www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Up Our Street is produced by Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management. 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: 377 3640 Finance and Office Manager Tracy Parsons Tel: 903 9975 Communications Officer Stacy Yelland Tel: 377 3638 Neighbourhood Manager Penny Germon Tel: 903 9879
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REACHES 13,400 LOCAL HOMES AND BUSINESSES
It costs Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management 50p to produce every copy of Up Our Street. It is hand delivered to 13,400 homes in the local area. The opinions and information contained in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management.
Useful numbers 0117 922 2100 Report fly tipping, litter, overflowing bins, dog fouling or dead animals. 0117 922 2500 Report noise or anti-social behaviour. 0117 922 2000 Bristol City Council customer services 101 or 999 To contact the police.
Inside this issue Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management....page 3 Neighbourhood Forum..................page 4 Thank You Awards...........................page 5 Redfield round up............................page 8 Polish story time.............................page 10 2
Up Our Street
Are you new to Easton or Lawrence Hill? We hope you enjoy living here and we welcome you to our neighbourhood. Read on to find out what a great place it is to live.
Befriending...............................................page 11 Interview with Liz Crow........................page 12 Bellevue Park............................................page 14 Trinity Centre...........................................page 14 Felix Road Adventure Playground...page 15 Lawrence Hill............................................page 16 How to lobby...........................................page 17 Andalusia Academy..............................page 18
Follow us on Twitter @upourstreet #ELHNM
Schools out
Sally Caseley Chair “Welcome to our winter newsletter, we hope you enjoy reading about all the things happening in our neighbourhood. In October we held our AGM and Thank You Awards. It was a really fun evening and great to meet so many people who make a difference. We were happy to welcome two new board members, Gez and Matt, who joined us this year. It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of another year - we have certainly been very busy! We have organised some key events such as the Mayor question time and the active citizenship conference and we continue to help local people who have energy and ideas. If you would like a copy of our annual report please get in touch with the team.” Who are we? Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management is a small, independent community organisation which helps residents make positive changes where they live. We produce this newsletter, organise events and carry out projects. We also organise the Neighbourhood Forum on behalf of Bristol City Council. T: @upourstreet F: Up Our Street
Get connected www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
We have a new website which we hope you will find useful and interesting. You can find papers from meetings, see events and read latest news posts. We try to update the website every couple of days. If you have any comments about the site then we’d love to hear from you. Remember you can also catch us on Facebook (Up Our Street) and Twitter (@upourstreet) #ELHNM #ELHNF
In September we organised a fair which saw local primary and secondary schools meeting parents to help them with the choice of schools for 2014. We will be reviewing the feedback to plan for next year. Remember the deadline for primary school applications is 15 January 2014. Contact school admissions on 903 7694 if you need assistance.
We are working with M-Shed as part of a community panel to make sure that residents in our area feel involved in the museum. Do you have ideas for things you’d like to see? Contact Stacy on 377 3638 or stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
In September we were out on the streets talking to local people on Stapleton Road. Every year we carry out a survey asking whether you think Stapleton Road has got better or worse over the past 12 months. The idea behind the survey is to feedback to Stapleton Road Working Group. The group is made up of residents, businesses, police and council officers and focuses on improving the street. What did you say? 339 people surveyed 58% said the road was better 18% said it was worse 18% said it was the same The biggest change was a decrease in crime.
Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management
“Inclusion is elegant in its simplicity yet awesome in its complexity.” Marsha Forrest, equalities campaigner
What makes an inclusive neighbourhood? Over the next few months we will be working with others to look at how Easton and Lawrence Hill can be welcoming to everyone. Do you face any barriers to leading a full life? A resident contacted us to say that our local post offices are not accessible for wheelchair users. Why is that allowed to happen when a post office is a useful public service? Share your thoughts and ideas with us at 377 3638 or stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
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Follow the Neighbourhood Forum on Twitter #ELHNF
Neighbourhood working
Officers from Bristol City Council and Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management working on priorities raised by you and the Neighbourhood Partnership.
Operation Scoop We know that people feel very strongly about the fact that there is so much dog fouling on the streets. Officers have been out during peak times for dog walkers to talk to people about being responsible dog owners and issuing fixed penalty notices when they see people not picking up. Operation Sunset The council receives a lot of complaints from residents in high rise flats about noise late at night. We spoke to 209 residents, leafleted 1577 homes and put up 170 posters. The council noise pollution team have been responding to reports from residents to try and tackle the issue. Local Sustainable Travel Grants Do you have an idea that could improve the way that people travel around the area? We often hear lots of grumbles about traffic, in particular speeding, parking and congestion. Do you have an idea that could help you and your neighbours or improve a public highway? You could apply for a small amount of money to make your idea a reality like Victoria Parade residents in Redfield who got flowers put on the road to try and slow drivers. Other projects which received funding include cycling projects and benches. The fund is open from 1 December to 28 February. Contact Ben Bowskill on 07768422700 or ben.bowskill@bristol.gov.uk
Below: Victoria Parade residents and flowers.
