Bristol BID launches Love Bristol, Love Broadmead with Spring Clean and programme of events to celebrate the heart of the city

Volunteers invited to join the Big Broadmead Spring Clean from 23-29 March as part of a new programme of events celebrating and showing love to the city centre.

Bristol’s city centre is set for a fresh new chapter as Bristol Business Improvement District (BID) launches Love Bristol, Love Broadmead, a programme designed to celebrate the city, revitalise the streets and bring people together in one of the city’s most visited neighbourhoods.

At the heart of the programme is a simple idea: Broadmead is a place used by thousands of people every day, from families and workers to visitors of all ages, and the city centre thrives when people feel proud of the places they share. Throughout spring and summer, Broadmead will host a series of free activities and events designed to encourage people to spend time in the area, discover new experiences and see the neighbourhood in a new light.

The programme begins with an invitation for businesses, community groups, schools and city partners to join the Big Broadmead Spring Clean. Taking place from Monday 23 – Sunday 29 March, the week-long volunteer-led effort aims to refresh and improve the area through litter picking, sticker removal, painting, weeding, planting and practical improvements to public spaces and shopfronts.

Delivered in partnership with Bristol Waste and aligned with the city-wide Great Bristol Spring Clean campaign, the Big Broadmead Spring Clean will create immediate, visible improvements across Broadmead while inviting people from across Bristol to play a part in looking after the places they love. They will be supporting the spring clean efforts by increasing their presence in Broadmead for the week, providing overnight deep cleans, increased graffiti removal, pavement cleansing and chewing gum removal. Bristol Waste will also be supervising the volunteers and providing equipment and PPE for participants.

Get involved

The Big Broadmead Spring Clean will be accompanied by music, fun, games, competitions, dancing and more. Everything needed to take part will be provided and everyone is welcome to join, whether it’s just for an hour during their lunch break or for a full day of getting stuck in. Volunteers, businesses and community groups interested in taking part in the Big Broadmead Spring Clean can find out more and sign up here: www.bristolbid.co.uk/events/big-broadmead-spring-clean.

The spring clean marks the first major moment in Love Bristol, Love Broadmead, an extensive programme of events, creativity and community activity. Following the Easter bank holiday, the Care & Repair Festival will take place from Tuesday 7 – Sunday 19 April. This family-friendly programme will bring all generations together for creativity, wellbeing and hands-on activities in Broadmead, with free workshops, storytelling sessions, treasure hunts and community repair events taking place across venues including Sparks and John Wesley’s New Room.

As part of the wider Love Bristol, Love Broadmead April/May programme, a new creative project titled A Love Letter to Broadmead will also bring fresh artistic energy into the area this spring. Delivered by local arts company Compass Presents, commissioned by Bristol City Council and funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, the project will transform two vacant Broadmead units into temporary creative spaces throughout April. These will include a live broadcast hub for Ujima Radio and a youth-led creative hangout designed and programmed by young people. The activity will build towards a series of performances and events across the early May Bank Holiday weekend, inviting audiences to experience Broadmead in new and unexpected ways.

As summer arrives, Broadmead will play host to many memorable moments including DIASPORA! Festival, Festival of Nature, Make Music Day, International Festival celebrations, Bristol Pride activity and family-friendly events, alongside new public art and creative projects across the neighbourhood.

Love Bristol, Love Broadmead comes as part of the newly unified Bristol BID, which now operates across an expanded city centre area, bringing together the resources and expertise of the original central BIDs to deliver more ambitious projects and greater impact for businesses, residents and visitors.

“

Anna Farthing, Interim Head of Place at Bristol BID, said

“Broadmead sits at the heart of Bristol’s city centre. It’s where people shop, meet friends, catch the bus home and experience the everyday life of the city. With Love Bristol, Love Broadmead we’re shining a light on what already works well, while bringing partners, businesses and communities together to make visible improvements and create new reasons for people to spend time here. The unification of the Bristol BID has given us the opportunity to bring more resources, ideas and partnerships into the city centre than ever before, and Broadmead is the perfect place to demonstrate what that collaboration can achieve.”

Alongside events and festivals, the programme will also introduce greening projects, creative interventions, wellbeing activity and community engagement, working closely with partners including Bristol City Council, Avon & Somerset Police, Bristol Waste, local businesses and community organisations.

“

Sabrina Shutter, Senior Events Project Manager at Bristol BID, said

“Broadmead is one of the busiest places in the city. It’s used by people of all ages, backgrounds and communities every single day. This programme is about celebrating that energy and inviting people to rediscover the area through events, creativity and shared experiences. From the Big Broadmead Spring Clean through to festivals, art and family activities across the year, there will be plenty of opportunities for people to get involved and show Broadmead some love.”

More information about Love Bristol, Love Broadmead, including all upcoming events, can be found here: https://www.bristolbid.co.uk/projects/love-bristol-love-broadmead/