Trinity Garden Sessions will relaunch in 2021. Photo Khali Ackford

Trinity has been granted £162k from the Cultural Recovery Fund, providing critical investment for Trinity to remain solvent and financially viable beyond 30 June.

The grant replaces income generated by our trading-arm, which has been severely impacted as a result of pandemic restrictions.

Support from the Cultural Recovery Fund means we have the capacity to reopen. The grant will support our socially distanced live programme, providing paid opportunities for freelancers and artists, as well as covering Centre running costs, enabling rehearsals, workshops, community classes and other planned grant-funded projects such as Youth Music to return to the building.

Thanks to the support and flexibility of funders, Trinity has adapted delivery in response to the pandemic, reacheing over 5000 people across a programme of arts, heritage, well-being and, community activity.

Between April-June we will relaunch our outdoor, socially-distanced live-programme, bringing you some of the best of Bristol’s music scene. We will work with regular community groups to support the relaunch regular activitiesprogramme and, as restrictions ease, we will be hosting a series of family performances.

Further details will be announced soon. Sign up to our mailing list for more info.

#HereForCulture

Trinity is a COVID-Secure, multi-use venue. We are reopening in a phased way to reduce risk of COVID19 spread and working with event organisers to risk assess and ensure activities take place in line with the latest Government guidelines.

What can happen:

Step 1 - As of 29 March

• Rehearsals
• Performances for the purpose of live-streaming
• Filming
• All outdoor children's activities
• Outdoor parent & child group (15ppl max excluding under 5’s)
• Wedding ceremonies & wakes (6ppl max)

Step 2 - No earlier than 12 April

As above, plus:

• Group activities for under 18s (including indoor physical activity)
• Wedding ceremonies & wakes (15ppl max)

Step 3 - No earlier than 17 May and at least 5 weeks after step 2

As above, plus:

• Socially distanced shows or performances where audiences are seated and follow the rule of 6
• Live music - DJs - Theatre - Cinema
• Meetings and conferences that are essential, following reduced room capacities and social distancing
• All group activities, (including indoor physical activity)
• Formally organised support groups (15ppl max)
• Most significant life events: wedding, ceremonies & wakes (30ppl max)

Step 4 - No earlier than 21 June and at least 5 weeks after step 3

As above, plus:

• No legal limit on life events
• Larger events & club nights (details to be confirmed)
• Social contact: no legal limit

This news item was published on 31 Mar 2021

It is that time of year! Spring has sprung, bulbs in the garden are popping up with bursts of new life, buds are on the apple trees - the community garden is springing into action.

Over the bank holiday weekend - come and see artist Amy-May-Ellis, who is collecting all our hopes and dreams as part of a community art installation, Mobilise (part of What I Want to Be What I Want to See). Take part by dropping by between 11am - 3pm Sat & Sun, social distancing rules apply

“I've really enjoyed coming here, it’s helped me enjoy life more. I stay at home a lot but I've been welcomed here. I’ve learnt about using herbs to drink as teas, nature and how to cook the food from the garden. I didn’t know many things about this before. I’ve really enjoyed it. Thanks so much!” Nabil, Garden participant

Family Garden Sessions will start again in the Easter Holidays, delivered in partnership with Eastside Community Trust. These sessions are an opportunity for families and children to gather and use fresh seasonal produce to create meals, take part in springtime gardening and, explore the garden through nature games. Weekly Forest School Clubs will be starting back up in the spring term with local schools including Hannah More and St Nicholas of Toletine primary.

#GetInvolved in the fortnightly Garden Volunteer Sessions 10-2pm. The sessions are welcome to any one 18+ with an interest in gardening, no experience necessary - just a willingness to take part in gardening. If you are interested in volunteering fill out this online form and one of the team will get back to you.

The garden has undergone a transformation - works have included new wheel chair friendly entrance, pathways and raised beds to make the garden a more accessible and engaging space for communities to enjoy. The old compost toilet will be removed to make way for an accessible tool shed.

A sensory trail has been planted around the around and include aromatic, medicinal, tactile, colourful and pollinator plants – making the garden a the perfect space for school groups, families and community groups to explore, have fun - and even some time to sit back and to relax! Alongside the trail artist Rosanna Morris wooden relief print display boards will highlight some of the native plants that grow in the garden.

More activity is planned throughout the year – if you want to get up-to-date sign up to our mailing list.

The Easter Holiday sessions have been supported through the Holiday Fund, a Bristol City Council initiative in partnership the Children's Scrapstore and Fairshare.

Trinity is thinking about the future, & we want to hear from the people that matter - you.

From March 25 we are asking the people of Bristol to share their hopes and dreams for the future as part of What I Want To Be, What I Want To See. To inspire you, we have teamed up with our extended Trinity family of artists and community groups to create 11 days of free activities, content and workshops.

#GetInvolved

Online - follow us on our Social Media channels for scheduled activity and a daily TikTok challenge. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Sign up to a daily Assembly Monday - Friday by heading to the Facebook group here.

Sign up - click through below for our free workshop programme:

25 Mar - Writing Workshop With Vanessa Kisuule,

29 Mar - Intergenerational Dance Workshop,

30 Mar - Body Percussion Workshop,

31 Mar - I-Dentity Workshop.

Take part - join us on site for our Socially distanced community artwork, Mobilise, in Trinity Community Garden

If you live close to Trinity look out for our freepost leaflet, along with a free, specially created, print by Andy Council, coming through your letterbox. Please add your own responses and post them back to us.

If you live in Newtown or St Judes, keep your eyes open for the newest team member of Trinity - S.U.S.A.N.N the socially distanced robot - who will be out on the streets collecting your responses.

Want to share your dreams for the future? Click here to find out how.

The project is supported through funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund helping Trinity still #behereforculture

Image courtesy of Daniel Durrans donated to Trinity's archive as part of Art of Resistance

"There are people across generations in Bristol who have taken action which makes protest normative, for generations here today it is not a question of whether you take action, but how you take action." Dr Edson Burton

Writer, historian and Art of Resistance Curator Dr Edson Burton speaks to BBC reporter Aleisha Scott about the history of protest in Bristol. Click here to read the full article, which offers some context to this week's Kill the Bill protest, Mar 2021.

As part of our project, which seeks to document 100 years of civil activism in the city, we are asking for people to share with us their stories and artifacts from protests and movements past and present.

From textile banners, to posters, poems and other inspired artwork, we want you to help us capture the bigger, complex picture of protest throughout recent decades and speak of our wider journey as a democratic, multicultural country.

We're looking for content that speaks to the people, of the people. For inspiration, check out this Bristol Poem written by school children in 2012 as part of our previous Bridges project.

Get in touch with us by emailing info@trinitybristol.org.uk if you have any stories or content you would like to share or submit any digital material to form part of an upcoming exhibition using our Art Of Resistance Submission form.

What would you do if you had no limits? Where would you go? What would you do? Who would you spend time with? And what are the changes you would like to see, locally or globally?

Trinity is thinking about the future, and we want to start by hearing from the people that matter - you. We’re asking the people of Bristol to respond to the sentence ‘What I Want to Be, What I Want to See’.

We are asking you to get involved writing, drawing, making or recording something as a way to share what you want to see for yourself and the world around you, post-pandemic.

From 25th March our extended Trinity family of artists and community groups will be sharing their responses to help inspire you including Misfits Theatre sharing their ambitions for a utopian future and top tips on getting creative with artists Grove and Pete Warner.  We’ll be running a series of free workshops with artists including Rider Shafique, Vanessa Kisuule and Gerrys Attic to help you get creative in response to the theme. There will also be an opportunity to take part in socially distanced workshops in our community garden with artist Amy May Ellis to create an art-installation.

Find out more about the project and the events coming up by visiting trinitybristol.org.uk/arts

Ways to #GetInvolved

• Share any content you create with us by emailing info@trinitybristol.org.uk
• Get in touch by emailing info@trinitybristol.org.uk to find out how to drop off any physical responses at Trinity.
• Submit your content online
• Share with us directly on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter
• Share on your own social media using the hashtag #WhatIWant

If you’re located in BS2 look out for our freepost leaflet, along with a free, especially created, print by Andy Council, coming through your letterbox and post them back to us.

