50 Years, Thousands of Stories
As part of Trinity50, a year-long celebration marking 50 years of Trinity Community Arts, people across Bristol are being invited to share photographs, recordings, flyers and memories that tell the story of one of the city's most significant community and cultural spaces.
The public call-out forms part of Your Trinity, Trinity50's storytelling campaign exploring Trinity's past, present and future through the voices and experiences of the people who have shaped it.
Trinity is inviting audiences, artists, volunteers, community groups, staff, partners and residents to submit photographs, videos, voice notes, recordings, flyers, posters and personal memories from the last fifty years. Alongside memories of the past, people are also being encouraged to share their hopes, ideas and ambitions for Bristol, Trinity and community life over the next fifty years.
A selection of contributions will feature in a public exhibition at Trinity's Garden Party in May 2027, bringing together memories of the past, reflections on the present and ambitions for the future.
Since the Holy Trinity Church last recorded service in 1976 and the buildings purchase by the Bristol Caribbean Community Enterprise Limited the following year, local people secured its future as a community space, playing a vital role in Bristol's cultural and community life. From sound system culture and grassroots organising to youth programmes, artist development, creative health projects and live music, the organisation has evolved alongside the communities it serves.
The campaign aims to celebrate what Trinity believes is a hidden archive of stories scattered across Bristol. Found in family photo albums, old flyers, personal collections and shared memories, these stories capture the people, communities and cultural movements that have helped shape the city.
As Trinity looks towards the restoration and reopening of Jacobs Wells Baths in 2029, Your Trinity draws a line between past and future. Fifty years ago, community action helped secure Holy Trinity Church for public use. Today, Trinity is applying that same commitment to the stewardship of another important Bristol landmark.
Jamell Ackford, Director of Culture at Trinity Community Arts, said:
"For 50 years, Trinity has been shaped by the people who use it. Our story isn't simply about a building. It's about communities coming together through creativity, culture and collective action."
"We're asking people across Bristol to help uncover the photographs, recordings and memories that tell the story of not just Trinity, but the city itself. We want to celebrate those experiences, learn from them and carry them forward."
"As we look towards the reopening of Jacobs Wells Baths and the future of Trinity, we're building on fifty years of relationships, experience and community trust to imagine what comes next together."
Speaking about Bristol's cultural legacy, Daddy G of Massive Attack said:
"Although Bristol is one of the smaller cities in the UK, the creative and cultural impact it has made on the world has been huge. It is exciting to see this continuing with the new generation of creatives coming out of this city."
The campaign will highlight the people, ideas and cultural movements that have contributed to Bristol's creative identity, from community campaigns and youth projects to sound system culture, artist development and international collaboration.
Through Your Trinity, the organisation hopes to preserve stories that might otherwise be lost while creating new conversations about the future.
People can find out more and submit contributions by emailing press@trinitybristol.org.uk.
