Knowle West Media Centre Annual Report 2013/14

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ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014


CONTENTS

Introduction

1

From the Director

2

FeatureD stories

3

GetTING involved

4

Projects

6

Featured projects

13

Support

19

Staff & teams

22


INTRODUCTION

At Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) we support people to make positive changes in their lives and communities - using technology and the arts to come up with creative solutions to problems. We’re an arts organisation and charity based in Knowle West, south Bristol – an area of approximately 5,500 households that has experienced challenges in health, education and employment over the years. As you’ll see from this report, we offer a range of activities, from opportunities for young people to learn coding and media production, and computer training courses for older residents, to a business development programme and regular exhibitions. Many of our projects involve supporting people to become more involved in their communities, live healthier lifestyles, and increase their confidence and skills. Eighteen years since our beginnings, in a 1996 photography and health project run by Director Carolyn Hassan, we now work across generations and communities in Bristol, as well as with schools and universities, local government, and European businesses. Knowle West is still at the heart of our work and we’re committed to being a nationally relevant organisation with a local focus. Through our creative and accessible activities, we hope to inspire people to make a difference to their lives, communities and environment. As one volunteer described KWMC, we want to be ‘a great place to regain your confidence and make you feel like you’ve made a difference.’

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FROM THE DIRECTOR This year has been both exciting and challenging with a considerable expansion in our work programme and team. We employed eight young people for six months as Junior Digital Producers, teaching them skills and providing them with their first jobs. This has been a hugely successful programme with many of those young people going on to achieve great things. Indeed one young woman from Knowle West, Baylea Hart, secured employment teaching digital skills in a school, and another young woman, Sammy Payne, was part of the Open Bionics team who came second in Intel’s worldwide Make It Wearable Challenge – winning $200,000. These are tremendous achievements and will have a huge impact on others. KWMC is taking very seriously the challenge of explaining what we do and describing how we make a difference, not just to individuals but also to communities, the city and by sharing our learning globally. I hope our social impact is demonstrated through the following description of our projects. We know there is much to do if we are to ensure that all communities and young people are to benefit from living in this city and enjoying the growth and success that Bristol is proud of. There is the danger of a growing gap between those enjoying success and those who are increasingly struggling to make ends meet. We have lots to do to support everyone to feel that they have a stake in creating communities where wellbeing and happiness and care for our environment are things that we all strive for. One part of trying to achieve this is supporting everyone to be part of Bristol’s year as European Green Capital in 2015, ensuring that this year leaves a legacy that creates real benefit for us all. So, I would describe what we do in the following terms: • We build tools, skills and places, with people, that support positive social change and provide opportunities to experiment with ‘making and producing.’ • We contribute to shaping the way we will live in the future through experimentation and sharing ideas with people. • We celebrate, build on, and make visible the cultural and creative wealth of communities and extend opportunities, for those who have had least opportunity, to engage, participate in and enjoy excellent arts and culture. These aren’t just words. We do things, as I hope you will see in the following report. I hope this will inspire you to get involved in something we are doing - and if we’re not doing something you think we could be doing, then help us to make it happen! None of what we do would be possible without the brilliant team of people who work at KWMC, the volunteers who give so many hours supporting people, the Trustees, our funders, and most of all – the thousands of people who participate in projects. Thank you all of you. Looking forward to the next year. – Carolyn Hassan, Director –

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FEATURED STORIES PLANS FOR A BRISTOL MAKER LAB ARE ANNOUNCED 2014 saw the launch of the Maker Lab brochure, which outlined one of the big ideas that we developed from our Do What You Love programme: a place for everyone to make their own products, learn new skills, and become entrepreneurs. We will create a space where we can think about how we make things locally and use materials in the future, and where we can bring together people with different skills and experiences.

KWMC MARKS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH A CAMPAIGN THAT GOES VIRAL We created a series of photographic portraits to mark International Women’s Day 2014, which were posted to the blog www.womenofkwmc.tumblr.com in March. Staff and visitors created giant placards to illustrate facts, hopes and aspirations - and why they believe it’s important to support young women. The series had over 100,000 hits.

