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.

I am French but was born in Switzerland. I am mixed race. I currently in Staple Hill, Bristol. I was born with schizophrenia. I love music especially writing and recording positive rap lyrics. I am currently unemployed.

I was referred across to Trinity by one of my college tutors at Access to Music. I had managed to get through the first year of the course and achieved a pass but it was clear I would really struggle with the amount of assignments and paperwork involved in the second year so they linked me in with Trinity as an alternative. I can now focus on my music without stressing about paperwork which is a really good for me.

The benefit’s of being on a music course at Trinity  are that I can work on my lyrics, music, beats and prepare my album without any pressure. I can take my time. I’m really struggling with my illness at the moment and have been experimenting with different dosages of medication. Sometimes I come in and am too drowsy to properly concentrate on my work. Dave and Al are always really supportive and assure me that I can use the session in whatever way best suits me at the time. It’s good to know they understand. That makes a lot of difference. I enjoy working on a 1:1 basis this means I can get more positive things done in a short space of time.

When I come to Trinity I send some emails out advertising gigs and classes, what are going on here. I like getting out and meeting people and having a laugh. I like getting out and socialising and getting out of the house for a day. I am always kept busy at Trinity and I enjoy myself.

(Us) Can you describe your time at Trinity in three words? Happy, working hard

We want to make sure every young person has a chance to access music learning. We work with young people from a range of backgrounds, from across Bristol and the South West, to help them achieve their potential.

“I found the Trinity to be brilliant and I had great support from the staff” Mitchell, Music Student

Trinity specialises in engaging those who face barriers to participation. Since 2005, we've worked with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded young people; from young people who feel they are not ready for full time work or education, to referrals from youth offenders and young people in care and hospital.

“This was the first activity that I was interested in, I had not been out my room until this point! I met some of the other young people and got to know them. I really like Al and Dave, they have helped me settle in.” Teenage Cancer Trust Inpatient

Young people referred to us have become disengaged from mainstream learning due to their complex learning needs, behavioural and health issues. After facing exclusion, young people are left feeling isolated from society, leading to anger management, youth-offending and other destructive behaviours.

“I really enjoy the drumming. It’s the first time I’ve ever done any sort of drumming and find smashing on the kit helps me to release my anger. I feel good when I come to Trinity. It gives me something to look forward to every week.” Under 16 who had been excluded from school

Young people either self-refer or are referred to us by youth organisations, including the local council authority social care teams, mental health trusts, pupil referrals units, foster carers, youth offender teams and other charities. These agencies have fed back to us about the positive changes they have seen in the behaviours and attitudes of the young people who we’ve supported.

“My staff at St Matthias are extremely happy to have found this brilliant and rare session, that has had a hugely beneficial impact upon the social and educational progress of our students. I can't rate the experience highly enough and can only commend the Trinity staff and their incredible understanding and patience in working with SEN students. Long may it continue!” St Matthias Pupil Referral Unit

We provide intensive music courses - music production, lyric writing, composition, guitar and percussion - helping young people to develop skills and abilities, achieve accreditations and re-engage with mainstream learning.

“The song writing session that Dave from Trinity delivered last week has inspired her so much that she has gained the confidence to go to voice coaching lessons at school!” Tact Care Foster Carers

Click here for more information about our courses for young people.

Will was referred to Trinity from the South Glos Early Intervention Team and took part in our Take Note sessions, February 2016.He attended all the sessions and even took part in a collaborative song with more experienced music students which culminated in a live performance on the main Trinity stage.

Since then, Will has been making the long journey from Yate each week to attend our weekly Thursday session, writing and recording original rap lyrics and learning music production techniques.

"My occupational therapist referred me over to Trinity because he knew I was really interested in music production. When I visited the studios I got a really good vibe and saw it as a great opportunity to learn all about music production and record my own lyrics.

The main benefit for me is that I can get on the mic and record my lyrics every week. It’s important for me to get my lyrics out as it is a way for me to express myself and to deal with the things that have happened in the past, which really helps me to move on. I have also enjoyed meeting, working and performing alongside other local musicians."

Will has been working on producing an album of original material and is now feeling confident enough to work the studio equipment on his own terms.

