# Meeting spaces in Bristol



## BristolEcho (Sep 15, 2018)

I'm looking for a meeting space in Bristol that is reliable for an event we want to hold around drug policy. I don't want to use Hydra for it as they can be a bit late to confirm.

Anyone know of anywhere that is relatively cheap? I've emailed Ark, Exchange and a few others to see if they have anything we can use. Some of the more traditional places are asking for £20 plus an hour.


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## kalidarkone (Sep 15, 2018)

Easton community centre 
All Hallows community centre
St Pauls Community centre
The Canteen - upstairs ( if it's still open)
St Werburghs community centre
The old library- Muller Rd


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## BristolEcho (Sep 15, 2018)

They are all really good ideas thanks! St Paul's and Coexist are £25 an hour. Though as we are not for profit we can perhaps get a discount.


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## mrs quoad (Sep 15, 2018)

What about drug policy? Might I ask.


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## kalidarkone (Sep 15, 2018)

Kebele on Robertson rd
Contact/Room Use | Kebele Community Co-Op 
I imagine they would be cheap.

Greenbank pub- function room £15 ph
The Greenbank Bristol

St Anne's church, Greenbank, Easton £15 ph for parties - might be cheaper for a meeting.
Church Hall – St Annes

Barton Hill Settlement
https://www.bartonhillsettlement.org.uk/room-hire-and-facilities/


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## BristolEcho (Sep 15, 2018)

mrs quoad said:


> What about drug policy? Might I ask.



Sure. It's growing to cover a few things and we are in really early days:

We are trying to set up a grassroots organisation that calls for an end to prohibtion.

Our specific interest in this are is to give a voice to people that use drugs on dancefloors. Raves, free parties, club nights etc.

We feel that the debate around drug policy is largely negative, that mainly focuses on harm, but we want to tell another story. We want to highlight the many positive outcomes that people experience when they use drugs and in particular when people have spaces to dance. We know through our own experiences how vital these places can be to people's wellbeing.

At the moment we know that these people are being excluded from the debate. We both volunteered at a drug policy think tank and we were told that these people don't need to be included in the debate as it won't change anything. There was an event held in London hosted by the nightime mayor (I think or one of the night time economy groups.) specifically about reducing harm in nightclubs. They didn't invite a single person who actually goes to these nights. When my friend challenged this it was brushed off. We want to change that.

We see this as a part of bigger issues such as the continuing pressure on venues, over the top searches, harressment on dancefloors by both bouncers, but also other people at the night. Etc.

We hope we can create a network led by the people who use these spaces to challenge and change the current situation.

kalidarkone thanks again! Really useful.


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## BristolEcho (Sep 15, 2018)

Just to clarify that we don't want to whitewash the debate either. We have long advocated, and promoted harm reduction principles and this underpins everything we do.


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## kalidarkone (Sep 15, 2018)

Interesting, and agree more discussion by recreational users adds for a more rounded view. 
Are you linked to Transform?


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## BristolEcho (Sep 15, 2018)

No, but we have both volunteered there. I love transform and their vision for regulation is exactly what I want to see.

I can't say everything we want to do at the moment, but we are really keen to open it up so people can get involved and have input. Hence the Bristol meeting and then a follow up planned for London.


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## kalidarkone (Sep 15, 2018)

Also check out the Trinity centre because not only might they have rooms for hire at a decent rate, they host regular club nights and will have a view regarding recreational drug use. Also one of the managers is a friend of mine and has a lot of experience of youth work and support around problematic drug use. 
Pm me if interested and I can find out if they hire meeting space out- it was not clear from the website.


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## BristolEcho (Sep 15, 2018)

That would be really useful. I'll message you. I have wondered if clubs would want to host it as I realise that they are involved in the debate already, but also it might be dodgy ground given the topic.


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## butchersapron (Sep 16, 2018)

Gadshill socuts hut in eastville is great if you want to avoid the usual spots, big room loads of tables and chairs, proper kitchen proper toilets etc They were cheap as anything as well when we used it for BRHG stuff. Caretaker lives round corner as well i think.

edit: Rent Our Hall | 58th Bristol Scout Group


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## BristolEcho (Sep 16, 2018)

Thanks Butchers. That might be a good option for another group I am arranging stuff for. This is turning into a useful thread.


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## mrs quoad (Sep 16, 2018)

I think this sounds like a hard sell, OP! You're talking about a group who are at the fringes of the fringes of the fringes of policy interest. But good luck with it.

Sounds as if you're only interested in people who use drugs atm. If at any point you were interested in looking towards broader engagement, the one name / team that really springs to mind is Fiona Measham (@ Durham) and her work in setting up the Loop. She's on the ACMD; and is pretty much the only person I'm aware of in the UK atm doing both policy-focused and rave- / dancefloor-focused work. And at a seriously senior level, too.

Tbh, there are quite a few police forces who are clearly interested in harm reduction / see no evil approaches wrt festivals / dancefloors. (As evidenced by their support for The Loop). I think that there's much less interest in central government wrt the same issues, though. (Current priorities = novel psychoactives, cannabis (because it's been forced onto the radar), booze, and good old heroin, crack, prisons and crime).


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## BristolEcho (Sep 16, 2018)

mrs quoad said:


> I think this sounds like a hard sell, OP! You're talking about a group who are at the fringes of the fringes of the fringes of policy interest. But good luck with it.
> 
> Sounds as if you're only interested in people who use drugs atm. If at any point you were interested in looking towards broader engagement, the one name / team that really springs to mind is Fiona Measham (@ Durham) and her work in setting up the Loop. She's on the ACMD; and is pretty much the only person I'm aware of in the UK atm doing both policy-focused and rave- / dancefloor-focused work. And at a seriously senior level, too.
> 
> Tbh, there are quite a few police forces who are clearly interested in harm reduction / see no evil approaches wrt festivals / dancefloors. (As evidenced by their support for The Loop). I think that there's much less interest in central government wrt the same issues, though. (Current priorities = novel psychoactives, cannabis (because it's been forced onto the radar), booze, and good old heroin, crack, prisons and crime).



Thanks Mrs Quoad. Yeah we appreciate that we are not top of the priority list, and that we also have an uphill battle. I've been interested and involved in the debate for 10 years, when I started down that path I said then that I would be unlikely to see my overall aim in my lifetime, but I am heartened by recent changes. Friends told me that we would not see drug legalisation, but it is happening with cannabis. They told me we would never have drug testing at festivals, but we do now. They told me we would never have drug consumption facilities for people using opiates in the UK, and while we don't at the moment, I think this will happen sooner rather than later.

The debate has really moved on from 10 years ago and even from when I left Transform in 2016. A lot has happened in the last two years, and we want to give another area of the debate a voice. There is a lot of debate about the night time economy, how much money they can make off of us etc. So we should be included in that debate, not pushed to the outside as if our views don't matter. As you say the police support it, and while the home office continue down the same path under the surface there is a lot going on. 

I was due to volunteer for The Loop last year, I was so happy when I went to their training that this was finally happening in the UK. It did highlight to me though that it is now effectively a postcode lottery on if you have access to such facilities available to you. This needs to be across the whole country and open to all. Or we can actually just regulate the drug and then you don't need testing. I imagine we will definitely reach out to The Loop. Release also do some good work in this area, but I think they are doing something slightly different again. I think there is a section in the debate for us.

The best thing is that we have realised that there are many other things we can work on. Making dancefloors safer, campaigns against a local club that use sniffer dogs, research into positive mental health outcomes etc.


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## mrs quoad (Sep 16, 2018)

BristolEcho said:


> research into positive mental health outcomes etc.


That would, by definition, be very unreliable research. 

I think you’re batshit, and have literally no chance whatsoever of success. However, the world will be a better place if you do succeed, and batshit things don’t happen unless someone gives it a shot. 

So, you know. Good luck with it all.


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## BristolEcho (Sep 16, 2018)

Haha thanks I think. 

My friends a professor of criminology so I like to think she knows what's she's doing in this regard. Our proposals for the research have been met with positivity from her research managers.

There is already tons of research being done into the positive impact of psychedelics, so why not taking drugs in music settings?

There has been some similar research:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs...=true&journalCode=idep20#.W5td9TZq3ko.twitter


I'll post up our manifesto when we go live. 

To be fair success is hard to define and not the overall driving factor. I'd never be involved in anything activist related if I was driven by success.


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## jusali (Oct 17, 2018)

Sick, that they don't want to involve the users themselves. It's arrogant and dismissive of those of whom are perfectly able to give a reasoned form of debate. It smacks to me of an abusive parent


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## BristolEcho (Oct 17, 2018)

Agree completely. 

We had really positive news today that our research funding application has been accepted.


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## butchersapron (Dec 16, 2018)

Hydra has been given a section 25 notice by the landlord ending the tenancy in 6 months from now. Want to turn in C3 residential accommodation - along with other property they own alongside.


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## Riklet (Dec 17, 2018)

Wow that is really shit news.  Can it be challenged/opposed legally at this stage? I hope they don't go down without some mischief.


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## butchersapron (Dec 17, 2018)

Riklet said:


> Wow that is really shit news.  Can it be challenged/opposed legally at this stage? I hope they don't go down without some mischief.


It looks legally solid as can be. There are behind the scenes discussions being swiftly arranged and a wider general meeting will take place shortly after. Early indications are that those now involved in running the place (i no longer am) think a new venue would be the best option. I'm not convinced they appreciate just how lucky we were to find that place - chances are lightning will not strike twice.


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## Riklet (Apr 13, 2019)

butchersapron said:


> It looks legally solid as can be. There are behind the scenes discussions being swiftly arranged and a wider general meeting will take place shortly after. Early indications are that those now involved in running the place (i no longer am) think a new venue would be the best option. I'm not convinced they appreciate just how lucky we were to find that place - chances are lightning will not strike twice.



Any updates on Hydra? yeah amazing location tbh, surprised they dont realise how much they lucked out.


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