ISSU

E 14

DECEMBER 2004

Welcome to Issue 14 of the Newsletter. We haveplenty to cheer about in this edition - a newnursery, new shops and developments atFilwood Broadway, lots of great youth projects,and progress towards developing the Medeand Eagle House - not forgetting the crackingChristmas lights on display in Knowle West.The future of the Warden Service is not suchgreat news (see page 4); we’ll be keeping youup to date with all developments about thisvital and highly rated service as this eventfulyear comes to an end and we move into 2005.

AA VVeerryy HHaappppyy CChhrriissttmmaass ttoo yyoouu ffrroommaall ll aatt NNeeiigghhbboouurrhhoooodd RReenneewwaall aannddtthhee NNeewwsslleetttteerr TTeeaamm

Please contact the editorial group through:Anita Pearce, NR Steering Group, Filwood Community Centre, Knowle WestTel: 0117 908 4248

YOUR NEWSLETTER

Front cover: (top) New nursery for Knowle West - article opposite (on page 3).(bottom) Christmas lights (page 4).

02

Artist Benedict Phillips has recently completedhis installation '23 Hrs' at the Health Park.The work is sited in the foyer of the NHS Walk-In Centre and is made up of images of flowersand plants collected in the Health Park bymembers of the Healthy Walking Group lastspring. We are inviting everyone to the HealthPark to have a look and let us know what youthink about it. There is a comments book in

reception. While you're there, stop for lunch or a cup of tea in the Walk-In Cafe!

HEARTS AND STARS AWARDS

This year’s Hearts and Stars Awards, whichrecognises the achievement of local volunteersin the community, was held on Saturday 13November at Filwood Community Centre.Peter Rowell from HTV was on hand to presentthe award winners with Bristol Blue Glass, andparty frocks, bow ties, flowers and balloonshelped make this night a very special occasion.Well done to everyone who was nominated forthis year’s awards and thank you for your hardwork and dedication to the local community. Thankyou to all the local shopkeepers for thedonations of goods received for raffle prizes.Thanks also to the wardens for collecting them.

TThhee 22000044 AAwwaarrdd WWiinnnneerrss wweerree::GGeeoorrggiinnaa BBaabbeerr Best NeighbourCCaarrooll CCaasseeyy People’s ChoiceAAvvrrii ll MMaarrsshhaall ll (VISION) Non-residentAAnnnn PPeeaarrccee (KWADS) NewcomerDDeeee LLllooyydd (Healthy Living Centre) NewcomerKKnnoowwllee WWeesstt HHeeaalltthh AAssssoocciiaattiioonn Best GroupZZooee LLllooyydd (Art of Wellbeing) Young PersonFFii llwwoooodd HHooppee TTeeaamm ChurchesAAggnneess HHuunntt (Health & Wellbeing) Senior CitizenRRoossee MMaannnniinngg Outstanding AchievementFFlloossss MMoouullttoonn Lifetime Achievement

Pictured clockwise from top left: Filwood Hope Team, Floss Moulton, Zoe Lloyd and Rose Manning..

BLOOMING LOVELY

Hi, I’m Karron, I was 50 this year, I have lived inKnowle West for 32 years and have brought upfive children. Because of losing one sister tocancer, one recovering from lung cancer and

another who has had two heart attacks, I gaveup smoking. I wanted to walk for my health andas I suffer with arthritis and blood pressure andwas concerned about gaining weight, I didn’t wantto walk alone, so I went along to the KnowleWest Healthy Walking group.I enjoyed my first walk as everyone was sofriendly and I immediately signed up for a ‘WalkLeader’ and ‘Heart Start’ course, both werevery interesting and I learnt a lot. I now helpwith the 1 Heart (under 1 mile) and 2 Heart(1-2 miles) walks. I also co-ordinate and helplead the 3+ mile walks.Although initially I joined the group for my health, Iam now finding the social side important. It’s goodfor the mind, soul and body and I couldn’timagine my life now without my weekly walkswith a great group of people. So if you also live in Knowle West and want towalk while enjoying the company of like mindedpeople, come along and join us, we would loveto see you. KKaarrrroonn CChhaappll iinnFor details of walks please contact CherylMartin, Health Walks Worker Tel: 377 3461

KNOWLE WEST HEALTHY WALKING GROUP - KARRON’S STORY

NEIGHBOURHOOD NURSERY OPEN!

