The Mead BS10 Issue 82 March/Spring 2025

Southmead News & What’s On Issue 82 Spring 2025 FREE DONATIONS WELCOME

WHAT MAKES A

HOME? not very green fingered, but I am working on it. I do know there are lots of keen gardeners in Southmead and ven though Spring is a�emp�ng we hope everyone will join in with the to spring outside, and there are Southmead Seed Swap on Saturday bits of green shoo�ng, and daffodils 29th of March at Greenway Centre beginning to bloom, it can s�ll be hard (see page 9). to keep warm inside our homes. Even The Southmead Seed Swap is part though my house is not the warmest, I of a bigger event at Greenway on do s�ll find it cosy and homey. What do Saturday 29th March - Bristol you think makes a house a home?

Community Fes�val. Here there will For me it is my knick-knacks and also be cooking demos and food pictures and familiar smells. For some tas�ng offered by Southmead it is the people they live with. For residents. Did you try the Sudanese others it can be about keeping it nicely food at the Southmead Fes�val? This decorated, enjoying indoor plants, and �me there will also be Chinese food maybe outdoor gardening (brrrr!). I am ��: ������� ����� ��������� ����������� ������� ��������� ��� �����

INSIDE

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Southmead Window Wanderland P.4 Southmead’s Home Sports P.6 Energy at Home P.8 Southmead’s Repair Cafe P.9 Southmead Seed Swap P.10 Glencoyne News P.13 Remembering Dear Friends P.15 Times, Places, & Info P.16 Bristol Community Fes�val in Southmead

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from One Green Kitchen, and Travelling Kitchen’s Southmead Batch Cooking gang will be showing off some tradi�onal Bri�sh dishes they have been learning at their sessions. I cannot wait to taste everything and to get some ideas to take home and make.

On the same day we will also launch the new monthly Southmead Repair Cafe (more on page 8), to help us reuse more of our belongings and to reduce household waste. And, of course, there will be the usual monthly Greenway Market selling a wide range of affordable homemade made treats, cra�s, and gi�s from local sellers.

There will be so many great things to do at Greenway on this special weekend and we can guarantee a warm welcome and a warm building!

But will you be returning to a cosy home? You may have heard about our energy and climate projects here at

Greenway and the team will also be around on the day to chat with residents about how to find help to keep warm at home, and to keep our energy bills down – do have a chat with them and read about their project on pages 6 and 7.

Many residents I chat with tell me Southmead is simply home, but that they miss being out and about to connect with others over the Winter. To celebrate Spring, and ge�ng out and about more again, we are suppor�ng residents to turn community streets into a Southmead Window Wanderland. The idea is to put-up home-made artwork in our windows over the weekend of 21st - 23rd March so that everyone can have a stroll around to see the crea�ons and

together look forward to the lighter, brighter, and warmer days ahead (all info on page opposite).

If your home is not suitable for window decora�ons, everyone is welcome to help to decorate the windows here at Greenway which many residents regard as a second home!

It is warm and welcoming with lots of free ac�vi�es.

Some�mes home is not everything we want it to be and our teams would love to hear what residents need support with to improve life at home. So do contact us, and pop into Greenway Centre any�me to join in with ac�vi�es like the ones listed on page 12. You will always find a warm welcome here, a cuppa, and good company in this home-fromhome on your doorstep.

Contact Lucille, tel: 0117 950 3335, email: lucillesmith@southmead.org

PANTO COSTUME WINNERS ��: ���� ����� �������� ���������� ������� ��������� ��� �����

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t was brilliant to see so many of you at the community panto at Greenway in January, and wonderful to see lots of children in costume. The winners are here are on the right and have won vouchers of their choice for prizes.

You can view the full panto picture gallery online: h�ps://southmead.org/ panto-gallery-2025 Cinderella was the eighth show here at Greenway. The Trust sponsors the performance so that all Southmead families are able to a�end an affordable show at Christmas.

We hear from some of you that M&M Theatrical Produc�ons offers an extravaganza here at Greenway to rival any down-town and more expensive shows.