If you live in Newtown or St Judes, keep your eyes open for the newest team member of Trinity - S.U.S.A.N.N the socially distanced robot - who will be out on the streets collecting your responses!

Once we've gathered enough content to represent the diverse communities of the city, we’ll be working with talented local artists to create their own responses inspired by you, to be shared as part of a celebratory event later in the year and to build a lasting legacy of our shared ambitions for the future.

Hype Dance perform flash mob style dance at Trinity Garden Party. Photo Jessica Bartolini

Help Trinity move forward with positivity and strength

Trinity are reaching out for new Trustees to join the existing Board on the next phase of our journey.

Trinity plays a pivotal role in providing cultural opportunity in one of the most ethnically and economically diverse areas nationally – working with communities to shape a much-needed participatory arts offer that is impactful and relevant.

We are looking for candidates who can show creative thinking, independent judgement, strategic vision and a demonstrable commitment to equal opportunities, inclusivity and diversity - to work as part of a team and act as an ambassador - helping us to renew and rebuild. You will support Trinity to look at things differently, to grasp new opportunities and to make our vision a reality - Creative Expression for All.

As a multi-disciplinary grassroots hub, with a strong track record of bridging arts and communities, we are committed to creating a Board which represents the people and communities we serve. We are particularly looking for Trustees with experience to share in: Social impact, Finance and Community Engagement.

If you are interested in joining Trinity’s board, please download the recruitment pack for more information about the position and further details on how to apply.

Deadline for applications: Monday 15th April, 10am

1985 Oct 25 International Time Off for Women

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The origins of International Women’s Day can be traced to the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910. Delegates approved a motion calling for a celebration of women every year in every country. Today International Women’s Day is a month-long celebration and the struggle for equal access and opportunity, are as relevant today as it was in 1910.

Throughout the month of March, we have a programme of activities to celebrate, to take part in and to learn more about women’s history.

Associate Artist Roxanna Vilk has teamed up with charity Bristol Women’s Voice to offer a free Lullabies workshop (Mar 10). The Workshop is open to families and carers and is an opportunity to learn Iranian, Slovenian and Cuban Lullabies. Sign up here.

As part of Art of Resistance we will be exploring the ways that women have creatively responded to the struggle for equality across the world. Our outdoor gallery, Snapshots of Resistance, will have a selection of photographs documenting women protestors & pioneering artists – with a wider selection of photographs from our archive will be accessible online. We will also be releasing an inspirational interview with Bristol treasure singer songwriter Rita Lynch. We are also calling out for stories and art to be part of the project. Submit yours online here.

There are more activities planned, keep an eye out on our website, sign up to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep-up-to-date and to #GetInvolved.

Save Bristol Nightlife - a campaign to save, protect and promote Bristol's nightlife - have been working to amplify tales from venues across the city over lockdown.

"Trinity, a venue which, to many, is the most crucial to protect. It is integral to the city's cultural life yet always under threat by plans for the development of residential buildings all around it and not given half the respect and recognition from the powers that be that the venue deserves."

Save Bristol Nightlife

Alongside the film above, featuring our Venue Manager Jamell, Save Bristol Nightlife's YouTube channel documenting stories from other loved venues including the Beaufort in Montpelier and the Queenshilling on Frogmore Street.

All filming is courtesy of photographer Colin Moody. The series of documentaries explore the challenges and uncertainty still facing the hospitality and events industries, as one of the areas of the UK economy that's seen activity heavily restricted to try to limit the spread of COVID19.

If you'd like to join Save Bristol Nightlife's campaign, visit their Facebook page and help to support your local venue by writing to your MP and Councillors.

