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up our street
Tel: 0117 954 2834 Post: Beacon Centre, City Academy, Russell Town Avenue Bristol, BS5 9JH contact@upourstreet.org.uk www.upourstreet.org.uk Twitter: @upourstreet Facebook: Up Our Street Charity no: 1081691 Company no: 04023294 Business Development Officer Emily Fifield Tel: 0117 954 2837 Communications Officer Tamsin Harcourt Tel: 07903 089 002 Community Engagement To be confirmed Tel: 07947 830 973 Patrycia Pinkowski Tel: 07986 949 493 Finance and Office Manager Tracy Parsons Tel: 0117 954 2834 Director Stacy Yelland Tel: 0117 954 2836 or 07810 506 980 Trustee board Ricardo Sharry (Chair) Amy Harrison (Deputy chair) Jane Westhead (Deputy chair) Noelle Rumball (Treasurer) Saed Ali Sally Caseley Joyce Clarke Nic Ferris Dominic Murphy Thom Oliver Poku Osei Hannah Pepper
Listen to Up Our Street on the One Love Breakfast Show every Wednesday at 8.45am. Broadcast on BCfm 93.2 and Ujima 98fm Follow us on Twitter @upourstreet Join the Up Our Street group on Facebook. 1,266 members and growing!
Welcome to the autumn edition of Up Our Street. We have some changes to the staff team (page 3) but we will still be working hard as ever to make sure we are supporting residents in Lawrence Hill and Easton. There are some great stories in this edition, including Hannah More students redesigning Lawrence Hill roundabout (page 13) behind the scenes of the Grand Iftar (page 11), plus an interview with Easton-born Lord Mayor Cleo Lake (page 5).
Up Our Street news………...…..…....…………….pages 3 and 4 Have your say ..……..…...……………………………...pages 5 to 7 Get involved….…………………………………......….pages 8 to 11 Working together………...…………………….….pages 12 to 14 News from The Network…………..………..………...…..page 15 Noticeboard..…………….……...……………………………...page 18 AGM notice………….…………….……………………………..page 19 Councillor’s corner.…………………………..……………....page 20 Advertising ………………………………….…….….pages 21 to 24
HAVE YOUR SAY The stories in this section are all about having a Political Voice. That is not about supporting a particular political party, it is about having influence over decisions that affect your life or your community.
GET INVOLVED
The stories in this section are all about Civic Participation. This means the different ways that people can and do get involved in their community.
WORKING TOGETHER The stories in this section are all about Social Capital. This means the way that people work together to share skills and experience and build strong networks.
The opinions and information contained in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Up Our Street. Advertisers are not endorsed. All photos are by Up Our Street unless otherwise credited. 2
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UP OUR STREET - People changing the world. One street at a time. Things are changing at Up Our Street. We have said goodbye to Celia, who has done an amazing job for us as Community Engagement Officer. Celia will be putting her new MSc in Urban Planning to good use in her new job at the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). Interviews have just taken place as we go to print, and we will introduce our new team member in the next edition. We are also saying goodbye to Jazz, who joined us as part of the community research team in 2016. We are very sad to lose her expertise, but delighted that she has been offered a full time job at the BBC.
Goodbye Celia...
We are working with Easton Community Centre and Felix Road Adventure Playground to look at how we
can link up our organisations and secure a long term future for all of us. At a time of public spending constraints, the community is under more pressure than ever in a number of ways. We are looking at how we can protect services and public spaces to safeguard them for the future.
...and Jazz
Quartet Community Foundation have awarded us a small grant to help us pay for a five month 'thinking and planning' phase to involve staff, trustees, the community and stakeholders in understanding how and why we should work together. We want to find the best solution for our ever changing neighbourhood. We encourage local residents and groups to get involved and have their say in this process. We will report our next steps in early 2019.
Photo credit: Evoke Pictures
A university campus, a new secondary school and more housing… There are lots of big developments planned around Temple Meads which will affect local residents in the surrounding areas.
Up Our Street will be organising a Neighbourhood Conversation in October to make sure residents have a voice in these important changes. Keep an eye on our ebulletin and noticeboards...
Thank you to the 161 of you who responded to our 2018 impact survey. Jazz has crunched the numbers and we will be revealing the results at our AGM on 18 October. It's great to have feedback from residents on our work, and we will definitely be taking on board your comments. We have hosted Michaela as an intern funded by the University of Bristol over the summer. She has been working on delving deeper into the data from the Wellbeing Survey. We have welcomed two new members to the Up Our Street board, Saed Ali and Poku Osei. They both bring valuable skills and experience, and will help guide the organisation. We have had some great nominations for the Thank You Awards and look forward to sharing them with you. The closing date for 2018 nominations is 31 August. This gives us time to get everything ready for our award winners. The Up Our Street radio show will be back on Monday 17 September at 2pm. Tune in to BCfm 93.2.
Up Our Street would like to thank our funders: www.upourstreet.org.uk
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It’s been a busy summer of events for the Up Our Street team. We particularly enjoyed BCfm’s Simply for the Dads event at Felix Road Adventure Playground (pictured above). Here’s a round-up of some of the other things we have been working on...
