Filton Community Garden

Helen Johnson Chair, Filton Community Garden

The year started off with us saying ‘we are just maintaining the garden’ and then somehow it turned out into a whirlwind of events and exciting new projects! This was made possible by the continued support of the core volunteers and the many others who dip in to help out.

As well as welcoming the local primary schools and Filton Twinning, we have been joined by Bristol North Swimming Club, FACE, Filton Twinning, Aviva and more recently the pro active South Glos Race Equality Network who are planting a ‘garden of the world’.

We liaise closely with the South Glos Green Space Forum where we learn and share with many ‘friends of’ groups who face similar challenges. Lately we introducing the Millennium Green Group to the forum and we intend to work closely with them, planting and greening in Filton. We have also been supported by Men in Sheds who have helped us replace the fairy letter box and the rose fences and by the FTC Grounds Team who mow, and are always very helpful with maintenance.

For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, we planted red, white and blue flowers, Charborough Road School decorated their ‘community bed’ and the Girl Guides made a wonderful artwork of flags on the fence. Since her passing, we have planted many lilies of the valley and a rose and now have 3 new benches dedicated to her.

You will remember 2022 summer was exceptionally hot and dry. Even so the garden survived, thanks to a rota of waterers who visited daily and managed to keep the main beds looking great. We are bracing ourselves for the months ahead. With climate change in mind we have turned to more perennial and drought resistant planting. Since January we have been involved with the Filton Pollinator Project, which aims to improve the habitat for pollinators through guidance and planting in FIlton. Working closely with FACE and a group of students and with financial help from UWE Bristol and South Glos Council High Streets, This is beneficial for the environment and community alike a project that all Filton residents can join in.

Exciting events held in the past year include:

‘Fairy Workshop’ where young children and parents collected bits and bobs and made magic potions and wands. The Get Growing Garden Trail where we made wormeries.

The Summer Fete best ever!

Remembrance service where the last post was played brilliantly by a student from Trinity School, Lockleaze. Festive Sing a long with carols and Christmas songs

The RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

The RHS Big Seed Swap, A bat walk

‘Hidden Heroes’, a unique and totally Filton event put on by the Natural Theatre Company. This year is our 10th Anniversary and will be repeating many of the above events. We continue with the ‘gardening get together’ sessions through our the year and always find things to do. Now held alternate Saturdays 11am 1pm. Do continue to visit and enjoy the garden it’s your very own oasis in Filton.

FACE update

Debbie Teml Charity Director

“It’s been another busy year for FACE, the first full year really since the pandemic when it feels like we’ve got to some sort of ‘new normal’.”

Youth Work

Our youth club activities continue to grow and remain the core focus of FACE’s work. With youth clubs provided from School Year 3+, Duke of Edinburgh’s awards, volunteering schemes, trips, and holiday time activities, there is always something for young people to get involved with at FACE.

The youth work activities at FACE are funded partly by South Glos Council Youth Activities Offer, and partly by the Filton Town Council. Extra funding supports activities during holidays and Duke of Edinburgh’s awards.

This past year in total through all our youth work in Filton we have welcomed 174 individual young people through the door at FACE, at a total of 189 sessions, with an overall attendance of 2,506.

Our youth work team attended the Youth Workers conference where we led 2 workshops.

The highlight of the year was taking 18 young people to the South Glos Youth Awards night in February where they gained a mixture of South Glos Awards and Duke of Edinburgh’s awards.

Community Work

We run a weekly evening group for adults with social or learning disabilities, with 58 people on the register as attended the 41 sessions this year, with overall attendance of 880. This is a popular and well established group of disabled adult members, some of whom have been coming since they were teenagers.

We collect food from Tesco Express in Stoke Gifford & ASDA Filton, as part of the Fareshare scheme to reduce food waste, and items are placed outside our doors throughout the year when we have donations. We are also now accepting regular donations from Farmfoods in Filton too. We pop out a donation bucket so people can give as much as they are able to in order to help us sustain our services here. These are being appreciated by local people to help them get through the week and make their income go further In addition, we have provided 220 community well being activities such as Silver Surfers, tai chi, low impact fitness, monthly Goldies sing along sessions, and coffee mornings which have attracted in excess of 1,800 people through the door during the past year. This does not include all those people who come weekly for community learning courses, to visit our food donations tables, or other events and activities we host within the youth centre.

We also coordinated the Filton Wonderful Windows Arts Trail in November, (with the help of a fab group of local volunteers!) which we estimate was enjoyed by around 500 people, and together with the Filton Community Garden ran a lovely (but chilly!!) Christmas Sing along hour attended by just over 50 people!

FACE Charity Development

FACE has grown lots over the past year; we are now providing more youth work across wider areas of South Gloucestershire and are the ‘Lot Lead for youth work for South Glos Council for the geographical area from Tortworth to Filton, and Alveston to Severn Beach.

We have taken part in Bristol Job Show, trying to encourage more people to join our team, but like many others, we struggle to fill our vacant youth worker positions.

We have had 2 whole team events this year, for training, staff engagement, and charity development. These have been vital to strengthen our relationships with each other as we seek to better serve those who use our services.