If you were at Cinderella this �me it would be great to hear your thoughts about the performance, I would love to know more about what you think - OH YES I WOULD! Contact, Mark, tel: 0117 950 3335 email: marklemon@southmead.org

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SOUTHMEAD’S HOME SPORTS ��: ���� �������

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outhmead’s Doncaster Road Park Basketball Court is set for a much-needed upgrade, with renova�ons beginning on Monday March 17th. As a youth basketball coach and community advocate, I have been working alongside Bristol City Council to secure funding for the project.

I live on Doncaster Road and coach Bristol Brickers Basketball - a youth outreach programme run by The Community Church, and I have seen firsthand the importance of the court.

Our programme helps secondary school students grow as athletes, both on and off the court, and in summer the sessions move outdoors to Doncaster Road Park, a�rac�ng new young people to the sport.

The upgrades to the court will include new goal ends for both basketball and football, with plans to add extra basketball hoops. I am now

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ur family friendly rugby club, based in the heart of our community, has partnered with the Star Scheme Charity to benefit local children.

Our club’s home is at Greenway Centre, and we are open to everyone of all abili�es. We are now recrui�ng for all age groups. We keep joining costs as low as possible and always help families in any way we can. Our new partnership with Star means we can now help even more families.

Star Scheme helps children who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including poor mental or

looking for local businesses and individuals to help fund a youthdesigned court surface, which will be painted by a local ar�st, so please contact me if you can help.

For more informa�on or to support the project email:

ma�@barastudio.co.uk. To learn more about Bristol Brickers Basketball go to www.thecommunitychurch.net/ basketball. If you prefer to call, please leave a message for me at Greenway Centre where the Community Church meets on Sundays.

emo�onal wellbeing, and/or who are financially disadvantaged. Star provides them with supported access to rugby and helps remove barriers such as helping with transport, cost of fees, and essen�al kit, and offers a friendly face to talk to.

Playing a team sport has so many advantages for children, especially those who are suffering with their mental health. We do not want financial hardship to be a barrier, and along with helping with this, Star Scheme have also provided extra training for coaches to be able to help children facing challenges.

We have already welcomed new players of different age groups thanks to the scheme and the feedback from the families involved has been heartwarming. We have seen incredible improvement in the players confidence levels both on and off the field, and we look forward to more joining.

If you would like to know more informa�on or trial the sessions, please email: srfcminisandjuniors@gmail.com.

For more informa�on about the Star Scheme please email: info@starscheme.co.uk

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ENERGY AT HOME ��: ���� ������� ������� � ������ ������ ����������� ��������� ��� �����

Hi I am Ella. I am leading the Transforming Energy Together project where we are talking with the community about designing energy, retrofit, and skills projects for Southmead.

So far, we have been talking to residents through a ques�onnaire, via interviews, by visi�ng community groups, and cha�ng to children and young people at The Ranch - pic on the right here → We are finding out what everyone thinks about how we can improve our homes and streets, what we think of different technologies, why we would want to make changes, what is stopping us, what we want to learn more about, and how energy use and our homes affect our lives.

We are only just ge�ng started but we have already heard some impac�ul stories and great ideas.

Young people want to learn skills and would like more ‘green’ ac�vi�es at The Ranch. Community car park solar panels, planters and street trees, and insula�on are proving popular. Some

people have already made changes at home through grants. And some people are tussling with their landlords to make be�er choices for their homes. Changes can be expensive and complex, but some can be DIY jobs. So, we are learning lots.

But we want to hear from more residents. Below you can see the different ways you can use your voice to share your thoughts and

experiences. If you meet us for an interview, then you will be given a £10 voucher for your �me.

We are also looking for future involvement to guide the development of projects and business cases.

If you do not know much about energy, or are a technical energy wizard, your views are valuable so do take part (survey and contact details below).

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BE A HOME ENERGY CHAMPION

Me on right at a BEN Champion Workshop, with Ella from the Trust on the le�, and Faith from BEN in the middle. ��: ������ ������� ������� � ��������� ���������� ������, ��������� ��� �����

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i, I am Tom, one of the new Climate & Community Engagement Workers here at the Trust. I work on the Transforming Energy Together project where we are talking with residents about ideas and experiences of homes, energy, and what we can do to retrofit our homes (take ac�on to make them more energy efficient).

