Features / KNowle West
Kindness rocks in Knowle West
In Filwood Community Centre‘s courtyard in Knowle West, a mysterious mural has been put up that says ‘Kindness Rocks’.
Later, Claudia Collins, a local resident, shows up with a bag of painted rocks and also a bucket of rock – the edible kind.
This is all part of Knowle West Kindness Rocks, a project by Claudia that’s spreading kindness across the community throughout the coronavirus crisis.
is needed now More than ever
“The main message is about how a kind word can change someone’s day,” says Claudia.
Some rocks have motivational messages on them, and Claudia places these in front of the mural she’s made.
A new mural celebrates kindness in Knowle West. Photo by Charlie Watts
“Knowle West sometimes has a bad reputation,” she admits. “But I think recognising what is here and that it is kind is changing that.
“We’re on the map a little bit more. There’s good things going on which people are talking about.”
As part of the project, Claudia has also been giving out sticks of rock, which she says is about “doing something sweet for someone in your street”.
“It’s about realising that small efforts that you make, like picking up a stick of rock and giving it to your neighbour, can make such a difference,” she says.
Local people have painted rocks with kind messages. Photo by Charlie Watts
Kindness Rocks is a follow-up to the Knowle West Beaches project Claudia did earlier in the year. This saw her making sandcastles on streets named after seaside towns.
Claudia, who is a retail assistant at the M Shed, has also been going around as the Grape-O-Gram over the last few months, delivering bottles of wine while dressed as a bunch of grapes.
She feels that doing these community projects has given her a “sense of purpose” over the lockdown.
‘“I know for me, being able to focus on doing these projects, has helped me,” she says. “And I think if I didn’t have this, I would be finding it a lot harder than I am.”
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo by Charlie Watts
Read more: Bringing the seaside to south Bristol
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
