Winter 2016

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Tel: 0117 954 2834 Post: Beacon Centre, City Academy, Russell Town Avenue Bristol, BS5 9JH contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Twitter: @upourstreet Facebook: Up Our Street Charity no: 1081691 Company no: 04023294 Business Development Officer Emily Fifield Tel: 0117 954 2837 Communications Tamsin Harcourt Tel: 07903 089 002 Community Engagement Celia Davis (Mon-Wed) Patrycia Pinkowski (Thu-Fri) Tel: 07947 830 973 Finance and Office Manager Tracy Parsons Tel: 0117 954 2834 Research Manager Kuba Jablonowski Tel: 0117 954 2834 Manager Stacy Yelland Tel: 0117 954 2836 Chair of trustees Sally Caseley Deputy chairs Amy Harrison Dominic Murphy

Up Our Street is printed on recycled paper with vegetable inks and can be composted.

It costs 45p to produce every copy of Up Our Street. It is hand delivered to 14,000 homes in the local area.

The opinions and information contained in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Up Our Street.

Advertisers are not endorsed.

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Trustee board Joyce Clarke Matt Fulford Thom Oliver Mike Pickering Noelle Rumball Ricardo Sharry Jane Westhead

Listen to Up Our Street on BCfm 93.2 and Ujima 98fm every Wednesday at 8.45am Follow us on Twitter @upourstreet or join our group on Facebook Inside this issue Up Our Street news………….……..…..…page 3 Annual report……………………….pages 4 to 5 Thank you awards..……………....pages 6 to 7 Have your say……………….……pages 9 to 11 Get involved……..……………….pages 12 to 13 Working together………….....pages 14 to 15

Mayor’s interview……………...pages 16 to 17 Police update………………………..………page 18 What’s on…..…………………………………page 19 Food review………………..……….………..page 20 Advertising…………………………pages 20 to 24

Front cover photo credits: Evoke Photography (top and right), all others Up Our Street 2

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

UP OUR STREET - People changing the world. One street at a time.

2016 is drawing to a close, and what a busy year it has been for Up Our Street.

We have expanded our staff team to include a team of community researchers. This increased capacity will allow us to get involved with lots more projects with local residents. We are delighted to welcome back Stacy Yelland from her maternity leave and thank Matt Jacobs for his hard work as interim Manager. You can read more about how we work as an organisation in our Annual Report on the next 2 pages.

I’m very fortunate to have a strong board of Trustees to work with. We are

all volunteers and are all residents of Easton and Lawrence Hill.

And finally, I can’t miss the opportunity to talk about our annual Thank You awards which we held on 20 October. As ever I am really moved by the fantastic contributions that residents make to their community. Thank you also to all of you who nominated people for awards, because without you we wouldn’t hear about all this great work.

We were also delighted to make a Lifetime Achievement award to Lil Stiddard and wish her all the best on her upcoming 100th birthday.

HAVE YOUR SAY The stories in this section are all about having a Political Voice. That is not about supporting a particular political party, it is about having influence over decisions that affect your life or your community.

GET INVOLVED The stories in this section are all about Civic Participation. This means the different ways that people can and do get involved in their community.

Emily is working on ways to make Up Our Street more financially sustainable. She will be working Tuesday to Thursday.

Patrycja Pinkowski Community Engagement Officer

WORKING TOGETHER The stories in this section are all about Social Capital.

This means the way that people work together to share skills and experience and build strong networks.

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Emily Fifield Business Development Officer

Pat is sharing the community engagement work with Celia. She works Thursday and Friday.

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Listen out for a new Up Our Street radio show on BCfm. The first show will be Friday 25 November at 2pm and will feature some inspiring local residents and some great tunes.

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Join the Up Our Street team for carols in the Lawrence Hill underpass from 4pm to 6pm on 21 December. Free hot drinks and chocolates!

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Don’t forget we have a new round of Active Citizens training starting on 14 January, read more about this exciting opportunity on page 13.

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ANNUAL REPORT

Annual Report 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 Up Our Street is a small charity with big ideas. We believe that by bringing together local residents, we can make Easton and Lawrence Hill a better place to be. Community Development and Communications are at the heart of all our work.

Money Up Our Street administers a small grant fund called the Endowment Fund.

This is a legacy fund from Community at Heart.

Applications are scored by a panel of local residents.

During 2015/16 the fund awarded 8 grants to individuals, totalling ÂŁ1,901. The fund also awarded 5 grants to local community groups, totalling ÂŁ3,683.

People Up Our Street is managed by a voluntary board of Trustees. They are all residents of Easton and Lawrence Hill. The board meets eight times a year and provides strategic guidance to staff.