We awarded small grants to 11 local residents, totalling £2,600. These grants pay for things like training courses, equipment to start a business and driving lessons (for 17-19 year olds). We also awarded grants totalling £10,373 to local groups.
St Lukes Coffee Pot are using their Endowment Fund money to pay for day trips for older people in Barton Hill
Pat has been working on our Awards for All funded project with Felix Road Adventure Playground. The Tuesday coffee morning and Sunday afternoon gardening club are helping us to engage with local parents. We will be developing a Litter Busters activity in the autumn, to get children involved in keeping our neighbourhood tidy.
We had a great response to our call out to local residents to be part of Democratic Set and make 15 second film portraits. Everyone who took part will be included in the film and will be invited to a special local premiere later in the year.
This was the launch event of a three-year programme called We Are Bristol, produced by In Between Time and developed in partnership with Up Our Street, Knowle West Media Centre, Ambition Lawrence Weston and UWE. We Are Bristol brings people from across the city together with Over the summer our research team worked with international artists to create extraordinary artworks the award winning refugee support organisation ACH to conduct some research into Black and Asian and events. Contact us to find out more... Minority Ethnic communities accessing high tech business support from SETsquared based at Engine Shed near Temple Meads. Bristol is one of the country's leading places for tech businesses but the opportunities to tap into the available resources are not being accessed by everyone who could benefit. Our research revealed a number of barriers to BAME communities entering the tech world and suggested recommendations for SETsquared to take forward. You can read the report on our website at www.upourstreet.org.uk Filming at Democratic Set. Credit: Paul Blackmore 4
Up Our Street
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HAVE YOUR SAY
Lord Mayor Cleo Lake hit the headlines recently after removing a 300-year-old portrait of slave trader Edward Colston from the wall of her office. Up Our Street met Cleo in the very grand surroundings of the Lord Mayor’s parlour to find out the story behind the headlines. You were in the national news after taking down Colston’s portrait. Do you feel the city is starting to deal with its historic links with slavery? It’s become heightened now I’m Lord Mayor, and with Marvin as city leader, but there’s still a lot to do. Before becoming Lord Mayor I was part of a campaign lobbying for an Abolition Shed, a museum telling the story of the abolition of slavery. Now I’ve settled into my role (and caught up on some sleep!) I’m going to put that back on the table. I hope in future it’s just part of our big narrative. The success of Bristol is the contribution of many factors, and this is one of them.
The Lord Mayor in her parlour
What are your memories of growing up in Easton? It definitely formed who I am today. My street where I grew up, my mum still lives there, was full of diversity. Our next door neighbours were Pakistani Muslims, we were very close with them, they gave us incredible food every Eid. We had elders on the Is it a struggle to remain apolitical as Lord Mayor? street who had been in Easton for many generations, It’s a tricky one for me because there’s no rule book very Bristolian. My older sister is white and I’m dual and no one can really explain to you what apolitical heritage but everyone on the street embraced us. I means. I think on a very simple level it’s that you had some of the best days of my life at Easton can’t be party political. In terms of wider politics, it’s Primary School, with teachers who encouraged and impossible to separate, when someone like myself is nurtured us. holding this office. Because I don’t need to say What are your hopes for Bristol in the future? anything, and already it’s political! And it would be Well I’d like to see country dancing reintroduced to very difficult not to say certain things. When I don’t schools! (laughs) Also other opportunities for have the chain on and I’m not in my capacity as Lord different schools to interact with each other. I would Mayor at an event, then I should be freer to say what like to see all of our schools being excellent. I would I think. However that will have an implication. like to see more women of colour taking up paid What has surprised you about being Lord Mayor? board positions. So it’s all very well to get the drive I’m surprised at some of my own prejudices, my for diversity on boards, but I’m also aware that there perception of certain walks of society. I think my are institutions out there where it can be a paid role. experience so far has been fantastic in terms of What drives you? meeting people that I would not have met A lot of the time it’s supporting other people. My otherwise…. Realising that there are really good personal passions are history, arts and culture. And people out there trying to do their best for Bristol. people coming together really, that’s what I enjoy, How does it feel to be seen as a role model? that’s what I like to see. It’s quite fun at times. It’s encouraging, and it’s good What’s coming up? because obviously I hope to go on and have I’m looking forward to welcoming Sheffield’s Lord tangible outcomes for the city, but I’m not Mayor Majid Majid to Bristol in the autumn. Also underestimating how inspirational it might be for we’ll be putting together the first Diaspora Season certain people to just see me in the role. of Art and Understanding with support from an What got you into politics? organisation called Black Artists on the Move and It was attending full council for the first time as a partners including Arnolfini and We The Curious . community activist and being astounded that there This will include a number of arts and cultural offers were no councillors of African Caribbean heritage. I to the city, most of which will be free of charge. It was invited to stand by members of the Green Party, launches in October, and will run until December. so I have to thank them for encouraging me and People are very welcome to get involved. supporting me. It wasn’t something I’d planned. www.upourstreet.org.uk
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HAVE YOUR SAY
Air pollution has been in the news recently, as understanding about the health impacts of dirty air increases, and cities in Britain are under pressure to clean up their act. In Bristol, much of the problem with our air arises from transport, and Bristol City Council is looking at options to tackle the problem with a clean air plan. Lawrence Hill has some of the highest rates of asthma and respiratory disease in the city, so the issue is urgent. One of the likely outcomes will be a clean air zone where motorists will be charged for driving in, or across, a central area with the worst air quality. It’s not yet decided how big the zone will be, but it’s likely the boundary will be in Easton and Lawrence Hill wards, and it’s not decided yet exactly what type of vehicles will be charged a fee for making journeys. All this will be decided by research and Neighbourhood Conversation to understand how modelling to find out which option is the quickest these proposals will impact local people, and what way to make Bristol’s air legal as soon as possible. would help local residents adapt to a clean air Some aspects of this plan will be up for charge. consultation, and Up Our Street is planning a To find out more, share your local knowledge and discuss the potential impacts of a clean air zone, come along to the Neighbourhood Conversation
When: Tuesday 25 September, 6.30pm Where: Rosemary Early Years, Haviland House, St Judes Flats, BS1 0DT
www.bristol.citizenspace.com Bristol City Council has been reviewing and restructuring their Neighbourhood Management service. They are now putting in place ‘Neighbourhoods and Communities’. The new service includes areas of work such as Bristol Impact Fund, Social Action, neighbourhood element of the Community Infrastructure Levy, voluntary sector infrastructure service, Community Development, Neighbourhood Enforcement and Clean Streets. Penny Germon, Neighbourhoods and Communities Service Manager says “Underpinning the new service is a commitment to work in a way which grows and invests in self-determination, people power and long term resilience. We will be working hard to ensure inclusion, positive action and tackling inequality is integral to the way we work. Of course, community building doesn’t just happen in communities but also requires change in the way we work as a local authority to unlock potential. This is also part of our role.” 6
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This is where Bristol City Council hosts all its consultations, like the recent 20mph review that closed on 31 August.
If you are not online you can ask for a copy of any consultation in another format, including paper copies. Contact 0117 922 2848. www.upourstreet.org.uk
HAVE YOUR SAY
Sado Jirde is the Director of Black South West Network (BSWN), an organisation that aims to be a driving force for racial equality in the South West and beyond. That’s a big job to take on, and as we found out when we spoke to Sado, it’s not always been an easy road.
organisation. “If we’d got those funding bids, I probably would not have developed as much as I have and learnt as much as I have. Because we would have just carried on doing what we did Sado has Somali parents and grew up in Kenya, coming to England in 1999. She says it before.” was at that point that she first became aware “For the first time I could think about BSWN in a of race inequality. “I’d never had to think about different way, in terms of what our real purpose myself as Black before... I think I was quite naïve.” was. When you’re fully funded you really don’t have that freedom. For the first time I began to enjoy While volunteering for an enterprise support organisation in Gloucester after she graduated, she coming to BSWN.” says she met many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people who had struggled to find work and wanted to start their own business. “They didn’t have business plans, but they were ambitious and had ideas. I had something in common with them, there was a connection.”
Because BSWN had lost funding Sado took a step back and found another job, and continued to work for BSWN in a voluntary role. “I could really go to meetings and say what I wanted to say unfiltered. That feeling was incredibly powerful. And that’s when I began to have a voice.”
Sado joined BSWN in 2008 and says that at first she found it overwhelming going to regional meetings, being the youngest person there, and the technical language that they spoke. Then the crunch point came “In 2010 the Coalition Government came in and race equality dropped off the agenda” she says. “We lost our Big Lottery Funding, I put in two big funding bids that we didn’t get.”
After securing new funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Sado rejoined the organisation as Director of BSWN in 2014. Sado believes that their HLF projects have allowed BSWN to engage with communities around race in a way they had not done before. “BSWN has been able to give people the space and the opportunity to talk about things that really matter to them.”
Although this was a difficult time for BSWN, Sado believes this was a key turning point for the
Find out more about BSWN at www.blacksouthwestnetwork.org
Up Our Street was delighted to be shortlisted in the Diversity Champion category at the first ever national Democracy Week awards. Stacy and Emily travelled up to Manchester to represent the organisation. Sadly we didn't win this time, but it was inspiring to meet other organisations working hard in their communities to encourage people to use their political voice. As we go to print there is a lot of uncertainty in our national government. Some people suggest that there may be another general election by the end of the year. So it’s even more important to make sure that you are registered to vote. To vote in a general election you must be over 18 and a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Local council elections are fixed term and so the election for local councillors and the elected mayor will be in 2020. www.upourstreet.org.uk
You must register again if you have changed your name or address
You can register online anytime at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote Up Our Street
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GET INVOLVED * Dan says it was time spent in the Middle East that motivated him to set up Bridges for Communities. He and his wife were living in Jordan when the Arab Spring took place. They began to see refugees coming across the border from Syria and got together with friends to take simple supplies like blankets and gas for cooking to some of the families. “Just the shock of seeing ordinary families who had been devastated. These were people who had lives and homes, and that was all gone.” Bridges for Communities was founded initially as a cultural exchange programme, bringing young people from the Middle East to visit the UK, particularly from Jordan.
with people of different nationalities. This number has really increased recently because we were able to extend the scheme in response to people being resettled here under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Many of our volunteers are Photo credit: Laurence Ford working with Syrian families who have just recently arrived here."
“It’s fantastic that local * UNHCR, December 2017 people are willing to give Back in the UK they began to run ‘Peace Feasts’. their time to this, that’s what I would like to These are community dinners that get people together around food, intentionally bringing people celebrate. Ordinary people who want to do something in response to the things they see in the together from different backgrounds. Bridges for Communities have now run dozens of Peace Feasts, news.” mostly in Bristol and Cardiff. Bridges for Communities trains the volunteers, and gives background information about why people are “The idea was to connect people who are different being resettled in the UK, and the challenges they and give them opportunities, spaces and face as they rebuild their lives here. “We help experiences where they could get to know each volunteers to understand that while on the surface other. And just feeling that that was incredibly important in our world today with all of the fear and things look fine, and people are doing an amazing job of coping, they have had their lives turned prejudice and misunderstanding.” upside down in the last few years.” The organisation has also become well-known for its befriending scheme for refugees and asylum seekers To find out what’s on at Bridges for Communities and the next dates for volunteer training, visit called b.friend “We have 75 volunteers now, working www.bridgesforcommunities.com/upcoming-events Up Our Street went to visit Elham, who was paired with Elisa through b.friend by Bridges for Communities 18 months ago. With the help of Elisa to translate, we asked Elham how she felt about b-friend “It felt very comfortable from the start, like sisters. Elisa was nice with the children, brought gifts for Eid. And she has helped me practise English.” Elham was a primary school teacher in Syria and says her focus has been on supporting her four children. “They are happy in school and are doing well.” She says now the challenge is for her and her husband to find work. Elham is part of Karam Kitchen, the Syrian catering company featured in the last edition. It’s clear that a genuine friendship has developed between the two families. They live very close to each other, but their paths would not have crossed without the b.friend scheme. It’s also not just a one way relationship. Elisa says “We have a lot to talk about, a lot in common. I’ve learnt a lot about the experiences of the family.” She has also enjoyed feeling part of the family and practising Arabic which she learnt while living in Egypt. 8
Up Our Street
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GET INVOLVED Do you have room in your home and your life to support a young person?
Branchout is a Bristol City Council scheme for young people who are leaving foster care or who are at risk of becoming homeless because of family breakdown. It aims to help young people learn life skills by matching them in a supported lodging placement with a Branchout host who helps them yourself” says Kev. They both say they’ve had a lot get ready to live independently. of support from the team throughout the Zoey works at the Beacon Centre and is a host with placement. her partner Kev. Up Our Street chatted to them about their experience. Zoey explains that although most of the young people on the scheme are British, because of her job teaching ESOL part-time, they were matched with a young man who had arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied child asylum seeker. “He’d just turned 18 and he’d been living in a children’s home for two years,” explains Zoey “he was at college and learning English. He had lots of support in place, our job was to guide him on that next step, to get him ready to live independently, to help him with skills at home or whatever he needed.” The social workers on the Branchout team worked with Zoey and Kev for about four months before they were accepted as hosts. “It’s worth saying that it’s quite an enjoyable process, it’s not pressured or scary. And in doing it you learn quite a lot about
And although their first young person now has moved into his own flat, Zoey says that “we still have contact with him, still see him as part of our family. We helped him move in and do some decorating. It’s really nice to see him settled in his own place.” Branchout hosts are paid an allowance to cover the rent of the room and receive full training and ongoing support. The young people chosen for Branchout are more independent than those in foster care, and Branchout hosts are supportive but don’t have parental responsibility. The council is keen to invite people from all kinds of cultural and ethnic backgrounds to sign up. To find out more about Branchout, contact the Fostering Team at Bristol City Council on 0117 353 4108 or email branchoutsupportedlodgings@bristol.gov.uk.
Up Our Street has a network of 34 community noticeboards throughout Lawrence Hill and Easton. They are updated once a month. We’re looking for some new noticeboard volunteers to help to look after four of our boards. We particularly need people who are close to Goodhind Street, Kingsmarsh House, Lawrence Hill Health Centre or Lansdowne Court.
Easton resident Debra Newrick set up BS5 Volunteering on Facebook as a way of sharing information about volunteer opportunities available locally. The group has grown to 500 members and is holding its first face-to-face event in September.
Get in touch with Debra at bristvol@outlook.com or join the Facebook group to find out more. www.upourstreet.org.uk
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GET INVOLVED
Local activist Khalil Abdi invited Up Our Street for an early morning walk down Stapleton Road, to talk about action to clean up the street. Khalil has been involved with the issue for a long time as a volunteer. Bristol City Council recently won some funding from WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme). Through Up Our Street they are now employing Khalil to do community engagement work on Stapleton Road until September. Khalil has been up and down the road talking to businesses and residents. He feels that “everyone needs to do their bit to keep Stapleton Road clean. It is costing so much money to keep clearing up all this flytipping.” Khalil has worked with Lisa, a local graphic designer, to produce flyers with information about waste collections in English, Somali and Polish. These will be delivered to households over the summer. “Some businesses make a real effort to deal with their waste properly, they sweep the street in front of their shop, and we need to encourage this. Because it’s not good for business if people have to step over piles of rubbish.” If you care about Stapleton Road and would like to take action, contact Up Our Street on 0117 954 2834 or contact@upourstreet.org.uk
Citizens Advice first opened its doors in Bristol on 19 April 1977. The service has adapted to meet the challenges of modern life, which is often complex and increasingly dominated by new technologies, and many people struggle to get the help they need. What has remained the same is Citizens Advice’s commitment to providing independent, confidential and impartial advice for free.
potentially behind it. It’s difficult, raising your head above the parapet and saying I need help.”
Sue volunteers a minimum of one day a week. She says that although it is a significant commitment, They have a team of around 100 volunteers in she enjoys it and gets a lot out of it. “I feel in an Bristol, who are vital to keeping the service running. incredibly privileged position. People are incredibly Volunteers work in a variety of roles as advisers, open with you, they have a sense that they are not administrators and receptionists, information going to be judged here.” workers, campaigners and trustees. Citizens Advice She also says that “you don’t have to be an expert recorded an impressive 36,000 hours of volunteer on everything. There are excellent systems and time last year, which in money terms is worth information here, and lots of support from the duty £600,000 to the organisation. managers. You’re not thrown in on your own Up Our Street spoke to Sue, who has been volunteering for just over a year as an adviser. “I take the view that we’re here on this planet to work together,” she says “Any one of us can find ourselves in difficulty at some point in our life. It feels at the moment that it’s increasingly difficult for people to find support and advice.”
straightaway!” You can find out more about being a Citizens Advice adviser at www.bristolcab.org.uk/advisers.
They are always looking for more people to volunteer in a variety of roles and offer flexible training options to make it easy to get involved. They are keen to hear from people with a wide So what kind of enquiries does Sue deal with? “A lot range of backgrounds and experiences. of it is related to debt. But that has so much 10
Up Our Street
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GET INVOLVED
Up Our Street spoke to Mohammed Elsharif, one of the volunteers involved in organising this year’s Grand Iftar on St Marks Road. “Bristol shows how diversity works” he said. “We have had a fantastic response from round the world!” For an event lasting a couple of hours, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Based on their experience last year, the volunteers divided themselves up into several different working groups, each tackling a different aspect of the event. Mohammed tells us that all the food and everything else they used on the night (including the carpet laid out in the street) was donated by local businesses and Bristol’s diverse Muslim communities. The food for the event was cooked by three teams from the Sudanese, Pakistani and Somali communities. Bristol Sweet Mart and Pak Butchers food was cooked in local business kitchens. Mohammed says he was also touched by the fact that some non Muslims brought food to share, and some had even fasted that day, to share the experience with their Muslim neighbours. He would also like to thank the residents of St Marks Road who helped knock on doors and invite people to take part, Easton Jamia Mosque, St Marks Baptist Church as well as the local councillors, and local police who were big supporters. www.upourstreet.org.uk
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WORKING TOGETHER
A new mural has appeared in our neighbourhood, Up Our Street went to find out about the story behind the painting. Fiona moved to her house on Devon Road five years ago. As an end of terrace house, it has a large gable end wall. “As soon as I saw that wall, I thought it was begging for a picture.” says Fiona. The idea for a mural was always in the back of her mind, but it wasn’t until the Grand Iftar in 2017 that the idea really started to take shape. “Being part of that, and looking back on photos that people posted on Facebook, from the mosque looking down St Marks Road. The road being full of all kinds of people, food just appearing from all corners. Everybody chatting, all the interesting conversations going on in the mosque. That then became the vivid inspiration.” Then the hunt was on to find the artist who could bring the idea to life. Fiona spent hours googling mural artists in Bristol. She eventually discovered Andy Colwill and commissioned him to paint the mural. “I wanted a mural that celebrated the richness of the diversity of Easton, and was about people sharing food and listening to each other.”
Fiona outside her house Fiona also talked to her neighbours and the Fiona said that there were lots of conversations pub opposite, to make sure they were happy with with people passing by while the painting evolved, the idea. Fiona is particularly grateful to her next door neighbour who was happy to have scaffolding and that some of the faces in the painting in his front garden for nearly three months while the represent real people from the neighbourhood. “I painting was completed. wanted people to be able to see themselves in this painting.”
