Lockdown 2.0 Diaries: BS10 – Southmead, Brentry and Henbury

On a recent Tuesday morning, a council worker with an oil can was testing the springiness of some of the equipment in the children’s playground on Embleton Road in Southmead, and then sanitising the seats and handles with a spray.

He is one of the unsung heroes of this second lockdown during which playgrounds are still able to remain open; unlike the first when many across the city were fenced off due to the strict regulations at the time.

Nearby, there was already a socially-distanced queue out of the door of Greggs on Arnside Road soon after 9.30am.

On the other side of the road, the St Peter’s Hospice shop remained closed with its metal shutters down. This is the closest shop to the hospice itself in Brentry.

BS10 may be the physical home of St Peter’s Hospice, “but the heart of the hospice is in the whole of Bristol and the surrounding area” hospice commercial director, Jayne Clarke, told me.

“Our team is out there every day providing vital care for people who may never even have stepped foot through our doors.”

But due to Covid-19, St Peter’s Hospice have currently closed all of their shops, have sadly had to close five of their 15 beds, they have a £2m deficit and are having to make redundancies.

Making sure that all is shipshape and Bristol fashion at the Embleton Road playground in Southmead – photo: Martin Booth

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints meeting house in Southmead is one of four in the Bristol area; the others are in Hengrove, Downend and Yate – photo: Martin Booth

Back in Southmead, a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, better known as Mormons, on Wigton Crescent, might say ‘visitors welcome’ on its sign but with a high perimeter fence and numerous CCTV cameras it looks more like a fortress than a church.

Meanwhile, building work continues at Elderberry Walk on the corner of Ambleside Avenue and Dunmail Road.

The marketing blurb describes the development as “an award-winning collection of beautifully curated homes in a landscaped setting and surrounded by woods and parkland – all just 20 minutes from Bristol’s culturally vibrant scene”.

Elderberry Walk under construction – photo: Martin Booth

Sharing an address of Charlton Road with St Peter’s Hospice is Pieminster‘s factory, which is operating at least four days a week during this second lockdown; and so far in 2020 has sent 4,800 pies to the hospice next door – just one of the charities that they support.

Around 3.5m pies are expected to be made here this year, with roughly ten per cent of these being produced in November.

“The bakery isn’t quite as busy as we’d like with most of our own restaurants and pub-customers either closed or just offering takeaway and delivery,” said Pieminister supply chain director, Tim Cheney.

“Nevertheless, we are able to keep independent food shops and supermarket shelves stocked. The shifting demands associated with the closure of hospitality are tricky to manage.”

The first lockdown also gave Pieminister’s team of chefs the time to develop two new plant-based pies which launched in October; with their Christmas pies available online from Monday.

The Pieminister factory in Brentry is expected to make around 3.5m pies this year – photo: Martin Booth

A short cycle ride away, a few shops and food outlets remained open on Crow Lane in Henbury, with friends stopping for a chat on the wide pavement.

On the side of one of these shops, the Co-Op, is a series of tiles with ‘Our BS10 pledges’. They are more than slightly faded but the sentiment remains: ‘Take a small action to make a big difference in Henbury and Brentry.’

Two pledges that can still be read are: ‘I pledge to organise a day trip with my family’ and ‘I pledge to help anyone’, with the latter coming true next to the Henbury Lodge entrance to Blaise Castle Estate when a dog walker returned a friend’s dog which had run away, after enjoying its own playtime.

The BS10 Pledges can be found on the side of the Co-Op on Crown Lane in Henbury – photo: Martin Booth

Brookridge House overlooking Crow Lane – photo: Martin Booth

Houses on Henbury Road opposite the currently-closed Henbury Arms – photo: Martin Booth

Henbury Lodge is one of the entrances to the Blaise Castle Estate – photo: Martin Booth

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read more: Lockdown 2.0 Diaries: BS9: Sea Mills, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze