Up Our Street Autumn 2019

LIFE LONG LEARNING 

Page 17 

up our street 

Easton + Lawrence Hill + Redfield + St Judes + Whitehall + 

Old Market + The Dings + Barton HIll + Newtown + Greenbank 

Meet the Place Makers! 

Page 4 

Everybody needs 

good neighbours 

Page 10 

new IFTar home in the for blocks supper club Page 8 Page 8 

www.upourstreet.org.uk 

Your free 

community 

magazine 

autumn 2019 

Up Our Street Autumn 2019 

1 

AUTUMN_2019_FINAL.indd 1 01/08/2019 13:27:23

up our street 

Stay in touch 

Join the Up Our 

Street Facebook 

group. 1,290 

members and growing! 

Find us on Twitter 

@upourstreet 

Contact the team 

0333 023 5460 

(calls charged at local rate) 

Business Development Officer 

Emily Fifield 

Email: emily@upourstreet.org.uk 

Communications Officer 

Tamsin Harcourt 

Email: tamsin@upourstreet.org.uk 

Community Engagement Officer 

Patrycja Pinkowska 

Email: pat@upourstreet.org.uk 

Finance and Office Manager 

Tracy Parsons 

Email: tracy@upourstreet.org.uk 

Interim Director 

Brendan Tate Wistreich 

Email: brendan@upourstreet.org.uk 

Place Maker - Newtown 

Debbie Benjamin 

Email: debbie@upourstreet.org.uk 

Place Maker - St Judes 

Leila Gamaz 

Email: leila@upourstreet.org.uk 

Place Maker - The Dings 

Melissa Derricourt 

Email: melissa@upourstreet.org.uk 

OUr Trustee Board 

Ricardo Sharry (Chair) 

Amy Harrison (Deputy chair) 

Noelle Rumball (Treasurer) 

Saed Ali 

Sally Caseley 

Joyce Clarke 

Nic Ferris 

Thom Oliver 

Poku Osei 

Hannah Pepper 

Charity no: 1081691 

Company no: 04023294 

Hear Up Our 

Street on the One 

Love Breakfast Show 

every Wednesday at 

8.45am on 

BCfm 93.2 and 

online at 

bcfmradio.com 

drop in and see us 

Easton Community Centre, 

Kilburn Street, Easton, Bristol BS5 6AW 

Did you know? 

Up Our Street is hand delivered to 13,500 

homes in Easton and Lawrence Hill. Each copy 

costs us 46p to produce and deliver, but we are 

committed to making sure it’s available to all 

Easton and Lawrence Hill residents for free. Paid 

advertising offsets some of the costs. 

Up Our Street is a registered charity that relies 

on grants and donations. If you like what you 

read, and want to support our work in Easton 

and Lawrence Hill you can donate online: 

www.upourstreet.org.uk/donate 

Up Our Street would like to thank our 

funders for supporting our work in 

Easton and Lawrence Hill 

Printed by Whitehall Printing with 

vegetable-based inks on recycled paper. 

HAVE YOUR SAY 

pages 5 to 7 

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 

pages 8 to 10 

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. 

WORKING TOGETHER 

pages 11 to 18 

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. 

welcome 

to the autumn edition of Up Our Street 

magazine, we hope you’ve had a great 

summer! The team has settled in at the 

new office at Easton Community Centre 

and is ready for action. We have said 

goodbye to Khalil as his project has 

come to an end, and we are saying hello 

to three new team members as Place 

Makers (page 4). 

We are excited to be playing our small 

part in a new research project with 

University of Bristol called ‘Everyday 

Integration.’ The two year project looks 

at how citizens and communities share 

Endowment Fund 2019 

We had 11 applications from 

groups, 8 were funded, total 

value £5,193.44 

We had 6 applications 

from individuals, all 

were funded, total 

value £1,565.88 

Total funding 

awarded in 2019: 

£6,759.65 

The future... 

We are carrying out a 10 year review of the 

Endowment Fund to evaluate the criteria which 

could result in some changes to the 2020 round 

of funding. We would like to put together some 

case studies of individuals and groups that have 

received a grant within the last 10 years. If you 

are interested in being involved, please contact 

Tracy… 

spaces and move around the city and 

starts on 1 October. We look forward 

to telling you more about it in the next 

edition. We’ve also got some interesting 

art projects for local residents to get 

involved in (page 5). 

We hope you like the mix of articles 

and interviews in this edition, do get in 

touch if there’s a story about Easton and 

Lawrence Hill that you think we should 

investigate... 

notice of AGM 

Ricardo Sharry, 

Chair of Up Our Street 

Grants to groups 

BristVol (£430) 

To support volunteering group in BS5 area 

Dadcast with the Man Dem (£1000) 

Dads can do hair project 

Dings Community Association (£1,000) 

To support DigiLocal weekly tech club for 

young people 

Easton and Lawrence Hill Activities for 

Families (£1,000) 

Towards cost of Cotswolds family camp 

Easton Community Children's Centre (£480) 

Music classes for preschool children 

Friends of Aiken Street Community Garden 

(£513.77) 

Planter, watersaver kit and equipment for 

community garden 

Friends of Barton Hill Academy (£700) 

Contribution towards Barton Hill Academy 

summer carnival. 

St Luke's Church Coffee Pot (£770) 

Coach trips for older people in BS5 

Up Our Street is holding its annual 

general meeting on Thursday 17 October 

at Trinity Centre. We will present our 

annual accounts and impact report, elect 

Trustees and talk about the future. Even 

more importantly, we will be presenting 

Thank You Awards to 50 local residents 

who help make Easton and Lawrence Hill 

something you’d 

like to see in 

Up Our Street 

magazine? 

Get in touch on 

0333 023 5460 or 

contact@upourstreet.org.uk 

And follow us on 

The opinions and information contained in this publication are those 

Instagram! 

of the contributors and not necessarily those of Up Our Street. 

Advertisers are not endorsed. 

such an amazing community. 

2 Up Our Street Autumn 2019 www.upourstreet.org.uk www.upourstreet.org.uk 

Up Our Street Autumn 2019 3 

AUTUMN_2019_FINAL.indd 2-3 01/08/2019 13:27:29

UP OUR STREET 

Meet the Place makers... 

The Place Makers are 

part of our lottery 

funded project to tackle 

loneliness and isolation 

in neighbourhoods. They will be 

working for Up Our Street one 

day a week for the next two years. 

Here they are in their own words... 

Leila 

I have lived in St. Judes for 

the last eight years. When 

I think about my work as a 

placemaker, I imagine circles 

of belonging- my home, my 

street, my neighbourhood, my 

city. I feel lucky to have made 

deep connections to my friends 

in the St Judes neighborhood. 

I love sharing food with my 

Kurdish neighbours, or driving 

my other neighbour to the 

garden centre for a day trip. 

I have experienced first-hand 

the difference it can make to 

nurture relationships with the 

people we share our immediate 

environment with. 

I hope I can use my experience 

in working with community 

groups such as the Cube 

Cinema and Bristol Cooperative 

Gym to help our 

neighbourhood become more 

inclusive. 

I am currently mapping 

everything already happening 

in St Judes, and talking to 

residents in order to shape my 

role over the next two years. 

There is so much going on 

here - from the independent 

restaurants and cafes along 

Stapleton Road, to the green 

ribbon of the Frome; from the 

parks by the tower blocks; the 

leisure centre to Trinity. There is 

no reason for anyone to be left 

out. 

leila@upourstreet.org.uk 

Debbie 

My area is Newtown, where I 

live and work. I would love to 

put Newtown on the map! 

Being part of the team at 

Up Our Street is a great 

opportunity to connect 

communities together. I have 

lived in Newtown for the past 

17 years and have found that 

the area has a great community 

spirit. 

Many of the residents of 

Newtown do feel that the area 

has been neglected for a long 

time, and that it’s time for 

some TLC. 

We’re planning to do some 

litter picking, coffee mornings, 

and social events for some 

of the older residents of 

Newtown. I’m looking forward 

to working in partnership with 

other organisations like the 

Trinity Centre and Lawrence Hill 

Health Centre. 

I’m happy that Newtown 

residents will finally get 

their voices heard and get 

something done. Watch this 

space! 

debbie@upourstreet.org.uk 

Melissa 

I am an ex nurse and have lived 

and worked in various and 

diverse communities. I have 

had links with The Dings for 

seven years and lived here for 

almost three years. During that 

time I have experienced firsthand 

the wonderful nucleus of 

warmth and community spirit 

from fellow residents. 

