www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet Tel: 0117 903 9975 Post: The Old Bank, 108 Church Road, Bristol, BS5 9LJ contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter: @upourstreet Facebook: Up Our Street Charity no: 1081691 Company no: 04023294 Neighbourhood Facilitator Lorena Alvarez Tel: 0117 377 3640 Finance and Office Manager Tracy Parsons Tel: 0117 903 9975 Manager Stacy Yelland Tel: 0117 377 3638 Chair of trustees Sally Caseley Vice chairs Dominic Murphy Richard Curtis Trustee board Gez Bentley Joyce Clarke Jo Curtis Matt Fulford Amy Harrison Alex Milne Walter Nunez Mike Pickering Anthea Sweeney Aisha Thomas Jane Westhead
Delivery of Up Our Street We print 14,000 copies of Up Our Street. Around 200 of these are sent to organisations and community buildings. The rest are delivered by Bristol Leaflet Delivery to every business and home in Easton and Lawrence Hill where there is an accessible letterbox. We do not deliver to Redcliffe or St Philips or to letterboxes with a ’no junk mail’ sticker. There are approximately 3,000 homes that have some kind of secure access system and it is not always possible to deliver to these. We do our best to make sure everyone gets their copy. If you do not get yours contact Stacy on 0117 377 3638.
We are a small charity that relies on raising funding. We are not part of Bristol City Council and the council does not fund this newsletter. The newsletter costs us around £6,000 per edition. That works out at about 20p for every resident in Easton and Lawrence Hill. If you are able to donate anything towards receiving the newsletter visit www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk and donate today.
Up Our Street is printed on recycled paper with vegetable inks and can be composted. It costs 45p to produce every copy of Up Our Street. It is hand delivered to 14,000 homes in the local area. 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.
Inside this issue Up Our Street news.........................page 3 Neighbourhood Forum..................page 4 Felix Road Playground....................page 5 Barton Hill new head.......................page 7 Interview with Ros Farrell..............page 8 Whitehall Green................................page 9 Bristol Somali Youth Network...page 11 2
Up Our Street
If you have been the victim of hate crime call SARI free on 0800 171 2272. Hate crime is motivated by racial, sexual or other prejudice. It can be verbal abuse, threats or violence.
Listen to Up Our Street on BCfm 93.2, every Wednesday at 8.45am Follow us @upourstreet or find us on Facebook
Rosemary Early Years............................page 13 Baynton House gardeners..................page 14 Award winner at Nilaari.......................page 16 Bristol Refugee Rights..........................page 17 Cafe Conscious opens..........................page 18 Interview with Farah Sharif ................page 19 Spring of Hope........................................page 20 Advertising.........................................page 21-24 www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Sally Caseley
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk Other important news is about our staff and our name. In June we said goodbye to our fantastic “Over the summer we Neighbourhood Manager, Penny Germon. Penny worked with Dr Karen has taken up a new post with Bristol City Council in Bell from the University south Bristol. We want to thank Penny for of Bristol who carried everything she did for Easton and Lawrence Hill out an evaluation of our and she will be greatly missed. Looking to the work. We were future, we are pleased to announce that Stacy overwhelmed by the Yelland is now Manager of our organisation. Many positive feedback we of you may know Stacy as she has been our received and it was Communications Officer for the past seven years. really encouraging to She will continue working with Lorena and Tracy to know that we are on the right track. In total 539 improve the neighbourhoods of Easton and people took part in the research. We were Lawrence Hill. Finally, one of the clear bits of impressed that 74% of those had read Up Our feedback from our evaluation was that people Street and pleased that 93% of those found our found our name, Easton and Lawrence Hill newsletter interesting or useful. Also great news Neighbourhood Management, confusing. It was was that 47% of those people had taken action as a easy to get us muddled up with the result of something they’d read. The evaluation also Neighbourhood Forum, Neighbourhood gave us some good pointers about what we could Partnership and Bristol City Council. Taking this on improve and we will be taking these into board, we will now be known as Up Our Street. consideration in future. You can read an executive Enjoy reading this issue of your community summary and our response on our website, newsletter.”
Chair of Up Our Street
Goodbye from Penny
In June we organised an exhibition together with M Shed in Lawrence Hill underpass. It was a great success.
Thank You Awards and AGM Thursday 23 October This year’s Thank You Awards will take place at Trinity Centre hosted by BCfm’s Pat Hart and Sherrie Eugene-Hart. This event is a fantastic celebration of local people who do their bit to make our neighbourhood a special place to live and work. There are a few spaces left if you’d like to attend. Contact Tracy on 0117 903 9975 to book your place.
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
“I have had the enormous privilege of working with lots of fantastic people over the years from all the different communities of Easton and Lawrence Hill. I have had the good fortune of being part of a thriving, thoughtful, inspiring network of people who give so generously for the collective good. I am very grateful to everyone who has been willing to work alongside me. I am particularly grateful to the Up Our Street board who have provided such reliable , supportive stewardship and to my delightful colleagues Stacy, Tracy and Lorena. The organisation will continue to thrive in their very capable hands.” To find out about our future plans contact Stacy on 0117 377 3638. Up Our Street
3
Twitter @upourstreet
Kurt James and Tom Penn
Meeting date calendar Neighbourhood Forum Wednesday 3 September 6.30pm to 8.30pm, Easton Community Centre Tuesday 14 October 1pm to 3pm, Trinity Centre Neighbourhood Partnership Wednesday 8 October 6.30pm to 8.30pm, Barton Hill Settlement
Describe your job in one sentence KJ: My job is to manage the Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill, and Cabot, Clifton and Clifton East Neighbourhood Partnerships. TP: I am there to work on your neighbourhood priorities and to improve your local environment. Your favourite thing about the job KJ: Finding solutions to challenging problems. TP: Working with local residents who also want to see their neighbourhood improve. Your top bug bear KJ: People that get in the way of finding solutions to problems. People that throw rubbish on the ground without realising that they too have a responsibility to do their bit to keep the area they live in clean and tidy. TP: Littering and when people don't recycle. Your key message to residents KJ: I manage your Neighbourhood Partnership whose role is to listen to community issues and will work with you and whoever else it needs to in order to improve the area when we can. TP: Please keep your area tidy by not littering and dumping waste. The council does have services which can collect bulky waste if required.