News from the Neighbourhood Partnership The Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Partnership is about residents working with Bristol City Council. It is made up of local residents. At its meeting in September, the partnership made a number of decisions: • Agreed £8,566.60 in small grants from the Wellbeing Fund. • Agreed £250 for a Good Garden Award, £1000 for bulb planting and £1000 for meadow planting. • Agreed the nine priorities for neighbourhood working. • Agreed to spend £22,735.14 on improving the play area by Proctor House, £11,482.83 to increase the dog free area in Rawnsley Park and £63,050 for improvements to footways. For more information call 903 9879 or visit www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Dates for your diary Neighbourhood Forum Wednesday 4 December 6.30pm to 8.30pm Barton Hill Settlement 43 Ducie Road, BS5 0AX Monday 3 February 6.30pm to 8.30pm Hannah More School New Kingsley Road
Traffic and transport Earlier in the year residents submitted forms to the Neighbourhood Partnership raising issues about highways. The resident traffic and transport group has now looked at these and made comments. You can read this on www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk or contact 377 3638 for a copy.
Neighbourhood Partnership Wednesday 11 December 6.30pm to 8.30pm Barton Hill Settlement
You can find an update about schemes already in progress on www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
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Up Our Street
Neighbourhood Forum and Neighbourhood Partnership
Follow the Thank You Awards on Twitter #ELHTY
Thank You Awards were presented to 56 local residents at our AGM in October. Congratulations to everyone and thank you for all you do for Easton and Lawrence Hill.
Special thank you to Pat Hart from BCfm and Sherrie Eugene-Hart for their amazing presenting skills, to Lord Mayor Faruk Choudhury for his smiles, to Trinity Centre for helping with the venue, to our funders Pak Butchers, Burges Salmon and Community First Fund, to Inu Music and to La Ruca for the delicious food.
Contact Stacy on 377 3638 stacy@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
for a copy of our annual report 2012-2013 or find it on our website.
Thank You Award Winners 2013
Abdulahi Ali Abdi Sarah Allen Jodi Ahmed Fiona Burrow Eleanor Bridge Erkhes Bayaraa Paul Bradburn Tony Britt Nikki Buglass Neil Burwell Rebecca Cant Teresa Cirant Sylvia Corbin Richard Curtis Luis Dias Abdullahi Farah Abib Mohamud Mary Gilchrist
Brian Spokes Steve Glover Lafrance Gordon Claude Greaves Jenny Grinsted Amy Harrison Rob House Brenda Hugill Balqiss Ismail Nawaaz Hussein Faduma Dualeh Louise Jenner Vanessa Kear Nathan Kerubairasa Jenny Langley John Langley Bill Lochhead Garfield Martin
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Mike Massiah Monika Michalek Gosia Pajak Arooj Mir Mohamed Mohamoud Gloria Morris Mohamed Mumin Rob Parker Jennifer Pridgeon Carol Price Maureen Prior Pearl Quashi-Williams Ramal Royal Farzana Saker Ann Seaman Steve Shepherd Sophie Shirt
Twitter @upourstreet
Victoria Parade Residents’ Group (Jim McEwan, Richard Curtis, Jo Curtis, Susan Ehmann, Clive Jefferies and Claire Terrington) Hayley Wilson Lesley Wynne WE NEED YOU! Could you help fund the Thank You Awards 2014? Contact Stacy on 377 3638 to find out about sponsoring our fantastic community event next year. Up Our Street 5
Visit www.bristol.gov.uk/rps
Easton and St Philip’s Residents’ Parking Scheme Starts here in March 2014 If you live in the area shown on the map, Bristol City Council will write to you soon to let you know how to apply for permits. You can find out more about the scheme by picking up a leaflet from Junction 3 Library or Stapleton Road Post Office or going to www.bristol.gov.uk/rps Or you can telephone 0117 922 4999 or email respark@bristol.gov.uk
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Up Our Street
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet Greenbank Chocolate Factory by Jane Minton
residents. We are now a community association, Choc Box 2.0 resident group with the specific purpose to represent the views of local “While there’s been no word from the developers residents on the development of the site about a new planning currently known as the application, people will have seen that the council Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate highways department put Factory. Membership is up hoardings around part open to anyone of the site and we’ve heard interested! We hope to windows may be boarded have a public meeting up soon. Meanwhile Choc before Christmas so look out for further information. Box 2.0, a group of local Contact us at people, has continued to greenchoc2@gmail.com or meet and monitor the situation. We’ve decided to visit https:// sites.google.com/site/ draw up our own chocolatefactorybristol/” community plan, with the help of the Neighbourhood Drop in sessions: Thurs 12 Dec, 6-9pm and Sat 14 Dec, Planning Network and in 3-6pm, St Anne Church consultation with Hall, St Leonards Road.
