Team Southmead is our community action group and in normal times we meet monthly at the Southmead Library – open to all. We keep tabs on all Southmead’s community groups, gather updates, and most importantly – we make things happen!
Here’s our spring community update:
Team Southmead – from Volunteer Secretary, Deana (email: zazu57@outlook.com)
Bins at Bus Stops: In January 2021 myself, my husband, and the dog did a walking tour of all the bus stops in Southmead. It took around 2 weeks and I had forgotten just how long some of the roads in Southmead are! It was very interesting to find out that there are no bins on either side of Pen Park Road, Charlton Road and Doncaster Road.
There are however numerous bins along Southmead Road and a few along Greystoke Avenue. I reported this to Councillor Brenda Massey so that she could take it to the West of England Combined Authority meeting on January 27th 2021. There will not be a quick response/answer because of the local elections happening on May 6th. However, I will continue to pursue this matter because I am determined that Bus Stops should have a litter bin and not look like a rubbish dump!
Meadows To Meaders – from the cast (email: info@locallearning.org.uk)
M2M is a Southmead Soap opera that’s better than Eastenders because all the stories are true. Residents write their memories all the way from the 1930’s to the present day. We continue to meet via Zoom every Tuesday and are working hard to write the script for M2M4 which will be a Radio Play.
M2M4 will be broadcast on Radio Bristol possibly in June this year and there will be five consecutive episodes over five days. Our theme is ‘Southmead Cares’ and the play starts in the 1940s. We all throw in ideas for the conversations and it’s very creative. We decided to do a Radio Play because we cannot perform live at the moment.
M2M3 will be performed live at the Greenway Centre in November (God willing). This play is all about a 1970s wedding on the estate. The cast all got to make their wedding hats from recycled bits and bobs before Lockdown. We met upstairs at Southmead Library and it was an afternoon filled with laughter which everyone enjoyed it, even if you couldn’t sew! The audience will be the congregation and we have the lovely ladies from The Travelling Kitchen cooking the food. Can’t wait!
Southmead Community Association – from Volunteer Chair, Cherilyn (email: southmeadcommunitycentre@outlook.com)
We haven’t re-opened since the start of the last Lockdown. They managed to deliver flowers and presents to many members at Christmas. There are plans for a Spring celebration once the roadmap out of this awful Virus is in full swing.
Councillor update – from Brenda Massey (email: Cllr.brenda.massey@bristol.gov.uk)
Brenda says that fly-tipping at Iceland has been much reduced as Bristol Waste are doing daily trips to clear it.
The Mead – from Volunteer Editor, Suzanne (email: editor@themead.org.uk)
The Mead is planning to send out a survey to see how residents would like to see The Mead progress. Questions will include: do residents still want a paper edition; do residents feel able to contribute items; do residents want the on-line version to continue; what other content do residents want to see. Next steps need to be discussed at a Team Southmead meeting.
Sustainable Southmead – from Volunteer Group Leader, Clarie (email: sustainablesouthmead@gmail.com)
All the new trees including the Tiny Forest have been planted in the Trym Valley. Also all the historic litter has been cleared from around the edges. Sustainable Southmead were very excited to make it into the National news and on BBC Points West!
Earthwatch & Sustainable Southmead will be holding Community Engagement days in the Forest later in the year,when we can gather in groups again.
They will be presenting about the Tiny Forest at the Love Nature,Love Your Park conference on March 20th. Clarie will mention the support she has had from Team Southmead. Sustainable Southmead hold regular litter picks on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month and have action events on the 3rd Sunday of the month. People can do this on their own or in their household. It has been lovely to see all the photos of cleared litter on the Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/SustainableSouthmead
Southmead Development Trust (Greenway Centre, Southmead Adventure Playground, Southmead Youth Centre) – Project updates (email: info@southmead.org)
The project is going really well and as there are no face to face visits at the moment doorstep chats and telephone calls have become a lifeline for many residents.
– Community Development – contact lucillesmith@southmead.org
New Community development lead Lucille has been working in the Trust’s Employment and Training team for the last couple of years but has a background in community work. She is hoping to offer support to groups who want to make a comeback after COVID as well as getting some new things going. She knows that there is such a great community spirit in the area and can’t wait to get to know Southmead and North Bristol better.
– Bristol Future Parks – contact ellatainton@southmead.org
The Southmead Development Trust are undertaking a survey on resident priorities for Parks & Green Spaces in Southmead. This will be undertaken in Spring/Summer 2021 and the survey will be shared with Team Southmead, Inclusion Southmead and BS10 Parks & Planning.
– Community Led Housing – contact hannahwalker@southmead.org
The regeneration of Glencoyne Square continues to progress as the funding of the non-residential elements of the scheme have now been approved. In February Bristol City Council approved the release of seven million pounds of CIL funding. CIL stands for Community Infrastructure Levy and typically when a development is built there is money from the developers that goes towards offsetting any negative impact on the community. The seven million pounds will go towards the cost of:
– Relocation and temporary provision of the Library while the scheme is being built
– Building a new Library in the new development on Glencoyne Square
– Building a 184m2 new community Enterprise space in the new development on Glencoyne. This space will be run by the Community, for the Community
– Building a brand new Health Centre as Southmead & Henbury Family Practice will be relocated from Ullswater Road
– Southmead Youth Centre – contact amykinnear@southmead.org
The Southmead Development Trust have been tenants of the Youth Centre since 2014 and it is owned by Bristol City Council. As part of the wider regeneration plans Bristol City Council is selling some of its land to ALDI. We understand that the store was under threat of closing if it could not expand. The area to be sold includes Southmead Library and the Southmead Youth Centre site. The Southmead Development Trust are working hard with Bristol City Council to ensure that alternative arrangements for Youth sessions are guaranteed and that there is re-investment in a new community space in Southmead.
What Happens Next: Bristol City Council have committed to build a 184m2 new Community Enterprise space in the new development on Glencoyne Square.This space will be run by the Community,for the Community and will be built with the new homes in 2-3 years. Bristol City Council have promised a Capital grant to invest in alternative Youth & play space in Southmead. It is likely to cost more than this and the Southmead Development Trust are committed to fundraising to meet the gap.
This grant and the money raised will pay for alternative space for Youth and Play in Southmead and the Southmead Development Trust will be involving young people in the Community in what this will look like.
The Southmead Development Trust is working with existing sub-tenants of the Youth Centre, doing their best to find solutions to help them re-locate in Southmead. They anticipate that it will be between 10 months to 1 year before they have to vacate the building.
Bristol City Council built the Memorial Garden on the Youth Centre site. It will be up to them on how to re-provide this but the Southmead Development Trust want to support finding solutions with input from residents and young people.
The Southmead Development Trust need help over the next few months from young people and residents to decide the best way to re-provide Youth work. They want to start a conversation and get people involved to share ideas. They will be hosting a number of pop-up sessions, in person and on-line after the Easter holidays. If residents would like to get involved they need to look out for dates on the Greenway Centre Facebook page or The Southmead Adventure Playground Facebook page.
People can also get in touch with our Youth Team by emailing the Youth & Play Team Leader: jamescreed@southmead.org. To get in touch with Bristol City Council email: Matthew.Brown2@bristol.gov.uk
Please keep an eye out for future community updates and if you’d like to join Team Southmead please click here: Team Southmead