4
Up Our Street
Sick of seeing this? So are we. If you spot fly tipping please report it to Bristol City Council on 0117 922 2100, tweet @BristolCouncil #tidyBS5 or visit the website www.bristol.gov.uk. Local resident Steve Woods has started a campaign to get everyone to report dumped rubbish and asks our readers to play a part in stopping this blight on our streets. LET’S SAY NO TO FLY TIPPING IN EASTON AND LAWRENCE HILL
Contact Kurt or Tom You can meet Tom and Kurt at your Neighbourhood Forum or contact them on tom.penn@bristol.gov.uk or 0117 922 4741 kurt.james@bristol.gov.uk or 0117 903 7365
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Securing Felix Road Adventure Playground for the future Interview with Eddie Nuttall
By local resident Philip Smith www.felixroadplayground.org
When I arrive Eddie is fixing a watch surrounded by children. Almost every response he gives during our interview is brought to its conclusion by another request from one of the young people under his supervision at the playground. He is asked questions about opening times, scooters with flat-tyres, spilled paint and, more importantly, how best to get it off trainers before parents find out. It’s a busy place to be. Eddie Nuttall was appointed to the role of Development Coordinator for Felix Road Adventure Playground in June, having been employed there as a playworker since the start of the year. His experience spans 20 years and includes time spent working with numerous schools and over 50 different play spaces, but in Felix Road he sees something unique. “The possibility, the vision, is really relevant here and the playground has such potential. I genuinely believe Felix Road could be a real flagship in the world of adventure play,” he says with a wry smile. The sentiment might seem grandiose, but he is unquestionably sincere. It is the question of ‘what if’ that excites Eddie the most about Felix Road, which is bold talk considering the space faced the very real possibility of closure last year. Opened in the early seventies by parents as a safe haven for children and their families to play, most of the local community is well versed in the recent struggles the space has experienced: funding cuts; council debates; locked gates and reduced hours. However, with a return to opening six days a week, huge attendances during holidays and after school and with an increasingly eclectic range of activities on offer, Eddie feels there is good reason to be optimistic about the future. “The playground is at its most exhilarating when there is a huge sweep of things going on: children running around, water-fights, parents chatting, picnics, football. It’s really exciting.” In addition to the playground itself, the space regularly hosts circus skills workshops, bike maintenance sessions, arts and crafts and outdoor cooking. This summer the playground hosted an exhaustive programme of on-site activities, as well as taking young people on trips and out into the surrounding www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
countryside to continue offering a ‘broad spectrum of experiences’ for the children. Whilst the summer was a busy one, autumn will bring the chance to reflect on the progress that has been made and where to go with the site next. “Adventure playgrounds should be constantly changing. We should be looking to rebuild, add new stuff, see what can make it exciting and novel. Longer term it would be fantastic if the young people could take greater control of the playground, including its running and upkeep. It’s their playground,” he adds. Although the future for Felix Road appears brighter than it did at this point last year, Eddie emphasises that the success of the playground will be down to a collective effort, from the children and their families who regularly attend, up to the ‘amazing’ management committee who remain vigilant in scouring for new sources of funding as the city council’s contribution tapers away in the coming years. Eddie’s enthusiasm for the playground and the young people that use it is evident throughout the conversation, and he is passionate about the importance of Felix Road to the area. “Providing for play can’t be seen as a luxury, it’s a vital service for the wellbeing and development of our local children.” With this he is again beckoned inside to address the spilled paint. As I leave he emerges from the door desperately scrubbing at another pair of trainers. Contact Eddie on 0117 955 1265. Right: Eddie outside at Felix Road Adventure Playground Would you like to write a story or carry out an interview for Up Our Street? Contact Stacy on 0117 377 3638. Up Our Street
5
Twitter @upourstreet
St Luke’s to Snowdon and back again Barton Hill is home to a building that has been standing for more than 100 years. St Luke’s Church has been a focal point for the community for decades but is badly in need of modernisation. The church has big plans to bring the building into the 21st century and provide the area with a high quality space for community use. But those plans cost money and in these cash strapped times that isn’t easy to come by. To help the cause, one local resident has just completed a walk up Snowdon raising £665 towards the fund. Ann Seaman has been involved in her community for over 40 years, having lived in Barton Hill since 1968 and raised her family here. “I had walked Snowdon before but I wanted to do it again before I am too old. I suggested I could do a fundraising walk and I was surprised to get two other volunteers from the congregation! Together with my son and grandson we made it up there and raised some money at the same time. It was tough as one of our group had a difficult time but the scenery was amazing and everyone we met was so supportive.” The church has seen its congregation grow in recent years and has been busy providing
Left: Mandy, Christine and Ann on their journey up Snowdon
new services to people including a Wednesday and Sunday drop-in as well as summer and Christmas fairs. They have also been getting to know the new mosques in the area. “I get a real sense of satisfaction when I see things being done so I enjoy being involved in my community. We all help each other out and look out for each other. Our oldest member is 93 and we also get children coming to the church. Our target is to raise £500,000 towards our building fund in the next couple of years” adds Ann. St Luke’s Church is on Church Street in Barton Hill. Contact 0117 955 5947 or visit www.stlukesbartonhill.org.uk
Lawrence Hill Councillor wins national award Local Councillor Margaret Hickman has been recognised for her dedication to the local community at the 2014 Local Authority Good Practice Awards. Margaret was nominated by Barton Hill Settlement. Margaret said: “I'm touched, humbled and delighted to receive this award. It is a real privilege working with the communities and community groups in Lawrence Hill.” Joanna Holmes from Barton Hill Settlement said: “Margaret is a positive force for the area who does not leave difficult issues but continues to work over long periods to achieve lasting solutions. Margaret works with all the diverse communities in the same consistent and helpful way.” Well done to Margaret from Up Our Street. Right: Margaret with her award.