My aim would be to extend this 

welcome throughout the whole 

area, which has expanded 

hugely in recent years with the 

addition of several modern 

apartment blocks. Once 

crowned the best community 

in the UK, due to this 

expansion, it has largely lost 

that sense of inclusiveness it 

once had. At its core, however, 

is a culture of caring and 

support for residents, whatever 

their background or ethnicity. 

I believe in kindness before 

creed or colour, and want to 

work alongside all residents, 

young and old, to make The 

Dings an even better place to 

live. 

melissa@upourstreet.org.uk 

Hear more from the Place Makers in the Up Our Street podcast at bit.ly/UOSJuly 

The cost of cash 

A recent University of Bristol report 

has confirmed what local residents 

have been saying for some time – it’s 

getting harder to take cash out for free 

in our neighbourhood. There are many 

cash machines in the area, but around 

80% now charge a fee to take money 

out. 

Easton resident Debra was so 

concerned that she has set up a 

campaign group called BS5 Against Cash 

Machine Charges. The Facebook group has 

over 80 members, and some of them met faceto-face 

this summer to discuss the issue with 

Councillor Afzal Shah and some of the University 

researchers. 

“We are moving away from cash as a society, but 

there are still people who rely on it” says Debra. 

“For example older people, those who can’t get a 

debit card due to historic debt problems. We risk 

making people even more excluded.” 

Part of the university research involved detailed 

mapping of cash machines across Bristol, and 

shows that the communities who are most 

likely to depend on cash, have fewer free cash 

machines. In fact, Clifton has many more free 

cash machines than Easton and Lawrence Hill. As 

Debra says “It’s part of the repercussions of not 

having a bank in our area – banks used to look 

after the cash machine infrastructure but now 

they are mostly run by third party businesses.” 

The group is setting up a meeting later in August 

with representatives from the banks and WECA 

(West of England Combined Authority) to push 

for change. They are also investigating whether 

free to use cash machines could be installed in 

community buildings. 

Where can you still get cash with no charge? 

Redfield Post Office 

104-106 Church Road 

open 6am to 10pm Monday to Saturday 

(6am to 6pm on Sundays) 

Stapleton Road Post Office 

68 Stapleton Road 

open 9am to 10pm every day 

(until 11pm Friday and Saturday) 

Lawrence Hill Post Office 

192 Lawrence Hill 

open 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday 

(9am to 1pm on Saturday) 

You can check locations of all cash machines 

(free and fee-paying) at www.link.com 

Exploring the Arts 

Up Our Street is working with Bristol arts organisations 

to launch the ‘Exploring the Arts’ residents group in 

September. This project will bring together a diverse 

group of residents from Easton and Lawrence Hill 

who are curious about experiencing more arts and 

culture in Bristol. Participants will have opportunities 

to attend events for free and help shape 

future programmes to make them more 

welcoming and relevant to a wider 

audience. Transport costs can be covered. 

We will also be hosting a special womenonly 

workshop with international artist 

Kameela Rasheed (pictured) on Tuesday 

8 October from 9am to 3pm at Easton 

Community Centre. Want to find out 

more? Contact pat@upourstreet.org.uk 



HAVE YOUR SAY 


HAVE YOUR SAY 

overcoming barriers: Autism in the Somali community 

Nura Aabe is the founder and CEO of Autism 

Independence, a community organisation that 

supports families from BAME communities, 

specialising in the Somali community. We caught 

up with Nura after the preview of Overcoming 

Barriers: Autism in the Somali Community. The 

short film tells the story of Somali families 

affected by autism. It’s available in both Somali 

and English and has over 150,000 views on 

YouTube. 

What motivated you to make the film? 

“Because mainstream services didn’t truly 

understand what these families were going 

through. We wanted to make services more 

culturally responsive and sensitive.” Nura says 

she has been overwhelmed and pleased by the 

response to the film. She says she hopes it will 

encourage more families to get the help they 

need. “Often families are not confident to get 

help, there are barriers: stigma, family face, the 

language barrier.” 

How has your personal experience shaped your 

work? 

“When I was told Zak had autism, I had no idea 

what it meant, I could only interpret it as a 

mental illness, as there is no word for autism in 

the Somali language. That was terrifying… But 

when I understood autism I realised it wasn’t 

the end of the world. It didn’t mean that he 

had a mental illness, he just understood things 

differently.” 

What keeps you going when things are 

challenging? 

“Seeing Zak talk every morning really gives 

me the energy I need. It inspires me to rise to 

the challenge. Zak is now 20 and he’s doing 

amazingly well. He’s learnt to talk, read and 

write. It’s beautiful to hear him say mum every 

morning and talk and use his own language.” 

Ka Gudubka Caqabadaha: Autisimka ee bulshada soomaalida 

Nura Aabe waa aasaasaha iyo agaasimaha guud 

ee Autisim Independence, oo ah urur taageera 

qoysaska ka soo jeeda BMEga gaar ahaan 

bulshada soomaalida. Waxaan la kulanay Nura 

ka dib hordhacii filmkii ka gudubka Carqabadaha 

Autisimka ee bulshada soomaalida. Filimkan 

gaabani wuxuu ka hadlayaa sheekooyin qoysas 

soomaali ah oo uu saameeyey Autisimku, kaas 

oo aad ka heli kartid isaga oo afka Soomaaliga 

iyo Engiriisi ah Youbeka waxaana daawaday 

150,000 oo qof. 

Maxaa kugu dhiiri geliyey in aad samayso 

filmkan? 

“Maxaa yeelay adeega guud muu fahansanayn 

xaalada ay qoysaskanu wajagayeen. Waxan 

rabnaa in aan adeega ka dhigno mid dhaqan 

ahaan wax tar leh oo xasaasi ah”. Nura waxay 

sheegtay in ay si xad dhaaf ah ugu faraxsan 

tahay jawaabta filimkan. Waxay sheegtay in 

ay rajaynayso in uu dhiiri gelin doono qoysas 

badan si ay u helaan taageerada ay u baahan 

yihiin. “Badanaa qoysaskani ma laha kalsooni ay 

ku helaan caawimo, waxa jira carqabado sida 

dhaleecayn, wejiga qoyska, iyo carqabado xaga 

luqada ah” 

Sidee bay waayo aragnimadaadu u qaabaysay 

shaqadaada? 

“Markii lay sheegay in wiilkayga Zak yahay 

Autisim,wax fikrad ah kama aan haysan 

macnihiisa, waxan u qaatay uun xanuun xaga 

dhibirka ah sababtoo ah ma jirto kelmada Autism 

luqada afka soomaaliga. Taasi waxay ahad cabsi 

Who controls the future of 

St Philips Marsh? 

Big changes are coming to St Philips Marsh 

with a new secondary school, a new university 

campus and many new homes on the horizon. 

Now is the time for Barton Hill residents to have 

their say abour future developments. 

Up Our Street went along to a meeting organised 

by Marsh Maker to find out more. Marsh Maker 

is a group of local residents and business 

owners who want to write a Neighbourhood 

Development Plan for the area. Neighbourhood 

Planning is a right for communities introduced 

through the Localism Act 2011. Neighbourhood 

Plans become part of the Local Plan and the 

policies in them are used to help decide whether 

planning applications are approved. 

The group of people who write and vote on the 

plan is called a Neighbourhood Forum. This is 

usually is made up of people who live in the 

laakiin markii aan fahmay Autisim waxan 

ogaaday in aanay ii ahayn in uu aduunkii 

dhamaaday, macnuhu ma ahayn in uu 

dhibirka wax ka qabo ee keliya wuxuu u 

fahmaa waxyaabaha si kala duwan.” 

Maxaa kugu kelifay in aad sii wado 

shaqada marka xaaladahu cuslaadaan? 

“Markaan arko Zak oo hadlaya run 

ahaantii waxan helaa awood aan u 

baahnaa. Waxayna igu dhiiri gelisaa in aan 

culayskaa kor u sii qaado”. Zak iminka waa 

20 jir aad iyo aadna wuu u fiican yahay. 

Wuxu bartaa sida loo hadlo akhriska iyo 

qoraalka. Way qurux badan tahay in aan 

maqlo isaga oo leh MUM subax walbana 

hadlaya isaga oo isticmaalaya luqadiisa.” 

Find out more and watch the film at: 

bit.ly/OvercomingBarriersPlaylist 

1991 vision of St Philips Marsh 

defined area - in this case St Philip’s Marsh. As St 

Philips Marsh is currently mostly a light industrial 

area, there are very few people living in the 

Marsh itself. 

