Bedminster BID

October 2023 marked the end of Bedminster Business Improvement District. The Directors would like to express profound gratitude to all the Directors, businesses, local councillors and the community of partners that have worked with the BID over the years. Without the dedication and commitment to attending meetings to discuss and vote on ideas investing their expertise and time, we would never have been able to all we have. The BID's commitment and effort delivered many memorable and successful projects and events.  This website will now be switched to be home of Bedminster Town Team, which we hope will be able to collaboratively create some projects for the area in the future.

The Bedminster BID is here to support and champion the trader community that make our high street so special.

We work together to bring positive change to BS3, by supporting new and existing businesses to make it an even better place to live, work and play with events, programmes, projects and more.

The BID Board meet bi-monthly to discuss new projects and initiatives, that will benefit our trader community and decide how to prioritise the BID levy budget.

Stakeholders are welcome to join the bi-monthly open meetings as a chance to network, add to the agenda and join the conversation.  If you are interested in becoming a Director or more involved in activity please contact Ruth.

The BID Business Plan was compiled to reflect the latest consultation and feedback from businesses. Please click HERE for the current version or feel free to contact us to talk more.

Thank you. 

Ruth Green, Bedminster BID Manager
business@bedminster.org.uk

07429 268673

Bedminster Business Improvement District

Directory of Directors

Ruth Green - BID Manager

Development and Action Greater Bedminster championing improvement in the area.

Ruth will be working closely with traders and the Bedminster community through Bedminster BID to improve trading conditions in the area’s high street. Alongside this role, Ruth is the current Vice Chair of Action Greater Bedminster, the community partnership for Bedminster and Southville. She was previously the head of community and engagement at the BS3 Community Development charity, based in the Southville Centre.

Ade Williams MBE - Director

Ade is the Lead Prescribing Pharmacist at the multi-award-winning Bedminster Pharmacy. They have excelled at campaigning against health injustice while also delivering innovative, person-centred local solutions. Recognition for their work includes the 2019 NHS Parliamentary Award for Excellence in Primary Care and over 30 National awards- making them the most commended Pharmacy Team in the UK. He regularly features on the BBC Bristol Radio Morning show as the local ‘’Bemmy News’’ reporter, also contributing and writing across various local and national media platforms, about the NHS, Health inequalities, Health and Wellbeing. Ade is Chair of the Volunteer Steering Group that organises the Bedminster Lantern Parade - South Bristol’s Largest Community Event and sits on the Action Greater Bedminster Board as the BID representative.

Andrew Procter - Treasurer

Andrew qualified as an ICAEW chartered Accountant in 2005, having completed a degree in business and Finance at Bournemouth University.     Tyrrell Procter, his accountancy practice, opened in Bristol in 2008 and he moved to his current premises in Parson Street, Bedminster in 2014.

Striving to gain an understanding and to be able to assist the businesses local to his practice, he offered his support as the Treasurer and Accountant to the Business Improvement District in 2014, later becoming a Director to offer both financial and business advice to the Board.

His practice continues to flourish and currently has seven staff all offering support and accountancy guidance to clients, a significant number of which are businesses in the Bedminster area.

Chris Cierpik, owner of ‘Rare’ Butchers of Southville - Director

 'Rare' Butcher's of Southville has been owned by Chris Cierpik since 2010. Chris has over 40 years' experience in butchery, having started in the trade at the age of 16. He learnt his butchery skills as an apprentice at Brandon Butcher's and Bristol Meat Traders. ‘Rare’ Butchers won The Bristol Good Food Award for Best Local Butcher over 4 consecutive years from 2014 until 2018 when the award ceased to exist.

In addition, ‘Rare’ Butchers achieved public recognition by winning the Bristol Post’s Live Award for Best Retailer in the whole of Bristol in 2019 and Chris was presented with the award by Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, at an Awards’ Ceremony held at Ashton Gate Stadium. Chris is a passionate advocate of the promotion of free-range, locally sourced meat at affordable prices and it is for this reason that he has continued in the trade so successfully.

Darren Baker - Director

Darren is the owner of Compuwave and a member of the trader community on North Street. He was part of the North Street Traders, which formed to promote the area before the BID existed! He is a proactive member of the community, bringing traders together to maximise the BID investments on North Street.

Kellie Hasbury - Director

Kellie runs a creative communications business based at The Tobacco Factory on North Street and has been involved in the BID since its inception.   Over half the Plaster workforce live as well as work in the area. She and her team look after the communications of some of the city’s biggest brands including Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Love Saves the Day, Upfest, Bristol Harbour Festival and Bristol Beacon.  She brings marketing expertise and a wider knowledge of the city’s cultural scene to the board, as well as creativity in how we can get the budget to stretch as far as possible for events and marketing. 

Sasha Briancourt - Director

Sasha is a retired Theatre and Circus performer and teaches circus skills. Since then, she has lived and worked in Bedminster for over two decades and has been fortunate to have been able to bring up her son in the same area, appreciating the skate park, parks, and swimming pool. Sasha is now working in Scrivens Optician on East Street as a Hearing Care Audiologist.

Simon Dicken - Chair

Simon was born in the West Midlands but grew up in Bristol before attending university in Aberystwyth.     He has worked for Wilko since 2000 in various stores across the country, but has been the manager in Bedminster for over 13 years.

In 2010 he was part of the founding team of East Street Traders Association (ESTA) which formed to liaise with the council during some works.    When the Portas Pilots started in 2012, he moved to support the team in helping to secure the Business Improvement District as a result.    He was then voted in as Chair of the Board, a title which he held for 10 years. He was also in the final 3 in 2017 of the GB High Street Awards for a manager of a national chain who has committed to helping their local community. Despite working for a national retailer, he is often quoted as saying, ‘There is no point being the only shop in an Empty High Street’ when explaining why he is involved in the BID. He lives in Knowle with his wife Sasha and has a step-son called Adam who has followed into a career in retail.

Stef Brammar - Secretary and Director

Stef first came to Bristol in the late 80’s to run Watershed Media Centre where she was responsible for launching the education department and re-opening its photography gallery.    Prior to that, she was Director of the Cornwall Arts Centre Trust, where she devised and managed a countywide programme of theatre, opera, music and dance ranging from Royal Shakespeare Company tours to home grown community plays and music education.

Stef went from Watershed to manage the Media Centre at the University of the West of England, where she established and ran a £multi-million European media training network and course programme.

Following 5 years of being Chief Operating Officer of a leading edge multimedia production company producing interactive interpretation for museums and on-line education programmes for the BBC, Stef retired and moved to Bedminster.     She now devotes her time to being Secretary of the West Street Bedminster Neighbourhood Group and Secretary of Action Greater Bedminster.    She also chairs the Council of Management of acta, Bedminster’s community theatre group and is a founder member of the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade; the BS3 Repair Cafe and Bedminster Community Choir. She is Secretary of Bedminster BID.

Steve Hayles - Director

Steve is the Founder and Creative Director of Upfeest – the Urban Painting festival.    Established in 2008, Upfest has put Bedminster at the heart of the international urban art scene and we build on this reputation by continuing to support artists to push boundaries and reach wider audiences.    Upfest has been a catalyst for the regeneration of our area of south Bristol and continues to attract international attention with multiple public arts projects undertaken each year.

Steve has been a voluntary board member since the inception of the Bedminster BID and was instrumental in gaining the initial Mary Portas funding through the delivery of the Bedminster Bugs arts trail which in part led to the creation of the BID for Bedminster. Over the years, Steve has given his cultural placemaking expertise to the BID bringing tens of thousands of visitors to the area and ultimately improving the area for both the community and driving footfall to the retail streets.    Steve and his team at Upfest continue to bring in both private and public funding in order to create cultural experiences that benefit everyone within our community.

Tom Windaybank - Vice Chair and Director

Tom has worked for Ocean in BS3 since 2010.    he started as a trainee negotiator and now manages the sales department within the North Street branch.

He has been part of the Bedminster BID since 2019 and, prior to that, was part of other North Street groups since 2012.

As an estate agent within BS3, he hears lots of positive feedback about the area and tweaks that can be improved to make our area the best it can be.

Steve Clymer - Director

Steve is the owner of the highly respected pub The Steam Crane and active member of the BID board. He has a day job in an IT business which ensures he brings a process and results driven approach to the group.

Cllr Christine Townsend - Director

Christine is a born and bred Bristolian with family roots that go back generations in the Bedminster area. She is a current Green Party Councillor for Southville since being elected in May 2021. She knows the historic and present day importance of this part of south Bristol and is passionate about supporting local businesses to retain the independent and unique character of the area. A teacher by profession, Christine has extensive knowledge and expertise working in and with the local education system, as an experienced school governor and was until her election the chair of the statutory Bristol School Forum.

This Directory was last up-dated on 22th June 2023.