2015-2016 Staff Manager Stacy Yelland (on maternity leave from Oct 2015)

Interim Manager Matt Jacobs (from Oct 2015) Community Engagement Officer Lorena Alvarez (until Oct 2015) Kai Paulden (Oct 2015 - Jan 2016) Celia Davis (from Mar 2016) Finance and Office Manager Tracy Parsons Freelance Communications Tamsin Harcourt (from Oct 2015) 4

Up Our Street

L-R Jane, Amy, Dom, Joyce, Sally, Mike

2015-2016 Board Chair Sally Caseley Vice Chairs Dominic Murphy Jane Westhead

Joyce Clarke Matt Fulford Amy Harrison Mike Pickering Aisha Thomas Two members resigned: Anthea Sweeney (10 Jul 2015) Walter Nunez (10 Oct 2015) www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

ANNUAL REPORT

Community development

Including brokering, liaising, partnering, and connecting people and organisations in developing ideas, co-creating solutions, and delivering actions and projects that realise local people’s ambitions for their community.

7 Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Forums Over 1,000 people engaged with Up Our Street Community Development events

2,000

TidyBS5 postcards distributed to call on the mayor to tackle flytipping.

1 Love Your Community event, attended by over 100 people 1 Active Citizens toolkit launched and a range of events planned for 2016

Communications

Including inspiring, informing, consulting, promoting, campaigning and advocating with and for local people and the area, utilising a range of print, broadcast, web-based, and face-to-face media.

4 editions of

Up Our Street magazine, delivered to 14,000 households in Easton and Lawrence Hill

900 members

of Up Our Street Facebook group 1,400 Twitter followers 1,910 ebulletin subscribers

Weekly slot on One Love Breakfast Show, broadcast on BCfm and Ujima Radio. Plus a new monthly Active Citizens show coming soon...

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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THANK YOU AWARDS 2016

2016 Winners Ahmed Hassan Bruce Yates Bristol Central Youth Football Coaches David Bull Eddie Nuttal Ellishia Donaldson Emily Stone George Moss Greg Stanton Helen Leckie Inaz Hussein James Uzzell Jean Smith Jeff Bendall Jendaye Selassie–Bailey Juliet Dellow June Barclay

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Justin Williams Keith Hewett Khalil Aden Abdi Layla Ishmail Levi Grange Linda Yun Madge Douglas Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Morowa Selassie Nathan Donaldson Nirmal Singh Rashid Majothi Rebekah Rice Rhonda Morgan Rubina Mahmood Ruth Hennell Saadiya Sharif Mohammed Sahra Hasan

Sam Sayer Samina Iqbal Samuel Smith Sucdi Abukar Sue Cohen Ted Fowler Waris Gaspard Yasmin Malik Yasmin and Ashraf Khan Lifetime Achievement Award Lil Stiddard Business Award Nominees CafĂŠ des Amies Holy Spokes - Winner Sid Purnell Butchers Suzy G Hairdressers - Winner

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

THANK YOU AWARDS 2016

Photos: (opposite page) 2016 winners, (this page, clockwise from top left) Nominees and their guests, Lil Stiddard receives Lifetime Achievement award, Holy Spokes: Skanska Business Award winners and Suzy G Hairdressers: Spaceworks Business Award winners.

The 2016 Thank You Awards were funded thanks to the generosity of

Thank you also to Pat and Sherrie for compering and presenting the awards.

Photography by Evoke Photography and filming

by Telling Tales Films. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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NEIGHBOURHOOD PARTNERSHIP Who’s Who

Ravi Vedi Community Worker, Bristol City Council Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Partnership is made up of local councillors, local residents and community groups. Anyone can come along to a meeting, but only members can vote. Some of the items discussed at the most recent meeting on 3 October were: 

Approving the Bristol Waste pilot scheme to remove communal bins on Stapleton Road. The partnership noted that it was important to get local businesses on board and ensure adequate enforcement.

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Community safety update from Inspector Deborah Yeates. The police have been focussing on prostitution in the area, including linking up with local agencies like One25 to help women off the streets. Operation Blueline is continuing to tackle drug dealing in East Bristol. A number of high-level arrests have been made.

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Approving £12,270 for tree planting across the Neighbourhood Partnership area. Neil Burwell, Neighbourhood Officer will be consulting with communities on where planting will take place.

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Approving expenditure for several local highways schemes, including West Street and Saffron Gardens in Whitehall.

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Approving £10,000 of Wellbeing Grants to community organisations.

Contacts Kurt James has moved into a new job heading up Bristol’s ‘Clean Streets Campaign’. Gill Calloway will take on the role of Neighbourhood Partnership Coordinator. Gill has been working in the area as Neighbourhood Officer so already knows the partnership well. Neil Burwell continues to work as Neighbourhood Officer for Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill. gill.calloway@bristol.gov.uk 07901 104 347 neil.burwell@bristol.gov.uk 07795 446 429 ravinder.vedi@bristol.gov.uk 07392 108 885

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I am quite new to Bristol, and started as a Community Worker in July. I am enjoying getting to know residents in St Judes and Newtown, as well as finding out about the wide range of local activities and services.

My role is to work with individuals and groups who want to make their communities even better places to live through sharing their interests and skills with each other.

Everyone has at least one skill or interest, what is yours? Could you share it, or is there a skill you want to learn – maybe there is someone in your neighbourhood that can help, so let me know! Also, please contact me if you want to set up an activity or link up with other residents in St Judes and Newtown.

