Bringing People together:
Jackie’s Journey with My Community Bristol

My Community Bristol is a project run by SENDaWelcome. We support local organisations and communities to create welcoming spaces and positive experiences for people with learning disability and autism.

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Today we are sharing Jackie’s incredible journey - how she built a new creative writing group for people who identify as autistic at Bishopston Library, with just a little help.

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A Story Begins...

It all started with Joe, a long-standing member of the My Community Action Group. He invited the group to a special book launch - an anthology celebrating neurodiverse creativity co-hosted by Diverse UK and the Friends of Bishopston Library.

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The event was inspiring. Stories flowed, ideas sparked, and the magic of creative writing filled the room. But beneath the excitement was a challenge: Diverse UK’s creative writing group had been thriving for over eight years, with Joe’s mum, Sally, volunteering to facilitate it. The group was so popular that they had a long waiting list as members tended not to leave. Yet, there was no capacity to create a second group.

 

Enter Jackie: A New Chapter Begins

That’s when My Community stepped up. We saw the opportunity to create another welcoming safe place to bring creativity to life. Sally approached the existing group, offering our support to anyone who wanted to take on the role of facilitating a new group.

 

Jackie initially felt uncertain, but writing offered her an opportunity to explore new thoughts and revisit ideas she had set aside. She enjoyed co-facilitating the group, developing creative prompts that inspired unique responses from others. But with the assurance of support, Jackie saw this as an excellent chance to expand her volunteer work and take on greater responsibility.  

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From Idea to Reality: The Power of Community

To help Jackie bring her vision to life, My Community Bristol worked with Diverse UK to provide practical support:

• Contacting everyone on the waiting list

• Booking the room hire

• Setting up a new email address for Jackie

• Sending out relevant documents e.g. how to get to Bishopston Library and Diverse UK’s agreement

• We also managed individual access requirements.

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Jackie said she was worried about the admin side of things at first, but found our support very useful, and it wasn’t long before she felt comfortable in the role. 

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A Space for Creativity to Flourish

Now, thanks to Jackie’s passion and dedication, the new writing group is thriving. Everyone who had been waiting for a space in the first group can finally take part. One attendee shared that the group has become their escape, offering a place to relax, express themselves, and be part of something special.

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Jackie’s Message to Future Creators

When asked what she’d say to someone thinking of setting up a group, Jackie replied, “At first, I felt imposter syndrome, I thought I needed special permission to run the group. But actually, anyone can do it.”

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A Huge Thank You

This journey wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible people who brought it to life:

Sally, who kept the waiting list going for years.

Diverse UK, for believing in the project and offering support.

And Jackie, whose courage, creativity, and leadership brought a new writing space to Bristol for people who identify as autistic.