Knowle West’s new Neighbourhood Nurseryofficially launched in October with an Open Day,giving local parents and children a chance tovisit the nursery and meet other families.Based at “The Park” on Daventry Road, it offerslocal parents quality affordable childcare.Thanks to the hard work of local parents withthe support of Sure Start, the nursery’s openinghas brought their long term dreams of a nurseryin Knowle West into reality.

The nursery is registered to provide care andeducation for 36 children from 3 months to 4years. All day, morning-only and afternoon-onlysessions are available full-time and part-time.Fees are £15 a session. Discounts and priorityfor places are available for local residents.At Knowle West Neighbourhood Nursery, each

child is recognised as a unique individual, andencouraged to respect themselves and others.The nursery is fully accessible by disabled peopleand caters for children with special educationalneeds who are made very welcome and are inte-grated into the nursery’s activities.

Being at The Park means that the nursery is atthe heart of the local community. A strong andactive committee of parents work alongside SureStart and nursery staff to manage and guide it.Places are currently available across all age groups.Please contact Jackie Window on (0117) 3773665 for more information about Knowle WestNeighbourhood Nursery or drop in and have alook around.

Young People from Hengrove Learning SupportUnit have just completed a wonderful work ofart to celebrate the opening of the newNeighbourhood Nursery. Funded by the Police,the youngsters created the mosaic at the Revolving Door project at The Park and thework is now in place at the front of the nurseryfor all to enjoy.

MOSAIC MAGIC

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04

NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL

WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE STREET WARDENS?

You may have heard rumours about problemswith the Warden’s funding? You may even havesigned one of the petitions which have beenput around campaigning to keep the Wardens.

Bristol City Council and Safer Bristol have decidedthey cannot provide any funding to continueWarden services in Bristol after March 2005.Knowle West Street Wardens, like similar schemesin St Pauls, Easton and Eastville, are only fundedup to the end of March 2005 by a combinationof central government money (from the Officeof the Deputy Prime Minister); European funding(called Objective 2 funding) and NeighbourhoodRenewal. The government funding ends in Marchnext year. The main hope of all these schemeswas that Bristol City Council and Safer Bristolwould pick up this funding to turn the servicefrom a short-term project into a service fundedfrom mainstream budgets.

But Bristol City Council and Safer Bristol do notthink they can afford the long-term costs of thewarden schemes that are now operating in thecity. There are 5 others, besides the one inKnowle West, and together they cost £1.2 milliona year. Given that the city has a large overspendin its Social Services, the only way of meetingthe costs of the Warden services as they nowrun would be to raise Council Tax. There was the possibility that a funding packagemight be put together by Bristol City Councilto pay for a smaller Warden Scheme which wouldhave kept the current services going in KnowleWest, St Pauls, Easton and Eastville during2005/6, but on a reduced level. This wouldhave cut the warden numbers in Knowle Westbut the decision has now been taken that thiswould leave a service that could not be effective.

Police Community Support Officers: the future?Bristol City Council is now looking to PoliceCommunity Support Officers as a way of takingforward some of the work which StreetWardens have done.

Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs forshort) are employed by the police service, wearuniforms and have some of the same powers asregular police officers. Avon and SomersetPolice are seeking funding from the Home

Office to employ a further 18 PCSOs and it islikely they would want to put them into KnowleWest, St Pauls, Easton and Eastville. This mayhappen sometime in 2005. No consultation has yet taken place on howPCSOs will work in Knowle West or how theymight be able to take on some of the work ofthe Wardens, where possible. PCSOs are notthe same service, being police-based. A majorquestion will be what sort of community controland input will Knowle West have over the waythe PCSOs work? At present, of course, thereis a steering group with resident membershipwhich advises the Street Wardens.

Hartcliffe and Withywood residents recently wereoffered the choice of whether they would likeStreet Wardens or PCSOs to help them deal withanti-social behaviour, community re-assuranceetc. They chose PCSOs. Their new PCSO servicehas now started and has been well received. Knowle West Development TrustThe Wardens Service has been set up anddeveloped by Knowle West Development Trust.The new Trust Board only heard on Tuesday 30thNovember that Bristol City Council will not befunding the service in 2005/6. The Board is nowcommitted to doing all it possibly can to findfunding so it can continue the service next year.