Contact your community radio station with any news, views or events
Text 60777 start your text with bcfm
skontaktuj się z nami contáctenos nala soo xiriir ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਸੰ ਪਰਕ ਕਰੋ
6
Up Our Street
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Welcome to Barton Hill’s new head - Gina Lewis
in life, whether in jobs or as families or with personal successes. What were your first impressions of Barton Hill? That this was a school in the heart of the community which has the most amazing potential for success. The children are extremely proud of their school and wanted to tell us everything that they love about it. The staff work extremely hard and are dedicated to helping children to learn and reach their potentials. What is the biggest challenge facing the school? Barton Hill is an improving school, but there is still a lot of work to do to ensure that the teaching and learning is consistently good. There is also further work to be done to make the school a successfully cohesive community where we can all work together in harmony. What are your plans for the next 12 months? To ensure the school moves successfully to Academy status. We have new staff who will work alongside our current staff to make sure that the children are fulfilling their potentials. We have a new curriculum with lots of exciting learning opportunities for the children. The job must be stressful at times. What do you do to relax? I love spending time with my friends and family. I have a cinema membership and I own a lot of DVDs!
Tell us about yourself I was born in Hertfordshire and moved to Bristol when I was 16. I have two children, a 23 year old girl and a 21 year old boy. When I was five I wanted to become a teacher, but didn’t accomplish that dream until I was 40! I used to work in public libraries and have worked in libraries across Bristol. Why did you go into teaching? When my daughter started at nursery, I became a governor and, from there, I became more and more interested in helping children to learn and believe in themselves. I started at college on the same day as my son started in full time education. What is most rewarding about being a teacher? Everything I do is to help children to become successful adults who have a lot to give and contribute. It is always thrilling to hear stories of You can contact Gina and the school on 0117 children I have taught who have become successful 903 0407 or barton.hill.p@bristol.gov.uk
House, after the daughter of Bristol pioneer John James. Joan is the eldest daughter of John James, the founder of the John James Foundation, and we wanted to recognise Joan’s achievements in continuing her father’s work to support local charities to benefit residents in Bristol. Joan’s mother, Mollie James, was a volunteer at Barton Hill Settlement and so it is also in recognition of all the brilliant contributions of all volunteers over the years. Joan Johnson House will be the home of up to 50 members of staff from the NHS Community Children’s Services, who will work closely with children and families offering a wide range of new services to the area. We look forward to working in partnership with the NHS in this beautiful building which adds a dynamic look to The Settlement and New building opens its doors at The Settlement helps to expand services in the area. The official By Kinny Chinangwa, Business Development Worker opening event will take place in October and will “Barton Hill Settlement is very proud and excited to definitely spark a new and exciting partnership between the NHS and Barton Hill Settlement and a announce that our new building has been reminder of the remarkable work of Joan Johnson.” completed and we have named it Joan Johnson Contact Kinny on 0117 955 6971. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Up Our Street
7
Twitter @upourstreet
Redfield school opens its doors
What do you like about teaching? Working with children and seeing them have fun, On 1 September, Redfield Educate Together Primary learn and discover talents. When children are happy Academy will welcome 60 children to start their first it is infectious. day at school. The new primary school has been How can the community be involved ? built to meet the growing need for school places in We will have readers coming into school and we will and around Redfield. We spoke to headteacher Ros be doing projects locally. We are also setting up a Farrell to get to know more about her and the group to look at parking if anyone wants to join us. school. What do you do to relax? Tell us about yourself I have hens and two donkeys! I like looking after my I have been teaching for about 15 years and have animals and spending time with my family. I hope worked in Bristol and Gloucester. When I had my to bring my donkeys into school so the children can own family I realised how fun it was to be around have rides! If you’d like to know more about the children so I went into teaching. school or if you were an old pupil there contact What attracted you to this role? Ros on info@redfieldet.org.uk or 0117 379 0119. I really believe in the ethos of Educate Together which is about equality, democracy, being child centred and encouraging all children. It’s very powerful. The school puts a lot of emphasis not just on the rights of the child but also their responsibilities and gets them ready to be an active citizen in a global world. Why did the old Victorian school have to be demolished? This was a council decision, not ours. Sadly the building wasn’t suitable to work as a modern school for the 21st century. The council explored options for using the building but it wouldn’t have provided the right facilities. The new school will be state of the art. We will be doing a history project with the children about the old building and we’d also like to hold an event for anyone who used to go to the school when it was a primary school many years ago. We open in September with 60 children and our capacity will eventually be 420. Ros with children starting the school in September
Changing Road already has an active group of traders looking to improve the street and they have been doing Church work to bring people together and brighten up Road In July, traders and residents from Church Road took part in a workshop led by Manchester Metropolitan University and the Institute of Place Management as part of a research project called High Street 2020. The idea is to look at the future of Britain’s high streets and what can be done to secure them for the future, help businesses to grow and make them part of the community. Church 8
Up Our Street
buildings with paint. Their next step is to provide more greenery and benches. Ideas which came out of the workshop include changing opening hours to reflect local need, attracting restaurants and other activities to strengthen the evening economy, attracting more fresh food retail, improving the connectivity and ‘walkability’ of the street, getting more traders involved and working with residents and the community to make things happen. Simon Webb from Stripy Owl and Blue Skies Photography is one of the traders leading the group. There are lots of ideas and the beginnings of a plan and now they need all hands on deck to make it a reality. If you want to get involved contact Simon Webb on 0117 244 0441 or simon@blueskiesphotography.co.uk www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
In Easton and Lawrence Hill there are plenty of places to go if you want to play bingo. We thought we’d look into the history of the game. What is bingo? Bingo is a game of chance where players mark off numbers on a card as balls with numbers on are drawn randomly by a bingo caller. It can be played just for fun, to win prizes or to win money as a form of gambling. The history of bingo It is thought bingo started in Italy in the 1500s and came to France and then the UK in the 1700s. In the UK it became a popular game, with bingo halls and clubs across the country, although since 2005 these have been in decline. Today the game has been brought into the digital age and computers generate the numbers instead of balls. The bingo caller We met up with Bill Lochhead who has lived in Barton Hill for the past 15 years, and for ten of
those years was a bingo caller. “I got into doing to calling because no one else volunteered!” says Bill. “I’d do it for the Settlement, Rowan Court and St Anne’s Boardmills. It’s a peculiar thing, it can be very addictive. There is a lot of tradition about the game. Each number has its own little catchphrase like cockney rhyming slang, like 66 clickety click and 88 two fat ladies. Lots of the players have funny foibles like having to change pens or needing a special pen for luck. It’s mainly women playing and I do think it’s a generational thing - if the grandma plays then so does the daughter and granddaughter. To be a bingo caller I think you need a sense of humour! I’m from Scotland so people used to say they couldn’t understand me! My mum had dementia and she played bingo and I noticed her concentration really improved when she played it in the care home. Most places only play for a couple of quid and it’s a bit of fun and gets people out of the house. It does wax and wane in popularity but never goes away.” You can play bingo on Mondays at St Anne’s Boardmill Social Club, Avonvale Road or daily at Mecca Bingo, Barrow Road.
