Be part of our archive celebrating the history of Trinity and the communities of Old Market

As part of our Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community project we will be collecting stories, pictures and memorabilia documenting Trinity as a space of unique celebration & commemoration. We would love to hear from people who have memories of special occasions at Trinity - from christenings to weddings to civil partnerships to wakes to parties - from when Trinity was church, and now as a community arts venue. Your stories and pictures will form part of our end of project exhibition and online archive.

Want to get involved? Have a great story to share? Then contact Dr Edson Burton for more details: edson@3ca.org.uk with the subject header: Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community

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.

Dr Edson Burton sharing the tales of Old Market's rich history in June 2018 @Khali Ackford

'Medieval market' bustling High Street' ' home to the city's most prestigious cinema, churches, and music halls, ' 'a red light district' 'Bristol's gay quarter' now described as up and coming before .

Trinity invites you to join us for a series of Heritage Walks of the Old Market area with historian & writer Dr Edson Burton. They will explore first hand the physical and social historical changes that are making the area increasingly popular.

Revival:

1. an improvement in the condition, strength, or fortunes of someone or something

2. an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again

Through this series of guided walks, Dr Edson Burton reveals the ebb and flow of Trinity and Old Market's history. They take place on the following dates and times:

Thu 24th May, 6pm-8pm

Tue 12th June, 6pm-8pm

Tue 31st July, 2pm-4pm

Sun 16th Sep, 12pm-2pm (part of Bristol Doors Open Day)

Spaces are limited, so book your free place in advance, following the ticket links on each of the events

Head over the the Heart & Soul project page to find out about our other events and activities.

Rob Drysdale, from "Stick It On" (Brighton), just donated £500 towards our Youth Music Training Programme!

Rob's support is a great vote of confidence in our mission and will help us to respond to a growing demand for the provision we offer, protecting the future of this vital programme.

Trinity has been delivering music training sessions to disengaged young people since 2005. We offer a variety of music drop-in sessions, tailored to individual or group needs. We work in partnership with pupil referral units, schools and organisations to provide regular support. Our students choose what they would like to focus on, incl: drumming, guitar, bass, vocal tuition, Dj’ing and music production.

A personal friend of DJ Derek, Rob was aware of the Sweet Memory Sounds legacy fund that DJ Derek's family set up in his honour in 2016, and how last year it supported Trinity’s work with disengaged young people, including young offenders and those with other health and behavioural issues through music making.

Rob felt inspired and said to us: "I'm very happy to support a Bristol charity that supports youth development in music. DJ Derek was a good friend and it feels good to make a contribution to his local community."

Get involved

If you, like Rob, would like to support our work, please get in touch with us! You can also make a one-off or monthly donation directly on our website or through justgiving

If you are a young person that would like to attend a course, or if you are looking to refer a young person, then you can call us on 01179351200 and chat to Dave Thomas (Training Coordinator) or ping him an email: davet@3ca.org.uk

Stick It On is an alternative DJ entertainment service transforming parties into something personal, engaging and most importantly fun - check out their website here, to find out more.

Hello I am Amelia and I am donating some money to the Trinity Centre in Bristol, in memory of my mum.

The Trinity Community Garden delivers gardening and cooking workshops for lots of different members of the local community, engaging over 500 people every year. My mum's legacy will pay for disabled access to be put into the garden so it can be enjoyed by even MORE people.

I have visited the garden a few times now and went to one of the workshops the other day and it is the loveliest hidden gem. The people who run the workshops are fantastic. This would have been one of the things that my mum could really have benefited from because they run workshops for people with mental health issues and social isolation. I truly think they are invaluable and I know what a huge difference these kinds of things make, especially when, unfortunately, NHS mental health services are so stretched that people slip through the net. These workshops are FREE and anyone can go and there are highly trained people running them.

Many of you will know the Trinity Centre from gigs, fireworks or their big garden party, but maybe don't know more about it. It's a place that does so much for the community and is not for profit. They can get other funding to continue running projects, but not lump sums to pay for things like accessibility. Just imagine how many more people could benefit!

You don't have to give money or anything, just 5 minutes of your time, filling out a slightly dull form (sorry!!) and voting for the Trinity Community Garden project to receive "match" funding from the Aviva Community Fund competition. This means that the money I am giving the garden has the potential to be doubled if they win!

The projects with the most votes (the top 8 in each of the 4 categories) will be entered into the Competition Finals. There, a panel of judges will decide which projects will receive funding. There are 8 awards (2 in each category) for up to £25K.

