It’s a womans world

It’s a woman’s world – Sovereign supports Bristol mums to boost employability

A leading housing association is calling on all mums living in their homes in the Bristol area to get in touch if they’re looking for support getting back into the workplace.

Housing association Sovereign has teamed up with the south west-based social enterprise The Women’s Work Lab to offer a free employment and training course for mums.

Women's Work Lab supports mums who want to return to work, helping them break down any barriers they're facing like lacking self-confidence, limited work experience or the absence of a support network, which may be preventing them from finding their perfect job.

Sovereign will fully fund five places on The Women’s Work Lab autumn employability course, with sessions and work placements held during school hours only, meaning that mums can still make school pick-up time if they need to.

Grants of up to £250 for essential ‘starting work’ costs like clothing, equipment or travel, of up to £500 for training, of up to £750 for childcare and up to £1,000 for business start-ups for are also available to Sovereign residents, if needed.

Erica Watts, Sovereign’s Head of Employment and Training, said: "The pandemic has heightened existing gendered inequalities around work opportunities and work-life balance, in particular – in other words, mums have been affected greatly by the pandemic, with a recent study reporting that women are twice as likely to quit their jobs due to caring responsibilities than men.

"The bespoke programme being run by Women's Work Lab specialises in unlocking women's potential and removing barriers to support each participant to establish the successful career that they choose and deserve."

The course has been created with participants’ needs and aspirations in mind:

• Sessions and work placements are held during school hours only • The course is easily accessible by public transport • Each person will receive practical career support, including CV writing, interview techniques and job searching • They’ll be able to network with other mums

Joselynne from South Bristol who joined the programme last year, said: “The Women's Work Lab has helped me realise my potential and see a brighter future for my family."

Applications for the 12-week course, which are open to mums who have been out of work for over a year, close on Friday 25 June. To apply or find out more, please email employmentandtraining@sovereign.org.uk 25

Chance to contribute to new public artwork for Blackberry Park at Coalpit Heath

A creative workshop will offer people the opportunity to get involved in creating ceramic tiles to be included in the artwork

Members of the public are invited to get involved in the creation of a new artwork for Blackberry Park, a new housing development at Coalpit Heath, South Gloucestershire.

Leading housebuilder Barratt Homes is creating 204 two, three, four and five-bedroom homes as part of the new community at Blackberry Park with the first residents having moved in last year. The public artwork will encompass a new circular seat, using the natural contours of the land to create a resting spot near the new play area.

The free workshop on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th June in Yate offers people the opportunity to make a ceramic tile to be included in the artwork, named Blackberry Scratch. Artists Adam Blencowe and Thor te Kulve will lead groups of up to 8 participants in a two-hour class to individually produce clay tiles by hand. Once fired, these textured ceramic tiles will form the surface of the artwork. Andrea Pilgrim, sales director at Barratt Homes' Bristol division, which covers the wider region, said: "We are delighted that members of the local community have the chance to get involved in the creation of this new piece of artwork that responds to the industrial heritage of the local area. It's exciting to see this new neighbourhood emerging with over 40 residents already living there and we look forward to welcoming more people to the community over the coming months."

The shape of the artwork references the drumlins which often occur in areas where mining has historically taken place.

Following a meeting with a member of the South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group, the artists named the project Blackberry Scratch after the technique of mining coal simply by scratching away the surface; this method was used locally around Coalpit Heath.

Blackberry Park, which is set within 22 acres of open space, will include solar panels on selected homes and provision for electric car charging points for all houses.

Barratt Homes is making a contribution worth £739,000 in total towards wider community improvements including outdoor sports facilities, allotments and recreational open space, as well as highways improvements such as investment in a new cycle path. The artwork is funded by the housebuilder as part of the Section 106 planning requirement and will be installed later this year.

In addition, Barratt Homes recently made a donation to fund resources for an outdoor construction-themed play area created at Watermore Primary School, not far from Blackberry Park. Resources purchased include large wooden balance scales for the children to practise weighing, a child's wheelbarrow, buckets and spades.

All are welcome to attend the creative art workshop but children must be accompanied by an adult and tickets must be pre-booked by clicking here. It will take place at Fired Up Ceramics Studio, Unit 54, Beeches Industrial Estate, Waverley Road, Yate.

To find out more about the new homes, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call 0333 3558 490. A flythrough of the new development can be seen here.