Incredible edible
see what we could get for free. We got 30 volunteers from Sustrans and with residents we Growing food in unloved spaces litter picked and cleared it. We got plants donated Easton resident Jose Barco has spent the past year and made logs for seats out of a tree that had knocking on doors as a Community Organiser, fallen. We’ve done it all on our own. In Colombia finding out how people feel about their we have something called ‘minga’. Our government neighbourhood. He often heard complaints about doesn’t help so people get together to do things rubbish and how seeing their streets treated like a like fix potholes and improve the community. I dumping ground makes people feel very upset and think we could do more of that here.” angry. Today, Jose is working with Edible Futures, a To get involved you can contact Jose on small organisation that helps people to use 07739195011 or jose.barco@corganisers.org.uk abandoned spaces to grow their own food. “I am or whitehallgreenproject@gmail.com interested in using food growing to bring people together. Food is a basic need for all of us. There are lots of bits of land that are wasted and could be used to feed people” says Jose. Originally from Colombia, Jose moved to Bristol with his wife who is from the city. After finishing a SHIFT Bristol course on sustainability, Jose became a Community Organiser and has been bringing his interests in food and community action together.
Whitehall Green Jose is working with residents Anna, Sonia and Mya on a piece of land opposite Whitehall Primary School. He has been supporting the group of residents to take care of the green space and make it their own. “It was in a horrible state full of dog poo, syringes and rubbish. We applied for some funding but were turned down so we decided to www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Residents share their ideas for Whitehall Green Up Our Street
9
Twitter @upourstreet
A positive place Every Saturday, volunteers from Positive Cycle come to Baggator on All Hallows Road to offer a fun and safe environment for children to enjoy. We met volunteers Nirmil Singh and Pat Henderson to find out more. “We started as a crèche for parents who needed some time to do shopping and chores. We help a lot of families who just need a bit of a break” says Pat. Today, Positive Cycle runs the play sessions every week for 5 to 12 year olds from 10am to 2pm. They have seen an increase in children who are fostered so they get to be with children from similar situations. “Families become a member for £25 for the school term, this works out as little as £2.50 for each of the 10 sessions; we provide crafts, games, films and computers. At the moment we can have up to 25 children every week. We also take them on trips during school holidays but it’s hard finding the funding for that” adds Nirmal. Positive Cycle is always looking for more funding or volunteers to help support children and families. You can contact them on 0117 942 8921 or info@positivecycle.org.uk or visit their website www.positivecycle.org.uk
10
Up Our Street
Left: Nirmil and Pat with children outside Baggator
ADVERT GOES HERE
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Bristol Somali Youth Network speaks out
Abdi (third from left) and Ayan (far right) with BSYN volunteers
When a group of young people put their mind to something, there’s no telling what they can achieve. News headlines tell us about youth unemployment and poor achievement in schools but there is another side to the story. In Lawrence Hill we have a young population with 41% of people aged 0 to 24 and many of them feel uncertain about what opportunities are out there for them. We met Ayan Abukar, one of a team of inspirational young Somalis who are leading the way in helping their community develop and integrate. “About a year ago Abdi Abdi set up Bristol Somali Youth Network (BSYN) as a group to bring together young people to help other young people. We do all sorts of projects like sports and an Integration Cup football tournament. At the moment we are collecting books for Somalia and also working on a mental health project with Off The Record and Nilaari.” BSYN now has around 13 volunteers on its management committee helping run various projects. Ayan joined the organisation after moving back to Bristol when she completed her studies at university. “When I came back here I saw that the young people were still facing the same problems I had faced when I was growing up. Nothing had changed. Instead of sitting around and waiting for someone else to do something, I wanted to be part of changing things” says Ayan. The problems Ayan sees as key, focus on education and the lack of understanding among Somali families about how the UK school system works and the difficulty for teachers to understand the cultural differences. She also feels there is a lack of local places for young people to go where they feel welcome and a sense of belonging. “We know that there are youth clubs but when we speak to young people they say that www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
they don’t feel that they are for them” adds Ayan. Now 24, Ayan studied biology but has found community work rewarding. “I am proud that we are taking the initiative and trying to do something. We want to do as much as we can for the community in our own humble way. It’s time consuming and very tiring but we don’t want to be passing the buck. We want to help make things better.” When we met Ayan, she and Abdi had been out late in the night on Stapleton Road working with local Councillors to talk to people about reducing the impact of noise from large groups celebrating Ramadan. “We see it as our role to help and try to talk to young people. We live in a busy place but we need to think about how what we do affects other people. I am proud of the mixed culture of Easton and Lawrence Hill and I don’t like the negative perception that it is unsafe or it is OK to dump rubbish here.” Ayan is keen to stress that she is not the only one who cares. “Me and Abdi might be the face of BSYN but there are lots of other people working hard behind the scenes and I want people to know that.” Over the next 12 months, BSYN will be formalising the organisation and spending more time listening to what young people think and need. You can contact Ayan and the team on Facebook or Twitter @BSYNorg or email info@bsyn.org Up Our Street
11
Twitter @upourstreet
12
Up Our Street
ADVERTS
Twitter @upourstreet
Rosemary to help more families