Knowle West residents having a say on the future Neighbourhood Renewal has been funding theStreet Wardens scheme for several years and wehave held some funding in reserve to fund themin 2005/6 because we knew this would be adifficult year for the service. The NR Partnershiphas been working to support the Wardens Schemeand they will continue to talk with Knowle WestDevelopment Trust and Bristol City Council toexplore ways forward for the service.

The Partnership wants to see local people havetheir say in the future of services and we arearranging a public meeting about the future ofthe Street Wardens and PCSO services in earlyJanuary 2005. Look out for flyers and postersadvertising it.

KKeeiitthh HHoouugghhttoonn NR Project ManagerTelephone: 0117 9084250keithhoughton.nr@knowlewest.co.uk

Well, that’s our opinion – from giant snowmanfamilies to waving santas and flying reindeer,Knowle West has put on a great show this year!Neighbourhood Renewal is once again holdingits ‘Best Dressed House’ competition and theStreet Wardens will have the task of choosingthe winner. If you have any favourites – pleaselet us know.Prize winners to be announced in the next issue.

FESTIVE KNOWLE WEST PUTS

BROADMEAD IN THE SHADE!

05

The first phase of work on the BuildingCommunities Project for FilwoodBroadway is about to get underwaywith the appointment of the BuildingCommunities Project Manager andResident Representative elections tothe Project Board.

Resident Rep Elections

Three places are available on theProject Board for residents of KnowleWest. It is anticipated that electionswill take place in mid to late February2005, so that a full Board will be inplace by the 17th March meeting.

What will you have to do…

Resident Representatives will beexpected to commit to a minimumof 8 hours per month, which willroughly break down as 2 hoursreading paperwork and 6 hoursattending regular monthly meetings

The Project Board currently meetevery 2 months although there is apossibility that this will increase toevery month. All resident represen-tatives will be expected to attendthese meetings.

It will be strongly recommended thatResident Reps attend ‘pre-board’meetings, as they will be an oppor-tunity to go over Project Boardpaperwork and discuss options withfellow reps. If a rep cannot make apre-meeting they must make them-selves available for a briefing priorto the Board meeting.

In addition, there will be a varietyof monthly community meetingsthat will require resident rep atten-dance. Decisions about who willattend which meeting will eitherdepend on personal interest or arota system. The ResidentRepresentatives will work this outwhen they meet.

Who can stand for election?

If you are a resident of Knowle Westand over the age of 18, you will beeligible for election. Candidates willneed to be nominated and secondedby fellow residents and be preparedto represent the estate as a whole –not only personal or organisationalinterests.

How will the election take place…

Nomination forms will be availablefrom mid January from HannahMorgan or Janet Tomlin in theCommunity Work Office at FilwoodCommunity Centre. Call in orphone on 9531329.

A public meeting will be held midFebruary as an opportunity to findout more about the candidates andthe Building Communities Project,followed by an estate wide election.

Are you interested?

If you are interested or know somebodywho you think might be, or wouldlike to find out more information,contact Hannah Morgan in theCommunity Work Office at FilwoodCommunity Centre. Tel: 9531329.

Building CommunitiesWorking together for the future of Filwood Broadway

06

ACHIEVEMENT

The local primary schools have been successfulin a bid to Neighbourhood Renewal to fund 2new school and family link workers to March 2006.

Successful candidates will be supported byHengrove Community Arts College in the FullService Extended School and work inlocal primary schools, adding to the alreadysuccessful work of existing school and familylink workers, Jacky Bloomfield, Trina Wright andKaren Jones. Some of you may also havenoticed that Jill Wells has been working on a

temporary basis in this role since September.New workers will work with families and schoolsto improve attendance and participation and, inparticular, encourage parents or carers of chil-dren in reception classes into school for booksharing sessions.

We are all very excited at the prospect of thesenew workers in the area as it is a role valued byfamilies, children and schools alike. We hopeto have recruited by Christmas so there shouldbe an update in the next edition.

