Monday 31 March
17.00hrs
A partner initiative to improve the area of Filwood has been
hailed a success by those involved.
The Filwood Week of Action tackled a number of specific problems
that residents wanted targeted such as rubbish, graffiti and
vandalism.
Key partners included Safer Bristol, Police, Bristol City Council,
Avon Fire & Rescue Service, Inns Court Residents Association
& Knowle Safe.
Residents joined in to help spruce up the area, which included
graffiti removal from walls, picking up litter from roads and
hedges and removing pigeon droppings from the old cinema.
Police targeted untaxed and uninsured cars and anti-social
behaviour. Four youths were arrested on Thursday March 27 for
public order offences in Melvyn Square.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service visited Florence Brown Primary
School and Eagle House to give youngsters and residents advice on
fire prevention.
The Inns Court Residents Association (ICRA) organised a clean-up of
the 'Black Path', which is a walk way, that runs from Holst
Gardens, off Inn's Court Drive, to The Junction on Hartcliffe Way,
notorious for drug-taking and being impassable for local
residents.
A small area around the path had been cleared in the week before by
Bristol City Council's Housing Department, during which over 2,000
needles and syringes were recovered.
Residents and partner agencies continued the clean-up in the week
of action and picked up litter and sowed grass seed. A barbeque was
hosted by ICRA to say thank you to residents for helping.
Cynthia Goldsmith from Knowle Safe said: "Residents didn't want to
use this path due to the drug use along it and as a result it had
become a dumping ground for litter and subsequently developed a
vermin problem.
"Only part of the path has been cleaned up and we will have to wait
until nesting season is over until we can finish it.
"This has been a real case of residents claiming back something
that should have been theirs a long time ago.
"Our long term aim is to clear it all and turn it in to a place
residents feel safe to use again."
The Week of Action was rounded off with a 'fun day' at Filwood
Broadway on Saturday 29 March where over 200 residents joined in
the frivolities despite the bad weather, which included a fancy
dress competition.
Firefighters were also on hand, giving safety advice and running
displays on how to tackle chip pan fires.
Neighbourhood Sergeant for Knowle & Filwood Nigel Colston said:
"This week is all about the police and partner agencies working
with the communities in Filwood - helping them help
themselves."
Cllr Peter Hammond, Deputy Leader of Bristol City Council and Chair
of the Safer Bristol Partnership, said: "This Week of Action event
was a great success and was welcomed by local residents, who I know
appreciate the work that goes into improving their local
environment through removing rubbish and tackling vandalism and
anti-social behaviour."
Lores Savine, Community Safety Manager at Safer Bristol said: "The
week highlighted to the community that partner agencies can work
together to improve an area for the long term."
Watch Manager Martin Lowery, from Bedminster Fire Station, said:
"This week was a great opportunity for the fire service to work
with local people and our partner agencies to make real and
long-lasting change to people's lives."