Recent knife crime incidents in Bristol
Wellspring Settlement staff have been shocked and saddened by the recent events in Bristol, and our thoughts are with all those affected. Years of cuts to children’s and youth services and the uncertainty of growing up during lockdown have compounded the struggles and inequalities already faced by families and young people in the area we serve. Teenagers who would already face financial and health inequalities now inevitably feel more isolated and mistrustful of services and organisations that they should be able to trust and seek support from.
Our Family Centre will continue to work with families and young children to provide parenting support services along with play sessions and learning opportunities. As a wider organisation we act as a community venue where the police and other services can hold information sessions for parents and carers, or where parents can speak to someone about any concerns they have about older children.
We are also currently working to engage local teenagers in the development of a new youth centre in Barton Hill. We’ve seen that, given the opportunity, teenagers will work with services to develop spaces that they feel ownership of and where they feel safe. Local teenagers have been involved in planning the youth centre; working with architects and builders, and with our youth team to decide what will run out of the space. Not only will they feel like the centre belongs to them, but this partnership working will give them practical experience they can take forward when thinking about their future careers.
We’ve been fortunate that our applications to funding bodies like the National Lottery to develop this youth space have been successful, but many other areas haven’t had this same success. We would like to see a real investment in youth services from councils and central government so there are qualified workers and specialised youth spaces in all towns and cities, giving teenagers opportunities and building trust and engagement.
In the meantime, there is an anonymous knife surrender bin located at Barton Hill Amateur Boxing Club, 65 Barton Hill Road, BS5 0AP. The club is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6.00 to 9.00pm. You can see locations of other surrender bins here, along with information on how to report the use of knives and other weapons.
We have a bleed kit located at our Settlement Site, Ducie Road, behind the reception desk. We’re looking into getting one placed next the defibrillator outside this site which will be accessible 24 hours a day. Please check back for further updates on this, and find the locations of other bleed kits here.