Greyhound mystery solved
FURTHER to the article ‘The Staple Hill greyhound mystery’ (CHAP column, Voice, November), this is not a mystery.
The dog in question is not a greyhound or a whippet, but a Talbot, an ancient hunting hound, which was apparently used by the Cave family as their family badge.
It appears inside Cleeve Hill House, as well as outside. The one pictured and described in the article was in the pediment at the rear of the house, overlooking the north lawn.
A further racing Talbot could be found in the frieze of the marble fireplace in the ground floor lounge/sitting room, which in the First World War was Ward No 7 of the Cleeve Hill Military Hospital.
The Avon Medical Committee building was erected in the 1930s, using some of the demolition materials from Cleeve Hill House. The Talbot was rescued and placed on the façade of the building at that time.
Roger & Judith Angerson Downend
Bath parking nightmare
I RECENTLY experienced the nightmare of trying to use a meter at the Avon Street car park in Bath.
I had thought I was being impatient, with lots of others at the time.
So I was delighted to be given a two-page revelation from the Daily Mail dated November 4 of the Charlotte Street car park – and this applied also to Avon Street – about the mess presented to drivers trying to book a stay.
Apparently there are 198 different tariffs!
There are other such unfriendly situations elsewhere in Britain but Bath has the honour of being the nationally-publicised flagship for harassing users.
So beware if you use these car parks – you can feed in cash and only some meters accept cards, not immediately apparent, and you have to use an app called MiPermit.
When I tried downloading MiPermit, I tangled with a scam one but escaped from that.
So, have second thoughts about driving and parking in Bath!
Alan Elkan Downend
Become a lion
LIONS are like-minded people who volunteer their time to: make a difference by helping those less fortunate than ourselves; help improve our local community; raise money for local and other worthwhile causes; form part of the world’s largest service organisations, while making new friends and enjoying our social events.
You can find out more about the Lions organisation online at lionsclubs.org
Your local Lions are based in Bradley Stoke – you can contact us via our Facebook page.
Chris Wells
Rocket Man needs land
FARMER Ali Mohamad Al Hlayel, who grew up in Syria and was welcomed as a refugee to the UK in 2017, rents a small plot of land through the Grow Wilder Trust (Voice, November).
Ali supplies his vegetables, which are grown using wholly organic practices, to several high-profile restaurants in the city.
Faced with a new challenge, Ali’s small plot of land is not enough to sustain his young family. Ali is now seeking out a bigger plot, located within close transport to North Bristol/South Gloucestershire area to expand his business. Ali can manage 5000m of land by himself and is open to any contract type.
Please contact Ali at rocketmanproduce@gmail.com if you think you can help.
Steph Wetherell Bristol Food Producers
Make a difference to carers
ARE you passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of carers?
If so, the Carers Support Centre Bristol and South Gloucestershire has an amazing opportunity for you.
If you are good with people on the phone and have basic IT skills or a willingness to learn we need to hear from you.
We are looking for someone who is methodical, with patience, empathy, excellent attention to detail and good communication skills to help with calling carers, sending out replacement forms, assisting with form-filling and recording information.
We’ll give you training and support. We ask for two to three hours a week of your time.
Please email volunteering@carerssupportcentre.org.uk for more information.
Adrian Robson Carers Support Centre, Oldbury Court
Correction: Hong Kong resettlement
AN article in November’s Voice on help for people from Hong Kong to adapt and integrate into the community stated that 400 people had visited sessions at the Julian House community support and integration hub in Emersons Green Village Hall.
We have been asked to clarify that the figure of 400 relates to all of the charity’s hubs across South Gloucestershire, not to Emersons Green alone.
We are happy to set the record straight.