BSWN - reflecting on the Community Resilience Fund

There again. Hello, hi, good evening. How are you doing? Good evening. Yes, alright, excellent, excellent

Um, I mean, I'm monitoring returns, that's why I'm like. It's alright, it's good. It's it all fresh in my mind

Excellent. Um, so good afternoon. So, uh, um, what I was gonna do, because we've done one of these recordings and, uh, we decided to do it again, which is great, um, and I was gonna write fresh questions for you, but I thought you're instrumental in helping these organisations that have applied for CRF funding

You're instrumental in helping them manage, fill out the forms and all the different aspects of being successful and successfully implementing um the funding in the in the correct way. So I, I thought what I'll do is I'll ask you the questions that I would have asked them and then we can work around that. Is that OK? Sure, that's fine, yeah, great

So what I um my first question I ask them is good afternoon, could you state the name and community interest company uh that you're affiliated with and what you provide to the community? OK, um, I'm from Black Southwest Network. We're not a community interest company. We're a racial justice charity based in Bristol and we work across the Southwest

And in Bristol, uh, what we've done is work in partnership with the council. Um, and agreed that we would supply kind of listening ear, um, support service, uh, critical friend, that sort of role, uh, to actively help organisations that had. applied for the Community resilience fund, um, to help them with navigate the process of obtaining that funding and then implementing it, which is quite a challenging task for any organisation, but particularly small grassroots organisations with not a lot of internal capacity

OK, excellent. Um, the second question I asked them is, so you applied for the, uh, Community resilience fund, you were successful on being allocated a portion of funding. Uh, what have you spent the money on? So, um, that's a question I asked those organisations

Um, just briefly, what do you think the needs and requirements are for, um, uh, CICs? Um, why would they apply? organisations that have applied for this type of funding have, there's two kinds of areas. One is, Um, they may have accessibility improvement needs on their site, so making their buildings more, uh, accessible for disabled people, elders, and people with reduced mobility. And then they may have energy efficiency needs and you know, just in general, the look and feel of their premises might need to improve, having not been invested in for, for many, many years

And so this was a real chance to, Um, Improve their asset, um, an asset is something, you know, we're, we're proud of, we hold it in the community, but if it's old and, you know, falling apart and leaking and, you know, that's not fun for anyone, them or the people in the community need to hire it or use it. So this was a good chance to renovate, um, and upgrade premises. Excellent

Of course, Julius, this is the moment when my dog wants to go out. Right, so hang on a second. And then there's that moment when they go, oh yeah, that's why we're not going out cos it's raining

And I'm like, no, you're going out. Anyway, yeah, OK, carry on. Um, so question number 3 I ask these, uh, CICs is what difference has the funding made to the staff in your organisation and the community at large

So you've probably touched on it a little bit there. Um, accessibility, um, that will make it open to those who, um, uh, have sent. Um, and have other disabilities, um, and it will be more attractive to the community

Like you said, we've got this asset, let's look after it. That's right, and. So in terms of what, um, what it does for those organisations is, is the, you know, the environment within which all the community development work and community support takes place, it rapidly can, you know, be quite a transformative, uh, situation, you know, if you've got new doors or freshly painted rooms or Uh, it's warmer, it's cleaner, um, it's, it feels newer

It just sends a positive message back to the people that use it. And also fills the center's staff with pride because this is, this is the space that they're now letting out and showing people and advising them on the size or uh how many people can use it or whatever goes on in the booking arrangements for a venue. Um, it's just a really positive lift

Um, for people. I remember when I was running a centre myself is we changed the fire doors on the premises and, you know, people feel very up suddenly and they want to come in and even if it's a small and, you know, essential improvement, it's a sign, it's a signal that things are changing for the better. And so that's what people want to feel

When they're using our community premises. Yeah, and, and, and the people that are gonna hire that space, they then feel if you're having a if you're having a function and it's all dilapidated, rotting and everything, you feel a sense of shame because that's the place that you chose. So, um, yeah, I, I definitely, um, echo that

Um, the next or fourth question I ask, uh, the CICs is how did you find the application process and filling out the forms? So one of the last people I interviewed was Denise. Let me tell you, Sonia, when she spoke about you. There were near tears in her eyes

She was so I'm telling you, I've, I've never seen anything like it, she was so thankful to you. And her words and I can send you the video, her words were, she would have given up if not for you. So yeah, so you've made um an unbelievable um

Your work is unbelievable, you've made such a difference because that organisation, Cafe Conscious would not be running, but she did say that she found the application form really hard. Um, most people have said it was easy because they're, they're applying all the time. So, yeah, how, how was that working with, um, uh Cafe Conscious Denise and, and some other organisations? Yeah, you know, that, you know, most people when they get involved in community development work and, you know, it might involve having an asset or not, or, you know, they're doing it for the people oriented stuff

They're focused on helping children, young people, disabled people, elders, people who are unemployed, people who've got addictions, you know, all these sorts of, that is their primary focus. And so, When it comes to engaging with the bureaucratic process, um, The rhyme and reason of why do you want to improve this community space and uh how much is it going to cost and what are the results that you're going to be able to achieve and what are the outcomes and quantify all of that, please, and get us the budget, get us quotes. It's, it's demanding when you're a small organisation

If you've got a large team, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but um. It might even seem ordinary and needed if you've got a sizeable organisation, um, where when you're small and going through. Um, spending a lot of your time supporting people is listening to their stories

You might be burnt out, you might have loads of other pressing needs on you. And so making the time for the admin and the finance is challenging, but it's absolutely necessary that people do it correctly, accurately, and, um, that they're coming to that whole process knowledgeably to some extent about what they want to achieve out of this. Um, and so in that sense, you've got a kind of vision into the future, uh, in a process that you might not have undertaken before

You might not be an experienced builder, um, you might not know about the depth of insulation or, you know, the width of. The glass that you're going to put in your windows or the type of roof tiles that you're going to have or whatever it is, you might not have the technical knowledge, but what you need is you need to be able to find those skills in the community or from professionals and and obtain. Uh, the information you need for that process

And, um, and so I think the council did a good job of separating out who do we in principle want to support. And so an expression of interest was asked for. And then, um, The technical aspects were, OK, timetable it, get us the quotations and so on, and so, um, In a way, they, they went with their principles and said, let's get the right people in the room

Let's get the right organisations signed off. Yes, you're gonna get this grant. And then everything is subject to having the, the completed form, having the right quotations in place, having a comparison between, you know, builders that you're going to use so that you can make a fair decision based on Um, The work that's going to get done to a quality standard and so The people are not used to navigating all of that, and so, uh, it can get really stressful

Um, so another good decision was having an advisor, um, it could have, you know, it was me for some of these organisations you've spoken to, uh, but it could have been somebody else. Another good decision. Was having some experts on board, like Wessel

To talk to about disability access, to Bristol Green Energy Network around energy efficiency. So there's lots of advice around, Uh, to help small organisations to make appropriate choices for their particular venue or facility or space. And in in Cafe Conscious's case, um, Uh, Denise has a lot of different kind of, uh, clients that visit her that want to be there, um, that find it a safe place to be, that she actually creates that safe environment

She is the hero of this story because of the work that she does to enable people to, people in terrible situations, you know, things that we can't imagine what they've been through, feel. Like, yeah, I've got a safe haven in the community, so, um, well done, Denise. Well done for navigating all the challenges and, um, well, it's partnership working really it is, you know, we have to have a, uh, a trusted space between us, you know, as an advisor with the organisation, um

And, um, people work very, very hard in Bristol, I find in the community. They are available 24/7, um. And they, they, um, often do not say no, whoever turns up wanting to

In this case, have a bite to eat, or have a cup of tea or have a listening ear or you know, whatever people need. Um, Denise is often there for them. Yeah, she mentioned all those people that, um, or different groups that you mentioned, disabilities, addiction, so she wants, um, a great safe space for, for all of them, so yeah, it's brilliant

Um, the next question I ask is what made you apply specifically for the, uh, resilience, um, community resilience fund grant. Um, and, most people said it was, uh, the simplicity of, of the grant. Um, uh, I don't know if you, you have, um, an overall view of why people would apply for that specific grant

Yeah, I mean, the, the access to capital funding is not, it's not always available. Um, you know, people can get revenue funding to spend on staff or, um, running their organisations or, you know, all the little running costs that you, you know, might incur. But having access to capital funding is quite rare still

