It will be based at the Gatehouse Centre in Hareclive Road. This well-established and thriving community hub, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is operated by Hartcliffe and Withywood Ventures [HWV] which aims to increase the choices and opportunities available to local people, and offers short courses, youth training, space for new businesses, and a nursery.
The project has been boosted by £178,000 from the Office for Student’s Equality in Higher Education Innovation Fund announced today [Thursday 13 February] which will be shared by the University and HWV. This will be used to design a new place-based micro-qualification.
The University and HWV will run three workshops together to design the micro-qualification with employers, local communities, further education colleges, and adult learners themselves, and then pilot it twice, at no or low cost to the students. The micro-qualification will start with a short module called ‘What next for me?’ The aim will be to offer a distilled version of the university experience that works for people in the local area and supports them in seeking further employment or study opportunities. The micro-qualification will then be adapted in other spaces.
Hartcliffe will be the University’s second micro-campus after it opened a similar centre at the Wellspring Settlement in Barton Hill in 2020 which is a lively and well-used hub, welcoming over 160 users weekly. Over the past year, it has partnered with 58 local and national organisations and runs regular activities such as Power Education’s Homework Clubs and the ‘Little Library’ day every Tuesday, both of which began after requests from local people.
Similarly, in Hartcliffe, the University will spend the first year listening to local people about how a university presence in the area might work. The aim is to offer a distinctive blend of research, teaching and enterprise activities that adds to the existing ecosystem in Hartcliffe and Withywood.
Lawrence Hill (the ward where the Barton Hill Micro-campus is based) and Hartcliffe and Withywood are two of the three wards in Bristol which have among the lowest participation rates in higher education in England.
The two micro-campuses will form part of a network of civic spaces linked to the University’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) in 2026, which represents a once-in-a-generation reimagining of the University’s place in the city-region. TQEC will include the Bristol Rooms, a signature space for staff and students to work with partners of all kinds on shared challenges, and the Story Exchange, a round space for conversations between people with different backgrounds and forms of expertise.
Professor Tom Sperlinger, Academic Lead for Engagement at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, said the University has a simple message it wants to share with people in Hartcliffe and Withywood: “This is your university. Come and help us shape what the university is, and who it is for, in your community. Universities are places where we can all find out more about the world and learn new skills.
“In order to do our work well, universities need to adapt for the challenges ahead. The micro-campuses, like TQEC, are spaces for the university to do things differently: learning from our partners, locally and internationally, and developing new forms of education and research where we can work with others on the urgent questions we all face.
“We’ve already gained a lot from the partnerships we’ve formed in Barton Hill. We are really excited about getting to know communities and partners in Hartcliffe and Withywood better. We have a lot to learn from them.”
Lisa Mundy, Strategic Director – Internal Operations for HWV, added: “HMV is really excited to be working with the University of Bristol. It’s a great opportunity for people in our community to access a wider range of initiatives and learning opportunities locally.”
Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, said: “I am delighted at the announcement of this investment into community skills education in Bristol South. It is fantastic that the University of Bristol is collaborating with an established community organisation like the Gatehouse Centre to give people in Hartcliffe and Withywood the opportunity to develop their skills and further their careers. I have long advocated skills training which is why I am holding my ninth annual Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair at the end of this month.”
You can read more about the University's first micro-campus at Barton Hill and its new manager, Tara Miran, on our blog, The Bristol Mix.