News in Radstock

People across Bath and North East Somerset are being encouraged to remember one of the deadliest and most vicious acts in modern history ever perpetrated on the human race by lighting a candle at home on 27th January at 8pm.

Wednesday 27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) and that date in 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland (the largest Nazi death camp) by Allied forces towards the end of the Second World War. HMD 2021 also marks the 26th anniversary of the Genocide in Bosnia.

Plans for a 5G mast in Bath 60 metres from a green belt site where the technology was branded "inappropriate" are set to be considered by councillors.

Telecom giants EE and Three saw their application to upgrade an existing mast in Charlcombe Lane thrown out after hundreds of residents voiced concerns about the potential health impact.

A historic Bath building is set to get a £1million revamp so it can provide "much-needed" supported accommodation for former rough sleepers.

Number 23 Grosvenor House was recently handed back to Bath and North East Somerset Council in a controversial deal that will see the social housing provider walk away with a £450,000 pay out.

More than 80 Avon and Somerset Police officers are ill with Covid-19 and another 47 could be infected.

Chief constable Andy Marsh is cancelling rest days and offering overtime to tackle lockdown breaches, and is also set to consider a request for officers to drive ambulances to support stretched NHS services.

The vaccine delivery site in Bath has renewed its appeal for people to help with organising arrivals and departures of people at the site.

They have put out an appeal on Twitter for local businesses to offer up their staff for a day.

Cancer counselling charity We Hear You (WHY) is celebrating a £10,000 donation from Haycombe Cemetery and Crematorium in Bath, via a metal recycling scheme.

The national scheme is run by not-for-profit organisation Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management and means metal such as artificial hip joints, rods and screws that cannot be cremated are recycled, generating charitable donations. To qualify for donations from the scheme, charities must support people affected by bereavement or terminal illness. Previous local beneficiaries include the RUH Forever Friends Appeal, Make a Wish Foundation and Cruse Bereavement Support. We Hear You provides free professional counselling to children and adults affected by cancer and life-threatening conditions in BANES, Somerset and Wiltshire and is benefitting from the scheme for the first time. Fundraising and Communications Manager Gemma Wilkes says:

The development company behind the homes to be built (subject to final planning) on the site of the old school in Radstock have begun advertising them as coming soon.

Current plans are for 13 homes on the site along with two apartments, all with parking and gardens. The school is on Bath Old Road within the Radstock Conservation Area and includes the former infants school grounds and some derelict classrooms - a total area of 0.89 acre. The school itself closed in 2005 and was sold by B&NES in 2019.

In this latest column from the Radstock MP, Jacob Rees Mogg writes:

This week, the Government reached a major milestone with more than 2.3 million residents in the United Kingdom (UK) having been vaccinated. The programme is the biggest in NHS history and is off to a strong start with more people here having been immunised compared to anywhere else in Europe.

Cancer counselling charity We Hear You is running its third mindfulness course starting in January 2021, aimed at people affected by cancer and life-threatening conditions.

Communications Officer Lucy McMahon said :"Running our WHYbemindful courses via Zoom was imposed on us by lockdown, but we've been delighted with the hugely positive impact it's had on participants and are looking forward to starting our third online course in January 2021. The course is open to patients and the people who care for and are close to them."

Residents in Bath and North East Somerset are being reminded they can exercise but not socialise in parks and open spaces under government rules on lockdown.

And skateboarders are being told not to use Royal Victoria Park's skate park which is closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Skaters should not use Alice Park either.