So that was a big reason I think. Um, because capital funding is what you need to spend on upgrading premises. Yeah

Uh, the The other reason is that the premises that they are in may not have been invested in for a long time, um, may not have, you know, may have leaks in the roof, may have gutters that haven't been, um, in place or cleaned out for a long time. And so all these upgrades, heating systems, energy efficiency, um, access for disabled people, a lot of Um, activities. Maybe a lot of the activities that go on could be more inclusive if those improvements had been made

And so this was a great opportunity to make our facilities more welcoming, more inviting for everybody. Yeah. Um

And so, uh, that was a, you know, a key point, and then. The Third thing is, is, you know, complying with legislation, being up to date, uh, with all the requirements for premises to be used by members of the public. So, you know, all in all, it was a good opportunity for people to Uh, go for Knowing that, you know, the first form is not going to

Um, It is not gonna. Totally floor you, you know, it's, it's an expression of interest. And then the next stage, it might be more detailed, if they like what you're offering or, you know, or I suppose it's, do they like the idea that if these premises improved, that the doors would then be more open to certain groups who may have felt excluded before

Or less welcome or less able to engage. And so if, if that work could be done, then that should be the priority driver, not how well the form was written or how brilliantly costed it was. You know, it was, um, it was a good in principle, ethical, value-based choice

And then help is, is at hand for, you know, nerds like me who've done forms, more forms. Um. And so we can support the organisation to carry on focusing on what they do best and making their premises

More fit for purpose, for their goal, for their ambition. Yeah, um. And then the fourth thing, just thought of something else

Yeah. Is the 4th thing is. Grants are in short supply in general

It's a lot more competitive now as a charity or a CIC to obtain funding. So how can the organisation save money, And generate an income. Without losing its values and ethics and foundation

So keep its purpose in place, but recreate its premises to enhance its ability to be financially more sustainable. Mm. As well as environmentally more sustainable

Yeah. You know, so, and, and ultimately its mission becomes more sustainable if it's able to carry on doing what it needs to do. What it needs to do, yeah

Yeah, without worrying, oh well, we haven't got a grant. Mm, mm. Um, because we've, we've earned that, and, you know, so hiring out a space or creating a space from which you could provide a service

That a contract, you might get a contract to deliver that, or uh charging people. Who can afford what you're charging because they support what you're doing, um. So that way, you know, it just takes some of the pain away of fundraising

Yeah. The Southmead Development Trust, um, he mentioned exactly what you said, it's very rare to get capital funding. er Docklands as well, they mentioned that, very rare to get capital funding

um, so yeah, they were really, really pleased that this had had come along. Um, the, uh, it's getting dark here. Uh, the, the, the, the I can still see you, don't worry

I, uh, is, um. What has impacted the delivery of your project, so from filling out the forms, from receiving the funding to delivering the um upgrades, have you had any setbacks? And near enough, everyone had had uh setbacks. Um, what do you think overall people found, um, challenging? It's always difficult to find a good builder, doesn't matter of what you're doing

And so finding appropriate suppliers who who've got the skill set that you need and are available at the time that you need them, and you know, meet the quality marks or standards that you're asking for at the price that you can afford. It's like a cry, you know, climbing through the eye of a needle. And so organisations are up against it because they may or may not have that experience of doing this, may or may not have the contacts

And so they might be embarking on quite a new activity for some of them. And, um, But, you know, in general, uh, organisations did tap into their networks to find new suppliers, new contractors, uh, or accredited suppliers and contractors who had a good reputation. Sometimes it was sharing contacts, you know, between centres

That was really helpful. So finding the right people to do the work, having enough money. When the price of things has gone up

That was in the construction, yeah, everyone put their construction industry, yeah, and then the figures have doubled. One, Eastern Christian Community centre, when he put it in, it was 600,000. By the time they wanted to do the work, it was 1

2 million. Wow, I'd, I think I'd have a nervous breakdown at that stage. Yeah

But um the, and so what that does for some organisations, you know, that scenario is where the price has gone up is they have to do additional fundraising in the year to complete that project. Complete that building work or installation of a lift or, Improvement. So that is challenging because then you, you've only got a short period of time to achieve that

