The Swan pub in Barton Hill, Bristol is to be given a new lease of life as a community space, thanks to a £250k investment from City Funds.
The pub will be transformed into a multi-purpose community asset, now that the purchase by Wellspring Settlement has been finalised.
Following a survey showing that the vast majority of people in the area wanted the site to be used for the community benefit, the former pub will serve as a mixed community space with an added focus on the needs of young people. The upper floor will be converted into affordable flats for local residents.
Joanna Holmes, Co-Director of Wellspring Settlement (a merger of Barton Hill Settlement and Wellspring Healthy Living Centre), told Bristol Live:
“We are very excited about buying the building and doing it up for community use and hope that by the end of the year it will be a thriving, busy place for the whole community to enjoy,”
Source: Bristol Live ‘Pub to be turned into extension of neighbouring community centre and flats’ Read the article here
“Our community hub has been here since 1911 and the addition of this property is the final piece of the jigsaw. The support we received from City Funds helped us bridge the gap between the local impact that we can make with a new space and the financial requirements of purchasing the building. Having an investor who understands both meant we could get this project off the ground and into the community.”
Barton Hill is among the 10% most disadvantaged areas
of the city, according to the 2019 Indices of Deprivation.
Wellspring’s spaces serve as an anchor to support
community inclusion, strong families, health and wellbeing
and economic development.