A community centre in Lockleaze in north Bristol received a massive boost this week with an upgrade in facilities completed as it heads towards celebrating half a century. A sunken trampoline and pizza oven have been especially popular.
Known as The Vench locally, the Lockleaze Youth and Play Space on Romney Avenue has had a new accessible entrance ramp installed making it easier for disabled and elderly people to visit the centre. A hot water system has been put in and essential groundworks completed.
Lisa Jimenez, centre manager for youth and play at The Vench, said she now brings her son to play in the same place she used to enjoy as a child, Having been involved with the centre for 20 years, she said: “The trampoline’s so popular that we’ve had to set up a timing system so that everyone gets a go on it.”
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She said the centre is in the process of planning the 50th birthday, adding: “We have people in their 60s and 70s coming here who say they used it when they were much younger. For the youngsters, it’s a great place for confidence building, for understanding and taking acceptable risks, for making friends and for building relationships with staff they can trust if they don’t feel confident enough to go anywhere else.”
She said the staff also keep an eye on children in the community who may need additional support. Lisa said: “We’re even getting some interest from the children on how the centre is run and financed, so it’s an opportunity to provide some early business education as well.
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“Of course it’s changed massively over the years, but the core function is still the same, community cohesion and a place for young people to find their confidence in life,” she said, adding without businesses helping the centre, “we would not even exist.”
With the project totalling £35,000, the funds were from Grundon Waste Management in the form of grants to the centre’s management company Groundwork South. It is administered under the Landfill Communities Fund.
John Phelps, operations manager at the Bristol office of Grundon said he wasdelighted the installation work was finished. He said: “Our work aims to make the community centre safer and more financially and environmentally sustainable so that it can continue working to support children and young people in Lockleaze to live happy and healthy lives.”
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Lulia Manolescu, operations manager at The Vench, said: "The new hot water tank would have a huge impact on the energy bills and the speed which we can manage the kitchen and the pizza oven is a lovely addition. Most important is the new accessibility ramp at the front which gives out elderly and disabled visitors the confidence to come in and benefit from our food club which played such a massive role in Covid and continues to help local people during the cost of living crisis."
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