Update from Easton Community Centre, Felix Road Adventure Playground and Up Our Street
15 May 2020
The play work team from Felix Road have created a message for all the children and families that use Felix Road Adventure Playground.
Although Felix Road and Easton Community Centre are closed at the moment, it doesn’t mean we’re not thinking about you. We will be reaching out over the next few weeks because we want to hear your voices.
We wanted to share a glorious example of generosity and compassion from a rural community thinking of children in the city. This week we were contacted by the Shipham Growers, a group of gardeners from the Mendip hills who wanted to send a gift to children and families of Easton and Lawrence Hill. We send out the windowsill growing kits with our weekly parcels, each kit contained the message “We hope you enjoy growing as much as us! from the Shipham Growers”.
We also want to say a huge thank you our COVID-19 response funders. We have received a grant from the Quartet Corona Response Fund. We’d like to extend our thanks here to everyone that made a donation to the fund. In the first month of lockdown the foundation received over one million pounds in donations from people across the south west. We are grateful to benefit from their generosity. We have also just been granted funds from Western Powers, from their In This Together – Community Matters Fund all of which has helped and will continue to help us support the most vulnerable and in need.
Up Our Street is compiling and distributing a weekly community newsletter during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
We have collated a list of all the amazing ways organisations in our area are stepping up to help and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in our area of East Bristol. This weekly ebulletin includes resources, messages and online activities.
If you have something you would like to share then please get in touch; email becky@becky@upourstreet.org.uk or you can submit a message or action through our online ebulletin submission form.
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HELPING EACH OTHER
We Are Bristol Helpline
We Are Bristol support hotline on 0800 694 0184 open 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays. Call the helpline for information and sign posting to a wide range of services and support. If you don’t know where to go or who to ask, call them.
ACORN Coronavirus Community Support
ACORN Community Union is coordinating a fantastic response. Coronavirus Community Support is organising local volunteers to support people in the community who need shopping, prescription collection, post and anything else they may need if they are stuck at home. If you need help or want to volunteer, get in touch. https://acorntheunion.org.uk/corona/
BS5 community care (COVID-19 Mutual Aid)
These are informal groups which were set up as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. There are around 100 mutual aid groups in BS5, each covering a small number of streets. The groups enable neighbour to neighbour support for anyone affected by the virus. To get in touch with your local street group you can join the Facebook page, email bs5mutualaid@protonmail.com or call the BS5 mutual aid hotline on 07985 237 457. https://bs5mutualaid.org.uk/
The Plough Inn, Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls sports and social club
Free food delivery service for east Bristol during the lockdown. Anyone is welcome to apply for a box – whether vulnerable, self-isolating or struggling financially due to the crisis, as well as front line staff who may be too busy to shop. Request a box
National Food Service Bristol
National Food Service Bristol are collaborating with a number of organisations across the city to provide preprepared meals for vulnerable people. The Food Package Helpline: 0117 325 0450. If you or someone you know needs access to food, please call the helpline now. Call any time to leave a message and a volunteer will get back to you between 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Delicious cooked meals delivered frozen for free anywhere in Bristol. They need volunteers – delivery people, phone line managers, qualified cooks. Please email bristol@nationalfoodservice.uk
Super Supper Club
In response to COVID-19 they have transformed their service and are now offering a FREE home-cooked meals for anyone in need in Bristol BS5 and surrounding areas. We can deliver locally and offer a takeaway service for people living further away. Find out more on their Facebook page
Can Do Bristol
The Can Do Bristol website has received over 3000 volunteer pledges so far, which demonstrates just how much of a Can Do city Bristol is. The team at Bristol City Council are now actively matching those who have pledged (and completed the registration survey) with needs across the city. Register at candobristol.co.uk today to join the growing Can Do Community. Give, Live, Love Bristol.
MESSAGES FROM OTHERS
Up Our Street, Easton Community Centre & Felix Road Adventure Playground
The Community Hub for Easton. We are in regular contact with the shielded and most vulnerable in our community. With the help from our amazing Can Do Bristol volunteers we have been delivering food parcels, art kits for children and running essential errands every week. We are talking to and working with partners across the city to plan how our city will rebuild and what we can put in place to support the community of east central Bristol recover from this crisis.
