Heavily patterned wallpapers, tiling and stripped back wooden floors. It can only mean another cafe and bar opened by the Bristol-based Loungers group - this time in the market town of Thornbury near Bristol.

Replacing Prezzo in the town’s High Street, Tesoro Lounge opened to the public on Thursday, June 1. And given the smiles from those inside from the opening day, it appears to be popular.

Loungers was founded in 2002 a three friends who wanted to create a neighbourhood bar and car people would want to go to. There are already lounge bars in Filton, Westbury-on-Trym, Fishponds, Horfield and Bedminster.

Gemma Irwin, Community Manager at Loungers, says: “We are delighted to be bringing Loungers to Thornbury. Our Lounges strive to put community at the heart of hospitality and our teams always go the extra mile to make a difference.

“They are actively encouraged to connect with their communities by working with local groups, charities, organisations and businesses that are at the heart of the fabric of local life. We are very much looking forward to welcoming local residents to Tesoro Lounge.”

Take a look around with these eight pictures:

Tesoro Lounge opened its doors for the first time last week

Heavily patterned wallpapers, tiling and stripped back wooden floors. It can only mean another cafe and bar opened by the Bristol-based Loungers group - this time in the market town of Thornbury near Bristol.

Replacing Prezzo in the town’s High Street, Tesoro Lounge opened to the public on Thursday, June 1. And given the smiles from those inside from the opening day, it appears to be popular.

Loungers was founded in 2002 a three friends who wanted to create a neighbourhood bar and car people would want to go to. There are already lounge bars in Filton, Westbury-on-Trym, Fishponds, Horfield and Bedminster.

5. Sofa area

The lounge is designed to be a ‘perfect place to relax and unwind'

6. History

Original features like this studded door have been kept in the lounge

7. Retro-inspired treat

Bosses say they have paid particular attention to families with a selection of games, books, colouring pencils and pads on offer

Independent shops on a high street in a Bristol suburb are hopeful and optimistic that new ventures will fill the gaps formed by closures in recent months. Staple Hill’s High Street has recently seen the loss of a greengrocers, a hardware store and an opticians, while Boots is closing on Saturday, January 27.

Staple Hill High Street has seen plenty of change in recent years. Some big chains have left the area, with the Original Factory Shop leaving in 2022, but there have also been new additions and a growth in independent businesses.

Donna Payne, who works at independent shop Sweet Treats, said that the high number of independent shops in Staple Hill has created a community feel. The family-run sweet shop has been on High Street for 15 years and, according to Donna, is helping to regenerate the area.

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She said: “We are hopeful that the area will be able to be regenerated like it has in Fishponds. As a business we are doing very well and, despite the recent closures, the High Street seems to be ok.

“People need the high street and I think independent shops, with their individual attention, attract the public and is improving the experience. People come down to our end of the street specifically for us, but we also need one or two big chains on the street.”

Over three years ago, Bristol Live reported that the area was dubbed “takeaway city”. Donna said: “The street is moving away from that tag now, there is more variety and the sense of community is strong. Staple Hill High Street is in a better place.”

Molly Lancaster, who works for Fresh Fruit & Veg, agrees that having more smaller shops and businesses is a good thing for the high street. However, she also notices that businesses are struggling, even if the greengrocers have thrived.

“We are always busy," she continued. "I think having the colours out the front from our food draws the customers in. Despite all the changes on the high street, our regular customers have stayed and since our fruit and vegetables are fresher and affordable, we’ve done well.”

Molly believes that having independent shops on the high street does bring more footfall and it contributes to people needing the high street. Molly added: “You don’t want to travel all the way into town to go shopping. Here we have a community which also makes people want to come out to the local high street.”

But Molly thinks that some changes could be made to the high street to make it more appealing to customers. She said: “Many shops close early at around 5pm or 5.30pm. If shops opened later then more people could go to the high street after work and I feel it would be more useful.”

A bus route that left residents feeling 'isolated' is set to return to Bristol after more than 16 months since it was first axed. First Bus has announced that a new bus route, the number 47, will service Oldbury Court in Fishponds from April 7.

The former 5 route, which went from the city centre to Downend and back via St Werburghs, Eastville, Stapleton, Fishponds, Oldbury Court and Bromley Heath was the last bus to service the area when it was axed in October 2022. Residents spoke to Bristol Live in December 2023 about how having no buses in the area has left them feeling isolated.

The new route will go from the city centre to Oldbury Court via Stapleton Road and Fishponds Road, and will follow the current 48 route until Straits Parade. From there, it will commence a one-way clockwise loop of Oldbury Court Estate, running via Vassall Road, Gill Avenue, Frenchay Road and Croomes Hill before turning right at Downend Road and following the 48 route back towards the City Centre.

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First Bus also confirmed that the service will run every 30 minutes from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, and hourly on Saturdays from 9am to 6pm. The service will not run on Sundays or bank holidays.