of health and family life. We know 50% of our children are from homes where neither parent is Nearly 90 years after it was founded, Rosemary working so we want to help parents with Early Years in St Judes is still going strong, volunteering and learning. It’s exciting to be able to supporting children and families from the local offer this to the local area.” area. We met headteacher of eight years, Toni The new children’s centre services are open to any Glazzard, to find out about the nursery becoming a of the families with one of the 640 children under children’s centre and why that’s good news for five in The Dings, Newtown, St Judes and the west families in Lawrence Hill. of Lawrence Hill. With all these new services and “This nursery has a really interesting history. It was the increased offer of free childcare places for founded by the Quakers on Rosemary Street and under twos, Rosemary Early Years desperately helped families to learn skills to support the family needs more space. like sewing or cooking. In the war it served as a “We have submitted a planning application to mortuary at night and nursery during the day! In expand on to some grass land next to our nursery. the 1950s slum clearance Rosemary Street was It will mean a fantastic resource for the community knocked down and replaced by flats and the using some space that is unloved at the moment nursery was built into the ground floor. At the time and we hope residents will support us in our plans.” it won an award for architecture which is To find out more about Rosemary Early Years unbelievable now. Today we’re the only nursery and how they can help your family contact 0117 which is actually in a block and we very much serve 903 1467 or rosemary.n@bristol.gov.uk the immediate community. We are the oldest nursery in Bristol and are planning a big celebration for our 90th birthday next year.” Since Toni started in the nursery she has seen the number of children on roll grow from 40 to 140. The population of young children in Easton and Lawrence Hill has grown as has the need for family support. This year, the council decided to give Rosemary Early Years children’s centre status which means that now it will be able to offer more services to parents as well as continue to provide a nursery school and childcare places for two year olds. “It feels like we are going back to the roots of the nursery as we will be able to support the family as a whole. We’ll have adult education, parenting support, baby groups and staff dedicated to Rosemary Early Years family support workers left to right working one to one with families about all aspects Lynn Wright, Abdullahi Hajji and Pauline Sparkes
Chocolate Factory, Greenbank
Association called ChocBox 2.0 to collect ideas from the community and to communicate with the In April 2014 we heard that Generator South West developer. Generator’s intention is to submit a LLP had acquired the Chocolate Factory site from planning application in September for a housing the Clydesdale Bank. Generator commissioned development on the site. This will detail the Meeting Place Communications to carry out number of homes (family houses and flats), what consultation with the local community which happens to the existing buildings and how the happened during June and July, including setting outside space is used. They will be holding another up a website: www.chocolatefactorybristol.com and event to show detailed plans before they are Twitter account http://twitter.com/ChocFactoryBris submitted. You can check both websites or They received 108 responses and 183 people www.bristol.gov.uk to find out when the application attended events. People from Greenbank set up has been submitted. If you don’t have access to their own website (https://sites.google.com/site/ the internet but want to be kept informed you chocolatefactorybristol/home) in April 2013 and can contact Paul Erskine at Meeting Place have been meeting up to discuss the future of the Communications on 01225 422243. factory site. They set up a formal Community www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Up Our Street
13
Twitter @upourstreet
Blooming Baynton
Alzheimers but when his wife brings him to the garden he seems happy. I'm afraid I am a murderer though. I had to put pellets down and when we While cycling around Kingsmarsh and Baynton House off Lawrence Hill, we noticed how loved and came out the next day there was a snail massacre! We filled a shoebox full!” The garden has solar well cared for the gardens looked. A resident told us that the gardens were looked after by tenants in lights and ornaments that residents enjoy looking Baynton House who used the space to socialise. We at from their windows. “Some think when people get old they’re useless but this garden shows we thought that sounded lovely so we went along to can do something” says Bill. Humbly Bill adds, “it’s find out more. not brilliant, it’s just a few people getting together Bill Canning has lived in Baynton House for five to do something.” years but got involved in the garden about a year ago. “About nine years ago residents asked the council if they could look after some of the land and they set up these gardens. The main lady moved away and it got into a bit of a state so I decided to do it. I wanted to get everyone together and we all sit out here and I get people to help me. We club together to buy plants and get some donated. Sometime we come down here and someone has left us some plants. Some people have been living here a long time and have their differences but they come together to sit in the garden.” Bill, who spends up to four hours a day pottering in the gardens, has been really pleased with the response to his efforts. “So far no one has ever damaged the flowers. If a ball comes in here Bill (far left) with fellow Baynton House residents the kids always apologise. The reaction from They welcome donations of plants for their garden - just people makes it worth it. One chap here has leave them in the garden outside Baynton House
Action from ACORN
a lease of up to four years but here it’s six or 12 months. We also want an end to fees for the tenant Association of Community Organisations for Reform Now – the landlord is the customer so should pay the Community Organisers Louie Herbert and Nick fees” explains Nick. Ballard are on a mission. After over a year of At a meeting in July, ACORN invited ten local agents knocking on doors and speaking to residents in and to attend and hear personal stories. Two of the ten around Easton, they decided to form a people’s came so ACORN know they have work still to do. union to challenge and tackle issues faced by those “We will keep on raising awareness and on low incomes. campaigning as long as our members want us to. “ACORN is an American idea that brings together We want to promote collective action. We’re still members to champion a common issue” says Nick. collecting signatures and will continue until we are ACORN works by members paying a £5 a month fee satisfied we’ve made a change” says Louie. (like trade union dues) which funds the organisation ACORN Bristol is not aligned to any political party and pays for its campaigns. “We have both been and is currently the only branch in England, though involved in Politics for a number of years but felt another one exists in Edinburgh. At the moment it like it was very slow to ever see any change. By focuses on BS5 but they will be expanding across working in the community we both agreed that it is the city later in the year. better to focus on grass roots change” adds Louie. ACORN held its first meeting in May with around To find out more about ACORN call Nick on 100 people attending and voting to choose 07739195008 or visit www.acornbristol.org.uk conditions for tenants in private rented housing as its first campaign. “We want landlords and letting agents to offer longer leases so people in rented homes can feel more security and are not in such a vulnerable position. In Europe it is common to have 14
