This is a group who have been committed to ensuring that the Creative Research into Health Inequalities in Inner City East Bristol has been sensitively informed and delivered to under-served residents.  These volunteers brought their lived experience as well as professional skills and knowledge to the research, ensuring that residents’ voices remain at the centre of the project and its report.  Their hard work has led to the funding of a new role which will support the development of resident led health activities in Lawrence Hill.  What a team!

This special duo who use their creativity and passion for collaboration to bring the community in Barton Hill together. Sally and Kerry have been instrumental in pioneering ‘Big Up Barton Hill’. They volunteer their time to bring together active members of the community to celebrate all things Barton Hill. They worked really hard to host two celebration events and continue to encourage community groups to network, share ideas, problem solve and celebrate what is happening in the community. 

Zainab, Sadia, Kaltun meet weekly to host Somali Kitchen’s breakfast mornings. These weekly catch ups offer support, connect and activities to others in their community. The group is going from strength to strength and has become known as a regular social space that is welcoming and supportive.

The Parky Pals have done a great job getting the community involved in sprucing up Owen Square Park in Easton over the last year. They’ve organised regular volunteering days, won funding for improvements and made sure that local people have a say in what goes on in the park. Thank you for giving your time and skills to look after the park.

The BS5 Art Trail sees over 90 artists display their work opening up their studios, homes and community spaces to visitors. Thank you for coming together to make this event happen yet again. With limited funds you do amazing things, and show Bristol the creativity that exists on our doorstep. Thank you BS5 Art Trail volunteers.

This next award goes to two busy mums who volunteer their time to support local families with free food in Barton Hill. Emma and Juliet work hard to keep the free shop at St Lukes well stocked and beautifully organised so that parents can clearly see what is on offer, suggesting cooking tips and advice to encourage families to try new foods. The service simply wouldn’t be able to run without them, thank you Emma and Juliet.

A group of neighbours from Lansdowne Court who came together to organise a Family Funday for all residents living in the flats. Ayaan, Asha and Sam worked hard to put on an inclusive, and fun packed day for the whole neighbourhood to get together. Come on up, Ayaan, Asha and Sam.

Every Thursday morning Ginny, Faith, Maureen and Jo run Rainbow Tots playground at Kensington Baptist Church on Stapleton Road. They have worked together for many years running this group that offers a space for parents to connect, babies and toddlers space to play and parents to relax. Keep doing what you are doing. Thank you Ginny, Faith, Maureen and Jo. 

Mike brings surplus supermarket food to Easton Community Centre every week. This food has become a highlight of the week for some of our centre users, as they get to choose between donuts, croissants and more. On top of this, having access to loaves of bread, rolls and baguettes is a wonderful help to those using the centre in this time of financial struggle. Thanks Mike for taking the time out to provide our community with treats and essentials.

Muna Ali is very active in the community and over the past year has been volunteering and supporting different local groups; Refugee Women of Bristol, Eastside Community Trust, Somali Kitchen and Sadaqa Women’s group. Her commitment to supporting local women is exceptional. Muna speaks many languages, which enables her to help women from many countries such as Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and Somalia.

This one is for our very own womble… Eric has been a regular participant of the monthly Barton Hill Community litter pick on the first Saturday of each month for many years. Since the retirement of the previous organiser due to parenthood, Eric has taken on management of the event. Furthermore, Eric has also been involved in regular meetings with the council aimed at keeping the area tidier. Thank you, Eric. 

Shaniem recently put on a Funday for the community in Easton, which was an amazing event, it brought out the young and old, and brought a little of Jamaica to Easton. From kids face painting, to a dancing competition, football tournament and domino’s competition, she had something there for all ages to feel involved. Shaniem has a big heart and wants the best for her community and is always giving a helping hand; whether it’s giving away school equipment for kids or giving out food to the less fortunate. 

This next award is for a someone that takes time every month to update noticeboards across our community. Sophie Bridgewater along with a large group of other volunteers – we really appreciate the time and dedication that you put into this.