HOWZAT
www.oldmarketquarterfuture.org Old Market Community Association has finished its Neighbourhood Plan. If you live in Old Market, St Judes, Newtown or The Dings it affects you. Read more at
www.oldmarketquarterfuture.org www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Anyone aged under 16 living in our area can get involved in free weekly cricket sessions at Easton Leisure Centre. Every Monday from 4.30pm to 6pm you can turn up, grab a bat and get hitting. “It’s really important for young people to get involved in sport” says coach, Darren. “There are two coaches so we can help anyone out, you don’t need to have played cricket before. At the moment we have about 15 boys aged 9 to 16 coming along but girls are welcome too.” The cricket sessions are organised as part of the StreetChance programme run by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. The club is also about to start a 16 to 24 year olds league at City Academy. “We get into teams and play a game and every half term we play a league. It’s a lot of fun as we play a 20 ball game which is faster.” Eventually we manage to gather the lads together for a quick snap - then they are off and back to the wicket! Contact Chris Munden on 07557924941 for information. Up Our Street
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Twitter @upourstreet Redfest, Redfield’s free independent arts and music festival celebrated the best in local talent and community spirit this summer. Organised entirely by local volunteers, this year’s event was the biggest and best yet as everyone was invited to explore the wilderness of St George Park. Redfest was headlined by Bristol
legends, Babyhead, who were joined by a whole host of bands, and performers who took to three stages to wow the huge crowd. Supporting the festival with performances from more fantastic acts were local venues The Red Lion, The Old Stillage and Café Grounded.
Redfest
Redfest 2014 For more information visit www.redfestbristol.co.uk
New Women’s Institute for Redfield success
“WI.RED will be a diverse group that offers local women the opportunity to get out of the house Over 100 local women attended the launch party of once a month to meet and chat with friends over WI.RED in September. Future plans for the new WI cake and coffee. Each meeting is a chance to learn include a street dance class, booze for free evening, something, from street dancing to home brewing. introduction to permaculture, Christmas pudding We hope that we will have something to tickle stir up and a home made toiletries workshop. They everyone's taste buds!” Contact Louise on plan to meet on the third Wednesday of every 07949591346 or hellowired@yahoo.co.uk. They month and welcome women of all ages and have limited places due to the hall capacity and backgrounds. Founder Louise Blackmore says: they are filling up fast, so don't delay!
Businesses and residents in Redfield have been working on improvements to our shopping street. During winter you will see trees planted on Church Road and shop fronts being painted and in spring you will see some more colour with planters. They would welcome more help and are looking for someone to help coordinate the activity. Contact Simon on 244 0441 if you have ideas and energy for improving Church Road. 8
Up Our Street
School for Redfield parents’ group will Bristol City Council is work closely with the planning to convert the council and chosen social services building provider in the build up on the corner of to the school opening. Avonvale Road and If you have a child who Victoria Avenue into a will be starting school new primary school for in September 2014 Redfield. The school then you need to apply will be open for by 15 January. If you’d reception classes in like the Redfield September 2014. The primary school to be new school will be an one of your three academy school. choices, you will need Academies are run by to wait until the independent providers provider has been and not the local formally announced in council. In October, mid-December to Bristol City Council with apply. For information assistance from a group about school of local parents who admissions contact 903 have been very active in 7694. campaigning for the Visit School for new school, gave the Redfield on Facebook Government’s or contact Jenny on Department for 07809126683 or Education details of a aschoolforredfield@ preferred provider. The gmail.com www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Mediation matters Living in a busy city can sometimes be frustrating. We have to live very close to each other and from time to time we can get on each others nerves. We all like to lead our lives in a certain way and if two people living next to each other have different lifestyles then this can cause arguments. What you may not know is that there is help right here in Easton. We met Julie Cox, Service Manager for Bristol Mediation, to find out more. “Mediation is a process when an independent, objective person helps two parties work out differences. We have a small staff team of three and 38 volunteer mediators and we are all here to help people who have a dispute with a neighbour. We work with anyone, individuals, couples or families and people come to us with a range of issues but it is usually about noise, parking, children’s behaviour, garden or property disputes, that kind of thing. People come to us when communication has broken down and they are getting increasingly angry and upset with each other.” Bristol Mediation will speak to both parties in a dispute and either arrange a face to face meeting or use ’shuttle mediation’ to pass messages from one group to another. When one party doesn’t want to be involved, then they try and find out what change that person would like to see. It’s not an easy job but they do have successes. “We work with around 100 cases a year and we achieve
some resolution on most of these. Personally I worked on a case which saw such a turn around in people’s attitudes once they understood each other, that they started lobbying the council together for improvements to their local park. Previously they hadn’t even been able to look at each other.” Julie welcomes local people who might need the service to get in touch. “It is interesting working in Easton and Lawrence Hill as different cultures have very different ideas about what mediation is. We’d like more volunteer mediators to join us from this area and we are starting a course in 2014. You need to be a good listener and be able to empathise with others.”