Courtesy of Ben and Kath

Courtesy of Clare and Sam

Courtesy of Emma and Nick

Courtesy of Ben and Kath

Prices start from £550

“Amongst all the uncertainty and lows that COVID-19 has brought, we had the most amazing, intimate and glorious wedding day thanks to Trinity staff. The venue is relaxed, beautiful and great value and the staff are incredible, so much so we will be returning to Trinity next year to celebrate our wedding reception with our family and friends.”

Ben and Kath, 2020

As an independent grassroots venue, Trinity's experienced team know how to put on a party! Our licensed venue is now available for weddings throughout the summer.

When you book with Trinity, you can be confident knowing we will work with you to respond to changing  restrictions to make sure your special day goes ahead as planned. If changes due to restrictions means the event can't go ahead, your deposit is secure and can be either refunded or transferred to a future available date.

As a Grade II* Listed former-church, its backdrop of original features, stained-glass windows and ornate stonework make the Trinity Centre the perfect venue for your wedding ceremony and reception.

For more about what your wedding day could look like, download our wedding brochure for info about spaces and packages or get in touch on info@trinitybristol.org.uk to request a viewing. Availability is limited so we recommend getting in touch today to secure your date!

Click here to book your wedding

Image: Nathalie Codsi in Arnold's Big Adventure by Tessa Bide Productions, photo by Kai Taylor

Spilt Ink Theatre Company have been awarded Trinity’s Young Audiences Commission to develop a new piece of work for 3-10 year olds. The £6,000 commission has been made possible through the support of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Spilt Ink are a physical theatre company who create playful, joyful and fun work with and for communities and children. During their development commission they will be exploring the themes of home and identity.

“We will create a fantasy ‘home’ rooted in real stories of our multicultural community. It will explore both the physical sensation of home and the cultural meaning of home.  We will question what home means to ourselves, as diverse artists, and to the multicultural local community of East Bristol.”

They will work with Trinity and local community partners to deliver creative and playful workshops with local children and families; sharing and exploring the stories of the many communities living in Lawrence Hill and Easton.

Spilt Ink were selected for the commission following an open call out that received 20 project proposals. Their project, Home, stood out to our parent-led selection panel - made up of staff, volunteers and community reps - for the way it placed co-creation at its core and young people at the centre of deciding where the project journey would take them.

Between its members - Lebanese/Italian actor and theatre maker Nathalie Codsi, Bristol-based international theatre director, community arts facilitator and performer Hester Welch, and British actor, puppeteer/ theatre maker Sarah Cribdon, Spilt Ink have a wealth of experience of working with diverse communities across the world and we look forward to seeing where Home will take them.

If you are interested in finding out more about how to get involved with the Young Audiences Commission as it emerges, please get in touch or sign up to our mailing list.

When Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden advised 25 of the UK’s most recognisable cultural institutions* to be consistent with the Government on issues of contested heritage, voices across heritage and the arts expressed a need for separation between culture and politics.

But when charities faced calls from Charity Commission Chair to remain apolitical - a reaction to groups such as The National Trust opting to present the colonial history of some of their properties - the cultural sector was equally unhappy.

This may appear contradictory; on the one hand, arts and heritage charities calling for state and art to be kept separate while at the same time bawking at being told to avoid politicising activity. Maybe artists aren’t that great at being told what to do. Or maybe politics can be intrinsic to, whilst also remaining separate from, the work of charities.

The work of charities is intrinsic to (small p) politics

Arts and heritage charities exist to enrich our understanding of the past and inspire the next generation to build a better future. These aren’t just fluffy-feels. Rather, they are legally defined principles, set out in what is known as ‘Charitable Objects’.

Objects such as, ‘to preserve and promote heritage and arts’, ‘advance education’, or ‘promote equality of opportunity for persons of different racial and cultural identities’, can’t help but touch upon the micro-politics of everyday life.

Objects exist to focus resources and give donors assurance funds will go toward furthering their chosen cause. When we give to charities, we put our trust in them to decide how to best use those resources in pursuit of the Objects.

Funders may request charities use a hashtag in acknowledgement of funds or report on how funds are spent. But, this need for accountability does not take precedent over thee responsibility to stakeholders first and foremost.