Harry has worked tirelessly over the past few months to secure a bus route that serves The Dings. Older residents and those with limited mobility were unable to access shops or other key amenities and some were left feeling trapped and isolated.  Harry initially applied to First Bus for a route diversion. When this was unsuccessful he created a route himself and applied for funding. We are delighted to say he was ultimately successful and the No.61 route will be in service from September.  This will be life changing for many residents and we would like to say a very heartfelt Thank You to Harry. 

Sal Caseley has recently stepped down as Chair person of the Dings Community Association after an incredible 17 years.  In that time Sal has been instrumental in making The Dings a vibrant and supportive place to live.  Amongst her many achievements she has sought out funding to re-establish youth group sessions, met with local developers to speak on behalf of the community, organised the annual Fun Day, been a listening ear to many residents, handed out Christmas and recipe bags, tackled many a tree and bush on the monthly community gardening days, set up a food bank during Covid, organised volunteers to help around the Dings, established relationships with other community groups, our councillors and the police, liaised on a refurbishment of the Safe Ouse and been brilliant fun through all of it!  This is a heartfelt and genuine thanks to Sal for all that you did, and continue to do, from the whole of The Dings.

Shenaz Darr has been working tirelessly within global majority communities voluntarily for many years. Shenaz is on-call almost 24 hours a day for individuals who have queries over their immigration status, their passport renewal or updating of their Citizenship Cards. As well as all her voluntary work commitments Shenaz is a great role model as a daughter, a mother, a wife and a grandmother. Her house is always open to visitors and her hospitality is second to none. She has a great sense of humour even through the dark times. Thank you Shenaz for the wonderful work you do. 

John and the DigiLocal volunteers have been delivering free coding sessions after the Felix Road girls group on a Friday afternoon. They bring all their own equipment for the girls to use and offer fun activities. They are so patient and are passionate about introducing coding skills to the girls in a playful way.

We’d like to say thank you to the second cohort of Warm Home Champions for helping to make our community better prepared for winter and reduce household energy bills. Their openness to trying something new and sharing their learnings, challenges and successes along the way has helped improve our community’s understanding of home energy use and steps we can take to make the transition to net zero both fast and fair, including people from all backgrounds. They have shown continued enthusiasm and commitment to sharing this learning with neighbours, friends and others in the community, and Eastside looks forward to working with them more this winter. 

Next up we want to welcome back a former Eastside employee who has come back to volunteer with us. We would like to thank Pat Pinkowska for volunteering for Felix Girls at Felix Road Adventure Playground, getting stuck straight in on sessions and volunteering to take the girls on a bike trip during the summer. We really value her presence on session – thank you Pat. 

Next up a big thank you to Kim Prado. Houria is a unique organisation offering training and safe employment opportunities for  migrant women and female survivors of slavery. Houria was born out of Kim’s passion for cooking and sharing international food as well as her skills in advocating for migrant women. Houria has held peace and community feasts, catered for events, and organised pop ups and supper club.  Kim’s knowledge and passion have been the driving force behind this social enterprise and she thoroughly deserves an award. 

Tom has been volunteering with the Bristol Bike Project for around ten years. He helps with their Earn-A-Bike project, where refugees and asylum seekers work on bikes that they then take away, and After School Bike, where young people are guided through fixing their bikes. Tom brings enthusiasm and a genuine passion to help others to every session he attends. Through his volunteering, he has helped hundreds of people with their bicycles and kept them cycling. 

Next up is Kitty from Bristol Refugee Rights. Kitty is so committed to creating a warm and welcoming environment for refugees and asylum seekers. She really embodies these values in her everyday life and has so much enthusiasm and compassion. She is tireless in her commitment and volunteers weekly for two days which is such a big ask. She makes a huge difference to the lives of members Bristol Refugee Rights and really makes the drop in’s a better space. Thank you Kitty. 

