People in Highridge now have somewhere to report problems that are affecting their quality of life thanks to community-minded Don Smith.

For the past five years Don has run meetings for residents to discuss local issues.

Eighteen months ago he came up with the idea of a dedicated office where people could drop in to report their concerns in a secure and comfortable environment and stay up to date with progress made in tackling them.

Now Safer Bristol, the partnership of key public agencies who aim to make the city a better place to live, is helping Don realise his ambition.

The Estate Management Service has found a city council office in Cutler Road, Highridge which will now be used as a drop-in centre and meeting place.

Local people will be able to report and talk through issues ranging from anti-social behaviour and drug dealing to safety and environmental concerns such as dog mess, fly-tipping and street lighting.

These concerns will then be raised with the relevant agencies, including the police and council, to be dealt with. Residents will be able to hear about progress dealing with specific issues they have highlighted at meetings staged in the office or by dropping in for an update.

Key to taking the office idea from pipe dream to reality is the involvement of Safer Bristol and Bristol City Council Estate Management Service, in particular Emily Smith, community safety officer, and Michelle Bane, the new senior housing manager.

Michelle said: "The Highridge community office will build valuable links between residents and partner agencies and provide a relaxed way for people to report their concerns. Myself and my team will be working with partners to support Don and his group and together we will look to tackle the issues in the area raised by local residents."

Emily has acted as a mentor to Don over the past few years, helping him secure funding from Safer Bristol's Community Transformer scheme to pay towards the office.

The scheme, which has a budget of £16,000, is funding five projects across the city. Each Community Transformer project, which can last between three and seven months, has active local citizens at its heart.

The £2,000 received by the Highridge office is being used for promotion and to meet its day-to-day running costs.

Don plans to be at the office every Tuesday and Thursday morning to deal with issues himself.

The community meetings led by Don have already resolved a number of local issues and helped re-house residents whose lives were blighted by drug dealing in their neighbourhood.

He said: "I can't wait to get the office up and running as I know it will really benefit the local community.

"Sometimes people feel powerless to get anything done so this will be a focal point and help bring them together to talk through the kinds of issues that are affecting them.

"That they will be able to do that in a comfortable and safe environment will, I'm certain, mean more people will come forward with their concerns which in turn will create stronger community ties.

"This wouldn't have been possible without the support of Safer Bristol and especially the help we've received from Emily."