This is a call out to any residents in the following streets: Carlton Park, Cooksley Road, George Street and Lillian Street in Redfield. Are you interested in a regular playing out road closure in this area? A ‘Temporary Play Street Order’ allows residential streets to close off to through traffic weekly, fortnightly or monthly for up to three hours. Children get a chance to play and make friends in their street, and neighbours can get to know each other and build a stronger community. . Find out more at www.playingout.net 12
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Jess, a resident in Carlton Park, would like to connect up with others who live in this group of streets who want to get involved. Contact her at jessicavandelft@outlook.com www.upourstreet.org.uk
WORKING TOGETHER
As the summer term drew to a close, Year 6 pupils from Hannah More Primary School embarked on a creative challenge to redesign Lawrence Hill roundabout, turning it into a great place to live, work and play, as part of a week-long architecture summer school. The roundabout is a large green space, currently under-used by the local community, which experiences anti-social behaviour, litter, vandalism and flooding. Throughout the week the children worked with inspiring professionals including an architect, landscape architect, urban designer, public artist and engineers, and were supported by enthusiastic student mentors from UWE and Bath University. The Year 6 teams presented their final design schemes, including masterplans, drawings and models, to an audience of visitors from the community, Bristol City Council, and UWE. One group decided to put the cars in tunnels, allowing
Credit: Evoke Pictures residents to walk at ground level (rather than using the underpasses), others created striking public art features to help make the site become a city destination. Housing on the site (including homeless hostels) was a priority, with cafes, markets and outdoor stages suggested to help make it a vibrant place people want to spend time in. A range of outdoor green spaces, suitable for all ages were popular, as were buildings to help bring the community together, including a cultural exchange centre and landmark pavilions which provide shelter in all weathers. The Generation Place Summer School was coordinated by the Architecture Centre in collaboration with Up Our Street. A short film and pop-up project exhibition will be available later in the autumn. Find out more: www.architecturecentre.org.uk/whatwe-do/generation-place Partners:
Credit: Evoke Pictures
Supported by:
Autumn means back to school, and for many students at the Beacon Centre, that means learning English as a Second Language (ESOL). We talked to Charly, one of the ESOL tutors, and were really pleased to hear that she often uses the Up Our Street magazine in class, as the articles are written in plain English and have a focus on local stories. When the ESOL students are back in September we plan to work with them to encourage them to write their own stories for the magazine. So watch this space‌ To find out more about learning English please contact Janet or Charly on 0117 954 2806 or pop into the Beacon Centre next to City Academy. There is also an English conversation club at Easton Community Centre on Tuesdays from 10am to 11am which starts up again in September. www.upourstreet.org.uk
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WORKING TOGETHER
Travelling Light is an award-winning theatre company that has performed all over the world, but all their shows are created right here in our neighbourhood, in their studio in Barton Hill. Up Our Street was invited behind the scenes at Three Kings, their new Christmas show for ages 5+. We watched a rehearsal and then chatted to the team. Although the show is called Three Kings, it’s not a nativity story, and the cast is made up of three women. Craig the director explains that the three kings in the Bible story sparked off the idea. “They are three very different characters, from very different cultures, but they have to exist in the same space. How do they cope with each other?” Each character has a different story to tell in the show, and it’s through these stories that they learn about each other and find a “common humanity and united purpose, but you’ll have to watch the show to find out what that is!”
to tell the story. “How much can you reveal about a character without having to speak? It engages people’s imaginations if you’re not told everything about a character.”
“There are big themes in the show: difference, friendship, humanity, but it is a show for families, so there is a lightness and senses of joy and hope about it,” explains Saikat, the show’s writer in the room. “Like all Travelling Light’s work it will be full of heart, music and storytelling, with lots of fun and silliness.”
Three Kings will be touring in local schools in November and December and to venues in London and the South West. The show will also be performed in local care homes, bringing children and older people together.
In rehearsals the three actors, director and writer work together to devise the show, working out how
The team feels that it’s important that theatre reflects people’s experiences – that we can all relate to having to share space with people we haven’t chosen. Whether that’s children in a school or people living in a city.
Find out more about Travelling Light, their shows and creative opportunities for local young people at www.travellinglighttheatre.org.uk
Up Our Street joined a training session of Bristol Pakistanis Cricket Club at Netham Park one Wednesday evening in July. We chatted to club secretary Waseem Akram, Uber driver by day, volunteer cricket coach by night. “The club was started by my uncle and his friends in 1972. They wanted to get involved in sport, but at the time there was a lot of racism in football, so they started their own cricket club.” Waseem is one of three volunteer ECB (England Cricket Board) trained coaches, and the club now has two mens’ teams and a boys’ team. This summer they have started a girls’ team. “Lots of girls play with their dads, we’ve had a great response.” Waseem says that the girls’ team has also attracted members from the Somali community. The cricket season finishes at the beginning of September, but the club runs indoor training during 14
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Girls’ team practising at Netham Park the winter. They enter tournaments throughout the year, and one of their junior players was selected to play for the Gloucestershire county team. “It’s good for self-confidence isn’t it?” says Waseem “plus I wanted something my daughter could get involved in, this way it’s a whole family activity.” Bristol Pakistanis train on Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm at Netham Park. To find out more, visit www.bristolpakistanis.play-cricket.com or call 07818 407 655 www.upourstreet.org.uk
THE NETWORK UPDATE
CARLA AND SARAH, NETWORK COORDINATORS
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Over the summer months, The Network has continued to have lots of conversations with people living in Lawrence Hill and Easton.
