23 April 1938 was a day that changed Knowle West forever: it was then when Filwood Community Centre opened its doors for the very first time.   “The Centre,” it was said at the time, “is intended to be a homely club in which every member of the community, either individually or in groups, mayContinue reading "The coronavirus won’t win against Knowle West"

Julia Williams, Bristol City Council Community Development Practitioner for Knowle West, writes… During a weekend in April 2020, amidst the pandemic, volunteers used their digital skills as part of the European Commission’s Hackathon, resulting in an innovative solution to improve and create a localised volunteer support system in Knowle West. Knowle West Alliance supported byContinue reading "To/Fro – A volunteer-resident buddying web app created for the Knowle West Alliance Covid Support Hub"

It all happened so quickly at the beginning…One minute we were going about our normal lives, and the next everything had stopped and we were shut inside our homes.  Just before we went into lockdown, I remember going to see my Line Manager and saying how concerned I was that I wouldn’t be able toContinue reading "How the community came together – my lockdown story (by Frances Coates – Knowle West Alliance Community Development Worker)"

Guest Blog by Knowle West resident Claudia I have been living in Knowle West for 2 years. My boyfriend grew up here and his daughter now goes to the same school that he went to. I love the sense of community here; it’s rare to walk down the street and not see somebody that youContinue reading "A Knowle West sense of purpose"

Bud and Sasha I have been a volunteer dog walker for around 10 years with the Cinnamon Trust, who are a national charity that help elderly and seriously ill people to look after their pets. Before COVID-19 came along, I was walking a 15-year-old Jack Russell called Bud for an elderly couple who live inContinue reading "Guest blog: David Paull – A volunteer’s story"

Am I the only person who feels they have slipped into an alternative universe? Maybe I have been binge watching too many sci-fi box sets but, really, I never thought I would be checking the government website to see how many people I am permitted to meet with in a park! But here I am,Continue reading "Guest Post: Vicky Beckwith CEO of Re:Work – How’s it going?"

In South Bristol, we’ve built up a dedicated base of volunteers who are responsive and pro-active, creating a cooperative relationship with them– as they support others we support them. We are in touch with 80 volunteers of which 34 are currently active with over 170 hours of volunteering completed. One volunteer has completed 24 hoursContinue reading "Guest blog: Julia Williams from BCC Community Development Team"

How are you? Do you need anything? Do you know someone that might need a bit of practical help or emotional support? Its a tough time, but together we'll pull through. At the Knowle West Support Hub we have local workers and volunteers ready to lend a hand or a listening ear. We want everyoneContinue reading "Knowle West Support Hub"

We know that many of you will be concerned about Coronavirus and COVID-19 and the potential impact the virus will have on our community and everyday life. With the situation changing rapidly the best place to get up to the minute advice is the NHS webpages. Those of us fit and well could think aboutContinue reading "Corona Virus / Knowle West – helping each other"

Knowle West Alliance and Knowle West Futures working with local Councillors have secured a pause on the proposed housing developments for the old Cinema Site.   We think it’s important to look at Filwood Broadway as a whole, not just one site, and consider what do we, as a community, want and need; and how can we work together toContinue reading "Filwood Broadway Chat"