Arts West Side & SPACE joined forces from Apr 2016 to March 2018

“We are very proud of what we've achieved with Arts West Side and are sorry that we aren't able to continue this good work but are glad to see it will continue to be used as an arts space for the next couple of years. Thank you to everyone who has supported us since we took it on it 2011.” Karina Castro, Project Manager.

Last week, we all said a goodbye to a familiar landmark in Old Market, as the friendly pigeons on the façade of Arts West Side – painted by renowned Bristol street artist Silent Hobo – were painted over, marking the end of an era for one of the area’s only dedicated community arts spaces.

Owned by Bristol City Council, 6 West Street was handed over to Trinity Community Arts, via the city’s Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process on a ‘peppercorn’ leasehold. We have been looking after the building since 2011, in order to increase arts provision in Old Market, at a time when the area was struggling with boarded up and vacant premises.

Since then, ‘Arts West Side’ has provided artists and communities with an affordable, central resource used and visited by over 2,000 people each year, helping to encourage other businesses and social enterprises to take up residency in the area. As part of the Council's bid to plug a £102m deficit, they are now seeking a commercial rent from the building.

The space will continue to be used as a meanwhile creative hub at a reduced rent by Arts West Side partners for the last 18 months, Artspace Lifespace (ASLS), who will continue their SPACE project until 2020.

We will now focus our efforts on the Trinity Centre building, which is also owned by Bristol City Council. We are currently fundraising to carry out conservation work to the much-loved community asset, having already invested over £1.5 million in protecting the Grade II* listed building.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Clay, Stained Glass and Woodcarving workshops

Do you want to learn some of the craft skills that built Trinity? Would you like to have your work permanently displayed in Trinity? Would you like to make new friends from different walks of life? We are offering a new block of free workshops in Clay, Stained Glass and Woodcarving on Tuesdays between 3 Apr to 22 May.

Everyone is welcome to take part but older people, members of Bristol's BME communities and residents of BS5 & BS2 are particularly welcomed.

Please note these are NOT drop-in or taster sessions. You will get the most benefit from your workshop if you are able to complete all the sessions. All the workshops are delivered on the same day and time, so please select and commit to your preference in advance.

To find out more about the second block of workshops and reserve your place, please visit the What's On page of the Hearth & Soul section or click on one of the following links:

Clay with Joanna Espinner - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 3 April to 22 May (8 sessions)

Stained Glass with Liz Barton - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 10 Apr to 8 May (5 sessions)

Woodcarving with Daniel Bendel - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 10 Apr to 1 May (4 sessions)

About the project

Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community is a celebration of big life events at Trinity. Throughout 2018 there will workshops, talks and heritage activities for all ages. The project runs along side our most recent capital works and has been made possible with the help of these funders.

You can find out more about Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community here, including how to get involved and how to contribute archive material here.

We're super happy to be hosting the launch for this year's Mayfest festival...as well as three fantastic shows.

To celebrate their return (having taken the decision to become a biannual festival), Mayfest have invited "Ghanaian DJ and producer Katapila to kick off the festival with one of his marathon, euphoria-drenched DJ sets. Splicing the neo-traditional dance music styles of his youth in Accra with the up-tempo, bass-heavy, Roland 808 sounds of Detroit techno, Chicago acid and house, Katapila’s relentlessly joyful sets have become a thing of legend" in Trinity's Main Hall. Come on down (10 May) and expect killer selections adorned with splashes of digital synths, electronic percussion and vocal interjections that galvanise waves of full-blown euphoria wherever he plays.

So, for those who haven't been - what is Mayfest? Mayfest is Bristol’s unique international festival of contemporary theatre, "dedicated to presenting a broad range of unusual, playful and ambitious work from leading theatre makers from Bristol, the UK and beyond". They will be taking over theatre (and non theatre) spaces across the city bringing 10 days of back to back performances, workshops and talks from Thur 10th - to Sun 20th May.

This year we are excited to be hosting How (not) to live in Surburbia (14-15 May) a new show from Annie Siddons "a hilarious, brutal and poignant attempt" to describe what happened next when "in the middle of a shitstorm of life events, single mother, artist and proud Londoner Annie Siddons found herself living in suburbia by accident".

Meanwhile, Scottish Dance Theatre bring Velvet Petal (16-18 May) to Fyfe Hall where they present their latest show about"tough girls and pretty boys living life in the margins, dreaming about being at the centre". They explore "the transformative power of beauty, created out of whatever is on the bedroom floor" in this "truly compelling piece, exquisitely performed” (The Stage).

Finally it feels very fitting to be hosting acclaimed Australian artist Joseph O’Farrell (JOF) and Sam Halmarack who combine theatre with the fist-pumping euphoria and power ballads of a stadium gig, in WE ARE LIGHTNING! (15-18 May) "a darkly comical work that reflects on the importance of communal spaces where people can come together and express themselves".

For more info on the rest of their programming visit Mayfest's website here.

Fidel Meraz delivers his talk about re-using historic buildings. Image credit @Khali Photography

Our Heart & Soul project celebrated people's major life events at Trinity and ran alongside our current building conservation works. As part of the project we wanted to explore further the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings. The project included a series of talks, inviting both national and international speakers to share their knowledge and experience on the positives and pitfalls of re-imaging historic buildings.

Speaking from an architecture perspective about how a space can be adapted to better serve the community, Trinity Trustee and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz delivered the first talk of this programme, and talked about buildings around the world where the function has changed over time, Feb 27 2018...

Most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week - by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.

What was really compelling about Fidel’s talk was that he spoke in metaphors of the human life, about the way buildings are born as beautiful and well attended sacred buildings, then decline over time until finally they are not active. He used the example that when an elderly person struggles to walk, we give them crutches, and this is also the way he likes elderly buildings to be treated.

An interesting point was made that most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week, therefore in some cases by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.

When we approach a church we have a predetermined view of what will be inside, Meraz explained, so it is exciting to be surprised by what we find. In Asturias, Spain, the Santa Barbara Church was abandoned and crumbling until the community took action. They raised money and with sponsorship from Red Bull too, it was converted into a vibrantly colourful indoor skate park.

Through time the architectural intention has changed from a place of worship to a space of activity, but the purpose of the building as a space to serve the community remains. He compared the Santa Barbara Church with the Trinity Centre because in both cases what you find on the inside is unexpected and fun.

A lively discussion began after Fidel's talk around Old Market and gentrification. Image credit @Khali Photography

From Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces. Tess Sieling, project intern

After the talk, Edson Burton invited a discussion between the audience and Meraz, in which the future of the Trinity Centre, Old Market and Bristol were spoken about. Concerns were voiced about the gentrification of Old Market area, which highlights the role the Trinity Centre plays in serving communities.

There is a sense that it is now in a crucial era where the Trinity Centre’s responsibility is to remain accessible to all communities without judgement and, from, Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces.

This write up was by Tess Sieling, who was the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. The talk was part of a series exploring the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and was programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

How to get involved

Click here to sign the Hotwells and Cliftonwood petition to Save Jacobs Wells Baths

Further reading

Read more from our Heart & Soul talk series - Father Paul, - Dr Katie McClymont, and A Million Bricks of Love.

Read more about the Save Jacobs Wells Campaign here.

Scaffolding in place at Trinity - image by Khali Photography

“We are pleased to continue to support the Trinity Centre in its project to repair the historic fabric of this Grade II* listed building which was a former church. This additional grant will enable the conservation of further stonework and the windows. These works will help transform the appearance of the Trinity Centre which is a significant landmark in both Old Market and Bristol.” Sarah Ball, Heritage at Risk Architect at Historic England in the South West

Having already supported us with a grant of £106k, Historic England have pledged a further £68k uplift grant towards our urgent conversation works. Significant historic damage to the building’s fabric - including corroded iron works and damage to the stained glass windows - was uncovered as part of recent investigations carried out on the 19th-Century Grade II** listed building - leading to fears that Trinity Centre could one day face closure if not addressed.

"When we announced the news earlier this year we were overwhelmed by the messages of support, generous offers and donations from the community. Funding from Historic England means we are one step closer to our £200k fundraising goal - we are very grateful for this support.” Emma Harvey, Centre Director.

We have launched a fundraising campaign to raise another £135k to cover the full cost of the planned programme of works - which includes sustainability measures to reduce running costs - before the scaffolding is planned to come down in the Autumn. Running from March - October we have an an exciting program of fundraising activities - including our famous annual garden party, 13th May.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Heart & Soul project volunteer Lowie Trevena works part time with the Scouts, but  wanted to get more involved in the community in their spare time, and learn about the heritage and community surrounding such an important building. We got them to catch up with Davontay Benjamin, one of two intern’s on Trinity’s heritage and conservation project to find out more about what he is up to.

