The Right to be Safe, and Free

Written by May Chan Rhodes based on an interview with Judith Christensen by Jessica Holtaway,  20^th July 2024

The Old Golf Course can be a blessing or a curse – depending on whether authorities are committed to keeping it safe, and free. This is the story of Judith Christensen, who enjoyed many a magical moment at the site, which also brought illness to her family due to unregulated waste disposal.

‘We children had loads of freedom,’ said Judith, now in her late 70s, who grew up at the Avonfield Avenue, Bradford on Avon in the 50s. ‘We were allowed not only to walk into town…[but also] down to the tip.’

‘We made dens in the lane behind our properties, where we could have a table, stools or chairs and we would stay there all day. We also played in the field between the tip and the allotments at the top of the field, which were called Shoulder of Mutton, and my father got permission to turn some of that land into allotments for residents.’

The jolly memories were punctuated by re-occurrent hygiene problems because of poor regulations on the local council’s behalf, which then used the tip for refuse collected in Bradford on Avon. Rubbish and waste of all kinds were just chucked in on old, galvanised dustbins, and dumped at the tip. This brought about swarms of flies, rat infestations in the gardens of local homes, and eventually sickness. 

 ‘When I was about seven, my mother became very poorly with breathing [difficulties] and terrible bloating on her legs and arms, and any part of her body that wasn’t covered by clothing,’ Judith said. After failed attempts to diagnose the cause of her illness, the doctors then informed the Health Office, which sent a medical officer to their home.

‘A lovely lady called Dr Jean Murray came to our home, examined my Mum and us children, and my father,’ she recalled. ‘My father was ok, he wasn’t here; he was away at work. We children didn’t have the bloating, but we weren’t well – we had tummy upsets and things like that.’

The medical officers’ report, according to Judith, indicated that the flies that had caused it – huge flies coming from the tip, where toxic materials were being dumped.

‘It wasn’t very nice; in fact, it was gross,’ said Judith, who has vivid memories of this time. She went on to say, with a laugh, that her mother did eventually recover and lived until 91.

The tip was eventually closed, and the fun resumed.  Kids would go onto their toboggans and roll down the hill near the Old Golf Course with shrieks of laughter; children in the neighbourhood would meet up and chase each other in the sprawling hay field. They were also fascinated by the wildlife it homed.

‘It was fun, and that seems to be all lost,’ said Judith, who thinks it would be ‘fantastic’ if the land could go back to being there for wildlife, and for people to enjoy.

‘Well, I know people need houses, and homes, but where they propose to build will be on land that suffers from toxicity, and vehicular access issues,’ she said, referring to the road access from Trowbridge Road leading to Avonfield Avenue and Avon Close. ‘It’s a struggle for fire engines and ambulances.’

‘So, I personally cannot see a good reason for it (the proposed development) to be there, and I think our youngsters of today deserve to have some life,  and have the freedom to go and play and be safe.’