As you may know, Paul Simpson, Deputy CEO of Wellspring Settlement officially stood down from his role on 26 June. Paul has been with us for over 30 years originally joining the organisation in 1995 when it was Barton Hill Settlement, bringing building and construction management experience. 

The expectation was that he would take a break from that world for a couple of years. Over the 31 years he stayed, he played a key role in creating spaces of welcome for the community - including Joan Johnson House, the Micro-Settlement, and more recently The Swannery.

Our former Chair of Trustees who has known Paul since the beginning of his time with Barton Hill Settlement said "Along the way Paul acquired a deep affection for Wellspring Settlement and the Barton Hill community that we serve. I believe it is an affection which is returned by many, as well as the respect of staff and my fellow Trustees." 

We have a range of spaces available to hire here at Wellspring Settlement, with rooms of all sizes and different facilities to suit your needs. Whether you’re looking for somewhere to hold a kids birthday party, somewhere to hold one to one counselling sessions, meetings, exercise classes, art workshops or a space for cookery classes, we can help! 

Many of our spaces have been renamed by the community and refreshed with murals, and as a community hub, we provide safe and inclusive spaces. We offer additional options to make your booking work for you, including hot drinks and biscuits, a projector, laptop, and a PA system. We can also offer a discount to smaller organisations running activities that benefit our local community. Take a look at our rooms and prices here, or email roombookings@wsb.org.uk for more information.

Our usual Swannery Youth sessions will be slightly longer over the summer holidays (except Bank Holidays). Come along between 1 and 5pm for: Girls’ session for ages 12 to 17 (Mondays); Boys’ session for ages 12 to 17 (Tuesdays); Junior session for boys and girls aged 8 to 11 (Thursdays); and Youth session for boys and girls aged 12 to 17 (Fridays). Sessions will run at the usual time of 3.30 to 5.30pm during term-time. 

There is an additional Young Futures Hub session every Friday in the Swannery, from 7 to 9pm. Sessions are for young people aged 12 to 17 and offer a one-stop-shop for any issues they might be experiencing. Young people can come to get signposting information about everything from education, work, mental health, cultural identity, wellbeing and more. No appointment is needed, young people can just drop-in to be connected to a service that can help, and will only have to tell their story once.

Our Youth team have had some great news recently - the Swannery has been awarded a prestigious Pineapple Award. The Swannery edged out six other brilliant, shortlisted projects for the title of winner in the Community Space category. The Youth Team and some of the young people who attend regularly also went to the Houses of Parliament to talk about the importance of youth spaces. Read more on our News page here.

Bristol Family Hubs have started using a new online registration system. All parents and carers will need to register and then book their place before they can come to any Family Centre sessions, including Stay and Plays, Hello Baby, Learn and Play, Infant Feeding, Postnatal Rockabye and Parents to Be Rockabye. Please click here to register, and you'll then be able to book onto sessions. Please speak to a member of the Family team is you have any problems. 

Our Community Hub is an open-access space for anyone to drop in, hang out, have a cuppa, charge devices or get some signposting support from one of our Hub Workers Cecily and Katie. The space is open from Monday to Thursday, 9.30am to 3pm.

Alongside the drop-in space, our Hub Workers will be running some activities that everyone is welcome to join in with, and we'll be hosting other organisations. If you'd rather just use the space to hang out in, that's fine too! 

There have been some changes in the Hub since our last newsletter - we have said goodbye to Ella who has started a new role, and our Wednesday night community meal is on hold for a short time as we review the learning from the sessions.

Our timetable at the moment is: 

     

This spring we launched our BS5 Summer Garden Kits project in response to conversations with local people about gardening, nature, and bringing more flowers and pollinators into our neighbourhoods (funded by Friends of the Earth and ICE Locality Partnership).

 

Over the last year we have supported community gardening projects in parks and public spaces, but we found that spaces without a clear sense of ownership can be difficult to maintain in the long term. With the Summer Garden Kits, we wanted to support people to create and care for growing spaces in community gardens, and also right outside their own homes where they can be enjoyed by neighbours and passers-by.

 

We put together more than 50 Summer Garden Kits, each containing a tree, wildflower seeds, and a selection of herbs, flowers, vegetable plants and bulbs. Local people were invited to apply, with priority given to gardens and growing spaces that would be visible to others in the neighbourhood.

 

The response was fantastic. Over the past few weeks people from across BS5 have been collecting their kits. It has been wonderful meeting lots of new people as well as seeing some familiar faces along the way, and hearing about the variety of different ways the plants will be used. It’s great to hear how excited people are to get growing, and we have already received some positive feedback from participants.

 

 

We have started to receive the first photos of newly planted gardens and containers, and we can’t wait to see how these spaces develop over the summer months. We look forward to seeing flowers bloom, pollinators thrive, and the project bring a little more colour and nature into our neighbourhood.  

We currently run two weekly gardening sessions, and we also run sessions in local parks and public spaces. If you’d like to get involved or you’d like to talk about a local public space you’d like to green, contact Harriet: 

Changes have now been made to the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial scheme. Keep up to date with EBLN news here explore the free travel offers available here.

Wellspring Surgery has received a grant from NHS England to create four new clinical rooms on the ground floor of the shared Wellspring Surgery and Wellspring Settlement building on Beam Street. They hope that the rooms will be ready for use in early autumn.  

Art of Movement (based in St Luke's Church) are running two summer beginner programmes for kids, as well as their usual weekly sessions: 

Find out more and book here.  

Join Wild Dandelion on the first Monday of each month for a relaxed conversation about death and dying in their Death Café. 7 to 8.30pm, starting on Monday 7 September, Wild Dandelion, 28 Bright Street, BS5 9PR. For more information, click here.

Wild Dandelion are also running a consultation about the Dug Out space, which they recently purchased. You can see the plans for the building and give your feedback here.

Join Barton Hill History Group to chat about old Barton Hill and surrounding areas. Meet new and old friends and share memories and stories  over a cup of tea and a biscuit! The group meet on Tuesdays, 10.30am to 12.30pm in Training Room 5, Settlement Site, Ducie Road unless noted: 14 July, 15 Sept, 13 Oct (Terrace Room), 17 Nov, 8 Dec. Go to the Barton Hill  History Group Facebook page for updates or contact Garry by email.  

Book your free cycling sessions and borrow a bike if you need one with Life Cycle! Adult one-to-one sessions are tailored to your cycling goals. Whether you're learning to cycle, need a confidence boost, or want help navigating new cycle routes, the qualified instructors are there to help. Find out more and book your place here.   

Bristol City Council are offering free courses, starting in September. For both, contact Barbara 07918 647513 or email: barbara.ricci@bristol.gov.uk. for your place.