September 2023 – St Werburghs

Posted by: 18/09/23

Roy Hackett was born on 18th September 1928 in Jamaica -This date in 2023 would have been his 95th birthday. Everyone at the Centre will forever be grateful to Roy for his work in the community and some of us here were fortunate enough to be able to call him a friend. His family are in our thoughts today.

Though renowned for his civil rights activism and his role in the Bristol bus boycott in 1963, Roy was also one of the founding members of St Werburghs Community Association which he helped to establish in 1971. Roy was an inspirational leader and was a member of our committee until his death last year at the age of 93. St Werburghs Community Centre may not exist without Roy – in 1997 when faced with the prospect of closing the Centre or pushing ahead through numerous challenges he responded by asking ‘what do we need to do’.

“We are deeply proud of everything that we are and that we represent and of the history of resilience. That moment when Roy said ‘what do we need to do’ changed everything. I think if he’d said ‘we should give up’ we would have done, but he didn’t. He didn’t. He said ‘what do we need to do’ and we got on with it.” (Graham Bottrill – Vice Chair of Trustees)

Thank you Roy for your commitment, wisdom, leadership, friendship, and for showing us the power of resilience.

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Posted by: 06/09/23

We are overwhelmed with gratitude as we reflect on the tremendous success of Picnic In the Park, which took place in Mina Road Park on Sunday 3^rd of September 2023.

The afternoon was filled with joy, laughter and a strong sense of community, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of so many incredible individuals. We were thrilled to see so many people engage with the activities and entertainment. Thank you to all who attended, volunteered, performed, ran workshops and generously donated to make this such a vibrant and memorable mini festival!

Our event would not have been possible without our volunteers who went above and beyond to ensure the attendees felt safe and welcome. Your hard work and commitment made all the difference and we are truly grateful for your time and effort.

A huge thank you to our sponsors MD group, Places for People, Let’s Rent and Amicus, whose generosity helped us fund and run our much-loved community event. Your contributions enable us to run this event year after year and continue making a positive impact in our community. We are grateful to have your support.

We would also like to thank the local businesses that contributed prizes to our raffle, including Bird & Blend Tea Co, Fierce & Noble, Bloc Climbing, Better Food, Bristol Beer Factory, Team Love, Watershed and Napolita. We also raised over £350 in raffle ticket sales which also helps us fund this event!

Picnic in the Park 2023 was a true testament to the power of community, collaboration and compassion. We are extremely grateful to everyone who played a part in its success. Thank you again.