Facebook ‘Community Development Bristol’ Twitter @CommDevBristol Dates for your diary Neighbourhood Partnership Meetings

Monday 28 November 6.30pm to 8.30pm St Pauls Learning Centre Monday 6 March 2017 6.30pm to 8.30pm Trinity Centre STOP PRESS! Mayor Marvin Rees has launched a consultation on Bristol City Council’s corporate strategy for 2017-2022. You can read more about it at www.bristol.gov.uk. It outlines the cuts to services that the council will be making over the next five years.

You can take part in the consultation on the council’s website. Make your views heard by 5 Januray 2017. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

HAVE YOUR SAY

Neighbourhood Forum Up Our Street runs the Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Forum on behalf of Bristol City Council. Forums are held in community venues and are a chance for residents to come and have their say on issues in their neighbourhood.

In September we invited Bristol Waste to the Forum to come and answer questions from local residents about tackling flytipping and issues around waste collection.

Our October Forum focussed on Health and Wellbeing, with a side helping of activism around junk food from Somali Kitchen. Representatives from Generator SW, the proposed developers of the Chocolate Factory site also attended and received a grilling from local residents about the lack of affordable housing in their plans.

On Twitter? Follow @upourstreet for updates on all things Easton and Lawrence Hill Join the Forum discussion online using the hashtag

#ELHNF

And for Facebook, ask to join the Up Our Street group.

980+ members and counting!

Residents at Neighbourhood Forum

Dates for your diary The next Neighbourhood Forum is on Thursday 1 December at Redfield Educate Together, Avonvale Road, BS5 9RH from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. The focus will be on Education, with a Q&A session with Thangham Debbonaire MP and a presentation from young people at Babassa.

Then on Monday 16 January we will be at Muller Hall, Stapleton Road from 1pm to 3pm.

If you have something you would like to add to the agenda, or for community announcements, please contact Celia or Pat on 0117 954 2835 or email contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk.

By Jane Minton, Choc Box 2.0 Choc Box 2.0 Community Association has been actively working to represent the views of local residents since April 2013 when Generator acquired the former chocolate factory site. We were disappointed that the most recent revisions to the planning application Generator submitted just before Christmas 2015 have still not addressed the majority of our concerns, which include traffic flow and transport issues, overlooking and overshadowing of both existing and new housing and the complete lack of any affordable housing.

We've also had reservations about the way the whole consultation process has been carried out by the developer and their agents - what a shame they didn't try to engage more with local residents.

You can find out more about the history of the factory and of past planning applications on our website: https:// sites.google.com/site/chocolatefactorybristol/ www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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HAVE YOUR SAY

Celia from Up Our Street went along to City Hall on 28 September to talk to members of RADE (Residents Against Dirty Energy), who were campaigning against a planning application for a new diesel power station in Lawrence Hill. The group had already convinced Bristol City Council to defer the planning meeting from July, so that there was more time to submit air quality information. The location of the proposed development was in the Air Quality Management Zone and around 200 metres from St Philip’s Marsh Nursery School.

To the residents huge relief, the application was rejected by the planning committee, mainly thanks to the independent report on air quality. Here’s what some of the campaigners had to say:

RADE campaigners at City Hall

counties where wind turbines for example, which don’t affect people health, are turned down on the basis of spoiling people’s view. And that’s the bigger picture, I think it’s completely outrageous. It just points to the deep inequality that’s perpetuated by this government” - local resident.

And the last word goes to Bruce from RADE, who reminds us that this is an ongoing issue: “I’d like to thank Stuart, Liz, Simon, Jon and all the volunteers that helped and supported this campaign. I’d also like to remind everyone that the ‘fight’ is not over, we are aware there may be an appeal which we will oppose with as much vigour as the previous two “I’m really delighted that the council has found that applications and will keep campaigning to get city the health implications are significant to the local wide policy changes that will safeguard our community and that health inequalities in an area communities.” that already has poor air quality would be exacerbated.” - Jon, Governor at St Phillips Nursery. Read more about RADE at www.radebristol.org.uk or search for RADE Bristol on Facebook.

“It’s outrageous that a proposal like this could even get off the ground… When you have the shire “Bio diesel isn’t green, it’s not a good solution, it’s not a good alternative to fossil fuels. It’s equally dirty in terms of air quality and this plant is being proposed in an air quality management area with a lot of pre-existing pollution and it’s going to make the situation worse” - Fran, Easton resident.

Well done to the women of BASH! (BS5 Against Street Harassment). After an Up Our Street workshop in the summer, the group worked with Bristol Zero Tolerance to produce these handy call out cards to tackle street harassment in the area.

They are just the right size to fit in a pocket or purse and you can pick them up at local venues, or from the Up Our Street office at the Beacon Centre.

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Up Our Street

Poo Patrol!

Is dog fouling a problem in your neighbourhood?

The University of Bristol wants to hear from you!

Poo Patrol is a small research project funded by the University of Bristol. They are linking up with communities in Easton to work out what makes an effective anti-dog-fouling scheme and are hoping you can help come up with some ideas they can try to make a big noise about this in Easton!