School children from across the region got thechance to put their bright ideas into action.The students aged 13-16 were taking part in anEnterprise workshop at The Park in Knowle West.The 2-day exercise was run by Young Enterpriseas part of National Enterprise week, which aimsto educate and inspire young people.Led by business advisors from local companies,the teams of children had to set up a “virtual”company, appoint Directors, design and make aprototype product and finally present theircompany product to a panel of judges.

After 2 days of intense work the judges found itdifficult to decide on a winner and eventually decided a team from Brislington School and ateam from Withywood School should share thetop prize. Their products, a “touch and feel”baby book and a Mood Board Game impressedthe judges with their detail and presentation.Enterprise in Action is the latest in YoungEnterprise’s programmes encouraging studentsto develop what they are good at and becometomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

ENTERPRISE IN ACTION AT THE PARK

SCHOOL AND FAMILY LINK WORKERS IN KNOWLE WEST

Myrtle Theatre Company came to Project X inNovember. The theatre company worked witha group of young people using drama and theatreto explore issues such as growing up, friendships,sexual relationships, what makes them happyand sad and other important areas.

The theatre company will write a play on theinformation gathered which will then be performedto young people across Bristol. It is hoped thatby seeing the play and doing drama work withthe actors, young people will feel more confidentabout themselves and be better able to makedecisions about their lives, including sex andrelationships.

The funders, (The Bristol Teenage PregnancyPartnership) want to ensure that using drama andtheatre is a good way to work with young peopleand so asked researchers from the University ofthe West of England to interview the young peopletaking part and also the Project X staff involved.

Jayne Dollin, Project X Key Worker and RoselynSwan, Connexions Worker joined in whilst supervisingthe young people. Jayne thought the project gavethe young people the opportunity to speak freelyand honestly about their experiences of sexualhealth and they enjoyed being able to expressthemselves, both physically and verbally in anatural way that made them comfortable.Everyone had a lot of fun.

We have commissioned Wavehill Consultants todo some research for Youth Moves. The report,due in December, will highlight local needs toinform our services. We are also building part-nerships with local organisations includingKnowle West Media Centre, KWADS, the HarmReduction Service, and Circomedia so we canoffer joint projects and refer young people tothe most appropriate organisations.

Our youth workers at Hengrove College areworking with young people - raising aspirations,helping make the voice of young people atschool more representative and effective, anddeveloping a health drop-in.Recent Youth Moves’ off site activities include:a trip to Swindon’s Mela, an introduction to Asianculture, and food; a visit to the Centre forAlternative Technology; donning crash helmetsand setting off on mountain bikes; taking toNorth Devon waters on a fishing boat; ridinghorses and quad bikes and indoor paint-balling

at Keypits Farm. The summer events ended withan Estate Wide Trip, involving youth centres,Positive Futures and play groups, whereapproximately 250 local young people and res-idents enjoyed a day out at Drayton Manortheme park and gardens.

A presentation evening recently celebrated thesuccess of the Girl’s Football Scheme - theynow have new facilities to continue their success!The refurbishment of the sports facilities atBroad Plain includes redecoration, new flooringand new changing rooms with shower facilities.

The Knowle West Trilogy of films, produced bylocal young people, was screened at AshtonCourt Festival where local talented youngstersperformed a live Vjaying set to a packed audienceand received a raucous reception! The BlackoutArts organisers were so impressed they haveinvited the group to perform next year. Channel4 and the Community Channel would also liketo screen the films, and Fruitloop, the secondfilm, has been shown at the Times London FilmFestival. This is a fantastic achievement and wehope they continue to develop their talents withthe detached team, the KWMC and further afield.

Finally, CALLING ALL YOUNG PEOPLE: The YouthForum is heading up the Young People’s Conference.If you would like to be involved on 18th March 2005,please speak to Maggie Thurtell on 0117 9084244, or email Fiona at fiona@youthmoves.org.uk.For more information please contact Fiona atYouth Moves on 0117 903 9796 or at the email address above.

MYRTLE THEATRE COMPANY AND PROJECT X

YOUTH MOVES NEWS

07

Dear Reader, my name is Sue Cripps. I am theMidwife with Sure Start. I have recently been ona 4 day infant massage course in Lawrence Weston.I now offer a weekly session to teach you tomassage your baby every Tuesday starting at1.30pm.Here are some common questions people askabout Baby massage.

