United Barriers fall as rival areas brought together
IT’S supposed to be one of the fiercest rivalries in Bristol – the ‘turf war’ between young people in Hartcliffe and those in Knowle West.
But now a big first step has been taken to end the feud for the next generation of young adults.
In October, the leaders of youth work charities in both areas devised a plan to bring the two communities of young people together so that the rivalry did not continue into the future.
When the plans were unveiled for an £8 million Youth Zone for south Bristol, council chiefs said one of the key factors in the choice of its location – next to the Hengrove Way roundabout in the ‘no man’s land’ between Hartcliffe and the Inns Court end of Knowle West – was that they hoped it would be considered ‘neutral territory.’
That gave added impetus to a drive from two youth work organisations, with the aim that, when the zone did open, young people from Withywood to Knowle Park would already have the connections and friendships to make its first days run smoothly.
Youth Moves, which is based at the Park Centre and operates predominantly in Knowle West, hooked up with the Hartcliffe Club for Young People, run by Young Bristol.
Youth Moves took a group of young people to the Barton Camp residential activity centre, in Winscombe, North Somerset, and they got to take part in a range of outdoor team-building and personal development sessions – from high ropes to swimming pool games. On the second day they were joined for the first time by a group from the Hartcliffe Club for Young People, and both groups merged.
Around 50 youngsters played together in the pool and the surrounding areas, and Youth Moves youth worker Laura said any postcode barriers were broken down quickly.
“It was great to finally be able to mix the two youth clubs together, with the well-known issues between both areas,” she said. “But, to be honest, it wasn’t an issue on the day, and you wouldn’t have known where they were from.”
Chief executive of Youth Moves, Ali Dale, said while there had been many stories of young people clashing from Knowle West and Hartcliffe, and there was some truth to that, there was a wider story that the estates were intertwined, with families and friendship groups going back generations.
“It’s important to recognise the real life challenges that some young people can face if they wander into an area they aren’t from, which is well documented on the news and media,” he said. “But it’s also vital to challenge some of the myths that young people have about each other and those postcode areas.
“By going to neutral places like Barton Camp it takes the sting out of it, and territories aren’t an issue.
“By working with clubs like Hartcliffe, who have that trusting relationship, collectively we can bridge the gap between young people.”
Youth worker Paul Coyne, born and raised and still living in Knowle West, was at the meet-up. “Who said Knowle West and Hartcliffe couldn’t mix, eh? It just goes to show the power and impact of effective youth work – this is just the start,” he said.
Jack, a youth worker from Young Bristol’s Hartcliffe side, said he was “really pleased” with how it went.
“The meeting-up was met with some trepidation by the Hartcliffe young people,” he admitted. “But we set up mixed teams, and the barriers literally fell within minutes.”
While the rivalry between Hartcliffe and Knowle West is worse in myth than in reality, it is very real. Drill and grime rap videos featuring young people from each community threatening each other have sporadically appeared, and there have been violent flashpoints over the years.
But a Youth Moves spokesperson said: “We hope this is the start of more partnership work and targeted projects to bring together groups of young people from across south Bristol.”