They are looking for volunteers to note and count incidents of dog fouling in their area.

Please contact Dr Debbie Watson at Debbie.watson@bristol.ac.uk/ or call 0117 954 6786 to find out more or to volunteer. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

HAVE YOUR SAY hundred participants in the sessions and a huge amount of feedback, largely positive and all extremely valuable.

If you were unable to make the workshops, information on the design strategy can be found at www.travelwest.info/easton The next step for us is to put together more detailed design options for each of the focus areas and review the overall area design. We will then be coming out again into the community so that you can have your say on these options.

Community design workshop in Easton

Up Our Street got in touch with Sustrans to find out what’s been happening with the Easton Safer Streets project:

The design options will be available to view and discuss at the following drop-in events: 17 November – 3pm to 6pm Bellevue Park 21 November – 3pm to 6pm Albion Park 24 November – 3pm to 6pm Devon Road 28 November – 3pm to 6pm Rosemary Lane 3 Decembver – 11am to 2.30pm St Mark’s Road

“Earlier this year, Sustrans and Bristol City Council asked the community how walking and cycling in They will also be available to view and comment on Easton could be improved in a way that reflects the online at www.travelwest.info/easton needs of those living and working in the area.

Alongside the co-design workshops pupils from The results show there is a clear demand for action Whitehall, Bannerman Road and May Park have in Easton, with patterns of issues emerging in been working hard with local artist Becky Prior on different areas. design that will help lead the way on the safer routes around Easton. To see what they’ve been up To address these issues a series of community design workshops were held during September and to take a look at the ‘Priormade’ Facebook page.

October where people were invited to have their say on the ideas for how we can make Easton’s streets safer and more enjoyable to travel on.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the project so far, we look forward to speaking to many of you again over the next few weeks.”

The response was fantastic with well over two The event was designed to be democratic and inclusive with roundtable discussions set up on different topics. We took suggestions from tenants Housing was a hot topic of debate before the event for topics to discuss such as during the mayoral election homelessness, tenant representatives, access to campaign, so when Marvin Rees domestic violence services, student issues etc. came into office, ACORN were keen During the event each table came up with solutions to make sure that the issue remained high on the agenda. Up Our Street caught and identified three priority actions. The council up with Nick Ballard from ACORN to find out what now has that information from tenants to inform local policy or put pressure on national government has happened since.

“We held the first Big Housing Conversation event where it’s related to national policy, particularly around planning regulations. at City Hall on 7 September. The aim was to bring This is planned as a series of ongoing events, to council, private and social tenant voices into City Hall. Tenants are affected by decisions made in City keep the dialogue going, the next event will be held Hall but have had no voice in the process. in January. The aim is that each event builds on the The event was opened by the Mayor and Councillor last. We need to hear from local authorities, whether they can or can’t deliver on these issues, Paul Smith, Cabinet member for Housing and they need to communicate to local residents.”

Communities. They spoke about the council’s top priority, solving Bristol’s housing crisis, to an Watch the film about The Big Housing Conversation audience of around 130 people. at www.rentersrising.org.uk www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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GET INVOLVED

actually broke down in tears… I just said to her, take it one step at a time, you’re here for tonight, there’s nobody here to trouble you or hassle you, you’ve got warmth, you’ve got food, you’re safe.” When the young person leaves in the morning, Bristol Nightstop then works with them to help them find more permanent housing, and training or work.

Esme Davis We first heard about Bristol Nightstop when they came along to the Neighbourhood Forum in September. They manage a team of volunteers who provide a temporary safe place to sleep for vulnerable young people and want to recruit more volunteer hosts from black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, particularly in Easton and Lawrence Hill. We asked Esme Davis, who has volunteered for Bristol Nightstop for the past two years, to tell Up Our Street about her experience.

When we ask Esme why she does it, she says simply “Because I like to think if it was one of my children, there would be somebody out there to help if they were out on the street in the cold.” And what keeps her going, when things are difficult? “I don’t think it’s difficult, because they’re not really taking much out of me. And like I say, I have a choice over whether to do it. But I’ve got a spare room upstairs that is just going to waste. Nightstop gives you feedback too. That feels quite good, to know there was a sort of turning point, where they might have gone down the wrong road or got into trouble just for the sake of being able to stop and breathe for a while.”

Finally, we asked Esme whether she had any advice for someone thinking of being a Nightstop host. “I know they will think of the aspect of a stranger in Esme lives in Easton and has 5 children and 4 grandchildren. She is a qualified chef and works part the house overnight, what about security, this and -time for Brandon Trust. We asked how she first got that. But we all take risks in life, and if you’re going involved with Nightstop. “I picked up a flyer when I out through your front door you don’t know what’s going to happen. I would also say you do get a lot was at The Station waiting for my daughter. I had of support from Nightstop, and it’s not like they’re a never heard of Nightstop before, or been aware of any of their work. My daughter said, they’re actually total stranger as you do know a little about their in the building, I can go and get them, to talk to you background.” if you want. So she did, and it just moved on from If you have a spare room and would like to find out there.” more about becoming a Bristol Nightstop host you So how does it work in practice? “You get a phone can call the team on 07979 878814, or visit call, it’s usually the same day. You get basic www.bristolnightstop.org.uk information from Nightstop about the young person, age, any issues you need to be aware of.