Will finished by saying; "I look forward to coming in to Trinity every week, it gives me something to get up for in the morning. Without it I would probably just be hanging out and chilling with my mates not getting anything done."

Will's support worker has been absolutely blown away by the progress he has made over such a short space of time. He is continuing to build his confidence, and would eventually like to apply for some work experience in a music industry setting.

We have a long-standing partnership with Leyhill HMP - a CAT D, open prison - and provide long-term work placements to individual life-prisoners for between 6-18 months, in order to help improve their chances of successful release.

Many prisoners come into prison unemployed and 73.5% return to unemployment on release*

If an ex-offender is able to come out and find work, somewhere to live and develop a support network, this greatly reduce the chances of them re-offending.

Many prisoners are released with nowhere to go and support from friends or family is not always available. Therefore, in our commitment to providing services for the whole community, it is vital that organisations such as Trinity provide support in the form of work experience placements for ex-offenders.

“I am currently serving a prison sentence at Leyhill prison. As part of my resettlement I go to Trinity Centre where I help out with all aspects of keeping this community centre up and running for all the people in the area. This has given me a lot of confidence to help me move forward in my rehabilitation, meeting new people and giving me a new view on how to be more open and to give me more options for when I do get released from prison.” Statement from an individual on placement from Leyhill HMP, who has been successfully released, 2013

The Trinity Centre is a large, converted, Georgian, grade II* listed former-church building, so ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the building and grounds is a constant challenge.

Our Leyhill volunteers bring with them skills including plastering, painting, carpentry, brick-laying, gardening and cleaning, including COSHH. The placements allow individuals to gain practical work experience, whilst also helping us to carry out essential repairs and maintenance that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.

Providing ex-offenders with the opportunity to apply their training within a real setting provides individuals with valuable experience to enable them to secure employment on their release.

“Thank you for making me feel part of the team and treating me like a human being again.” Statement from an individual on placement from Leyhill HMP, who has been successfully released, 2016

Want to read more? See: In memoriam: Phil, a story of change.

Our placements are provided on a case-by-case basis, where individuals are not shown to be on the Child Protection Register or Protection of Vulnerable Adults Register. A full disclosure is undertaken, where individuals are assessed to ensure that offering a placement will not pose a threat to either Centre users or other staff and volunteers. We also have an Ex-offenders Policy that we use to train staff and volunteers in working with ex-offenders. Lehyill HMP regularly monitor placements as part of their “Through The Gate” scheme.

___

*HoC Work and Pensions Committee, Support for ex-offenders Fifth Report of Session 2016–17, p5

The Art Therapy sessions were planned for young adults, most of them referred by their GP's. The purpose of the project was to help individuals to increase their understanding of what is happening, reducing the level of distress caused by unusual experiences and prioritising personal recovery and a quick return to valued roles and social relationships.

Katie Gannaway, Mental Health Worker for AWP Bristol Early Intervention Team explains why the project was important:

"Earlier this year we ran a therapeutic art group from Arts West Side, for 16 weeks. The group was for young people 16- 35 years who are experiencing mental health difficulties. As part of their recovery we wanted this group to be in the community to promote social inclusion, leading to service users to feel less isolated and facilitating them to link in to other community resources.

The art group gave them an opportunity to explore their creativity whilst receiving emotional support in a safe group environment enabling them to feel more confident to be part of the community. The group was for a maximum of eight people, and included two healthcare professionals facilitating the therapeutic art group.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends the use of art for young people because it can help to alleviate negative symptoms and should be provided in a group setting.

The feedback from group members was very positive; they liked the location because it was central, they also felt the space provided was safe and confidential, allowing them to freely express themselves through their art.

They also appreciated the art space below (SPACE), giving them the opportunity to view various exhibits, which for some, influenced their art and interest. This often impacted on our art sessions; members would access the group through the exhibition and this would become a talking point, and an opportunity to engage with others. Some of the members had never had the opportunity to visit art exhibitions; however, the accessibility provided this opportunity.

We would have struggled to provide this group in the community due to limited funds; Arts West Side offered a great space, accessible to communities that are often isolated."

The meal is very wholesome coming straight out of the earth in my local area. It is great to learn new gardening skills. My 3 year old daughter loves to run around and play with other children who come to the garden. It is a really great communal space.