So far this year, in Lawrence Hill, most residents said they liked living in the area, commenting on the location, with its access to shops, transport and schools, the diversity of the community and their friendly neighbours. Whilst discussing their concerns, people highlighted the physical environment as a priority, including litter, the parks and local playgrounds. The amount of traffic and parking issues, particularly around Barton Hill Settlement, were also raised. Drug use was highlighted as one of the downsides of the area, with young people and the use of the parks of high concern. Residents also recognised the lack of resources, opportunities and activities for young people in the area. Interestingly, concerns about people’s attitudes and behaviour have been prominent in conversations, with a general desire for “people to be more hospitable, to have more respect and care for each other.” When asked for ideas on how residents can effect change, the majority suggested increasing the number of events and activities for people across the area as ways to “get the community mixing.” Ideas included picnics in the park, conversation clubs, multicultural feasts, family day trips, street parties, litter picks, art classes and fitness opportunities. As one resident put it, such activities, “will help make a better, stronger community, especially across cultures.” If you feel passionately about any of the issues raised by residents in your area or want to be part of getting these events and activities off the ground please contact Sarah at sarahd@bartonhillsettlement.org.uk
In comparison, whilst talking to residents living in Easton, Carla, The Network’s Easton Coordinator, found that rising house prices, lack of affordable housing and an insecure private rental market were all common themes in the conversations she was having. “Historically, Easton has been a place for immigrants”, says one local resident, “at the moment, there are polar communities co-existing but prices are increasing and poorer people won't be able to afford to live in this area soon.” One local group who recently decided to take action to address the housing crisis in the local area are the Easton Housing Cooperative. “It's expensive and scarce. The housing market is a complete mess” explains Paul, one of Easton Housing Cooperatives’ founding members. Through collectively buying and managing a property, Easton Housing Cooperative hope to establish an alternative to the dominant culture of private home ownership. “It would be great to have more cooperative housing in Bristol, it would give people more options than in the current system ” says Paul. Since June, the collective have met fortnightly at B.A.S.E (formerly Kebele) to explore common needs and dreams in order to establish a housing cooperative. To find out ways to get involved or for more information on how to start your own housing cooperative, please contact Paul at paul@fastmail.mx. To find out more about The Network in Easton and how to get involved please email carladl@thenetworkbristol.org.uk
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FOCUS ON: HOUSING Affordable housing remains at the top of the list of issues affecting our neighbourhood. Here’s a round up of some of the housing news...
According to government data, people stay in their rented homes for an average of nearly four years. Local councillor Ruth Pickersgill got in touch to tell But despite this, 81% of rental contracts are assured us about potential changes to Council policy shorthold tenancies with a minimum fixed term of around rough sleepers and van dwellers “We have just 6 or 12 months. The government was been consulting on a new policy and enforcement consulting this summer on plans to introduce process developed with the police, as the legal longer minimum term tenancies for people in situation has been unclear. It aims to get people private rented accommodation. They proposed the who are rough sleeping off the street as quickly as introduction of a minimum three-year tenancy possible, to assess their needs and help provide the term, with a six-month break clause. If government necessary support. proceeds with mandatory longer tenancies, a new In terms of van dwelling, the situation is more law will be needed. complex so they are taking a measured approach, aiming to be tolerant and compassionate whilst also being willing to take quicker action when issues reach an unacceptable level. They will assess and monitor the impact of each encampment on the local area (i.e. if it is near a school, or there is anti-social behaviour it will be considered high impact and action will be taken more quickly-within three weeks). The needs of the individuals will be assessed and their housing and support options considered. Abandoned vans and caravans should be removed in a week. Longer tenancies? Whilst people living in vans are there for many different reasons and are not a homogeneous group, it is clear that sleeping on the streets or in vehicles is not safe, nor is it good for the long term Bristol Community Land Trust completed a health of those individuals.” development of 12 affordable homes in Fishponds and is currently working on a larger project of 49 homes in Lockleaze. They are in early talks about a project in Lawrence Hill and we hope to report good news soon.
Vans in Greenbank in 2017 16
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Community Land Trusts are a form of communityled housing, set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets. Rents are affordable and based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier. www.upourstreet.org.uk
COMMUNITY NEWS The Pavilion was built with funding from Community at Heart and opened in 2007. The building is currently managed by Bristol City Council. We got in touch with the Parks team at the Council to ask them about their plans. They have confirmed that they are talking informally to local groups about managing the Netham Pavilion as a community sports facility. Once they have found out whether there is interest from the community, they will make a decision about inviting formal bids. “We are aware that there is a lot of interest from community and sports organisations that would like to run the facility.” said Steve Clampin, Parks A local resident recently asked Up Our Street what’s Development Officer. “Offering its management would be in line with the consultation carried out in happening with the Netham Park Pavilion. They early 2018.” were concerned that the building was under-used and was not being looked after properly. For more information please contact Steve on 0117 922 3972 or steve.clampin@bristol.gov.uk
Bristol’s biggest secondary school will be built near Temple Meads station, with project leaders confirming that they have now bought a site on Silverthorne Lane. The new school is expected to be run by Oasis Community Learning, a national multi-academy trust which already has 48 schools around the country, of which eight are in Bristol. The new academy will be home to 1,600 students, including a sixth form, and will have places for young people aged 11 to 18. Most of the places will go to children from the central and east areas of the city. An opening date has not yet been confirmed.
