Supporting Voluntary and Community Action
The winner of this award will be decided by a panel of judges - the following are extracts from all the nominations received.
REACH | Bristol Knitiative | Bristol Storm Basketball Club | Bristol Central FC | Autism Independence | The Legal Advocacy Support Project (LASP) | Mothers for Mothers | Borderlands Team |
FareShare South West | Victim Support Community Team | ACORN Bristol | Changes Bristol Peer Support Volunteers | Filwood Hope Advice Centre Volunteer team | Bristol Nightstop Hosts | Pride Bristol |
Rebecca Drissi and Madeleine Dwyer are two University of Bristol students who co-founded the Bristol Knititiative (https://www.facebook.com/bristolknititiative). The Bristol Knititiative is a social sustainability project with a mission to empower people who care to support their local homeless community outside of economic constraints. As they put it, ‘Give your time, not your money, and lets help the homeless keep warm! ‘ They set the project up after one of the girls donated a piece they had knitted for a family member to one of Bristol’ homeless instead, feeling this way the item would have a bigger impact. Running in to him again several months later, they were delighted to discover the item was being put to good use and it inspired them to create the Knititiative. Now they host regular ‘Knit-Ins’ where University of Bristol students get together to learn to knit, create something for donation and raise awareness of homelessness. All the knitted goods are then donated to the St Julian’s Trust Nightshelter. It is, quite simply ‘Simple, sociable, sustainable giving’ and the girls have created a great movement which is having a big impact in both the student and homeless populations of the city.
Bristol Storm are a unique sports club. The reason they should win this award is because they have created a sporting pathway from grassroots to the elite for young people in inner city Bristol. Over the last 10 years they have grown from a small project to now having age groups from 8 up to 18, boys and girls, right through to national league adult teams. The club is truly resident led, and has a mentoring system of support for young people rare in sport development circles. They have brought world class coaching and opportunities into the inner city that were just not apparent before - whilst maintaining an acute awareness of the social value of sport to the lives of young people, and the barriers in which they often encounter.
Bristol Central FC should win this award for its tireless work at introducing young people to football opportunities in the inner city. Operating primarily in Easton and St Paul's, the club works with BME young people and is the only junior football club in the city that has the majority of its committee, coaches, and young people from Black Carribean backgrounds. The club does not always have the same support from parents involved in managing as in over more affluent communities, so has to be more creative and proactive to recruit volunteers, which is the lifeblood of the club. It works with young people from 6 to 18, most of which are from the surrounding area.
Autism Independence are a fantastic organisation that offer support and guidance to a very isolated and vulnerable group of women, Somali mothers who have autistic children.
The Legal Advocacy Support Project (LASP)
The Legal Advocacy Support Project (LASP), managed by Avon & Bristol Law Centre, utilises volunteer law students to provide specialist legal casework for welfare benefit claimants appealing against decisions that they are fit for work. The Project takes referrals from support and advice agencies across Bristol, working in partnership with several agencies, such as Action for ME, to develop a highly specialist resource which will enable more people to access the support to which they are entitled.
This committed group of young volunteers provide support of some of the most vulnerable people in Bristol, going above and beyond to ensure the needs of the client as well as the project are met.
As one client of the project has said “[The Project] made a huge impact, believing in my medical conditions. [It] helped me feel real again and made me feel like someone who has a place in society.
Mothers for mothers are a group of mothers most of whom have suffered depression or distress after the birth of one or more of their babies. We offer support, advice, information and most of all a listening ear for any worries or concerns a mother may have.
Mothers for Mothers is a small charity which relies heavily on the support of our volunteers. All volunteers are mothers who have themselves experienced post natal illness, recovered and completed training to support women in similar circumstances.
We provide vital services to isolated women across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North East Somerset. These services include a helpline, weekly support calls, support groups, low cost counselling and the new home visiting service!
Our volunteers successfully run a drop-in centre which supports 130 refugees and asylum seekers a week. The team provides a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the Borderlands drop-in centre where they constantly endeavour to meet the complicated needs of our members; whether this is by teaching English, cooking and serving a hot meal for all our members or by providing a listening ear, friendship and support services. They are at Borderlands almost every week of the year enabling the drop-in centre to run effectively. Without the hard work and devotion of this fantastic team of volunteers, Borderlands would not be able to open its doors to refugees and asylum seekers each week, let alone meet the needs of the people we see.