And you always have the choice whether to say yes or no. All of the young people have been quite good, they come in, they’re polite, some of them are Do you have a story idea for amazed that you’re doing this, especially the girls...”

She laughs “They usually go into the bedroom and Up Our Street? we don’t see them once they get the password for the WIFI.” Deadline for next edition is 13 January “I look upon it as a safe place for the night, because if you’re on the streets sleeping, can you really relax and close your eyes? The very first young person I had placed with me, she was in a mess, she had never left her home or family before and she 12

Up Our Street

Get in touch!

Call Tamsin on 0117 954 2834 or contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

GET INVOLVED

Active Citizens Do you want to make change happen in your community? Do you want to develop your communication and project management skills?

Active Citizens is an international programme funded by the British Council. We ran our first course in October and are now recruiting for the January course.

The course is open to all residents of Easton and Lawrence Hill, whether you’re a seasoned activist or just getting started. Here’s what some of our recent attendees had to say: "Attending

Active Citizens course at the Beacon Centre

this course has been a great, highly recommended experience. Sharing the space with The course runs for 4 weeks on Saturdays at the people like me, willing to improve the community, Beacon Centre, you must be able to attend all four with ideas and motivation has been very inspiring.” days. The course is completely free to attend.

Isobel Lunch is provided and a prayer room is available if “It felt so good when I realised that this was a needed. global initiative, and people in far reaching parts of There are limited places available, so make sure the world were also joining in the same training as you get your application in by 21 December. You us. The trainers were excellent and made it very can apply on the Up Our Street website or contact easy to join in… enabling us all to feel confident to Celia or Tamsin on 0117 954 2834 for a form. ask questions. I have come away from this realising I do much more in the community than I already thought, and also how to ensure I have like-minded individuals to join in so we can plan and make things happen through social action.” Debra

Trustees Needed!

HOME-START BRISTOL is looking for Trustees to join their voluntary Board.

The charity supports families in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, who have at least one child under 5 and who are experiencing problems affecting their wellbeing as a family. This support is provided by trained volunteers who visit a family each week, offering support, friendship and practical assistance.

For more information visit www.homestartbristol.org.uk or search for Homestart Bristol on Facebook.

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Easton resident Sophie Irvine got in touch to tell us about the Solidarity Festival, which aims to raise funds for Calais Refugee Solidarity Bristol (CRSB), using the Fundsurfer website. It’s organised by Under the Stars, a voluntary Bristol-based festival and events group. The campaign launched on 3 November with a target of £4,700. If successful, Solidarity Festival will be held in August 2017 at Fernhill Farm in Somerset.

Although 'The Jungle' is likely to be demolished by the beginning of November, satellite camps are already springing up – these camps will be the beneficiaries of the funds raised by the festival.

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WORKING TOGETHER As we watch the under-10s group practising their footwork, Tom explains “Some parents may not want their children to be involved in boxing, but as you can see they’re not fighting each other, they’re hitting punch bags or pads. At this age it’s more about the fitness, and the discipline of being in a class. The kids soon learn that they have to listen to the coaches, or they’ll be out of the club.”

Under-10s group practise their footwork Wet and windy dark evenings don’t put off the members of Barton Hill Boxing Club. Up Our Street visited on a Monday night in late October and the Dugout was packed. The club has been running since 2007. There are a team of five regular coaches who are all volunteers, who give their time for free alongside their day jobs. Around 500 children and young people come to the club per month.

Club Chairman Tom Foley gave us the tour and proudly showed off the club’s most recent award: Community Club of the Year at the Bristol Post Sports Awards. Tom’s enthusiasm for the club is clear; “We’ve got 22 different nationalities here, all training together.”

As well as the volunteer coaches, there’s another crucial person at the club, Lin Gibbs. We asked Lin what she does at the club “I’m the welfare officer and club secretary, I make sure we’re up to date with all our registrations, DBS checks for the coaches, I look after the money, and pretty much anything else that needs doing!” We also asked what she enjoys about being involved “Oh, seeing the kids achieve, definitely! Seeing them thrive, and their self-confidence grow. Some people joke that I’m mother to an extra 50 kids a night here.”

It’s clear that the club has a thriving membership, but what challenges do they face? “Paying the rent on this place is our major cost, that’s a lot of money to find each year. Especially as we try and keep our subs affordable” explains Tom “We had some money from the Wellbeing Fund last year which was a real life-line.”

You can try out a session at Barton Hill Boxing Club on Monday nights. Under-10s at 6.30pm and over10s at 7pm. Sessions cost £2.50 for under-14s, £3.50 for 14yrs+. Contact Tom Foley on 07834 498518 for more information.

