A campaign has been raging to raise £6 million by the end of October to fund an innovative gene therapy trial. The campaign, led by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust began in earnest in September 2011.  Thousands of people living with the genetic condition, Cystic Fibrosis (CF), may be given the opportunity to enjoy a better quality of life if this new innovative gene therapy trial goes ahead and proves successful.

Doing his bit for the campaign is Bath Dad, Philip Kelley, who is organising a charity gig and auction on Friday 14 October to raise money for the appeal. The gig will be held at The Bear Pub in Bath, with Philip’s band ‘Agent Philby and the Funtans’, with donations being collected for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Event organiser, Philip Kelley said:
“My eight year old daughter Mary has Cystic Fibrosis, when I heard that this trial had a funding shortfall I wanted to do all I could ensure the money was raised. The gig will be held to allow the local community to enjoy live music and feel good about helping to raise money for this worthwhile cause. I am especially grateful for the support from our local MP Don Foster.

MP for Bath, Don Foster, is seeking community support, he said:
“If this trial goes ahead and is successful, it can give the many CF families in Bath and across the UK, hope in achieving a better and longer life. I want to appeal to local businesses and the community to dig deep, not only to support this fundraiser but also to support the campaign. We cannot let this appeal fail.”

The UK CF Gene Therapy Consortium, funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, has been working for ten years to find a way of inserting a healthy gene into a CF patient’s lungs to ensure that the damaging effects of the faulty CF gene are stopped in their tracks. They are now at an exciting stage and are ready to test the product on patients in a multi-dose clinical trial which aims to determine whether this new treatment works.

If the money is raised the trial will go ahead in the Spring 2012.

There are events across the country to raise money for the CF Trust’s Gene Therapy Appeal.  Donations to the appeal can be made at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CysticFibrosisGeneTherapy-1
More information about Cystic Fibrosis is available from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s website: www.cftrust.org.uk

Liberal Democrats have always believed that education is the engine of social mobility, now we are making it happen.

Today the Government released the final Pupil Premium figures for every English local authority, constituency and school. I am delighted to announce that every school this year will receive an extra £488 for each child on free school meals they have on their roll.

Schools in your constituency of Bath are getting an extra £576000 from the Pupil Premium to improve the education of the most disadvantaged children. You can find out what each school in your council area is getting by clicking here.

This is a real milestone for our party. The Pupil Premium is a policy we devised and campaigned for, and put at the heart of our Coalition negotiations. Now it is more than good policy, it is a reality making a difference to the school down your road. It goes directly into classrooms and will benefit all pupils.

It is also a milestone in breaking the link between poverty and achievement, tackling Labour’s shocking legacy where the richest 16-year olds are three times as likely to get five good GCSEs as the poorest.

This is just the start. We know that some families eligible for free school meals don’t claim them, for example, because some don’t know they can, and so their schools are missing out on funding. We also need to find out what schools are doing that’s really making a difference.

If you’d like to help, you could contact your local school to find out how they are using their Pupil Premium funding, and how they are making sure they are reaching every child.

Together, we can ensure every child is able to fulfil their potential.

Don Foster MP

Don Foster MP has paid tribute to Bath manufacturers following the launch of British Manufacturing Week by Liberal Democrat Business Minister, Vince Cable MP.

Under the guidance of the Business Minister, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has pushed for record numbers of apprenticeships to help manufacturing and give young people valuable skills for their career. The South West alone saw 8,470 new apprenticeships created in the first year of this Government, an increase of 31% to 35,810.

Commenting, Don said:

“I want to start by praising some of the excellent work of our local manufacturers, including Rotork, Bath Institute of Medical Engineering and BMT Defence Services. They form the backbone of our economy and will bring jobs and growth to our community.

“Vince Cable is right that we should be proud of the “Made in Britain” mark, which is a sign of quality the world over. Our country’s industry should not merely be a proud past, but also a proud future.

In addition, the Government has announced that it is committing more than £200 million over four years to develop an elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres (TICs). These centres will specialise in different technology areas such as high value manufacturing, digital media and resource efficiency.

Don added:

“The set up of TIC’s coupled with the creation of apprenticeships and investment in the Regional Growth Fund shows the Liberal Democrats in Government are working hard to rebalance our economy, away from the financial speculators in the City of London, towards sustainable growth all over the country.”

Cookery Class  Tuesday 18 October here at Time Bank Plus.  11 am to 1 pm – Spaces available so please let me know asap if you would one.

Cookery Circle  Is there anyone interested in joining a Cookery Circle?  The idea will be to share favourite recipes and take turns to cook simple, healthy dishes which will then be eaten.  Proposed time is Thursday lunchtime, here at our premises.

Training Course Available  Free training is available through us in conjunction with Age Concern for volunteers who will then visit elderly people to advise on energy efficiency and keeping their homes warm.  This is a great opportunity to add to your CV – anyone interested will be interviewed and an enhanced CRB check will be undertaken.  The course will start at the beginning of November so please get in touch if you would like to be considered.

