Trinity and The Wonder Club are producing a large site-specific performance, based at the Trinity Centre.

A fantastic team of professional artists and performers will be involved. The show will run for 6 nights the week before Christmas. 

If you are interested in getting involved as a performer, volunteer or supporting the artists and technical crew then please get in contact.

 “This is an amazing opportunity for participants to work on a professional production and perform to a paying audience”. Nick Young, Project Coordinator

Rehearsals will be at Trinity from every Thursday 5-7pm (under 18s), 7pm-10pm (18+)

Please contact nick@3ca.org.uk  for more information.

Bristol Wireless's Woodsy reviews the customised Trubuntu desktop provided to all students

• NEWS! Casting for the performance in December will be held in September. It promises to be Bristols show of the year. If you are interested in theatre, dance, singing or working behind the scenes and are aged 16+ then contact nick on the email below for more info.

• The Trinity Young Council of Management is up and running. If you are interested in putting on your own event / class / workshop or are just interested in having a say in what happens at Trinity in the future then come down to one of our weekly meetings a 4.30pm in the centre.

• The project is also currently looking at beginnings of the Trinity Centre and how the venue became the birthplace of 'the Bristol Sound' music scene. We are in the stages of finishing the exhibition which will tour later in the year.

• If you have a story or would like to get involved, please contact nick@3ca.org.uk

Trinity Community Arts has been awarded several small grants from the Quartet Community Foundation. The most recent grant of £2,000 through the Fund for Older People, will allow us to run "Respect" again from September 2008.

The last project (pictured) saw a group of 30 young and older people come together to create a mosaic sculpture for the Trinity Gardens.

In March 2008, a group of young people from a range of ethic and cultural backgrounds studying English at the Bristol Academy worked with groups of Elders from Upper Horfield Community Trust, The Golden Ages from Easton Church and local residents from Knightstone Housing Association and the St Pauls area.

These unique workshops are designed to provide a safe space for two generations to meet, share experiences and create artwork together.

Local artist Victoria Appleton who will be delivering the next programme of workshops said; “We are looking at the role of Elders in other societies and in the UK, exploring beliefs and concerns about older and young people.”

If you are interested in taking part, or for more information please contact us at: info.3ca.org.uk

To view more images from the last "Respect" project, please see: www.3ca.org.uk/archive/gallery/respect-project

   www.quartetcf.org.uk

Show of Strength, based in Bedminster, is one of 15 arts organisations that will miss thousands of pounds after the council decided to change the way it dishes out arts grants.

The ruling Labour cabinet approved the £735,000 arts, festivals and events investment budget last night.

Show of Strength has staged a series of acclaimed shows, and Mamma Mia! writer Catherine Johnson, who lives in Leigh Woods, worked with the company on this year's street theatre production Trade It?

The authority has funded Show of Strength since 1987, but has pulled the £11,700 annual handout, saying it no longer meets its criteria. The only concession, was that funding will end at the end of the financial year, rather than this September.

Another charity to lose its funding is Trinity Community Arts, which runs the Trinity Road church venue in Lawrence Hill. It had applied for £80,000 over three years.

Both groups criticised the application process and accused the council of failing in its claim to make “open and transparent” decisions.

Chairman of Show of Strength, Diane Kershaw, said: “It's a great shame we had to resort to the Freedom of Information Act to find out why we weren't approved and the reasons for it.”

“We have been very efficient but have a very large influence, nationally, internationally and regionally.

“The report says we may be able to apply for project funding but that's only £10,000 for one year, and for a small company you would spend all your time looking for other funding.

Emma Harvey of Trinity Community Arts said: “Trinity staff and volunteers strive to develop the Trinity Centre as a creative resource, and preserve a grade II* listed historic landmark and one of the last independent music venues in the country. “We work hard to build bridges and bring people together through the arts, not just in Lawrence Hill but in our local communities of Easton and St Paul's, across Bristol and the region.”

Council leader Helen Holland accepted the criticism of the way the application process had been handled and said lessons would be learned.

Councillor Rosalie Walker, executive member for culture and healthy communities, said: “We had £1.5 million worth of applications come into this council for a budget of £735,000. It's very sad when some groups don't get what they like, and if we had more money they would do.

“We have been as fair as we possibly can.”

This was the second open day, following on from our “Aiming High” open day in partnership with YMCA, Fairbridge and Brunel & Gordano in June.

