started a petition to save it for community use earlier in the year after the
Methodist Church said they would be relocating their activities to Redcliffe
Methodist Church). You might have seen this in the pigeon - i'm afraid that
despite many, many requests the Methodists have refused to talk to me, the
Southville Centre, any of the groups that were using the building (until they
were all chucked out by the church on 30 November).
Sadly as I type this buildings are boarding up the windows of FaithSpace, so
not only do we have an empty, much needed, asset of community value, we'll have
an eyesore at the heart of our neighbourhood that will 'shout out' 'I'm empty,
vandalise me!'. I and Southville Community Development Association (SCDA) who
run the Southville Centre will do what we can to try and save FaithSpace for
the community - but it's looking very uncertain at the moment. Matthew Symonds,
Chair of Trustees, Southville Community Development Association (SCDA), The
Southville Centre.
Community left in the dark over future of much loved building
Local groups have raised concerns about the potential loss of a well used and
much loved community building. The FaithSpace building in Stackpool Road,
Southville (formerly known as Southville Methodist Church) is set to close on
30 November, but no details have been revealed for the future of the building.
The current tenants and groups that use the building have been given notice to
leave by the end of November by the owners - Bristol and South Gloucestershire
Methodist Church. Despite repeated requests from the users and local community
groups, the Methodist church has declined all requests for a meeting to discuss
the future of the building. The lack of certainty has led to local people
fearing that the building will be sold, converted to housing and lost for the
communities use.
The FaithSpace building was listed as an 'Asset of Community Value' recognising
that the building has been used as a place of worship and a meeting space by
the local community for over 80 years. More than 350 people have signed a
petition calling for the building to saved for the community to use (see
http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/2781 )
Southville is one of the areas of the city that has seen a large increase in
the number families with young children. Many of the local primary schools are
being expanded to provide additional primary school places, but the demand for
pre-school nursery places is not being addressed. The Southville Centre
currently provides 114 nursery places but has over 300 families on their
waiting list. Although keen to expand, the Southville Centre has run out of
space on its current site and is finding it hard to secure a suitable property
locally. SCDA are keen to talk with the Methodist church to see if part of the
FaithSpace building could be used to help meet the huge demand for nursery
places.
Users of the FaithSpace building include;
Local charity Gathering Voices has based their work with children, young people
and families on site since 2010 when they created SoundWorks, using half of the
FaithSpace site on a full time basis. Gathering Voices uses music, performing
arts, mentoring and youth leadership to build dynamic, sustainable, creative
communities that include organisations such as The Tobacco Factory, Bristol Old
Vic, ArtsPlan, etc ( www.gatheringvoices.org.uk )
Southville Primary School use the school for school performances and special
events such as concerts and plays at Christmas.
Local Scouts and Beaver groups.
Toddler and children's play groups.
Local choirs use the buildings for rehearsals.
The building is used as part of the Southbank Arts Trail each year.
Local residents hire the space for children's parties and social events.
"We are deeply saddened by the plans to close the entire FaithSpace site at the
end of November, particularly as half of it has been the base of our charity’s
works since 2010. We work with thousands of children, young people and families
in the community and feel passionate that the site should stay as a place for
inclusive community engagement that benefits all ages."
Hannah Klewin, Trustee & Director, Gathering Voices
The charity that runs the SoundWorks project in FaithSpace
"Over the past 15 years scores of similar community spaces have been converted
to residential use. New homes are important, but so are spaces for local people
to meet and support strong and thriving communities. A growing population and a
significant increase in children living locally - seen by the need to expand
many local schools - highlights the demand for community space for pre-school
nursery places as well as things like toddler groups, play schools, after
school clubs and much more. Other local community spaces, including the
Southville Centre are at capacity and cannot accommodate the demand from local
people."
Matthew Symonds, Chair of Trustees, Southville Community Development
Association,
The Southville Centre
"Southville Primary School have used the Methodist church hall facility
(Faithspace) for over 15 years. It has hosted a variety of school events, from
children’s plays to PE activities. It has also provided many of our children
with their first experience of acting on a stage and the fantastic memories for
both the children and their families.
The school use the close proximity of Faithspace as a satellite building for
the school to access. Our school hall has limitations due to its position and
acoustics within the school, however taking the children just a few steps
across the road provides them with the opportunities to rehearse, perform, play
and engage in the various activities.
When planning for our school expansion to accommodate the rising numbers of
children within the area, we had hoped we would be able to increase our use of
this facility for a before and after school club. If a change of use is to be
considered for this building much needed nursery provision would also be a
school priority.
Loss of this space will be a great disadvantage to the school and a sad loss to
the Southville community."
Sandie Smith, Headteacher, Richard James, Chair of Governors
Southville Primary School
"We are losing places across BS3 for people, young and old, to meet each other
in a friendly atmosphere. I don't just live in my house. I live in the
community of Bedminster. The quality of community is important for health,
friendship and good times. We should value places that provide this."
Ben Barker, Secretary, Greater Bedminster Community Partnership