WWhhaatt ddooeess iitt ddoo??Baby massage is really easy to learn. It’s fun todo and it’s really healthy for your baby. Babymassage helps relieve colic, wind and constipa-tion. It also helps circulation and relaxation.WWhheerree iiss iitt hheelldd??You don’t have to book to come to my sessions,just turn up. If you are a sure start member it’s

in the ‘What’s On’. It’s in The PAL house at ThePark every Tuesday starting at 1.30pm.DDoo II hhaavvee ttoo bbrriinngg aannyytthhiinngg??An old towel and your own oil if you have gotsome, but I can provide you with some anyway.HHooww oolldd ddooeess mmyy bbaabbyy hhaavvee ttoo bbee??From new born to six months is ideal. You canmassage your toddler but it’s harder when theyare moving! Please give it a try. If you want a crèche for anyother children we can provide one at theNeighbourhood Nursery. BUT you must book aplace in advance by ringing our office on 0117903 9781 and ask for Carly Britton.Any other information call me Sue on 07771998243. You can’t have a crèche place withoutbooking it in advance.08

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Get the balance right? What’s that all about?Well we want to help you to enjoy life and behealthier by doing a little bit more exercise andeating a better diet. Ooops, diet shouldn’t havementioned THAT word!! What we meant to saywas eating healthier foods. THAT word is actuallybanned in our group because as soon as youmention it your body goes into ‘EAT’ mode! We have no diet sheet to follow, we want you todecide which foods you want to eat, we will justhelp you decide which foods are good for you,

those foods that you shouldn’t eat quite so frequently and how much you should be eating.At the end of the 12 week programme you mayeven have lost some weight and tried new foods! So as well as thinking about the food you eat,you will need to think about how much exerciseyou do, because it’s getting the balance right tokeep you fit and healthy without gaining weight. The next programme will start Tuesday 1st Febat the Healthy Living Café 6.45-8pm; a fee of50p per week; there is also a free crèche available.

BABY MASSAGE

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We help with “Anything and everything as longas it’s legal” so Andy Brown, (pictured right),Project Director describes the work of CLEO.

Started by Andy in September 1998, the CLEOproject is an independent, self-funding projectwhich has worked with over 450 clients.Clients are offenders and ex-offenders fromthe BS4 and BS13 areas who volunteer to bepart of the project, all help and supportreceived being client led. The CLEO projectalso works with offenders’ families and carers.Help has included:� Informing parents of visiting rights and

helping arrange this� Sorting out tenancy problems� Employment training� Contacting family members on behalf of clients� Addiction Support

Client comments on the CLEO project include:“I could not have managed this year withoutthis project, it kept me afloat” CLEO client“Thank you for your quick response, effort andhelp at this very difficult period” Brother ofCLEO Client“Work undertaken in this area is excellent.Pity you cannot cover a wider area”Malcolm Turner, Bridging the Gap

Support varies from one-off requests to ongoingsupport over a number of years – people comeand go according to their need. CLEO also offers‘Disclosing Safely’ workshops to organisationsand agencies to help promote a realistic andpositive view of the contribution which offendersand ex-offenders can make to the workforce.

Andy regularly visits a group of Knowle Westclients in Eastwood Park Prison. Andy says“They really enjoy reading the KW Newsletterand catching up on local news and events, andit would be great to see people from KnowleWest visiting clients here to help strengthentheir links with the community.” He adds “Itwould be of real benefit to have a dedicatedworker in Knowle West to support clients inthe BS4 area.”

Andy’s vision for the CLEO project is “A purposebuilt centre to cater for all the needs that anoffender may have to prevent them re-offendingand encourage a positive and sustainablelifestyle.” He and his co-workers are determinedthat this vision will become reality within thenext few years.If you would like to find out more about theCLEO project, for help and support or to offersome time as a volunteer worker, contact AndyBrown on 902 0340, email: cleoproject@yahoo.co.uk The CLEO project is based at The GatehouseCentre, Harelive Road, Bristol.

A difficult year for Knowle West DevelopmentTrust has ended in a positive manner. TheAGM, held on 28th October, was successful inattracting six new board members (although sixexisting members also stood down); over fiftylocal people attended, and the meeting,although lively and feisty, was a big success.

