Work As Movement Archive event in Barton Hill Green fingered seed swappers in Easton (photo by Daniel Oliver)
Millpond School rap stars
Easter egg hunt
Old Market Community Association takes Lord Mayor on heritage walk
Szymon, age 4 and Jonasz age 5 1/2 enjoying Easter egg hunt
Urban Fit girls flash mob
Kensington Baptist Church fundraiser for Burundi (photo by Nathan Copson)
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Neighbourhood Partnership and Forum
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Flea fair lights up Cyril Dark
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Urban Fit
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Thank You Awards 2012
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Home is where the heart is
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Eid Mubarak
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The happiness habit
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Easton’s taste of the Olympics
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From couch potato to coaching people
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What’s new in Newtown?
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Stapleton Road
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Are we too quick to judge?
Pg 18 Culture series Hinduism Our front cover features photos of what you have been up to over the last few months. If you’d like to send in a photo email stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
The opinions and information contained in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management. Advertisers are not endorsed by Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management.
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Up Our Street
Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management Up Our Street is the newsletter of Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management works with local people to make positive changes in our area. Easton and Lawrence Hill are diverse, vibrant and exciting places to live. They are also some of the friendliest neighbourhoods in town. We know that the area also has its challenges. We support residents, agencies such as the Council, police and schools, and local organisations to come together and get these sorted out. We are a charity with a Board of Trustees of 12 local people. Together we can really make a difference.
Notice boards Become a notice board monitor. Can you spare an hour a month to update a community notice board? We need help with boards on St Marks Road, Stapleton Road, Bellevue Road, Rosemary Lane and Lila Park. Contact Stacy on 377 3638.
Join our email list We send out a fortnightly version of Up Our Street. If you’d like to get more regular news from your neighbourhood email Stacy at stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
VOLUNTEER Funding panels, litter picks, street surveys, vox pops, street reps, resident journalists, street stalls ....these are just some of the things we will be doing over the next year. If you care about where you live and you’d like to get involved in our work we’d love to hear from you. Call François on 377 3640 about any of these things.
NEW LOGO Thanks to everyone who entered our logo competition. Look out for our new logo next time!
Could you be a street rep for us? We have a team of around 50 resident volunteers who act as street reps for their road. They report issues on their street directly to the Council and keep us informed about any ongoing problems. Do you think you could be a rep for your street? To find out more contact François on 377 3640.
Neighbourhood Forums We organise the local Neighbourhood Forums. Find out more on page 5.
Brook Street Park Read an article on page 4 from local resident Jane Westhead. If you care about this space contact François on 377 3640.
Primary School Places
Litter Busters From January to March we ran a litter buster campaign to raise awareness of the fact that dropping litter makes our area look bad and uncared for. It is something that is very easy for people to stop doing and we know it upsets a lot of you. Over three months we: Took two assemblies with a total of 666 children attending. Organised a litter pick with ten children. Helped 108 children design posters. Held seven litter buster stalls meeting 137 residents. Visited 15 businesses on Old Market. Published an anti-litter cartoon in Up Our Street. If you see posters on lamp posts on Clifton Place, Beaufort Street, Johnsons Lane, Chelsea Road, Johnsons Road, Urban Park, Rawnsley Park or the cycle track, know that it is the children of Whitehall Primary and Easton Primary asking you to
KEEP OUR STREETS TIDY!
In the January-March edition of Up Our Street we had an article about the pressure of finding primary school places in our area. Parents have now got places for their children for September 2012. Did you get the place you wanted? Do you have to travel far to take your child to school. We want to hear from you. Call us on 377 3640.
Thank You Awards 2012 Nominate your neighbour or someone who volunteers in the community. See page 8 for nomination form.
Cash up for grabs Up Our Street on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @upourstreet
See page 4 for details of projects that have been awarded funding through local grant schemes managed by us and residents and find out how you can apply.
Up Our Street
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Brook Street Park By Jane Westhead Maybe you have never heard of Brook Street Park? Well, expect to hear more about this unloved and neglected space at the end of Cooksley Road. A group of local residents are determined to improve this local park. We are now developing ideas on how to do this and raise funds. The group strongly believes local residents should have a say in how the park is developed and they want to hear from you. The group plans to organise a ‘fun day’ in the park to raise awareness and get the views of other residents. Can you spare some time to help with this? Some of the ideas that are being considered include sessions with a play ranger to organise activities for children, new playground equipment, more trees and flowers, mosaics, murals…to name but a few. What are your ideas? Let’s hear them please. Contact François on 377 3640.
Cash up for grabs There are three different pots of money that groups can apply for in our area. Read on to find out what has been awarded recently and when you can next apply. Community First Fund - an annual grants pot managed by residents and funded by Government. The 2012-2013 round closed in June. The 2013-2014 funding round will be open in May next year. In 2011-2012 the following projects received funding: Easton ward 2nd CHANCE PROJECT £2395 to run basketball and football sessions and community workshops with a sports festival and coaching training for local volunteers. CHURCH ROAD ACTION GROUP £300 for hanging baskets on Church Road. HOOCHIE ROOTS £829 towards workshops for female DJs. UJIMA £2100 towards Bristol’s Got Talent family fun day at Felix Road Adventure Playground. Lawrence Hill ward TRAVELLING LIGHT THEATRE £2337 to make a short film called My Urban Home with 8 to 11 year olds. BARTON HILL YOUTH FORUM £1887 for a residential workshop for young people in Barton Hill. DINGS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION £1400 towards a street party for the Diamond Jubilee.