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RADIO 4 COMES TO KNOWLE WEST In Spring 2014 KWMC was chosen as a broadcast venue for BBC Radio 4’s flagship political panel programme Any Questions? Jonathan Dimbleby chaired the panel of Farming Minister George Eustice MP, media executive Kelvin Mackenzie, food writer and poverty campaigner Jack Monroe, and Shadow Transport Secretary Mary Creagh MP. The programme was broadcast live to the nation on 2nd May 2014. Later that month we took part in the Bristol Food Connections Festival, staging an event that explored Bristol’s ‘wild food’ heritage. Residents, chefs and staff involved in the event went on to contribute to a Radio 4 programme about the local practice of catching and cooking rabbit.

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GETTING INVOLVED 2,379

790

471

115

79

58

35

30

23

17.3%

1

8

6

8

10

different people took part in activities at KWMC – a 69% increase on last year

people attended digital skills training workshops

young people learned to code in the Young Rewired State summer school

reduction in KWMC’s CO2 emissions this year, from 35.8 tonnes to 29.6 tonnes

exhibitions were held this year

100,000

hours of work contributed by 69 volunteers at KWMC

people contributed stories to the Knowledge community newsletter

homes were fitted with solar panels through the So La Bristol project

website rebranded and re-launched with live social media feeds and visual content: www.kwmc.org.uk

apps were produced by staff, collaborators and young coders including the local social network My Knowle West

young people engaged with KWMC

different projects were run this year

artists were commissioned to work on projects with us

young people who had previously been unemployed became Junior Digital Producers

recommendations were made in the ELEBCIS report to ensure that young people can access employment opportunities within Bristol’s creative and digital industries

the number of times that images from our blog for International Women’s Day were shared across the internet

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PEOPLE

“I can’t say enough about it because it has changed my life...” (David Bird, participant in the social prescription project Social Mirror)

“KWMC is a great place to try out new ideas... Working at KWMC has been a unique experience because of the freedom and support they have offered me as an artist.” (Dane Watkins, artist and collaborator)

“It’s been really inspirational seeing what Knowle West Media Centre does and how well respected it is in [the] area and much further afield.” (Kerry Bradshaw, Citizens Online, project funder)

TWEETS

Another brilliant day @knowlewestmedia (starting to fall a bit in love with this place). Great workshop, surprises along the way @PredacomDom

Our heroes of the week award must go to the team @knowlewestmedia - simply staggering sense of purpose and agility to deliver - thumbs up! @nGenAcademy

it’s a big part of my life and helped carve my future :) all about developing KW! @Davinanananana

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PROJECTS

(APRIL 2013 – MARCH 2014)

LOCAL ISSUES Arts and media projects primarily within Knowle West, exploring themes including local knowledge, way-finding, and the natural environment: • Lost & Found: collating the community’s knowledge of the neighbourhood to create a way-finding system that is both playful and practical. • The Kitchen Circus: exploring ideas about identity, hospitality and how we live through a series of circus performances – both in public and in people’s homes. • Wild Fest: supporting the annual wildlife celebration by providing nature photography workshops for school groups and home-educated young people. • Wild City – A Year in the Life of the Northern Slopes: a year-long project that used digital media to encourage people – from youth groups to older residents – to experience and enjoy their natural environment.

• Productive Margins: a five-year collaborative project that aims to develop new forms of engagement in decision-making, working with community organisations and social enterprises in Bristol and South Wales and academics from the University of Bristol and Cardiff University.

