St Barnabas Church holds a weekly

Local groups successfully pitch for funding

Fourteen local groups are celebrating receiving hundreds of pounds in grant funding – after pitching their ideas at a public event at the end of January. The grants evening at Novers Community Centre was organised by Filwood Fantastic, offering funding of up to £500, in partnership with Knowle West Alliance – giving pots of £100.

For the £500 projects – ideas ranged from a sign made from rubbish collected by Inns Court Residents Group to a twice-weekly roller disco at Inns Court Community and Family Centre, put forward by resident Craig Richards.

Grants for £100 projects included a badge maker for dyslexic organisation, Brislexic, as well as kit and equipment for The Park Knowle Football Club Women's Team.

England rugby player Ellis Genge has helped put Knowle West on the map after hitting the headlines for scoring England’s winning try against Scotland in February.

The 25-year-old rugby prop who grew up in the area is justly proud of his roots and is providing a beacon of hope for other young would-be sports professionals.

Now he has just agreed to be an ambassador for Youth Moves based at The Park – a charity which works with young people aged eight to 25 years old and engages in community projects and social action.

Ellis told The Knowledge he wanted to inspire other young people and said of his sporting journey: “It shows no matter what your limitations are, there’s an opportunity to exceed expectations of others.”

New prescription service at Merrywood

Anita Pearce (left) and Margaret Rawlings who pitched for groups at Eagle House.

Rising High Baking Group, which meets at Inns Court Centre, pitched for three projects: community baking workshops, storage and a member’s trip.

Merv Trowbridge who presented the idea for the workshops said: “We’re already up and running but if we’re going to take on training courses for adults and children in groups we need to get the resources …”

Silver Screen over 50s film Club and Knit and Natter which both help tackle social isolation also benefited from Alliance Grants. Silver Screen for transport and a trip and the knitting group for equipment and publicity. Chair of the Alliance, Heather Williams said: “It’s not about the money it’s about showcasing the good things happening in the community… "I hope you go away with a sense of pride about living in Filwood and Knowle.”

For the full story and list of grants visit www.knowlewest.co.uk Merrywood is the first Bristol practice to set up a new system for prescription ordering.

Patients are no longer able to request medication using a third party, such as a chemist, but now have to drop their prescription request to the practice or order online.

Merrywood Practice, based in Downton Road, has said it is for patient safety and to avoid wastage. It also saves chemists a lot of time.

But some older people are concerned about having to walk to the surgery instead of popping in to their local chemist, and are not able to order online.

Resident Ann Smith 80 said: “It’s hard for people to get up there and there are some people who live on their own and can’t get out.

“Not everyone has family and some people don’t like asking neighbours or anyone to do things for them…”

International Women’s Day

By Community Reporter Charlie Watts

Two celebrations marking International Women’s Day are taking place in Knowle West.

The first on Wednesday 4 March will be held at Filwood Community Centre with a raft of activities including talks, treatments and masterclasses.

He said his role would be “supporting young people if and when they need.” Alistair Dale from Youth Moves said: “Ellis is a great fit for Youth Moves as an ambassador as he is a local Knowle West lad, he has grown up in the community, had to overcome challenges and hardship along the way but is now recognised on the national stage, which has been similar to own our journey as a charity…”

Ann said she had been contacted by the practice and they were going to show her how to order on her phone.

Practice Manager Vicki Staatz said: “… The reason we no longer allow chemists to order on a patient’s behalf is because there is so much wasted medicine – also it is a safety thing, with a third person in the process the risk increases…”

She said if some elderly people were struggling they could have “the online requesting” set up on a friend or relative’s phone.

She added: “If someone is really stuck and has no help whatsoever… they can contact the practice and we can have a chat and we normally find a solution.”

Site visit at the Street Cleansing Depot. It’s being organised by Centre Manager June McNeill. She said: “The day will be a celebration of all the women in and around the area – and it’ll also be a chance for ladies to get pampered and gain information.”

Eagle House Wednesday Club in Newquay Road is also holding an event on 11 March. The day will include beauty treatments, creative activities such as knitting and gardening as well as dance classes and health information.