Birthday Celebrations for Boing!

An open day at Boing! Soft Play Centre on Saturday 22nd September to celebrate their 1st Birthday provided Connect <> Lockleaze with the perfect opportunity to meet local parents.

Jo Earl with two student volunteers, Jeannette and Joanna, were there to talk about Boing!’s new IT facilities, find out how familiar everyone was with computers and ask what activities they would find of interest.

In keeping with the party mood, Jo had organised T-Shirt printing and this proved incredibly popular – a wonderfully demonstrable example of what technology can do!

Boing! have been a keen advocate of Connect <> Lockleaze to date – full of enthusiasm and ideas with a tight knit group of supporters keen to spread the word.

We look forward to developing a great set of courses and sessions with them.

A bit about Boing!

Having taken on the lease of the Blake Centre, Lockleaze Primary School & Early Years Centre (LPSEYC) has transformed it into ‘Boing!’ - a community multi-activity and soft play venue for 0-5 year olds and their families.

Boing! consists of a multi-activity play room, containing various sections of ‘messy play’, ‘building’, ‘home corner’ and ‘soft/baby’; a soft play room complete with custom built structure and a cafe area, which will serave refreshments, and where parents can sit and relax whilst their children play within view. Our Stay & Play Groups have relocated to Boing! along with our Childminders Support Group, and local mums have even started a breastfeeding group, the HoneySuckle Cafe. 

For further information about Boing!, please contact Georgie Batt on 0117 377 2840 or gblockleazep@bristol.gov.uk

Getting Connected!

It's an exciting time to be in Lockleaze at the moment. There is so much happening and so much more to look forward to...

As well as the new Gainsborough Square Development (14 flats, 12 houses, 2 business units and a purpose built community building), a group of local partners have been working with HP and UWE to get volunteers, computer skills and greater access to the internet into Lockleaze.

This will mean: 

• advice workers using IT & the internet with clients.
• computer classes on three sites around the area.
• UWE students and HP staff supporting IT classes
• group sessions to help fill in forms or apply for jobs online
• support for families and older people to get online and have fun

...and much more!

Naturally, we are keen to announce this project, which we are calling Connect <> Lockleaze to the world!

For this reason we are planning a launch event at the Cameron Centre - we want to have a chat to about what activities you fancy trying as well as finding out how confident you feel about using computers.

We are looking for ideas and suggestions while we share a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Don’t worry if you have never used a computer before, we have already planned some basic IT and internet courses to get you started.

So…join us on Friday 12th October 2012 from 2pm and be inspired!

Connect Lockleaze attend the launch of the West of England Community Learning Partnership

At Ashton Court Mansion last night Gail Bowen-Huggett and Jo Earl (more about them and their roles in future posts) attended the launch of the West of England Community Learning Partnership – one of only 15 pilot partnership in the UK and the result of a successful bid to government earlier this year.

The Partnership will coordinate a huge range of courses ranging from financial management, learning English, using information technology and parenting to pottery, languages and local history. Providers of local learning, like Connect Lockleaze, are being encouraged to participate and contribute to this coordinated learning network.

Jane Taylor from Bristol City Council thanked everyone for their help and support with the bid and hoped that our commitment to the partnership would help Bristol to be a learning city for all people of all ages.

She then introduced speakers from a variety of organisations (Hartcliffe & Withywood Ventures, Wessex Water, Whitchurch Health Centre, TUC and B&Q) – all of whom shared their reasons for being involved with the community learning in general and the Partnership in particular.

Following their talks, each table was allowed to nibble crisps and chocolates as we devised new and exciting ways of encouraging people to participate in training courses and how to create some excitement about adult learning as a whole.

Bristol City Council Cabinet Member for Skills Cllr Clare Campion-Smith summed up by saying, “This new partnership will help deliver more learning opportunities to more people close to where they need it.  By tapping into rich expertise from businesses, colleges and community groups the Trust will be able to share more resources where they are needed the most. Some parts of the region will want to boost literacy rates, some might want to offer parenting or home improvement skills this new model will help co-ordinate targeted training where it is needed most.”

Everyone was very enthusiastic and Connect Lockleaze look forward to working in partnership with many of the people and organisations we met last night.

Never too old to learn something new

A 72 year old lady attended one of our basic IT courses recently – when asked why, she said “I wanted to try something new and to stop getting bored, and maybe to meet others too.”

At the end of the course she said “Well, it was my first time I’d ever used this computer, I didn’t even know how to switch it on! I left work at 25, so after more than 40 years, I haven’t even used a typewriter since…I like using emails, I have people abroad who I can contact. I’ve done some competitions too! I like to stay in touch with people, that’s important to me.” 

Join us for a basic computer course

Working with Get IT Together, a national programme promoting access to computers, Connect Lockleaze is running a 4-week basic course to introduce people to the world of IT and its benefits!

New to the internet? Come and find out how to get online.Then you can learn to search for your favourite hobby, save money on bills, communicate with friends and family using Skype, e mail, and get easy access to local services.
Our volunteers will be here to keep you company, take you through the basics and help you discover the wonders of the internet.  

When:  Wednesday 12^th September from 11am-1pm, and for the following 4 weeks

Where: Langley Centre, Gainsborough Square, Lockleaze, BS7 9XA

Contact Person: Lizzie Woodall

Tel: 0117 951 5751   E: lizzie@northbristoladvice.org.uk                        

UWE and HP pilot new project to digitally reconnect North Bristol communities

Communities in Lockleaze, Bristol have been the first to benefit from a new initiative from neighbours University of West of England (UWE) and (Hewlett Packard) HP aimed at reconnecting groups that are digitally excluded in a rapidly expanding technological age.

“Connect Lockleaze” is available at the Langley and Cameron Community Centres and Boing! in Lockleaze and North Bristol. The project aims to help a range of groups including older people, young families and those that are looking to return to work connect with the outside world through providing access to technology and developing new skills.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by UWE Volunteering and all the Centres have been kitted out with a HP donation of desktops, PCs, laptops and all in-one-printers.


So far, Connect Lockleaze and Bristol City Council's Learning Communities have worked together to deliver basic ICT and Money Matters courses to motivate and instil confidence in those who may be accessing training and technology for the first time.

Richard Reddrop, Chair of Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and Head of Community Services at Lockleaze Primary School and Early Years Centre, said, “I am really excited that the Lockleaze community is partnering with UWE and HP; the training is something that is constantly being requested and sought and we now have the opportunities to deliver it in a quality fashion. Interest in the training is really growing in the communities and feedback so far from the participants has been really positive.”

UWE students will be leading consultations this Autumn with the community to tailor the training programme to meet the diverse needs of the local community. This could range from helping people to trace their family tree and shop online, to better social interaction through Facebook and Twitter and improved access to learning and job opportunities.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor John Rushforth, who is leading the initiative, said, “In this technological age we can take access to computers and the internet for granted. Connect Lockleaze is an excellent example of what partnership working is all about. We are delighted to be working with HP to engage with a local community just 15 minutes' walk away from the University by equipping them with the access to technology and skills needed to make a positive contribution to their daily lives.”

“We believe that providing people with technology skills is a very effective way they can enhance their employment prospects and make a difference to the community in which they live. We are proud to support this project and have been inspired by the dedication of the Bristol community and the UWE students,” commented Nick Wilson, Vice President and Managing Director of HP UK and Ireland.