The. Um, other challenges are the Sometimes, you know, the contractor that promised you something may or may not be able to deliver. And so it falls short of the vision that you had for your organisation's look, feel, design, uh, utilisation, and so if a lot hinges on it, then, It can really undermine your future plans

Did didn't didn't, yeah, she just wanted new flooring. Guy came along and said, nah, the floor's not even even. So that's another task

The Bangladeshi community, he said, oh, I want some adjustments made to the roof. They knocked part of it down, rocked, another problem. So yeah, you've hit the nail on the head

That's right, and then I suppose what you're highlighting there is, you know, if, if things have been let go for a while, because the resources, because of the resources have not been there, um. And, um, you know, remedial measures, um, may or may not have been in place and so things, things get worse if you leave them. And so, um, some organisations found, I, I'm, I'm going in to do one thing, but actually I've got to do several others and that of course is a draw on the budget

So then you've got a shortfall for other aspects of your budget, um. But I have to say compared to Um, what I was expecting, things have gone relatively smoothly. Yeah, ironically, you know, um, so you've got small organisations who may not have the knowledge or the capacity

But because you've provided advisors, uh, to help them navigate the bureaucracy, the putting together of quotes, the obtaining the quotes, uh, and also shaping what those quotes are gonna are gonna be about the spec. So because of all that, I think these are all the sort of ways that, It's been a better process. I totally agree with you, yeah

Yeah, and you mentioned about um having competent and good builders and I, what I see is these builders are good because they've said rather than budget it, they said your floor's not level, you need to, we need to do that first. Um, you've got rocked, we need to deal with that first. So that's, yeah, honest

Um, obviously it's more work for them, but, but, um, it, they're being honest, yeah. That's right. And also it's um it's a credit to them to recognise, you know, these organisations are charities

They are community orientated, they might be CICs, they might be um CIOs. Um, And so they don't come into the money that often to spend on this stuff. And so they need the work to be done to a good standard

And so, um, and I, I respect, you know, anyone who gets up and, and does the slog, gets up on a roof in the cold, in the wet, um. And gets the job done to a good standard. So it is

We have discovered that there are lots of good contractors in the Bristol area um as a result of this project and It would be good to see how we can retain some of that skill set. Um, and there seems to be a commitment to charities where some organisations have secured donations, um, you know, services that that would be more costly. But they've been discounted by

You know, um, contractors with a, a corporate social responsibility outlook. And And so, you know, stronger relationships between local businesses and these community hubs has been It's been really Uh, a positive, an unexpected positive out of it all. Yeah, yeah

Um, The, I have to hold it up to the line. Uh, the 7th question, uh, I ask is. Have your future plans changed, um, uh, for the future, um, so yeah, most of them said yeah, they'll be able to rent out the space, um, people with certain disabilities will now be able to access those services

Wessel, I've I heard that for the first time, they were uh um involved just like you, um, that they're consultative, aren't they, and they can advise. Uh, how to spend money efficiently and properly to accommodate cer certain groups, um. So yeah, that that's just a question that I, I put to them, yeah

Yeah, I think in terms of, in terms of the future, organisations. Will be able to deliver new services that are better equipped, more accessible, uh, warmer, for some organisation, you know, warmth of their, estate or building stock was poor. So those energy ratings will have improved

Um, Uh, friendlier, warmer, welcoming, sense of belonging, all those things are now possible and in some cases, maybe having multiple activities going at the same time, um, because, you know, sound better soundproofing. Um, like I said, warmer, you know, some rooms may have been redundant because it wasn't, it was too cold. So, so all these things are really good for the social impact, but also the economic impact, the environmental impact, and the cultural impact, you know, that, oh, I do want to have my event there or my birthday party there or whatever

Uh, and so that makes people feel. Yes, we all We are welcome. We are attended to

We have needs, and some of those have been met. Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's very true

Um, the next question I asked, which you've touched on a little bit, um, if money was no object, like if they'd won the lottery, what would your priorities be for your CIC and you touched on it there. The Bangladeshi um community guy, they they've gone from. Just having very mundane kind of people coming in and out to him saying I wanna have weddings here now, so that's such a turnaround um

Uh, yeah, so I don't, I don't know if you've encountered, um, the, the, the CRCs that you've helped, whether you can see a change in them, change in direction, um. And a a brighter look for for the future. Yeah, definitely, you know, there's the playground, they've got a wider space for uh children, young people to play, which those children absolutely love

The um electrics. You know, are, are better off now, um, they will have floodlights available outside in the end when this programme is fully completed. And so all these things, they do add up and to make it a nicer lasting environment

Um, so if money was no object is, That is an interesting one. Because there is the scope in some instances for further development work and. I think, I think that, you know, doing feasibility studies is, is a good use of money because it can help you plan with communities what to do, how to do, avoiding duplication, helping people network with each other, saying oh this is what we've got planned, this is our spec, what's yours? Um, so I think that is a kind of way of doing more homework around what are the improvements that we want to see around here, and there could be a public conversation about that

Uh, the, the demand for space, workspace is significant amongst community groups. The population is changing. There are a lot of different needs to be met, like you were saying earlier about send

Uh, there's a lot of unmet needs for that community and, um. The Efforts to upgrade community premises. It sits alongside, you know, housing stock in the area

And if you have more people living in a denser area, they're going to have community needs. And so is there potential for having a centre. That houses a number of groups, uh, from different communities who want to do community development work with their communities, but they could share a meeting room, you know, and book it at different times

Uh, they could have a training room, they could have a hall. They could share a car park, uh, they could have sports facilities that they book at different times to each other. And that way you get a lot more inter intercultural relationship building

And, and so in the context of everything that's going on at the moment where some communities don't feel connected into commun, you know, to their local. Seen, you know, they might be trying to deal with problems on their own at home, and it's not enough, they need to have access to services and so those services could be on site, being delivered via those groups, um, And then, you know, it, it could be a real hub. So if money was no object, I would say more, more space for community activities and organising, community organising

People need offices, rooms, meeting spaces, cafes, sports facilities, um, There might be young people that want um To create their own businesses. And they've got the digital know-how to do that. And there might be a sort of guided space for them, enterprise and incubation

Yeah. The, yeah, so the sky's the limit. I've got a list as long as your arm of of things that are needed

The. The important thing is, is it's gotta be affordable, it's gotta be sustainable, it's gotta be well designed. Yeah

And it's gotta be flexible for the future, so it's multi-purpose. As needs change, spaces can adapt. Hm

And, and those are the hallmarks of a viable, long-lasting community asset. Mm. Where some of those needs are for the future are anticipated

Yeah. That's a, that's a really good and you know, assets assets don't sit in isolation to, to the people that use them, and, um, and so. Some of the other sort of challenges that that occur

You know, about solving problems, you know, that the public purse might not be that full at the moment. Um, and so how can we encourage communities to organise themselves and provide support to each other in a peer support sort of way. And, and solve problems, you know, people talking to each other and finding ways to create work, opportunities for young people

It, it, um, there's so many older people I know who can't use their mobile phones, don't know how to use a computer. There's so many young people that are very comfortable with all that, but they haven't got a shared space to bring that to life. And so the second priority after having an asset for me, um, what I see the world is moving to a more digital environment

It's not the only thing that's going on. But how can we do it so that we, we can help people get, get on track with that, um, not so that they don't ever have to leave the house or, you know, be, or be socially isolated or anything, but just build it in so that it's less intimidating and more accessible. Money no object, that was a dangerous phrase of yours

I know you started this, so you can't say that to a community worker and then get a short response, unfortunately. That's fine, that's fine, good answer. Um, my 10th and um

What's the word? My 10th and 3 last question, it's the proper word for that. Uh, was the ultimate penultimate, that's the word, thank you. Uh, was there anything different, uh, or unique, um, about, uh, the resilience fund, um

Was it different than any other funds that you've applied for? So I was getting, um, yeah, trying to assess whether it it was, it was easier, um, was it more helpful, it, it in it in its whole working and most people. If not 100%, said yeah. Um, like you said, there were different groups, uh, yourself, um, Wessel, um, and then the support from the CRF, um, guys like Robin and Laura and Lauren, uh, they just found it

And one of the things, I went to Eastern Community, Christian Community Centre, and he said the, the money that they got, it wasn't enough to do what they wanted. So they said, well, can we do this? And they said yeah. Um, the flexibility of it

The, the guy at, um, Southmead Development Trust, he found that. He said, oh well, we wanted to change this space, but the money's not gonna be enough, so can we do this? And they said, yeah. So I think most people found it, um, you, cos you said, you said with all the problems, it's been quite a success

Yeah, so, yeah. Um, I don't know if there's anything you'd like to add to that, um. Yeah, I, I was saying earlier about the, the value of the, the fund is that

Once the organisations have been chosen of who is going to be successful is. What they then set about doing had to fit within a given budget, and that was challenging because prices had gone up. And so it was good to then find that the council officers were willing to understand that context and were quite realistic about what to expect

I, I really liked the culture that the council brought to this project because they were, uh, listening, they were trying to understand what was the, you know, reality for the organisation. They would try and set reasonable deadlines for them to meet, um, you know, providing quotes and things like that. So all the mechanics of the project were very human and Understanding, and so that was a good framework within which to operate

The, the fact that there is support available for the organisations is a unique feature. The, the access to experts like, Around disability, access, access, and energy efficiency, also a unique feature, so that organisations make the right choices and put in good quality. Um, Good quality decision making into their choices of contractors

And I've had quite a few meetings with the, the staff and organisations where they say it's not always about, uh, the lowest price. It's about the best quality for a given budget and trying to get a balance so that you're not here again in a year's time doing the same work. Yeah, yeah, very true

Um, so I think that it's a way of working, it's a way of building trust between communities. And the council and this project um did quite a lot of the legwork to strengthen that. Yeah

Um, because there's this willingness to, to listen and understand. Yeah, yeah. I liked what you said before, it's not bad, but because some people are really good at filling out forms and it's perfect

Other people not so, but they need the money and it's like CRF kind of saw through that and then took it as a whole. So, um, yeah, I, I, I, um, yeah, it's really, really good cohesion working. Yeah, um, the, the last question, uh, I ask is, lastly, how do you feel about the Community resilience fund? Um, and would you apply again if the opportunity arose? Um, that was 100% yes

Yeah, I'm not surprised. That's good. I think that um

It's a, it's a brilliant fund, and it's been really well administered to great benefit. For, for all the organisations I've worked with, yeah, there isn't a single one that would say. Um, Anything different

So I'm not surprised that you've had such a resounding positive response. And I would say to the, to Bristol City Council, let's do it again. Um, there, there's other organisations who want to

Uh, run community spaces. And the second part of the work that I've done on this programme has been to engage those organisations who, Didn't apply to the CRF because of their size or their, they haven't got a building to seek money for at the moment, but they've got the aspiration, they've got the energy, they've got the desire and they are in touch with those parts of the community that don't go out much, that don't use up sporting facilities that, you know, there's more, There's more energy and vibrancy and capacity that is to be tapped and organised, um, and so people are really hungry for space. And so there is, there is more to be done

Yeah. Um, but this was a really good experience. So thank you

Oh thank you, Sonia. Um, some of the comments, um, so there was Denise from Cafe Conscious, and there was also, um. Um, Mohammed from the Bangladeshi community, and yeah, he was so, so thankful to you, so thank you so much

Um, what I ask all CICs is, is there anything else you'd like to add, so I'd put that to you. Is there anything else you'd like to add? I think I've said everything, haven't I? um. It was a really good experience

It's really positive as well that um the council has put some emphasis on supporting black and racially minoritized organisations. Historically, Those those communities may or may not have had that much access to assets and that the. And so this, this has been a good way to support those organisations who've got them to make more of those assets, to support their growth, development, income generation

All good. Yeah, excellent. And thank you so much for your time, I hope your dog gets to go out and just to um

Alert people to why we're doing this on WhatsApp. You don't live, you live in France, don't you? So, um, uh, so au revoir to you, Sona. A revoir messy

That was very fluent of you. Where are you anyway? Where are you doing this interview? It's good. I'm in, uh, Saint Paul's Learning centre

Oh right, and they got renovation work going on then? No, I'm just in the, I'm just in the back. Oh right, OK. And they, and they've got like a courtyard

I was thinking, oh this guy's really going for the, let me show you what's happening. Yeah, I just thought I'd do it because it's nice and quiet, there's no buzz or anything. OK

Brilliant, thanks very much. Thank you. You take care

Alright, bye, bye..