This is why the Marsh Maker group is calling on 

the Council to agree to extend membership of 

the Forum to anyone who lives within 500 metres 

of the Marsh, as they argue that residents in 

areas such as Barton Hill will also be affected by 

developments. Many families in Barton Hill are 

living in overcrowded conditions and want to see 

affordable and social housing at the heart of the 

plan. 

Contact marshmakerbristol@gmail.com to find 

out more or find them on Facebook. 

Are you registered to vote? 

The next General Election is due on 5 May 

2022, but some reports suggest that a 

snap election may be called by the end 

of this year. In uncertain times with big 

decisions looming, it’s a good idea to 

check that you are properly registered to 

vote so that you can make sure your voice 

is heard. 

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote 

You do not need to register separately 

for every election, but you must register 

again if you’ve changed address, name or 

nationality. You can also use this service to 

change the way you vote - for example in 

person, by post or by proxy. It usually takes 

about five minutes. 



HAVE YOUR SAY 


GET INVOLVED 

Iftar in the blocks 

Iftar is the evening meal when Muslims end their 

daily Ramadan fast at sunset and it is a great 

way to bring a community together. In Easton 

we have a growing tradition of such celebrations 

with Grand Iftar at St Marks Road now firmly 

established as a yearly event. Local residents 

Hawo and Fadumo were so inspired that they 

decided to hold their own event outside Twinnell 

House and Wills Drive in Easton. 

Pat from Up Our Street has been working with 

residents in the blocks for a number of years, 

and supported the group with the event. 

Digilocal in the dings 

Young people in the Dings will get the chance 

to learn computer coding, thanks to DigiLocal, 

which has 17 volunteer-run tech clubs around 

Bristol. The Dings Community Association 

applied for an Endowment Fund 

grant to get the tech club started, 

as they were concerned that there 

wasn’t enough for young people to 

do in the area. 

As the Dings is right on the doorstep 

of many of Bristol’s tech companies, 

DigiLocal was keen to recruit 

volunteers from the industry to share 

their skills with the local community. 

When Up Our Street popped in, we met Arlo, 

Lily and David, who work for Delaware, an ICT 

company with offices in Temple Quarter. They 

are now volunteering regularly at the Dings club. 

Pat says: “Hawo, Fadumo and other women 

from the blocks prepared an amazing feast 

for all. On this particular Saturday, Iftar was to 

begin at 9:21pm and when around 9pm we 

started putting everything on the four tables 

we borrowed from the community room, we 

realised that we were not able to fit even half 

of the food prepared! All the chairs then had to 

be repurposed as additional small tables and 

every bit of space was taken up by the trays, hot 

dishes, flasks and bowls.” 

“We brought 100 plates with us but towards 

the end even that wasn’t enough and some 

residents had to run home and bring their own 

plate. It was fun and a real privilege to be part 

of this event. Hopefully some new connections 

were forged during this special evening. And I 

hope that the amazing hospitality of the women 

who worked for days to prepare a meal for all 

the neighbours will be long remembered in the 

block.” 

Do you have an idea to bring your neighbours 

together? Contact pat@upourstreet.org.uk or call 

0333 023 5463 (calls charged at local rate) to find 

out how Up Our Street could help. 

They showed us how to use Scratch software 

that teaches the basics of computer coding, 

which you can use to make simple games and 

animations. 

There are spaces for up to ten 

young people aged 8 to 14, and it’s 

free to take part. The club will run 

all year round at the Safe ‘Ouse in 

the Dings Park on Wednesdays from 

6pm to 7pm. DigiLocal is always on 

the look out for volunteers. John 

Bradford, Digilocal Coordinator 

is keen to stress that “some 

confidence with a laptop is useful, but you don’t 

need any particular coding experience, more an 

understanding of problem solving.” 

Contact john.bradford@digilocal.org.uk to find 

out more. 

People volunteer in their community in all different ways. 

What does volunteering mean to you? Share your story with Up Our Street, get in touch with 

Tamsin on 0333 023 5464 (calls charged at local rate) or text/WhatsApp 07903 089 002 

Volunteer powered radio 

How many volunteers does it take to run a radio 

station? Up Our Street caught up with Pat Hart, 

presenter of the One Love Breakfast Show and 

Chief Executive of BCfm, one of Bristol’s longest 

running community radio stations to find out 

more. 

“Everyone at BCfm is a volunteer” says Pat. “And 

as far as we know, we’re unique in community 

radio in having a dedicated news team. They 

are all volunteers who cover five days a week 

seeking out local stories, researching, deciding 

what the mix of local and national will be, writing 

scripts and reading the news.” There are currently 

14 volunteers working on the news team. 

BCfm has 70 different shows, featuring local 

people from all walks of life. “Where else would 

you have a presenter like Rosabell from La 

Ventana Latina (The Latin Window), which is a 

bilingual Spanish/English show interviewing the 

Extinction Rebellion protestors?” 

“We’ve also trained up our presenters to use 

mobile phones to record interviews, so you get 

that really immediate on the spot reporting with 

unique voices.” 

Pat is also keen to give a shout out for the team 

that you won’t hear on the airwaves. “Without 

the tech team there would be no BCfm. Around 

eight volunteers do everything from keeping the 

computers running and the transmitter working, 

to the logistics of outside broadcasts at events 

like Bristol Pride.” 

Training has always been an important part of 

the ethos at BCfm, and we can hear the pride 

in Pat’s voice as he lists all the BCfm volunteers 

who have moved on to paid work in local and 

national media. He also tells us that a certain 

Marvin Rees honed his presentation skills in the 

early days of BCfm. 

It seems like a long time now since those early 

days. Born out of a short-term project, BCfm 

secured its community radio licence in 2007 and 

began broadcasting from the Beacon Centre. The 

station moved to Easton Community Centre at 

the end of 2017. 

With several awards for BCfm on the shelf to 

prove it, it’s clear that the station really cares 

about the quality of the shows they broadcast. 

“It’s got to sound good” explains Pat “people 

have to want to listen, not because it’s a worthy 

community thing to do, but because the output 

is good. We’re proud of that professionalism. It’s 

part of taking the community seriously.” 

Pat is also keen to stress that diversity isn’t just 

a buzzword for BCfm “We like to mix people up 

from different parts of the city, to bring them 

together on our shows. We’re part of Bristol and 

we aim to represent all aspects of city life. It’s an 

open door here, if you’re prepared to come with 

an open mind and to listen to other points of 

view, then BCfm is for you. 

Want to find out more about volunteering at 

BCfm? Contact steve.shepherd@bcfmradio.com. 

Tune in to 93.2fm or listen online bcfmradio.com 

Up Our Street hosts a show all about Easton and 

Lawrence Hill on the third Monday of the month. 

Our next show is 22 September, 2pm to 3pm. 

GET INVOLVED 




GET INVOLVED 

Coffee Pot on tour 

One sunny July morning a packed coach left 

the tower blocks of Lawrence Hill behind 

and headed off to the beach. The day trip to 

Weymouth was organised by St Luke’s Older 

People’s project, supported by a grant from 

Up Our Street’s Endowment Fund. 

“Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves” 

said Mary, a Barton Hill resident. “We 

were lucky with the weather, some 

people even thought it was too hot!” 

Her friend Christine from Lawrence Hill said “We 

had a little paddle in the sea, and had lunch with 

a lovely view of the harbour.” The trip included 

a mix of older people who live completely 

independently like Mary and Christine, as well 

as residents from Lincoln Gardens, an extra-care 

scheme in Lawrence Hill who support people 

living as independently as possible. 

David is the Older People’s Worker for St Luke’s 

“We had plenty of volunteer helpers for this 

trip, which really made a difference. We could 

make sure that everyone had someone to talk 

to and felt part of the day.” The grant paid for 

an adapted coach to make the trip accessible 

for people using wheelchairs and mobility 

everybody needs good neighbours 

The St Monica Trust’s ACE Neighbours project is 

helping older isolated people in Lawrence Hill to 

connect with their community through support 

from a volunteer buddy. 

Buddy Jan has been visiting Heather since 

January. Heather lives in Easton. She saw 

a poster for the project and wanted to get 

involved. Feeling cut off in her home and not 

meeting people locally, she wanted to mix with 

more people. “I like to chat!” she says. 

aids. “Some older people can get very isolated, 

whatever kind of housing they live in, so it’s great 

to be able to get everyone out together on trips 

like this.” 

