The Trinity Digs project will enable Trinity to host and support more community activity at the centre. Photo Paul Blakemore

We have been awarded a grant of £231,818 from Power to Change to deliver ‘The Trinity Digs Project’ to carry out capital improvements to the site so can host and support more community activity at the centre.

“We want to make sure Trinity’s ongoing development continues to be shaped and informed by those who use it. As part of the project we’ll be running a community activity programme so that people can get involved, have their say and kick-start their own ideas. More news on this coming soon - watch this space” Glyn Everett, Chair of Trustees and local resident

The project will install customised container-units on site, to provide affordable, low-cost, sustainable hot-desk space as a base for community partners, emerging artists and local start-ups. Improvements to the ‘Graffiti Room’ will also mean more activities can be hosted, such as neighbourhood meetings, rehearsals and workshops.

Match funding has been generously provided from local funders including The Nisbet Trust, who have donated £20,053 toward the capital project, alongside generous donations from members of the public. The project has also been supported by Derbyshire Environmental Trust who have supported with a grant of £28,315 towards costs of the container units. A £25,000 individual gift and a grant of £7,624 from the Postcode Local Trust to improve accessibility to our community garden.

The design scheme was produced thanks to support from Backstage Trust who helped us to revise and update our Feasibility Study, 2018-2019, to work out the next priority for capital works. Alongside the capital works we will be helping support people who have ideas within the community to get involved and set up their own initiatives through the Community Kick Start Project. We are particularly interested in working with small voluntary and residents groups with limited or no budget to support getting new ideas off the ground.

Set up to grow and support community businesses in England, Power to Change provides grants to community businesses run by and for the local community. Our aim through the Trinity Dig’s Project is to continue to invest in the Trinity Centre as a key cultural and community asset, and to build a varied and sustainable participatory community arts programme, that reflects the interests of Bristol’s diverse communities and cultures.

View the latest Trinity Digs plans on www.bristol.gov.uk planning portal application ref: 21/05771/F

Nature Play Sessions. Photo credit: Alastair Brookes, KoLAB Studio

As part of our children and young people's programme we are providing free after school provision for children who attend local primary schools. Children who attend are aged 8yrs-11yrs and many have limited access to any green space at home. In our first term 22 children have taken part.

‘I loved it, every bit of it.’ Feedback, Nature Play

The sessions are facilitated by our Nature Play team which include qualified Forest School teachers and playworkers. During the sessions children connect with nature and share their ideas to help shape activities. Each week when the children come they start the sessions climbing one of our apple trees to collect an apple! Other activities include painting pumpkins, digging and planting, identifying animals and listening in nature.

Children also have the opportunity to learn more about the natural world, from learning about seasons, to understanding sustainability. They also learn more about the community they live in. Nature Play enables  children to meet together and to create and form relationships with peers, outside of school.

If you are a parent/carer of a primary aged child (8yrs-11yrs) who would like to attend Nature Play click here to find out more and sign up.

Nature Play is held on Monday's during term time and is made possible due to funding from Quartet Community Foundation, WESport and Bristol City Council.

Trinity are hosting a new series of Music Masterclasses for young people aged 16 to 25 interested in learning more about performing and working in the music and events industries.

Trinity have invited top industry professionals from Bristol and beyond to come and share their knowledge and insights in a series of exclusive workshops and classes. This series will feature a diverse range of guests whose jobs include performing ,producing and mixing music, as well as assisting musicians in roles such as programming, label management, radio, and much more.

Music Masterclasses form part of Trinity’s ongoing commitment to providing vocational training for young people in Bristol who may otherwise experience barriers to accessing the arts and music industries.

This series will provide young people with industry advice ,guidance and practical learning, as well as opportunities to connect and collaborate with other young people in the city.

Click the title of the event that you'd like to attend to register your interest:

Batu + Saffron Records (10 Aug)

Bristol-based DJ, Producer and Record Label

Laurence Walker (14 Sep)

Bookings and Promotions at Lost Horizon

Young Echo (12 Oct)

Music collective based in Bristol

t l k (02 Nov)

Improvisation Workshop

NSL (23 Nov)

Lighting and Sound Specialists

Noods Radio (14 Dec)

St Pauls-based Radio Station

Do you know someone who would benefit from our Music Masterclass series? Send an email to fleurw@trinitybristol.org.uk to register your interest.

