Knowle West groups pitch successfully for a share of £70k
Knowle West groups took part in a unique event at Ashton Gate Stadium this month to successfully pitch for grants of up to £10,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.
And on this occasion it was local people and not funders who had the power to choose the projects they felt had the most to offer their communities. The event was organised for South Bristol by Voscur and the Big Lottery Fund
There was a poem and a demonstration of apple pressing as the groups gave the elevator pitches of their lives – with four Knowle West groups winning grants.
Community in Partnership Knowle West (CIPKW) – on behalf of Knowle West Together, re:work, Knowle West Health Park’s Man Alive group and Redcatch Community Garden were all successful on the night.
The Northern Slopes Initiative (NSI) was later awarded a grant in recognition of their value to the community.
Results were:
Knowle West Together – £9,985 to put on Knowle West Fest
Knowle West Health Park Man Alive £9,972 – to grow the group and increase support.
Redcatch Community Garden – £9,938 to fund activities
re:work – £7,200 – to part fund a worker for the re:focus project
Northern Slopes Initiative – £1,190 – to fund tools for more volunteers to work on the Slopes.
Makala Cheung from CIPKW who pitched on behalf of Knowle West Together said she was “over the moon” to receive the money for the fourth Knowle West Fest to be held in September.
She said: “I told a story of growing up as a Knowle Wester and how people across the city see you and make assumptions about who you are… There’s so much going on in Knowle West and the festival will change feelings about the area both inside and out.”
Ian Watt a member of Man Alive read a poem about the group:
Man Alive
In days before,
We felt that we,
Had been passed by.
Does anyone have a role for us?
Was our collective sigh.
And so man DEAD
We sat, we sank
Failing to thrive
Could we become
Other than that:
Man ALIVE?
And yet this group
Helps the loop
To reconnect
We realise then
Despite it all
We resurrect.
To share our gifts
And socialise
And gradually
We open our eyes,
To fly the flag
for middle-aged men
Who’ve lost the will
To live again.
We may be crushed,
Not in despair
Though some of us
Have lost some hair.
And if it felt,
‘They’ didn’t care
WE RISE THE MEN
THE BLOKES, THE BOYS
TO ACT, TO SPEAK,
TO MAKE SOME NOISE
GET UP YOU GUYS
IT IS A CHOICE
TO BE RESTORED
TO GET A VOICE
WE DIG
for victory in patches
WE FISH
and get some real catches
WE HOPE
that England win
their matches
WE EAT
to get some mojo back
To see what IS, not what we lack
WE SEIZE
on life
we will arrive
THAT’S IT
THAT’S US
THAT’S MAN ALIVE
Chair of the NSI Bob Franks said: “We didn’t get enough votes to win any money on the night – but a little later we were give the money as part of the funding opportunity.
“We are buying replacement tools and new types of tools to enable more people to get involved in the work we are doing on the Slopes – and hopefully increase their health and well-being.”
Funding Lead at Voscur Jenny Wildblood said of the event: “…I can’t really express just how great the pitches were – we laughed, we cried, we cheered as we grew prouder and prouder of the amazing work that South Bristol organisations do for their community…”
