Treasurer

I was born and brought up in Hanham and Kingswood, educated at a technical school  in the area, so have lived in the region most of my life. I am a keen sportsman, and played soccer and cricket. I played for Frenchay Cricket Club from approximately 1958 until 2000. When I could no longer play the more physical sports I changed to playing bowls, and still play regularly at Thornbury, where I am secretary of two teams. I have been married for 54 years and have lived in Downend since 1988. I was  self employed from 1969 until I retired in 2014, supplying furniture to major house builders and the health services in the form of laboratories.

I have 2 children who still live in the area, and 2 grandchildren.

A keen gardener, I have a large allotment in Downend. 

I was the chair of Downend Men in Sheds from its inauguration until January 2020.

I also help out in a purely advisory role (nesting boxes) with the Hawk and Owl Trust based at Iron Acton Court.

I am  a chatterbox so if we meet and you want to talk I am ready to listen to your stories!

Secretary

I am a freelance editor, writer and researcher, working with museums, universities and cultural clients including the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich - www.helenrana.com

 I was a Writer Associate at Bath Spa University, my short stories have been published in anthologies, and my screenplays have been selected for film festivals and won awards including Best Historical Screenplay at the 2023 Berlin International Screenwriting Festival.

I am passionate about history, having an MPhil in History and being a member of the South West Museum Development Strategic Advisory Group. 

I was born in Gloucestershire and have lived in London, Sheffield and Zambia.  I've lived in Emersons Green for the last thirteen years and am keen to find out more about the area's past, to relate that to our present and future.

I am a Higher Learning and Teaching Assistant at Downend School, working on clubs and projects across all subjects with organisations including The Holocaust Memorial Trust, Historic England, the British Film Institute and the Trades Union Congress, as well as Downend Folk Club, Bristol Radical History Group, local artists and singer-songwriters. Folk music is such an important cultural asset that keeps our stories, struggles and folklore alive particularly the lives of the ordinary people like you and me.  

I am a national film ambassador for 'Into Film', and  the education representative locally for the Arts Council, working with them to develop resources for schools to learn about our fascinating and sometimes troubling local history.  

I also run a small art and illustration business (Facebook: @nicksmithillustrator), which led me to develop a people’s history poster of the UK, as I feel that so often our history  is from the wrong perspective, Kings and Queens, rather than the lives of the millions.

If you run a local organisation in Downend I am always happy to talk to you about working  with the school.