The British Raj in Westbury on Trym

If I'm glowing slightly in the photo, and have chronic red-eye, it's possibly because I've just enjoyed a good hot Madras, full of flavour.

I went into The British Raj ( Passage Road, W-o-T) after an evening out canvassing in particularly miserable weather. (It's hard to look 'parliamentary' through a fine drizzle/steady rain, when your hair's adhered itself in a wet heap to the side of your head, and your hands are too slopping wet to shake on greeting...)

So there was only one thing for it, a nice hot curry. The British Raj provided a gloriously warm welcome, very comfortable seating, friendly staff and lovely food- good rich sauce which although hot still retained all its depth of flavours. It is obviously best appreciated after a hard evening's canvassing (preferably with me of course) - so what are you waiting for?!

Good news for Southmead Health Centre

I met with Richard Stroud ( pictured, left) who showed me round the new improvements he's helping to make at Southmead Health Centre.

The centre has needed some improvements - the roof suffers from perpetual damp in places, the staff showed me how hot and cramped it can get in summer and the interior needs a bit of face lift- but hopefully those improvements will be on the way.

It was so good to see the vision and dynamism that Southmead deserves, and a real vision for the future. Carry on the great work!

My discovery: First Bus's £125k bill to Terror Police

You probably, like me, gaped when you found out: That First Bus has charged Avon and Somerset Police £125,000 - yes, £125 GRAND, for CCTV footage to help investigate the case of Andrew Ibrahim.

I used a Freedom of Information Act to find out how much the police have been charged.

First Bus say that they have charged so much because equiptment needed to be removed to help the police in their investigations. But given that the entire purpose of a CCTV camera is ultimately to help police with their investigations, I find it extraordinary that it should cost so much.

I have written to Justin Davies, Director of First Bus, demanding an explanation for the obscenely high bill they sent to First Bus. I will keep you posted.

See how HTV West reported the story here
BBC News Website here
The Evening Post here

Dragon Boat Sunday

Lots of things seem a good idea at the time, then lose their allure fast as the day of their fulfillment dawns. Some things however regain their allure, and you end up not regretting that enthusiastic moment when you said 'yes'.

Taking part in the fundraising Dragon Boat Race , for the Life Education Centre was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday. The atmosphere was brilliant, with teams from all over Bristol competing and raising money for charity.

Well done to all the organisers who worked so hard - and to Captain Hilary who kept our boat ship shape and Bristol Fashion. No mean feat.

Vassall Centre celebrations

The Vassall Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary today, putting on a show with nationally renowned comedian Mat Fraser, and lots of other attractions.

The centre provides a real example of how every work place and community facility can , with a bit of imagination and effort, be made completely accessible to all with disability.

It was fantastic to see the progress that has been made from the days when the centre was run down, and had little real accessibility to the disabled to boast of.

Since then, they have undergone a huge refurbishment and redevelopment which makes it an icon of a barrier-free zone - and really sets the standard - and the challenge - to future barrier-free development.

a Grand effort from Upper Horfield Community Trust

Upper Horfield Community Trust should have festivals more often. I have never known one of their festival weekends to be held in anything other than glorious sunshine.

And this year, they raised in the region of £1000 for the area. Not only that, but they bring a whole community together with a mix of fun for the family, children's activities - and informative stalls and advice points. Everything under one roof - or, er, blue sky.

I entered the prize draw, got caught up in drama as the boards behind me fell over and almost crushed the lady in red hair filling in the prize draw form - and in all the excitement I managed to leave my wallet at the stall. Within fifteen minutes, I'd had a phone call from one of the organisers telling me not to panic, (which I was. Heartily.) He had my wallet. That really said it all - even amongst all the activity, the organisers had time to spot a stray wallet and take the time to return it to its rightful owner. Thank you and well done to Ray Hulbert MBE, and Maria who put so much effort into what was a fantastic weekend.

Post Offices want a hand up, not a hand out...

Today, Charles Hendry MP ( Shadow Minister for Postal Affairs) came to Bristol to talk about the closure of Wellington Hill West Post Office and 28 others across the city.

(Photo shows Mani Ghuman, from the Federation of Sub Postmasters, me, the Sub Postmaster of Wellington Hill West- David Mothersdill, Charles Hendry MP, and Adrian Mothersdill, assistant sub postmaster.)

True to form, Labour only seem to be able to talk money and subsidies when it come to the saving the post office network. We have pledged to match subsidy on the network to keep it alive, but what Labour cannot seem to understand, is that simply loading money into something is not the answer.


The tragic and infuriating thing about the closure of post offices is that if you actually speak to the sub-postmasters involved, they are itching with ideas as to how to make their post office outlet competitive. Sub-Postmasters don't want to exist on Government subsidy, but on business success.

Sub-Postmasters don't want to exist on Government subsidy, but on business success.

Many sub-post masters wanted to offer all sorts of services - mobile top ups, council counters but were prevented from doing so by Post Office ltd. When Post Office ltd. finally caught onto the fact that these were good things, the post masters had missed the boat and other stores had cornered the market. Even now, sub-post masters have been constrained in their drive to make their business a going venture instead of a subsidy dependent appendage of the state.