New school site on Silverthorne Lane
Bristol City Council have improved the walking and cycling route through Redding Road (just off Stapleton Road) using Section 106 money from developers. They have made changes to stop problem car parking, installed benches and planted new trees. The aim is to make it more of a communal space rather than just a cut through.
Credit: Bristol City Council
Volunteers from Incredible Edible Bristol have planted up a large planter filled with herbs, fruit and other edible plants.
... STOP PRESS...STOP PRESS...STOP PRESS... Get news about Easton and Lawrence Hill every two weeks from Up Our Street. Sign up to our ebulletin at www.upourstreet.org.uk www.upourstreet.org.uk
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NOTICEBOARD
Bit.ly/shapeourcity Have your say on what changes Bristol can make for a healthier, more sustainable city
Not just another veg box… Real Economy uses its profits to fund their work with people in food poverty
Find out more at www.realeconomy.co.uk
ACORN the community union is going back to its roots… And launching a new local group to tackle issues in BS5 Find out more on Facebook
Contact your local councillor Easton:
cllr.ruth.pickersgill@bristol.gov.uk cllr.afzal.shah@bristol.gov.uk Lawrence Hill:
cllr.marg.hickman@bristol.gov.uk cllr.hibaq.jama@bristol.gov.uk
Friday 30 November 7-9pm preview Saturday 1 December 10am –3pm
Cakes, tombola, games and activities, music and food Craft stalls, local charities and schools all invited. To book a stall email
LucyWinchCeramics@gmail.com Local musicians also invited
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St Philip’s Marsh Open Day Sunday 30 September 11am to 4pm Organised by former residents, this event marks the 55th anniversary of the 6,000 residents moving out of St Philips. The event is not only to celebrate the past, but to mark the beginning of an exciting new future for the Marsh. The event will be hosted at The British Legion in Meriton Street and at St Philip’s Marsh Nursery School.
FREE Community Organiser Training at St Pauls Adventure Playground 11 and 12 September 9.30am to 2.30pm Sign up at www.communitycolab.co.uk
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UP OUR STREET AGM
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COUNCILLORS CORNER Grand Iftar held in Easton Over 3,500 people attended the Grand Iftar on Thursday 7 June, to break bread at sunset, as is customary for Muslims during the month of Ramadan. This event was the biggest Street Iftar in the UK, welcoming people from the city’s diverse communities, and serving up an array of food. This was great for community cohesion, and Easton’s national profile - the Facebook Grand Iftar video attracted over ONE MILLION hits! See you at the Grand Iftar in 2019! Wallace and Gromit - Unleashed 2 With some proactive lobbying, and support from key partners, particularly Destination Bristol, we managed to secure a Gromit for Easton ward. As part of the Gromit Unleashed 2 Trail, the iconic sculpture will be located on the corner of St Marks Rd/Henrietta St until 1 September.
Credit: Bristol Post
Funding for infrastructure improvements Following discussions at the Community Space meeting in March, three local projects have gone forward to the second stage of the CIL (Community The Gromit Unleashed trails generate huge levels of Infrastructure Levy) funding round. These are for improvements to the safety and access to Stapleton footfall, tourism, and millions of pounds spent in Bristol’s local businesses, and has raised millions for Road Station, to help build an extension to Hannah More School’s community room, and for repairs and Bristol’s Children’s Hospital’s charity, Wallace and an upgrading of the facilities at the Barton Hill Gromit’s Grand Appeal. Boxing Club so it can expand its community use. We Contact Up Our Street to join the mailing list for are confident that these projects, will make a Community Space meetings positive impact on our wards.
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Travelling Light
Haviland House, Great Ann Street, St Judes, Bristol BS2 0DT Email rosemary.n@bristol-schools.uk Web www.rosemary.bristol.sch.uk Tel 0117 903 1467 / 377 3297
Rosemary Nursery School, in St Judes, is just a few minutes’ walk from Cabot Circus, Newtown, Lawrence Hill, Old Market, Temple Meads and the Dings. We have places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. We are also delighted to be able to offer 30 free hours to parents with eligible 3 year olds. Our vibrant and child-centred nursery school is very much part of the local community. With an exciting outside area, highly trained and qualified staff (including teachers) and regular forest school trips, Rosemary is a warm, nurturing and stimulating place for your child to experience learning in a social environment. Telephone, email or come and see us to find out more.
90 Years 1925-2015
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