We have the pleasure of working alongside a team of the most dedicated, hard-working, inspirational people you could meet. These volunteers are responsible for redistributing surplus food to organisations supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the South West. Volunteering here is hands- on and fast-paced. Each volunteer has played a big part in keeping the operations of this tight ship in full sail, especially when we have been through a year of growth and challenge. This wonderful team have kept on going, sometimes laughing, singing and dancing their way around the warehouse!
The most magical thing about our team of volunteers is the relationship that people have built with each other. This is an environment of shared support and friendship of people whose paths may not have crossed if it wasn't for their shared passion for saving food waste and helping others.
Our volunteers work to support and empower people who have been victims of crime. Whatever happened, whenever it happened, whether or not it has been reported to the police, the team are there to listen, support, help and encourage the victim until they feel able to move forward from the crime.
The team work with all crime types such as domestic abuse, burglary, anti social behaviour, assault, sexual violence, hate crime and people bereaved by homicide. This is incredibly skilled, sensitive work and the feedback we receive is incredible - our volunteers make a huge difference to people during what is often the worst time in their life.
Because ACORN Bristol community organisers and members have been working together for more than a year to identify the issues having the biggest impact on the lives of low and middle income members and to begin addressing them together, in ways that make a real and positive difference.
Together they identifed one of the most significant issues for members, that of the difficulties and challenges faced by people living in the private rented sector in Bristol. As a group ACORN organisers and members have stood together to raise awareness of the issue and to challenge landlords and letting agents who are profiting from the sector whilst treating tenants unfairly. They have done this through a range of activites - everything from offering members advice and support to trying to influence local government policy with ACORN'S 'Ethical Lettings Charter' (the first of its kind in the country) and organising direct action events where members have come together to support those being treated unfairly by landlords or letting agents and demand improvements.
Changes Bristol Peer Support Volunteers
From small beginnings 12 years ago, Changes Bristol now has a team of over 40 volunteers, most of whom volunteer every week to facilitate their 10 peer support meetings for people experiencing difficulties with their mental health and the others performing vital functions in the background such as helping with office admin tasks, producing a 3 weekly newsletter and moderating our online support group.
Changes Bristol operates all of its services with volunteers and could not operate without the dedication and hard work of it's volunteers.
The volunteers ensure Changes provide a consistent, reliable, warm and welcoming service to the members. The charity works on the principle of peer support and all the volunteers have their own lived experience of difficulties with mental distress, sometimes overcoming huge personal challenges to be able to support the meetings.
Filwood Hope Advice Centre Volunteer team
The team of 15 volunteers are dedicated to seeing the community of Knowle West helped through the services provided at the Filwood Hope Advice Centre.
A lot of these Volunteers have been working here since it opened 20 years ago. Knowle West as a community has many challenges .
Our beneficiaries include people with poor literacy skills, limited financial resource, those over 65, ex-offenders and people at risk of homelessness.
The clients using the centre come to have assistance with form fillilng, job applications, sorting out debt. problems and even finding resources for the next meal.
Above all other things they come to find a welcome friendly face and a sympathetic listening ear. Our Volunteers have a caring heart and a determination to solve problems and be completely inclusive in the service they deliver. Their dedication and commitment is beyond measure.
The Bristol Nightstop Hosts are critical to the operation of Bristol Nightstop - a Big Lottery funded project that provides emergency accommodation in the homes of volunteer hosts for Young People who are homeless. Hosts show amazing commitment and compassion by opening their doors to Young People who need their help. With the support of Bristol Nightstop key workers they help Young People out of a crisis and into a more stable future.
Pride Bristol is run by Volunteers who work all year round to raise all the funds required to put on Bristols LGBT Pride. At a cost of over £150k approx with little funding from else where this is no mean feet. LGBT Pride events are vital to the health and well being of the community raising awareness of the issues faced by the communities and a way to connect this vast buy disparate group and enable them to celebrate their diversity and that of the city of Bristol.