Labour MPs who voted for the closure of post office branches ( including all Bristol Labour MPs, except Kerry McCarthy who, I understand , was not present for the vote ) whitter on pathetically about Tories and subsidies. The point is, that whilst we have pledged to match the subsidies, the Post Office network shouldn't NEED the subsidies. It is full of bright entrepreneurs who want to inject vitality and health into the network to make it more self-sustaining.

Before we start closing down our valuable and irreplaceable community network of Post Offices, let's liberate the Post Masters to really make a go of it, as so many are itching to do. Only then, when we have liberated Post Offices to compete in the modern world, reassessed the amount of subsidy that the post office needs in that light, should we even begin to think about closing any down. Closures before that point are little less than the unnecessary decimation of hundreds of communities.

For England and St. George!

If there is one thing that unites all three mainstream political parties, it is concern over the grip that the BNP is gaining over the country, and sadly, in some parts of Bristol. But on the other hand, how encouraging to see our great national identity celebrated so strongly by our local City and County of Bristol branch of The Royal Society of St.George.

Attending their AGM, ( and enjoying a very good dinner afterwards, as you can see.) I realised what a valuable force The Royal Society of St. George can be against the dangerous rise of organisations like the BNP. The BNP often gain a foot-hold because people want a way to express the kind of national pride that political correctness has forced out. People are concerned that England's triumphs are being written out of the school history curriculum, to be replaced by the encouragement of a national guilt complex. People want to celebrate things that are English, and the values that have held our country together: tolerance, determination and discipline.

The Royal Society of St.George provides an opportunity and an outlet for people to celebrate Englishness in a completely positive way. And it does not celebrate English values in words alone: The chairman, Dennis Stinchcombe MBE has been instrumental in instilling the English values of tolerance, discipline and respect into countless young people through his Riverside Youth Project and boxing club. It is organisations like the Royal Society of St.George that are our best weapon against the dangerous and prejudiced so-called nationalism of parties like the BNP.

I had a wonderful and uplifting evening at the society's AGM - and I encourage anyone proud of their country to join this vibrant society. You can join up by emailing the secretary, Jonathan Price, on jdrprice@care4free.net . It's time to reclaim the Union Jack and St.George's cross from the dangerous prejudice of parties like the BNP, and prove that national pride is not racist.

Post Office Closures? This Government ain't bovvered

What do we have to do to get the Government to listen?
Despite a massive protest march, over 1000 petition signatures, a full report which I submitted to Post Office Ltd, and literally hundreds of detailed consultation submissions from local residents, the Government is going ahead with its closure of Wellington Hill West Post Office, Northville Road in Filton, Middleton Road in Lawrence Weston and dozens of post offices across the city. The effect that this will have on local residents cannot be calculated.

During my campaign to save our local post offices I have spoken to so many people for whom their local post office is literally a life-line: The elderly who simply have no way of performing daily tasks without their local post office; the disabled who will not be able to make the difficult journey to their next nearest post office - and one war hero who told me how he had sacrificed everything for his country in the second world war and couldn't understand why the Government was stripping away his local amenities in his old age.

If those in charge of the consultation had actually talked to ordinary people and listened to how they would be effected, perhaps they would have reached a different decision. But as it is, it is hard to believe that the so-called 'consultation process' was little more than a PR exercise, and an excuse to go ahead with the closures regardless. The Government seems to be saying, like Catherine Tate's Lauren, 'Am I bovvered?'. No wonder people have lost faith in politics, and lost faith when the Government says it is going to 'listen'. What is particularly amazing is that our local Labour MP voted in favour of the closures in Parliament.

It is unlikely, however hard we exercise our democratic rights, that we are going to be able to reverse these disastrous decisions to close our post offices. But I for one will be looking more closely at the consultation process, and if there is any way we can challenge the decision on the basis that the consultation was flawed, you can be guaranteed we will do it. If you feel that you have evidence that the consultation process was flawed, please get in touch: charlotte@charlotteleslie.com or telephone: 0117 9736811

I would like to thank, once again, all those residents who campaigned so hard to keep our post offices open. It is testament to a failing regime that nobody seemed to listen. But that doesn't mean we will stop shouting.

Bristol 10K for Jessie May...

It was only 10k, but after disastrously little training it felt like a marathon.

Many thanks to everyone who sponsored me for my 10k for The Jessie May Trust - I have so far managed to raise just over £500 to help support families of children with terminal illnesses.

I don't want to get all schmulchy, but reading about the work The Jessie May Trust does is pretty sobering. It makes you realise how much most of us take our families for granted. (As a child, I certainly did. My mum used to trek about taking me swimming training at Easton leisure centre at ungodly hours in the morning and I used to thank her by being in a foul temper through most of my teenage years) But seeing the work that The Jessie May Trust does with families who may not have that much longer together makes you think again.

The race may be over, but the fundraising certainly isn't! You can still sponsor me clicking HERE If you think you ever might have taken your family for granted - give some support to families who simply can't afford to take a single day together for granted.