You can contact Julie at Bristol Mediation on 0117 941 5379 or julie@bristol-mediation.org
PRACTICE YOUR ENGLISH
CONVERSATION CAFE VOLUNTEER JUDGES NEEDED The Neighbourhood Partnership is planning a Good Garden Award for Easton in 2014. We need volunteers to help us visit every street. Contact Tom on 922 4741. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
make mistakes.” We met Isabel and Lucia from If you want to practice speaking English in a relaxed, Spain and Fatima and Lul from Somalia who have all been in friendly place then come England from two months to along to the Conversation Cafe at City Academy, Russell 14 years. “We have a topic to start conversation each week Town Avenue every for example travel, food or Wednesday from 11am to places in Bristol.” 12pm. There you will meet Magda Kowalik-Malcolm from “At home my children correct City Academy and Lucy Toray my English and I correct their Somali” says Fatima. “We live from Barton Hill Settlement and a group of up to six other here now so it’s important to learn the language” adds men and women who also want to improve their English. Isabel. “Women and men are welcome. It’s been really “When I moved to England interesting hearing about each from Poland I had to learn other’s lives” says Magda. English. It can be difficult to practice speaking as you need The group meets term time only on 11, 18 Dec, 15, 22, 29 the confidence to do it. I Jan and 5, 12, 26 Feb. Contact wanted to start a relaxed Magda on 941 3800 or just group where people could turn up at City Academy and come and feel like it’s OK to ask for her at reception. Up Our Street
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Twitter @upourstreet Easton mosque has first British born chair Easton businessman and community activist Abdul Malik has been elected as chair of Easton Jamia Masjid mosque. The mosque has been a focal point of St Marks Road for over 40 years and this is the first time that it has been led by a British born Muslim. The mosque is well used by the local Pakistani community with over 800 people attending daily and weekly prayers. Abdul’s vision for the building is to open it up to the non-Muslim community as well. “The building is important for our religion and we are very busy at prayer times, especially on Fridays and during festivals. I want to improve the links we have with others on St Marks Road like the church opposite us which has a food bank and the local businesses. It has potential to be a real hub and I think by choosing me to be chair shows that others in the mosque are prepared to change and open up to the non-Muslim community.” Abdul has big ideas for the building. He’d like to see it become a real sustainable and architectural landmark with a minaret or dome but all in consultation with local people. “I think we could have something visually exciting that fits in with the atmosphere of St Marks Road” says Abdul. “We’d need the support of the community to do this and in 2014 I will be starting conversations
Abdul Malik outside St Marks Road mosque about the future of the building.” Abdul also wants to improve and modernise the facilities as well as the services the mosque offers. “It’s important I work with our religious leaders but I want to provide more support for women in our community. A lot of women are at home with the family and there is not a lot of support for them. I’d like the mosque to be a place they feel supported and empowered to be a part of the way things are run. Also we’d like to work more with our young people.” Abdul is starting a newsletter and will
keep in touch with Up Our Street about plans at the mosque.
Polska Czytelnia dla Dzieci something like colouring,
making things or painting. Each month we choose a topic like When you are out and about in our neighbourhood you are likely holidays or trains. We ask the to hear many different languages children questions about the being spoken. For many parents, story to make sure they it is important that their children understand. We have a special place in the library with a rug speak English but also that they don’t forget the language of their and we take our shoes off and make it like home” says Gosia. parents. We meet two amazing mums who are doing their bit to “My favourite story is probably help local children to enjoy the Lokomotywa by Julian Tuwim as Polish language. it sounds like a train” says Monika. At home both mums For the last three years, Gosia Pajak and Monika Michalek have speak Polish to their daughters but it is easy for children to been running the Polish story time at St George Library. On the forget the language. “I was afraid they would forget Polish first Saturday of the month parents bring children aged three and not be able to speak to our family. Reading is very important. to seven to come and listen to It is good practice for children to stories read in Polish. listen to stories in Polish and for “We start off by asking the children to introduce themselves. parents to spend time with their children” adds Gosia. Then we read for about 15 minutes and then we do 10
Up Our Street
Story tellers Monika and Gosia The Polish story time will be at St George Library, Church Road on Saturday 7 December, 4 January and 1 February at 11.30am.
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet
Be a friendly face this winter As the nights get darker and we celebrate the Christmas holidays it’s worth thinking about those who don’t have family or relatives living close by. There are many older residents in our neighbourhood who would welcome a chat over a cup of tea and LinkAge’s befriending scheme sorts out just that. We met up with Sheena and Yvonne, who have been meeting up once a week for the past nine months, to find out how they are getting on. “Last year I made a New Year’s resolution that I wanted to volunteer some time to something. I used to be care assistant and I knew that I enjoyed working with older people so a befriending scheme felt like a good idea. My Grandma lives in Ireland so I don’t see her often and I know she’d like more visitors so I thought I would visit someone. LinkAge gives you all the support and training and also does a good job of matching you up with someone you’ve got things in common with” says Sheena. Yvonne heard about the scheme through her daughter. “It’s absolutely brilliant having someone young come and visit. We spend an hour chatting and putting the world to rights” says Yvonne. “Yvonne has got a really liberal outlook on life and has travelled so we talk about that. She’s got a lot of experience and we chat about everything. I felt comfortable with Yvonne straight away” adds Sheena.
LinkAge provides ongoing support to make sure you are both getting on and before you meet they carry out checks to make sure it is safe for both of you. They also set out boundaries of what’s expected from the befriender. “LinkAge have been brilliant. They are at the end of the phone if you need them” says Yvonne. “It’s good for stress too” adds Sheena “it’s lovely to turn off my phone, come and see Yvonne and have a good gossip for an hour.” “If you’re unsure I’d say just go for it. It’s been brilliant, absolutely brilliant” adds Yvonne.
If you are interested in befriending or having someone come and visit you, contact LinkAge on 0117 353 3042.