David says that volunteers are always welcome 

for befriending older people, helping on trips, 

even making communal breakfasts. Find out 

more by dropping in to Coffee Pot (tea drinkers 

also welcome) at St Luke’s Church on Wednesday 

mornings from 9am to 11am. The next planned 

trip is on 24 October to Chepstow Garden Centre 

including a trip to see the autumn colours of 

the Wye Valley. Registration at Coffee Pot in late 

September. Contact David on 07804 363 170 or 

bigbromo@yahoo.co.uk to find out more. 

Easton Cowgirls looking for new members 

The Easton Cowgirls got in touch with Up 

Our Street as they are keen to welcome new 

members to their netball squad, which has been 

running for 15 years. We met up with Lin, Lou, 

Jen and Holly round their usual table in The 

Plough, to talk about friendships built through 

sport, and how Cowgirls is more than just a 

sports team. 

“In the beginning we were a group of friends 

who just wanted to get together and get fit.” 

Says Lou, who is one of the founding members. 

“In the early days it was hard finding places to 

practise, as not many places have netball courts. 

For our very first sessions we used to jump over 

the fence at a local school, hmm maybe don’t 

include that!” The netball squad has moved 

around a fair bit since then, and currently trains 

at Fairfield High School. Membership grew by 

word of mouth, and there are now three Cowgirl 

netball teams, with around 30 regular members. 

Lin also joined in the early days “When I started I 

was working as a bus driver, and had three small 

children. The only exercise I got was walking 

the dog, I hadn’t played netball since school. 

My first session I was so unfit, but I improved 

quickly.” The Cowgirls are keen to emphasise that 

the team is open to everyone. “It’s really mixed 

ability, some people just come to practise, and 

you don’t have to play competitive games if you 

don’t want to.” 

We also talk about how The Easton Cowboys and 

Cowgirls are known for their political stance. “We 

are anti-fascist and left wing, we’re quite clear 

that it’s part of our ethos” says Lin, “We don’t 

expect members to be spending all their time 

going on protest marches, it’s more just having 

an acceptance of that political environment. But 

it’s more than just a sports club, definitely.” 

The Cowgirls have also recently added a third 

team, a group of players who found that after 

a decade playing as a team they needed a new 

club to join. “Having played against the Cowgirls 

over the years, and being aware of their inclusive 

attitude to both sport and life, we approached 

them to see if they could give us a new home.” 

says the new team. 

“After some consultation with the existing 

Cowgirls, we were welcomed with open arms 

and have never looked back. At the end of the 

season we finished in the highest position we 

have ever achieved and fully attribute this to the 

friendly, flexible and motivating atmosphere at 

training (and in the weekly socials). The whole 

squad has fallen back in love with the game, and 

we’d love to have some new players to join the 

fun.” 

As well as the social aspect, and building 

friendships after the match in the pub, the 

Cowgirls are also passionate about fundraising 

for grass roots charities including Temwa, which 

supports projects in rural Malawi and Aid Box 

Community, which provides practical help to 

refugees. 

After a break for the summer, the netball team 

will be back to their regular routine of training 

on Thursday nights from 7pm to 9pm at Fairfield 

High School. Matches are usually played on 

Saturdays. First session is free, then membership 

is £20 per month, which pays for court hire and 

netball coach. 

Find out more at www.eastoncowboys.org.uk 

or search for ‘Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls’ on 

Facebook. 

The group also knows that joining an 

established group can be daunting, as 

the project, “does us both good, getting us out 

Jan, who is very active and volunteers in her local 

everyone seems to know each other. Jen, 

to places that we wouldn’t otherwise go to.” 

community said, “After retirement life can come 

who joined more recently says “I was 

to a standstill. Volunteering keeps my brain Jan says she is determined to get Heather 

pretty intimidated by the Cowgirl name 

active and helps me meet new people.” 

dancing one of these days. Heather smiles at 

before I joined, but everyone was so 

this, but when two ACE Neighbours get together 

Jan and Heather have really hit it off and have 

welcoming.” Holly agrees, “Of all the 

anything is possible…watch this space! 

been going to the Speedwell Bristol Community 

things that I did when I first moved 

Café. Heather said “Jan and I get on well. I enjoy The ACE Neighbours project is open to 

to Bristol, netball was absolutely the 

going to the community café as there are lots people aged over 60. To find out more about 

best thing in terms of meeting new 

of people to mix with.” They are planning to try volunteering or to request a volunteer buddy, 

people.” The Cowgirls have set up a new 

a singing group next at the Beehive Centre in St contact Kathleen on 07964 923 032 or email 

member buddy system, and are planning 

George. Jan enjoys being with Heather and said kathleen.woodhouse@stmonicatrust.org.uk 

beginner’s sessions, where you can refresh 

the rules of netball. 






Community Interview: Dionne Draper 

“I love Easton!” is the first thing Dionne says in 

our interview. “Part of moving to Easton for me 

was to find a place where I felt I could link our 

family to a community.” Cultural identity and 

finding community are themes that run through 

Dawta, Dionne’s one woman show that has just 

previewed at Bristol Old Vic. 

Dawta tells the story of ‘Sarah’, who was 

separated from her Jamaican mother and 

adopted at three months old by a white family 

from rural Devon. “The biggest question for 

Sarah is who am I?” says Dionne, who has been 

working on the play for the past four years, 

drawing on her own experience. As well as 

writing the show, Dione plays seven different 

characters and sings ten original songs. 

“It was a real struggle to cope with being a 

minority, a complete minority, with no friends, 

family or community to help me develop a 

healthy black identity. My white mother was 

always talking about how beautiful my natural 

hair is, and instilling that in me, but when I faced 

direct racism she didn’t protect me from that.” 

She remembers her mother saying “Think of 

yourself like a little Jesus – he suffered greatly 

but walked through the crowds with dignity.” 

Dawta was performed as part of the Ferment 

Fortnight at Bristol Old Vic, where audiences 

give immediate feedback on the show. “The 

one question that people wanted to know more 

about was why Sarah’s Jamaican mother gave 

Sing your way home 

Emma lives in Whitehall and got in touch with 

Up Our Street to tell us about the Easton Gospel 

Generation Community Choir, which rehearses at 

the House of Praise Church on Tudor Road. The 

choir recently teamed up with five other choirs to 

record an EP called ‘Sing Our Way Home’, which 

is also the title track. 

“Home can mean different things to different 

people,” says Emma “But broadly it is a place of 

safety, a place to feel settled, become part of a 

wider community and a place where we can be 

ourselves. 

Photo credit: 

Chelsey Cliff 

her up for adoption. That’s when I knew I’d got 

it right, as that’s the question I’ve been asking 

all my life. I wanted the audience to know what 

it’s like to be adopted, to be searching for that 

missing piece.” 

And Dionne is clear that this is not just a 

historical piece, “Children of African descent are 

still over-represented in the care system… I really 

want the show to encourage people of African 

descent to foster or adopt where possible or 

consider buddying up with white foster carers to 

share information and cultural knowledge.” 

Dionne has secured Arts Council funding for a 

short regional tour of the play in October. She 

hopes to start the tour at the Malcolm X Centre. 

For more info contact dionne@singwithsoul.com 

in Easton, this area has become a ‘home’, a place 

to feel you belong, a vibrant diverse community.” 

“But home is also something those uprooted 

from their country due to war, persecution, 

poverty need to find again, many find 

themselves in our community. This song speaks 

to all those situations as well as providing hope 

of a permanent, ‘forever’ home for us all.” 

The other tracks are a mixture of traditional 

spirituals and more contemporary gospel songs. 

The choir aims to launch the EP at their annual 

Gospel singing conference at Easton Family 

Centre on 12 October. 

free Courses 

coming soon 

*subject to eligibility 

ESOL - Improve your English 

(plus a FREE* crèche) 

Certificate in Principles of 

Business and Administration 

HABC Award in Accountancy 

CCTV Operator 

Certificate in Business Administration 

Working as a Door Supervisor 

Stewarding 

in partnership with 

These courses start weekly and are run at St Pauls Learning Centre in Bristol: 

94 Grosvenor Rd, Bristol BS2 8XJ 

(Bath College run these courses) 

Advertising 

For members of the Easton gospel choir, the 

choir has been a place to feel at home, a 

New singers are always welcome, and the 

place where new friendships are made, all are 

new term starts on 12 September. For more 

If you want details about the date and location of our next course please call: 

welcomed and there are chances to learn skills 

information contact Emma Smallwood 

Bob Rashley on 01225 328 720 or visit our website at 

and have a lot of fun along the way. For people 

gospelgen@googlemail.com 



www.bathcollege.ac.uk/freecourses or www.stpaulslc.co.uk for further details. 