As independent legal entities, charities must remain free to decide what activities are most appropriate in pursuit of their Objects, for the good of those they serve. Charities cannot act against their legitimate Objects just to keep someone happy - even when that someone is the Culture Secretary, or the Charity Commission Chair.

Art and (capital P) Politics must be separate

When it comes to funding, this ‘at arms length’ principle is important for the autonomy of all charities and is particularly notable in UK culture, with creation of The Arts Council itself post-WWII to ensure a clear separation between culture and capital P Politics.

This separation of Charity from State is critical as it safeguards the pursuit of a charity's mission from any shift in government priorities.

It means charities can focus on the interests of those they serve rather than being distracted by the interests of those who fund them. They cannot de-prioritise stakeholder interests in the pursuit funds, even where those funds are administered by the Government or public funding bodies such as Lottery. They must be able to maintain their autonomy so they can flex and adapt to meet changing stakeholder needs - not least so they can ensure they remain relevant to an ever diversifying donor pool.

Applying pressure on how legally constituted organisations pursue their legitimate charitable aims - by warning public funding will be ‘scrutinised’ should they not tow the line, for example - is even more problematic right now, due to the financial precariousness of the sector.

Charities exist to make change and pursue activities that help to make life fairer for us all. To use Chris Whitty’s ‘Swiss-cheese’ analogy, they plug any gaps in the wider public sector safety-net. We must protect this freedom at all costs, so charities can respond to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic, amplify stories that give new perspectives to dominant narratives and ensure the art we make remains free from Political constraints.

Our charities, our heritage and our culture must remain independent. That freedom is more important than ever, for the sake of our collective recovery and prosperity. We must distinguish between the Politics to be kept at arms length and that which is central to our mission if want our vision to remain in arms reach.

By Emma Harvey, CEO

Seven ways to show solidarity

1. Support the work groups diversifying the sector, such as Migrants in Culture and Inc Arts
2. Sign Howell Furber 's petition to encourage to reconsider DCMS' stance on contested histories
3. Follow news about the Hands Off Our Heritage on social media
4. Sign up to Strike A Light's mailing list to be part of future cross-sector conversations
5. Join The Museums Association's campaign to decolonise museums
6. Write to your MP in support of a 'Keep At Arms Length' approach to UK culture
7. Show your support on social media to those such as @nationaltrust and other UK arts and heritage charities impacted*, using hashtags such as #KeepItArmsLength #HandsOffOurHeritage

*List of organisations: The British Film Institute, British Library, British Museum, Churches Conservation Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, Horniman Museum, Imperial War Museum, Museum of the Home, National Archives, National Gallery, National Museums Liverpool, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Royal Armouries, Royal Museums Greenwich, Royal Parks, Science Museum Group, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Tate Gallery, V&A Museum, Wallace Collection, Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Communities Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund

Find out more about Moving Bristol’s Producer Deborah.

Deborah Baddoo MBE is the Producer for Bristol Dance Future’s Moving Bristol project. The project focuses on developing dance practice for new and existing audiences and developing an ecology of dance across Bristol.

Drawn to the opportunity by a desire to galvanise action and create a legacy for Dance in the city, Deborah brings her extensive experience in the dance sector to the role.

Passionate about her long-term vision to raise the profile and support the development of Black choreographers nationally and internationally,she was awarded an MBE for service to dance in 2010. In 1986 in partnership with musician Steve Marshall, she set up arts production company State of Emergency. The company produces shows, projects and events and works with world-class artists and creates opportunities for emerging artists. The charitable arm, State of Trust works to use the arts to promote social cohesion.

Deborah has also worked as an Arts Council Agent for Change with Bristol Old Vic and Sailsbury Playhouse, was Diversity Consultant for Bristol Museums and has worked with many renowned dance and arts organisations across the UK including Rich Mix, DanceXchange, Stratford Circus, Swindon Dance and East London Dance.