Through Trinity providing subsidized hall space for us, we have been able to put on social events for people with learning disabilities over the last 8 years.

It is very hard for someone with a learning disability to have a normal social life. So with Trinity helping us put on full on monthly nightclubs is amazing. We have nearly  200 people dancing the night away at each Rhythm of the Night event and it is getting bigger and better. Join us on the last Thursday of the month and see for yourself...everybody is welcome!

2017 has been the best so far and we are thinking of inviting DJs and musicians with disabilities to perform at these social events, as we did with Plymouth's Funky Llama in 2016.

Trinity has supported these successful nightclubs with staff time, facilities and equipment. This partnership approach has been rewarding for everyone.

We have also seen from their wider community work that Trinity is committed to being a centre for the people of Bristol. Trinity has made a fantastic use of a valuable building and given it a new lease of life.

Tony Holdom, Creative Director, Misfits Theatre Company UK.

Acclaimed actress Miriam Margolyes took time out of her busy tour schedule to visit Jacobs Wells Baths, showing her support for the ongoing recovery efforts of this historic building. As an early supporter of the campaign, and a patron of Trinity Community Arts, Miriam's visit highlights the importance of restoring Jacobs Wells as a vital community and cultural heritage hub.

“I’m thrilled to have a chance to visit Jacob’s Wells Baths and encourage the Council and my fellow-supporters with their exciting plans to return this listed building to the service of the local Community. This will help so many to have a go - opportunity knocks at last.” Miriam Margolyes

During her visit, Miriam Margolyes met with our team and some of the professional team from PH3 Design who have developed the recently approved planning scheme to restore the space. Planned works include a street-facing main entrance and modernisation of the previously unused ground floor Pump Room, transforming it into a new cafe-bar and studio.

Miriam's visit comes as we complete key milestones for the project, including securing planning and lease completion. This means we can now begin crucial Phase 1 Repairs including works to the main hall roof, funded by £1.6 million secured from the DLUHC Community Ownership Fund and match funders.

We are excited to now be able to move forward with our efforts to bring the building back into use as a multidisciplinary venue for arts, heritage, youth, community and educational use.

We want to give thanks to everyone who has so far shared in our journey to make this vision possible, including our Patron Miriam, Bristol City Council, local stakeholders and the Hotwells & Harbourside Community Association, who led campaign efforts to save the building from disposal.

Completion of the 35-year leasehold is still to be confirmed by asset owners, Bristol City Council.

Find out more about our Jacobs Wells mission:

• Discover our vision for the building to be restored and reopened
• Learn about our Community Asset Transfer offer by Bristol City Council
• Donate to our Fundsurfer to help raise much needed funds for our phased plans to restore the building

Oh Miriam! Live is at Bristol Beacon, 12th July – Click here for tickets

The Bristolian born DJ/Producer that has been a pivotal key in the UKs music scene, from supporting The Prodigy to DJing at the iconic raves like Universe and Fantasia, and taking the Trip Hop Bristol sound worldwide with Ninja Tunes, Up Bustle & Out, Cridge has lived and breathed the culture and is a very big fan of Irvine Welsh's work from day one. Presented by bookhaus.

Photo Alexa Ledecky

Photo Alexa Ledecky

Trinity has been selected to be one of 40 community arts centres to take part in Here and Now, a national and local celebration of culture within communities running alongside the National Lottery’s 25 year anniversary.

Wild Goose Choir - Image Credits: Alastair Brookes

As part of our Community and Neighbourhoods programme, we connected with local charity, Wild Goose, to run the Wild Goose Choir - weekly singing sessions within a cafe space on Stapleton Road.