The internships were created to offer professional skills, experience and opportunity to young people from Bristol who may not have otherwise had access to employment or training. Through his internship, Davontay is gaining hands on training to learn the fundamental aspects of conservation work.

How did you find out about the internship and why did you apply?

I found out from my mother Natahsa Benjamin who runs Hype Dance, a weekly street dance classes for young people. Karina Castro, Projects Manager at Trinity told her about the internship because she knows I do construction at college.

Is there more to the internship than just making tea and coffee for everyone in the office? What is the best thing you’ve done so far?

Yes! The best thing so far has been learning how to do stone work and learning about the history of the building. I've found out a lot about how the building was orginally built - and lots about the bands that and the musians and bands that have played here.

What are you looking forward to during the rest of the internship?

Learning to fit windows because it will help me in the future.

What new skills have you learned?

All about different cement mixes and tools you have to use.

Lastly, would you recommend an internship at Trinity to other young people in Bristol?

Yes!

The two internships run alongside the final major-works phase relating to the repair and conservation of the historic fabric of the Trinity. With full scaffolding in place unforeseen historic damage to the building was uncovered; the stained glass windows were found to be no longer watertight, and the metal cramps, holding the historic Bath Stone in place, were found to be critically corroded, leading to an additional £200,000 of costs.

Historic England has backed Trinity with a pledge of £68k towards the critical works; we still; need to raise £130,000 to safeguard the future of the building. and we need your help, or Trinity will face closure.

The Trinity Centre is at risk, and you can help to safeguard it’s future.

Lowie Trevena volunteers on our Heart & Soul project and while she is not helping out on the project she works for the Girl Guides. We asked her to chat to Maia, who is currently studying creative arts therapy at college and is at Trinity for a placement as part of her course.

As part of our Heart & Soul project we are collecting images, stories and archive material and Maia is going to be collecting stories from young people (18 - 30).

Hi Maia, what do you know about Trinity and have you been here before?

Trinity is a venue that does lots of music events, I have been here a Thali wedding in 2015 and Benjamin Zeph, who was really good.

Tell us more about Benjamin Zeph!

My mate got me a ticket and when I got to the Trinity Centre, half my family and friends were already here. It was fun; there was a great energy and I really enjoyed the spoken word. It was powerful, inspiring and I like to write poetry myself, so it was great. There was a mixed crowd, older and younger. It felt like my community was there; I’m from St Paul’s and I’m Bristol born and raised.

How old are you?

26, I’m going to be 27 soon.

Tell us a bit more about yourself

I write poetry, I draw, and I like read: the last book I read was the House of Games by Chris Johnston but my favourite book is How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. I like punk, drum and bass and rock music. After finishing school, I did a diploma in Media and I really enjoyed the course, so I then did a two-year Media and Moving Image course, and since then I have been making short films for different organisations.

What are you currently studying? I am studying a degree in creative art therapy, so I’m doing lots of drama, dance and working with children in mental health - it is the use of creative arts in a positive and therapeutic way. I chose it as I have always been a creative person. My house mate suggested this evening course which was a taster of the course I do now and I enjoyed it so much that I gave up my full time job in a coffee shop and started studying. That job felt like groundhog day!

What is important to you?

In myself, I am confident and happy, and I want to use my own abilities to help other people to be free, and in the future I want a job where every day is different. It is important to be happy confident and respectful and to work in cohesion with other people. I love being part of a team and being able to get involved and meet new people.

Why did you choose to volunteer at Trinity?

I started off as I have to do a placement to help support a project that is running as part of my course. I went to a networking event at a hotel in Redcliffe and I met a lady called Sally from Macmillan Cancer, and she put me in touch with Karina [Castro, Projects Manager at Trinity] and then it went from there.

Who do you want to interview?

I am looking to reach out to young people from 18 - 30 to ask them questions such as what their your favourite club night is, their best gig and why people like coming to Trinity. I’ll be asking people to be on camera and I’ll be going to lots of gigs and events to speak to people.

If you would like to share your memories of Trinity or speak to Maia, email: tess@3ca.org.uk or call Trinity 0117 9351200 to speak to a member of the Heritage team.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

This season of in house Theatre and Dance programme - IGNiTE we are talking about and celebrating change- changes in people's rights and changes in people's opinions and identities.