Lost & Found explored new routes around Knowle West and marked significant moments

• City Dashboard: creating an online space where Bristol residents can view visual representations of open data gathered across the neighbourhoods, such as health statistics, house prices, crime levels and traffic flow, and see how well the city is performing. • My Knowle West: a social networking app created specifically for the local community, enabling people to develop their networks and share positive activity happening in the area. AGM REPORT

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• Knowledge Newsletter and website: facilitating the production of a regular newsletter delivered to 6,500 households, and supporting local organisations and residents to populate its online counterpart knowlewest. co.uk • University of Local Knowledge: ongoing project uncovering and sharing the talents and skills that exist within Knowle West and South Bristol, through the creation of 960 short films, an interactive website and ‘pop-up’ events within the community. • Silverscreen: a monthly older people’s film group. • Local events included working with multi-agency group Knowle West Together to plan the Filwood Opportunities Fayre.

RESEARCH Projects that investigate new and innovative approaches to creating employment, involving people in local decision-making, and encouraging social action: • ELEBCIS (Entry Level Employment in Bristol’s Creative Industries Sector): a collaborative research project exploring opportunities and barriers to working within Bristol’s creative and digital industries to ensure that young people can access employment opportunities. • Curating Activism: working with young people to explore new ways of using data, arts and technology to encourage positive social action within communities. • Data Patchwork & Data Toolkit: Exploring people’s lifestyle choices and perceptions of their community by building an online survey and interactive gaming zone – and visualising the data collected in interesting and accessible ways. • Girls Making History: a co-designed research project working with young women using digital technologies to raise awareness of the signs of an unhealthy relationship and support young people to stay safe.

The Junior Digital Producers in the cardboard living room constructed for the Data Patchwork project

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YOUNG PEOPLE’S PROGRAMME Regular activities for young people aged 10-25 • Young People’s Programme: in 2013-14 we trialled a new programme of after-school provision to achieve three aims: to encourage greater collaboration between our different evening groups, to introduce young people to a wider variety of media disciplines, and to create pathways to arts qualifications and employment within the creative sector. Partway through the year, the filmmaking groups Digital Fish and Digi Fish, musicmaking group Music & Lyrics, and photography session Nlarge were replaced by multimedia groups Young Makers, Young Creators and Young Producers. These catered to young people of different ages, offering an introduction to disciplines including music, animation, photography, design, coding and photography. All of the groups supported young people to create a portfolio of artwork to gain a nationally recognised Arts Award qualification. • Creative Hub: a space for young people to work on their own creative projects, with support. • Y oung People’s Steering Group: a space where young people can share ideas and guide the direction of the programme. • Control-Alt-Delete: a regular group supporting young people to learn the basics of coding and website and app development.

Coding at the Young Rewired State event

Family activities at our Make It Fayre

Artwork by young photographers

SPECIAL PROJECTS: • Generating Genius: a ten-week collaboration with University of Bristol giving young people aged 11 – 17 the chance to create their own computer game. • XLR Festival: music workshops in beat making, lyric writing, podcasting and DJing, and performance opportunities for local artists. • England to Ecuador: a musical collaboration between urban artists from KWMC and live musicians from the Institute of Visual Arts in Quito, Ecuador to create a new song and music video. • Verbalize: providing opportunities for young artists to network and perform at The Station youth centre. • Music Studio sessions: supporting young and emerging artists to record their music. AGM REPORT

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• F estival of Code: KWMC was a coding centre for the annual event run by Young Rewired State where young people use freely available open data to make websites and apps that address ‘real-world’ challenges. • Tech Jams: a pilot scheme with Freeformers offering coding workshops for young people, which led to Control-Alt-Delete and other coding projects. • Digimakers: supporting young people to take part in a computer science and coding event run by University of Bristol. • Summer Programme 2013: a fortnight of creative workshops exploring arts, media and digital technologies. • Holiday activities: during the school half term in May 2013, October 2013 and February 2014. • Winter Celebration: a showcase event for young people to share their work with their friends, families and supporters.

COMMISSIONS TO WORK WITH SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND YOUTH ORGANISATIONS: • Community Liaison Module: film projects within the community with students from City of Bristol College’s Foundation Degree in Media Production. • GCSE Photography course for Bridge Learning Campus • After School Media Club at Bridge Learning Campus • B eing a Bristolian: a project for primary school pupils exploring what it means to be a Bristolian, through the use of digital media.

