News / Bearpit
‘Our Bearpit heartache was not all for nothing’
Last summer, a small team unveiled plans to transform the Bearpit into a food innovation hub, intent on driving positive social change.
With heavy hearts, the people behind the vision eventually walked away from the troubled St James Barton roundabout, which is now back under the tight control of Bristol City Council following a rise in anti-social behaviour, culminating in the eviction of squatters and subsequent clean-up operation.
But Miriam Delogu and Simon Green say the legacy of positive community work in the Bearpit lives on – as does their vision for The Circle, a project that aims to drive positive social change through growing and cooking food, and supporting grassroots organisations.
is needed now More than ever
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Read more: What is next for the Bearpit?
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Last week, Miriam, formerly of the Bearpit Social cafe and one of the driving forces behind The Circle project, shared photos of the damage inflicted on containers that had been recovered from the space during the clean-up operation.
https://twitter.com/BearpitSocial/status/1156165765650898944
Reflecting on the situation, she told Bristol24/7: “There is a big injustice that runs throughout the roundabout and we had hoped we would be the catalyst to deal with it. We have always talked about this place that was unloved and under-appreciated. The fundamental problem with the space was that no matter what you did with it, someone was disgruntled.
“We knew our thinking and ambitions were tangible and realistic things. For us it’s just sad that we couldn’t take that to transform the Bearpit. What angers us is we asked for the clean-up 18 months ago.”
The Bearpit on the day it reopened after an extensive clean-up operation
Simon, a teacher by trade, previously ran Bearrito from a double decker bus in the Bearpit. In total, he and Miriam traded in the sunken roundabout for around seven years.that
Both Simon and Miriam say a number of good things came out of their time there, including a working relationship with Golden Key, a partnership of organisations that works to improve services for citizens with some of the most complex needs in Bristol.
“We realised that Bristol has a really rich asset of community organisations that provide certain services on the ground but they have no formal training,” said Simon.
“We started a conversation about the importance of creating a wellbeing hub in the Bearpit.”
The various council-owned containers that were situated in the Bearpit have gone to community projects and charities, including Redcatch Community Garden and Avon Wildlife Trust, while the double decker bus was put to use at Valley Fest.
Miriam and Simon, along with partner organisations, are still working on their ambition for The Circle – a project they see as a bottom-up approach that will help engage groups and bridge existing gaps.
They hope to have a site secured by the end of the year, and while the exact location remains secret, it will be south of the river and not too far from the city centre.
One of the original sketches of what The Circle project could look like
“We have had tunnel vision for the last seven years because we were determined to solve the Bearpit problems,” Miriam said.
“But the fact is that problems exist across the city and the divide is actually getting bigger. Our aspiration is to create spaces and an environment for people to mix. I think teaching and empowering people to cook is very powerful. If we can make sure that no one in the city goes hungry, that’s the first step. It can fix so many problems in the long run.”
She added: “Despite the heartache the Bearpit has caused us, it’s increased our drive to ensure we build more resilient and cohesive communities in the city.
“It was not all for nothing. I hope that the space can flourish whatever comes next. Hopefully people will respect and champion it as a public space.”
Simon believes that, if successful, The Circle pilot could be embedded in the heart of new developments and help ensure people are involved from the word go, not as an afterthought by developers.
“There is nothing like The Circle idea in the centre of a city anywhere else in the world,” he said.
“This is a genuine bottom-up, community-led, co-created project.”
Read more: Bearpit reopens after five-week closure
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