The Mead BS10 Issue 83 Summer 2025

Southmead News & What’s On Issue 83 Summer 2025 FREE DONATIONS WELCOME

HELLO SOUTHMEAD SUNSHINE! ��: ������� ����� ��������� ����������� ������� ��������� ��� �����

H

ow have you been ge�ng on during the sizzling temperatures in Southmead? Did you manage to find some cool and shade?

It might well be raining while you read this - who knows with our weather?

I am hoping you had a wonderful �me at Southmead Fes�val if you came. As I write, we are finalising the programme and the line up for the Community Performance Stage. It is such a delight to enjoy the talents of our local performers, as well as sample local cuisine, and browse locally made

cra�s and gi�s from the stalls at Greenway Market - now a firm fes�val favourite.

It is important that you tell us what you liked and did not like about the Fes�val, so we always learn for the following year. Also, how you can be involved, by volunteering, or performing, or selling, or se�ng up an ac�vity for everyone to enjoy, just let us know (contact details at the end).

As we step into Summer remember there is so much to do in Southmead.

The Ranch holiday sessions have now begun with a wonderful range of ac�vi�es for children, young people, and families (see page 5). con�nued on page 2 >

INSIDE P.2 P.3 P.4 P.5 P.7 P.8

Joyce’s Throne Greenway Car Boot Sale Our Young Volunteers Summer at The Ranch Connec�ng Neighbours Together is be�er < Pull-out sec�on > Southmead Yearly Update

P.10 Bert’s Thank You Story P.11 Remembering Dear Friends P.12 Glencoyne Ques�ons P.15 Times, Places, & Info P.16 Summer Boxing Club

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Ac�vi�es keep running at Greenway Centre over the Summer where there is always a warm welcome, company, a cuppa, and chat.

Check out the weekly ac�vi�es at Greenway on page 10, and remember there are more Southmead ac�vi�es and mee�ngs on page 13. If you go to groups in Southmead which are not shown, do let me know, I am keen that everything happening in Southmead is listed in The Mead.

This Summer we are celebra�ng lots of different local anniversaries.

Southmead Fes�val is at least 50! We have a copy of minutes from a commi�ee mee�ng in 1975, but if you remember the Fes�val being before then do get in touch, we would love to know.

Southmead Development Trust has turned 30! It was originally Greenway Trust and renamed in 1995.

Congratula�ons to those residents who saved the Greenway building for

the community a�er it was closed as Greenway Boys School. Because of the original resident volunteer group who kept the building open, which led to the Trust being founded, we are here today suppor�ng the community and stronger than ever before backed by volunteers.

In this 30th year we will be celebra�ng the refurbishment of the old school dining hall at Greenway - it is the building with the round end as you enter the site from Doncaster Road. Now it is a beau�ful set of rooms for working with children and young people with a lovely, spacious, event room called Garden Hall; it looks out onto the trees and has a real sense of calm and tranquillity about it. The boys who once queue-jumped for their puddings

would probably not recognise the place! If you would like a look just ask and someone will show you around.

Another anniversary is ten years of the Southmead Community Plan, also a great ini�a�ve by resident volunteers to make an ac�on plan for Southmead. They knocked on every one of our five thousand doors with a set of ques�ons. We con�nue to knock on doors to ask residents what they think and what ac�on needs to be taken, in the annual Southmead Update. It is now that �me again so do look out for us. You will find a drop-out ques�onnaire in the centre of this issue. Please do fill it in and return it so we can con�nue our work together to support brighter futures in Southmead, thank you.

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

JOYCE’S THRONE ��: ���� ������ ��������� ����������� ���� ��������� ��� �����

R

emember our Joyce, Queen of the Mead? She absolutely loved Southmead Fes�val and would sit outside the Rugby Club with a drink, singing along and talking with everyone.

But our best memories of Joyce are of her sat on the chair in the picture, outside her house on Pen Park Road. This is where she would give you a ‘Joyce’s welcome’! Cars would beep to her and shout out ‘hello’ as they passed by. She was famous and given the name Queen of the Mead by residents.

When our Joyce passed away, I managed to save her chair from going to the Council �p. I would really like to try and preserve this precious item of Southmead memorabilia. The ques�on is, how as a community do we do this?

