Unsung Hero: Matthew Symonds

Matthew Symonds holds down a full job, yet still manages to devote up to 20 hours a week to his community. 

The 40-year-old has been a trustee of Southville Community Development Association (SCDA) for 11 years and chairman for six of those.

The charity runs the Southville Centre, in Beauley Road, which offers a range of services, including a nursery, activities for older people and play schemes for children. It can also be used to hold events, such as weddings.

But the centre’s future had once been in question as it relied on ever decreasing council grants.

It is thanks to Matthew, a dedicated board of trustees and staff and volunteers that the centre is now a self-funding and sustainable venture.

Matthew, who is a former Labour councillor for the Southville ward, said: “I joined at an uncertain time when we relied on grants from the council, which got smaller each year.

“There’s been a change of emphasis since I became a trustee. We started to look at running the centre like a business and making a profit.

“But any profit we make is then reinvested into the centre and the community so it is now a sustainable venture.”

He works with the group to make sure the centre is financially viable. He also works with residents and in partnership with other community groups to bring improvements to the area.

He has also been involved in promoting the retail sector in the area, developing clean and safe streets and is fighting to keep Southville Methodist Church and hall open for community use. 

Matthew, who was also one half of the first gay couples to get married in the UK last March, said: “The work is hugely rewarding. It’s great to see how we can engage local people and provide services and activities to help make the community better.”

He was asked to join the Southville Centre project by Ben Barker in 2003, who was the chairman at the time.

Matthew, who works as a boating liaison manager for the Canal and River Trust, said: “I was particularly interested in the project. I didn’t see the centre as just a building, but about people and developing a community. I saw its potential and how we could do more.

“I had been involved in community work, such as improving local parks and the Southbank arts trail, and wanted to make more people aware of the local activities out there.”

The centre raises income from various services, such as its nursery, and the money is then used to offer free and subsidised activities for other people in the community, such as the elderly.

Matthew moved from Coventry, in the West Midlands, to the area in 1993, when he took a degree in fashion and technique at the University of West of England.

He has seen the area change from being a bit run-down to an up-and-coming place to live.

He said: “There used to be a lot of empty buildings and it was at a time when many people had lost their jobs in the local tobacco factories. Shop shutters would be down of an evening and nobody would be around.

“But now it has become a fashionable area and there are cafes, bars and people eating out. It’s changed physically and really become a popular place for families. The houses are a reasonable size, it’s near to Ashton Court and the countryside and there are good schools.

“There’s also a strong community feel. You get a real sense of people getting on and doing stuff together. That’s a wonderful part of being in this area.”

But he said more could still be done.

“There’s always ongoing work, such as improving green space and reducing traffic. But projects tend to work better if local people are involved and feel ownership of it.”

The centre itself faces challenges, namely finding space to meet increasing demand.

“It’s a fantastic resource but there’s not enough room. We have 90 children who have care places at the nursery, but there’s still a massive waiting list.  

“We would also like to run more activities for the elderly, but we simply don’t have space.”

They are currently looking for another building to use, but property is difficult to find in the area.

People can get involved by becoming a member of the SDCA for £2 for two years and by volunteering with the community groups. Sometimes specialist or expertise advice is needed, such as from architects.

For more information and to get involved, visit www.southvillecentre.org.uk or email info@southvillecentre.org.uk Alternatively, call 0117 923 1039.