As well as a planned programme of industry events - such as the upcoming Dance and Health Conference 2021 - Deborah has collaborated with the Dance Futures Steering Group, independent artists and organisations to select the Dance Connect residencies. The residencies are an opportunity for practitioners, organisations and communities to collaboratively develop a programme of dance activity. Artists will explore and develop ways that dance can be enjoyed and experienced by new and existing audiences and participants across the city.

Deborah has also supported the creation of three Dance Hubs across the city to focus on the development of Dance for Health, Young People and Audiences. Organisations on board are Arnolfini, Creative Youth Network and Trinity. Trinity will be working with dance practitioners Lerato Dunn and Rachel James to programme activity in our role as the Arts & Health Dance Hub for the project.

Find out more about Moving Bristol here.

About Bristol Dance Futures

Bristol Dance Futures, is a consortium of Bristol organisations and independent artists, that nurtures talents and provides professional development opportunities for dancers, with an aim to create a vibrant dance ecology, so people of all ages can engage with high-quality dance.

Dance Connect is supported by funding from Arts Council England

With the latest 'Meet the Researchers' event coming up next week, we touch base with the Curator Edson Burton who heads up the #Resist Team to find out what's been going on behind the scenes with Trinity's latest heritage project.

Tell us about Art of Resistance

The Art of Resistance is a two-year programme of research, activities and events charting looking at creative responses to resistance movements in Bristol. We will focus on five key movements over the last 100 years:

• Women’s Equality Suffragette to the #MeToo Movement
• Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism – Black Shirts to Black Lives Matters
• Workers' Rights - Hunger Marches to unionising the gig economy
• Counter Culture – Rastafari, Squatters, Travellers & the free party scene
• Reclaiming the Environment – CND, Extinction Rebellion, graffiti to street art

Each strand will be explored through research and activities including talks, workshops and reminiscence sessions.

Tells us a little about what's been going on with the project?

As with many across the cultural and heritage sectors, we've had to navigate the impact of COVID-19. Online platforms have become our best friend; we've hosted two project ‘Intro' sessions, giving members of the public a chance to find out more and how they can contribute either by sharing their 'resistance art', or by volunteering with one of our research teams to help uncover Bristol's stories of resistance and that art that helped drive forward some of the City's key movements over the last few decades.

What have you uncovered so far?

We've started off by talking to and interviewing some of the leading lights in active Bristol movements and are looking forward to sharing over the coming weeks interviews including activist & Councillor Cleo Lake, photographer & Black Lives Matter activist Khali Ackford, the inimitable wordsmith/producer Rider Shafique, the legendary Rita Lynch and the force behind the internationally loved Watershed cinema, curator Mark Cosgrove.

We've also been sent some truly impactful images of protests by locally based photographers Tara Klein, Colin Moody, Daniel Durrans - plus Bristol stalwart Eugene Byrne has given us use of their archival pictures. We'll be bringing you these‘snapshots of resistance' across upcoming online and physical exhibitions.

What are you looking forward to?

In readiness for our next stage of research, we've been setting up the delivery team to all the help run the project and are happy to welcome new project assistant Esther to the team. So, we're really looking forward to a return to our first installment of socially-distanced events and activities.

How do people get involved?

If you're interested in getting involved or would like to know more, come along to our next online event: Meet the Researchers, Monday 22 Feb 2021. Each researcher will share their interests and experiences giving you the chance to decide which strand you wish to follow.

We'll be bringing you more activities and events over the coming months so keep an eye on our website and social media channels or sign up to our e-newsletter.

If you've got a story or artwork you'd like to share as part of the project, please get in touch or upload content using our Art Of Resistance Submission form.

Keep up-to-date with the project, including how you can take part, by signing up to our mailing list here.

Trinity has been awarded £45k from Architectural Heritage Fund to carry out an updated feasibility study as part of ongoing phased renovation and conservation works. This grant will cover associated specialist professional fees to adapt capital works plans in light of the impact of COVID19 on trading activity.

Trinity will commission a professional team of architects and specialists to update their 2012 study. This will be informed by the impact of the pandemic on the charity’s stakeholders and the music sector, which has traditionally generated revenue for the centre to subsidise a broad community programme.

