Look Back: Community Celebration Day

Around 250 people came together at Trinity’s Community Day Celebration for a free programme shaped by the communities who use the space. Through live performances, workshops, exhibitions and shared food, the day celebrated local groups, individuals and organisations that make Trinity special.

Each week, Trinity offers a safe and welcoming daytime space where local people can meet, socialize, learn new skills, enjoy the garden, and be creative.

Planning for this year’s Community Day Celebration began in the spring. We welcomed a group of people with different connections to Trinity, including local residents, volunteers, attendees of weekly groups and artists, to understand their experiences of Trinity and hear how they would like to shape its future.

Together, we explored what Trinity’s annual Community Day Celebration should be. We explored who it is for, what it celebrates and how we can best support people to attend.

Suggestions included collaborations between groups sharing the stage; opportunities for people to lead and participate in poetry, craft and dance workshops; access for grassroots collectives to highlight their community messages; safe spaces for asylum seekers and refugees; space for brown- and black-led events; and a day with no cost to participate.

On the day, we welcomed around 250 people for a free programme of live performances, creative activities, heritage tours, workshops and exhibitions. Performers included Bristol Samba, Gerry’s Attic, Gentle Dance, Sober Spaces, Next Gen Sounds and City Academy’s music group. Colourful Minds and graduates of Borderlands’ Creative Leadership Training programme led workshops and shared skills in embroidery and flower making. Baraka Community Cafe provided delicious soup and samosas.

Young people were not simply invited to perform at Community Day; they also helped shape their involvement. Through Trinity’s youth groups, drop-in music sessions and after-school clubs, participants spent the weeks leading up to the event deciding what they wanted to present, how they wanted to perform and how they would work together. This approach reflects Trinity’s wider commitment to listening to young people and co-creating programmes around the opportunities they say they want and need.

Jake Mensah, Trinity’s Youth Service Manager, said a highlight was seeing young people’s confidence grow as they shared their work with hundreds of people, supported by friends and family. Community Day gave them a safe and welcoming platform to express themselves, try something new and see their ideas valued, an experience summed up by one participant: “I learned that it’s not scary to perform.”

Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive:

The whole atmosphere felt joyful, welcoming, relaxed

the range of food offered was really great

the tour ... (was a) sparkling feature of the event. So important to offer this. I learnt a lot about Trinity.

Reflecting on the day Jen Farmer, Trinity's Arts Engagement Manger said: "The next step is to consider who was missing from the day and how to ensure they have a place next time, as we continue our shared journey from collaboration to co-creation.

We hope you will join us next time."

Tesco Groundwork funded the soup and samosas provided on the day.

Thank you to Cakesmith and Extract Coffee for the delicious complimentary treats.

Photos by Ciara Hillyer