I found the day greatly beneficial to my mental health as I find it really meditative to help a garden grow, it feels such a positive thing to be doing as I am passionate about growing food locally and organic, it is a great way forward to help us people and our planet stay healthy.

I feel like I am part of something important as if people could grow more food locally there would be far less dependency on supermarkets which creates lots of unnecessary packaging and transportation costs to the environment. I also feel the community day benefited me physically, being active outside and eating healthy food.

My daughter also enjoys the space and climbing frame and I love that she gets to learn where her food really comes from and that we can grow our own.

I love the Trinity Garden space and all great people working there who are knowledgeable, friendly and supportive. I go to the garden on other days with my daughter to help out in the garden and really enjoy getting back in touch with nature. I feel it is really important to teach my daughter where food comes from and that we can grow it ourselves.

I have met lots of people at the garden who share an interest in gardening and sustainability. It is great to feel in touch with my local community, nurture the local earth and grow things together. It is so lovely to share a healthy organic nutritious meal made from the gardens produce and have a chance to chat and share ideas.

I think projects like this at Trinity are very important to educate people about growing and to keep the people of our city connected."

Luna took part in a monthly community gardening drop-in day as part of our Bristol 2015 'Grow It, Cook It, Eat It!' Project. Read more about project activities here.

''I am a member of Trinity Walking group and have been with them for a few months. I have enjoyed the walks not been on all of them but I do when I can. I was introduced to the walking group while I was in hospital.

I suffer from mental health conditions and wanted to do something to make friends and keep active after I left the hospital. The hospital arranged a meeting here at Trinity and I came after a phone call and have been going ever since.

Due to losing friends after leaving work and neighbours passing away or moving, I have felt lonely for a long while.

Ever since I have joined this group I am developing friendships and have felt a lot better.

Not only do I get the enjoyment of of walking and the exercise that comes with it, I explore new places and visit places that has a strong family history.

It would be nice to have some more female walkers, as we are mainly men, but at the same time it's nice to walk with new people and develop friendships. During the walk we stop of somewhere and have a cup of tea and a chat. Its good for my well being.

Living on my own I sometimes get a bit lonely and this walking group has given me something to look forward to and the confidence to meet new people else where.''

Trinity runs several walking group activities, involving people from a range of ages and abilities. Click here, if you are interested in joining the Trinity Walking Group, or taking part in our other Trinity Community Garden activities.

"I was expelled from my college course at Circomedia when I was 16 because of my poor participation, which was mainly due to my crippling anxiety and non-existent confidence.

I found out about Trinity's courses for young people online and signed up for some free classes and workshops as part of the 2007 Bristol Sound Project led by Nick Young. I took part in a mixing class with Souljah Clique, a scratching class with Dutty Girl, amazing singing workshops with the fantastically talented Kizzy Morrell from Studio 7, theatre sessions with director Dave Lovatt and a graffiti workshop with Bristol street-artist Silent Hobo.

I then went on to re-do the college course at Circomedia I was expelled from and received a triple distinction.

After one year of their professional course I went on to study at a well known circus school in Montpellier, France, where I had wanted to go for years. I've been working with a circus in France and now plan on coming back to Bristol to continue training and hopefully spend some time volunteering at the place which helped me gain my confidence.

The Trinity Centre is a truly unique organisation filled with talented people driven to encourage young aspiring creatives and support those who need it. My time there was special and even as a lost moody teenager I didn't feel judged or belittled - totally the opposite. I can't recommend their courses enough."

Each year Trinity works with 60 young people from challenging circumstances across our learning programme and activities. We work with young people who have fallen out of education, helping them to can gain confidence, develop skills and find routes back into education or employment.

If you would like to support our work with young people, visit our Just Giving page or text TYTP99 £[the amount you want to donate] to 70070 to donate to the Trinity Youth Training Project today.

Contractors gcp Chartered Architects and CW Duke worked tirelessly and within strict budget and deadline to complete the scheme of works, which included a new reception area, heating system, partition wall, sprung wooden floor, lighting and drapes - to enable us to provide a more flexible space for the variety of uses of the centre.

The plan to redevelop the Trinity Centre has been an ambition for decades and this former converted church has long been a focal point for the cultural and community activities in East Bristol. Thanks to support from funders including Big Lottery Fund and Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, these long-held aspirations have now become a reality. With a second large hall space in the upstairs of the Centre, we are able to provide access to high-end facilities at affordable rates for a range of activities including dance, performance, meetings, conferences, weddings and more.