Another positive for the Trust, as the year ends,are the findings of a wide-ranging organisationalreview. This comprehensive review was under-taken by independent external consultants,GVA Grimley. Whilst largely positive about theTrust and its role, it has also highlighted certainweaknesses and has provided a number ofrecommendations for improving its managementand accountability. The review states that documents governingthe organisation are lacking clarity; manage-ment arrangements, policies and proceduresare in need of updating; and the organisation,whilst retaining a central role in regenerationdelivery in Knowle West, needs to be awarethat the regeneration environment is evolving,and needs to be certain what its role in thisevolution should be.

Central to the future development of the Trustshould be a ‘visioning exercise’, through whichthe Trust will seek to clarify its future role inrelation to its members, the Knowle Westcommunity, and its partners, including thecouncil. An important part of this clarificationwill be to become an organisation that clearlyarticulates and shares its purpose.

The Trust has, on occasions, failed to be associatedwith its successes, while its problems haveattained a high profile in the local community.On the positive side the review also stated thatthe Trust provides a very valuable role to theKnowle West community, has strong financialprocedures and a strong staff team.

The challenge now is to implement the reviewfindings to ensure that the Trust develops positively over the coming year. The Trust willbe calling on the people of Knowle West toassist in the future development of this valuablecommunity organisation.

COMMUNITY

CLEO - COMMUNITY LINKS FOR EX-OFFENDERS

KWDT LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

If you go down to Filwood Broadway today you’resure to get a surprise…As well as longstanding shops such as the hair-dressers ‘Head to Head’ and ‘Broadway Butchers’,four new shops have recently opened to offerlocals a wider choice of goods and give this area awell needed boost.

Knitting, sewing and crafts are all catered for at‘Sew 4 Fun’. Shop Manager Alison Bebbington saysthat they aim to offer “an old fashioned servicecatering for individual needs”. They are hoping toset up work clubs where locals can come and learnnew skills or get a little help to complete that‘unfinished project’. ‘All Occasions Florists and Bargain Gifts’ sells freshand silk flowers, bargain toys, gifts and clothing.Weddings, birthdays, christenings and funerals areall catered for and free local delivery is offered forflowers and bouquets.

The ‘General Store’ offers a range of foodstuffs,pet food and accessories; “a bit of everything”says Store Manager Jean Gingell who adds thatshe has had lots of local support since opening.

For fresh bread, cakes and pastries, hot pasties,sandwiches and drinks, head down to ‘The CrustyCob’. Shop Manager, Michael John Smith says thatbusiness is “going really well so far.”While you are there you could always get a quickhaircut at ‘Head to Head’ stock up for Sundaylunch at ‘Broadway Butchers’, pick up your winterremedies at the ‘Pharmacy’ before stopping for atasty lunch at ‘The Broadway Café’ or a bag ofchips at ‘The Mayfair’.

Supporting your local shops keeps businesses inthe area, encourages new investment and helpskeep crime figures down.

COMMUNITY

Well done to Phil Charles, Frankie Johns andfriends for all the effort and hard work thatwas put into a memorial event held for TerryHooper, a very popular local man who passedaway recently.The charity event was held at Filwood CommunityCentre on Sunday 21st November and raised£4,000 for children suffering from cancer.

CHARITY EVENT FOR LOCAL MAN

Knowle West Churches Together Family CarolConcert will be held on Monday 20thDecember at 7pm in the hall at FilwoodCommunity Centre. Mince pies to follow!All welcome to come and enjoy.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

A trading space run by Sure Start volunteers.For used children’s clothes, toys and accessoriesplus crafts and more!On Fridays 9.30-11am at Sure Start trainingroom, The Park, Daventry Road.

Come along and have a browse!

If you have clothes your children have outgrownor things you no longer need, don’t let themclutter up your home! At ‘Totshop’ we alwayswelcome donations!

TOTSHOP

Local consultant Maria Clarke has recently beenappointed by both the Mede Centre in InnsCourt and Eagle House Community Association.She will be assisting the Mede to come up with afive year business plan, and has already startedwork meeting with the centre’s ManagementCommittee. Next stop is to meet up with allusers of the Mede, to find out how local peoplewould like to see the centre develop.