Where would it go? Should we dip it in resin and install it in a park? How much would this cost? I am really looking for help and ideas!

Please contact me if you have any sugges�ons. Call: 0117 950 3335, or email: sherfowler@southmead.org

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OUR YOUNG VOLUNTEERS ��: ���� �������� ���� ������� �� ��� ����� ��������� ��� �����

O

ur Summer Holiday play sessions are now in full swing at The Ranch. From 12 – 4 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we have a packed programme for Southmead children including music, tree-cra�, clowns, cooking, games, cra�s, arts, bike fun and bike repairs. Most importantly, for all children who usually receive free meals at school, there will be hot food at all sessions.

The Summer holidays are one of our busiest �mes of the year and we love it when our City partners visit to put on ac�vi�es. Steve England, Bristol’s wild forager, usually takes families on a trip into Badock’s Wood to gather garlic to cook on The Ranch fire pit, or blackberries to turn into delicious treats. Life Cycle UK join us to lead rides and to help children repair their own bikes. The wonderful Travelling Kitchen help us to feed everyone and to show us fun cooking skills.

But our team could not do without our amazing young volunteers who help out at our play sessions. Rather than being glued to their phones, they get involved in life here at the Ranch.

These young people have mostly a�ended play sessions when they

were li�le and are now giving back their own �me.

Saliou (on the le� below) and Jesse have been a fixture on the football courts - encouraging, coaching and refereeing matches.

Paige, Maddison, and Ezra (on the right below) have been playing games of Manhunt, Uno, and generally helping out on our massive site. They fit right into our staff team, and maybe they have a future in play work, social care, or educa�on? We love to support children as they grow up and transfer to our Youth sessions and beyond, we are here to support their futures. Youth sessions will run on Wednesday and Friday evenings during the Summer Holidays as usual.

If you are bringing children to The Ranch this Summer, please remember each one must be registered with us – many of them are already. You can find the registra�on link on our Facebook page (The Ranch Adventure Playground and Youth Space) or find one of us when you come and we can help you. Happy Summer Holidays to everyone and we hope you enjoy our sessions.

If you or someone in your family would like to be one of our young volunteers then please get in touch, email: ma�caldwell@southmead.org, or call: 0117 950 335 and leave a message for me.

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CONNECTING NEIGHBOURS ��: ������ ����� N��������� ������� ��������� ������� ��������� ��� �����

N

eighbours really do connect Southmead. Our community has a strong history of residents looking out for each other, cha�ng at the shops, over garden gates, and in the streets.

However, some�mes when people’s lives change they can become disconnected; not going out as much or seeing friends as family as much as they once might have.

Being amongst other people has a proven health benefit, and here at Neighbours Connect our focus is to bring people together and offer company to help residents enjoy the things they like doing.

As well as providing a one-to-one volunteer befriending service when a resident is referred to us, we also arrange group meet-ups at Greenway, including ac�vi�es and our Lunch Club, as well as day trips out.

Joining in with a group depends on how each individual feels, and we have been alongside people who have started off not being confident enough to be part of group, to it then becoming one of their favourite things to do as they make new friends and connec�ons.

We are now celebra�ng seven years of Neighbours Connect Southmead and we have seen many changes over the years; from helping people during the COVID pandemic collec�ng shopping and prescrip�ons, to bringing people back together

a�erwards by star�ng Coffee Morning and Lunch Club at Greenway Centre.

We have launched pilot projects such as sourcing digital devices for people to access the internet when they are confined at home, to book sharing.

Our popular day-trips this year include visits to Avon Valley Railway at Bi�on, Bristol Cathedral, a siteseeing trip along the river Avon, a day at Clevedon seaside for Fish and Chips, and a tour of the beau�ful Bristol Botanic Garden (pic above). We also recently held an a�ernoon Summer tea party outside at Greenway, with games like croquet and boules (pics below).

Our Volunteer Coordinator Alex con�nues to recruit and celebrate our

volunteers, many of whom have been with us now for many years.

We would not be able to do the great work we do without our volunteers, so a huge shout out and thanks to them!

A recent evalua�on by University of West of England Public Health Department showed how unique our service is and how it saves costs to health services. We hope to con�nue for many years to come.