Trinity will undertake an in-depth community consultation process so that the revised options appraisal can be informed by all relevant stakeholders, including local residents, artists and promoters, as well as heritage specialists.

The final feasibility study will lead to further redevelopment of the Trinity Centre so that it can continue to be a secure environment for a diverse range of cultural activities and events, which communities will need more than ever post-pandemic.

Matthew Mckeague, CEO, Architectural Heritage Fund, said:

“The COVID-19 crisis has brought unparalleled uncertainty to the heritage sector, with organisations that rely on visitor income or community group usage shuttered for most of the past year. However, these grants will support organisations in becoming more resilient as they emerge from the crisis.

“For forty-five years, the Architectural Heritage Fund has been committed to supporting communities to develop sustainable new uses for their much-loved historic buildings. We are pleased to have been able to offer this additional support at a time of extraordinary need and are very grateful to DCMS for funding these vital grants.”

If you are interested in being involved in stakeholder consultation, please sign up to our mailing list to be kept informed about the programme.

#HereForCulture

Be part of Roxana Vilk's global project, collecting and celebrating Lullabies

Lullabies is a project by Associate Artist Roxana Vilk, connecting people around the world through lullabies. Inspired by singing traditional Iranian lullabies to her children at night, Roxana wondered how many other families where singing lullabies in the many languages spoken across Bristol. This year Roxana is asking the public to share their Lullabies with the project.

Get Involved

What did your family sing to you? And by lullaby we mean any song you may sing or have sung to you. It doesn’t have to strictly be a lullaby. What do you sing to lull your child to sleep at night? We’d love to know the story behind it, who taught it to you? and what it means to you?

You can share your lullaby by sending us a video or audio recording of you singing or speaking your lullaby. It can be in any language and a very simple video or audio recording from your phone.

If you’d like to send a picture of yourself too, we’d love to see the person behind the story. We’re also very happy if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.

Click here to submit your Lullaby.

Lullabies is a project by Associate Artist Roxana Vilk, connecting people around the world through Lullabies.

Trans Pride, Bristol. Photo by Tara Klein

Photo by Daniel Durrans

Photo by Colin Moody

Vonalina Cake Photography

UK Black Pride

February is LGBTQ+ History Month - an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol and further afield.

Since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, the LGBTQ community in Bristol has grown in visibility.

The discreet clubs such as the Radnor Bristol have been superseded by the bright declamatory colours of clubs and bars in Old Market and Park Street.

Perhaps the most significant event it the Bristol's calendar after Harbour Festival is Bristol Pride, one of Bristol’s the city's largest free/donation only festivals attracting 40,000 people to their event on the Downs in 2019.

Behind this visibility is a long history of struggle by the gay community.

Coming out continues to carry the risk of social ostracism if not violence. Introduced under a Thatcher Government in 1988, Clause 28 prohibited the teaching of gay materials in schools. Though we have come a long way since this point, current RSE guidelines still allow parents to withdraw their children from lessons where gay friendly teaching materials are introduced into the learning environment. Religious and political extremists of various persuasions continue to target anti-LGBTQ communities.

Section 28 was taken off the statute books in 2003 but the battle for gay rights and for acceptance continues. Visibility remains revolutionary.

What it means to be gay has also evolved since decriminalisation and this evolution has been about the internal journey of the community itself. In use since the late 80s-90s, the term LGBT began to replace the term 'gay' in reference to the broader community. Since this time, lesbian, gay and bisexual Bristolians have been working to find their common cause among diversity of needs and interests, with the inclusion of a spectrum of trans identities becoming more visible as part of recent movements.

Questioning gender identities has led to the growth of non-binary identification awareness. Formed in 2017, Kiki Bristol has expressed the voice of Bristol’s Queer People of Colour QTIPOC. Kiki is now an essential part of the Bristol landscape.

The LGBTQ community have opened a space in which sexuality and sexual identity can now be contested, where suppression and conformity is no longer inevitable and exploration in its myriad forms is the new normal.

