The Dings “Safe Ouse” has benefited from a major refurbishment thanks to generous donations as part of the Bristol Temple Quarter (BTQ) regeneration programme.
The youth engagement centre, which serves as a focal point for local young people and provides a safe, controlled environment for play, learning and socialising, now boasts a new purpose-built kitchen courtesy of Wren Kitchens, wall-to-wall storage cabinets, new furniture and kitchen equipment, and freshly painted walls.
The works were funded by Prior + Partners, the urban design and planning team behind the emerging Bristol Temple Quarter masterplan, as part of their social value commitment. Companies contracted by Bristol City Council have social value contributions as part of their contracts, to ensure their work brings additional benefits to local people.
The Dings Safe Ouse before it was refurbished. The kitchen had no storage and washing up had to be done in the bathroom sink. Credit Lee Pullen.
Working closely with the BTQ community engagement team and the Dings Community Association, Prior + Partners agreed to support the refurbishment of the Safe Ouse. Their collaborator for the masterplan, Shankari Raj, from local architecture firm, Nudge, project managed the work, including contacting Wren Kitchens for help. Wren didn’t hesitate, providing a brand-new purpose-built kitchen and wall-to-wall storage cabinets free of charge.
The BTQ team also joined in, working alongside members of Prior + Partners and the wider masterplanning team including local architecture practice AHMM, engineers Arup, and landscape architects SpaceHub, who over two days repainted the space.
L-R Shanks Raj from Nudge architects, Wren Kitchen’s Debra Hutt, and the Dings Community Association’s Nola Hersey stand in the refurbished kitchen. Credit Jon Craig.
A local company carried out the installation of the kitchen, including replumbing the space so that it has – for the first time – a working sink. Previously, any washing up was done in the bathroom.
The Dings Community Association began in 1993 as a neighbourhood watch has since expanded to address the broader needs of the Dings community. The Dings is a small community close to the BTQ area which has seen a large amount of new development nearby over the last two decades.
Now refurbished, the space will act as a focus for the community and local young people, providing a space to spend time and socialise. The Safe Ouse is bookable for events, away days and classes.
Nola Hersey, Chair of the Dings Community Association, said:
“The Dings Community are beyond delighted with their newly refurbished Community Space and extend a very genuine and heartfelt thanks to all of the companies and individuals that helped make it happen. It is a real joy to see people’s reactions when they see the bright and colourful space for the first time. It was also great to work closely with those involved in the makeover and we hope they now feel a part of our lovely inner-city neighbourhood.
“The space has already been used by community groups looking for a safe space to meet, by residents hosting special family occasions and as a venue for a team building day. We will be officially launching the space as a place for people to rent later this year which will provide us with much needed funds to keep the building open and operating for the community. The new kitchen, kindly donated by Wren, will provide many opportunities for us to run local events involving food and the community and we are really excited by all of the possibilities that are now open to us.”
Karen Mercer, CEO, Bristol Temple Quarter LLP, said:
“We’re pleased to help the Dings Community Association through the refurbishment of their youth space. We’re committed to supporting local communities as new development comes to Temple Quarter, whether that is directly or by helping our expert consultant teams deliver social value in the right locations. It’s been a really good team effort and its fantastic to see young people already using and enjoying the space.”
Elise Baudon, Director of Masterplanning, Prior + Partners, said:
“From the outset of our work at Temple Quarter, our commitment to delivering social value has underpinned the design process. It has been a privilege to support the Dings Community Association as part of our journey thus far, helping to provide a key piece of infrastructure for the local community, whilst also listening and learning from local people as we work towards the creation of an inclusive masterplan for Bristol.”
Debra Hutt, Head of PR, Wren Kitchens, said:
“It was a pleasure to be able to support the Dings Community Project with a brand new kitchen and storage units. Nola and the other youth centre volunteers are now in a great position to expand on their social programmes and provide the children with engaging and meaningful domestic related experiences and social activities.”