“This is a fun socially interactive group that tackles many of the difficult issues faced by service users, enabling people from all cultures, different language barriers to cohesively join together.” - Mick Connolly, Drop-in Manager, Wild Goose Cafe

The sessions took place throughout July – October 2024 and were delivered by experienced choir leaders Sophie Wilsden and Holly Jacks with support from Wild Goose Cafe staff. The sessions included a warm-up, check in, refreshments and a check-out. Participants learned songs from all across the world, in different languages, and from different cultures.

Wild Goose offer support to people to help them rebuild their lives. The cafe offers a lifeline for many people who attend drop in services to access hot meals and support services. During the sessions, the Wild Goose team and the project facilitators shared that the sessions encouraged people to spend time together, build confidence, resilience and connections.

Throughout the project, 14 people took part in Wild Goose Choir, with participants returning for regular weekly sessions. Due to the success of the project, we will be expanding the programme and working with partners to host a weekly choir for people accessing services within Trinity’s locality.

The Choir has been developed through our 'Community Connector' roles, where we are working with people living within Trinity’s locality to create a creative programme of activity. You can find out more about events and projects coming up click here to find out more

Storytelling Sessions - Image Credit: Francisco Vicaria

Over the summer, as part of our Communities and Neighbourhood's programme, we hosted a series of free storytelling and movements session for parent/carers living in or around local neighbourhood, Stapleton Road.

The sessions where developed by Hibaq and Suad, who have recently joined the Trinity Team as Community Connectors. Community Connectors activate conversations with residents living within Trinity's locality which in turn help shape activities at Trinity.

Keen to encourage local families to spend creative time together during the summer break from school, Hibaq and Suad devised a four week programme of free-to-access activities that used storytelling and movement to explore and share stories of culture and heritage. Hibaq and Suad then invited families whose children attend local primary school, Easton CE Academy (one of three schools in the Cultural Alliance) to come along.

"I’ve had a lot of things on my mind this week, but here I forget everything, I relax" - Feedback, Participant, Storytelling Sessions

During the sessions parents and children took part in singing traditional songs, creating movement and dances. Hester Welch, the lead artist during the sessions, observed that during the sessions "families explored different ways of uncovering and sharing stories, building confidence in themselves and their surroundings, and celebrating these skills".

As well as using storytelling and movement to create connections between mothers and children, the sessions allowed space for women to have 'focus time' - a space to connect and express themselves in a calm, quiet environment while their children happily worked together elsewhere, creating dances and artwork to share back to them.

Across the four week project, we welcomed 45 participants from 12 families - all of whom live within a 20min walk of the Trinity Centre.

Read more about our commitment to celebrating, platforming and developing community creativity or find out what events are coming up as part of our Community & Neighbourhoods programme, including storytelling, singing, craft and drama drop-in workshops at our September Garden Party.

Nature in Newtown - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

Throughout the summer, we’ve been working with our Community Connectors to programme activities for the local community. Working with Shanti Pant, our Community Connector for Newtown, we devised a programme that encouraged residents local to Newtown to spend time together, enjoying and learning about local green spaces through gentle exercise and nature walks.

“You just don’t know what is on your doorstep” - Feedback, Nature in Newtown Participant

Newtown is one of three local neighbourhoods that Trinity is working closely with over the course of this year, to develop a greater understanding of residents’ interests and experiences, and how we can offer support to share creative activity. As a Newtown resident, and nature-lover, Shanti was keen to share her experience of how spending time in nature can provide a simple way to support wellbeing and connect with others, so we worked with her to create this project.

Nature in Newtown ran for ten weeks from June - August, led by Subitha Baghirathan, and supported by Shanti. With Lawrence Hill Health Centre as the groups’ meeting point, Subitha shared a range of wellbeing exercises and activities for participants to experience including; tai chi, vagus nerve breathing, mindfulness activities and listening walks. Through rain and shine, we welcomed ten local people over the weeks, enthusiastically sharing their knowledge of the area, and learning new things from each other.

We found out that there is plenty of nature surrounding Newtown, and new places to discover too. A walk through some tunnels - shared by one member of the group - contained beautiful tiles documenting ‘The Industries and Crafts of Bristol’s Rich Industrial Heritage’, a walk along the railway path encouraged group members to use Subitha’s tree book to identify different species by their leaves, and a visit to Trinity’s garden enabled the group to meet Fleur, our garden project facilitator, who showed them around the space and talked about our volunteer programme.