Henry is quite new to this area but is now living on Robertson Road. Henry has been tending the flower beds around Easton Community Centre and looking after the grounds at Felix Road Adventure Playground. Both spaces were quite neglected and needed a lot of work and commitment. Henry has been just what these community spaces needed, always willing to go the extra mile, working on his own or inspiring our gardening volunteers to make a real difference. Welcome to Easton Henry and thank you for all your hard work and dedication. 

This next thank you goes to a mum who put her life on hold and gave up her home so her child could come back home to the community he grew up in. Sheena is an Easton resident who has lived on Heron Road for many years. She is the mother of two young men Joseph and Sam both who are severely disabled, with no verbal communication and both were living in secure accommodation. Joseph grew up on Heron Road and went to Felix Road Adventure Playground as a boy. Sheena made it her mission to bring Joseph back to Heron Road and the house and community he grew up in. It was a long legal and financial battle over 6 years but this year Joseph finally moved back to Heron Road with a team of carers and he is happy and flourishing. Sheena is a remarkable woman, who crowdfunded to make this landmark case possible and to give Joseph and other disabled adults the right to live in the community where they grew up as children. Well done Sheena. 

This next award goes to two dedicated volunteers who give every Monday morning to welcome people who want to improve their English speaking. June and Paul bring warm smiles, patience and a passion to their weekly ESOL Conversation class. Thank you for providing this space for people, often new to our country, to meet others and build confidence – June and Paul!

Thank you to Daisy Rajput for her work in bringing South Asian elders together for a social and chair yoga session every Friday.  Daisy is a passionate spokesperson for her community and always ensures that members of her community are supported and welcomed. She goes above and beyond with grace, patience and kindness. Thank you, Daisy you are appreciated.

Tracy Scrivener runs the Key Ring, Art for All group in St Luke’s Church Hall. For over 2 years the group has met regularly and provided creative activities for adults with learning disabilities. They have exhibited at City Hall and took part in this year’s BS5 Art Trail. Thank you Tracy for all your work and creativity. 

Next up is a celebration of a volunteer who has been giving her time to the DET Entertainment since 2017. No matter her aches and pains she’s always determined to be a part of community events across the city. DET Entertainment is so thankful for all her support over the years and wants to say a special thank you to Loretta Charles. You’ve shown true commitment to being a volunteer to the community, and that volunteering IS FOR EVERYONE. 

Trace the founder of DET Entertainment would also like to say a special thank you to Elly, Samiyah, Chamola, Lou Lou, Ash and Rich. These people have been so inspiring, their commitment, passion, and drive as well as believing and encouraging Trace to not just dream but do and they’ve been with her all the way. 

They’re always championing DET Entertainment and DET Community that celebrate Bristol’s diverse communities, supporting our community members to be heard and encouraging UNITY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

We would now like to thank some more green fingered volunteers. The Felix Road gardening group has had a great impact on the garden at the playground. The atmosphere on a Tuesday morning has been friendly and supportive.  It’s been especially nice to see the vegetables planted at the playground grow over the summer with the kids picking and eating them.  Thank you to the Felix Road Gardening Volunteer Group. 

Jahluke is a member of the Felix Road family. Always smiling, always chuckling, always quick to give a warm welcome to all that know him. Now in his 40’s he has been going to Felix Road Adventure Playground since he was a small child. His mother Morowa was chair of the playground for several years. Jahluke is a disabled adult who is seen and heard in his community. He has been volunteering at Felix Road for many years and is the friendly face that sets the tone for the whole space. We would like to recognise the continued contribution Jahluke has made to this community over many years by giving him a very special Thank You Award. Jahluke you are the heart and soul of this community and symbolise everything that is warm and inclusive about this neighbourhood.

Conor, Aileen and Adam run Pickle Factory Fighters they all have a huge passion for martial arts and have created a community martial arts club that welcomes all. The sessions are judgement-free and a space where xenophobic and toxic behaviours are challenged. They have created a club that is inclusive and fun for all. The classes are for everyone, whether you have trained before or never considered the sport. Thank you.