Nearly 1000 supporters signed a petition to ensure that a local youth centre and memorial garden could remain open. The success of the campaign has led to the cancellation of Bristol City Council’s planned public auction of the Southmead Youth Centre and Memorial Garden on Greystoke Avenue.
The Memorial Garden was built over 20 years ago in remembrance of three young local people who lost their lives in the same year. When youth services were lost due to Covid in October 2020, the youth centre building was taken on by the Roger Gracie North Bristol martial arts club. The club is owned and run by brothers, Luke and Clayton Chamberlain, and has now grown to over 500 members of all ages from across north Bristol.
Regarded as a safe and positive space, the club has a huge social impact on the local community, offering a range of programmes, such as supporting more than 30 vulnerable women from the community with a free weekly women’s only self-defence jiu jitsu class, providing scholarships for children whose families struggle with costs, and mentoring support.
The Memorial Garden is maintained by local resident and former youth worker, Billy Cockram, along with support from the Roger Gracie martial arts club, who have also maintained and developed the youth centre building into a thriving space.
The success of the campaign in saving the centre means that its work can continue, along with retaining the current care service in the former Southmead library building. Should this space become vacant, the club plans to transform into a wellness and fitness hub, including a dedicated community area with a cafe to bring people together and build stronger social bonds.
Luke Chamberlain, who was instrumental in leading the campaign, said of the victory, “It’s about community, it’s about caring for people and now we can continue to do that.”