Yvonne and her befriender Sheena
Parents supporting each other
heard of. In Somalia no one knows of autism” says Nura. “I didn’t know what it meant or how I could There is no word for autism in the Somali language, help my child. It was very hard and I felt alone. I started asking around and I found out that there so when Nura Aabe’s son was diagnosed with the condition she was unsure about what it meant. “My were other parents who were in the same position as me. We didn’t know how to access services or son was diagnosed with this thing I had never get help.” This motivated Nura to set up Autism Independence, a small organisation Nura Aabe (middle) that brings parents together to share their with parents from experience and learn about how to best help Autism their children. Nura found research that Independence showed a higher than average number of Somali children were being diagnosed with autism. “There is a stigma about it in our community and I want to change that. We are supporting 15 families at the moment but I want that to grow.” Nura runs a weekly drop in on Fridays 1.30pm to 3pm at Silai Centre, Easton Road as well as trips and activities. “It can very difficult for parents so I want other Somali mums to know there is help out there.” Contact Nura Aabe on 07951133590 or hello@autism-independence.org www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
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Twitter @upourstreet
Inspirational women Liz Crow In our new series, we meet women from our area and beyond who have been making a difference. This time we meet artist-activist Liz Crow. Liz is the founder of Roaring Girl Productions, an organisation which uses the arts as a way to campaign about issues affecting disabled people. This year she was awarded the Rowen Jade Award from Bristol Disability Equality Forum for her work on Bedding Out, a hard hitting live performance to challenge the current Welfare Reform Act. Tell us about your work I have been an activist for about 30 years but it was only in 1999 that I linked my creative work with my campaigning. I co-directed a TV programme with Ann Pugh of Redweather Productions and that inspired me to set up Roaring Girl. My recent performance, Bedding Out, was a response to government policy on changes to benefits and to the press reporting which portrays disabled people as scroungers and fraudsters. In the past three years, thousands of people have been plunged into poverty, many have died, and there has been a doubling in hate crime against disabled people. Benefits assessors, as well as people in the street, are making judgements based on what they see in passing, and I wanted to show that we cannot judge a life only by what is visible. So I made the private, hidden side of my life public, spending 48 hours in my bed in a gallery. I wanted to show that what people see as contradiction or fraud is just ordinary life. Liz in her Resistance Around the bed, people costume which she wore on the plinth joined me for Photo: Kevin Clifford/ conversations about the Arts Council of England impact of welfare reform, while the whole performance streamed live on the internet. We had an amazing response with thousands watching and joining in the conversation from all over the world. A couple of years ago, my show Resistance came to Bristol M Shed. It focuses on the hidden story of the holocaust, the way the Nazis tested their mass extermination techniques on disabled people as the first phase of the holocaust. There was little public outcry - disabled people weren't seen as fully human. Maybe if they had been, then history would have been very different.
Photo credit: Matthew Fessey
You were asked to go on Antony Gormley’s fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, how did that feel? It’s probably the most frightening thing I’ve ever done! Going on the plinth in that costume was a risk, but the work has had a huge impact. I am glad I did it, though I’d never want to do it again. Art can change things by communicating and reaching people on an emotional level. You can give people information and facts but you also need to make a human connection and that’s what art can do. How do you feel disabled people are represented in the media? Disabled people are usually portrayed as brave or evil or dependent on others, or – like now – as scroungers and fraudsters. It’s still rare that we’re represented as whole and complex and real. We are in an absurd situation; Disability Living Allowance was about enabling people to lead full, productive lives, recognising that they needed some financial support to do this. Now, if you are leading a full life, well you obviously don’t need help so, for many, it’s withdrawn and they’re back to struggling. The Paralympics portrayed disabled people as superhuman – and then used that to criticise claimants (lots of whom are Paralympians) as inadequate because “if they can do that” then why can’t we? Believe it or not, hate crime towards disabled people has actually increased since the Paralympics. The portrayal of disabled people often sets them up as ‘other’, as less than human, and when that happens to any group it can be dangerous. What would you ask people to do to help? If I could ask people to do one thing it would be to visit www.inactualfact.org.uk, a website of well researched facts about benefits and welfare that you can share on Twitter and Facebook. Before 12 December you can sign the War on Welfare petition at http://wowpetition.com To find out more about my work visit www.roaring-girl.com.
Next issue: Jo Hook, founder of Temwa. 12
Up Our Street
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Twitter @upourstreet Meet the businesses of Easton and Lawrence Hill people come in.” Chris Williams Chris has Easton resident and local cafe owner been living “I moved to Bristol from London about three years out his ago” says Chris. “I came here for a visit on a sunny passion for day and just felt like Easton was somewhere I could food by live. I was commuting back to London for work but sourcing my dream had always been to open a food shop. I quality love food, it’s my passion and when this shop came ingredients available it just felt right.” Chris has been running such as fine No. 12 Easton since the spring and is pleased with cheese, how things are going so far. “I wanted to create charcuterie, somewhere that I would want to go and I think I’ve free range done that. The deli isn’t somewhere people would chickens, do their weekly shop, it’s for popping in for a treat bacon and so much more. Signature dishes like the and we do great coffee if I do say so.” Chris feels waffles and bacon and our sausage and gammon it’s important for businesses to be connected with pie are a must. What advice would Chris give to the community in which they are based. “We have anyone else thinking of setting up their own good links with the other guys on St Marks Road. business? “You have to love what you are doing. It’s They have offered us advice and we get our bread a financial risk and costs a lot of money so you from East Bristol Bakery. People like having choice have to be sure you won’t get bored of it. So far I and I think we complement what was already in the am really loving it!” area. For me our focus is all about Easton. It feels You can visit No. 12 Easton at 12 High Street. like there is a real connection between the cafe and Follow them on Twitter @No12Easton its customers and it’s been a great feeling seeing
WORRIED ABOUT PUTTING ON YOUR HEATING? AFRAID ABOUT YOUR GAS AND ELECTRICITY BILLS THIS WINTER? The Energy Advice Project at Bristol Debt Advice Centre can help you to manage your energy bills better this winter. Here’s how......