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115596 Ethical Property St Pauls Autumn Courses 2019 4pp A4 (Magazine Single Pages).indd 1 24/07/2019 09:47 

Courses starting in mid September 2019 

AUTUMN 2019 

Your guide to what is 

happening at the Learning 

Centre in the autumn term. 

St Pauls Learning Centre is a busy community learning hub. The centre has classrooms and meeting 

rooms, a creche, a café and a community darkroom. We also have fully tenanted offices. Our tenants 

all offer something to the local community: this could be support, information and advice or the 

opportunity to learn new skills and gain new knowledge. 

If you are interested in booking a room for a class a meeting or an event, please check out our website 

www.stpaulslc.co.uk or call 0117 9145470. On the home page is a link to room booking. You can 

view room availability and make a provisional booking on-line. We also manage the booking of the 

Unitarian Meeting Hall on Brunswick Square. This is also bookable via our website. The Learning Centre 

is wheelchair accessible. 

If you wish to hire the creche to support a class or event, 

please contact anna@bristolrefugeerights.org or visit www.bristolrefugeerights.org 

Courses, Classes and Events Autumn 2019 

Free ESOL Conversation Club 

No need to enrol, just turn up. 

Practise speaking English in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. 

Mondays 10.30am - 12pm 

Bristol Community Learning: www.communitylearningwest.net 

GB Training: Free Maths and English (all levels) 

Tuesdays 10am-2pm. Free lunch provided. 

For more info call Josh on 077153 16677 

or email: josh.smith@gbtraining.org.uk 

CCBED 

Free accredited courses start monthly. 

Level 1 Award in Passport to Enterprise and Employment: 

• Develop your Enterprise Skills 

• Introduction to Marketing 

• Problem Solving at Workplace. 

Email: admin@c-cbed.com 

Check out www.c-cbed.com or call 07908687534 for more info and start dates. 

Learning Brains 

Offers English, Maths and Science weekend tuition from year 1 to A Level. 

Taught by qualified teachers. 

OFSTED registered childcare centre so those who are eligible can pay us through childcare. 

We also offer family discounts. 

Please contact Syed Shah on 07475081996 and book your free trial. 

The Centre is managed and run 

by the Ethical Property Company. 

How does our society work? (15 weeks) 

• What issues do we face in today’s society? 

• What works and what doesn’t? 

• What can we do about the things that don’t work? 

This is an interactive course, covering a wide range of topics, from social inequalities to 

democracy; from the justice system to protests; from the environment to what it really 

means to be part of society. 

Educating Everyone: how should we design our school system? (15 weeks) 

• Does the school system work and who does it work for? 

• Why is school the way it is and how might it be better? 

Share your ideas and participate in debates on education. 

This course will be a lively, positive and confidence-building experience for anyone 

over 18 returning to study. 

We particularly welcome those who didn’t much enjoy their own schooling at the time. 

Both of the above courses will draw on your experiences, along with journalism, social 

media, academic research, and a wide range of other sources for our debate and 

discussion. There will also be opportunities to develop your study skills – including 

notetaking, essay writing and taking part in discussion. 

The course fee is £350. There is a bursary available for up to £250. Conditions apply. 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/study/part-time/ 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/study/changing-education-a-pathway-to-further-study/ 

Adult Learning 

Pottery for Pleasure: Thursdays, 6pm - 8.30pm. 

Pottery with Sculpture: Wednesdays, 1pm - 3.30pm. 

Printmaking: Fridays, 10am - 12.30pm. 

Learning to Sew: Mondays, 6.15pm - 8.45pm. 

For more information on any Adult Learning Course, please go to: 

www.bristolcourses.com or call 0117 903 8844. 

Printmaking with Barbara Disney 

Suitable for new and experienced artists. Experimentation encouraged. 

Contact: barbara.disney@talk21.com 

Friday afternoons. 

Stained Glass Club with Ruth Adams 

Stained Glass Taster class (10 weeks). 

10.30am - 12.30pm starting Wednesday 18th September 2019. 

£160 or concession £100. ruth@adams.me.uk 

Stained Glass with Pete Bullard 

Ongoing evening class. 

Tuesdays, 6.30pm - 8.30pm. 

For more information call Pete: 07960275513. 

Maroon Fist Kickboxing, Kung Fu, Self Defence 

Learn a skill, build fitness and confidence, and make new friends. Everyone welcome. 

Cost: £7:50 up to age 18 years and £10 over 18 years. Tuesdays, 7pm - 8pm. www.maroonfist.co.uk 

Reiki Level 1 (12 week course) 

Learn Reiki healing & change your life. 

Thursday 19th September, 6.15pm - 8.45pm, £150/£180. Email: kyronhealing@hotmail.co.uk 

See LEARN REIKI BRISTOL Facebook/website for info. 

Bristol Disability Equality Forum - ‘Making Change Happen’ 

The Forum is run by and for Disabled people, people with long-term health conditions and older people. 

Tel. 0117 914 0528. Email: bristoldef@gmail.com 

Monthly Over 50’s Film Club 

Meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 2pm - 4.30pm. Come along and watch a film with others in the hall. 

For more information call Jeanette on 07957625547. 

Relevant Gospel Church 

We invite you to join us for a time of fellowship. 

Every Sunday 2.30pm - 4.30pm. For more information: www.relevantgospel.church 


Up Our Street Autumn 2019 15

Omega Fire Ministries 

Bristol UK Branch invite you to worship with us every Sunday: 10.30am - 1pm. 

Pastor Christian Ikpeama. For more information call 07474776657. 

Courses 

Woodwork Level 1: Make a toolbox and the learn the basics of woodwork by hand. 

Woodwork Level 2: Make a cabinet and develop your hand tool skills and joinery range. 

Woodwork Level 3: Choose your own woodwork project and learn how to plan/make it. 

Upholstery Level 1: Make a stool and learn some basic upholstery techniques. 

Upholstery Level 2: Make a sprung and buttoned chair and develop your upholstery skills. 

Upholstery Level 3: Choose your own project and learn how to strip and re-upholster it. 

Weekend Courses Costs 

Woodwork for Beginners Level 1: £180 

Woodwork for Beginners Level 2: £180 

Eco upholstery for Beginners: £110 

Pallet Wood Workshop: £100 

DIY for Beginners: £130 

Tool Sharpening and Maintenance: £67.50 

Wood finishing for Beginners: £67.50 

Mid-Week Courses Costs 

Woodwork Levels 1,2, and 3: £150 - 180 

Eco Upholstery Levels 1,2, and 3: £150 

Eco Furniture Upcycling: £180 

For more information please see www.themakershedbristol.co.uk 

Upcoming Courses 

Kids Darkroom Parties for 8 to 14 year-olds: 

Saturday 27th July and Saturday 31st August, £110 for a group of 10. 

Free Photography Workshop at Recovery Festival: Friday 6th September, 

2pm - 4pm at St Agnes Park. 

Open Doors at St Pauls Darkrooms: 

Discover Bristol’s Place in the History of Photography. 

Friday 13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September, 12noon - 4pm each day. 

Over 50’s Inner City Photographers Project: Starting Thursday 5th September, 

2pm - 4.30pm. 6 weekly sessions starting with a Taster Session. 

Free of charge - you will need a film camera. 

Cyanotype Workshop: Saturday 7th September, 10am - 3pm, £45. 

Darkroom Consultation Evening: Wednesday 18th September, 5pm - 7pm. 

New Tricks with Old Cameras: Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October, 

11am - 4pm, £75 for both days. 

Supported Darkroom Sessions: Thursday 24th October and Thursday 21st November, 

6pm - 8.30pm, £25. 

Beginners Darkroom Workshop: Sunday 3rd November, 10.30am - 4.30pm, £60. 

Over 50’s Chemigram Workshop: Sunday 10th November, 10am - 3pm, £5 for materials. 

life long learning 

Khalif Noor (pictured, furthest right) invited 

Up Our Street to meet a very special group of 

students, who are proving that it’s never too 

late to get a university education. 

Khalif runs Bristol Best Tuition, a non-profit 

organisation that provides educational support 

for young people from low income families. 

“Through my work at BBT, I began to realise 

that although helping young people achieve is 

important, it can’t be disconnected from family 

life. I realised we needed to work with parents 

too. I wanted to inspire the whole community 

about the benefits of education.” 