Coding in small teams at the Young Rewired State Festival of Code 2013

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EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS Working with artists and residents to reflect on notions of place, self and community and celebrate the creative culture of Bristol and Knowle West: • Second Chances – remixing your city for good: a walking tour, debate and series of artists’ commissions exploring the past, present and possible future of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. • A Lexicon of Labour Movements: a live performance from artists Clare Thornton and Paul Hurley investigating the working dynamics of Bristol. • Reverberations: photographic portraits by artist Mark Perham depicting the working life of Bristol Temple Meads installed on Platform 15. • S elf and the City - The South West Photography Prize: working with Fotonow to deliver a series of activities and events exploring the role of visual culture in the stories we tell about people and places in a digital age. • The Place Makers: a collaboration with The Architecture Centre featuring photographs by Frances Gard and young people, the exhibition shared the stories of community pioneers shaping Bristol and Knowle West. • Foodscapes: producing a series of artist-led interventions to explore the role of art in creating more sustainable local food policy and practice. • Inspiring Change programme: attending events and conferences to share learning from a range of projects.

Launch of the Social Mirror app

Cooking wild food in front of a live audience

Light paintings from ‘A Lexicon of Labour Movements’

HEALTH & WELLBEING Projects tackling isolation and unhealthy lifestyles through innovative use of arts and media • SPHERE (Sensor Platform for Healthcare in a Residential Environment): a five-year collaborative project developing home sensor systems to monitor the health and wellbeing of people living at home. • Social Mirror: in a pilot initiative responding to needs identified through research with The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, a digital tool was used in doctors’ surgeries to prescribe activities to isolated people aged 18-25 and 65+. • Sporting Memories: a collaboration with the Sporting Memories Network to offer a reminiscence group for older residents and people with dementia or memory issues. • Celebrating Age: a joint event with Knowle West Health Park showcasing the activities on offer for over 55s in the Knowle West area. AGM REPORT

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ENVIRONMENTAL Projects exploring how digital technologies and the arts can support people to live more sustainably: • Do What You Love – the Green Digital Business programme: supporting the development of eight new enterprises that make the most of new ‘green’ and digital technologies and create jobs within the Knowle West community. New groups and enterprises include a bread-making group, sewing circle, all-ability cycling initiative, recycled paint project, and laser-cutting business. • IES Cities: a European partnership project using open data to develop a range of online services for Bristol that address local needs and allow citizens and councils to interact and collaborate more easily. • Edible Landscapes Movement: supporting local food producers to use online feeds and digital technologies to develop a sustainable local network and promote healthy living. • S o La Bristol: partnership project providing solar panels and battery storage to 30 Council properties, with the aim of reducing energy use. • 3e Houses: EU-funded partnership project to reduce energy consumption in homes by 20% through the use of digital technologies and smart metering. • House Power: working with project partners Buro Happold and the local community to explore possibilities and issues surrounding the development of a business model for neighbourhood governance of smart electricity grids. • Plot to Plate: providing training in photography and using the social network app My Knowle West, for people who attend cookery and gardening courses at Knowle West Health Association. • Make It Festivals: regular making days for children and families to experiment with new technologies, robotics, and making something new from something old.

Make It festival

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Documenting growth down at the Polytunnel

Sewing sessions supported by Do What You Love

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TRAINING A programme of training and workshops for artists, residents and professionals, covering a range of artforms and disciplines: • Community Journalism: training local residents in journalism skills, including researching, interviewing and writing features for the Knowledge newsletter and website. • Digital Skills training: computer training classes and special events to encourage people, particularly older residents, to access the benefits of being online. • Introduction to Digital Photography: weekly class for adult learners. • Introduction to InDesign: a two-day beginners’ course giving an introduction to the features and functions of design programme Adobe InDesign. • Best Practice in Social Media: a half-day course for charitable organisations seeking to maximise their use of social media and learn how to handle negative publicity. • Communicate! 2013: a workshop at Voscur’s training event for charitable organisations exploring the benefits of using social media.

Community Journalism training

Using digital tablets at a community event

Photography training sessions

DESIGN Design and branding work was delivered for clients including: • Illustrations for Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal • Flyers for the Bristol Ageing Better campaign • Document folders for Knowle West Children’s Centre • Festival brochure for the Celebrating Age Festival • Logos for Harbour Training • Design of the Knowledge Newsletter for the Filwood, Knowle and Windmill Hill Neighbourhood Partnership

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FEATURED PROJECTS DATA TOOLKIT

#youngpeople #data #employment

WHO?

Digital R&D Fund: NESTA and the Arts & Humanities Research Council IBM University of the West of England SEA Communications Artists: Dane Watkins, Matthew Olden Curator: Charlotte Cotton Technical support: Thomas Harrison, Joseph Ballard, Thomas Mortensen Nine trainees, 15 young volunteers, eight Junior Digital Producers Creative Skills Hub / West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Ujima Radio Trinity Arts Centre

WHY?

to provide training and development opportunities for young people aged 18-24 not in education, training or employment to support arts organisations to utilize the potential of arts and data to develop their artistic practice and the services they provide to their communities

WHAT?

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We can collect data about almost anything - from weather patterns and crime statistics to people’s perceptions of their local area. By studying data in depth we can gain a greater understanding of the subject. In previous data projects, such as 3e Houses and Mayor for the Day, we worked with local residents to identify data that is relevant to the community and artists to represent the information in ways that were accessible, interesting and creative.

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Data Toolkit was an ambitious data project: as well as building a touring installation that collected feedback from the Knowle West community, we created a resource that others could use to harness the potential of gathering and visualising data in creative ways. In October 2013 we recruited eight young people aged 18-24 who weren’t in education, training or employment. They were employed for six months through the Creative Employment Programme as Junior Digital Producers (JDPs) – for many it was their first job within the creative industry. Following bespoke workshops in coding, animation and community engagement, the group put the training into action by creating a community survey with a difference... They began by designing an online survey that would collect information about residents’ perceptions of their community and their lifestyle choices. In March 2014 they brought the survey to life in a 3D gaming room where residents could answer the questions by interacting with eight full-size pieces of cardboard furniture including a bookcase, TV set and grandfather clock. The objects were connected to sensors and laptop computers: when people moved and played with them, their answers to the survey questions were recorded. The JDPs then created an ‘Information Station’ where the data gathered was displayed and updated in real time. They went on to write, design, code and animate the Data Toolkit, which is a step-by-step guide to gathering and visualising data and involving young people and trainees in the process. Supported by artists and mentors from IBM, the Junior Digital Producers created templates, case studies and animations based on their experiences and KWMC’s history of data projects. The Toolkit (www.datatoolkit.org.uk) is intended for other arts organisations to use and adapt to suit their aims, budget and context. For example, one organisation might collect information about their local area and help residents start a campaign. Another might gather statistics and visualise them so they can be incorporated into an exhibition. Art galleries could create fun and unusual methods of gathering audience feedback.

IMPACT

The cardboard living room toured five venues in Knowle West during March 2014 and people’s responses to the survey questions were visualised online at www.datapatchwork.co.uk Journalist Eleanor Turney described the installation as ‘incredibly inventive’ and ‘grassroots work at its absolute best’ in a piece in Native magazine. In the same article she concluded that ‘the work KWMC does, while specific to Knowle West in its particulars, has implications on a far wider scale.’ (’Inside Knowle West’, 27th July 2014: http://artsdigitalrnd.org.uk/features/inside-knowle-west/) We sent information about the Data Toolkit to over 100 arts organisations, receiving positive feedback on social media and in written publications: • Scrabbling for time to get my head round @knowlewestmedia’s #datatoolkit. Such a good resource for arts orgs (@VolArtsSW) • Inspirational approaches to data visualisation by @knowlewestmedia (@WNEvaluates) We hope that arts organisations will continue to use the resources in the Data Toolkit to develop their own artistic practice and assist young people to advance their careers. At our ‘Room Full of Talent’ event the Junior Digital Producers were introduced to potential employers and showcased the work they’d created during their time with us. At the end of their placements, one had gone on to set up his own film company, another was recruited by a digital agency, and five of the eight now work for organisations, including KWMC, on a freelance basis. In October 2014 we recruited a further eight JDPs to work on a new data project, working with schools and young people. We are also in the process of establishing Eight, a platform to supported employment for young creatives aged 18-30.

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FOODSCAPES

#sustainability #health #collaboration

WHO?

Arts & Humanities Research Council University of the West of England Artist Paul Hurley The Matthew Tree Project University of Southampton The James Hutton Institute Connected Communities Growers and gardeners of the Edible Landscapes Movement (ELM)

WHY?

to use art as a catalyst to bring people together and stimulate dialogue about shared issues to investigate the role of art in creating more sustainable local food policy and practice to explore how arts intervention can enhance conversation between community-based organisations and research institutions

WHAT?

‘What did you eat yesterday?’ ‘What will you eat tomorrow?’ ‘What roles do dignity, choice, aesthetics, health and nutrition play in choosing the food you eat?’ Foodscapes was an arts research project and exhibition that asked these probing questions of people, to stimulate discussion about food, food poverty, and food production. A research team of KWMC staff, artists and academics toured centres of food production and distribution, including the producers and growers of Knowle West’s Edible Landscapes Movement and a local food bank. We recognised that Bristol’s food landscapes, or foodscapes, are many and varied: from making a food bank parcel last a week to having organic delights delivered to your door; from nurturing crops in a window box to doing the weekly supermarket shop. We invited users of

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the Inns Court food bank to keep a daily food diary - photographing the meals they made and recording the recipes they’d used. We also used social media to find out what the people of Bristol had eaten each day, producing giant visualisations of the information. The project culminated in a week-long exhibition at The Parlour Showrooms during Big Green Week, where visitors could view the food diaries and visualisations, bake bread together and reflect on questions such as: ‘Can you get the food you want?’ ‘Can you get the food you need?’ A series of performances brought everyday food rituals to life, including the plucking of a chicken. By devising a series of arts-based interventions, we were able to create a space where food bank users, university academics, artists, growers and passersby could join together to explore issues of social and economic exclusion and food poverty, and imagine alternative systems of food production.

IMPACT

Over 900 people visited the exhibition, while the evening discussions and performances sold out. Members of the Foodscapes project team were invited to present the interventions and outcomes of the research at an Arts & Humanities Research Council conference in July 2014. A staff member from The Matthew Tree project commented: “My overriding ‘take-home’ message was in helping me experience and recognize - with our clients - a broader role of food beyond nutrition. I was both surprised and delighted at how many of the clients really engaged with the process of hands-on bread making. Some clients still talk about it a year on and we have incorporated more of these sorts of recipes into discussions, practice and planning of our Cook Smart course. We might not have done this without our engagement with Foodscapes.”

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MY KNOWLE WEST

WHO?

Community organisations Knowle West residents International partners from Spain, Germany, Italy and Slovenia through the IES Cities project

WHY?

to support people to participate in positive activities within their communities

#digital #connection #community

to enable people to expand their networks – both online and offline to help organisations and community groups utilize the potential of social media in promoting their activities

WHAT?

In early 2014, we worked with digital design company Design Militia and local community groups to make and test a ‘local social network’ for the community. My Knowle West (or ‘MyKW’) was launched in March and is an online space that allows people to share stories, tips, images and inspiration with people in their neighbourhood and find out what others are up to. MyKW can be viewed online at www.mykw.org.uk and downloaded as a web app on smartphones and tablets. Like many social media channels, MyKW is an online community of like-minded individuals. But while traditional social networks may only link you to friends, colleagues or existing contacts, MyKW brings people together who might not usually know each other, to find out information they might not otherwise know. The design of the app is deliberately clean and simple, with a focus on sharing images, creating keywords for others to find, and starting conversations. We have offered free training for 68 individuals, organisations and groups to help them use MyKW to network, promote positive activities already happening in the community, and encourage others to get involved.

IMPACT

As of October 2014, there are 150 registered users of MyKW, who have shared 800 photo updates. Many local organisations are incorprating it into their work: a youth charity used MyKW to chart its fundraising efforts and an expedition to climb Mt Snowdon; growers on the allotment photographed their ‘edible hanging baskets’ on their way to their new homes. Due to the success and growing popularity of the ‘local social network’, we have created a city-wide equivalent called MyBristol through the European partnership project IES Cities. Like MyKW, the MyBristol app harnesses the popularity and reach of social networking platforms, this time encouraging people from different communities to connect. MyBristol was used during Bristol Food Connections, a ten-day festival in May 2014, when the Bristol Food Network used the app as a platform for their ‘Good Food Diaries’. They invited people to show what were doing ‘towards making Bristol a truly sustainable food city’ and users uploaded stories and images to chart their progress in a variety of food challenges.

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THE KITCHEN CIRCUS

#families #performance #liveart

WHO?

Cirque Bijou, artists and musicians Knowle West households

WHY?

to provide opportunities for Knowle West residents to engage in the arts in relevant and meaningful ways to explore notions of hospitality in public and private spaces to celebrate the culture, community and people of Knowle West

WHAT?

Kitchen Circus transformed the streets, homes and gardens of Knowle West into live performance spaces. A group of local residents helped KWMC and Cirque Bijou to create a programme of songs and performances, which were framed as stories “being brought back to life and remembered by people”. The performances took place in February 2014 and included a procession through the streets led by residents and professional musicians, fire-juggling and circus skills in a cul-de-sac off Leinster Avenue, and a song written about one of Knowle West’s largest families, performed by the traveling troupe in the family’s front room. The name ‘Kitchen Circus’ recalls both the everyday and the fantastic – two extremes alive in the same moment. It was this spirit that the performances aimed to capture; as collaborating musician Dom Koyote said, the performances were “inspired by people’s ordinary lives and [showed] them to be as extraordinary as they really are”. The performances drew people out of their homes to celebrate together and create their own pieces of art, such as photographed light paintings.

IMPACT

AGM REPORT

KWMC is located within the Filwood ward, where only 12% of people participated in creative activities in the year of Bristol City Council’s last Quality of Life Report (2012). While limited bus services and socio-cultural barriers can impact people’s desire and ability to engage in arts activity elsewhere in Bristol, the Kitchen Circus brought live art and performance to their doorstep. It is through work like the Kitchen Circus that we have been able to increase our audiences by 69% this year, echoing the Arts Council England aim to provide ‘great art for everyone’. 18


SUPPORT CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES [INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT] FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2014

Unrestricted funds

Restricted funds

Total funds

Total funds

2014 £

2014 £

2014 £

2013 £

Incoming resources Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income Donations Activities to generate funds: Rent and sales of subsidiary company Interest receivable

26 300 326 2,055 36,294 417

1,301 –

Incoming resources from charitable activities: Grants and contracts

276,527

662,001

938,528

657,072

Total incoming resources

313,264

663,602

976,866

699,244

Resources expended Costs of generating funds Charitable activities Governance costs Expenditure on subsidary activities

6,418 271,567 9,902 –

– 649,351 – 52,703

6,418 19,615 920,918 665,573 9,902 10,127 52,703 57,097

Total resources expended

287,887

702,054

989,941

Net incoming / (outgoing) resources before transfers Reconciliation of funds Transfers between funds

37,595 39,847 417 270

752,412

25,377 (38,452) (13,075) (53,168) – –

2,312

(2,312)

Total funds brought forward

128,320

2,383,931

2,512,251

2,565,419

Total funds carried forward

156,009

2,343,167

2,499,176

2,512,251

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 8 to the financial statements.

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BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2014

Fixed assets Tangible assets Long-term investments

2014 £

2013 £

2,279,059 50

2,319,156 50

Current assets Debtors and prepayments Cash at bank and in hand

180,931 111,454 98,569 162,170

279,500

Current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due within 12 months

(59,433) (80,579)

Net current assets

220,067

193,045

2,499,176

2,512,251

Net assets

273,624

Funds Unrestricted funds General fund Designated funds Restricted funds Media projects Archimedia (building retention) Depreciation reserve Restricted funds

64,108 52,775 – 12,000 2,279,059 2,319,156 2,343,167 2,383,931

Total funds

2,499,176

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139,377 128,320 16,632 – 156,009 128,320

2,512,251

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INCOME, 2009 - 2015 2009/10 £782,990 2010/11 £860,844 2011/12 £709,991 2012/13 £699,244 2013/14 £976,866 2014/15 (budget) £1,150,000

Income, 2009 - 2015 £1,400,000 £1,200,000 £1,000,000 £800,000 £600,000 £400,000 £200,000 £0

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15 (budget)

EXPENDITURE BY PROGRAMME

Expenditure 2013/14 Building deprecia,on, Costs of genera,ng funds, £52,703 £6,418 Governance, £9,902 Other projects, £39,731

Core, £164,096

Crea,ve Programme, £133,580 Green Digital Neighbourhoods, £345,450

Young People/ Educa,on, £238,061

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STAFF & TEAMS FULL TIME STAFF

Barry Lynch Carolyn Hassan Georgiana Beianu Hazel Grian James Kennaby Jennifer Rolfe Jeremy Empson Justin Ricks Naomi Yates Penny Evans Rebecca Thomas Russell Knights Sandra Manson Steven Belgium

JUNIOR DIGITAL PRODUCERS, INTERNS & SHORT-TERM STAFF

Alexis Walling Andrew Squibbs Baylea Hart Ben Pullen Candice Pepperall Charlotte Atour Chavez Moulton Collins Suleaudu David Biddle Dorothy Baker Hassan Duncan Bambridge Fabia Jeddere-Fisher Jade Clarkson-Shore Joanna Mitchell Katie Snook Lauren Hunt Linda Munt Max Dowding Ryan O’Connor Samantha Payne Scott Taylor Thomas Kirby

TRUSTEES

AGM REPORT

Sarah Chilcott (Chair) Oliver Callaghan (Treasurer) Alex Franklin Alison Bown Bob Fisher Ed Boal Kalpna Woolf Karron Chaplin Kelvin Blake Mark Baker Matt Little Paul Bason (resigned 2013)

PART TIME STAFF

Bart Blazejewski Caryn Davies Christine Silcocks Gail Bevan Geetha Patel James Wall Kerry Luckett Lucinda Thelwell Luke Gregg Makala Campbell Martin Hall Martin Hanstead Melissa Mean Michaela Macrae Simpson Misty Tunks Paul Butt Phoebe Langton-Beck Rachel Cato Rachel Clarke Roz Hall Sue Mackinnon

STAFF WHO LEFT THIS YEAR (MANY THANKS TO THEM ALL)

Caitlin Kennedy Hannah Smith Matthew Tickner Nicola Hatton-Williams Nino Theunissen Steffan Le Prince Will Plowman

ASSOCIATES

We worked with 43 artists, facilitators and producers, and 16 creative companies in 2013-14.

WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENTS & VOLUNTEERS

69 volunteers worked with us in 2013-14.

GRANT FUNDERS

Arts Council England Avon and Somerset Constabulary BBC Children in Need Bristol City Council Bristol Futures Bristol Youth Community Action Business West Creative & Cultural Skills Department for Work and Pensions European Union NESTA Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) RSA University of Bristol University of the West of England Vodafone World of Difference 22


KNOWLE WEST MEDIA CENTRE LEINSTER AVENUE, BRISTOL, BS4 1NL 0117 903 0444 enquiries@kwmc.org.uk www.kwmc.org.uk knowlewestmedia on Facebook and Twitter Charity Number: 1092375 Company Number: 4358350

KWMC IS SUPPORTED BY:

KWMC PROJECTS ARE SUPPORTED BY:


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