A catch up from Mel, our Chief Exec, on what we’ve been up to at Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and how we’re thinking about the months ahead. We’ll keep sharing these to keep you up to date, and remember, if you’re feeling inspired please get in touch for a cuppa and a chat.
It’s quite a time to be living in Lockleaze. We’ve got some challenges around health, housing, the cost of living, and we all feel a bit conflicted about all those mushrooming housing developments – and despite everyone using Fix My Street, the fly tipping sometimes gets to us all.
But Lockleaze is not only the greenest ward in the city, it’s also the fourth most diverse ward, and that makes for a strong community. We might not always agree (as anyone on Love Lockleaze Facebook group knows) but we care about where we live, we care about our neighbours and we like to do things a little bit differently. That includes the work Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust are doing, being led by our community to create the change the community want.
The good news is that more and more people are noticing the work the community is doing here and have decided to back us. Late last year LNT was awarded Bristol Impact Fund 3 funding from Bristol City Council and National Lottery Reaching Communities funding, both towards a new project called Lockleaze Together. What that means is that we’ll be co-creating and supporting community action and community power in Lockleaze:
- Supporting more residents to put on the events, groups and classes they want, via our Community Ideals programme, coming soon.
- Growing a new Lockleaze Community Forum to grow some citizen power, plus a new advisory panel to direct LNT where to focus our energy.
- A bigger, better Hubbub community café for Gainsborough Square that gives us all a new space for a cuppa and a chat.
- More community feasts, advice drop-ins, regular events (like Film Night) and more classes.
We’ve also just been awarded two years Nature Together funding from Bristol City Council / Natural England to support the next phase of our Really Wild Lockleaze project:
- More support to help you rewild our local streets, green and vacant land – planting meadows, trees and encouraging wildlife.
- Creating a new Lockleaze Green Corridor through the middle of Lockleaze, including opening up our local Horfield Brook.
- Support various Bristol City Council departments to make it easier for us all to green up where we live.
But we need YOU. We want to work with our whole community to make Lockleaze the place we all know it can be – stronger, fairer, healthier and greener. If you’ve got an idea for a new group.event or class – from carpentry to crochet, men’s health to meditation, traffic campaigns to tango – we can support you with time and free space. Whatever you want to say, pop in or get in touch on maria@lockleazent.co.uk or info@lockleazent.co.uk.
We’re excited about our shared future. Now Lockleaze needs you to share your time, skills, and talents, to show everyone what a brilliant place Lockleaze is to live.