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Strengthening Bristol’s communities to aid recovery

Bristol has long been an exciting city to live, work and play – with its rise in popularity sparking investment from within the city and further afield. Over recent years, recognition from national and international organisations, such as Channel 4 and BoKlok, has bolstered Bristol’s innovative drive for growth.

As a city, Bristol has not shied away from debate surrounding its future and what this may look like – with flagship development, masterplan vision and innovation in housing delivery at the heart of the conversation.

As the city starts to emerge from lockdown, it is pertinent to consider what pathway Bristol will take to reigniting that vigour to strengthen both the city and its community. Last week we saw the publication of the ‘One City economic renewal’ document, setting out the city’s statement of intent to not ‘return to its old ways’, with an aim to rebuild in a way that is fairer, more inclusive and sustainable.

Created by the One City Economy Board, with input from other organisations, the document notes that the city’s previous success has not reached everyone and some communities have been left behind for many years.

To address this, the recovery mission is ‘to create a fairer, healthier and sustainable city, one which is people-centred and has a resilient economy that supports diverse, inclusive and equitable communities.’

We have seen a growing sense of community across Bristol as residents have come together to support one another through difficult times, as a result of both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, more than ever, we are choosing to engage in what is happening and what matters locally.

Amongst other commitments, The One City Economic Recovery Plan states that it must – ‘Engage with and involve our communities and stakeholders and capitalise on the expertise within the city’.

To put this into practice, we asked some of the city’s leading community groups to share their vision on how Bristol’s strengthened sense of community will play a role in the city’s future development.

Locality, who support local community organisations, shared with us their recent national research report which highlights pertinent themes for the future of community organisations who have adapted to current circumstances at pace, and there is no desire to “bounce back” or return to “business as usual”.

Noting the collective of community organisations that already exist in Bristol, Lucy Holburn of Knowle West Alliance states that:

‘It feels like we were built for this’.

Stacy Yelland from Up Our Street reinforced this mantra to say:

‘Bristol has always been a city with a strong spirit of grassroots activism. The huge number of citizens who volunteered to help their neighbours during lockdown shows that this spirit is alive and well. I hope that we can further build on this as a city as each citizen sees their role in shaping our future and feels they have agency to make change by working together. I hope that we can capitalise on the energy for helping one another and focus this to tackle some of the city's more thorny challenges - inequality, climate change, child poverty. Together we can make a difference.’

However, in order to maintain this momentum, and truly place Bristol’s communities at the forefront of recovery, these groups will require more than a commitment made in a recovery plan. Substantial financial funding from local and national authorities is needed, along with ongoing support from the communities they serve.

For more information on our work in Bristol please contact Andrea Kellegher or Emily Baldwin.  

6 July 2020