Eagle House has been self sustaining for years, butthe committee has never managed to access anyregeneration funding. In the association’s 15 yearhistory they have raised their own revenue throughbar takings and loans. But Eagle House would like tobranch out more into the community, join forceswith the Youth Centre and make a better use of theiravailable space. Maria will be working with thecommittee to help them achieve this. Look out forconsultation events at both centres in the near future.Anita Pearce, Chair of Eagle House CommunityAssociation said, “It’s good that something isstarting to happen, it’s great that we’ve gotsomebody now to gather up all the threads for us.Hopefully this will lead to funding being broughtinto the Newquay Road end”.

Paul Jenkings, Chair of The Mede Centre added“We are delighted to have Maria working on a projectto help us continue our service provision and explorefurther opportunities for the residents of Inns Court”.

MEDE APPOINTMENT

NEW SHOPS AT FILWOOD BROADWAY

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POLICE, CRIME & SECURITY

The upside down tree that formed part of the artinstallation ‘Life Cycle’ at Knowle West Health Parkhas had to be removed due to damage by vandals.

Life Cycle has stimulated debate about public artand the role of the arts in health and well-being; itreceived a lot of support from people who came tosee it although it wasn’t universally accepted.The piece was initially funded through an arts grant andwe are going to work very hard to raise the money(approx. £5,000) to have the tree re-installed.Any contributions will be gratefully acknowledged.AAnnnniiee BBeeaarrddsslleeyy,, Art of Well-Being

Neighbourhood Watch is one of the biggest andmost successful Crime Reduction Initiatives ever.It works on a simple idea of getting togetherwith Neighbours to help reduce crime and theopportunities for crime. In addition NeighbourhoodWatches help and reassure the elderly and vulnerablein the area and encourage closer communities.

HHooww ddoo sscchheemmeess ssttaarrtt??Each scheme is usually led by a volunteer co-ordinatorwho acts as liaison between residents and thePolice. In addition it is helpful to have a contactperson for every 6 – 10 houses. Residents needto be canvassed for their support for a scheme.Once this has been gained, a ‘set-up’ meetingwill be arranged with Residents and the BeatManager to discuss local issues. Schemes areself-financing, there are very minimal costs involved.WWhhaatt ppoossiitt iivvee tthhiinnggss ccaann sscchheemmeess ddoo??They can target local crime problems and takeaction as a group to prevent them. They remindresidents to be vigilant and encourage securityawareness. They improve communicationbetween police and residents and encourageneighbours to look out for each other.WWhhaatt aarree tthhee aaddvvaannttaaggeess ooff bbeeiinngg iinn aaNNeeiigghhbboouurrhhoooodd WWaattcchh SScchheemmee?? Residents feel more secure knowing neighboursare keeping an eye on their property. You willbecome familiar with crime reduction ideas,

which will help keep your home and belongingssafe. Schemes keep in close touch with localbeat managers to share information and advice.Street signs are an additional visual deterrent tocrime in the area. There are opportunities tobenefit from cheaper house insurance if you livein a Neighbourhood Watch area. Coordinatorsalso receive newsletters and are invited to attendregular 6 monthly meetings with their localSector Inspector.

HHooww ccaann II sseett uupp aa sscchheemmee??If you would like more information, please contactwithout obligation your Neighbourhood WatchAdministrator for South Bristol: - Jean Slater,c/o Broadbury Road Police Station, Knowle,Bristol BS4 1JT. Telephone: - 0117 9455438.

TREE DAMAGE

Most of you will have seen motorcycles being riddenby youths in a dangerous manner through parks,on footpaths and on waste ground. South BristolPolice have an on going initiative called operation‘BIKER’. It is an attempt to stem this annoyingand sometimes dangerous activity. This initiativeinvolves the seizure of motorbikes that we can

evidence as having been used in incidents of “nuisance”. We are powerless

without your help.If you see a motorbike

being ridden in a park, on a footpath or in some other dangerousmanner, please

take a moment to jot down the registrationnumber there and then. If you have not got apen with you, you could type it into yourmobile phone. If it has no registration, pleasewrite down a description of the bike, colour,make, anything distinct about it and if possiblea description of the rider, age, clothing etc.

Without this information it is very difficult toprove the connection between the bikes andthe way it has been ridden.

