Sowing change in the Heart of BS13
How Heart of BS13 has changed by being involved with the Community Climate Action Project
Heart of BS13 is a Bristol charity who is tackling health inequality and climate change by growing community-led action from the ground up. In this blog Kirsty Tait, Climate Action and Programme Manager at Heart of BS13, shares the impact the project has had on the organisation and community.
Health, inequality and the climate crisis
At Heart of BS13, our mission has always been to tackle health inequality. Through our journey with the Community Climate Action Project, we’ve come to understand something critical: climate change is the biggest threat to human health, especially in communities already living with poverty, poor housing, limited access to green space, and food insecurity.
But we’ve also discovered something powerful: when climate action is community-led, it’s more inclusive, more effective, and deeply connected to local wellbeing. This journey has been about understanding the intersections between health, environment, and inequality and how practical, people-powered climate action can transform lives.
Listening to BS13 — especially our young people
We began by listening. BS13 is one of Bristol’s youngest wards, and it was essential that young people helped shape their own future. Through extensive engagement, we connected with over 1,000 young people to co-create our climate action plan.
They told us what mattered: clean air, access to nature, meaningful work, better transport, and action on climate change that feels real and relevant. Their insights shaped the BS13 community climate action plan, now the blueprint for everything we’ve built.
Growing health, hope and opportunity
One of the first things to grow from that plan — literally — was our chemical-free flower farm. More than just a beautiful space, it’s a social enterprise that funds mental health support, green jobs training, and employment for local people. It brings together wellbeing, sustainability, and local economy, all rooted in the soil of BS13.
We also created a micro composting enterprise, collecting food waste from local businesses, schools and households and turning it into nutrient-rich compost. It’s a closed-loop, low-carbon system that reduces emissions, builds soil health, and keeps resources in the community, all while teaching skills and creating jobs.
The Roundhouse: a space reimagined
As our work grew, so did the need for a space where it could thrive. So we redesigned and reimagined our outdoor space, transforming it into the Roundhouse, a vibrant venue for connection, learning, and celebration. Set in the green heart of BS13, it now includes:
- A forest school for children to explore nature and build confidence
- An amphitheatre for community performances, events, and storytelling
- A field kitchen where we cook, eat and share knowledge around food and sustainability
- From climate workshops to seasonal feasts, the Roundhouse is where community-led action takes root, and where imagination turns into action.
The Food Programme: where health, climate and community meet
At Heart of BS13, we believe that food sits at the intersection of climate, health and inequality. That’s why our Food Programme is about far more than meals, it’s a strategy for long-term, preventative change.
We offer access to fresh, nutritious food to people experiencing food insecurity in a way that supports dignity, choice and community connection. Alongside this, we focus on improving long-term health by offering support for people living with, or at risk of, pre-diabetes.
Through food growing, cooking workshops and nutritional education, we empower people with the tools to eat well — for themselves and the planet. We also tackle food waste and build skills that support more resilient, sustainable local food systems.
This is climate action you can taste, rooted in care, designed for health, and driven by community.
Every job is a green job
At Heart of BS13, we don’t separate climate work from the rest of our mission — we weave it into everything we do. Whether it’s growing flowers, supporting wellbeing, composting waste or running food workshops, every action supports a healthier, greener future.
That’s why every job at Heart of BS13 is a green job. We’re building an organisation and a movement, where climate action is not an add-on, but a way of life.
Looking ahead
Five years into our climate journey, we’re proud of how far we’ve come and excited for what’s next. The solutions to the climate and nature crisis already exist in our communities. When people are trusted, resourced and listened to, they lead.
We’re grateful to the Community Climate Action Project for backing this work, and proud to stand alongside other Bristol communities proving that climate action, when led by communities, changes everything.
Join us
We’re always looking for collaborators, volunteers, partners and friends. Whether you want to dig in, donate, or just learn more — you’re warmly invited.
- Visit us: www.heartofbs13.org.uk
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @HeartofBS13
Let’s grow a fairer, greener, healthier future, together.
Resources
- How to turn waste into compost guide
- Watch their short film
We have released a series of resources over the last few weeks to share learnings from the Community Climate and Nature project. You can find them here.
The Community Climate Action Project is coordinated by Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership and funded by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund.
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