Up Our Street
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Tribute to Justin Smith
including people with mental health needs, adults with learning disabilities, the long-term unemployed and those taking part in Community Justin Smith, Payback. Justin's easy manner and ability to Bristol City communicate his knowledge to others were his Council's Woodland and biggest gifts. Instantly engaging, Justin had a colourful enthusiasm that led to numerous Wildlife television and radio appearances. Justin also Officer who supported local green-space groups including the lived in Redfield with Friends of Netham Park who said: “Justin was our local adviser and a man of many talents. Justin led his wife Lucy and son Wilf, walks, talking about his favourite subject; fungi. His died suddenly knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject was boundless and infectious, and after the walk many in March aged 46. He was an expert mycologist, lichenologist and botanist, with further expertise in people found they could recall interesting many other areas of natural history. He carried out information they could pass onto others.” ecological research and surveys for Natural England A fund in Justin’s memory, managed by Avon and Kew, and was widely known and well-respected Wildlife Trust where he also worked, will help to for his training programmes, guided walks, continue his love for the natural environment by illustrated talks and fungi forays. supporting young ecologists. If you would like to During his career he supported diverse groups, donate, please go to https://bit.ly/RememberJustin Tribute to Hannah Purbrick We are very sad to announce that Hannah passed away in June. Hannah was an Easton resident of over 20 years and was well known in the community. She was a committed community activist who really cared about the neighbourhood in which she lived. She was a board member for Easton Community Partnership for a number of years and was always ready to help out on a community litter pick or clear up day. She cared passionately about the local environment. She always approached her community work in a thoughtful and considerate manner. She was a lovely person and a real champion of Easton and we will all miss her. Below: Hannah (bottom right) on a community litter pick.
Events this autumn Silai Centre - Pop Up University Saturday 15 November, 10am to 4pm Pop up university to give information about learning. SPAN and Bristol University Arts and Humanities ask what does it mean to be human? Taster sessions from the university, arts for children, crèche, cafe Contact 0117 951 4231
Barton Hill Settlement Halloween party - date to be confirmed Contact 0117 955 6971
Easton Community Centre Saturday 27 September, 12pm to 7pm Energy Open Day - music and family fun 25th anniversary celebration in October - details to be confirmed. Contact 0117 954 1409.
Christmas Fair Saturday 22 November, 10am to 12pm St Anne’s Church, St Leonard’s Road, Greenbank No fixed fee for crafters who want to have a stall at the fair. Contact 0117 935 4389. Join 1,700 others and sign up to the Up Our Street ebulletin for details or to publicise your events and news in Easton and Lawrence Hill. Subscribe at contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Up Our Street
15
Twitter @upourstreet
New beginnings for Easton Community Centre
modernise the building. It is looking very tired and we want to upgrade the reception, hall and meeting Since 1989, Easton Community Centre (ECC) has been a focal point for residents offering a space to rooms. We’ve had plans drawn up and we need about £50,000 for all the work so my first major socialise and learn something new. In May, the centre recruited its first Chief Executive whose job is tasks are to secure a long lease from the council and raise the money for the improvement works. to make the centre sustainable and bring the One thing that has made me happy is we have building up to modern standards. We caught up finally got a colour photocopier so we can offer that with Patsy Newton to find out more. “For the past six years I was working for the Ethical to residents. A small thing but it has made a difference!” Easton Community Centre is currently Property Foundation so I have experience in looking for a treasurer and welcomes new supporting charities who own buildings. In the members. Contact 0117 954 1409 or recent past ECC has gone through a series of management changes but it feels like now we are in info@eastoncommunitycentre.org.uk a good place to start planning for the future. In March last year we registered as a charity and we have a board of six volunteers and an average of 85 people visit the centre every day.” At the moment, ECC is mainly used as a venue and it hires out rooms to regular tenants like Asian Day Care and Pacha Mama cafe, as well as to people running classes or holding meetings, but Patsy would like to change this. “I think we can begin to offer more activities delivered by ECC rather than just being a renter of space. Our aspiration is to offer more community learning for example we have an IT room but we don’t offer computer classes at the moment. Our first big task is to Receptionist Sarah Leyshon and cafe manager Geoff James
National award for Nilaari worker Pat Rose has worked at Stapleton Road’s Nilaari for 15 years. Earlier this year she won a national BBC Radio 4 award for mental health professionals. We caught up with Pat to hear more. “A former client, Mike Henderson, nominated me. I’d worked with Mike for nearly 15 years and he said he’d put my name forward because I had stuck with him for such a long time and never turned him away.” Nilaari, which is a west African word for self worth and value, offers support to people suffering from mental health and addiction. It’s door is open to anyone and they never turn anyone away. After years of working in the community using her social work and criminal justice background, Pat joined Nilaari as a Senior Practitioner. Today Nilaari helps up to 200 people a year. “It was really exciting being nominated and winning the award. I was on radio and TV and went to a ceremony in London. It’s been good to raise awareness of mental health.” Nilaari, which saw its budget from the council cut last year, has found they are seeing more clients in really difficult circumstances as things get tougher. They are focusing on trying to raise funding to be 16
Up Our Street
able to offer help to more people. There is still stigma about mental health but Pat would encourage people who need help to reach out.“ We never turn anyone away. Everyone needs a bit of help sometimes and we don’t give things a label.” And as for Mike, today he works in prisons helping young people and giving talks to young people who are at risk of getting caught up in crime. After many years of needing Nilaari’s help, Mike is now in a place where he can help others. If you want to speak to Nilaari you can drop in to their office at 184 Stapleton Road or phone 0117 952 5742 or visit www.nilaari.co.uk Mike Henderson with Nilaari’s Pat Rose