Our IGNiTE programming decisions are made in collaboration with our Programming Forum, who share their thoughts on potential shows. For this season, it was clear from the start that we had a great selection of strong female led companies interested in bringing their work to Trinity. All three shows are well crafted performances that tackle intimate themes, telling personal stories that have a universal reach. Having just celebrated International Women's day we are really quite proud to have Man on the Moon, by Keisha Thompson (March 23) , Ladylike by Ella Mesma (March 24) and The Headwrap diaries by Uchenna Dance (April 13) on the horizon.

Ella Mesma Company's show Ladylike challenges the representation of women, particualy the notion of what it is like to be 'ladylike'. We asked Ella ahead of her March 24 show at Trinity, to tell us a little more about her show and why she created it:

What drove you to make Ladylike?

We all need real life superheros who reflect and inspire us. Seeing someone who you can fit the shoes of just speaks in a different way. I had a dream to make Ladylike, a piece that reflected real women, latin women, black women, mixed women, break-women, superhero women. In the media: the women I was seeing were beautiful, but they were not heroes, they were ‘sidechicks’ without much script, and they weren’t doing the saving but being rescued… I wanted to make a piece where the women were dealing with the real life day to day… but fighting back like warriors!

Who is Ladylike for?

I think Ladylike is for everyone: all women! real women, latin women, black women, mixed women, break-women, superhero women… but also for men too… Last night I dreamt that one of the roles was played by a male friend of mine… and he smashed it! I think the story could equally be applied to men: It is about smashing the patriarchy (which all men should be on board with!)

What are the benefits of making a dance theatre piece?

I think dance theatre is about healing, speaking up, having a voice,… and so I think it is also a cleansing experience… a ritual, both for the performers and those watching

Catch Ladylike by Ella Mesma Company March 23. 7.30pm at The Trinity Centre. For tickets and more, head to IGNiTE's what's on.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Talks include looking at the changing nature of marriage photo @ Khali Ackford

2018 Talk Series

Programmed as part of our Heart & Soul heritage project we will be welcoming national and international speakers to our evening talks, devised in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

The series looks at the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings.

Speakers include: renown Architect Tim Rolands (20 March), known for his development of Jacksons Lane Arts Centre, who will share his unique perspective on transforming historic buildings; Mexican Architect and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz (27 Feb) will share his experience of the challenges and successes of transforming a range of disused churches into community hubs; Marcus Hammond, curator of Linconshire's arts centre Slumgothic x-church (17 April) who will draw upon personal experience to explore how 'unfinished' spaces attract new audiences.

Not all transformations end in success, former Drum Art Centre employee Mukhtar Dar, will consider the rise and fall of the Drum (Birmingham) in his talk The Life & Death of an Arts Centre (1 May)

Prof. Brian Heaphy will explore the diversity of marital union in Britain today in his talk From Weddings To Civil Partnerships (29 May) and UWE's Senior Lecturer in Planning Dr Katie McClymont (19 June) will consider how historic buildings, particularly former churches, are now used as sites of secular worship and as community hubs.

Vanguard of Gentrification (10 July) draws together a panel of commentators to explore one of the most contentious and relevant issues in Bristol today. We will close the series of talks with a panel of Trinity's former and current management members, who will discuss the pitfalls and successes of Reconstructing Trinity from Disrepair to Glory (31 July)

Find out more about the talks and how to reserve your free place here and read Heritage intern Tess' notes on our Tuesday talk series.

About the project

Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community is a celebration of big life events at Trinity. Throughout 2018 there will workshops, talks and heritage activities for all ages. The project runs along side our most recent capital works and has been made possible with the help of these funders.

You can find out more about Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community here, including how to get involved and how to contribute archive material here.

Thanks to the support of our funders all events in our Heart & Soul project are free. We suggest donation of £2 that will go directly back into Trinity's charitable work.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Keisha Thompson's Afrofuturistic Man on the Moon

Trinity’s new season of Theatre and Dance is all about celebrating change and features a strong cast of female led  performances - launching with Keisha Thompson’s Afro futuristic journey of displacement and family relationships, Man on the Moon (March 23) and Ella Mesma’s emotionally charged fusion of hip hop and latin dance, Ladylike (24 March).

