Tag: friends of clifton

I worked in schools for many years as Head of English and came to Bristol in 2013 to work in a new school out near Parkway but didn’t like it there. I then began working for the National College for Teaching and Leadership which means I work from home and have a lot more flexibility – and let’s be honest, more time. Teachers DO really put in a lot of hours! Being new to Clifton and having always been part of communities (married to a soldier and then always at the hub of big schools) I wanted to get involved in ‘village life’ when I set up home here in the heart of Clifton. Libraries were under threat of closure in my first summer in Bristol and I got involved in trying to ensure that ours stayed open. When the reprieve was announced, I was delighted, but not blind to the obvious which is that ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it.’ And as much as that applies to muscle tone, it also applies to taxpayer-subsidised services. That is when I gathered support for what has become Friends of Clifton Centre and Library. In May 2016, I was elected as one of the two councillors for Clifton and am delighted to be able to continue to work to create what I hope will, eventually, be a thriving community centre and library facility.

I’ve lived in Hotwells and Cliftonwood since 1979 and have been actively involved in the local community for the past 32 years. I worked as a physiotherapist in Bristol for over 20 years doing community work and arthritis research and am now semi-retired. I’m currently a director of Bristol Community Ferry Boat Company and Network for Social Change and the coordinator for the Green Party in Clifton.

Bristolian, attended Christchurch Primary School, where the building is today occupied by the library and an increasingly varied number of classes for our community. Ex-Jazz group – Sweet Substitute, ex- Bristol Old Vic Company, ex-Theatre In Education practitioner, ex-Drama teacher at Ashton Park, Kate currently administrates, produces and performs in shows for Ministry of Entertainment. Kate has lived in ‘the village’ all her life. She wants to introduce ‘Clifton Sings’ into her erstwhile school building and hopes to kick-start live amateur and professional performances alongside a range of drama activities. Through the website Streetlife she has already noted a wealth of interest among local people in becoming involved in the above community projects.

Gareth has more than 30 years of experience, involving finance and project management, in the public sector; working to budgets and deadlines at increasingly senior levels.
Degree educated, from 1985 onwards Gareth has been involved at board level and as part of management boards, including Chief Administrative Officer (finance/admin/property).
Gareth was a founder-Director and CEO of Brendon Energy (founded in 2011) – a community benefit society based in Somerset and is now a Director of Bristol Energy Cooperative.
Gareth has been a member of the Transition movement for over a decade and decided that the most effective way to contribute, given his background, was to help to develop renewable energy.

He is also Chair and Director of freeholder-owned residential property companies setting annual budgets, appointing contractors and managing income/expenditure.