Features / Breakfast with Bristol24/7
Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Sandra Meadows
Sandra Meadows is a glass half full kind of person, but there’s one thing that has her riled as we meet in Society Cafe one recent Friday morning, just days before a second lockdown will be announced.
“How can you, as a human being, vote against relieving the hardship of children in the school holidays?” she asks, shaking her head. “I don’t understand where that comes from.”
It is two days since the proposal to provide disadvantaged children in England with meals during school holidays was rejected by MPs and it’s still playing on her mind.
is needed now More than ever
As the CEO of Voscur, a support and development agency for Bristol’s voluntary sector, Sandra hasn’t stopped for months but you wouldn’t know it from her buoyant manner as talk turns to how the city reacted during the coronavirus outbreak.
“We did what we knew we could do but what was critical was we did it fast and in a really coordinated way,” says Sandra.
“I’m so damn proud of all the community groups and the whole sector in the way they responded.”
Sandra says she is “so damn proud” of the third sector. Photo: James Koch
Reflecting on the current state of the world, Sandra – who will be celebrating her 57th birthday on the day of the US elections – believes the rise of right wing politics in the States is indicative of where some parts of society are heading.
“As things get worse, sectors like mine get better because we have to,” she says. “We will be filling the gaps.”
With almost 30 years of working in the voluntary sector, the former marketing and PR professional focuses her seemingly-boundless energy on making a difference where she can. Such efforts have seen her recently awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, but Sandra is quick to deflect the recognition away from herself.
“People have done extraordinary things,” she says, picking at her pain au raisin. “The hours were ridiculous – switching off at 11 or 12 and setting the alarm for 5am. We could not let anyone slip through the net. I just know that the sector saved lives.”
Communities have come together to support each other during the pandemic. Photo: Samina Iqbal
Sandra’s work ethic was instilled in her by her parents, who came to England from Barbados and raised five children to be strong and resilient and to tackle barriers.
“We were told we had to work twice as hard as our white counterparts to succeed. In my family, a B was a failure,” says Sandra, adding: “That has built resilience, but the downside is you never feel good enough.”
Gazing out through the door of the café to the harbourside beyond, London-born Sandra says she fell in love with Bristol when she first came here in 1989. She still marvels at the fact she can commute by boat from her home in Baltic Wharf to Voscur’s nearby office in Royal Oak House.
Having ditched a corporate career for the voluntary sector, Sandra has never looked back. Her hope for the future is for her field to become, more diverse, financially stable and able to generate its own economy.
Sandra Meadow reflects on her career. Illustration: Anna Higgie
Coming on to the topic of her MBE, which she was initially convinced was a hoax, Sandra admits to going through several emotions and a few sleepless nights.
“It’s really hard because of course it’s an honour,” she says. “I had to think about what it means in terms of my community. Do I want to accept [an empire medal] so painful to my community?
“Then I thought of all the good I could do for my community.”
It’s typical as a Black woman, she reflects, to have to go through so much thinking in order to be able to accept the award.
Looking back on an extraordinary year that saw Colston’s statue toppled from its plinth and the city’s flagship music venue renamed Bristol Beacon – a process Sandra was involved in – the one thing she wants is for the city to move on together to face more tough times ahead.
2020 has been a year of massive upheaval. Photo: Colin Moody
“I have never felt this level of activity in my lifetime,” she says, referring to fight against racism. “There’s a lot of work to do but I’m excited for our young people. People like me have got to pave the way for others to follow them.”
Society Cafe, Farr’s Lane, Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4BB
www.society-cafe.com
Americano: £2.60
Flat white: £2.80
Pain aux raisin x 2: £5.50
Total: £11.30
Main illustration: Anna Higgie
Read more: Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Aisha Thomas
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