Allsorts Community Choir is looking for new members. Up Our Street chatted to Sarah Moody (pictured with cello) about the power of singing to bring people together.

So how did the choir start? “We started in 2014 as a short-term project to celebrate Travelling Light Theatre Company’s 30th anniversary. The group were keen to continue so we did. We’ve changed our name recently from the Barton Hill Community Choir, we are now Allsorts!”

What does Sarah enjoy about being involved?

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously, no one in the group considers themselves a ‘singer’. It’s just fun to sing together, it’s very inclusive.” Sarah also feels that singing can help build self-confidence, especially in a small group, “People have been really brave taking part, putting themselves forward, it’s great for confidence”.

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Allsorts at the Love Your Community event The choir rehearses every Wednesday at Travelling Light, Barton Hill Settlement from 7.30 to 9pm. The first session is free, then it’s £6 per session for dropin or £5 per session if you book for a whole term. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

WORKING TOGETHER

Do you know where Newtown is? Close to the Trinity Centre and Lawrence Hill Health Centre, it’s a small neighbourhood of just a few streets, including Hassell Drive. Up Our Street met local resident Shani Whyte, who is keen to bring her neighbours together to improve the area and create more of a sense of community.

Shani first got involved because a leaflet came through her door about a meeting organised by Deborah Benjamin, a fellow Newtown resident. The initial meeting was about concern over noise from gigs at the Trinity Centre, but the group soon realised that they wanted to have a wider scope. “My sister used to be involved in a resident group here, but she moved away. So I thought, OK then, let’s get this group together, see what I can do. So we went around and asked a few people their thoughts and feelings, and it just went from there.”

Welcome to Newtown...

about it, if there are companies that could help… I don’t think it’s major things, I think people just want the place to look a bit more vibrant.” She says she’s enjoyed being involved so far, and has realised that some of the mums she sees on the school run are in fact very close neighbours.

Shani has set up a Facebook group called Shout4Newtown and the group have meetings about every two months, usually at the Trinity Centre, although they are trying to get in touch with the local housing officer so that they can use the We ask Shani what else she’d like to see “I’d like the community room at Rosevear flats.

You can get in touch with the Newtown residents place to just have a bit of a facelift, we’re a bit set group at shout4newtown@gmail.com back in time here. We’d like to find out ways to go Shani has lived in Newtown since she was seven (apart from when she went away for college) and is now bringing up her children here. “We’re going to have a Playing Out day in the park, to hopefully encourage more families out.”

'Writing Black Lives' Scribble and Sketch is a new community art group at Easton Community Centre for children and their parents. It’s currently funded by the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) and led by local artist Abby Reed.

The group runs on the second Saturday of the month from 11am to 1pm. It’s a chance for families to get creative in a friendly and relaxed environment. All welcome. Suggested donation of £1.50 for materials.

Do you have a story to tell?

Writing Black Lives is a free day-long taster session from the University of Bristol's Department of English which uses books from around the world to open debate about the ways in which black lives are storied in modern literature. The session is an opportunity to develop your creative writing skills and is specifically targeted at budding authors and literary critics of colour.

Refreshments and lunch are provided. Childcare and language support are available on request.

To find out more or to book a space please contact Moestak Hussein on 0117 954 6611 or email mh16627@bristol.ac.uk.

This taster session is an opportunity to sample learning from the University of Bristol. It is delivered in partnership with the Life Chances research project.

Recent scribble and sketch event www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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MAYOR INTERVIEW

One sunny day in early September, Up Our Street visited City Hall to interview our newly elected Mayor. We were armed with a set of questions based on input from Easton and Lawrence Hill residents at Up Our Street events and on our social media channels.

1. You’re now four months into your term as Mayor, is the role what you expected?

The most surprising thing is the visibility, so when I walk around people know who I am, that’s something that I didn’t quite anticipate at the level that it is… And while you know it’s going to be busy, it is also an adjustment to get used to just the sheer volume of stuff that comes over your desk. We’ve also obviously inherited a financial challenge and we’ve been trying to be as open as possible about that.

2. In your election campaign you focussed on the inequality in Bristol, and spoke of the importance of creating a city “where no one is left behind”. How do you balance the books and tackle inequality?

It’s a challenge, undoubtedly so. It’s the context in which we operate. I’m really keen to make sure that our narrative is not one that’s about cutting services but is about reinventing the city. We need to think more proactively about what the voluntary and community sector needs to be. We need to think much more about prevention, and investing in early intervention. Public services are vital to the city but in some senses some of our public services are what happens when everything else goes wrong.

There are very immediate needs around special educational needs, adult social care, public health… we will face challenges on all of these issues and our job is to make sure that the way we approach these issues are aligned to reducing inequality. And it’s up for people to judge whether we have stayed true to that.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees inequalities do not build the kind of workforce that the world needs, that will attract inward investment.

And as the city becomes more diverse, along with the context in which the wider economy compounds inequality and unaffordability, we have a perfect cocktail there for social instability. So it’s in our own enlightened self-interest that we are putting reducing inequality at the heart of everything that we support and do.

