Missing links

The Evening Post has reorganised its website and consequently a lot of older links on this site no longer work - clicking on them just takes you through to their home page.

The Gazette has reorganised too, but in their case you just get an error message.

We've also had to take the Evening Post headlines feed off the sidebar because their feed no longer gives the complete addresses. We've written to them about it. The Gazette headline feed does work, however.

Apologies to our regular readers.

Update 12 August - We have removed the Evening Post dead links. The Gazette search facility is offline, so we'll wait until it returns - we might be able to resurrect some of their links.

Update 16 August - We've located all the old Gazette links in our articles, so they should all work now. We've had no reply yet about the problem with the Evening Post headline feed.

Police appeal for witnesses after Yate robbery

Police are appealing for witnesses after a robbery in Yate last Thursday evening of Thursday, August 7. The victim was walking home down an alley that connects Station Road to Milton Road at approximately 11pm last night when she was approached by a man.

The man threatened her with a knife and made her hand over money. He then made off with £25 back down the alley towards Tesco Express.

The suspect is described as white, in his late 20s, with a slim build and spiky short dark hair. He was clean shaven but is described as having a scruffy appearance and wearing a green 'parka' style coat with hood, denim jeans and trainers. He also spoke with a Bristolian accent. The knife he used is described as having a bone handle.

Police are asking that anyone who recognises this description or may have seen anything suspicious that evening to call Staple Hill CID on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thanks to the Avon and Somerset Constabulary district news for this item)

Closure dates announced for Post Offices

Closure dates have been announced for two of our local post offices. The PO counter in Station Road, Yate (Tesco Express) will close at 1pm on September 5th, and Old Sodbury's PO counter in the village shop will close on September 4th.

Obviously the Old Sodbury closure will have a major effect on the village, although the shop will try to manage without the PO facility.

Meanwhile the Station Road closure will have a major effect on the large number of elderly people in the area - not everyone can get to the Shopping Centre easily.

It's clear that the Post Office takes very little notice of objections made during their "consultation process". Community concerns don't count.

As we've commented before, how long will it be before they want to shut Chipping Sodbury, or Abbotswood, or North Road? The only language they seem to understand is profitability, including the share of central costs that they load onto each location. The Post Office's message to us is simple - use it or lose it.

Helicopter chases moped

Just seen on the Avon and Somerset Police website:

The police helicopter was involved in a lengthy search of the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area last night, Wednesday August 06 2008.

The helicopter was called out after a moped which was being ridden without any lights failed to stop for officers at about 11pm in North Road, Yate.

The moped made off along footpaths, pavements and grassed areas as well as the roads around Yate and Chipping Sodbury.

It was finally stopped at about midnight in Merlin Way, Yate.

A 17-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft of a moped, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police and assaulting a constable. He remains in custody.

Track thief derailed

You may recall that back in June we reported on the man who stole five lorry loads (171 tonnes) of old rails stacked up next to the main London to South Wales railway line at Acton Turville.

The BBC reports that he's now been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.

New bus timetables starting

The new bus timetables that come into action tomorrow (3rd August 2008) can be seen on the South Glos website. Make sure you click on the new rather than the old timetables where both are listed.

Local residents will be particularly interested in the changes to these services:

X27 South Yate - Yate - Bristol
X42 Chipping Sodbury - Yate - Bristol
327 & 329 Yate - Bristol
342 Chipping Sodbury - Yate - Bristol

But don't forget that the above are only the services run by First Bus - there are also the services run by other operators, and these are NOT changing:

41 Yate - Malmesbury
200 Chipping Sodbury - Frenchay Hospital
482 & 483 Chipping Sodbury - Cribbs Causeway
581 Hanham - UWE - Chipping Sodbury
620 Tetbury - Chipping Sodbury - Yate - Bath
622 Cribbs Causeway - Chipping Sodbury
627 Yate – Wotton-under-Edge

and the term-time services:

680 Yate - UWE - Filton
967 Yate - Chipping Sodbury School

Happy anniversary to the NHS and the Pension (updated)

This year has seen important anniversaries of two key items of social legislation - the National Health Service and Old Age Pensions.

The National Health Service began on July 5th, 1948 under Nye Bevan as Labour Minister of Health, despite opposition by the Conservative Party and the British Medical Association. Who can imagine these bodies opposing it now? How times have changed.

Read this excellent BBC article on the birth of the NHS.

My own family must have been very grateful for the new NHS as I was born within its first year - one of the first generation of NHS babies.

(As Jock Coates has commented, whilst the NHS was instituted by a Labour government, the overall plan for the welfare state of which it was a big founding part was of course the work of a Liberal, William Beveridge)

The Old Age Pensions Act was passed on 1st August, 1908 under the Liberal government of Asquith (not Lloyd George as I originally said - thanks Jock for this correction also). The first payments were made on 1st January 1909 - 5 shillings (25 pence) for those 70 and over. As another interesting BBC article on the Old Age Pension points out, it was means-tested, being reduced if your income was over 12 shillings a week or you had too much furniture.

In our times of the credit crisis, people not saving for retirement, and a rapidly ageing population, the NHS and the Pension will continue to be needed for many years to come.

Steve Webb's recent item on rising energy prices highlights yet another current concern for people with lower incomes.