Please do contact me if you would like to find out more about how you can connect with Neighbours Connect! Telephone: 0117 950 3335 and ask for Simone. or Alex, or email: simonedavis@southmead.org

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TOGETHER IS BETTER ��: ������ ������� ������� � ��������� ���������� ������, ��������� ��� �����

O

ur Community Engagement team is celebra�ng that more than a hundred people have completed the survey about homes in Southmead, as part of the Trust’s Transforming Energy Together project.

We want to find out how residents have managed to reduce energy use, install new technology, or just made home a nicer place to be.

We s�ll want to hear from everyone, or if you have more or new informa�on to share you can complete our ques�onnaire again (details below).

Do tell us if you have: changed any habits; what has helped to keep your home cooler in the heat; whether you have installed solar panels or a heat pump; if you draw the blinds or curtains before it gets dark to keep the heat in; and whether you love your electric blanket, hot water bo�le, and draught excluders. We are all ears.

We have already held seven popup stalls around the community to chat with residents, and have more planned soon. So do stop for a na�er, and take one of our leaflets - the more responses we receive the more we can understand what Southmead needs from future energy projects Amy and I have also been knocking on doors to understand the trials and triumphs of owning or ren�ng a home in Southmead, with a great mix of responses. We have been blown away by people’s posi�vity, and �me they have been able to offer us. If you have stopped to speak with us, thank you, we recognise your contribu�on to this project and the community’s future.

All informa�on gathered will be compiled to create project ideas for residents to benefit from. We have learned great things so far such as that residents love the community feel, and access to green spaces in Southmead.

However, that some homes do suffer with damp or mould and can be chilly in the winter.

Through our work with children and young people at The Ranch (thank you to everyone who has taken part),

Tom and Amy from the Community Engagement team The Ranch has now welcomed the Blue Influencers programme run by Students Organising for Sustainability.

They have been working with young people at play sessions to take surveys, and gather samples from our pond and the River Trym.

Already, they have found that the water in the Trym has a lower acidity than our tap water. Also, they have iden�fied different species living in our pond. We hope this will spark an interest in children to care for these spaces and equip them with skills, passion, and experience to become well-informed nature advocates.

If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with us, then do complete our ques�onnaire online > bit.ly/SouthmeadIn2030.

Or we can meet you in person to help you to complete a ques�onnaire, please call: 0117 950 3335 and leave a message for me and I will call you back. You can also email: tomsollars@southmead.org

Take the temperature of your home with one of our free thermometres - it might surprise you!

SOUTHMEAD YEARLY UPDATE At the Fes�val we launched the annual Southmead Yearly Update.

This is when we ask everyone in Southmead what it is like to be here, what is going well, and what ac�on people would like to take next.

In the centre of this magazine you will find a ques�onnaire to fill in.

The ques�ons are anonymous.

When you return this paper form to Greenway Centre, you can post it in the update postbox, and also fill in a separate postcard with your contact details to be entered into a prize draw for a £50 shopping voucher.

You will see staff from Greenway with Amy and me around Southmead. We will also be knocking on doors to help residents to complete the update. We want to capture as many views as possible so that we can support the community with any ac�on people would like to take.

You may remember taking part in the Southmead Community Survey in 2014, where volunteers visited every home in Southmead, knocking on 5000 doors. From the info gathered, the ten year Southmead Community Plan was launched. The Southmead Yearly Update now con�nues the work of the Plan to make sure that residents can take ac�on to shape the community’s future.

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THANKS TO GREENWAY FROM BERT ��: ���� ������� ��������� ��������, ��� ������� ��������� ��� �����

I

was born in Southmead in 1951.

I went to Greenway Boys School from 1962 - 1966. I went to work at Bri�sh Aircra� Corpora�on (BAC) working on Concorde for many years. I met and married a Southmead girl a�er two failed marriages, but Grace Arpino was different. We were very happy for many years.

In 2005 Grace was diagnosed with breast cancer. A�er major surgery she came home with a posi�ve a�tude and lived life to the full. In 2016 she got the all-clear, but four years later she was told she had bone cancer, and it was affec�ng her organs. Again, Grace stayed posi�ve and was my rock! She lost her fight for life on 19th January 2022, and that, my friends, was the date I thought my life was over. I would not leave the house unless it was dark, and did not want to talk to anyone.