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Refugee Welcome Centre facing funding crisis Anyone who listens to the news knows that around the world there are people living in countries where their lives are in danger. We hear about war, terrorism and disasters that are hard for us to imagine. Despite our tendency to grumble, the UK is a fantastic place to live where we have freedom, safety and opportunity. Most people who end up in the UK have no choice. In the chaos and fear of a war torn country or under persecution, people do what they can to leave and those who can afford to pay are smuggled out of the country. Once people arrive in the UK they are sent to different cities to await the outcome of their asylum claim. This can take anything from two weeks to 17 years. We met up with Joy Kenyah and Ruth SoandroJones from Bristol Refugee Rights (BRR) to find out how BRR supports asylum seekers and refugees. “People are living in limbo, sometimes for years” says Joy. “BRR has an amazing and vibrant Welcome Centre that offers a delicious hot meal on Thursdays, English classes and advocacy. We’ve seen demand grow in the eight years we have been open, with around 250 people visiting us every week from 60 different countries! It’s no surprise that the most common countries people are fleeing are Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Eritrea” says Ruth. Joy works in the VOICE team that supports refugees and asylum seekers to find volunteering so they can learn skills and begin to establish a normal life again. Joy says, “I love seeing the transformation in people as their confidence grows and they know they have
Campaigning to keep the Welcome Centre open
something to contribute.” BRR is facing a funding crisis and in September may have to reduce its service from three times a week to two or even one. This would have a disastrous impact on the lives of asylum seekers and refugees who often have nowhere else to go. Bristol is a City of Sanctuary and BRR really needs the whole city to get behind them as they fight to keep the Welcome Centre open. It is easy to get caught up in the misleading and often hateful headlines in the press but it is important to stop and think about how we want to treat other human beings and what would you do in their situation? If you’d like to know more about the work of Bristol Refugee Rights or help raise funds please contact the office on 0117 908 0844 or info@bristolrefugeerights.org or visit www.bristolrefugeerights.org
Getting green fingers in Junction 3
you can even bring some water Bethan Carr, J3 resident with you, please “Community gardening in the J3 started at the end always add a drop of May by people living in the neighbourhood, local if the plants are residents who would like the underpass to be a looking thirsty. more welcoming space and would also like to grow Passers by have food for their community to share and enjoy. Many been contributing Volunteers gardening in J3 of the people involved do not have their own plants and we garden, and the underpass is a really accessible have a range of fruit, vegetables and flowers – peas space that anyone can use for growing. We would and salad leaves have been the easiest things to like as many people as possible to get involved and grow. The underpass is already a lovely green space anyone using the cycle and footpaths is invited to with lots of trees and plants doing well, we have garden anytime they like (please read the health counted more than ten edible and medicinal wild and safety guidelines on the noticeboard first) – plants growing there outside of our plant beds. We people can also pop along on a Wednesday are hoping to put some colourful flowers in too, as evening from about 7pm when a few more people well as filling our second raised bed with more will gather and garden together. Plant any edibles, vegetables, fruit and herbs. flowers or herbs you would like and just add them Get in touch on j3underpass@yahoo.co.uk or into the beds. Pick out weeds as you walk by and if Twitter @j3underpass www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Up Our Street
17
Twitter @upourstreet
Recurring payments for payday loans Easton resident caught out When you apply for a payday loan you will usually be asked for the long number on your credit or debit card. What you may not realise is that you are then giving permission for a ‘continuous payment authority’ to be set up. This means that your card provider (usually your bank) will automatically make payments to the lender for loan repayments, interest, fees and charges. When you repay your loan, don’t rely on your lender to cancel further payments, contact your bank immediately and cancel the payments yourself. A client of Bristol Citizens Advice Bureau from Easton repaid his loan and interest but two further payments were made – he told CAB “£50 is a lot of money especially when you’re on JSA.” Bristol CAB has seen several clients who have been told by their bank that they need to get permission from the lender before the payments can be cancelled. This is wrong. It is a good idea to inform the lender that you are stopping payments but you do NOT have to get them to agree. Don’t forget to put everything in writing! If your bank makes payments after you have asked them to stop, they will have to pay you back plus any overdraft
interest or charges. However, if you run out of money in the meantime and have to ask for food vouchers, as happened with a client recently, this isn’t much consolation. If you cancel and you still owe money, remember that the loan won’t go away. Interest and charges will mount up very quickly. If you cannot afford the repayments, contact your lender and explain. Problems with payday loans or other debts? Visit Bristol CAB Advice Point between 9.30am to 1pm (Monday-Friday), 1 Quay Street, BS1 2JL, or ring 0117 946 2558 (Mondays, 9.30am to 4pm) or visit www.bcab.org.uk
Taste of the Caribbean comes to Barton Hill
watching family and I had a cook shop there but You might not know that as well as producing this nothing as special as this” says Wayne. The couple, who have been married for ten years and have five newsletter, Up Our Street is also the landlord of children between them, are looking forward to four shops on Avonvale Road in Barton Hill. This working together. “She is the determination and I summer saw the opening of a brand new cafe selling tasty, healthy and ethical Jamaican food. We am the passion and together we are looking forward to spoke to first time business owners, Wayne and working for Deniece Dixon, about Cafe Conscious, their new ourselves venture. “About a year ago we found out our son had autism and my Nan died. These were both life and seeing our hard changing events for us and it made us rethink work pay things. Wayne is an amazing cook so we decided we wanted to open our own cafe. We saw this shop off. We’re and I loved it and everything has gone from there” taking each day as it says Deniece. The couple are focusing on vegan comes” and vegetarian Jamaican food that is organic and GM free and they’ve added fish and halal chicken to says Wayne. the menu due to local demand. “We’ve been so blessed. I can’t believe how welcoming and helpful everyone has been and it’s all fallen into place” she Right: Wayne and adds. “We had no money so we’ve had to be Deniece creative and we got things cheap, recycled or donated and it’s amazing how it’s all worked out.” outside the As the man behind the food, Wayne plans to bring cafe at 182 Avonvale the unique flavour and style of his home cooking. Road. “Growing up in Jamaica I learnt to cook from 18