If you pass this information to the Police atBroadbury Road Police Station or phoneCrimestoppers free on 0800 555 111, we thenstand a better chance of being able to seize thebike. Please help us to help you.

NUISANCE MOTORCYCLES

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH - WHAT’S ALL THAT ABOUT?

1 free box of 4 energysaving light bulbs perhouse if you are claimingbenefits.Distribution from theKabin, FilwoodBroadway and also bythe Street WardenTeam. Don’t miss out!

FREE LIGHT BULBS!

11

NEW FACES

12 All articles express the views of individual contributors and do notnecessarily represent the opinions of the Neighbourhood RenewalSteering Group.

THANKS TO................

CAROL, ROSE AND DENISE - THANK YOU

The Neighbourhood Renewal Participation Group: Anita Pearce, Sister Joanna, Margaret Jordan, Denise Britt,Joyce Jenkins, Ann Smith, Tracey Poole, Heather Barham,and Hannah MorganNR Manager Keith Houghton.Jo Hansford and Royston Smith for photosAll at KWMC, who facilitate the production of this newsletterEditor: Jackie Liddle newsletter@kwmc.co.ukDesign: Rowena Dugdale mail@rowenadugdale.com

The Bristol Objective 2 programme is part financed by European Community (ERDF)

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From left: Sue Hopkins, Pauline King, Joy Pollard, Alan Mogg. New board of KWDT.MMaarriiaa CCllaarrkkeeNew at Mede

JJaann WWiinntteerrKW Health Park Manager

Following a difficult year in the life of the Knowle Westcommunity we have to say a very sad farewell to threewomen who between them have clocked up over fiftyyears of voluntary work in Knowle West. Rose Manning,Denise Britt and Carol Casey have decided to withdrawfrom the boards of the various organisations for whichthey worked. They are still very much involved in othercommunity projects.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank Rose, Deniseand Carol for all the hard work, time and effort, freelygiven, to help this community achieve its potential.RRoossee MMaannnniinnggFollowing on from last year's ‘Life Long Achievement’award, Rose has won the ‘Outstanding Achievement’award at the recent Hearts and Stars Awards. Rose hasworked in the community for over 30 years, and hasbeen involved in voluntary projects that have benefitedall aspects of the community.

She spent 22 years working with the Scouts movement,experiences ranged from camping activities, districtsports and swimming galas, community clean up com-petitions, football teams and tournaments.

She has been involved with Neighbourhood Renewalfrom the beginning, was a founding member and is stillinvolved with the Mede Sprint bus and raised moneyfor the community through the ‘Did You Know’ group.Rose and Carol fought hard to get the money fromthe sale of Filwood Playing fields back into Knowle Westthrough the ‘Endowment Fund’, this brought more moneyinto the community than any other voluntary initiativeand has benefited many projects. These are just someof the areas that Rose has been involved in over the years.

DDeenniissee BBrriittttDenise’s involvement with the community has spanned12 years. She is still Chair of the Neighbourhood RenewalPartnership and is heavily involved in areas such asAchievement and Antisocial Behaviour. Denise was oneof the founding mothers who helped set up KWADS, nowcelebrating its 10th year, and she still works as a volunteerfor this organisation. She is involved with the HealthyLiving Centre and organises the Hearts and Stars Awards.

Working as a volunteer, Denise has had the chance totravel widely as a representative of her community; fromvisiting drug agencies and rehabilitation projects inChicago and Glasgow to sharing experiences with womenon the peace line in the Falls Road area of N Ireland.Denise says these experiences have “given me a leaseof life, something worth getting up for because I’mworking for my community.”

CCaarrooll CCaasseeyyCarol has also spent the last 12 years working for hercommunity. She was a founding member of the DrugForum which recently funded the new Shared CareWorker at Bristol Drugs Project and together with Rose,helped establish the community bus, the Mede Sprint.Carol is still Chair of the Health Association and is onthe Health Park Steering Group. Previously she hasoffered support to drug addicts in her own home, workedvoluntarily as a domestic health worker and met TonyBlair to raise awareness of policing and health care onthe estate. Carol admits that it is both enjoyable andstressful being a volunteer and she would like to seemore support from the council for volunteers.“I enjoy what I do, knowing at the end of the day youmight have helped someone, it’s good to fight forlocal people so that their voices are heard.”