Situated in the heart of Old Market, Trinity has been a proud supporter of it’s LGBTQ artists, and the wider community. It shall forever be thus.

As part of our Art of Resistance project, we present the series of photographs above, highlighting moments of protest, celebration and creativity.

Happy LGBTQ History Month.

By Edson Burton, Heritage Curator, Feb 2021

If you have a story of protest, image or artifact you would like to share, please check out our call for content.

Click here for more info about the Art of Resistance Project.

#Resist

In Lockdown in early 2020 we teamed up with some of the most exciting names in Bristol's music scene, from St Paul's Carnival to Mini Rig to Nozstock Festival, to bring online audiences live streams.

In October 2020, our socially-distanced Trinity Presents: Garden Sessions where the first opportunity to welcome audiences back to Trinity to enjoy live music, in person.

“I’ve always known how much I value shared human connection on a dance floor but since March I’ve been trying to get this in other ways, dancing on zoom with friends, dancing to my mini rig with 5 friends in a wood. But tonight I experienced again the incredible wonder of the talented DJs of @bootybass playing tunes and responding to a crowd, feeling my insides vibrate with bass, glancing up and smiling at a stranger as you connect, arms in the air in synchronicity and I cried a little tear of joy. This is the stuff of life, creative shared human experience. My heart is full. Thank you the Trinity Centre creating such a beautiful safe space.” Feedback from audience member Oct 2020

We put together an exciting series of events in a special, Covid-secure outdoor area in Trinity's historic grounds.

We teamed up with some of our favourite artists & Soundsystems for 9 full days sell-out live music & DJ's : Waldo's Gift, Hodge & Danielle, Dubkasm, Ashanti Selah, Young Echo, Sinai Soundsystem, Booty Bass, Bandulu, Sofa Sound, Afrobeat Fridays.

People commented that the space felt magical and like something special that you discover in a hidden corner of a festival.

We're very much looking forward to be able to present our postponed November line-up as soon as lockdown restrictions ease. Keep an eye on our website and social media info and announcements.

#TrinityPresents

#HereforCulture

Trinity was exited to welcome IDLES band to the Centre in January 2021, as part of a socially-distanced film for their single Carcinogenic.

"Venues are at greatest risk because they are mostly small businesses, not interested in profit or investors but in the nourishment of creative, open-minded, critical thinking."

Mark Bowen, IDLES

(NME, Jan 21)

Each band member performs in some of Bristol's most loved grassroots music venues, including The Louisiana, Exchange, The Mother’s Ruin, The Old Duke, and of course The Trinity Centre.

The film was in support of Independent Venues Week that, with support from Music Venues Trust, have been working to raise the profile of grassroots music venues impacted by lockdown restrictions.

Speaking to NME about Independent Venue Week, guitarist Mark Bowen said: “Now more than ever independent musicians and the music industry at large need to unite to keep from being decimated. Between the pandemic and a government who not only don’t care about the future of the arts (especially independence within the arts) but take a pro-active role in its diminishment, independent venues are at greatest risk because they are mostly small businesses, not interested in profit or investors but in the nourishment of creative, open-minded, critical thinking.”

Click here to read the full article in NME.

Image Colin Moody

Art of Resistance is a 2-year project exploring 100 years of social activism, protest, and civil disobedience in Bristol, and the art that underpinned each movement.

We're looking for people who have artifacts or stories they would like to share to help build this picture of Bristol as a city of art and activism.

Whether your #resist story or art relates to Workers Rights, Women’s Equality, Anti-Racism, Anti-Fascism - or something else we haven't thought of - we'd love to hear from you.

In particular, we're really interested if any artwork, including poetry, textiles, posters, banners and ephemera, music and performing arts that were used to support and capture the spirit of different movements throughout the ages.

#GetInvolved

If you have digital material you can upload it here: Art Of Resistance Submission form.

If you have a physical item or would like to discus taking part in an interview to tell your own story, please contact info@trinitybristol.org.uk

Keep up to do with the project and other Trinity news and event sign up to our mailing list here.

The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.