Khalif approached University of Bristol in 2016 

to encourage them to bring university taster 

sessions into the community. He was able to 

provide a venue and a group of potential mature 

students who were keen to find out if university 

was right for them, and University of Bristol 

provided the tutors. 

The scheme is now in its third year, 

which Khalif says has been the most 

successful, with 12 parents going on 

to apply for a Foundation course, 

and eight being accepted to start in 

September 2019. The Foundation course 

can be a stepping stone to a full degree. 

Many of the parents Khalif works with 

are Somali, but the current year group 

also includes Syrian and East Europeans, 

and with a good balance of men and 

women (although as Up Our Street found, the 

women were more camera shy!) 

What the students say 

Khadra was studying for a degree outside the UK 

when she stopped to have a baby. “I didn’t want 

to study when my child was so young, but then 

I found it so hard to get back in to university, as 

so many places were asking for qualifications in 

English and Maths that I just didn’t have.” After 

attending the taster sessions she was thrilled 

to be accepted on the Foundation course “I’m 

so excited about learning new things. After this 

I might work as a social worker or a nurse. My 

daughter is nine now, and she’s really happy for 

me.” 

“People working 

and learning 

together... we 

need this in our 

inner city” 

Khalif Noor 

course. When I told my community they were so 

surprised!” But he found he enjoyed the taster 

sessions so much that he applied for Foundation 

year, and is now studying for a degree in 

Anthropology “The study of people and their 

culture – I love it!” 

Said has been in Bristol since 2007 and works 

for Bristol Somali Forum. He has just finished his 

Foundation year. “Before this I didn’t know about 

mature students, when I started the Foundation 

course I was surprised to find I wasn’t 

the oldest student, there were even 

people who were retired.” 

Abdullahi is starting his Foundation 

year in September. He runs a local 

business in Lawrence Hill. He says he 

had always intended to study when 

he came to the UK, but then family 

responsibilities took over and the 

timing never seemed to be right. 

“Ali told me about the courses and 

encouraged me to apply too. I felt I had nothing 

to lose, it was worth a try.” And what did his 

teenage children think? “Well they want to go 

to the best university themselves, they were 

very surprised and proud that I was going to the 

University of Bristol” 

Abdirahman is hoping to join the next round 

of taster sessions and says “Often the Somali 

community are well-educated back home, but 

their English lets them down here - you need the 

key to let you in.” To address this Khalif has also 

worked with the university to bring in a tutor 

to help the students with English for academic 

writing. 

The ‘taster sessions’ mentioned are a short 

course called ‘Building Academic Language 

and Literacy’. For more information about this 

and other courses please email Khalif Noor at 

khalif@live.com or John McTague at University of 

Bristol at john.mctague@bristol.ac.uk 

Ali has been working as a taxi driver in Bristol 

Photography Quiz: Thursday 14th November, 7.30pm - 9.30pm, The Old Library, Eastville. 

for 20 years and says “I had no idea where to 

For more information: www.realphotographycompany.co.uk, 

start when it came to further education.” He 

facebook.com/StPaulsDarkrooms, email: stpaulsdarkrooms@gmail.com 

was one of the first students to sign up in 2016. 

“My dream was just to finish that first short 






bristol spaceworks 

“Our mission is to improve employment 

opportunities for local people” says Matt 

Johnstone from Bristol SpaceWorks. This is the 

not-for-profit company that manages Easton 

Business Centre, The Old Co-op on Chelsea 

Road and three other sites across the city. 

“At the moment there is a priority around 

housing, which is understandable, but it means 

we are increasingly seeing workspaces in the 

inner city converted into housing and the 

employment opportunities are lost.” He points 

to the example of the nearby St Gabriels Court in 

Easton which was previously workshops and light 

industrial, but is now being redeveloped into 

residential. 

Bristol SpaceWorks have 130 tenants across 

their five sites. Matt estimates that around 70% 

are small businesses and 30% are charities, with 

many charities working with refugees and asylum 

seekers at Easton Business Centre. Although 

they have a few long term tenants, Matt says the 

main aim is to provide a place for businesses to 

grow and move on to a bigger site. “We need the 

ebb and flow, it provides opportunities for new 

people.” 

Pooja got in touch with Up Our Street to tell 

us about the Durga Puja celebrations at the 

Hindu Temple in Redfield, which will be held in 

October. 

“Durga Puja is a festival celebrated in different 

forms across the Indian continent” says Pooja, 

and explains that the planned Bristol event 

reflects the customs 

of the local Bengali 

community. 

Matt also points out that as a not-for-profit, 

SpaceWorks is able to reinvest more of its 

income into maintaining the buildings, while still 

keeping rents affordable. So what’s next? “We 

have operated at nearly 100% occupancy for 

quite some time. So the next stage is looking for 

potential new buildings… we are always looking 

at opportunities to grow. We’re also looking 

at ways to improve networking between our 

existing customers, developing that business 

community.” 

Find out more at www. bristolspaceworks.co.uk 

or call 0117 941 5800. 

Open doors at Bristol’s only hindu temple for Durga puja 

“The goddess Durga is seen by Hindus as the 

saviour of the world. She represents the different 

aspects of women. She is gentle but fierce in the 

right circumstances.” 

The event is open to everyone in the community, 

and last year 2,000 people attended the 

celebrations. Pooja says she has enjoyed sharing 

traditions with the younger generation “my 

eight year old daughter particularly loves the 

mantras.” 

And finally? “No Indian event would be complete 

without food! We have a full vegetarian feast 

each day of the festival in the temple. It’s 

definitely a time to dress up too, with saris and 

best clothes.” 

Bristol Durga Puja will be celebrated at the Hindu 

Temple, 163 Church Road from 4 to 6 October. 

For more information please visit 

www.bristoldurgapuja.co.uk 

Up Our Street had a great turnout for our 

Festival of Solutions: Sustainable Futures in July. 

Thanks to all who stopped by to connect and 

share ideas on a sunny Saturday! 

The event kicked off with a panel discussion of 

local residents sharing actions they’re taking to 

work toward creating a more sustainable world. 

The broad range of actions presented was an 

inspiring reminder that there are many ways 

to get involved in our area, from hyperlocal 

activities like East Bristol Kidical Mass bike rides 

to the international work being done by Labour 

Behind the Label to tackle the environmental 

impact and ethics of the global clothing industry. 

We were also joined by local activists from 

Extinction Rebellion ahead of their summer 

uprising protest, by the founder of Plastic 

Pollution Awareness and Action and by energy 

champions from Bristol Energy Network. 

Zakiya McKenzie, Green and Black Ambassador 

and Easton resident, led the panel. One of the 

main themes that emerged from the panel 

discussion was the importance of individual 

actions supported by structural change. Abiir, 

a local cycling instructor with Kidical Mass, 

noted for example that cycling or walking more 

regularly are empowering actions residents 

can take, but need to be supported by the city 

investing in better and safer infrastructure for 

pedestrians and cyclists. 

Similarly, Naseem, 

founder of Plastic 

Pollution Awareness and 

Action, stressed the 

importance of small 

changes that every 

individual can make 

like taking their 

own containers 

to takeaways 

and supporting 

businesses 

that use 

festival of solutions 

environmentally friendly packaging, while 

recognising that more has to be done with 

legislation to stop plastic production on a 

national and global scale. Be it fast fashion, 

our diet, recycling, the way we travel or how 

much energy we use, we all make small, daily 

choices that collectively have a big impact on the 

environment we live in, but larger changes to the 

way business is done and cities are run are also 

needed. 

After lunch, participants had the opportunity to 

do some more hands on work, popping in and 

out of workshops with Bristol Energy Network, 

Incredible Oceans, Zero West and The ReUsery, 

getting a crash course in bioplastics, gathering 

tips on how to better insulate their house, 

writing letters to MPs and learning how to make 

their own recycled paper bags and kitchen 

sponges. 

Find out more... 

Labour Behind The Label 

www.labourbehindthelabel.org 

Bristol Energy Network 

www.bristolenergynetwork.org 

Extinction Rebellion Bristol 

www.xrbristol.org.uk 

East Bristol Kidical Mass – find them on Facebook 

Plastic Pollution Awareness and Action Project 

www.ppaap.org.uk or look on Facebook 

Green and Black Ambassadors 

www.bristolgreencapital.org/project_cat/ 

greenandblack 

The ReUsery www.thereusery.org.uk 

Incredible Oceans www.incredibleoceans.org 

Zero West www.zerowest.org 

Thank you to all the organisations involved who 

shared their knowledge. Also a big thanks to 

Cafe des Amies for providing a delicious vegan 

lunch and Bristol Water for sponsoring our new 

‘Love Your Community’ reusable waterbottles! 