Highlights included a moving talk by Casper Walsh, author of “Criminal” - an autobiographical novel about growing up as the son of a criminal and drug addict, and what happened when he went down this path himself. The talk provided a great chance for young people to ask questions and find out how Walsh was able to turn  his life around.

During the day there was also a BBQ, football and performances from some of Bristol's finest young and upcoming talent.

The project, part funded by a grant from Bristol Alliance Fund, sees young and older people exploring generational and cultural themes, to produce a mosaic sculpture to provide a permanment feature in the Centre's developing garden space.

A fully interactive guided tour of Bristol is planned for the council's new Chief Executive, Jan Ormondroyd.

The event, in its third year, takes place on February 10 at Trinity.

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After a successful run in September, Ratupadraynpipe Productions return to Trinity Road with a revised version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

The show was such a success in the autumn that 90 people had to be turned away on the last night because "there wasn't room for them all to sit in the old cathedral and still have room to perform".

Based on the novel, the play looks more closely at mental health than the 1975 Jack Nicholson film, and premiered in New York years earlier, starring Kirk Douglas and helping to launch the careers of Danny Devito and Gene Wilder.

For those unable to see the September performance and those who want to see a new "even better" show, you can catch One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Trinity Centre near the police station in Old Market from 18-20 January. Tickets are £8 and available by telephoning 0775 161 7814.

www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2008/01/09/cuckoo_feature.shtml

I must start by thanking all the people, organisations and partners who have ensured the success we are now seeing. Every year I am amazed by the altruistic input Trinity seems to attract. Without our partners, and the organisations who use our resources, this success would be not be possible - so I formally give thanks to you all on Trinity’s behalf.

This year Trinity has seen rapid growth within our management team, and development of the infrastructure of the building and our facilities. This is due to the continued intensive investment of time and energy made by all who have Trinity’s success at heart. The success of Trinity Community Arts, in my opinion, is now firmly fixed as a stable reality. We can now boast that we are truly self-supporting, and that any investment made in us will be solely used to directly benefit the community.

For example, we have seen the completion of the first year of training here, one of our finest achievements so far, leading to the close partnership we now have with City of Bristol College. Trinity has now made the necessary first steps to becoming an accredited learning centre, and we look forward to a bright future with more courses planned and a wider remit. In particular we are continuing to address the inability of main stream education to target those young people who have disengaged from society, or who are at risk of doing so - those most in need of a sense of direction.

Another milestone that we have passed this year is the start of the long-awaited first floor improvements funded by Objective 2, Bristol City Council Equalities team, Yansec and ourselves. These improvements make the first floor more accessible to the public and will provide high-quality sound-proofed studios for the local community.

In July we saw the arrival of Emma Harvey, our new Activities Coordinator and Administrator. She immediately adapted to the position and has now become the central focus and the most valuable asset to the organisation. Emma sees no boundaries to her job title, and has successfully taken on fundraising, website design, publicity, and recruitment - far exceeding our expectations. It also gives me great pleasure to welcome Jennie Jones as new Chair of the organisation. I believe that we would not find a more talented and enthusiastic person and I am now very excited about the future with such a solid team. Watch this space.

Let’s not forget the events which are such an important part of Trinity’s heritage. Muse Music (now Meme Music) has continued to raise the game in this area with highlights for 2007 including The Good the Bad and the Queen and Willy Mason.

We have now entered a more professional and high-profile arena, which mirrors the progress we have been making as an organisation. Many thanks to Simon Bell and Teresa Vandre of Meme Music for the effort they have made in maintaining and improving our partnership.

Finally, the year 2007 ended on a very positive note, as the successful management of Objective 2 funding now opens the door to significant funding from Heritage Lottery, English Heritage and the Arts Council. Our short lease previously excluded us from access to major funding from these bodies, but in 2008 we will draw up a new service level agreement with Bristol City Council. This should provide a lease long enough to persuade these bodies to invest substantially in the fabric of the building, and in other worthy projects to enhance the resources available to deprived local communities.

We all firmly believe that Trinity can and will develop into a renowned centre of excellence for the South West, and become one of the finest jewels in Bristol’s crown.

Check out our Annual Report for more information.

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Recent tightening up of licensing laws means that the security bill for all outdoor events has increased dramatically, putting a disproportionate burden on these smaller festivals.

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