Features / Local Elections 2021
Ward profiles 2021: Bishopston & Ashley Down – ‘Parks in this area are a lifeline’
The sound of children making the most of some late afternoon sun by the Ardagh is a welcome sign things are slowly returning to normal.
It’s not just the young enjoying the daffodil-fringed greenery of Horfield Common on Monday either, as the area is alive with people running, strolling, reading, playing football and walking their dogs.
“The parks and green spaces in this area are a lifeline,” says Sam Thomson, CEO of The Ardagh Community Trust. Rooted in the heart of this much-loved communal space, the organisation secured a community asset transfer lease for the Ardagh site in 2019 and runs the café, tennis courts and many more activities in non-Covid times.
is needed now More than ever
Sam says there is a real need for investment in play facilities, particularly for older children, as well as improved, accessible community facilities.
“We need places where people can meet, connect and build community resilience – and share experiences,” she continues.
“The pandemic has really underlined the importance of, and need for, locally accessible facilities. This is a densely populated area and we need to ensure that decent facilities stay available for people for the long term.”
“We need places where people can meet, connect and build community resilience,” says Sam Thomson of The Ardagh Community Trust
Streets of student houses, slightly run-down from years of multiple occupants, sit next to terraced rows of well-kept family homes in a ward that spans Ashley Down, an upper section of Gloucester Road and Horfield Common.
Floodlights over the rooftops of residential streets give away the location of Bristol County Ground, a renowned site that’s steeped in history.
Tucked in among the houses in Ashley Down, the home to Gloucestershire cricket bears a plaque commemorating Downend-born W. G. Grace, a prolific cricketer who bought the ground in 1889. It went on to be owned by Bristol-based chocolate company Fry’s and later Royal & Sun Alliance, before coming back into the ownership of the club once more.
In normal times, the ground in this quiet neighbourhood would host fixtures, including the occasional One Day International, but most recently, it has been playing its part in the citywide Covid-19 vaccination efforts.
Tucked away amid residential streets, Bristol County Ground is steeped in history
The County Ground is not the only prominent sports site in this part of the city, which also plays host to the Memorial Stadium, home to Bristol Rovers, as well as the community-run courts at the Ardagh.
Both major sports clubs have active community organisations and it is perhaps unsurprising that 88 per cent of people in the ward say they do enough regular exercise each week, compared to a citywide average of 71 per cent, according to Bristol City Council data, while 93 per cent say they are in good health.
On Gloucester Road, Mohamed Ali is busy serving customers their five a day in Three Wise Monkeys Greengrocers on Monday afternoon. He has been in the area for five years and is happy here but agrees there is a real need for more investment in youth provision and places for young people to go at weekends.
Mohamed Ali, who works in Three Wise Monkeys Greengrocer on Gloucester Road, says there is a need for more youth provision – photo by Ellie Pipe
Outside, a steady stream of traffic flows up and down Gloucester Road, interspersed with cyclists and people on electric scooters flying past the several non-essential shops and cafes that remain closed under the government’s Covid restrictions.
Here, as in many areas of the city, air pollution is a key concern, with 88 per cent of people in the ward stating it is big concern locally, compared to a Bristol average of 77 per cent.
For Sahil Wali, the owner of the Bristol Fryer fish and chip shop, one of the biggest problems is a recent rise in street drinking and antisocial behaviour.
“It’s been worse since lockdown,” he tells Bristol24/7. “I had the glass broken on my window.” Despite some challenges, the business owner who has been here for nine years says it is generally a good place to be, with plenty of loyal customers.
88 per cent of people in the ward say air pollution is a major concern
Bishopston & Ashley Down is currently served by Labour’s Tom Brook and Green councillor Eleanor Combley, both of whom will be standing down.
The candidates confirmed in the running so far ahead of the council elections on May 6 include Emma Edwards and Lily Fitzgibbon for the Greens. Labour’s Joe Rayment confirmed his candidacy and that of colleague Eileen Means in a Tweet, saying: “I’ll be campaigning alongside my friend Eileen Means on the dual crises we face: housing and climate. Truly affordable, sustainable housing and mass transit are the solutions we need.”
The Lib Dems are yet to confirm the candidates they will be fielding in the ward and there is no mention of Bishopston & Ashley Down on the Conservatives’ list of candidates for 2021.
Longmead Avenue, with a view of HMP Bristol, is on the edge of the ward
All photos by Ellie Pipe
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