So there are now three questions for all projects coming to the council: 1 Finance - what are the financial implications?

2 Health - what is the impact on population health, in its widest sense, both physical and mental health?

3 Inequality - Are you giving me something that’s going to compound the city’s inequality? Or are you giving me something that’s going to help me deliver against what I’m committed to, which is about building a much more inclusive city?

One of the things I'm introducing as well is a City Office. What happens in Bristol is the product of the interaction of decisions made in the council, health service, police, business, voluntary and community sector, faith organisations.

4. What actions will you be taking to protect private tenants from the ravages of the private rental market and do you have any plans to create genuine social housing that will meet the actual needs of the city ?

My first political appointment was Paul Smith, who is 3. What practical policies can you as Mayor put in my cabinet lead for Homes and Communities. It's place to ensure that Easton and Lawrence Hill called Homes and Communities, as this is not just residents can access good quality local about building houses, this is about how we build employment?

We need to build an inclusive economy. It’s not just the connectivity between people. And one of Paul’s a nice to have, for people who have a side interest in tasks is to build houses, so we are looking at social justice, it makes sense. Unstable communities unlocking land for development, that’s in process now, but also a big piece of this was protecting are not good for inward investment. Educational 16

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MAYOR INTERVIEW people in the private rental sector. On Wednesday we have a Big Housing Conversation which we’ve organised with ACORN, we’re bringing those tenants together and we’ll be announcing that we are formally endorsing the Ethical Lettings Charter for the city. If we support ACORN, working in the right way to change the way the private lettings market works in Bristol and to make sure there’s a good standard, then communities are experiencing the power to do it themselves. The council comes in when it needs to, but essentially communities are driving that.

for young people to explore issues and voice their opinions?

Yeah, absolutely!

There is a limited amount of impact with the council saying ‘please will you behave differently’.

There has to be an element of people saying to each other ‘its unacceptable’, parents saying to their children – it’s not ok to chuck your litter on the street. And I would say too, it is not a legitimate act of social rebellion to chuck rubbish on the floor.

During my childhood, for some people chucking litter on the floor was kind of an act of giving one up to the system, and it’s not, it just makes the place where you live dirty.

we’re looking at the flow of information and decision-making at the council. We’re also looking at Neighbourhood Partnerships, at how meaningful those governance structures are. We need to look at the Forums too, do they reflect the diversity of their population?

I’ve been meeting with the youth Mayors, they asked me to take on two issues and I asked them to take on a third. They asked me to take on mental health in children and young people and they’ve asked me to take on work experience so that every young person, irrespective of their socio-economic background is going to get a good quality experience of work, and that’s a key point in social mobility. And the third thing that I’ve asked them to help me do is to get the city ready for 2020, 5. What plans do you have for dealing with the when we potentially have four elections, council, eternal issues of fly tipping, litter and dirt all over PCC, Mayoral and national. And I would like to set Easton?

We committed during the campaign to running the some targets around political literacy and get more engagement in the city. 14 year olds this year will Clean Streets campaign. There are a number of be 18 in 2020 so we need to start working on that, parts to that: one is that the service around street cleansing and litter collection needs to be top class, building up that literacy. that’s really important. But the other thing is 8. And finally, how do you create a truly inclusive behaviour change. We don’t have the money and democracy in Bristol? the resources to pick up after people ad infinitum. We’ve got to do our job to make that happen so

But there are a couple of other things that need to happen. One is… the quality of political participation is not down to politicians alone. It’s down to journalism too. If a media outlet takes a particular line on a particular issue, that’s the line that people are going to get. So that challenge 6. How would you tackle racism in the education needs to go out more broadly than just to system?

In terms of specifics of the education system, we’re politicians, it needs to go out to the media.

The other thing is, people have to step up, right? going to look at the school’s admissions process, So Simon Woolley challenged me, from Operation because the issue around racism is inseparable Black Vote, challenged me a while ago, he said from class. They are not the same thing, it’s really important to say that, but they are inseparable. We “Marvin, you’ve got a great analysis on why the world is rubbish, what are you going to do about also need to look at how our teachers are, or are not, equipped to come and teach in Bristol schools. it?” he said step up, join a party, get yourself elected.

Over 30% of our school population is now from a BAME background… are teachers coming to Bristol But politics will also be to some extent what we having had adequate introduction to what it means allow it to be. And if we give it up, we give it up to to work with difference? There’s a technical thing the people who’ve been running it for the last about making sure that all schools have meaningful however many centuries. Because… it’s easy to say equalities processes in place. We’re looking at the what is perfect when you’re not taking teaching staff, and that’s one thing we need, more responsibility. The world is an unfair place, but we diverse teaching staff. do have more power at our fingertips than perhaps we realise.

7. As Mayor can you provide events and a platform www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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POLICE UPDATE dealers sentenced to a combined total of more than 180 years in prison, we have continued to target the offenders who, in the words of the judge, plague communities like a “cancer”.

What is your role with Avon & Somerset Police?