Wellspring Settlement
As the Community Hub for Lawrence Hill they team at the Wellspring Settlement have been busy. Here are some of their vital stats. From 7 to 13 May the:
Call centre and befriending service contacted 94 people
Distribution and shopping service supported 113 people
Family centre delivered 84 play sessions and art packs and contacted 125 families
Social prescribing team are supporting 371 people
Find out more
Bristol Future Parks
Parks are currently a lifeline for many people, and the Bristol Future Parks Project wants to find out about how you use your local parks, and how this has changed since the COVID-19 emergency. The Bristol Natural History Consortium have created a survey for citizens to complete to share their experiences. Here is the link to the Survey
Re-engage new call companion service for older people
During the coronavirus crisis, re-enage are running a new telephone-based service for isolated older people. Call companion volunteers make regular telephone calls to lonely and isolated older people providing a lifeline of friendship. The regular chat and companionship offers a vital link with the outside world. Over time, call companions and the older person they are paired with will get to know each other well and will spend many hours of fun and laughter, sharing stories as well as offering vital support over the phone. If you, a friend, relative of neighbour would benefit from a regular chat you can refer then using this form. Referal form
Studio Meraki Bristol need your support
The team have been providing our local community with 200 weekly Art Kits throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. The kits are distributed by Up Our Street, Hannah More Primary School, Unseen, and LPW. They are designed specifically for families with primary aged children who face significant barriers in accessing educational and creative resources. Each kit contains all of the tools and materials required to make a new activity, including easy to follow pictorial instructions and online videos. They are looking for donations and sponsorship to enable them to continue this project. Funds received will go directly towards providing joyful and inspiring art materials for the kits. If you have any capacity to make a donation to the project, or are able to supply arts and craft materials, please contact them. Find all the projects, instructions and video tutorials on their website as well as info about how to DONATE
Children’s Scrap Store now includes packages for adults too
Children’s Scrapstore have extended their donations scheme to include craft packages for adults as well as children! Three themed bundles of scrap and craft materials for adults can be ordered for local delivery, or as a pay it forward donation which they will pass on via a community organisation to somebody experiencing adverse circumstances. Thank you for supporting this project! https://www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk/online-shop
Trinity Centre receive £35k grant
Arts Council England has awarded Trinity a grant of £35k as part of the £160m emergency package to support the arts sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will help them adapt existing projects and move activities online. This will include online workshops with IGNiTE Associate Artist and local resident, Roxana Vilk. They will be releasing information about an open-call commission for an independent D/Deaf or disabled artist to create a new piece of digital work. As this is a very difficult time for artists and freelance practitioners, Trinity is committing 20% of its grant to pay independent artists and community members for contributions to ‘Trinity Presents’.
Bristol’s SEND Local Offer
Bristol City Council have just launched their SEND Local Offer website. It is a single place of information about services and support for children and young people from birth to 25 years old who have Special Educational Needs (SEND) or Disabilities and for their families and carers. Find out more
Living Streets Greenbank
Living Streets Greenbank would like you to tell them what could be done to improve the local urban environment of Greenbank for everyone. The survey is open to anyone who lives in, works in, or regularly visits Greenbank. They would love to hear from you, and will only take 5 or so minutes to complete. Take part in the survey here
BCfm Radio
BCfm is bringing us as near to normal a live schedule as is possible and wants to help publicise your community support initiatives and do what they can at this difficult time. So, if you either need help or are providing help please contact them via WhatsApp on 07503 725 345 or email news@bcfmradio.com and they will do their best to help. Of course, you can listen regularly to their updates and local information on 93.2fm, online bcfmradio.com, on DAB or via the BCfm Radio free app.
Councillor Virtual Surgeries
Usually, Easton and Lawrence Hill Councillors hold their monthly surgeries on a Saturday, but they recognise that many people need assistance at the moment, so they will be holding regular surgeries by phone. Queries should be in relation to Council services like housing, education, social care, planning. Issues related to employment and benefits and other national issues should be referred to the relevant agencies or MPs.
One councillor will cover the following days over the next few weeks and can deal with queries from any residents in Easton or Lawrence Hill:
– Cllr. Afzal Shah will cover Mondays 2pm to 4pm on 07789701603 cllr.afzal.shah@bristol.gov.uk
– Cllr. Hibaq Jama will cover Wednesdays 2pm to 4pm on 07786732945 cllr.hibaq.jama@bristol.gov.uk
– Cllr. Marg Hickman will cover Fridays 2pm to 4pm on 07967733735 cllr.marg.hickman@bristol.gov.uk
– Cllr. Ruth Pickersgill will cover Saturdays 2pm to 4pm on 07818422871 cllr.ruth.pickersgill@bristol.gov.uk
Councillors can also be contacted at other times, but they thought it would be useful to be able to pass on these surgeries times so isolated residents can feel confident that they can get the support they need.
ONLINE ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES AND EVENTS
All events and social gathering have been cancelled across the city, but some have moved online. Here is a list of things we’ve found online to entertain, pass the time and educate, as the weeks go by.
If you are sharing your skills digitally or have any great resources you’ve been using please email becky@upourstreet.org.uk
Held In Common Podcast
The Network are seeking residents’ stories for Held In Common: a new community podcast. They invite you to send a WhatsApp voice note or give them a call with your ‘silver lining story’ of Covid-19! The deadline to submit a story for Episode 3 is Friday 22nd May. Episode 2: Cooking Up A Storm is now available to listen to here: Held in common podcast, https://www.bartonhillsettlement.org.uk/held-in-common-podcast. Contact Polly Tisdall for more info, call 07545 557001 or email pollyt@thenetworkbristol.org.uk.
CUBAtone-Nitos FREE Fitness and dance class for kids and their families
Local dad Alain is a fully qualified fitness instructor and runs his own dance fitness program. Since the pandemic, he’s developed CUBAtone-nitos – dance/ fitness classes for children and their families. This class is aimed at ALL the family, not just the children. Join Alain and his 8 years old son every Monday morning at 9.30am. They are using the Crowdcast website and every week there will be a new link. Here is the link for Monday 18th May
Traveling Light- Three Kings Activity pack
“Have you ever seen such a night as this? so many stars, so many stories, which one is yours?” The moving storytelling tale, Three Kings, for ages 5+ toured schools, community venues and professional venues in Autumn 2018. These activity packs contain ideas for activities based around Three Kings, but can certainly be enjoyed without having seen the production. The activities are aimed at those for aged 5-11 years old but can be adapted. Find out more
Bristol Libraries, children’s quiz time
Every Friday questions are posted on their Facebook page and at 4pm the answers are revealed. If you get there quick you might catch this week Meg and Mog. You can find the Friday quiz, Story time, Baby Bounce and Rhyme, and lots more literary entertainment for kids and grown-ups on their Facebook page