Click here to vote now! Voting closes on Tuesday 21st November

For those of you who knew my mum will know that she LOVED gardening - to the extent that I would grump aged 5 "Mummy, you love your garden more than ME". She would have loved this place so much and could have benefited from it so much. We NEED more places like this in our community :)

Car park closures, better building and a secured future

Thanks to help from the Heritage Lottery Fund and match funders, alongside donations gifted from the public we are finally at a point where we can put scaffolding around the building and begin to embark on major and much needed repairs to the stonework. Alongside the most damaged masonry we will be fixing the windows so the building will be cleaner and lighter.

Access to The Trinity Centre will stay the same but during the 45 weeks the scaffolding is up our car park capacity will be severely reduced so anyone visiting us should think about alternative parking or modes of transport.

Now we have got this far we are going to be raising the funds to complete works on all the masonry (not just the most severely damaged as we had planned). Fund-raising for this now will mean we ensure that Trinity stays open for future generations and by doing the extra work now means we can limit the impact both on the public and financially.

To celebrate Trinity's history we will be launching a series of events, talks, and courses in artisan crafts to compliment the works. You can  find out more about the project here. To keep up-to-date and informed about the project sign up to our mailing list at 3ca.org.uk/mail or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Works due to start 2 Oct for 45 weeks.

One year in the life of SPACE!

In April 2016, Trinity welcomed The Island (Artspace Lifespace) into a new partnership to maintain and promote Arts West Side as an affordable and accessible community arts space: SPACE occupies the ground floor of Arts West Side and shares the use of the Art Room in the first floor.

Standing for Sound, Performance and Art that the Community can Engage in (SPACE), has actively invited and involved the wider community to develop their own ideas, relevant to their needs and interests, to showcase work and participate in a free programme of events.

Working in partnership with local groups and artists, over the last year SPACE has hosted 46 events and activities under Sound, Performance, Art, Community and Engagement themes, keeping an open shop front over 224 days and engaging an audience of 2,070 people. Click here to see the full breakdown of events.

SPACE has also provide valuable work experience for 6 committed volunteers, including 2 work placements, supporting the continuous regeneration of the Old Market area. Together, they have raised the profile and visibility of local community activities and increased a sense of neighbourhood in this diverse area of the city.

Regardless of your age, profession, ethnic, cultural, or educational background; whether you consider yourself an established/emerging artist or not at all, SPACE wants to hear your ideas for 2017, so get in touch! Proposals are accepted all year round. Contact Claire Brown, SPACE Project Assistant: space@theislandbristol.com / 07922 359 261

Project history

• August 2011 - Trinity took on a 5-year lease on 6 West Street, Old Market, through the Bristol City Council's Community Asset Transfer (CAT) policy

• 2012 - Trinity launched Arts West Side (AWS), to provide a hub for community and arts activities

• April 2016 - Trinity began a partnership with Artspace Lifespace to launch SPACE - an affordable, accessible community arts exhibition space from AWS main shop-front

• July 2016 - Trinity and Artspace Lifespace launched a public petition to "Save SPACE & Arts West Side", following a City Council decision to lease the premises commercially. The petition gained over 1,000 signatures in the space of two weeks!

• August 2016 - We secured an extended lease from the City Council until the end of March 2018

• April 2018 Trinity says goodbye to AWS and hands over the running of 6 West St to Artspace Lifespace to continue their SPACE projet until 2020.

God Save The Trinity Centre

Click here to get to our Crowdfunder & support Trinity Community Arts

Artists Jimmy Cauty and Andy Council have created original and exclusive pieces of artwork to support The Trinity’s Crowdfunder Campaign, to launch on Wednesday 1^st February. Funds raised will support our Conservation Project to carry out urgent repair works to the Trinity Centre roof, towers and stained glass windows.

Elecro-pioneer and founding member of The KLF, Jimmy Cauty has produced an original poster, God Save The Trinity Centre (pictured, left). Following their visit to Trinity last year as one of the first stops on the ADP Riot Tour, artists from Jimmy's L-13 Light Industrial art collective - Billy Childish, Harry Adams and Jamie Reed - have all collaborated to produce the punk-inspired artwork.

Cauty said God Save the Trinity Centre was, “inspired by the rich musical heritage of the Trinity Centre, particularity the punk bands who played there in the late 70s, and it reminds us of posters we used to make in those days.”

Jimmy's support comes at a time when it has been rumoured that KLF are set to  reunite in 2017 – Sorry to disappoint! But a full denial has been reported in the NME and The Guardian.  However, it is also reported that 'something is coming' in August to mark the end of a self imposed moratorium that silenced them for 23 years.