Thompson’s Man on the Moon is a bruk down journey, through space and time, fuelled by love and fear. Using poetry, looped sounds and story-telling, Keisha’s intimate performance explores the Black British experience of mental health and how that can impact the family dynamic. While Ella’s Ladylike fuses Afro Cuban, Breaking, Rocking and Contemporary dance theatre to fight & undress preconceptions of what it is to be ‘Ladylike’.

Uchenna Dance’s The Head Wrap Dairies (13 April) is “ an amazing piece that I know that a lot of people have been dying to see” says Natasha Benjamin who runs the award winning weekly urban dance group Hype at Trinity.

“I think Head Wrap Diaries really embraces the struggle that the Afro Caribbean community is going through at the moment, especially young girls and women, for many years of growing up not knowing when or where the natural form of their hair will be accepted, so I think seeing this piece will be an eye opener to those that may not be aware or may not understand the struggle of this issue.”

Natasha, sits on Trinity’s programming forum – who share their thoughts on possible shows for our in-house programme. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, so asking communities to help us shape our programme means the work we bring here is relevant to our audiences.

IGNiTE Launches with Man on the Moon, March 23. 7.30pm at The Trinity Centre. For tickets and more, head to IGNiTE's what's on.

About IGNiTE

Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Student writes lyrics during a youth music session

“The Trinity Centre has a proven track record of helping young people channel their energy into music, young people who may have struggled to find their way in school and have a raw musical talent but no way of developing this. We’re delighted to be partnering with Basement Studios and ACE for this important youth music project.” Emma Harvey, Trinity’s Centre Director

We are really excited to announce that we have join forces with Basement Studio at The Station and ACE at Docklands Youth Centre to provide life-changing music-making experiences for young people in Bristol.

Funded by Youth Music, Making Tracks is a two year collaborative partnership that offers young people from the inner city communities of Easton, Lawrence Hill and Ashley and Central Bristol to take their first steps into their music making journey. Young people can take part in music-making sessions, workshops and showcase events and will have access to 1-2-1 support and performance opportunities - to take the next steps in their own music-making journey.

Young people will have the chance to take part in a range of activities: tailored 121 and small group music making sessions mentoring, peer learning and joint-project activity showcase events and performances live-learning Q&As with artists & industry professionals.

Are you an aspiring musician wanting to get involved ? Would you like to refer a young person? Find out more here or email davet@3ca.org.uk.

My name is Imoleayo and I live in Bristol. Before I started the Youth Music sessions at Trinity I wasn't doing very much, I was doing okay at school and doing some music sessions in a group - but not really learning very much.

I came here to get guidance and help so that by the time I get back to school I wouldn’t be lost. I would know what I’m doing, so yeah, Trinity really helped out.

My Mum found out about Trinity by searching online and we though that Trinity's courses would suit me the best, they are local and the people seemed really nice.

When I first came I was really shy, so my Mum came along and I just forgot she was there. I got totally involved in the session and it was like heaven. My confidence has grown and now I am like; ‘okay, if I can do it through music then I must be able to do it through just speaking to someone or meeting new people’.

Since being at Trinity I joined the BFI Film Academy and made a documentary! I've also been on Ujima, the communtiy radio based in Bristol, have gained work experience with a few companies and I am studying for my A Levels.

Photo credits @ Khali Ackford

From tapestry to pews, to the ornate floor and ceiling tiles - woodcarving, clay, textiles and stained glass all highly featured both inside and outside the Holy Trinity Church (now the Trinity Centre) when it opened in 1832. Whilst many of these features are no longer with us, you can still see the remains of the artisan crafted features if you look up in the Fyfe Hall or, walk past the beautiful stained glass windows. As part of our Heart & Soul project, we want to give residents the opportunity to find out more about the heritage of Trinity, through learning the traditional crafts and skills used in building the centre.

“Loved it! Best way to spend a Saturday hands-down. Learning new skills, meeting new people – fab!!”

Our first block of workshops started on Saturday 10 Feb, delivered by stained glass artist Liz Barton, ceramicist Joanna Espiner, textile artist Ruth Ramsey and woodcarver Daniel Bendel. They will be working with participants, across two blocks of workshops, to create collaborative artwork to display across Trinity.

In these initial workshops participants explored Trinity’s features, looking at how the crafts were originally used across the building. Using this as inspiration, participants spent the morning designing their artwork and the afternoon learning the basics of the traditional crafts.