Bristol Live spoke to Val, who lives on Frenchay Road, back in December when Oldbury Court had been without a bus for 14 months. Upon hearing the news that a bus was returning to the area, Val was elated and surprised.

“I am so happy that we finally have a bus back. It has been a long time coming and now I can start planning to see my friends and having my own independence again," she said. “Honestly, I am so surprised that they have brought the bus back after all this time. It is great news for all of us and this will make so many people happy.”

Val spends upwards of £80 a week on taxis to go shopping and attend her appointments at her GP. She is now looking forward to being able to travel without paying excessive money to do so.

“I can’t begin to describe how much freedom this will give me. Being able to just go out and not worry about whether I am able to do what I want to do, or worry about paying tons of money, I can live my life the way I want to. Bring on April and bring on the 47 bus.”

The bus route will also go past The Vassall Centre in Fishponds, which arranges classes and support for those to combat the cost-of-living crisis and loneliness. The centre and development manager, Zoe Williams, and Charity Wallis, head of community development, work for Bristol Charities at the community centre. They both welcomed the news the bus would be returning.

They said: “The bus route coming back is a huge benefit to the community here in Fishponds, people were really struggling to get around without it. For those with mobility issues who can’t walk or cycle, taxis were the only option, and with the rising cost of living it meant it was simply too expensive to get out. As the bus stop is right outside the Vassall Centre, people will be able to visit us here a lot more easily too, which is helpful for those accessing meetings, events and activities at our new community hub in a more sustainable way.”

The 47 route is not the only bus which will be created in April, as three new services will start. Ashton Vale, which has been without buses for two years, will also be gaining a new bus service in April.

Council chiefs have called on health bosses in Bristol to increase health provision to match the amount of development planners are permitting in certain areas of the city.

It is the first time Bristol City Council has publicly demanded increased health provision, citing growing demand on GP and dentistry services in areas like Bedminster, Hillfields, Fishponds and Hengrove, where thousands of new homes are being built.

Earlier this year, doctors in Bedminster admitted the population there had already grown so quickly - and that hadn’t been matched by an increase in new doctors’ surgeries - that patients were being sent to see doctors in the city centre, because they had run out of room south of the river.

Read next: Patients sent to city centre to see their GP as no room left in South Bristol

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Now, the ‘Golden Motion’ proposed by the ruling Labour group for this week’s full council meeting directly challenges the Integrated Care Board, which runs the NHS in Bristol, to say how they are going to meet the demand in the future. The strongly-worded motion calls out previous failures to build new health facilities, demands new hospital facilities in east Bristol, and highlights the demand for GP services and health centres in the Bedminster and Southville area. (article continues below...)

The ICB is made up of a range of different NHS organisations in Bristol, including the two main hospital trusts, GP surgeries and the council itself. The ‘Golden Motion’ is the first time what have been in-house demands from council leaders for improved health services have been voiced so publicly.

It is an issue highlighted for years by Bristol Live - in 2022 South Bristol MP Karin Smyth called on council chiefs and NHS bosses to work together to match an increase in thousands of new homes in some areas of the city with an increase in health care provision and services. Doctors, health bosses and local councillors have, in turn, called on the council to allocate some of the money it receives from developers building the thousands of new homes - in the form of Section 106 money or Community Infrastructure Levy - to helping them to pay for it.

Council chiefs and doctors in Bristol have told Bristol Live that one issue is that even if CIL money is diverted to build a new health centre alongside a new development, the NHS in London will not provide enough ongoing money to be able to pay for new services to treat the growing population.

The Golden Motion calls for the ICB to undertake a full ‘Health Needs Assessment’. The motion, proposed by Cllr Ellie King (Lab, Hillfields), who is the cabinet member responsible for health, points out a previous needs assessment in 2009 recommended that a minor injuries unit be created at Cossham Hospital, and a community hospital was needed at Frenchay, but ‘neither of these facilities have yet been built’.

“Bristol’s population is set to reach 550,000 by 2050,” Cllr King’s motion said. “The rise in population will affect more areas of the city than others. Notable examples include: Bedminster, where 7,700 homes are set to be built; Hillfields and Fishponds, where at least 1,500 homes are being built as part of the Atlas Place development; Hengrove, where the council-owned housing developer Goram Homes is building 1,400 homes; and the city centre.” she added.

“The Government has a responsibility to ensure all healthcare services are well-funded. While the Government is responsible for funding health services, the ICB has a duty to ensure that Bristol’s population has adequate access to healthcare,” she said. “Hospital provision in the eastern and north-eastern fringes in Bristol could be improved. Cossham and Frenchay hospitals are both likely to need additional capacity and facilities. However, the promised Minor Injuries Unit and Community Hospital facilities respectively may not now be appropriate, so a review is needed to see what other types of healthcare facility are needed to meet current population requirements,” she added. (article continues below...)