Social Hour  We are thinking of starting a Social Club on Monday afternoons here at our premises. The idea will be possibly to play board games or exchange skills over a cup of tea. Please let me know if you would like to join in or even be the Leader/Co-ordinator.

Guitar Tutor  Help!!  We are still looking for someone who would like to give beginner tuition.

Can you Crochet?  I have a lady who attends the Knit and Natter group which meets on alternate Mondays at Rose Cottage – 11 am to 12 pm.  She would love someone to give her one-to-one tuition in how to crochet.  Are you able to help?

Gardening We would like to extend our very grateful thanks to Molly Ricketts who is finishing as Gardening Team Leader at the end of November. We will be recruiting for this paid position in the New Year but  you are welcome to register an interest now.  Applicants must have gardening knowledge, people skills and their own vehicle to transport volunteers and equipment.

Commenting on the announcement by UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that parents will be given an ‘active choice’ whether they want to impose parental controls on internet access in their home, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Culture, Media and Sport, Don Foster said:

“Anyone signing up for internet access will be asked to make an active choice about what they want to see online. This is far better than passing laws to force ISPs to filter everyone’s internet connections by default.

“Web blocking should not lull parents into a false sense of security. The problem will only really be solved when parents take an active interest in what their children are doing online.

“Now that ISPs are acting voluntarily, the Government must step away from introducing web censorship laws”

With more people turning to open fires and wood burning stoves as the colder months arrive, Bath & North East Somerset Council is advising residents in Bath’s Smoke Control Area to help improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions.

The city of Bath is a designated Smoke Control Area which means that smoky fuels, such as wood and coal, must not be burned in an open fire place.

The first Smoke Control Area – covering the Oldfield Park and Westmoreland wards – was established in 1980 due to a problem with the level of smoke and sulphur dioxide from domestic open fires. A further eight control areas were subsequently introduced over a 14 year period which now cover the whole of the city of Bath, including Combe Down, Odd Down, Lower Swainswick and Bailbrook.

More Bath Chronicle

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Advice-Bath-8217-s-Smoke-Control-Area/story-13520480-detail/story.html

A Westmoreland PACT Meeting took place on Thursday 24th March at Oldfield Park Baptist Church.

The following priorities agreed at that meeting:

1. Volume of traffic, mainly HGVs, on The Lower Bristol Road
Lead agency: B&NES

2. Fly tipping, lane between Coronation Avenue and Ivy Avenue
Lead agency: B&NES

3. Parking at junctions, Oldfield Park area
Lead Agencies: B&NES/Police

The Panel members have now worked towards resolving these issues and will report back on their actions at the next PACT Meeting scheduled for 7pm 13th October 2011 at Oldfield Park Baptist Church.

We very much look forward to seeing you at the next meeting, but should you have any concerns in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0845 456 7000.

Yours sincerely

PC Adrian Secker
PCSO Kim Tanner
PCSO Nigel Penney
Westmoreland Neighbourhood Policing Team

The week commencing Monday 17th October 2011 is ‘National Rogue Trader’s Week’ where the Police and Trading Standards pro-actively target the criminals who con people into paying high prices for low quality work.

Please be aware of any tradespersons in your area, particularly if they are working at elderly or vulnerable people’s homes.  If you have any suspicions or concerns please ring the Police on 999 in an emergency or 101 at any time other than an emergency, so that we can check them out.  If you are thinking of asking a tradesperson to work for you either use someone recommended personally to you or use the Trading Standards Approved Traders Directory available on 01225 396 753.

A meeting is being called later this month to talk about how to control the growth of shared student housing in Bath.

A consultant appointed by Bath and North East Somerset Council has begun investigating the best way of using planning laws to restrict the conversion of conventional homes into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Politicians, community leaders and property industry representatives will be called to a workshop organised by B&NES at the Guildhall on October 24.

Under discussion will be whether to impose an extra layer of planning regulation – called an Article 4 direction, which means that permission would be necessary for conversions that do not currently require planning consent.

At the moment, houses can be converted into accommodation shared by between three and six people. Under such a new regime, planners would have to approve conversions and would be likely to refuse permission once a certain percentage of homes had already been developed.

The council said its study would:

* explore the correlation between the density of HMOs and noise disturbance, litter, and parking difficulties.

Full story Bath Chronicle

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Workshop-discuss-curbs-student-housing-Bath/story-13463026-detail/story.html

A busy route into Oldfield Park has been closed for up to four weeks.

The closure of Brook Road is linked to the long-running gas replacement work project in Moorland Road, which will last until mid-November.

Work on inserting a new gas pipeline into a steel main at Brook Road had been due to start on October 12.

But contractors working for Wales and West Utilities brought forward the work to keep the rest of the project on schedule.

A spokeswoman said the change of date was needed to allow the firm to reinstate a section of Moorland Road.