Then, a�er two years, a flyer came through my le�erbox. It was about the Walk and Talk group at Greenway. I phoned the number on it and went along the following week. I nearly bo�led out but the walk leader, Ben, met me in recep�on.

That walk changed and saved my life. Thank you, Ben. I have been on every walk since and made many friends. Then, a friend of my wife, who knew that I was suffering, invited me to the Grief Café. Sher Fowler, the leader, is a magic person. I have since joined Southmead Men’s Space and Horizon Disability Friend Group. I also do Batch Cooking with Travelling Kitchen, Lung Health group, Coffee Morning, and even Be�y’s Pom-pom making group. On top of all that I am now a Trustee for the Southmead Development Trust.

My life now means something, and Grace would be very proud of me. I would like to thank the staff, the members, and everyone who uses Greenway. It surely saved and changed my life. I now believe I make a difference to others too.

Please do not do what I did and go into a shell, there are people out there that can help you as well.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT GLENCOYNE ��: ������� ������� ��������� ������ ������� ����������� ��������� ��� �����

W

e have been busy con�nuing conversa�ons with the different housing providers who could build the new flats on Glencoyne Square. We have also been working with Bristol City Council on dra�ing their new library lease; Southmead Library will be re-located to one of the ground floor commercial units at Glencoyne.

While we work on these nego�a�ons, we have updated our website with the ques�ons that residents frequently ask us about the project. We have included the ques�ons and answers that residents have been asking us throughout 2024 and 2025 (so far). One of the most frequent ques�ons we are asked is answered here Why are we losing green space for the development?

More than half of Glencoyne Square will remain as public green space. In this green space the number of trees will be increased, and there will be new wildlife friendly plan�ng, bat and bird boxes, and bug hotels.

Currently there are 32 trees on Glencoyne Square. Although 12 will need to be removed, we will be plan�ng to replace them. By the end of the process there will be around 58 trees in the public areas, plus 12 trees

in each private courtyard, to make a new total of around 82 trees on Glencoyne Square.

There will be ongoing opportuni�es for residents to shape and look a�er the green space, building on the founda�ons that Bristol City Council are able to provide and maintain, to make it an even be�er place for Southmead.

Many residents have said that Glencoyne Square is not o�en used for leisure like other squares in the City. At the same �me, there is a huge need for affordable housing in the Bristol.

Southmead par�cularly needs smaller proper�es, like one and two-bed flats, for older people who have lived in Southmead all their lives to downsize to, and for young people and families to access their first homes.

As we are blessed to have plenty of beau�ful green space in Southmead – with Badock’s Wood, Doncaster Road and Fonthill Parks, and Trymside – Bristol City Council and the members of the community who have par�cipated in this project over the years, agree that it is reasonable to use the square for the development of needed housing and new services.

To read all of the up-to-date frequently asked ques�ons, please visit www.southmead.org > Glencoyne Square. If you do not use a digital device, please do not hesitate to contact us at Greenway on 0117 950 3335, so we can arrange a paper copy or for one of us to talk you through the info.

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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: 30th September 21st October 25th November

Southmead Community Centre Monday 4 – 6 PM Tae Kwon Do

11 AM - 1 PM

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

Inclusion Southmead Mee�ngs 11 AM - 1 PM

Tuesday 12 – 2 PM Lunch Club 6:30 – 8:30 PM New Star Judo

Thursdays: 11th September 9th October 13th November

Wednesday 10 AM - 1 PM Coffee Morning

Community Link North (Lanercost Centre)

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

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

Bi-monthly on Thursdays, 6:30 - 8 PM Henbury & Brentry CC / Greenway Centre

Would you like to set up a new ac�vity or mee�ng group in Southmead?

If you would like support to do this, contact the Community Development Team at Greenway.

Call: 0117 950 3335 Or email: lucillesmith@southmead.org

NEXT → September: H&B CC contact, email: Cllr.Kaz.Self@bristol.gov.uk

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

For info, contact Deana tel: 07790 426 609

BS10 Neighbourhood Forum

You can get news stories straight to your email inbox.

Visit the website at www.themead.org and register at the bo�om of the page with your email address.

When stories are new, you will be the first to read them!

On the website you can also self-publish your own stories.

Just register for an account.

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.

dovetonpress.co.uk

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