The Trinity Fox

Local urban artist and illustrator Andy Council, best known for his Bristol Dinosaur and Creature-Creations featuring Bristol’s historic buildings, has also produced an original piece in support of Trinity's emergency repairs appeal.

Titled Trinity Fox the illustration features some of the historical buildings in Old Market. Speaking about the work, Andy said; “The Trinity itself is an iconic building in the city and it's been a while since I've included it in any of my Bristol ‘creature-creation’ pieces. Also included in the ‘urban beast’ are buildings from the nearby Old Market area. I've been wanting to focus on Old Market for some time now, the buildings there are really interesting and have so much history.”

As one of Bristol's leading community arts spaces, Trinity is proud to have the support of the city's arts community. In 2016, graffiti artist Stewy also provided his support, producing a series of limited edition prints and mural in memory of DJ Derek and in support of our youth music programme.

These latest original artworks will be auctioned online to raise vital funds to save the Trinity Centre - so watch this space for further announcements!

Donations to our Conservation Project can be made through Just Giving at or by Text Giving ROOF31 £5 to 70070. Click here to read more about The Trinity Conservation Project and the work Andy and Jimmy are supporting.

Local artist Stewy, visited Trinity to create a full-size stencil of DJ Derek, to help promote Trinity's Youth Music Training Programme.

The family and friends of Derek Serpell-Morris - better known as Bristol reggae-music legend DJ Derek - have been supporting Trinity's Youth Music Training Programme through a memorial fund set up in the late DJ's memory.

'Sweet Memory Sounds' helps to raise vital funds and donations to help keep Trinity's music training activities running, so that we can continue to provide opportunities for young people to engage with music - often at very challenging times in their lives - so that they can get back into learning and employment.

Artist Stewy is a keen supporter of the Trinity Community Arts charity and, when he heard about the work Sweet Memory Sounds have been doing to raise vital funds for Trinity's youth work, was keen to get involved and show his support.

The iconic image of DJ Derek - which has appeared in several locations across the city, marking some of his favourite places - is located in the Trinity Centre's Main Hall; a prominent position for visitors and gig-goers of the Trinity Centre to see and enjoy.

In addition to the mural, Stewy also donated 100 original DJ Derek screen-prints, to help raise funds for Trinity's youth music programme.

Emma Harvey, Centre Manager of Trinity said; "We're so grateful for all the support Sweet Memory Sounds have provided us so that we can continue our work with some of the most vulnerable young people in the city. As regular feature at Trinity gigs back-in-the-day, with Stewy's latest mural in place, this feels like a fitting tribute to Derek. We all want to say a massive thank you to Stewy plus to Jen, Mat and Derek's family for their continued support."

About our Youth Music Programme

Trinity has a strong track record of skills development and training, providing music learning activities for 150 young people in 2015/2016 and supporting some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded young people:

“Trinity is important for me because it keeps me off the streets and gives me the space and time I need to express myself. It has helped me build my confidence and has challenged me to try things I don't usually do. They also helped me get a work experience placement.” Nail, Trinity music student (2015)

We have delivered music training to disengaged young people aged 16-25 since 2005; specialising in engaging young people who face barriers to participation and working with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded. Our work is critical to our locality and fully supports our mission in empowering all areas of society to shape the arts and culture in their own communities.

Click here for more info about our programme.

Images - Stewy (Right); DJ Derek mural in Trinity's main hall (Left)

Images courtesy of ©Laure Noverraz

Portishead legend and Bristol-Sound pioneer Adrian Utley, together with world-renowned musician and guitarist John Parish, describe why they support Trinity's Notes for Notes Appeal in an interview, now available on You Tube

During the interview, John and Adrian explained why they are supporting the Trinity Centre by creating the "Trinity Anthem" for the Appeal, and Adrian goes on to remember his time performing with Portishead at Trinity back in the '90s.

For every £5 received in donation to the Appeal, Trinity will exchange a virtual musical note, and once 4,000 notes have been exchanged (£20,000), Adrian and John will release the Trinity Anthem - a unique piece of music that reflects and celebrates Trinity's rich 40 year musical heritage.

To support the Appeal, donate on our Just Giving page or by text to ROOF31 £5 to 70070

With thanks to Charlie Tothill, Chris Price (film & edition), Memotone (music).

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."

Trinity Community Arts (TCA) has been awarded funding from Heritage Lottery Fund for the Trinity Centre Conservation Project.

Funding for an initial development phase will enable the centre to carry out surveys of the Grade II* listed building, in order to come up with a plan for repair works in 2017. Works will focus on repairs to the north aisle and slate roof, original stained glass window and stonework.

