Tommy Ferris has seen his relationship grow with his grandmother after isolating together.

A project aimed at getting diverse communities to talk about environmental sustainability has been awarded a lottery grant of £175k.

The Black & Green Ambassadors for Bristol programme will recruit and mentor nine ambassadors from the city's black, African, Caribbean, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

They will have to develop a programme of activities to address inequality and promote inclusive action on climate change.

The successful bid was made by Bristol Green Capital Partnership and Ujima Radio and will be scaled-up from the pioneer project launched in 2016.

Sandra Gordon, director at Ujima Radio, said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund is investing in a new generation of leaders whose work will showcase the inspiring work of Bristol’s black, African, Caribbean, Asian and minority ethnic communities as well as catalyzing new community-led initiatives and ideas."

The launch of the programme has been delayed to later in the year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

St Pauls Carnival said it is currently exploring ways to bring "the spirit of Carnival to Bristol in these challenging times".

It wants to "build an archive of digital contact to keep people entertained and occupied over the coming months".

If you want to find out more tap here., external

Extra measures include moving site workers living locally to campus sites at Hinkley Point C.

On April 2, 1980 police raided a cafe in St Paul's, Bristol, sparking disturbances and 146 arrests.

A group of singers in Bath have been enjoying every second of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody along with a few familiar faces from BBC Radio Bristol.

See if you can spot them in this rendition of the legendary pop song:

The comedian Eddie Large, who lived in Portishead, has died from coronavirus.

Fellow comic, Jimmy Cricket, announced that he had had the news from Mr Large's son.

Those behind the plans say they intend to "enhance the significance" of the Grade II*-listed building.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Gloucestershire County Council

The £22m upgrade of the A40 from the M5 motorway to Cheltenham will still go ahead this year despite the coronavirus lockdown.

An electronic sign on the A40 and Golden Valley bypass says the work will start in May, but Gloucestershire County Council confirmed it expects the scheme to start by early summer.

The project is designed to ease congestion and will include adding extra lanes to the Arle Court Roundabout and past GCHQ, and increasing capacity at J11 of the M5.

The planned work comes ahead of the development of a £650m cyber business park and thousands of homes on the western edge of Cheltenham.

A plan to add extra lanes to Llanthony Road, Gloucester, to increase capacity will also still go ahead.

And the "missing mile" of the Stroudwater Canal will still be restored, with the county council saying site work is ‘progressing well’.

A couple from Portishead are aiming to complete the charity challenge in about three-and-a-half hours.

Image source, Visit Weston-super-Mare

Tourism bosses in Weston-super-Mare are urging people to stay home rather than visit its beaches this weekend.

The weather is set to be sunny for the coming weekend, so Visit Weston, the official tourist board for Weston-super-Mare, has temporarily rebranded itself as Don’t Visit Weston and is repeating its call for people to stay away.

It has come up with the above artwork to drive the message home and wants those not within walking distance to heed it.

A statement read: "Fellow Britons, we have called upon the timeless message of two of Weston’s adopted sons – Leete and Kitchener to underline our latest call to action.

"The weather for this weekend is set to be glorious, and as tempting as it will be to soak up the sun on Weston seafront, we must once again remind you to stay at home.

"Unfortunately, too many people are choosing not to take this message seriously and it is still the case that when the sun shines, our open spaces fill up with visitors and it is not safe.

"Do not risk the health of your family and the families of others by making unnecessary journeys and crowding our beaches, promenade and parks."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, BBC Shared Data Unit

No decision has been made about delaying the start date for Bath’s clean air zone.

Bath and North East Somerset Council was due to hear back last month – just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the UK – if central government would cover the £18m implementation cost.

Once in place, the worst polluting taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, LGVs and vans will be charged £9 a day to enter.

Leeds’ zone was due to come into effect in September but has been suspended "until further notice" because of the crisis, while Birmingham’s has been delayed by a technical glitch.

Bath’s clean air zone is set to be switched on on November 4.

Council leader Dine Romero said: “We remain in regular contact with central government regarding all projects and programmes that are due to be delivered over the coming months and await any guidance that will be forthcoming from ministers to help formulate our plans."

Fewer people on the roads amid the pandemic has had a major impact on air quality.

Research by the BBC Shared Data Unit found levels of nitrogen dioxide at the Bath A4 Roadside station averaged 45.5 micrograms per cubic metre March 19 and 26 in 2019.

That dropped to 21.4 micrograms per cubic metre between March 25 and 31 this year – a reduction of more than 50 per cent after people were asked to only make essential journeys.

Aerial shots of Bristol filmed this week show a completely different picture from the bustling city we all know and love.

Streets are deserted, the harbour is quiet and there are no traffic queues.

Daniel Mumby
Local Democracy Reporter

Image source, Google

Inpatient wards at two of Somerset’s community hospitals have been shut to free up beds for coronavirus patients.

The Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has confirmed that beds at Shepton Mallet and Wellington community hospitals would be freed up by closing inpatient wards, with the beds being transported to five other community hospitals, including Burnham-on-Sea, Minehead, West Mendip, Williton and Wincanton.

They will reopen once the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

The CCG is also working with Somerset County Council and care providers to secure more care beds and bring old care homes back into use.

A spokeswoman said: “We are temporarily consolidating the beds in our community hospitals onto fewer hospital sites, which will enable us to open more beds with a smaller number of colleagues overall.

“These changes are solely in response to the Covid-19 outbreak and are temporary."

If you want to help the NHS during the coronavirus crisis, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership is looking for volunteers.

See details below if you want to register:

Our radio stations across the West are reaching out to listeners to help people who need a bit of support during this unsettling time through the Make a Difference campaign.

Image source, Jennifer Kelly

Bath City Farm is inviting people to watch feeding time on Facebook every Saturday morning from 11am.

Keeper Joe Keppie-Bray will take us on a virtual tour as he feeds all the animals.

Watch out for rabbits Thumper and Pumpkin, Pam the pig and her piglets, Shetland ponies Dougie and Dougal and of course the goats.

The live event will also have updates on wildlife such as the tadpoles in the ponds.

Image source, Jennifer Kelly

Thank you @Bristol_Times for letting us know Brunel also designed toilet paper!

Somerset County Council says as well as carers it needs to recruit cleaners, cooks and caretakers.