street find a new home. (Tristan Cork - Bristol Live)
Van go: About 600 people living near the Downs in Bristol have joined a community group aiming to force Bristol City Council to tackle the number of people living in vans at the beauty spot. (ITV West Country)
“We know there are people renting their houses out here whilst they’re living in vans, they’re making money, they aren’t paying taxes.” (Protect the Downs chair Tony Nelson - via ITV West Country)
Cat cruelty: A harrowing story of a heavily-pregnant cat being dumped in a bin bag in Hanham, in what an animal rescue charity described as ‘the most upsetting thing we’ve had to witness’. (Christopher Mace - BBC Bristol)
Knife crime mission: Shanine Wright, 26, tragically lost her brother Darrian Williams, 16, in a brutal murder in Easton that shocked Bristol last year. She is now a member of the Coalition Against Knife Crime which met at the Home Office yesterday. (James Diamond - BBC Bristol)
Death by careless driving: Speeding Keynsham motorist Firas Zeinnedine, 46, was jailed yesterday after admitting causing the death of mum and daughter Cheryl Woods, 61 and Sarha Smith, 40, after aquaplaning at 90mph in wet conditions on the M4 in Wiltshire in his Tesla. (Tristan Cork - Bristol Live)
Green Belt proposals: Up to 300 homes could be on the cards for Green Belt land at Shortwood (Becky Feather - The Week In)
Vandalism fears: People in Cadbury Heath have voiced concern at a spate of attacks on homes, the latest of which saw a rock thrown through a kitchen window. (Lewis Clarke - Bristol Live)
Going nowhere: Yate’s so-called ‘road to nowhere’ - a dual carriageway that was started more than 50 years ago and has never been finished - has become popular as a film location, the town council says. (Beth Cruse - BBC Bristol)
Universal theatre: There’s a fascinating interview with Portuguese artist Carlota Matos about her work in Bristol helping marginalised communities via theatre. (Jaldeep Katwala - Bristol Cable)
Drugs bust: Three were held in St Annes on suspicion of possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine. (Alex Driscoll - Bristol Live)
News in numbers
30: How many points promotion-chasing Bristol City are behind Championship leaders Leeds United, who they lost 4-0 to last night. Perhaps demonstrating the gulf between the top three and the rest, the fifth-placed Robins are actually closer in points terms (23) to already relegated basement-dwellers Cardiff City.
Today’s newspapers
Shockingly these two newspaper front pages are about two separate tragedies that saw two separate drivers being sentenced yesterday for causing accidents that claimed five lives on the West’s roads.
Sport snaps
Leeds loss: Bristol City endured a chastening night at probable champions Leeds United last night, suffering a 4-0 defeat that could have been worse.
Bristol City boss Liam Manning says his players can suffer no hangover from the defeat when they take on Preston North End on Saturday, with a play-off place on the line. (Daniel Carter - Bristol Live)
Player ratings from the stinging defeat at Elland Road. (Daniel Carter - Bristol Live)
Despite having already accumulated 97 points Leeds’ boss Daniel Farke could be heading for the exit. (Louise Taylor - Guardian)
Wider West
Young friends tragedy: Three Gloucestershire school mates lost their lives when then 17-year-old Edward Spencer crashed while ‘showing off’. He was sentenced yesterday. (Matthew Cooper, PA - via Gloucestershire Live)
Salisbury Plain EV ban: According to reports some electric vehicles (EVs) with certain Chinese components have been banned from parts of Salisbury Plain. The MoD did not directly address the allegations. (Isabella Holliday - Salisbury Journal)
Extending franchise: Liberal Democrat MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse has reportedly sponsored an event in Parliament inviting MPs to join Migrant Democracy Project to discuss a report about potentially extending the franchise to 4.4 million migrants in the UK. (Jack Walters - GB News)
Community noticeboard
Why Y-fronts?: Weston-super-Mare will be on the route of a bizarre cycle event on Bank Holiday Monday where riders will be sporting orange Y-fronts. The ‘Le Tour de Balls Quatre’ is in aid of the 10th anniversary of testicular cancer charity, It’s in the Bag Cancer Support. (Jack Roberts - Weston Mercury)
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