C21 Group (south Bristol Regeneration Zone)
Simon Bale
ISR and the churches of South Bristol are
beginning to get involved in this major new initiative in the south of the city.
After many years of patient lobbying and
discussion, the future looks very optimistic for the disadvantaged communities
of South Bristol. Since late 2005, a range of agencies and individuals have been
busy setting up the South Bristol Regeneration C21 Group to tackle the seemingly
perpetual problem of economic, educational and environmental decline in this
part of the city
Since the closure of the Wills Tobacco
Factory in the early 1990s -- or perhaps even before then -- the problems of
South Bristol have stemmed in no small part from its geographical isolation and
distance from the major access routes to Bristol. For example, St Andrew's
Church in Hartcliffe is the church that is furthest away from any motorway in
Bristol. Whilst employment and opportunity are not especially bad in the south
Bristol area, quality of life and aspirations are low. The city council's
regeneration division has come up with the notion of setting up C21 to confront
this situation.
The purposes of C21 are (from the group's
own Terms of Reference):
- To utilise the knowledge, expertise and influence of its members to develop and deliver a coherent and
deliverable social, economic, physical and environmental regeneration plan
for South Bristol that will capitalise on opportunities to address
entrenched deprivation in the area.
- To provide leadership and long term
vision for South Bristol
- To bring together key decision makers
from the public, private and voluntary sectors with an interest in and
ability to deliver constructive change in South Bristol
This process is just getting underway, and
ISR's Regeneration Officer (Simon Bale) is attending meetings through our
membership of Voscur, Bristol's umbrella body for teh voluntary and community
sector. Our involvement will go further than this, however, as the group and
expectations grow. The south Bristol churches could play a major role in this
intervention, and it is an opportunity from which ISR needs to take some
advantage.
Symes Avenue Youth Project (SAY)
Simon Bale
The SAY project is attempting to create a drop-in youth centre for young people in Hartcliffe, south Bristol.
Along with Withywood, Hartcliffe is one of the most deprived areas of Bristol, and young people have many needs that are not being addressed through mainstream agencies.
SAY is coordinated through St Andrew's Anglican Church in Hartcliffe.
Although the SAY project has been running for almost eighteen months, the urgent need is to rennovate the annex to the church so that it can be used more effectively as a youth club. We are assisting the project in fundraising and in thinking through what is needed to make the work sustainable and succssful.
Bristol Churches Regeneration Network
Simon Bale
The Bristol Churches Regeneration Network is an informal network of church communities in the Bristol area who are seeking ways to work with the many regeneration initiatives active locally. The BCRN meets every other month and is administered by ISR