Up Our Street
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Balancing motherhood and manicures Becoming a mum for the first time is hard enough, but for Easton resident, Farah Sharif, she was also taking on running her first business at the same time. We met Farah, who owns hair and beauty salon Farahz (formerly Sumeraz) on Chelsea Road, to find out more. “It had always been my dream to run my own hair and beauty business. I really enjoy making people look nice so they feel good and feel happy. I have been here about a year now and I opened the shop when my son was just three months old so it has been a lot of hard work!” says Farah. There has been a hair and beauty salon on the premises for about 10 years. Now Farah has taken on the business and changed the name to Farahz and has been pleased that her customer base has been growing. “People have started recommending me so I am getting people coming in from all over. It's been really good. I love doing facials and henna and I am getting more bridal bookings now too.” There are lots of small businesses in Easton and Farah has found her neighbours very supportive. “Everyone is lovely and the local businesses have been wonderful. My dad passed away from cancer so I was raising money for a cancer charity and they really helped me out.” Although it has been hard with a young son, with support from her friends and family Farah has enjoyed becoming her own
boss. “It’s amazing working for myself. If anyone is thinking of starting their own business I’d say go for it. Even if you have children it is possible.” As well as beauty, Farah is also a trained teacher and she plans to spend one day a week running classes from the shop in henna and positive motivational skills. “My top tip is to take every day as it comes, you never know when something good might be round the corner.” Farahz is open for facials, waxing, manicures, pedicures and other beauty treatments from 11am to 5pm everyday except Wednesday and Sunday. You can drop in or contact 07513412926 to book.
Farah and her young son in the beauty salon
Strawberry tea party Tuesday 30 September Up Our Street and LinkAge are putting on a tea party for older residents around Lincoln Street. Contact Lorena on 0117 377 3640.
Saturday 27 September to Sunday 12 October A whole week of events for anyone over 50 in Bristol There will be a celebratory opening event on Saturday 27 September. Contact Age UK on 0117 929 7537 for a programme of events. Organised by Bristol City Council. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Up Our Street
19
Young volunteers at Trinity Centre
Young people from Princes Trust Team Programme had to identify a place in the community that would benefit from their help. They had to fundraise for materials, pitch for a project and deliver it within two weeks. They decided to work with Trinity Centre after the summer’s arson attacks in the garden. They cleared all of the fire damaged bushes, removed fire hazards, cut, painted and put up safety boards, planted new flowers, demolished and cleared the old brick BBQ and built a new decked seating area. All of that with only a bruised thumb!
A place of hope
After working and volunteering for Crisis Centre Ministries for five years, Val has seen a change in Every now and then you hear a story which makes the women coming to the shelter. “In 2011 it was you remember there is always hope and there are mostly relationship break down that made women people in the world who offer an open door, homeless. Now we see a lot more sexual abuse and compassion and kindness. That is just how you feel we have seen three cases of human trafficking this when you visit Spring of Hope, a new women only year alone. Nearly all the women have addictions. night shelter on West Street. The shelter is run by It’s really alarming, it has changed and not for the Crisis Centre Ministries, and Project Manager Val better.” For women who are in need of help, safety Thompson told us more. and kindness, Spring of Hope is there. The shelter is “We had been running the women’s shelter from open from 10pm to 8am on Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs Carpenter House above the Wild Goose on and Sun and relies on donations and is always in Stapleton Road but it was getting too crowded. need of toiletries or food parcels. We’d always had a dream of opening our own place If you’d like to know more contact Val on and then a very compassionate man called Andy 07990715691 or val@crisis-centre.org.uk Robb, who is a property developer, gave us this building rent free for 12 years.” The building was already in good condition and the furniture was donated by a shop in BS3. It feels like any normal home, which is what Val wanted. “I wanted a place where the women could feel relaxed and that they could open up and maybe think that one day they’d like to have something like this.” Spring of Hope is Bristol’s only women’s night shelter and the only shelter in the UK that is selfreferral. Any woman can walk in the door when they are open. “We are starting to work with One25 to offer women’s support and advice. We’ll have an all night drop-in on every night that we’re open. We also plan to open a charity shop downstairs to give women an opportunity to volunteer and help them Val in the communal room at the women’s shelter develop their self-esteem.” 20
Up Our Street
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
ADVERT
Easton Energy Group (EEG) is a community project working to help residents reduce their energy bills and take action against climate change. With your help, we plan to make Easton (including Lawrence Hill, Redfield, Greenbank and surrounding areas) one of the most energy efficient areas of its type in the country!
News In partnership with Bristol City Council, Easton Energy Group are supporting a pilot scheme that will help Easton households access millions of pounds of subsidies towards the cost of energy-efficiency improvements on their homes. Part of the government’s innovative new ‘Green Deal’, this initiative will roll out from September and will be available to home owners, tenants and landlords alike. It will put Easton at the centre of a new retrofit scheme with a focus on external insulation and could help save you hundreds of pounds on your energy bills. Find out more and register your interest today at www.eastonenergygroup.org/green-deal
Get involved Make a pledge to take action in your home and encourage your neighbours and street to do the same - http://www.eastonenergygroup.org/pledge Join our next 6 week Make Your Home Eco Course starting this Autumn - register your interest at www.eastonenergygroup.org/make-your-home-eco Become a volunteer - come along to one of our meetings to find out more or e-mail us at easton.energy.group@gmail.com to find out more (meetings held 7-9pm on the third Thursday of each month at Easton Community Centre) Like our Facebook page to stay up to date on our latest projects and events – www.facebook.com/eastonenergygroup