The government has announced that it is making khat illegal in the UK. This means it will be against the law to sell or buy khat. Avon and Somerset Police Inspector Olly Cosgrove says: “We don’t yet have any more details but it is likely that it will be a class B drug and be dealt with in the same way as cannabis with street cautions initially. However it’s likely that the supply will be the main focus of enforcement. We are very keen not to criminalise people for the sake of it so when we have more information we will do a lot of education work in the Somali community first so everyone is aware of the change and the potential consequences.” www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Dealing with fuel debt. They can make charitable applications to clear unpaid energy bills and give you a fresh start to deal with future energy bills, as well as applying for household items such as new boilers. Giving you advice on affordable ways to manage and pay for energy bills. Switching your energy supplier to get cheaper bills. Giving you advice on how to use energy more efficiently to reduce fuel bills. Telling you about grants and how to access them. To find out more contact the Energy Advice Project at 1 Hide Market, West Street, call 0117 954 3544 or email energy@bdac.org.uk Up Our Street
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Neighbour meets neighbour Greenbank resident and yoga guru Sharon Clarke meets her neighbours, Friends of Bellevue campaigners Jane Bryan and Florence Hyland. Why did you set up Friends of Bellevue Park? We are a group of local residents who simply desire to improve the park. We wanted to do something positive and were inspired by other similar local community groups, who have managed to make an impact on their local area. We thought that by addressing issues with the park this would also help to alleviate some of the worries about fly tipping and bins being set alight. Our main bugbear, which seems to be prevalent in this area, is dog poo! The park is a useful haven on a busy thoroughfare, which should be maintained and looked after, to be enjoyed by all. What do you want to achieve? We want to make the park more user friendly by directly involving the community in every aspect of the park. Recently we held a bird box building workshop and a clean up event in October. For us community is key. We were anxious about The Greenbank Pub possibly being turned into flats [a planning application for this was refused in October]. We’d love the pub to reopen as a family friendly pub linked in with the park. What are your plans for the future? We’d like to have more workshops, group events and, with some help from the council, we hope to
Florence and Jane in Bellevue Park paint the gates and rails, improve the position of the dog bins and maintain the beautiful paintings on the railings which are unique to this park. We’d love new play equipment so are looking for funding for that. We welcome more people to get involved. We’d love to set up a community website, or get help with fundraising, any skill would be greatly welcomed and received. The more the community helps, the more that can be achieved, and even a visit to appreciate the park is welcome. You can join Friends of Bellevue Park on Facebook or contact bryanjane@talk21.com
Trinity Centre gets a facelift
proper reception area and remodelling of the office space to make it more user friendly. The outside space will be upgraded with new paving and car Thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, parking spaces designated for the centre. Already Lawrence Hill’s historic Trinity Centre is getting some much needed attention. For years the building the new play area is open for anyone to use in the community garden. To complement the work there has been a hub for music and creativity but the will be a new website and new signage to make it space badly needed modernising. As a listed building there are restrictions on what can be done all a bit clearer. To keep up-to-date with the work visit www.trinitybristol.org.uk or call 935 1200. to the outside, but staff and the board of trustees Artist impression of new look Trinity Centre had big ideas for what could be done to improve the inside. Following public consultation, the plans are now in place and work is underway, and will be finished in the New Year with a celebratory opening event in February. The work will see a complete modernising of the upstairs level with a new sprung wooden floor, under floor heating, blackout drapes, new seating, a new boiler and lighting. All the original old features will be kept like the huge stained glass windows and gothic arches. The improvements will turn the space into a high quality venue for theatre and performance as well as being hired out for events and weddings and for Trinity Centre to develop more of its own projects. Downstairs is also getting some attention with a 14
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www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
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FELIX ROAD ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND Residents and the council have been working together to find the best way forward for our local adventure playground. The playground is open until Christmas.