Over 200 Friends of Trinity turned out for our official opening of the new 'Fyfe Hall', named in memory of former board member Nicholas Fyfe, who passed away in 2007. The event gave people in the community and users of the Centre the opportunity to see all the improvements made to the building and the audience were entertained by Bristol Reggae Orchestra who gave an outstanding performance as the first musicians to perform in the newly renovated space. This was folloed by the public relaunch event with a performance from Adrian Utley of Portishead.

Throughout the year, the Trinity Centre was used by over 40,000 people, across 222 activities and events. This includes:

• 7674 participants in community events, across 12214 unique visits
• 730 people participating in projects such as our Community Garden, Arts West Side and Vice & Virtue
• 41 young people involved regularly across our youth music training programme
• 53 volunteers supporting across all activities
• provided 4 paid intern-ships for young people aged 18-24 through the Creative Employment Programme.

Our Trinity Community Initiative (TCI) provided 1,180 hrs of free or subsidised space hire at The Trinity Centre for grass-roots groups and community projects (inc theatre and dance rehearsals), meetings and events and approx 125 hrs at Arts West Side – our satellite venue on Old Market High Street.

In line with the Bristol Green Capital 2015, we will be focusing on making Trinity more sustainable, both environmentally, through taking steps to make Trinity a greener venue and financially, through building our reserves. Our activity plans for 2015 include exploring new ways of bringing communities together, such as a series of live community-debates, taking more artistic control over our live-programming and providing more learning opportunities for young people. We're looking forward to doing more for our communities in 2015!

Key Achievements

• TCA was awarded the VISIBLE accreditation certificate by Community Matters in recognition of our service to the community.

• Successfully completed our roof repair project with funding support from English Heritage, Pilgrim Trust and Biffa Award

• Delivered a training programme for 16-18 year olds in activities including Music, Photography and Graffiti, in partnership with the City of Bristol College

• Secured a new contract to deliver youth training provision in partnership with Weston College for 2014

• Delivered a Youth Music project with open music sessions for young people aged 13-21

• Delivered a community garden project, including a Women and Children's drop-in on Wednesdays as well as free gardening sessions on Thursdays with groups of vulnerable adults from Rethink and Second Step

• Completed works to our outdoor community kitchen and installed a new children's play area thanks to funding from Veolia Environmental Trust, promoting natural interactive play

• Completed our Arts Council funded Bridges Project, which culminated in a citywide site-specific performance The Ithaca Axis, featuring both professional actors and community ensemble

• Held our annual free garden party and fireworks parties attracting audiences from across the community

• Delivered the Digital Activism project for young people aged 18-25 to develop experience in the creative industries in partnership with Knowle West Media Centre and Ujima Radio

• Delivered a new youth Tank Theatre project with support from Ernest Cook Trust for young people aged 15-26 to take part in weekly acting workshops leading up to a final performance M.C.Beth at the Trinity Centre at the end of August

• Secured Awards for All funding for the Activate West Side Project at Arts West Side and have appointed a new Volunteer Coordinator for the project at the end of the year

• Secured Heritage Lottery funding for a new 18mth long project, Vice & Virtue about the history of Old Market High Street, 2013-2015

• Delivered a capital improvement project to the Centre, funded by Big Lottery Fund and Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, to renovate the upstairs hall space and grounds

• Participating in the new Creative Employment Programme, providing paid internships for young people aged 18-24 within Trinity

• Supported numerous groups with free/subsidised hall space. See Annual Report for details.

Jasmine: “I think I would like to see more theatre...it has been really great to have a project to focus on an be part of something.”

Scott: “It's great to be part of a theatre company in my community...Tank Theatre is one of a kind in Bristol.”

James: “More shows and performances – I feel the audience that came were diverse and benefited from the experience.”

D: “It makes me believe anything is possible if you dedicate enough adequate time talent and feeling for an aspiration.”

The programme gives 500 people the chance to work for a UK charity of their choice and get paid!

To read more about the garden and Anita's work between April and June 2013, see a transcript of her blog (active until April 2014) here:

Anita's blog