Digging in: the deprived Bristol area that’s learning to help itself
An allotment, social housing and England’s largest onshore wind turbine are among the schemes planned to remake a community.
The raised beds are just one modest example of what Ambition Lawrence West is about – helping people in one of the most deprived areas of Bristol by creating ways for the community to help itself, especially in these times of crisis.
The charity has other, much grander schemes, including building what it says will be England’s largest onshore wind turbine five miles away on the banks of the River Severn. Diggers and a crane are readying the ground for the turbine, which will feed in power to the National Grid from next year.
The blades should be turning by the spring and the money earned – estimated at £100,000 annually to begin with – is likely to be used to help local people through the cost of living crisis by assisting them with power bills or retrofitting homes with energy saving measures.
In February construction is due to begin on 38 social rent and shared ownership homes with designs shaped by the estate’s residents and work is also about to start on a new ALW community hub.
ALW is helping the most in need get through the winter by handing out emergency packs of slow cookers, hot water bottles and LED lights and opening up its centre for people to charge phones and get warm over a cup of tea.
Even before this winter’s crisis bit, 6% of people in the Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston ward were using food banks compared with just under 2% across the city. Almost 17% were finding it difficult to manage financially, against 9% for the whole of Bristol, and 17% of children were “in need”.
Development manager at ALW Mark Pepper said that the situation was the worst it had been. “Before the crisis hit us, people were scrimping and saving. Demand has gone through the roof.
“Food banks shouldn’t be here. It’s disgusting, really, given the amount of wealth we’ve got in this country. But that’s where we are at the moment and we’ll keep on doing what we can.”
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I’m a diversity consultant and a design and communications consultant. I help people and organisations develop vision, communicate and deliver cultural change.