89 Bus Update - Good News!
Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 15:01, Fri 28 August 2009:
89 BUS UPDATE - GOOD NEWS!
I met this week with the Managing Director of First Bus in Bristol, to call on him to reinstate a bus service on Leinster Avenue in Knowle West. The 89 service was removed by First last year, and residents quickly set up a campaign group, The Knowle Go-Getters, to return a service to the area. Lyn Caple, who helped to set up the Go-Getters, came along to the meeting with me.
I wanted to ensure that First realised that buses are absolutely vital for so many people – I have had letters from residents who have been left housebound by these changes. I had thought that the meeting went positively but, even so, I was delighted to receive a phone call to tell me that First will be introducing a new bus route in Knowle West. This will serve Leinster Avenue, as well as the Novers, and will provide a direct route into Bedminster and then on to Broadmead. Details on the timetables are still being finalised, but this is a very positive first step. I will keep you updated.
BACKING BRISTOL'S BID AT WEMBLEY
I met last week with Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Trevor Brooking at an event at Wembley stadium, and used the opportunity to tell the sporting legends about Bristol’s bid to be a host city for the 2018 World Cup. West Ham and England football legend Sir Trevor and five time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve, joined me at the launch of a major partnership between the Football Association and Government backed youth organisation My Place. It was too good an opportunity to miss not to speak to them about Bristol.
Of course, Sir Steve and Sir Trevor have to stay impartial, but I wanted to let them know about how much we’ve got to offer here in Bristol. Bristol’s a real sporting city, playing host to two professional football teams, as well as professional rugby and cricket teams. Many thousands of Bristolians play organised, grass-roots sport every week and we are experienced at hosting highly successful events like the Half Marathon, Balloon Fiesta and Harbour Festival. Now is the time to show that little bit of extra ambition, and prove that Bristol can host one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
VISITING FARE SHARE
I continued a busy summer recess with a visit to food redistribution charity FareShare. FareShare hands out surplus food donated by retailers to vulnerable people in locations across Bristol. The food is all perfectly fit for purpose. FareShare really is a brilliant project. It was an eye-opener, but also a real worry, to see how much food is simply wasted and destined for land-fill rather than people’s plates. Thankfully, FareShare are doing something about this. Not only do they distribute food to people who need it, they are also able to educate us all about the problem of wasting perfectly good food. They offer a number of excellent volunteering opportunities to people who have found it difficult to find work, and I wish them every success in the future.
OUT2PLAY AT WILLMOTT PARK
I went over to Hartcliffe on Wednesday to visit the Out2Play project at Willmott Park. Despite the miserable weather, lots of children and young people were there to enjoy free play sessions. The play sessions are run by Community Service Volunteers in a number of areas of Bristol South. Extra sessions are put on during the summer holidays, and they are filling an incredibly important gap to stop summer holiday boredom.
GCSE AND A-LEVEL SUCCESS
Congratulations are due to Bristol’s young people who have received their GCSE and A-Level results. I know how hard young people work, and I hope that the results that students have received in the last week will have meant that all the study has been worthwhile. There were some positive results at all of our local schools, with Ashton Park School and the new Bridge Learning Campus improving especially well. At this time of year, it’s also important to recognise that some pupils will not have received the results they were hoping for. If you, or somebody you know, is in this difficult situation, help is available. For GCSE or A-Levels, you can contact the National Exam Results Hotline on 0808 1008000. Calls are free on landlines, and the helpline is staffed by expert career advisers.
MICROSOFT DONATIONS
In a previous News from Westminster, I explained that I am often contacted by large organisations and companies who are offering support to the voluntary and community sectors. I’m happy to pass this information on, although the information I provide shouldn’t be seen as a recommendation of any particular organisation. Microsoft have been in touch to highlight some of the work that they are doing to support community groups. They work on three major areas – providing software donations, computer hardware and IT training. If you are involved in a community group which would benefit from this support, you can visit www.ctxexchange.org for information on software; www.microsoft.com/MAR for hardware; or www.microsoft.com/uk/dlc for IT training.
ANY QUESTIONS?
If you have any queries about these issues, or have a question you would like to ask about anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Email me at primarolod@parliament.uk, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH. Alternatively, for more information on what’s happening in and around Bristol South, you can visit www.bristolsouthlabourparty.org.uk.
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