Endowment Fund - this is only for residents who live around Barton Hill, the Dings, Redfield and Newtown. In May, 15 people got funding towards driving lessons, course fees or equipment. Ten groups received funding towards projects for example an arts event at Hannah More Primary School, coach trips for residents of Corbett House and for the Dings Community Association, a summer camp for Redfield Girl Guides, a jubilee party for Barton Hill and help towards rent costs for Migrant Legal Project. There will be another round of funding open in September with a deadline of 3 October. Wellbeing Fund - this is a funding pot from the Neighbourhood Partnership for groups in our area. The next round will open on 1 September and will close in mid-October.
For application forms for any of the above visit www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk or call us on 903 9975.
Future Forums
There are some issues which get reported to the Neighbourhood Forum which, although irritating for some people, are a way of life for others. It is not always possible for the police or Council to come up with an easy solution and often issues are complicated and take a long time to work out. Some things will never be ‘solved’ as there are always people who break rules. Are there things residents can do to take action themselves? In the next newsletter we will be exploring some of these things and we will be talking about them at the Forums on 12 July and 10 September. Speeding cars Litter bugs Dog poo on pavements Caravans and trailers parked on the road
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Up Our Street
The problem with parking We all know how frustrating it is when you can’t find a parking space near where you live, but many of us rely on having a car to get around. The Council will be consulting on introducing a resident parking scheme in some of our area including The Dings and Newtown. Is a ‘residents only’ parking scheme the way to go? What are your ideas for sorting out our parking problem? If you have a strong view about parking then why not come along to one of our Forums on 12 July or 10 September?
Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Forum - what’s it all about? Maybe you’ve seen one of our posters and wondered about coming along but just never made it? Maybe you ignored the poster because you thought it doesn’t affect you? If you come to the Forum then you will hear first hand about big changes, important decisions or just interesting things happening in our area. Here are some examples of what the Forum has done to help local people over the past few months: • Organised a debate to help residents make a decision how to vote during the Mayoral referendum. • Organised a presentation about the Enterprise Zone in St Philips which is an ambitious project to bring more jobs to the city. • Helped residents contribute to the Central Area Action Plan consultation - this is one of the most important plans for how our area develops in the future. • Invited speakers from the police to talk about the coming election for Police Crime Commissioners. This will mean big changes to our police force and people need to know about it. • Kept pressure on waste contractor May Gurney to deliver the service our area needs. We hope you have seen some improvement. The Forum is about making sure local people are informed about important changes and decisions. It gives you a voice to make things happen and to hold public services to account. If you have ideas for things we should talk about then we’d love to hear from you. You said, we did....here are just a few things we’ve ticked off our action list lately Sex and drugs litter in lane off Gordon Road to be cleared weekly. Damaged bench in Riverside Park repaired. Traffic lights on Midland Road to be replaced by end of the year. Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Forum Thursday 12 July Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Street, BS5 6AW, 6.30pm to 8.30pm Monday 10 September Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road, BS5 0AX, 6.30pm to 8.30pm Email: stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk Text: 07810506980
Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Partnership (NP) Priorities for 2012 – 2013 Traffic and highways High Street – consider options for reducing speed of traffic. Mary Street – parking restrictions to improve safety and access. Worsley Street / Leonard Road – investigate parking congestion. Hinton Road – explore solutions to road safety concerns with a view to developing a scheme for future funding. West Street, Old Market – funding was approved to change the parking restrictions but this is now on hold pending the outcome of the resident parking scheme consultation. Westminster Road – an area review was completed last year. There will now be a consultation with a view to carry out road closures to ease the speeding problems. Goodhind Street – the problems could be resolved if the resident parking scheme is implemented so this work is pending the outcome of the consultation. If you have a problem which you would like to be considered for funding in March 2013 email us or come along to the Forum. The earlier you raise the issue the better. The Council wants to make it easier for local people to tackle problems on their road. For example, a strategically placed planter is a colourful, more affordable and quicker way to tackle speeding traffic then speed bumps.
Parks and green spaces The following priorities will be progressed as and when funding becomes available: Brook Street Park, Proctor House and Bellevue Park play areas and a wheels park under the M32. If you live locally or you want to work with other residents to champion your local park get in touch or come along to the Forum.
Clean and green funding
Are there spaces near you that could do with a bit of love and attention? Last year we arranged for 5000 bulbs to be planted in and around the big roundabouts. They looked lovely. Should we be doing more of this? Tell us what you think.
New members wanted
Would you make a good champion for your area? Do you want to make a difference? The NP has places for residents from central Easton (Greenbank to Chelsea Road area) and retailers from Lawrence Hill ward (Old Market, the Dings/St Philips, Redcliffe and Barton Hill). If there are things that bug you about where you live there’s a strong possibility it will bug others and together you could do something about it. If you have an idea and you want some help to make something happen get in touch on 903 9975.
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Flea fair lights up Cyril Dark If you use Church Road you may have noticed a transformation under way. When carpet salesman Cyril Dark moved out of his shop on the street, a group of residents and other traders approached him about using the space for community events. Sarah Hall lives on Gerrish Avenue and is a firm believer that it’s time to bring arts to Redfield. “My passion is rummaging! I love jumble sales, car boot sales and finding anything old. When I found out about us being able to use the Cyril Dark building my first thought was flea market!” Sarah and her team of volunteers have run several flea markets in the old shop unit so far and have seen interest grow and grow. They plan to hold a big flea market over the summer and then go back to organising them on the last Saturday of the month from autumn. “I suppose my inspiration for starting the flea was to bring all the creative people of Redfield together and generate money that stays in our area. We have people selling furniture, knick knacks and kitchenalia as well as arts and crafts that they make themselves.” There are also stalls selling fruit and veg, cheese, cakes and vintage clothes - perfect for those of you who love a good bargain hunt. “We are about to start a ‘Tiny Flea’ which will sell nearly new and handmade children’s clothes so watch out for that too!” adds Sarah. Contact Sarah on sjaynehall@gmail.com if you want to go along to a flea market as a buyer or seller, or if you have creative ideas for using the building.