How Bristol Live has reported the NHS crisis in Bristol

Healthcare provision in South Bristol also needed assessing, the council chief said. “Additional healthcare facilities – including General Practitioners and dentists – as well as hospital facilities, will be needed to keep up with Bristol’s growing population. Areas of high population growth such as Bedminster and Hillfields and neighbouring wards will need expanded healthcare infrastructure. The Integrated Care Board should work closely with the council and its partners to ensure residents get the healthcare services they will need,” the motion said.

The motion, which will be voted on by all councillors at the full council meeting this week, resolves that the council will work with the ICB to carry out an analysis of what’s needed, including a consultation with residents and other health organisations.

The council will also formally ask the ICB to carry out a new strategic needs assessment of healthcare provision, and to prepare a plan which takes account of the population modelling data, and that the council lobby the Government for funding to implement whatever the ICB recommend should be done.

In March 2023, a spokesperson for the Integrated Care Board did acknowledge that there were areas which would require attention, and that the NHS bosses in Bristol were monitoring the developments of thousands of new homes rapidly being built in certain areas of the city, saying they were reviewing health provision in those areas.

It's never a good sign when you arrive at a usually busy bus stop to find absolutely no one there. I can only assume that other passengers were equally dubious that the new 'express' service from First Bus would actually materialise, on the first day that it was due to run.

Three new bus services launched in Bristol this week as part of a wider shake-up, which also saw sweeping timetable changes and four more subsidised services cut. The X49 was among the new additions, described by First as a 'morning express service into the city centre'.

It's pitched as a 'new' service but I would question that - it's basically a revival of part of the route served by the old Y5, which was axed back in October. That was a regular service going all the way from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol via Yate, Westerleigh, Pucklechurch, Staple Hill and Fishponds, and back, via the M32.

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Its loss left my neighbourhood with three other services to get into town - all of which go via Stapleton Road with many bus stops along the way. One, the number 49, has 39 stops along its entire seven-mile route, taking more than an hour.

That's still a better deal than some areas like Pucklechurch, though, where the Y5's demise left them 'completely isolated'. It was the only service linking the village to Broadmead.

The new X49 starts at Staple Hill and goes via Downend and Fishponds. It's not as regular as the Y5 - I can only see three services on the new timetable, one which gets into The Centre for 7.35am, the next at 7.59am and the latest at 8.34am.

There are no weekend services and no services back in the other direction at peak evening rush hour. However, when timed right, it could mean setting my alarm a lot later for my morning commute to the Bristol Live newsroom.

Given how unreliable the bus times are at my stop, I tried to track this shiny new bus service on the First Bus app to see when it was nearby. In what will not come as a shock to regular Bristol bus users, it was nowhere to be seen on the map.

The schedule on the bus stop 'live times' was still showing an X49 service, but it wasn't counting down the minutes or showing how many seats were still available. That's usually a tell-tale sign that it's a ghost bus that will never arrive. It will fall off the face of the display screen like you'd imagined it all along.

Accepting this likelihood, I still walked to the bus stop just in case. It was unnervingly empty, clearly no one else wanted to risk it.

The scheduled time came and went. I was staring directly into the morning sunlight so could only make out silhouettes from a distance, and a couple of lorries got my hopes up before coming into full view.

Almost 15 minutes later, I had all but given up hope. The bus was no longer on the live display, and I found myself cursing First Bus once again for making me late. I'd have to wait half an hour for the next service or power walk to another bus stop 10 minutes away to catch another.

Then, like a mirage emerging in the desert, a bus appeared on the horizon. Squinting, I was astounded to see X49 on the front and had to scramble to get my ticket out in time.

It followed the usual route before heading for the M32 slip road, breezing past the car traffic thanks to the bus lane. I made it into town in half the time it usually takes, so despite the bad start, it's definitely a welcome addition to the public transport network in BS16.

I rarely drive into town but admittedly did park up at the Galleries for a meal nearby last weekend, and can see why so many people do chose to get in their cars. Even for two people prepared to sit on the bus for the best part of an hour, it's £3.80 each for return tickets on the bus.

That's compared to a £2.70 blanket parking charge post-4pm, and a travel time that's far quicker. If you're a family of four, that's a big saving on time and money, although the environmental cost can obviously be argued. I would love to hop on my bike but I'm still not a confident cyclist.

I did apply months ago for some of the council's free cycling schemes to encourage active travel, but haven't heard back. Until then, or until the long-promised mass transit system ever happens, I'd love to see more 'express' bus services in Bristol, even if they can only run a few times a day.

There could only have been about a dozen of us in total on both decks, though, which could be because it hadn't been showing on the tracker, or equally because it's only just launched and people don't know about it.

Hopefully, popularity will pick up and reliability will improve, to avoid it meeting the same fate as so many other bus services Bristol has lost in the past year.