Over the weeks, participants reported an increased feeling of connectedness to their local community, confidence to explore the local area, and confidence to engage with others.

For the second part of this project, we’re inviting practitioners Shanti Sherson (Wellbeing at Wellspring Settlement) and Jon Aitken (filmmaker at Watershed) to join us at Lawrence Hill Health Centre’s community garden, for Filmmaking in Newtown.

Over three sessions in September, Shanti and Jon will lead nature-based activities and help participants create simple short films together that document our connection to nature.

Isto é PARTIS & Art for Change 2024 - Image Credit: Carlos Porfirio

In January, Trinity participated in the Isto é PARTIS & Art for Change 2024 conference held in Lisbon, Portugal, shining a spotlight on the transformative potential of citizen-led approaches in the arts.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and "La Caixa" Foundation are actively working to platform and support the tangible impact of participatory arts initiatives, reshaping cultural dynamics, and fostering more just and cohesive communities. The conference served as a beacon for continued dialogue and action in the pursuit of a more inclusive cultural landscape.

Featuring panels exploring diverse methods of citizen involvement in cultural dynamics, Trinity Community Arts, represented by CEO Emma Harvey, emphasized the significance of creative community spaces in shaping cultural dynamics in the arts. Emma shared insights into Trinity's work managing the Trinity Centre as a publicly-owned civic arts space, alongside efforts to save another publicly-owned asset, Jacobs Wells.

Trinity shared a panel with Lara Seixo Rodrigues, Marta Silva, and Miguel Atalaia, highlighting examples of collaborative and citizen-led cultural activity, including the Largo Residências in Lisbon and the Bons Sons festival in Tomar. Bons Sons - akin to Trinity's annual Garden Party, the annual community festival involves the entire village coming together to deliver a celebration of music, culture and local pride—an inspirational example of true citizen empowerment.

Trinity's partner, Saad Eddine Said, Co-Director of the Citizens in Power initiative, delivered a keynote speech on avenues for active citizen-led decision-making. Trinity, in is working with Citizens in Power and St Paul’s Carnival, to develop a Citizen Assembly for Culture, supporting communities in the West of England Combined Authority to shape their cultural delivery priorities and plans – funded by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) and the West of England Combined Authority. The conference also highlighted Battersea Arts Centre’s social enterprise programme, The Agency, which uses a co-design model to support young people to unlock their creative potential.

This collaborative effort, led by The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, amplified initiatives that are unlocking the transformative power of citizen-led approaches in the arts. The Foundation's commitment to fostering partnerships between communities, creatives, and institutions, as showcased in the PARTIS & Art for Change initiative, exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to shaping the future of towns and cities. This conference facilitates key conversations and projects that contribute to the creation of more just, cohesive and culturally vibrant communities.

Further reading:

Duppy Hunter. Photo Credit: Sophia Stefelle

Over the summer, we teamed up with Tamasha Theatre Company and BAFTA award-winning game designers Coney to develop and deliver ‘Duppy Hunter’, an interactive theatre piece where audiences are invited to embark on a playful exploration of St. Paul's, assuming the role of Duppy Hunters in pursuit of an elusive spirit hidden amongst the streets and sights of this vibrant neighbourhood.

"A great way to hear about local history while walking around" Feedback, Audience Member

Duppy Hunter was created as part of the third instalment of ENDS & TALES, a series of immersive smartphone adventures. Previous adventures have included uncovering the untold stories of the Bangladeshi community in London’s Brick Lane and Chinese community in Liverpool’s Chinatown.

Bubbling with magical realism, audiences were invited to help fictional character, Josie (played by Nadia Williams - I’m Not Running (2019), Broadchurch (2013)), track down a duppy that has become loose in St Paul's. Josie is from a line of obeah women priestesses that have fulfilled the role of duppy hunters, who hunt for duppies that are trying to capture human souls to walk the earth and leave a host open to future possessions. Through helping Josie to solve the riddles the duppy leaves on its trail, the adventure will take audiences past Stapleton Road and Pennywell Road and crossing the Danny, before heading onto to St Paul's. Promising to conjure up nostalgia and a Bristol of yore, audiences will be immersed in stories unfolding through their headphones.