Missed out on these workshops? Our second block of workshops starts in April, sign up here! Please note we have limited spaces and that you will need to complete all sessions (this are not taster workshops).

While you are here, we have a big favour to ask, we need your help.

The Trinity Centre is at risk, and you can help to safeguard it’s future.

I joined one of Trinity's Youth Music courses when I was 17, I was having a really hard time, I'd been kicked out and was on probation. When my probation officer suggested the course to me I didn't even know they existed.

I separated myself from the bad people around me and I had something to focus on - it was a place to come where you don’t feel judged. It's really welcoming and it was nice to have people that believe in you.

So I joined up to the sessions and the tutors helped me put together a CD. To build up my confidence I worked with a lady who worked at Trinity at the time, she helped me with performance - standing on stage singing, things like that. It was just a big self confidence booster for me and gave me the determination to actually do something. I then went off to Access to Music and got my diploma in Music and it was an upward spiral from there on really.

Now I am studying part-time at university whilst also working at a residential young person's care provision with young people aged 8-18.

New intern Davontay Benjamin checks out the damage to the stone with specialists.

Last October, work commenced a 11 month project to undertake vital repairs to the building's fabric and structure.

Enabled through the help of Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, Allchurches Trust and 13 other funders, as well as generous donations from members of the public, works began on the lead-roof, original stained glass windows and stonework structure, including the iconic Georgian towers.

With full scaffolding in place, specialists have been able to undertake a more comprehensive metalwork survey. Investigations to metal cramps that hold the stonework in place, reveal the damage to the building is far worse than anticipated.

If we don't do these works now, Trinity will be placed back onto Historic England's At - Risk Register. In real terms this means we are going to have to raise an additional estimated £200k other wise Trinity will be at risk of closure- and we need your help to do that.

How you can help

Trinity is and has always been a central part of the community. Our mission it to keep it that way and protect the building's future and to ensure that Trinity’s doors stay open.

A donation, however big or small, will help us to bridge the gap and ensure we are able to complete these important repairs.

Your support will secure the future of our much-loved community space.

Click here to donate today.

Some of the damaged stoneworks

Get involved

Last year Trinity was used by over 50,000 people. Everyone has a story about Trinity - attending a gig, taking part in a community garden activities, taking part in one of the many community led programmes or even being one of the 200 young people attending our bespoke music courses.

If you're interested in becoming a part of our heritage story - a part of a community and a part of this much-loved building's journey - why not get involved in our Heart & Soul Heritage project? Click here for more info...

I am a 21 year old singer songwriter from Thornbury. I enjoy music and skateboarding.  A friend recommended Trinity's music session to me and I’ve really benefited from attending. It’s really good to be in a creative environment working with other musicians and collaborating with them. Coming in to Trinity means I was able to record my album.

It’s a comfortable environment. I’m comfortable with it. It helped me to be more productive and get work done. The staff at Trinity are professional but can have a laugh too, they also know when to knuckle down, which is good for me. I have definitely got more confident since I started. It’s been a boost to my confidence working with other people in a legitimate studio environment. It’s always interesting and enjoyable here at Trinity. There are always great opportunities going on.

Since attending the 121 sessions at Trinity I have gone on to attend a course a the renowned music school BIMM. Last year I performed at Trinity's AGM and played a professional gig at the Fleece in Bristol.

An Invitation...by Jo Fong from our 2016-17 IGNiTE project. Photo c. Jessica Bartolini.

Trinity is delighted to have been awarded a further four years of funding through Bristol City Council’s Cultural Investment Funding Programme 2018 - 2022, in recognition of our "localised vision that is inclusive, creative and entrepreneurial."

Like the Council, we share a commitment to using arts to empower communities, enabling everyone to take part in great art and shape the city’s cultural offer so that it is reflective of all the city’s diverse voices. We are heartened by the increased number of grass-roots organisations being supported through Bristol's new ‘Openness’ and ‘Imagination’ funding streams and the continued support for independent arts.

“At a time of great division in our world, we should not underestimate the power of arts and culture to allow us to connect to one other. This is why Trinity is committed to continuing to ensure people have space to come together, congregate, share ideas and celebrate” Emma Harvey, Centre Director

Trinity remains dedicated to supporting artists, organisations and communities in the creation of ambitious, inclusive art that connects across the city and beyond and to exploring new ways we can achieve a shared vision of a thriving cultural offer for everyone.

