FACE is a youth and community charity, based in the north of Bristol (just within the boundary of South Gloucestershire).
The core work of FACE is grounded in quality youth work practice, with a real passion for seeing young people thrive.
"One of the things I value about FACE is that it provides young people with additional needs, that regular teenage experience of going to a youth club to socialise with friends. The social educational value of their work is significant and should not be underestimated in helping young people make the transition to independence."
We deliver our projects with the following values at the heart of our work.
Equality: Being fair and consistent, providing equality of opportunity where everyone can fulfil their potential
Fun: Providing a safe space to develop, whilst maintaining an environment for fun
Respect: Listening, trusting, encouraging, and challenging one another
Integrity: Doing the right thing and being proud of all that we do
Empowerment: Enabling people to grow, learn, participate, and thrive
Making A Difference: Having a positive impact on people’s lives and in our local community
Please download our latest Annual Report for more information about what we’ve been up to recently!
“We are pleased to work in partnership with FACE to deliver activities for young people in South Gloucestershire. It is really important that young people have access to activities that help them mix with their peers, develop confidence and new skills and the opportunity to talk to a trusted adult if needed. We have heard directly from young people and parents that they really value and enjoy the activities FACE deliver.”
FACE has solid foundations as a youth work organisation. However, it has been on a journey over multiple decades to evolve into the charity it is today, which provides services for multiple groups in our community.
FACE began as a voluntary sector youth club in Filton, based within the St Andrew’s Methodist Church, sitting on the main A38 thoroughfare through the area.
The majority of the staff were volunteers.
Sadly, there was a tragic minibus accident in October 1962, which killed eleven members of the formerly named Filton Youth Club (including leader Alf James).
Following this, a public appeal was launched to build a designated youth centre in Filton as a community memorial to those who had sadly lost their lives.
The Local Authority and Methodist Church combined forces to successfully raise the funds and groundworks began on the new centre in 1966.
Lord Ducie gave a grand opening to the new youth centre, called ‘St Andrews Methodist Youth Centre’ and this ran with a small committee, made up of church members and stewards.
Over the following decades, the youth centre was a busy community hub, working in partnership with schools and colleges. Two weekday evenings saw targeted groups for young people with additional needs. During daytimes, the space saw engagement with targeted groups, such as a youth offending team who once helped paint the building.
Due to the partnership between the Methodist Church and the Local Authority, the youth leader was employed and seconded from the Local Authority to the Methodist Church, and funding was commissioned for youth work as part of the Council’s Youth Service.
Leader Jim Curry provided a period of stability for the centre through the late 1980s – 2000s, to 2006. The centre became a thriving hub for young people. The centre bought a narrowboat which was moored in central Bristol, and young people helped to maintain and refurbish the boat.
There are many happy memories and photos of trips on the boat, as well as discos, residential weekends, and Open Nights with drama performances by local youngsters.
Following Jim’s retirement, after a period of just over a year with no youth leader, Debbie Teml was employed in 2008 as a full-time youth worker, again on a secondment from the local Council.
During this time, youth clubs ran four nights weekly, with a designated evening for young people with social or learning disabilities. The centre began working with younger children (aged 9+) and also ran more community activities during the daytime.
Funding for youth work was becoming harder to obtain, and the Local Authority changed its commissioning arrangements, reducing the funding, and changing the leader’s role to a part-time post, and then removing the secondment. This led to a period of concern for the management committee in regard to the future viability of the centre, and the youth and community work.
Debbie worked with the staff and management committee alongside CVS South Glos to explore charity registration, diversify funding and strengthen the centre’s position. A new trustee board was created and a new name and vision for the work was born.
FACE became a registered charity (CIO).
Debbie took a role as charity director, driving the charitable aims of working with young people, as part of their wider community and consolidating the vision and ethos of the charity.
The charity now provided daytime adult sessions and community events alongside its four evenings of youth work, and continued to grow and develop, particularly working with young people with additional needs and barriers in life.
FACE evolved beyond its Filton home, providing its services across new bases in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Links and new funding arrangements with South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council, and Frampton Cotterell Parish Council meant that FACE’s youth work developed in new directions, with a growing staff team and wider reach.
Targeted work for disabled young people developed, e.g. Bristol Autism Project, along with the charity’s educational input through work with schools and partner organisations, reaching those “harder to reach” young people and encouraging and empowering them through the youth work, to engage, to be heard, and to thrive.
The local South Glos Youth Work Partnership was created, with FACE as an active partner, and worked together to secure youth work funding through the Local Authority and National Lottery Community Fund.
FACE was instrumental in Filton community efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, redirecting its focus onto neighbourhood response.
FACE ran a helpline for 18 months for those self-isolating or shielding, who needed practical and wellbeing support. This included a listening ear, signposting and allocation of volunteers in Filton, to help with daily living activities, shopping, dog walking, etc, for vulnerable and self-isolating individuals.
The ‘FACE store’ was created in the youth centre’s foyer, with cupboards packed with food and household goods, much of which was donated by local residents and funded through public appeals and small grants. FACE curated and distributed 200 Wellbeing boxes to isolated adults – thanks to funding from the Quartet Community Foundation. FACE provided Zoom sessions and online support to young people and families during multiple lockdowns, as well as a low-risk approach to in-person support through outdoor activities and park meet-ups, following the appropriate guidance for youth & community work throughout.
FACE did not close, and did not stop providing support to anyone who needed it during those difficult months.
Following recognition of FACE’s expertise in youth work delivery, FACE took on a new role as Lead organisation for South Gloucestershire Council Youth Work in Lot 1 (west of South Glos – covering the area from Filton – Tortworth).
FACE delivered this work in partnership with other subcontracted youth work providers (Creative Youth Network, Krunch South West, & Bradley Stoke Town Council).
FACE then successfully secured a second youth centre premises – in the heart of a ‘Priority Neighbourhood’ at Patchway Youth Centre. This cemented the presence of youth work in the area and prevented the possibility of the building being repurposed or demolished.
A new South Glos. Council 5-year commissioning cycle began in April 2024, with FACE being successfully appointed as Lot 1 Lead; subcontracting to Krunch South West, JIGSAW Thornbury, and Bradley Stoke Town Council.
A new 3-year Lottery Community Fund bid was also secured jointly by the South Glos. Youth Work Partnership in October 2024, further underpinning FACE’s youth work in Patchway alongside the other 8 youth work providers in the partnership.
2024 also saw FACE enjoy a range of festivities and activities celebrating its 10th year since its charity registration. A Fun Day at Patchway Youth Centre in August was followed by the AGM and FACE Shining Stars awards night in September. 83 people (staff, volunteers, trustees, young people and adult members) were nominated for awards and gained certificates for their efforts and achievements – with seven overall Star awards also being presented on the themes of FACE’s Core Values.
FACE was very grateful to be recognised and awarded a grant for support through the Arley Trust Resilience Fund 2025-2027, to strengthen its resilience through a roadmap of support and advice from the Charities Aid Foundation Advisors. Plans are underway, and FACE is identifying areas of improvement and investment to ensure we are resilient for future generations.
Regardless of the specific activities involved, FACE has always kept at its core building relationships: supporting the needs of those involved, and making a lasting impact.
Youth work as a whole sector has evolved since the organisation’s early years.
There are new strategies and tools – Yet, the importance of supportive relationships remains key in the work FACE does today, with people of all ages from a variety of backgrounds.
If you are interested in working with us we’d love to hear from you!
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