The performance was inspired by the stories share by residents of St Paul’s during workshops within the community that were delivered in partnership with 'Malcolm X Elders' community group. In the workshops participants reminisced over the old shops, nightlife, community movements and music which filled their younger years.

During one workshop one attendees reflected that they were really happy that to be able to share their histories of coming to Bristol from the Caribbean in the 1960's and 70's. Reflecting that this brought back memories of their younger days attending night clubs such as the famed 'Bamboo Club' , and the underground 'Shabene/Shubs' parties in the 70's. They also remembered going coming to the Trinity Centre in the 70's when it was an African Caribbean Community Centre

Writer Duppy Hunter Dr Edson Burton and Director Hannah Adu-Boateng then created a performance that mixed a walking tour, promenade theatre, and gaming elements to create an adventure and touching intergenerational story.

In total 71 downloaded Duppy Hunter and 20 took part in the community workshops. The performance is available as a free download for anyone to experience. Click here to download now.

Garden Party: A Community Celebration - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

On Sunday 22 September 2024, we opened our gates for our end of summer community celebration. This event featured community arts workshops,  activities for children and families and performances.

In collaboration with our Community Connectors we connected with facilitators and artists from the local area who we invited to deliver activities on the day. We also offered businesses the opportunity to trade during the event and local traders came along to sell crafts, jewellery, vintage goods, and more at Garden Party.

On the music side of things, we programmed a diverse lineup of artists, including traditional Arabic music from Soufian Saihi, New Orleans style Brass music from Bigfoot Brass Band, Afrofusion from duo Sisanda and Ru, and an amazing blend of Bhangra and UK sounds from our headliner Indian Man.

We also offered attendees the chance to find out more about what we do at Trinity, with talks throughout the day about our Citizen’s Assembly project and our children, young people and families programme.

“An amazing day out – community, music and lots of activities for the kids” – Participant Feedback

We had a good turn out on the day, with 297 attendees and over £400 donated to Trinity to allow us to put on more community-focused events like Garden party. We wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who braved the rain and made this Garden Party so special, from the talented artists, workshop facilitators, stall-holders, local food vendors, the dedicated sound and lighting team behind the scenes, our hardworking bar staff, the entire Team Trinity, and, of course, all of you who joined us on the day.

Thank you for coming down to support what we do and celebrate our amazing local community.

If you'd like to continue to support Trinity, click here to make a donation.

Coexist Community Kitchen Sessions - Image Credit: Francisco Vicaria

During the summer we offered a series of gardening and cooking sessions in our Community Garden. These sessions are delivered in partnership with Coexist Community Kitchen and are designed to combine Coexist’s culinary skills with Trinity’s gardening knowledge, drawing on the rich variety of produce available in our garden.

“Some people don’t really know anyone in Bristol, and I think that gentleness that gardening and cooking offers of socialising but whilst having your hands busy allows you to connect through more than just words, through a shared activity. I feel like there is more of a sense of community with some people who come along” - Fleur Handley, Trinity Garden Project Facilitator

The sessions area space for people to connect with nature, develop cooking and gardening skills and meet new people. Many participants have lived experience of the asylum-system and live in temporary accommodation with little access to cooking facilities or green spaces.

During the sessions participants explored the outdoor spaces; picked and selected food from the community garden to cook with during the project.  Other activities included outdoor cooking over an open fire, harvesting seasonal produce, tending to the garden, and coming together to share a meal that participants create as a group.

These garden sessions where developed in response to addressing increasing isolation felt by many during the pandemic in 2020/2021 when outdoor activities were still permitted under lockdown restrictions. Since then, we have continued to offer two six-week blocks of these sessions every year. Click here to find out more.

We hope to continue this valuable partnership with Coexist in spring 2025 when our garden comes back into bloom and the first bits of produce start appearing. Click here to find out more about our regular gardening opportunities at Trinity.