A charity, accused of owing £12,000 in rent arrears, was almost locked out on Tuesday morning (July 26) when the landlord turned up to change the locks. The police were called to the scene at the community building and courtyard in Easton, to settle the dispute between the landlord and tenant and ensure there ‘was no breach of peace’.
Stuart Phelps, the Chair of the charity, Baggator, which rents The Pickle Factory from All Hallows Church across the road, said he is not going to leave the building until the church goes through a legal eviction process. The Diocese of Bristol, told Bristol Live that the correct legal process has been followed.
The notice of forfeiture signed by solicitors Anthony Pidgeon, acting on behalf of the landlord, states that “Any attempt to enter the premises without the Landlord’s authority may be a criminal offence and result in a prosecution.” Baggator has fallen behind in rent and now owes the church a substantial amount of money.
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Mr Phelps acknowledged the charity owes a 'substantial' amount, but not £12,000. “Baggator owes a lot of rent to All Hallows Church who are our landlord, we don’t dispute that. A few days before Christmas and then a few days before Easter, they sent us emails demanding that we left the building.
“On both occasions they didn’t set out any legal process. Although they claimed they started a legal process, they didn’t actually spell out the terms in which they were seeking to get the building back.
“I arrived [on Tuesday (July 26)] morning to find them changing the locks, having stuck notices up to say they were repossessing the building. I called the police who eventually suggested that they go away and start court action.
“I’m now sitting here and not leaving the building until such time as I know the building is safe. I’m not for one minute saying we should not be paying the rent, I’m saying that if they want to take the building back they have to go through due legal process.
“Just showing up and slapping solicitor’s letters on the building and changing the locks is just utterly unacceptable.”
A spokesperson from the Diocese of Bristol said, "For several years, All Hallows Church in Easton has rented one of its buildings to an organisation called Baggator. In recent years, Baggator have fallen into rent arrears of over £12,000. This loss of income for All Hallows has negatively impacted All Hallow’s ability to serve the local community.
"Further, All Hallows would wish their building to be used by groups that can also serve the local community and be able to pay fair rent. Over recent years, All Hallows have been generous with Baggator in allowing rent arrears and yet repeated attempts to find an amicable plan to pay rent arrears have failed.
"Acknowledging this is difficult for Baggator, All Hallows decided that formal eviction of Baggator is required. The correct legal process has been followed.”
Under the management of Baggator, The Pickle Factory currently has several local groups using the building. An all women’s cycling group meet there on a Sunday and during the week there are youth sessions and a community meal run by Super Supper Club.
Marayan Abdirahman who helps out with a youth group at Baggator, and a women's cycling group, who are also based at the Pickle Factory, said she was made aware of the rent arrears after Mr Phelps informed her and another youth worker that he had put half of his pension into the charity.
She had seen emails from the church which she described as “heated”. They agreed to continue with the groups while no formal eviction had been put in place.
Ms Abdirahman said: “He asked us very calmly, ‘do you want to fight or do you want to walk?’ He knew that he wanted to fight but obviously if other people were using the building, it would be unethical not to ask.”
Ms Abdirahman’s youth work at Baggator is funded by the UWE STEM Ambassadors program. She also now helps to run a women’s cycling group who use the private yard to learn or build up their confidence.
Ms Abdirahman said: “I’ve walked outside at six or 7pm and there are kids outside, in the road, far from their houses and they're still quite young. Twice a week, we just like to have the confidence of knowing where these kids are.
“We should have a lot of parent details but instead we have a load of kids who just have nowhere else to go, just walking in. We can’t just send them away because they’re children and we don’t want to leave them unattended.
“We have a group of boys who used to just show up and try and cause problems for people. But now that they have the safety of knowing that we’re going to be here and that we’re willing to talk to them about stuff, their behaviour has improved dramatically.
“This is a really good space for cycling sisters. If you’re struggling to peddle for the first time, you can do so in a private area. Once we get them to a certain level of confidence, then we can take them out and cycle in public."
Over the lockdown Baggator saw a loss of income when they were no longer able to generate any income from hiring the space. Rachel Hodgson who founded Super Supper Club, moved to delivering food parcels during this time and now with help from a group of volunteers, cooks at the site three times a week.
Free food is given out to those who attend the youth sessions and on a Wednesday evening people come together for a three-course community meal at a cost of £3 per head. No one is ever turned away due to a lack of funds and there are still a limited number of free food parcels delivered alongside people being able to take home surplus food after their meal.
Ms Hodgson said: "It's a very valuable space, it's non-threatening, it's friendly, the people here include and involve others. We have a couple of people with learning disabilities and they are welcomed by everybody.
"If we lost the space, it would be a great part of my life because I spend about 15 hours a week here, it helps me keep motivated and have a purpose. It would be a great loss, the people who come here get a lot out of it."
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "At approximately 10.30am this morning (Tuesday 26 July) we received a call concerning a civil dispute between a landlord and tenant in Easton. Officers attended an address in All Hallows Road to ensure there was not a breach of the peace."
Baggator have launched a fundraiser, if you would like to donate please click here.
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