I am the neighbourhood manager for East and Central Bristol, a large area of the city that stretches from the Harbourside and city centre on one side to Fishponds and St George on the other, covering Redcliffe and Lawrence Hill in the middle. It also encompasses two of the force’s five areas of high demand, namely St Paul’s and Easton.

This focus has been driven by the community who, quite rightly, were fed up with how openly people were dealing drugs in their neighbourhoods, not to mention the drugs litter, anti-social behaviour and general fear that goes hand in hand with it.

The teams have worked so hard since, carrying out plain clothes work to catch dealers red-handed, as well as working with treatment services to get drug users engaged with the support they need and Catch22 to divert young people away from gangs, drugs and violence.

It’s a huge challenge for us and other services, but please rest assured that this work continues. Our success very much depends on communities working with us to tell us what they know. We can’t My role is primarily about problem solving by be on every street corner, every day, to see what’s creating and managing relationships with key partners and communities, as well as leading seven happening, but if local people work with us we have extra eyes and ears noticing suspicious behaviour dedicated local neighbourhood teams who work that could be really useful to us. from Trinity Road and Bridewell police stations.

As well as the variety of challenges that come with day-to-day policing, I’m currently focusing on issues surrounding the street community, including the anti-social behaviour caused by street drinking and aggressive begging; sex work and exploitation; drug-related crime; and hate crime.

How long have you been a police officer?

I’ve been a police officer for the past 15 years, firstly working from Staple Hill station in South Gloucestershire, then moving to North Somerset before coming to Bristol two years ago. After a period on the emergency response teams at Southmead, I took over from Inspector Oliver Cosgrove in my current role.

What motivated you to join the police?

I wanted to help victims of crime, particularly victims of sexual offences.

What do you like about Easton and Lawrence Hill?

I had never worked in this area before and what’s struck me the most is the positive attitude the community has to really want to make things better. Also, the diversity of the area – it’s amazing who you’ll meet on an hour’s patrol.

What are the current local police priorities?

This time last year, we were beginning what has now become a regular series of operations to reduce the harm being caused by drugs in our communities.

Following the investigation last autumn that saw 66 18

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If you have information about anyone you suspect of dealing drugs, or are concerned about a young person at risk of getting involved in gangs, the police want to hear from you. You can either speak to your local beat team by calling the non-emergency number, 101, or contact them through the website, www.avonandsomerset.police.uk Or, if you would like to give information anonymously, please call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask for your name and cannot trace your call. You can also give them information online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Meet local officers…

Representatives from the local police teams are always invited to the Neighbourhood Forums, so this is a good chance for you to meet local officers and have your say. Next Forum is 1 December at Redfield Educate Together, more details on page 9. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

COMMUNITY NOTICES

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Up Our Street

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FOOD REVIEW

Jeevans Sweets opened on Stapleton Road in 2011, initially serving traditional Indian sweets and snacks to take away. In November last year they refurbished the premises and now have a busy café serving delicious vegetarian meals. When Up Our Street visited at half term, the place was packed with families enjoying lunch together. There was also a steady stream of customers choosing sweets at the counter.

We decided to eat in and ordered Aloo Tikki Chaat, a Paneer Kathi Wrap and some pakora, all washed down with cups of spicy chai. This family-run business certainly knows how to welcome customers and our food arrived in super speedy time. The food was delicious, particularly the paneer wrap, and the prices are very reasonable too, with a main dish costing from £4.50 to £5.50. In summary - much more than just sweets, and well worth a visit!

YOUR community magazine Got a story for Up Our Street?

Get in touch with Tamsin on 0117 954 2834 Deadline for Spring 2017

edition is 13 January

Find Jeevan’s at 415-417 Stapleton Rd. Open seven days a week from 10.30am to 9pm (8pm on Sundays). 0117 951 7688 .

We are looking for volunteer mentors Could you spare 3-4 hours a month to enjoy activities and outings with a young person in care.

Are you friendly, fun, trustworthy and reliable?

Could you offer a long-term supportive relationship to a young person in care?

Call 0117 244 6560 or email visiting@reconstruct.co.uk to find out more.

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ADVERTISING

Come to us for all things furniture and white goods!

We stock Bristol’s largest selection of second-hand appliances including Bosch, Indesit & Miele. We are also West Street’s only shop selling affordable clothing and vintage furniture, all under one roof.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, have a look at our eBay store via our website www.sofaproject.org.uk!

Find SOFA Project at 48-54 West Street Open from 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

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ADVERTISING

Haviland House, Great Ann Street, St Judes, Bristol BS2 0DT Email rosemary.n@bristol-schools.uk Web www.rosemary.bristol.sch.uk Tel 0117 9031467 / 3773297

Rosemary Nursery School and Children’s Centre, located just minutes from Cabot Circus, currently has places available for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.

Our vibrant and child-centered nursery school is very much part of the local community. With an exciting outside area, highly trained and qualified staff (including teachers) and regular forest school trips, Rosemary is a warm, nurturing and stimulating place for your child to experience learning in a social environment.

Telephone, email or come and see us to find out more.

90 Years 1925-2015

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Up Our Street

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