With the changes to how youth services are being run, some people are concerned about the loss of play areas and youth club sessions. Play worker Dick Turpin from Learning Partnership West has been supporting children and running play projects for 30+ years. With his years of experience and local contacts, Dick is keen to address those concerns by working with schools to access school play facilities outside of the school day. He is keen to see how the resource of schools in our community can be maximised in the evenings, weekends and holidays. Dick says: “None of us are happy with the cutbacks in play provision. When times are hard we need to look at what we have and see if we can use it better. The most obvious to me are our primary schools which are in every community and often have great facilities that are locked up and out of reach when children are not in school and have time for play and other positive activities. There are 11 primaries in Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill. We in LPW would like to work in partnership with schools, their families, local communities and their organisations to see if we can make better use of their school sites to give all our children safe places to play socially with their friends out of school hours. If this makes sense to you please get in touch and help us turn the cutbacks into an opportunity to improve the lives of all our children for years to come.” To contact Dick call 07443560329 or email rturpin@lpw.org.uk
Learning Partnership West will be running sessions (Sunday from 12pm-5pm and on Monday and Tuesday from 3.30pm-6.30pm) from Felix Road until Christmas. The playground does not open on Saturdays when it is available for private hire. LPW is currently assessing where the need for support is in the local area. This could mean that they will continue to run sessions at Felix Road after Christmas, but may mean the sessions are run elsewhere. In the New Year, the playground will be managed following a new process. The playground is owned by the council and managed by its own management committee that leases the playground from the council. Moving forward, as a result of budget cuts, the council needs to find another organisation to run the playground. It is inviting community groups and organisations to take on the playground, through a process called a Community Asset Transfer (CAT). The Felix Road management committee is actively involved and is receiving support from the Ethical Property Foundation to prepare an expression of interest in taking on the playground. This process will take some time so, in the meantime, the council and the Felix Road management committee are in discussion regarding funding to help keep the playground open during the first quarter of 2014. Can you help? The management committee at Felix Road is keen to hear from potential funders, sponsors or supporters that might help them through the process and towards a long-term sustainable future for the playground. To contact Felix Road Adventure Playground visit www.felixroadplayground.org for call 955 1265. Visit www.goplacesdothings.org.uk for youth activities and www.goplacestoplay.org uk for children’s activities.
Trinity Centre’s new play area opens www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
The tallest oak in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground. Up Our Street 15
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Local dog lover livening up Lawrence Hill
would run away from the dogs and the dogs would think they were playing and would chase In October, Up Our Street caught them. I wanted to do something up with Louise Wild from Friends to try and show the British of Gaunts Ham Park to hear more affection for dogs and also educate dog owners about being about plans for Lawrence Hill. more considerate.” The event was “About a year ago I was a real success and Lou and her approached by Barton Hill’s terrier Ben are now pressing on Community Organiser. I was working in Pins and Needles and with more events for Gaunts Ham Park in 2014. Lou is also very spent a lot of time in Lawrence Hill and they asked me whether I involved with local businesses as she managed tattoo studio Pins had any ideas for things that and Needles. “I think a good high could be improved, and since then I haven’t looked back!” says street is all about diversity, having a variety of shops, cafes and Lou. Lou was the driving force behind the dog show which took places to eat. That was one of the reasons we started the monthly place in Gaunts Ham Park off market in Burdens car park next Lincoln Street in June as well as to Lidl. I wanted to bring more the forming of the friends of group. “I walk my dog in the park footfall to Lawrence Hill.” “I’d say my biggest gripe about every day and I found that families from Somalia didn’t like Lawrence Hill is the litter. I can never understand why people dogs very much. There was drop litter even when they are misunderstanding as children
RSPCA launch low-cost Staffie neutering initiative By Mandy Stone, vet with RSPCA Do you own a Staffie or Staffie-cross dog or know someone that does? Despite the misconceptions about Staffordshire Bull Terriers and their rough and tough reputation, Staffies can be wonderfully behaved, affectionate and highly intelligent dogs. Sadly though, due to irresponsible overbreeding and bad press, 60% of the unwanted dogs in Bristol Dogs Home are bull terrier breeds. The Bristol RSPCA Clinic is tackling this problem by launching a neutering initiative to promote the importance of neutering and provide affordable operations to Staffie and Staffie cross owners on low incomes. Neutering is a small operation that means that the dog can no longer breed. It is simple and safe and has lots of benefits as Mandy Stone, RSPCA Veterinary Manager explains: “Neutering has many health and welfare benefits and makes dogs easier to care for. Neutered pets are less likely to display antisocial or aggressive behaviour. Neutering protects against diseases in dogs, particularly testicular cancer in males and pyometra (an infection of the womb) and 16
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near a bin! It is kind of addictive being involved in the community though. It’s really fun and you get to know everyone. I’d recommend it!” The next Lawrence Hill market will be Saturday 14 December, 9am to 1pm, Burdens car park near Lidl. Contact Lou on 07899945377 or info@lawrencehill.org.uk
Lou at the dog show this summer
mammary tumours in females. These conditions cause suffering and can sometimes be fatal, as well as leading to costly veterinary treatment. Plus, by neutering your dog you’ll be doing your bit to help the growing crisis of pets being abandoned or dumped because there simply aren’t enough homes to go around.” For staffie owners on housing benefit, council tax benefit or pension credits living in the Bristol area, the RSPCA is offering a very special low-cost fee for neutering Staffies and Staffie crosses - £25 for males and £35 for females. Call the Clinic on 0117 9724567 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm) for more details.