LOCAL NEWS 

Good report for city academy 

City Academy in Lawrence Hill is celebrating 

following an OFSTED visit in April. The school 

has been rated good in all areas by the 

inspectors, a real turnaround from the last 

report in 2015. Up Our Street spoke to school 

principal Jon Angell. 

“The inspectors recognised the unique context 

that we work in, and spent time understanding 

the challenges that the school faces, meeting 

the needs of an incredibly diverse population. 

50% of pupils have English as an additional 

language, and around 30% went to primary 

school in another country. Ofsted were really 

impressed with how we support those students, 

particularly with language support.” 

“I would also like to thank the parents who have 

chosen City Academy for their children and 

supported the school.” 

NEW shared electric taxi service 

helps patients sing 

Liz from Esoterix got in touch with Up Our Street 

to tell us about WeGo, a new shared taxi service 

that’s helping patients with chronic-pulmonary 

disease to attend a singing group in Barton Hill. 

“Singing helps the group exercise their lungs and 

lift their spirits. The service uses an electric-taxi 

so their journeys have a minimal effect on air 

pollution too,” says Liz. 

“The singing group organiser books the 

journeys on the behalf of the patients and 

WeGo sends them text messages with their 

pick up time. The taxi then picks them up from 

home and drops them at Wellspring Healthy 

Living Centre. The service is a vital link for these 

patients, many of whom rely on WeGo to get 

them to the weekly group.” 

“I don’t drive and I can’t walk far. Without WeGo, 

I wouldn’t be able to go to the singing group”, 

said one of the singers. “Martin [the driver] is 

lovely, always smiling”, said another. 

WeGo is a shared transport service available 

for community events in Ashley, Easton and 

Lawrence Hill as part of the REPLICATE project. 

If you’re involved with a community group and 

you’d like to find out about using WeGo for your 

wellbeing events, please get in touch with Liz 

Davidson via wego@esoterix.co.uk 

NAME the bridge! 

Friends of Bannerman 

Road want to say a big 

thank you to everyone 

who took part in the poll 

to name the bridge at the 

junction of All Hallows 

and Albion Road. “We 

had a fantastic response, 

and are delighted to 

announce that the winner 

is… Frog Marsh! This is the 

historic name for this area 

of Easton, which was called Frog Marsh until 

around 1950 when it became known as Lower 

Easton. 

Construction to close the road under the bridge 

to traffic has now started. The new pedestrian 

and cycle friendly space was designed by 

artist Bahbak Hashemi Nezhad and children 

at Bannerman Road Community Academy. It 

was developed in response to feedback from 

local residents who asked that the area be safe, 

support the community, create togetherness, 

and increase opportunities for outdoor activity. 

Friends of Bannerman Road will be launching 

this new community asset with a celebratory 

event, so look out for details and please get 

in touch if you have ideas or would like to be 

involved. For further information, please email 

bannermanroadpta@gmail.com. 

New home for community kitchen 

After a lot of searching, Coexist Community 

Kitchen is delighted to have found a new home 

at Mivart Studios in Easton. The future for the 

organisation looked uncertain when they had 

to move out of Hamilton House on Stokes Croft 

at the end of last year. It had been their base for 

eight years to run cookery classes and pop-up 

events, working with people who for a variety of 

reasons find themselves marginalised in society. 

Up Our Street spoke to Ari, one of the founders 

of the kitchen. “We learn how to connect when 

we eat together,” she says simply. “We create a 

warm and friendly environment where we cook 

together but most importantly eat together.” 

Although the kitchen has been without a 

permanent base this year, they have continued 

to run classes in venues around the city. They 

have also successfully raised £25,000 through a 

crowdfunding campaign, and now the hard work 

begins to build the new kitchen in Easton, which 

(fingers crossed!) will open in October. 

Find out about volunteering with Coexist 

Community Kitchen on Facebook or email 

food@coexistuk.org 

St Marks road shortlisted for 

BEST STREET award 

St Marks Road in Easton has been shortlisted 

as one of the best streets in the UK in the 2020 

Urbanism Awards. The annual awards, which 

are organised by the Academy of Urbanism, 

aim to “celebrate and learn from great place 

making.” A panel of judges from the Academy of 

Urbanism visited St Marks Road in the summer 

to meet local traders and representatives 

from the church, the mosque and community 

organisations. 

Lead assessor, Alistair Barr said, “We only look 

at three streets every year, so you’re already 

on the winner’s podium.” The winners will be 

announced at the Urbanism Awards in London 

on 27 November. 

police station: UNDER offer 

Trinity Road Police Station is up for sale, but 

Avon and Somerset police hope to keep a small 

police station as part of the redevelopment of 

the site. A police spokesperson said: 

“In response to requests from the local 

community during the consultation on the sale 

and redevelopment of the current Trinity Police 

Station site, the Police Crime Commissioner 

has recognised the desire for a police facility to 

be retained in the Old Market area. This was a 

key consideration during the recent process of 

assessing and selecting the preferred bidder to 

redevelop the site. 

The first phase of that process has now 

concluded and a preferred developer has been 

chosen in principle. Negotiations with the 

preferred developer around how the police 

facility will be retained is still in the very early 

stages so we cannot comment in any detail at 

this time. We hope to be in a position to update 

the community later in August.” 

STOP PRESS... 

Get local news, events and jobs every two 

weeks with the Up Our Street ebulletin. 

Sign up at www.upourstreet.org.uk (it’s free!) 

Something to shout about? Send your 

Easton and Lawrence Hill news, community 

events and volunteering opportunities to 

contact@upourstreet.org.uk 

LOCAL NEWS 




Could 

you be a 

noticeboard 

super hero? 

St Anne’s 

Christmas Fair 

Our community noticeboards are 

updated once a month by a team of 

local volunteers. We currently need 

some extra help with our boards at 

Kingsmarsh House, Lawrence Hill 

Health Centre and Marsh Lane 

(by Barton House). 

Call Tracy on 0333 023 5460 or email 

tracy@upourstreet.org.uk if you think 

you could help. Thank you! 

Drop-in for a cuppa, 

First Thursday of the month 

11.30am to 1.30pm 

The Beehive Centre, BS5 7AW 

Making Change Happen is run 

by and for Disabled people, older 

people with impairments and 

people living with chronic illness in 

Bristol. 

Call Mike on 0117 914 0528 or 

email mike.bristoldef@gmail.com 

Call for Artists 

Barton Hill Litter Pick 

organised by local 

residents 

Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus 

29 November 2019 

7-9pm Preview 

30 November 2019 

10am-3pm 

Venue: 

St Anne’s Church, 

St Leonards Road, 

Easton, BS5 6JN 

After last year’s success, 

St Anne’s Church will be 

hosting another Christmas 

Fair on Saturday 30th 

November 2019 10am-3pm 

with a Friday night preview 

on 29th November between 

7pm and 9pm. 

To request any more 

information or to sign up for 

the event please contact 

Lucy Winch: 

LucyWinchCeramics@gmail. 

com 

First Saturday of the 

month, meet at 10am 

in the courtyard of 

Barton Hill Settlement 

Everybody is welcome! 

Gloves and pickers 

provided. 

The University will be sharing its plans 

for the detailed design of the academic 

buildings and public spaces that form the 

heart of the campus. 

The public consultation runs from 9 to 

25 September. Leave feedback online at 

bristol.ac.uk/templequarter or attend one 

of the following events: 

Public meeting: 

Wednesday 18 September, 5pm to 7pm 

Hillcrest Primary School, Bristol BS4 3DE 

Drop-in sessions: 

Wednesday 11 September, 6pm to 7.30pm 

Engine Shed, Station Approach, Bristol BS1 6QH 

Thursday 12 September, 5pm to 7pm 

Barton Hill Settlement, Bristol BS5 0AX 

Need paint for a 

community project? 

Check out Community 

Repaint.The scheme collects 

full and part full containers 

from householders traders, 

retailers and manufacturers. 

The paint is available to 

individuals and groups for 

between £1-2 per litre. 

The local partner is the SOFA 

Project at 48-54 West Street 

Call 0117 954 7800 or drop in 

during opening hours. 

Save the date! 

