20 October 2021 • 5 min read

Sovereign Housing Association is working alongside Bristol residents to transform the outdoor spaces around where they live.

Three projects, submitted by locals in Easton, Fishponds and Westbury-on-Trym, will receive a share of over £27k from Sovereign’s Your Community Your Choice (YCYC) programme.

YCYC lets people submit their project proposals and the public then gets to vote on which ones they think should receive funding and Sovereign’s support.
Residents from 113 homes will benefit.

Kiln Court in Easton will see its communal garden converted into a haven for residents and wildlife alike.

Residents will be able to grow their own food in new vegetable planters and take a rest from gardening on recycled plastic benches.

A bug hotel will be added, to give bees and other insects that contribute to the local ecosystem a safe space to stay, lay eggs and hide from predators.

Fencing will also be fitted to the front, to create more privacy, and a barbeque area installed so neighbors can enjoy meals together.

Jordan Edgecombe, Support Worker for Second Step who manage Kiln Court, said: “The project will transform our garden space into an outstanding communal area that is conducive to the continued wellbeing of our residents.
“They’ve been motivated by how they have been listened to and it’s really encouraging to see the enthusiasm displayed by the team behind YCYC.”

College Court in Fishponds will see a great change to its outdoor space.
Gone will be a disused gravel area, nicknamed ‘the beach’, and in its place will be decorative trees and shrubs. Lavender plants and bug hotels will be placed throughout the estate and recycled plastic benches installed in green areas.
Alan and Marie, who submitted the idea to YCYC, said: “It’s good news on ‘the beach’ upgrade, which we’ve been asking for, and its due to Your Community Your Choice we have been successful.”

Llewellyn Court in Westbury-on -Trym is surrounded by green areas, so residents wanted to utilise them to create a private sanctuary for everyone living there.

A new fence and gate will encompass extensive changes to the layout of the gardens, and neighbours can enjoy nature together, surrounded by flowers, home grown vegetables, and wildlife using the new bird box and bug hotel.

Daisy Mummery, Community Development Officer at Sovereign, who’s managed the YCYC project, said: “It was great working with the residents to develop these ideas.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how they’ll benefit everyone, with works completing in the next two months.”

Wellington Court residents recently had their old park area removed due to the equipment deteriorating. CDO Toby discussed how the area could be improved with the residents. It was agreed that replacing the broken concrete surface with fresh turf will enable a great play space for the younger residents.

The work was priced up by a contractor and the project was uploaded to the YCYC voting website.

The project received several votes and was awarded the funding.

Toby said, ‘I'm pleased that the community come forward and proposed the project. It has transformed an old play park into a spacious green area where the children from the flat blocks can play together’

A Sovereign resident said, ‘It looks great, the kids will love it’!

Your Community Your Choice was live in the summer of 2021 and our CDO Jenny consulted with residents and an idea was raised in replacing the bench in the Collingwood close.

We loaded the idea onto Vocal Eyes and discussed what was wanted. We then held a voting session for all the residents to vote in person and discuss the plans. They discussed how the neighbourhood was so lovely and how through covid they had been bringing their own garden chairs onto the grass so they could socialise at a distance. There was one bench but it wasn’t looking too stable and wasn’t big enough for more than two people.

The residents decided they would like two benches at each end of the close for sharing cups of tea and a good chat with each other. The project received backing from the local community via votes. We funded the benches, and the residents are really pleased.

The work took place in February 2022 and four benches made from recycled plastic were installed.

**Quote from Jenny Bowley**

I am happy to have been able to help the residents of Collingwood Close to have a lovely seating area. I am sure they will enjoy being able to chat together in the sunshine.

**Quote from local resident**

I am so pleased the benches are in place, it’s going to make such a difference to us all. We will be out there in the good weather catching up and helping each other, thank you.