Two happy Staffies neutered by the RSPCA www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
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More than just a smile
3. Strengths We are all good at something. Celebrate and use your strengths and they’ll grow. What do you think of when you 4. Meaning and purpose think of being happy? Maybe it’s Spend time understanding what really motivates smiling or laughing at a joke. Or spending time with you and try to include that in your daily life. family and friends. Having a holiday or a break from 5. Relationships the normal routine? The Happy City initiative has Connecting with others is key to our happiness. been running some Happiness Habits training which Make time to spend with those you care about. looks at what deep down makes us happy and how Sounds simple but can feel difficult in a busy life it can be lasting. Here they share some of the top it’s worth the effort. tips: 6. Optimism 1. Savour positive experiences Practice thinking about issues from the optimistic When something good happens really live in the point of view and you’ll find more opportunities to moment - enjoy it and squeeze out all the benefits make the positive a reality. you can. 7. Direction 2. Gratitude Set some small goals that you know are possible We naturally dwell on the negative. Try and stop you will feel good when you’ve achieved them. and think about all the good things in your life and For more information about Happy City visit you’ll soon starting noticing more of them.
www.happycity.org.uk or call 0117 230 0128.
Do you know your MP? We are in the constituency of Bristol West. Our MP is Stephen Williams and he is a Liberal Democrat. Our MP votes in parliament and this is how policies are passed and made into law. If you feel very strongly for or against a new proposal, for example Welfare Reform, then you should lobby your MP. You can write to them, email them or phone them. It is always better to write a personal letter which details exactly why you are concerned rather than send a standard response. You can find out how our MP voted on key debates on www.theyworkforyou.com Contact Stephen on 942 3494, visit www.stephenwilliams.org.uk, follow him on Twitter @swilliamsmp or write to PO Box 2500, Bristol, BS6 9AH www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Don’t miss out Find out what’s happening in your city every month. Sign up to the council’s Our City email bulletin. You’ll get the latest on events and exhibitions, news on services like waste and recycling and updates on the Mayor’s activities. Our City helps you pay and apply for services or report problems, and join the debate with consultations and discussions. Just go to www.bristol.gov.uk/ourcitysignup
The £90,000,000 question..... The council needs to save a further £90m in its budget. This is a momentous task and will mean job losses and a reduction in services. To respond to the budget consultation, find out more and join the debate visit www.bristol.gov.uk Up Our Street 17
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Academy in St Judes takes new approach to tackle parking We often hear about problems with parking and congestion during the school run. We met up with Andalusia Academy head teacher Dr Dawud Bone to find out what they are doing to improve things during the school rush hour. “Andalusia Academy is a private Islamic school with 280 pupils which has been in the area for four years with a mixed primary school and a girls only secondary school. I am really proud of what we are doing here in the school. I’ve been a teacher since 1987 after a number of other careers. I was working in a failing school in London and got head hunted to come to the Academy here in Bristol. The school was first set up by the Bristol Islamic Schools Trust. Our pupils are Muslims from east African, European, Pakistani and Bengali backgrounds. Most of our children come from Easton but others do travel further. We also have teachers from all over including Gloucestershire and Wales. Last year we decided to remove the staff car park in favour of play space for the younger ones.” says Dr Bone. It’s this reprioritising of space and parents who drive because they have children in different schools, that leads to some tensions on the roads.
Head teacher Dr Bone in class
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The school secured £30,000 from the Active Travel Grant and has been asking parents what they would like to see. “We knew that we needed to Head teacher Dr Bone make some changes. We have got an agreement with Cabot Circus that parents can park for free during school pick up time. We applied for the money to improve the street outside. We’ve had lots of ideas suggested like planters, road markings and play equipment in the park to keep children occupied so they are not in the road. Lots of parents also wanted markings to create a cycle path as there are lots of bikes using the same space.” Andalusia Academy gets its name from the region of southern Spain that represents the high point of Muslim civilisation in the development of medicine, books and science, “we are trying to resurrect the spirit of that era” says Dr Bone. The school focuses as much on the character and behaviour of its pupils as their grades. “We teach the same subjects as all schools but we also have Islamic studies, learning the Qur'an and Arabic. Not all our teachers are Muslim and we do have places at the school for non-Muslims. The school is open for the community to use and we work with organisations like the NHS. The DIY streets project has improved our relations with the community. We hope to expand next year as we are buying the building next door to open a boys secondary school and we’ll be consulting the community about that.” You can contact the school on 929 1661 or visit www.andalusiaacademy.org
www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk
Livingbristol is an initiative with the purpose of enabling the integration of Spanish speakers into the community in Bristol and the South West of England. Livingbristol Spanish Network Easton Community Centre Kilburn Street, Easton, BS5 6AW Contact: 0117 230 5593 info@livingbristol.com Could you offer work experience in your company / organisation? Are you looking for a volunteer in your company / organisation? We have Spanish engineers, teachers, accountants and highly qualified and motivated graduates who are looking for work experience in Bristol. We can offer volunteer placements for between two and six months. Muchas Gracias !!!!
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Eastern Yoga Studio Be Inspired! Yoga is for everyone. You do not need to be an expert or at the peak of physical fitness to experience its benefits within this beautiful space. Visit us on facebook www.easternyoga.co.uk email info@easternoga.co.uk txt: 07939202245 or call in at 46 Greenbank Road, Bristol BS5 6EY Visit SPAN at The Silai Centre
A diverse and friendly place to learn, enjoy and meet new people! Affordable family friendly café Pre-school & crèche Range of courses and activities for adults and for families Hair & beauty salon Sewing and upholstery workshops Parent support & advice services 176-178 Easton Road, Bristol BS5 0ES Drop in or call us on 0117 9550860
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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead