The Beeston Hill Community Association (BHCA) is community-led group which aims to give residents of Beeston Hill* the opportunity to get to know neighbours, share their views on community life and be heard. Our hope is to celebrate what is strong in our community, not simply focus on what is wrong; by helping residents get to know one another, we believe it’s possible to work together to speak up for the area and bring about change.
The BHCA meets every two months at The Hamara Centre on Tempest Road. Our next meeting is Monday 30 September 2024 at 6:30-8pm – if you live in the area and want to make our community better, we would LOVE to have you involved. Our meetings are informal and relaxed and we always have free food together (Pizza, this time!) Everyone is welcome. Our Hunslet & Riverside Councillors will also be attending, so it is also a good opportunity to share any concerns and have questions answered. We hope you can join us.
At our last community meeting in July, we focussed on the issue of drugs and related crime, which is having a big impact on residents in Beeston Hill. Despite the heavy topic, it was a positive meeting where residents were given the opportunity to share their concerns and problems. This highlighted the real need for change in our community. Although the Police and Council are trying to tackle the problems, they rely on information from the public to help, so we would strongly encourage residents to report any concerns through the following reporting channels at the end of this article, as we believe people in Beeston should feel safe and be safe in their homes, on the streets and the places they go. At our meeting on 30th there will be another chance to share any updates or worries
In August, our wonderful committee member, Shaz, took a lead in organising a Community Fun day at Rowland Road. This was a wonderful day which brought lots of different people together. This was especially timely with all the riots that were happening across the nation during the summer. Many people in our community, felt scared and fearful about their own safety, however this event showed the power and beauty of people coming together. Shaz said;
“August 17th enabled our whole community to come together for an amazing event. It was really great to see integration between people, as our community consists of various cultures and ethnicities. Recent events showed us that we don’t hold negativity and we can create a cohesive community. Everyone had so much fun with many free activities for the children. From local traders to handmade gifts, creepy crawlies and farm animals, the event had so much to offer.”
For anyone who might have concerns about community safety there will be a chance to talk about this at the meeting.
The BHCA is looking to partner with others to put on a Christmas Market in December – more info to follow
For more information and regular updates please check out our Facebook page, ‘Beeston Hill Community Association – Leeds’.
*Beeston Hill Community Association covers the old red brick housing around the Tempest Road area, down to Dewsbury Road, including areas such as the Harlechs, Woodviews, Stratfords and all surrounding streets)
Useful Contact Information:
Concerns relating to sex work and kerb crawling can be reported to the Police by calling the Dedicated Line 07497 386922 (7am-11pm). This number is for reporting ongoing sex working only. If the Dedicated Line is engaged, you can leave a message and an Officer will get back to you or email: LD.SSW@westyorkshire.police.uk
To report ASB (Anti-Social Behaviour) to Leeds City Council: Safer Leeds ASB Service: Ring 0113 222 4402 Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, report online: Report antisocial behaviour (leeds.gov.uk) or to remain anonymous, please call: Crimestoppers on 0800 555111
Drug dealing locations – report these to West Yorkshire Police, using 101 0r LiveChat
Rough sleepers – if you see anyone rough sleeping, report to StreetLink – Connecting people sleeping rough to local services (thestreetlink.org.uk). This sends an alert to the Street Outreach Team, who will reach out, engage, and offer support.
If there is immediate danger to yourself or someone else, you should always ring 999. If it is not an emergency, you can ring the Police on 101 or online.
This post was written by Sarah Hutchinson
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