Recently I have been taking more �me to understand my own energy use at home. I wanted my home to be more comfortable, less draughty, and have less of a carbon footprint on the planet. I live in Southmead, in my parent’s home – and it is quite hard to track where our energy goes and who uses it.

I had heard about Bristol Energy Network (BEN) and their aim to help residents to increase energy resilience, make energy more affordable, and to empower and support with the development of skills to be able to take ac�on. When I found out that they were coming to Southmead to

run workshops I signed up to the Energy Champions programme.

As a Champion I was given a free ‘Energy Trace’ for our home. Robert, who works for BEN, is a lovely man who came to survey our home for around three hours. He uses a tool called a ‘heat camera’ which shows where energy and heat are being lost, like gaps around windows and vents.

You can see in the image of our door here the darker areas are draughts! → Then Robert made sugges�ons for how problems could be fixed quickly and affordably.

So far, we have put insula�on foil behind our radiators to reflect heat back into the room, added door frame draught excluders, and expanding foam and caulk to fill in some cracks and holes. It has made a no�ceable difference already. It was empowering and encouraging that there were small fixes we could do ourselves and they

were not too big or expensive, or involve our landlord.

I also took part in BEN’s Energy Champion workshops at Greenway Centre throughout February. They were informa�ve and prac�cal sessions which taught us more about retrofit, draught-proofing, tackling damp and mould, and how to take more ac�on in our community. It was great to meet other people interested in the same thing and to share our personal stories about our homes and how to make them be�er for us.

If you would like to share your story about energy or retrofit, and contribute to the Transforming Energy Together project, contact us, tel: 0117 950 3335 or email: ellatainton@southmead.org. To arrange an energy trace for your home visit BEN online> bristolenergynetwork.org.uk, or we can help you.

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REPAIRING OUR HOME WARES ��: ��� ����� ������� � ��������� ���������� ������, ��������� ��� �����

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would like to introduce you to the launch of Southmead’s very own Repair Café, here at Greenway Centre. On Saturday 29th March this first Repair Café is included in a bigger day of events – Southmead’s part in the wider Bristol Community Fes�val.

You may well ask, what is a Repair Café? Well, it is where everything centres on making repairs to the things we bring along. Volunteer repair experts are on hand to help make repairs possible. From sewing to bike care, we can bring our broken items from home for some tender loving repair!

The pic on the right here → is from our visit to the Repair Cafe at the University of the West of England; my colleague Lucille and I were inspired by what we saw there and are keen to get this going in Southmead.

It would be great to reduce our home waste, up-cycle items, and save ourselves money from not having to buy new equipment. And perhaps that broken mug kept for sen�mental reasons just needs a touch of glue to bring it back to life. And a s�tch in �me on a torn garment might really save nine!

On the 29th Dr Bike will be here to treat your wheels, so please bring any bikes along to this cycle surgery!

A�er the launch, the Southmead Repair Café will be monthly, and we would love you to help out. We are looking for repairers and friendly volunteers to help run the events and welcome everyone. So, whether you are good with tools, sewing or electrics, you may have the power to help kick start this exci�ng opportunity.

Repair Café dates will be on Saturdays: 26th April, 31st May, 28th June, 26th July, 27th September, 25th October, 29th November.

If you can provide a skill or lend a hand with repairs, please contact our Community Development Team, tel: 0117 950 3335, or email: info@southmead.org.

If you use Facebook do keep an eye out for updates on our page @greenwaycentre.

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GETTING CLOSER TO NEW HOMES ��: ������� ������� ��������� ������ ������� ����������� S�������� ��� �����

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ork behind the scenes for the Glencyone Square development never stops. Although we cannot yet see any building works beginning, the project team are constantly working on the plan for new homes in Southmead.

Last July the plans already given planning consent were updated and resubmi�ed, and once again given the go ahead. Following this has been an intense period of consulta�on, design and detail, par�cularly to make sure the buildings are fully accessible by working with our partners WECIL (West of England Centre for Inclusive Living).

Last December, mee�ngs about planning the new Southmead Library began. We can all look forward to more news on what the brand

spanking new one is going to look like within the community area on the ground floor of the new Glencoyne building.