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Bristol proposes ‘Gap House' concept - affordable eco homes on disused garage plots

A new concept in affordable housing is being proposed in Bristol for council owned eco homes to be built on a disused garage plot in the city. The ‘Gap House' concept and designs have been put forward by international architecture practice BDP's Bristol studio, in partnership with the Bristol Housing Festival and a potential site has been identified in Horfield in the north of the city. Early design proposals for a row of nine affordable, one-bedroom, two-storey, modular constructed homes have now been put forward for consultation with the local community. The Gap Houses would be contemporary, cost effective, net zero homes, largely factory built using modern methods of construction (MMC), in order to minimise disruption in the existing neighbourhood.

Designed to fit into small garage sites which are often disused in many cities and neighbourhoods, the homes will be super-insulated for minimal heating requirements and include renewable energy with solar PV panels and air source heat pumps, resulting in minimal environmental impact and low running costs.

The stylish, contemporary design is made up of an open-plan kitchen-living area and bathroom on the ground floor, with a bedroom and storage on the first floor. Large windows allow for maximum natural light. The houses generously meet national space standards for a one bedroom unit. 28 Proposals are being developed in partnership with Project Etopia - an MMC Zero Carbon housebuilder.

The proposed development site sits between two rows of back gardens from existing homes and would also include shared green space, community gardens and outdoor seating in front of each home to encourage local community connections.

This new concept is the latest in a series of innovations supported by Bristol City Council and the Bristol Housing Festival to tackle the city's housing crisis. The Gap House is part of a wider research, development and innovation programme, funded by Innovate UK looking at the potential for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in increasing the scale and pace of the delivery of beautiful, quality, sustainable affordable homes in the city.

Martin Jones, landscape architect director in BDP’s Bristol studio says the ‘Gap House’ concept has the potential to be rolled out in cities and towns across the UK,

“These contemporary and cost-effective Gap Houses are designed to fit on to urban garage plots and to be highly sustainable. They are designed with large windows and low energy lighting and fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps - and importantly they are stylish and attractive.

."Many disused garage plots on housing estates across Britain have fallen into disrepair, becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour. Placing these new, carefully designed houses in their place will not only help deliver much-needed homes, it will also bring new energy and life, revitalising neighbourhoods and helping to build stronger, more resilient communities."

Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes at Bristol City Council commented:

“The consultation relating to the site near Bell Close in Horfield, Bristol is proposing nine affordable and highly sustainable homes with shared green space, community gardens and outdoor seating areas.

“The Gap House concept has the potential to revitalise this disused garage plot and deliver much needed affordable housing. Manufacture of the houses would largely be carried out off-site which would cause less disruption than a traditional build during the construction phase.” "We are delighted to see this derelict site be used not only to deliver affordable homes but revitalise the neighbourhood and help to build stronger, more resilient communities."

Grégoire Capron, architect designer for Project Etopia added:

"We are extremely excited to be working with BCC on such an innovative project, providing the opportunity to showcase the homes of the future and how we can achieve them. This scheme has the potential to impact on every local authority in the Country demonstrating how to improve smaller sites and deliver more affordable homes.

"We are here to prove that sustainable homes are not just a luxury, but accessible to all, as they should be."

The consultation is open until 14 July and available on Bristol City Council's Consultation Hub here.

Fresh colours and a light texture make this taste like summer on a plate

Ingredients

1/2 x 320g ready rolled puff pastry 1 tsp Olive oil 1 Egg 2 tbsp Semi-skimmed milk 2 Spring onions, finely chopped 4 Handfuls (100g) mixed frozen veg (e.g. peas and broad beans), defrosted 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 tsp dried Small piece (30g) Mature British Cheddar, grated

Serve with a crisp green salad (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6

Lightly score a border around the edge of the pastry with a knife and place on oiled greaseproof paper

Add some greaseproof paper then some baking beans or dried pasta to the middle of the pastry

Bake on a tray for 10 mins

Whisk the egg and milk in a jug and set aside

Remove the greaseproof paper and beans or pasta from the pastry, sprinkle with the spring onions, veg and thyme, then pour the egg mixture over

Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake in the oven for a further 10 mins, until the pastry is golden and crisp and the filling has just set

Serve hot or at room temperature, with a crisp green salad, if you like

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