Back in 2020, Knowle West was named as one of the ten most deprived in Bristol, alongside nearby Hartcliffe. The report from Bristol City Council used data from 2019, and the next update to the English Indices of Deprivation will come later this year.
And two major community hubs are providing life-changing skills and experience for people that live there. Knowle West Media Centre, also known as KWMC, sits on Leinster Avenue .
It’s home to music studios, a community garden, working facilities and hosts regular “community feasts” where people can get a meal for free when taking part in activities.
KWMC has been an active media and arts space in Bristol since the 1990s. Currently, they’re working on supporting community organisations across Bristol, and creating job opportunities for young people.
They also offer skills training to help people look after their homes and health, and develop careers. Martha King has been working there for over ten years, and watched Knowle West change and develop.
“Some social clubs have been closed, but more housing has been built,” she said. “Everything we (KWMC) do is very much in the community.”
Knowle West Media Centre originally set up the Knowle West Alliance in 2020, which supported residents when the pandemic hit. Now, during the cost of living crisis, KWMC is teaching residents how to make their homes more energy efficient, using what she calls a “street level approach”.
Martha says that Knowle West is a huge hub for art and creativity, but often if people are looking for art, they will head to the city centre.
“We hope that will change” she says, referencing the levelling up plan for Knowle West that should be bringing new facilities to the area.
The area is currently under a levelling up scheme from the government to provide new facilities to the area, including a regeneration of Filwood Broadway. Over at The Park centre, another major hub for Knowle West, the organisation is also hopeful about regeneration and levelling up in the area.
Organiser Emma Hinton told Bristol Live about The Park. She said: “We cater for 0 to 100 essentially, which is quite a broad range of people. We offer opportunities and services for the local community.”
Some of the services provided by the Park include speech therapy, silver care, cookery school, employment advice and sports sessions. The Park has also been designated a warm space, for people to go to during colder days due to heating and energy costs.
The centre is preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. Emma Hinton has been working there for a total 22 years of this, and has also seen the area change over the years.
“I would say that there are less facilities now than what there were,” she explained. “Things like cost of living has hit this community very hard.
“There’s not a supermarket – and there’s not a pub.
“I think that the thing that remains strong throughout is that sense of community. These communities are strong and remain together and pull together, and there is always a real sense of belonging.”