Long term investment enables us to plan for the future and to lever match funding from other sources in order that we can continue to programme key events such as our annual Garden Party and Fireworks Celebration; to develop new projects such as Heart & Soul and IGNiTE and to continue to support a wide range of regular classes, artists and groups who use the Centre.

Now more than ever, it’s important that we work together to develop new sources of investment for arts and culture.

As you may know (by the sheer amount of scaffolding) we recently secured funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, All Churches Trust and 14 other funders, to undertake essential works to the The Trinity Centre, a Grade II* listed building. Alongside the essential building works we are also launching the  heritage project ‘Heart & Soul: Celebrating major life events at Trinity Bristol’. Alongside activities we will be collecting images, archive footage and stories from people who have had big life events here.

From the christenings, when the building was a church, to a first birthday party, there are hundreds of stories out there from all the communities who live around and use Trinity.

Local artisans specialising in clay, woodcarving, stained glass and textiles will deliver a series of workshops in the traditional craft skills used in the initial 1800’s building of the centre.Everyone is welcome to take part but older people, members of Bristol's BME communities and residents of BS5 & BS2 are particularly welcomed.

We will also be welcoming national speakers to a series of accessible evening talks, devised in partnership with Bristol's Architecture Centre & the University of the West of England (UWE). Looking at the challenges and achievements of reusing historic buildings speakers include Tim Ronalds, who brings a unique perspective on transforming some of the Britain's most iconic buildings, like Wiltons Music Hall, The Hackney Empire & Jackson's Lane.

We have a programme of activities to suit a range of ages, including a podcast project in partnership with local schools, history quests for children and families and a series of guided heritage walks. For the young at heart we have two memory dances – a morning of dancing and delicious cakes. Hosted by Dr Edson Burton, participants we will be encouraged to share their stories and memories of Trinity. As with all our heritage projects we will be collecting stories from residents, community members and all those who have a story to share about celebration at Trinity. In October the stories, images and archive material will be exhibited at Trinity at our end of project celebration event.

There are also volunteer roles for those who wish to gain skills or have an interest in heritage, as well as a part-time Project Assistant Internship (24 week, entry-level career development)to help us deliver this programme.

You can find out more about the activities here, by picking up a brochure from Trinity or various venues, cafes, and community spaces across Bristol or you can download a copy of the brochure here.

Lullabies workshop at Easton Community Centre. Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Roxana is a multi-award winning Iranian/British multi-disciplinary artist working with music, storytelling, film and live performance in a participatory context for over 20 years. Core to Roxana’s work is a desire to connect with the human stories that unite us, using a multi art approach to tackle issues of racism, discrimination and belonging.

In 2018 Roxana joined the Trinity team developing her project, Lullabies, during her IGNiTE residency. Lullabies, was inspired by Roxana signing traditional Iranian lullabies to her children at night. Here she began to imagine how many others might be singing songs in different languages to their children and the stories behind them.

During her pilot project Roxana worked with local communities and schools to collect lullabies from families. She recorded interviews and songs from communities across Bristol, including Somali, Kurdish, Irish, Israeli, Iranian, Hungarian, German and Afro-Cuban songs.

In 2020 the project was selected to be part of Here and Now, a national project celebrating of 25 years of National Lottery Funding and showcasing everyday culture.

With the support of Trinity Roxana is continuing to develop Lullabies and in 2021 and will deliver online Zoom workshops. There is an open call for the public to submit their Lullabies and there are a series of adaptive podcasts with BBC R+D.

We are looking for participants aged 16+ who have an interest in movement and performing. No experience in dance or performance is necessary.

Participants will take part in 4 workshops with company members to create a short piece to be presented alongside TrashDollys, and a mixed program of performances from Bristol based artists on Saturday 27th January. The community cast piece will explore themes around isolation, and the value of communication in young people.

DATES:
The rehearsals and performance will take place at the Trinity Centre, Bristol. You will be required on the following dates:
23rd January | 5pm – 7pm
24th January | 5pm – 7pm
25th January | 5pm – 7pm
26th January | 5pm – 7pm
27th January | 3pm – 5pm (Rehearsal) | 7pm – 9pm (Performance)

SIGN UP: To sign up for a place in the community cast, just email participation@trashdollys.com - please include your name, age, and a line or two about you and what interests you in the project. Its free to take part!