Golden moments
You may remember in our January to March edition we featured a story about Golden Agers, a club for older people in Easton. The club had seen its funding cut and was worried about where it would find the money to keep its doors open to the 30 residents who use it every week. Up Our Street is happy to report that, following the article, the club has found a new supporter. On a visit to Easton, Mitchell St Aimie was reading Up Our Street while having his lunch at a local cafe. “I was reading about these older people who had this great club that was helping them get out and not be at home alone and isolated and they were getting forgotten and I just thought to myself ‘can I do something to help?’ And Mitchell, Gloria and Madge with Golden Agers and their quilt at that moment I could.” Mitchell works for Bristol based Fern Housing. He took the article back to his team to see if the organisation could help the club. They agreed to fund the club by paying their rent for a year. “When I came to visit Gloria, Madge and everyone it confirmed for me what a great job the club was doing. Older people often get forgotten and clubs like this lose out on funding. The ladies here really enjoy their sewing classes and I could see what a difference it was making to their lives so we also sponsored them to make us a quilt which we will hang in our office. I hope other companies feel inspired to help groups like Golden Agers as well. We all need to do our bit to help people who need it.” Up Our Street went back to the club to find out how it felt to get the news that someone out there had felt moved by their story and wanted to help. “Quite honestly, we were overwhelmed” said Gloria, “I was speechless, I couldn’t believe it....in fact I still can’t!” “It was like we’d been saved” added Madge “we were all so concerned and we didn’t know what we were going to do and then Mitchell read about us in the magazine and we were saved.” Golden Agers runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm at Tudor Hall in Easton. If you would like to support the club or sponsor them to make a quilt contact Gloria on 969 4884. 6
Up Our Street
Put your hands in the air and move like Jagger Fit, fun and funky would be three words to describe Emma Martinez-Lamkowski and Kate Woolgrove, two local fitness enthusiasts who have set up a group for young women in our area. “Both Kate and I love keeping fit. We both have other jobs where we work with young people but I’m a professional personal trainer and Kate is a qualified aerobics instructor. We met at the gym and had this idea of doing something for young women in Easton and St Pauls to give them somewhere to go and something that they could get into and help them get fit” says Emma. “There is so much going on for guys but not much for women and we wanted to change that. We want to help girls that might otherwise be hanging on the streets or just feeling like they want to get interested in something. Our sessions aren’t just about fitness. We also have a personal development section where the girls can learn skills in fun projects that we work on together ranging from food to fashion” adds Kate. Urban Fit meets on Tuesdays at 6.30pm at The Mill Youth Centre on Lower Ashley Road so that it is easy for girls from St Pauls and Easton to get involved. The class is an hour of high energy dance aerobics to music from Rita Ora and MIA to Missy Elliott. It’s a new form of girl power. “We want a safe space for us girls to be together, support each other, have fun and keep fit. We have got about 15 members but we would love more. If you are 14 to 25 then come along and see if you like it. It’s totally free” says Kate. “It would cost £5 or more to go to a gym. Here you get to meet people, it’s friendly and you get training with professional fitness instructors for free” adds Emma. Sabrina is 18 and has been coming to Urban Fit since the group launched in January. “I didn’t have anything to do in my spare time so I thought this would be better than just hanging about. I really like coming here; Emma and Kate will help you if you have any problems. I came on my own at first and it was OK. If you want to come along don’t worry, you’ll be welcome and everyone will accept you.” Satania is 19 and came along when Sabrina told her about it. “I wanted to do something to keep fit and have a laugh. I was a ADVERT
Emma, Sabrina, Satania and Kate working out at Urban Fit
bit shy at first but there was no need to be as everyone is welcome and by the end of the night you feel like friends.” Urban Fit is run in partnership with the charity Access Sport who give them advice and funding for sports equipment and training. The Mill gives the space for free and Emma and Kate are volunteers. In the future they would like the girls to run the club themselves. Urban Fit is putting on a fundraising fashion show on 28 September and would welcome donations of clothes or jewellery. If you can help with hair or makeup or offer any other support contact Kate or Emma on 07818587839. If you are aged 14 to 25 and want to try out Urban Fit just turn up on Tuesdays at 6.30pm at The Mill Youth Centre, Lower Ashley Road.
Retired and fed up with cooking or eating alone? You are invited to
The Salvation Army Luncheon Club Thursdays from 10.30am to 2pm Hassell Drive, £2.50 Meet others for coffee and chat followed by a three course lunch served at 12 noon. Call 0117 955 1600 to book for the first time. Up Our Street 7
Thank you....Jan Bartlett A little recognition goes a long way Jan Bartlett is 72 and has in lived in and around Barton Hill for the last 30 years. After a working life in the catering trade, she retired and began to wonder what she was going to do with herself. “I always like to be busy. I’m a doer. When I retired I was at a bit of a loose end. At the time I was too ill to work full time but I wasn’t ready to do nothing. I went to Barton Hill Settlement and had a meeting and they told me about being a driver. So I started driving the bus to take people shopping or collect them for the lunch club. Then I moved on to helping at the lunch club. It was quite a responsibility actually.” There are a lot of people who could benefit from volunteering. Not only are you helping people but you are learning new skills and getting good experience. Whether you’ve had your career and retired but want something to do or you’re young and looking for work experience to help you get a job, volunteering could be for you. “I like helping people, it’s in my nature” says Jan. “I wanted to keep my mind occupied. I enjoyed the people and just having a natter. We had some great Christmas dos up there. It was always nice when people said thank you.” After 13 years, Jan has decided to step down from her volunteering and take some time out to relax and put her feet up. “I did think to myself ‘what will I do now?’ but I am still doing bits with a cat charity as I love cats and also helping out an Alzheimer’s charity so I will still have some things to do! Also my son has got two year old twins and they come to see me so that definitely keeps me busy.” And what would Jan say to other people thinking of volunteering? “I try my best to get everyone into volunteering. I went to a computer course the other day as I want to get into computers now I have more time, that’s the way it’s all going isn’t it? There was another lady next to me who had retired and wasn’t sure what to do and so I told her that they always need more drivers at the Settlement! It is a commitment and you do have to be reliable but it’s worth it.” Barton Hill Settlement would like to thank Jan for all her years of hard work and dedication to volunteering. If you are interested in volunteering at the Settlement contact Maggie on 955 6971.
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Up Our Street
Thank you....Richard Seymour A little recognition goes a long way Congratulations to Richard Seymour who was awarded the Lord Mayor’s Medal this year for his dedication to community and charity work in the Dings. “First I heard about it was getting a letter from the Council. I saw it said mayor on it and I thought it was something asking me to vote for this new mayor so I just left it. Three days later I thought I would look at it and it was actually me getting nominated for the Lord Mayor’s medal. I couldn’t believe it! I was actually on holiday in Cornwall on the day of the awards so I drove all the way back to Bristol for the reception and then all the way back to Cornwall. It was worth it though. We got to look around the Lord Mayor’s mansion which was interesting. It was a really nice afternoon.” Richard is well know for running Seymour’s social club for 18 years with his partner of 33 years, Janice and he has been chair of the Dings Community Association and Neighbourhood Watch ever since, as well as raising thousands of pounds for charity. He is well known locally for his DJing skills as Madrich Disco and on BCfm with his Fun and Frolics show. He has always been willing to muck in and help out when he can and is such a cheerful, happy person. Although he moved to Knowle in 2007 he has never left the Dings behind and in 2010 they won best community of the year in the AXA Community Challenge awards. “I see myself as a wheel. I am a hub and the community are all the spokes and together we work!” He has no plans of stopping any time soon. “I am still going strong at 70 and loving life and still feel like I’m 21!” Up Our Street would like to say congratulations to Richard and thanks for all you do.
Thank you....Ramal Royal A little recognition goes a long way Over the past few issues, Up Our Street has been meeting young people who live in Easton and Lawrence Hill, to find out about all the great things they are doing. This time we meet Ramal Royal, a very ambitious 16 year old who lives in Easton with his mum and two sisters. What’s going on in your life at the moment Ramal? I am very busy at the moment as I have got my GCSEs soon so I am revising a lot. I am also part of the Bristol Select Committee and a member of the UK Youth Parliament. I am the rep for Black and Minority Ethnic young people and the work I do is about combating negative stereotypes in the media. I have also been helping the Council with their Youth Links Review by telling them about what services young people want and I have got a part time job as a chef. What do you see yourself doing in the future? My favourite subject at school is Sociology and I hope to go on to college to do Government and Politics, Sociology, History and English Language. I think there is a lot of unfair reporting in the media and I would like to do something to combat negative reporting of minorities. I like politics though and would like to be an MP and maybe work my way up to Prime Minister. Why are you interested in politics? I think society is uneven and I want to change that. Things are getting worse with all these cuts and there is a lot of negativity. I don’t like it when politicians blame other people all the time and don’t take responsibility. I wouldn’t be like that. I think in Bristol transport is the biggest problem for young people as it’s really expensive. That’s something I would like to sort out. Young people should care about this sort of thing and get their voice heard. If you are aged 11 to 18 and want to find out more about being a member of the UK Youth Parliament visit http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/ or contact Sharon Adams on 01823 365 444. Up Our Street
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Home is where the heart is There are many Somali families living in Easton and Lawrence Hill and it is easy to think that everyone has come from the same place. Up Our Street recently met two women with different stories to tell. Fardousa has lived in St Judes for nine years and lives with her husband and four children. Her husband works at Redwood Hostel and she works as a dinner lady at Andalusia School. She is a member of St Judes Somali Women’s Group, a support network and social group which meets once a week in Tyndall House Community Room. Up to 50 women meet to chat, pray, learn Arabic and English and hang out – often gossiping until gone midnight. “I feel safe in St Judes because I hear my own language, everyone is OK and we are all respecting of each other. To be honest I have never had any problems since I’ve been living here.” Fardousa learnt her English at Hannah More Primary School and SPAN and says it really makes all the difference to Fardousa (left) with her friend Khadra how you feel about where you live when you can speak the language. “It is hard to learn English. I lived for five years in Tanzania and I learnt the language fluently in one year because everyone is very open there but also you have to talk to people. In a shop there are no prices so you have to ask how much the milk or bread is. Here the price is on everything and you can spend a lot of time without having to ever really talk to anyone. I found it a lot more closed here and it was easy to be lazy. I forced myself to do it. My husband used to speak English for me but then he wouldn’t do it anymore so I had to learn. I was frightened at first but I did it. Sometimes it is too easy not to change!” Up Our Street has been how people from different cultures can meet each other and make lasting friendships. Most of us naturally socialise with people that are like us and that happens across every culture. We asked Farbousa what she thought about this: “I do know my neighbours. They aren’t Somali but we chat and I also chat to other mums at school but to be honest it doesn’t go much further than that. I guess there isn’t really anywhere else where we come together so the friendships don’t develop. I go swimming at the weekends and go round to friend’s houses to relax so I don’t really mix with other people. I don’t think it happens enough really. This is my home now and I’d like to know other people better.” Halima Kulane set up the women’s group and has lived in St Judes since 2001. She has three children and works as a crèche worker. She left Somalia in 1988 when the country was peaceful and prosperous. “I was young then and I wanted to travel and see more of the world. I went to Italy to study hairdressing and to learn Italian. It was lovely but then war broke out in Somalia and I couldn’t go home.” Halima had to leave her family who were still trapped in the country as civil way raged. Like many Somalis, Halima spent years living in another European country before moving here. “I met my husband in Italy. He was living in Holland at the time so we moved there for eight years before coming to England. When I first came to St Judes in 2001 it was very scary and unsafe but today it is much better. I came to England because of the language and I had friends and family here. I really struggled to learn Dutch so I felt alone and isolated most of the time. In Somalia you see English on signs and hear it because we were a colony of Britain.” Today Halima speaks fluent English and hopes one day to return to Somalia. “I visited for the first time in 2010. It was upsetting to see my home [Mogadishu] destroyed. It was still quite unsafe then but I think it will be peaceful enough to return soon. I miss home and my family and I want to move back there with my children. That is where I call home.” Halima is in the process of writing a book about her experiences called bixideydii fududeyd iyo soo nogo shad eydii adkaatay (easy to leave but hard to go back). St Judes Somali Women’s Group meets once a week on Thursdays from 10am to 2pm and once a month in the evenings. ADVERT
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Up Our Street
No food, drink or sex.... The month of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid Friday 20 July to Saturday 18 August
Ramadan is a month of fasting to help Muslims learn self-control and obedience to Allah (God). From the time the sun comes up until the sun goes down they must not eat, drink, smoke or have sexual relations. By not giving into desires people can learn what it means to go hungry, encouraging them to be more generous and kind-hearted. Many people visit mosques for longer evening Taraweeh prayers of worship and reflection. Eid ul Fitr is to celebrate the end of Ramadan, hold special prayers and spend time with family and friends. It is a beautiful, colourful and sharing festival celebrated all around the globe. Muslims give thanks to Allah for his strength during Ramadan and congratulate family and friends for their efforts. For Eid celebrations in our area contact us on 377 3638. Bristol Muslim Cultural Society will be holding its Islamic Cultural Festival at the end of August. Contact 952 1802 or visit www.bmcs.org.uk
Living with dignity in your own home making homes work for older and disabled people
Rap stars of the future By Pam Compton, Year 3 teacher In April a group of five very excited boys from Millpond Primary School visited the Docklands Recording Studio. Here they recorded a rap. Each had written their own verse which they performed. The adults who guided them through the recording session were very impressed both by their attitude and performance. An extremely professional CD was compiled for the boys and school to keep. Are these boys the rap stars of the future? Keep watching and listening.
Does your home meet your needs? Help is at hand. Bristol City Council can support you if you want to stay living in your own home but you just need a few changes to make life easier for you. You don’t have to be a Council tenant; they can help you if you are renting or a home owner (if you live in a housing association home you need to speak to your landlord). If you are struggling to stay living in your own home you can get free advice and information about ways to adapt your home so you can continue living there independently. For those most in need you can get minor works for free for example if you could use hand rails. They can offer advice about bigger work like stair lifts, ramps, modified showers and where you can apply for grants to get help paying for these things. To find out more about how you can get information and help call Bristol Care Direct on 922 2700. Up Our Street 11
Getting the Happiness Habit By Ruth Cochrane What makes you happy? At Hannah More Primary School we have 15 mums taking lessons in happiness as part of a Happiness Habits pilot programme from Bristol’s Happy City team. Although the women come from seven different countries, what makes them happy is often the same and we are trying to find these common things. Hannah has been taking the course and quickly noticed what she does that makes her happy or unhappy. “I was not particularly surprised to discover I had some bad habits which affected my mood, but I've been really amazed at how quickly these have been replaced with good habits. The class has helped me understand how I can take charge of my own happiness, and how easily happiness can be passed on through everyday interactions.” We pride ourselves on good relationships between school, families and the wider community, but in a fast-changing area there is always more to be done and we are hoping that picking up the happiness habit will help us all get along better. Happiness is contagious and learning some simple ways to be happy and share happiness with others is a good place to start. For more information contact the school on 903 9936 or check out www.happycity.org.uk
Bored children this summer? www.goplacesdothings.org.uk For 13 to 19 year olds in Bristol
Can you define your home? Can you define your city? Can you define your world? Young people aged 8 to 19 have been working on a short film and two plays about how it feels to grow up in an inner city area. They are inviting you to hear a different voice, a new voice exploring the place where we all live through the eyes of our young people. Sammy, who is nine, said “it’ll be a great experience to have an audience so that we can actually show and express how we feel. We are working really hard to make a brilliant film.” Katie, who is 13, added “we’ve come up with loads of different characters that if you live in an urban area you’ll be able to really relate to…it is written by ourselves, using all our ideas.” The project has been run by Travelling Light Theatre based in Barton Hill. You can see the film and plays on 11 and 12 July at Arnolfini. Call 0117 917 2300 to book tickets or call Nick on 377 3163 to contact Travelling Light Theatre.
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Up Our Street
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Have your say about the future of the Trinity Centre Trinity Community Arts has secured a £40,000 Development Grant from the Big Lottery Fund Reaching Communities Buildings programme to investigate options for developing and renovating the Trinity Centre, Lawrence Hill. This will involve consulting with a wide range of individuals and organisations within the Bristol community. Emma Harvey, Centre Manager said, “over the next six months we will consult with as many people as possible from Easton, Ashley, Lawrence Hill and across Bristol. We want your opinions about how you would like to see the Trinity Centre developed in the future.” To find out about Trinity’s consultation visit www.3ca.org.uk
Chef shakes up snacks Shane Jordan is a local veggie chef whose new project involves campaigning for better snacks for young people and trying to get them involved in community work. Shane said, “I want to encourage young people to think about the sugary snacks they eat from various local stores. I will be working in local nurseries, schools and youth centres to do talks and free food samples on this subject. I really enjoy working in our community and I want to inspire other young people to do something positive. It allows them to improve their CV, gain experience and make important contacts for the future. I feel there’s no greater satisfaction then doing something positive for you local community.” If you want Shane to come and give a talk to your group on healthy eating contact him on shane@greenvisionmovement.org An elected Mayor for Bristol
On 3 May Bristol voted YES to having a new elected Mayor to replace the leader of the Council. We will now have to go to the polls again in November to elect a Mayor from a selection of candidates. These can be from political parties or independents. In the October-December newsletter we will bring you more information about who is standing and why you have to use your vote. The turnout for the referendum in May was low in our area so we hope to encourage more people to go out and vote in November. We will be organising a hustings event for residents in Easton and Lawrence Hill sometime in October or November (possibly at the November Neighbourhood Forum). You can visit www.bristolmayor.org to find out what the campaign group or supporters are saying or keep an eye on www.bristol.gov.uk
Wellspring Healthy Living Centre Beam Street, Barton Hill, Bristol BS5 9QY
Butler in the Buff If you’re having a girls night in, hen night, a party or summer BBQ.
Why not hire a butler in the buff? I will add that bit of sparkle to your event whilst providing a professional butler service. Phone Tony on 077 7631 8158 COMPETITIVE PRICES ADVERT Your street lights are changing as part of the Council’s plans to make all lights more efficient by 2014. They now emit white light which targets the street rather than yellow light which illuminates a wider area and causes more pollution. Police have been consulted on this and are not concerned about any community safety issues.
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Easton’s Taste of the Olympics
Kelvin Williams, 22, lives in Easton and has been playing basketball with Bristol Storm since 2007 when he got involved with the sport though City Academy. He then got involved in Street Games which takes sport out to parks and public spaces so more young people can take part. Kelvin was headhunted to train as a coach so he could get paid work coaching other young people in the sport. In 2011 he was chosen to represent Street Games on a Coca Cola billboard advert because of his dedication to neighbourhood sport. This year he received the news that he had been nominated to carry the Olympic torch in Bristol. Up Our Street caught up with Kelvin as he was gearing up to the big day. How were you nominated to carry the torch? To be honest I’m not really 100% sure. I think it must have come from my work with Street Games. Steve [coach at Bristol Storm] just casually asked me whether I’d be up for doing it. I was a bit worried about all the exposure, first the billboard and now this, like there was a bit of pressure on
Not got tickets for the Olympics? You can still be part of the fun by watching games on the Big Screen in Millennium Square in the city centre. Friday 27 July - Olympic opening ceremony Saturday 28 July to Saturday 11 August - Watch the games Sunday 12 August - Olympic closing ceremony http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/bbc-big-screen 14
Up Our Street
me to be really good but when I asked ‘why me?’ it was because I’ve got a story to tell. It’s all good, I’m just not really one for the limelight. How are you feeling about being a part of such a big event for England? The closer it gets the more excited I am, not many people get the chance to do it. If people ask me about it I don’t like to make a big deal of it but inside I am proud. I’m not sure yet what time I will be doing it or what I have to wear. They are sending me an outfit. I have to carry it for about 300m I think and they said I can run, walk or jog, you know, relish the moment. I’m not sure what I am going to do yet. What will you be watching during the Olympics? There is a basketball team so I’ll watch that but I also like boxing and football. It’s the first GB basketball team in a while. I don’t get to play basketball as much at the moment as it’s in the evening when I’m working but I play football for Bristol Athletic at the weekends. Storm might be putting together another national league team which plays Saturdays. I need to make my mind up whether I am going to follow basketball or football as I don’t have time for both! Money worries? Bristol Debt Advice Centre is here to help. They have been providing free, independent money advice for more than 21 years and offer advice from 48-54 Old Market. New debt advice drop-in open to all at 9.30am on Thursdays. Drop-in sessions for people receiving means tested benefits at 9.30am on Mondays and Tuesdays. Bring proof of income and your debt paperwork with you to all drop-ins. Access debt advice online at www.bdac.org.uk/ or call 0117 954 3990.
From couch potato to coaching people If you’ve enjoyed watching sport this summer and feel inspired to get up and get out then Up Our Street has just the thing for you. We caught up with Darron Hamilton, a local coach who runs free sports sessions and coaching training in our area. “I was looking for work and found a free coaching course on the Council’s website” says Darron. “I’ve always enjoyed sports so I gave it a go. I’d never done any professional sport before, I just liked running around a muddy field! I went on to do volunteering in St Pauls before getting some paid work.” Darron now runs short courses for other people to start out like he did. “Our intro course is free and is only a total of 12 hours and the level 2 is only £10 deposit which you get back. We’d love more people to come along. You don’t need any experience or to be involved in sport already. You just need Local coach enthusiasm. It’s all about getting people moving and you learn about getting Darron Hamilton along with people, communication skills, things like that. It really helps build your confidence.” The level 2 Community Sports Leaders award is a nationally recognised qualification and gives you all you need to deliver a sport session on your own to groups of all ages. As part of the course you also get a First Aid qualification. Darron’s favourite sports are football and table tennis. You can enjoy sport at any level to get involved. Darron runs cricket sessions on Mondays in Chelsea Park (4.30pm to 6.30pm) and at the Netham (6.30pm to 8.30pm) for anyone who’d like to give it a go. He also runs multi-sports sessions for young people at the Dings youth club on Fridays (7pm to 9pm). Contact Darron on 07974932128 or darron.hamilton@bristol.gov.uk or visit www.bristol.gov.uk/page/sports-coaching
OLYMPIC TORCH COMES TO CHURCH ROAD Thanks to everyone who came out to line the streets for our tea party on 22 May. It was a great turn out and a fantastic atmosphere. We hope you all enjoyed it too!
What’s new in Newtown? Resident walkabout on Tuesday 14 August Newtown is the area around Lawrence Hill Health Centre including Hassell Drive, Hanover House, Rosevear House and Hayes Close. The Council has organised some resident walkabouts to spot any problems. If you live in Newtown you can join in on Tuesday 14 August meeting at 6pm outside Hanover House. You’ll be walking around for about an hour. Issues raised in the past include drugs in the area, litter and parking, parking, parking. Housing Officer Maria Connor is also helping set up a regular Isle of Newtown resident meeting with lovely biscuits and teas and coffees provided and hopes to organise a Good Neighbour Agreement sign up day. People have been interested in improving the area and meetings so far have been fun and well attended by residents and local organisations. If you want to get involved in Newtown contact Maria Connor on 922 2200. Up Our Street 15
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Look out for Bristol Independents event on Stapleton Road on 4 July
Message from Stapleton Road Working Group Chair Pat Usherwood: “Stapleton Road Working Group is about residents and traders working together to tackle problems that are important to you. Two very practical things we are focusing on this year include improving the junction of Stapleton Road and Easton Way and a campaign to try and stop people dropping litter. Please buy a bag and show your support for our work. All proceeds will go back into our work. You can buy a bag from Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management, 108 Church Road or 1st Choice Florist, 246b Stapleton Road. If you are a trader on Stapleton Road and you would like to sell bags for us please get in touch.” To find out more about our work on Stapleton Road contact Penny on 903 9975. 16
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Are we too quick to judge?
Is this....
Over a year ago the Wild Goose café relocated to Stapleton Road from St Pauls after appearing on Channel 4s Secret Millionaire. They desperately needed more space so bought an old pub and turned it into a café. The café is a support centre for homeless people and provides free hot meals to hundreds every year. It also works hard to get people out of addiction and off the streets. Lots of people support the work of the Wild Goose and respect what they do but some feel that Stapleton Road is not the right location for the service they provide. The main concern is that people who use the café gather on the street nearby. They may simply be waiting for the cafe to open, sometimes they may be drinking or hanging about chatting or smoking. It can feel intimidating when you have to negotiate your way through a crowd of people, whoever they are, particularly if they appear drunk and rowdy. Some people think it doesn’t look very nice and is damaging to Stapleton Road’s image and reputation, which residents are trying to rebuild. Some businesses near the Wild Goose are concerned it is ...different to this? putting people off coming to them. Lots of people pass by – it is the main route from Easton (and beyond) into town – perhaps this gives strength in numbers. On the other hand it may mean more people start to avoid Stapleton Road. The management at the Wild Goose want people to know that they maintain a strict policy of no drinking in or near the premises and if people cause disturbance the café will close. They feel this works well and that they rarely have any problems and the police support this. They also want to make a positive contribution to the local area. They are increasingly providing meals for people who are not homeless but have fallen on hard times. With the current economic climate people who need the services of the Wild Goose are set to rise. Last summer they put on the most fantastic display of flowers. If more people took the time and effort to brighten up the buildings along Stapleton Road it would be transformed! Neighbours of the café compare the situation now with what it was like when the building was a pub and they feel things are better now than before. These are difficult issues. Is it that we are quick to judge people because they look untidy and perhaps unclean or are there genuinely problems of anti-social behaviour which don’t get reported and need to be dealt with? Is it anti-social to sit on a wall and drink a can of cider or does it depend on who it is? Homeless people are not the only ones hanging out on Stapleton Road. A bit further up the road there are groups of men hanging about outside the sports cafes. They are probably cleaner and tidier and they may or may not be drinking. Is this just as intimidating for women? Do we need more women to hang out on Stapleton Road? Is there anywhere we all feel safe and at ease? Some people will think that Clifton village is the ideal, others would feel uncomfortable and unwelcome there. Do we just have to live with these things and put our energies into being more forgiving of each other or is it yet another example of the inner city taking on more than its fair share of the city’s problems? Up Our Street is interested in what you think. If you use Stapleton Road and have any thoughts to share, text us on 07810506980, Facebook (Up Our Street) or email stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk. If you’d like to know more about the Wild Goose or volunteer with them contact 0117 330 1230. If you experience or witness anti-social behaviour or harassment on Stapleton Road, it is very important you report it to the police by calling 101. By reporting it you are telling the authorities that there is a problem. If you don’t report it the chances are they won’t know there is a problem. Resources are targeted at problems the police and Council know about. In an emergency always phone 999. Up Our Street 17
Culture series.... Hinduism The Hindu temple on Church Road is the largest of its kind in the South West and was opened in 1981 by Hindus originally from the Gujrat region of India who had come to Bristol from East Africa. Today it has a congregation of hundreds and people travel from as far away as Cornwall to visit this special place. The temple services worshippers who are originally from all over the world. Bhavna Mistry has been worshipping here since it opened and invited us to take a tour. “When we first found this building it had been derelict for a long time. Clean up and repairs took over a year and was all done by volunteers. Ceremonies were performed over several days in preparation for its inauguration.” Now the former church is home to many colourful shrines. “We call our deities ‘murti’ and there are 14 murtis in the shrines here”. We have a special shrine to Shiva which is called Shivling and this is how we worship God without form. Images of Hindu Gods are often seen with many arms and heads and animals – it’s to remind us of God’s infiniteness and our oneness with all creation. We have different deities to help us focus on the different aspects of God. We also have a shrine to Jalaram Bapa, a saint of Gujarat who is widely revered for his acts of kindness to humanity and for performing many miracles.” Not every Hindu temple has the same shrines, it depends on the congregation. Here most of the congregation speak Guajarati language but it is a Sanatan temple, which means it is open to all. The person who conducts all the ceremonies is called Panditji, which means priest. Funding for the upkeep and many festivals comes through donations from the congregation. Bhavna fills us in on what happens during worship. “If we are having a big event we go into the main hall but mostly our services are at the shrines upstairs. Everyone must take their shoes off before coming into our shrine area. Twice a day we have Aarti which is when we wave light and offer it to our deities. By each shrine there is a bell which you ring to God so it helps you connect in prayer and to let him know you are here. As Hindus we celebrate many festivals when we often get as many as 500 people attending, sometimes more. Some of the more popular festivals like Navrathri [festival of nine nights] attract many more people at weekends.” During our visit we had the opportunity to speak to Panditji and he told us more about the festivals. “We celebrate eight major festivals at our temple. First we celebrate Shivaratri, the birthday of Lord Shiva. Then we have Holi which is our festival of colour when we throw paint. It’s our way of welcoming spring. We follow the lunar calendar so the full moon day in July is Gurupurnima which is when we give thanks to our teachers. We all have teachers throughout our life to learn and improve our knowledge. For August full moon we celebrate Raksha Bandhan which is about brothers and sisters. Then eight days after this we have the birthday of Lord Krishna. One of our biggest celebrations here is the birthday of Ganesh [elephant headed God who is the God of wisdom and remover of obstacles] and we have around 300 people come to the temple for ten days of worship. October is Navarathri, our festival of singing and dancing in honour of the mother Goddess. We finish the year with Diwali which we celebrate with worship of the Goddess Lakshmi [Goddess of prosperity] with fireworks, colourful rangoli patterns, food and new clothes.” We asked Panditji about the life of the temple and its role in the community. “The whole family comes here to worship together. Most Hindus have a small room in their house which is their shrine but they also come to the temple. It’s like the difference between watching a DVD at home and going to the cinema!” If you are not a Hindu but you are curious about the faith or the temple you can visit and observe a ceremony. “We Hindu’s don’t believe in converting people” says Panditji. “You’ll never see us out on the street trying to convert people but we are very involved in multifaith Bristol. We open our doors to the community. It is very common now for Hindus to marry non Hindus. We respect every religion which is why you will see pictures here of Jesus and Buddha. If you have a different religion to me I will not say you are wrong and I am right, I will just say that we are both right to ourselves. Our religion is very accommodating. We have lots of non Hindu friends here.” Church Road Hindu Temple is open every day Left to right: Bharti, Mrs Kathrecha, Mr Patel, Bhavna, from 8.30am to 10.30am and from 6.30pm to Mrs Mistry, Panditji, Mrs Solanki 8.30pm and for Aarti at 9.30am and 7.30pm. Visit www.bristolhindutemple.co.uk 18
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Ephraim, Madge and Gloria
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Volunteering opportunities with Home-Start Bristol Home-Start Bristol offers support, friendship and practical help to parents with at least 1 child under 5 through weekly home visits by our trained volunteers who all have parenting experience themselves. Our aim is to increase the confidence and independence of families so that children get the best possible start in life.
Comments from a family we have supported I was very nervous about having a volunteer and when she started to visit I was feeling very low. I had just moved house with my 3 children and everything was too much. I could hardly get up in the morning and found it hard to get my eldest son to school and didn’t have the energy to play with the younger 2 children or take them out. I can now say that my volunteer was one of the best people to ever come into my life. She has helped all of us through some very hard times, the children love her and I have been helped so much by her calm sensible advice. We are a much stronger family now and I can see that I can cope. I am going to be doing some volunteering at my children`s nursery and hope to do some training so that I can work with children in the future.
A volunteer’s perspective I have been a volunteer with Home-Start for about 15 months. It has been very satisfying and has more than exceeded my expectations of volunteering. My first family - ‘Kate’ was a very young single mother with 3 children. She had been a victim of domestic violence, had recently moved to a new area and so was isolated and depressed. ’Kate’ was very apprehensive about accepting a stranger into her home but fortunately we "hit it off" quickly. At first I did not understand why the children were often late for nursery or school but as I got to know ‘Kate’ I realised her depression was affecting her sleeping and she was exhausted from lack of sleep. She had no energy to take the children out to play and they were having temper tantrums from being confined to the house. The combination of problems was affecting her ability to cope. Together we have taken the children to the park and it has been rewarding to see the family more relaxed and smiling. ‘Kate’ is enjoying her children again and is managing day to day problems. I have learned not to judge by appearances and to understand that this mum was doing the best she could in very difficult circumstances.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES Do you have:- Parenting experience? Some spare time? An understanding that parenting can be difficult and challenging....and fun? The ability to listen and a sense of humour. In return for your commitment to visit a family at home on a weekly basis we offer an exciting Preparation Course (one day a week for nine weeks) which is accredited to OCN level 2 for those keen to obtain further qualifications, ongoing training and support.
Home-Start Bristol Unit 11, The Greenway Business Unit Doncaster Road Southmead Bristol BS10 5PY Tel: 0117 9501170 Email: admin@homestartbristol.org.uk Web: www.homestartbristol.org.uk ADVERT
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The Meriton provides education and support for Young Families. If you are under 20 and pregnant or have a child consider visiting the open day. The Meriton offers young parents the opportunity to get a qualification and learn new skills through an individual flexible timetable. Study a short course in Beauty or a year long GCSE in Maths, English, and Science. English for speakers of other Languages (ESOL) is also available. For a full list of courses check the website or phone for a prospectus and an informal chat.
Outreach courses are available at a number of venues such as The Wellspring Barton Hill. This covers pregnancy, antenatal and postnatal care, goals and aspirations, and accreditation in Maths and English.
The Meriton provides onsite nursery for young babies, lunches and support with transport. Open Days: Monday 9 July or Friday 13 July Please phone to book a place
The Meriton 0117 9717428 www.the-meriton.co.uk ADVERT
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