Deadline for next 

edition of Up Our 

Street magazine is 

Friday 18 October 




Summer 2019 in pictures 

We thought we’d take a photographic look back 

over the summer, there were plenty of chances 

for communities to get together... 

Negat, Halimo, Suad and Pat 

at St Judes Community Fair 

Thank you to 

Abdul Malik, 

Bnar Sardar 

and Nola 

Hersey for 

sharing their 

photos. 

Deep in discussion at Festival of Solutions 

Dinosaur spotted in the Dings! 

Well done to the Grand Iftar volunteer team 

who this year cooked an amazing 6,000 meals! 

Beautiful henna at 

St Judes Community Fair 

Annual fun day organised by the Dings 

Community Association 

CATCHING UP WITH THE NETWORK 

CONNECTIONS 

Sarah and Carla have both had a busy summer across 

Easton and Lawrence Hill. They have been running 

‘pop up’ events in the parks across the area, building 

on the success of last year, The Network have been 

bringing people together in green spaces, building 

connections between neighbours through play, 

sport and fun activities, many of these activities 

were facilitated by ‘Resident Networkers’, who have 

previous developed their own social action projects 

with The Network. 

They are also excited to have started working in 

new areas within Easton and Lawrence Hill wards, 

where they are door-knocking and starting to 

have conversations with lots of residents. Carla is 

concentrating on an area north of Stapleton Road, 

running between Seymour Road and Fox Road, whilst 

Sarah is working in St Judes in blocks between Wade 

Street and St Matthias Park. They will also be door 

knocking in Lansdowne Court and Twinnell House, 

asking residents how they feel about where they 

live and how they can connect with others to make 

positive change. 

Residents with musical intrument 

created by Litterati at a Network 

pop-up in Chelsea Park 

Current resident-led projects in Lawrence Hill and Easton you can connect with: 

sponsored article 

caption text 

Introduction to Fundraising training 

delivered by Robin Peters at J3 Library 

SKILLS 

Over the past year, The Network has delivered a 

wide range of training, shaped by residents living in 

Lawrence Hill and Easton. Together, we have learned 

how to use social media platforms to connect with 

others, to shape creative play sessions, to set up 

community groups, to facilitate and to fundraise. 

Over the summer months, we were also pleased to 

announce a collaboration with a local face painter, 

who delivered a series of face painting workshops for 

residents organising events through the Network. We 

aim to be responsive to residents and to build skills 

where there are demand and need. Do you have any 

ideas for training that would have a positive impact 

on your community? If it’s yes, we’d love to talk to 

you. 

Due to high demand, an Introduction to Fundraising 

training will run again this September, for anyone 

living in Easton and Lawrence Hill wards. Dates will 

be published on our Facebook closer to the time. 

UNITY, single parent group * Easton elders lunch club Lawrence Hill * Somali older women’s lunch club * 

Easton community sports tournament * Dog walking with over 55s in Easton * Barton Hill children’s activities 

group * Kurdish women’s group * Family summer camp * Midnimo Somali women’s group * LUSH Housing 

Cooperative * Cultural events group * Barton Hill litter picking group 

Want to 

share a 

community 

photo in Up 

Our Street 

magazine? 

Get in touch! 

CARLA AND SARAH 

NETWORK COORDINATORS 

Get in touch to develop an event or 

project in your neighbourhood, find out 

what others are already doing, or to find 

out more about The Network. Contact 

info@thenetworkbristol.org.uk, find us 

on Facebook @thenetworkbris or pop in 

to Barton Hill Settlement for a cup of tea 

and a chat! 

The Network 

Partners 




COuncillors Corner: taxis as part of our sustainable future 

by Councillor Ruth Pickersgill 

Before becoming councillors, we knew little 

about how taxis are licensed, but it is part of 

our Public Safety duties. In the 1990s, Bristol 

was at the forefront of disability equality work, 

and was one of the first Councils to ensure that 

all its Hackney Carriages (HCs) were wheelchair 

accessible. HCs are the Bristol Blue cabs which 

are licensed to pick people up from ranks. They 

use a regulated meter for all journeys within 

the city boundary, so their fares are strictly 

controlled. All other taxis are called ‘private hire’, 

run by a range of operators, and can’t be used 

unless the journey is pre-booked. 

Taxis form a crucial part of our public transport 

system, but often get overlooked in planning for 

the future. Many older and disabled people rely 

on them and they are also used extensively for 

school runs for children with additional needs. 

Bristol City Council has used its licensing policies 

to ensure that all our taxis will become low 

emission to improve air quality, and we are really 

proud to have our first electric HC on the streets, 

and to be building a new charging infrastructure. 

Easton and Lawrence Hill Wards 

Local Councillors’ Drop-Ins 2019 

If you have a problem with Council services or other local issues 

and wish to raise it in person with your local councillors, please 

come to one of our monthly drop-ins 

(no appointment necessary): 

Saturday 1pm - 3pm at: 

Easton Community Centre, Kilburn St, BS5 6AW 

14 September, 9 November 

(Drop-ins for Easton ward residents only e.g. Easton, 

Greenbank, Whitehall and Redfield) 

Saturday 1pm - 3pm at: 

Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road, BS5 0AX 

12 October, 14 December. 

(Joint drop-ins welcoming anyone from Easton ward and also 

Lawrence Hill ward e.g. Barton Hill, Old Market, The Dings, 

St Judes, Upper Easton and St Philips Marsh). 

Ruth Pickersgill 

Ruth Easton Pickersgill 

(Labour) Easton 

(Labour) 

07584 480583 

(no texts) 

cllr.ruth.pickersgill@ 

bristol.gov.uk 

Afzal Shah 

Easton 

(Labour) 

07775 026 384 

(text only) 

cllr.afzal.shah@ 


Hibaq Jama 

Lawrence Hill 

(Labour) 

0778 6732945 

cllr.hibaq.jama@ 


Margaret 

Hickman 

Lawrence Hill 

(Labour) 

0778 3532216 

cllr.marg.hickman@ 


Printed by Bristol City Council Labour Members’ Services 

What many people also don’t realise is that 

Bristol has a really high standard for issuing 

taxi licences. All our drivers are DBS checked 

(to ensure they have no criminal records), and 

new drivers undertake a rigorous Gold Standard 

training which includes customer care, legal 

background, equality, safeguarding and a 

knowledge test. We also have our own ‘Taxicop’, 

Patrick Quinton, who works relentlessly to 

protect passengers and drivers. 

Bristol taxi drivers face a number of challenges 

which the Council cannot influence, with changes 

to the market place and out of authority working 

in the City. Many of the drivers and operators live 

in our wards, many have English as an additional 

language or are refugees using driving as an 

important first stage in establishing a business 

or gaining an income. However, they may also 

face late night drunken abuse, and increasingly, 

racial abuse. Therefore, our role on the Public 

Safety Committee is to try and make sure the 

public are safe and are aware of their rights and 

that licensing standards are rigorous, but also 

that our drivers are treated respectfully. Going 

forward with the right policies, Bristol taxis must 

play a central role in achieving a sustainable, 

accessible and inclusive public transport system. 

Advertising 

WANT TO REACH 

13,500 HOUSEHOLDS in 

Easton and Lawrence Hill? 

ADVERTISE WITH UP OUR STREET AND SUPPORT 

YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE 

Prices start at Just £30 (plus VAT) 

Contact tamsin@upourstreet.org.uk 

The Chelsea Tearooms 

For senior citizens in Easton and nearby 

Come along for some tea, cake and entertainment 

Wednesday 18 September 

Wednesday 13 November 

Wednesday 11 December 

14:30 – 16:30 

Chelsea Christian Centre, Devon Road, Easton BS5 6ED 

For further details call 07923 154745 or email info@chelseachristiancentre.org.uk 



FREE 

EVENTS 

Welcome to Evergreen 

Primary Academy 

We’re a 5-11 age range academy, based in the heart of 

Easton. We have lots of opportunities for children to 

take part in fun and engaging learning opportunities 

in our newly refurbished Reception space. 

2019 results are fantastic throughout the school 

and our experienced Early Years team are excited to 

welcome you. 

Open weekday mornings, 

or join one of our tours: 

Morning Tours - 9.30am 

Wednesday 16th & Monday 21st October 

Afternoon Tour - 1pm 

Monday 7th October 

Waverley Street, Easton, Bristol BS5 0YR 

Call 0117 377 3085 or visit reception to book 


28 Up Our Street Autumn 2019 www.upourstreet.org.uk 

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Up Our Street Autumn 2019

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