Early this year the project team again submi�ed a further set of plans to apply for permission to reduce the level of the building, and the number of flats being built, to make the scheme more affordable. The Council sent le�ers to residents to invite comments on these new plans which set out to reduce the total of flats built from 187 to 177. We are wai�ng for news on this applica�on and expect to hear from the Council by the end of March – we are hopeful for approval.

Our next big step is to form a partnership with a trusted and experienced social housing provider; they will fund and operate the homes on Glencoyne. We are hopeful that once we have found the right organisa�on to work with us to

provide homes in Southmead, building can begin in early 2026.

Recently we were sent some brick samples which was very exci�ng and a great way to ‘feel’ that building Glencoyne is ge�ng closer. Top le� in the picture opposite you can see two of the community-led team, Deana and John, looking at the samples. The main illustra�on highlights the project’s most recent steps.

It will take thousands of small steps to make the dream of new homes on Glencoyne a reality, but step by step, brick by brick, we will get there! Please keep following the project updates on our website www.southmead.org. If you need help to read our news on a digital device, we can help you with that, or we can give you printed copies of stories.

Please do contact us at Greenway Centre, tel: 0117 950 3335, or email: info@southmead.org

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GREENWAY HANDMADE &PRE-LOVED MARKET DATES FOR SPRING 22ND FEBRUARY 29TH MARCH 26TH APRIL 12 NOON UNTIL 3PM ENTRY IS FREE More info ring 0117 9503335

ly slimming-mfrasiealnda tikka

Contact your local Slimming World Consultant and join a friendly and super-supportive group today!

Meet us at Greenway Centre, Southmead, BS10 5PY Mondays 9 am - 10:30 am with Nicola Tuesdays 5:30 pm - 7 pm with Tom Fridays 9:30 am - 11:00 am with Nicola For more details telephone Nicola on 07873 818 193, or Tom on 07920 779 270 slimmingworld.co.uk #YesYouCanWithSlimmingWorld

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TIMES, PLACES & INFO Southmead Library Opening Times

Team Southmead Mee�ngs

Monday: Closed Tuesday: 11 AM - 5 PM Wednesday: 11 AM - 5 PM Thursday: Closed Friday: 1 PM - 5 PM Saturday: 11 AM - 5 PM Sunday: Closed

Tuesdays: 25th March 29th April 20th May 24th June 22nd July 30th September 21st October 25th November

Southmead Community Centre Monday 4 – 6 PM Tae Kwon Do Tuesday 12 – 2 PM Lunch Club 6:30 – 8:30 PM New Star Judo

11 AM - 1 PM

St Stephen’s Church For info, contact Deana tel: 07790 426 609

Inclusion Southmead Mee�ngs 11 AM - 1 PM

Wednesday 10 AM - 1 PM Coffee Morning Thursday 11 AM - 12 PM Silvacare 12 - 2 PM Chill & Chat 1 - 3 PM Pakistani Welfare Group (women only) 7 - 9 PM Bingo Friday 2 - 4:30 PM Sequence Dancing 7 - 11 PM Members Bar Saturday 12 - 11 PM Members Bar Sunday 12 - 11 PM Members Bar 7:30 - 10:30 PM Irish Dancing For info tel: 0117 950 1187

Thursdays: 13th March 10th April 8th May 12th June 10th July 11th September 9th October 13th November Community Link North (Lanercost Centre) For info, contact Deana tel: 07790 426 609

BS10 Neighbourhood Forum Bi-monthly on Thursdays, 6:30 - 8 PM Henbury & Brentry CC / Greenway Centre NEXT → 20th March: Greenway 15th May: H&B CC

Pentecostal Coffee Morning 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Mondays Pentecostal Holiness Church For info, contact: 0117 987 1327 Join us for a cuppa, company and a chat. All welcome!

St Stephen’s Church Friendship Cafe 10 AM - 12 PM Wednesdays Baby & Toddler Group 9:30 - 11 AM Mondays (term-�me only) For info tel: 0117 959 1250

* Please note: The Mead is wri�en en�rely by humans and so we do guarantee mistakes! *

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Southmead Development Trust at www.southmead.org proudly sponsors The Mead. Contact us by email: themead@southmead.org, or tel: 0117 950 3335.

To find out when the next edi�on is due, and the deadline for contribu�ons, visit the The Mead website: www.themead.org or call into Greenway Centre and chat with our Community Development Team.

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