Our Neighbourhood Community Festival

Following on from the success of the previous two years, our Neighbourhood Community Festival is back for the third time!

On offer will be a wide range of cultural and fun events, meetings, workshops and hands-on activities to raise awareness of the Neighbourhood Partnership and the valuable work local volunteers do. The aim of the celebration is to enable and encourage people to get actively involved in improving our local area, to give us all a chance to meet new people and to celebrate our neighbourhood. All local people are warmly invited!

The week begins on Saturday 2 May with Glos Rd Central’s MayFest and the Redland May Fair on Bank Holiday Monday 4 May. It continues with a series of events throughout the week.

Bishopston Matters is delighted to once again be sponsoring the event. There are lots of great activities taking place in our area, view the schedule – to see how you can get involved.

Festival Events

Saturday 2 May – Mayfest, 10 am to 5 pm Glos Rd Central / Bishop Road. Free community event laid on by Glos Rd Traders offering art, live music, creative workshops, food and drink, biscuit decorating, puppet shows, competitions, bike powered activities, stalls by local and Bristol wide groups. Highlight is the arrival of the Jack in the Green procession at 3.30 pm.

Saturday 2 May – Life Cycle UK’s bike sale 10.30 am – 1 pm ( Part of Mayfest!) Looking for a great-value, high-quality bike? Want to start cycling but not sure where to begin? Got an old bike you’d like to donate to a fantastic local cause? Then pop by and visit Life Cycle UK. They will have a selection of great refurbished bikes for sale on the stretch between Longmead Avenue and Cambridge Road. If you’re new to cycling or would like any advice about which type of bike to buy, their friendly mechanics will be on hand to help you find the right one for your needs. Prices start from just £80, and all the professionally-checked bikes come with a full 30 day guarantee. If you have a bikes you can donate to the project you can drop it off. www.lifecycleuk.org.uk

Saturday 2 May – Whiteladies Road Farmers’ and Fair Trading Market, 8.30 am – 2 pm Junction of Whiteladies Road and Apsley Road. The Whiteladies Road Market will have its usual mix of stalls selling local vegetables, bread, cheese, meat, cakes etc. Sustainable Redland will have a special stall to help promote the BCRNP Community Festival as well as to highlight the benefits of shopping locally.

Sunday 3 May, Guided Bird Walk, 10 – 11 am With the Friends of St Andrew’s Park, meet inside the main gate of St Andrew’s Park, near the intersection of Effingham Road and Grenville Road. The walk will be lead by local expert Des Bowring.

Monday 4 May – Redland May Fair, 1 – 5 pm Redland Green, BS6 7HE. The ever-popular free annual community fair. Go along and enjoy a wide range of 100+ stalls, live music, kids’ entertainment, refreshments, and much more.

Wednesday 6 May – Baby Bounce & Rhyme, 2.30 – 3.30 pm Free, regular nursery rhyme singing session for 0-18 months at Cheltenham Road Library.

Wednesday 6 May – Get Creative with Cob, 4 – 6 pm Room 212, Gloucester Road. Learn about the Straw bale building being built outside Room 212 and have a play with cob – the straw and mud mix used to render the walls. This is a free workshop open to all ages.

Friday 8 May – Free Launchpad class*, 10 – 10.45 am, and Face Painting**, 10 am to 4 pm KudaCan, 7 Dongola Avenue, BS7 9HG. Free Launchpad taster (*for anyone not who has not tried it before). Launchpad classes are fun, friendly and educational, aimed towards 2-4 year olds. Each 45-minute session has an exciting and practical approach to learning. Free Face Painting (**normal entry fees apply). Go along to KudaCan and use their play café. Friendly staff will be offering free face painting all day!

Saturday 9 May – Launch of Horfield Common’s Walking/Running route, 9 am Horfield Common (next to Ardagh Sports Pavilion) BS7 0XJ. The Friends of Horfield Common, invite everybody to the launch of their new 5k walking and running routes. The event will kick off with a community sponsored walk (this can be 500m, 1 or 5K), 9 am start. Celebration event at the Ardagh from 10 am. The event is free. Community groups are welcome to register prior to the event and to use the launch event as a fundraiser for their own organisation. (Read more on page 25)

Saturday 9 May – The Golden Hill Community Garden Spring Fair, 1 – 4 pm. Golden Hill Community Garden, Monk Road, BS7 8NE (behind Bishop Road School and Horfield Prison). The site is wheelchair accessible including the loo. Free, just turn up. £1 donation invited. All sorts of live music from Bristol Voices Choir and Bristol’s Learner Brass band. There will be a wide range of veg and flower plants for sale, delicious refreshments and cakes. Soup from the garden and pizzas from the clay frog! Enjoy the garden whilst picking up gardening advice. There will  also be lots of free kids activities including badge making, pond dipping, art fun, games and face painting!

Saturday 2 May – Kelvin Players live performance, 2 – 4 pm Kelvin Players Studio, 253b Gloucester Road. The next Kelvin Production ‘Tartuffe’, will be held at the Tobacco Factory Theatres main stage. The local theatre group will be rehearsing two scenes from the play. You are welcome to view a live rehearsal with the actors and Director of the next Kelvin Production.

Saturday 9 May – Tennis in the Park, 1-3 pm St Andrew’s Park (the bottom path of the park just above Effingham Road). Kings Tennis Club will bring balls and rackets for people to have a go at free tennis in the park!

Sunday 10 May – History Walk, 3 – 4 pm With the Friends of St Andrew’s Park, meet inside main gate of St Andrew’s Park, near the intersection of Effingham Road and Grenville Road. Enjoy a guided history walk, lead by local expert David Cemlyn.

Sunday 10 May – Bristol Roda de Choro, 7.30 pm Halo Cafe Bar, 141 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8BA. Join Brejeiro for an informal evening of listening or playing the wonderful Choro music of Brazil. £3 to pay on door.