Over the last few years, there has been much investment to improve the Trinity Centre's facilities. With a footfall of over 50,000 each year, the planned repair works will help to ensure the community arts centre can continue long into the future.

Emma Harvey, Centre Manager of Trinity said; “Thanks previous support from English Heritage and the Big Lottery Fund, The Trinity Centre was removed English Heritage At Risk Register in 2014. However, with an old building like this, there is still much work to be done to repair the building. This support from Heritage Lottery Fund will help to ensure the community can continue to enjoy the space for decades to come."

The project will compliment previous capital repair and redevelopment works and will be the final major-works phase relating to the repair and conservation of the historic fabric. The capital works programme will be complimented by a range of heritage learning activities, including training in traditional heritage trades.

Alongside funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, the project development phase has also been supported by the Ashley, Easton, Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Partnership and the Quartet Community Foundation, with other supporters including Bristol's Rotary Club and Burgess Salmon.

Over the next year, the Trinity team will be working to raise the total funds needed to carry out the repair works and there will also be a number of job opportunities relating to the project. If you are interested in showing your support for the project or would like to know more visit: www.3ca.org.uk/activities/renovation for more information.

About Trinity's heritage

The Trinity Centre, Bristol, has been a diverse hub of community arts activities since its de-consecration as a place of worship in 1976. The building has been a prominent music venue for 50 years and has played host to a spectacular role-call of acts, becoming an important landmark in the globally exported 'Bristol Sound'.

Built between 1829-1832, the 'Waterloo Church' is considered to be one of the finest examples of the work of architects Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson. Trinity is an important Grade II* listed building, which retains significant townscape value in the context of Old Market Conservation Area, defined as "an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance."

Trinity's 41 stained-glass windows are one of the most striking but neglected features of the building. Built in an English Gothic Revival style, most of the mullioned windows and clerestory feature non-pictorial stained glass and have a Geometric Patten style using simple shapes. The building features a pictorial stained-glass panel in one of the South-East façade windows, with classical figures set against a background of vibrant colours, flanked by diaper quarries and foliage.

Trinity is situated within one of the most culturally diverse and economically deprived areas of the South West. Race, migration and the changing demographic of the surrounding area have played an important role in the history of the building. Over the years, the building has been managed by different community groups, who have all had a role to play in making the centre what it is today.

The Trinity Centre Conservation Project will help to explore some of this history and provide opportunities for people to share their stories and experiences, as well as learn about traditional heritage trades. Visit our Archive for more information.

Image by Jane Porter, BCC

The Trinity training department was pleased to arrange an incredible opportunity for young people from the local area to observe legendary producer, composer, DJ and multi instrumentalist Nitin Sawhney sound check just hours before his much anticipated packed out show here at Trinity Centre.

Backed by a full 8 piece band, including three vocalists, flutes, tablas, guitar, bass and drums. Nitin kindly allowed the students access to the technical process providing a rare glimpse into the intricacies involved with the professional music industry practice of sound checking for a high profile show.

Nitin Sawhney is one of the most distinctive and versatile musical voices around today. Firmly established as a world-class producer, songwriter, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, orchestral composer and cultural pioneer, Sawhney has become a latter-day Renaissance man in the worlds of music, film, videogames, dance and theatre.Sawhney’s output as a musician is highly prolific.

He has scored for and performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, and collaborated with and written for the likes of Paul McCartney, Sting, The London Symphony Orchestra, A.R. Rahman, Brian Eno, Sinead O’Connor, Anoushka Shankar, Jeff Beck, Shakira, Will Young, Joss Stone, Taio Cruz, Ellie Goulding, Horace Andy, Cirque Du Soleil, Akram Khan, Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Nelson Mandela and John Hurt. Performing extensively around the world, he has achieved an international reputation across every possible creative medium.

Nitin was also kind enough to have a chat with our students afterwards to discuss his experiences and share insights into the music industry. Everyone at Trinity would like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to Nitin, his band, crew and management for making this opportunity possible.

Jack's biography states: "Jack combines electric guitar, drum machines, keyboards, and an R&B-friendly falsetto to fashion smooth, club-ready electro-pop. Hailing from Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England, Garratt started writing songs at the age of 12. When he got his first laptop in his late teens, he began experimenting with more advanced music production, eventually releasing the single "I Couldn't Want You Anyway" in early 2014. It made waves on the Internet, especially in the U.K., and led to festival appearances as well as a sold-out London record-release show later that year for Remnants, his debut EP on Island."

Jack kindly took time out of his busy touring schedule to speak to students, answering questions that covered a wide range of topics. These included the creative process, approaches to song writing, the perils of touring and how to go about establishing a successful career within the modern music industry.

His main piece of advice was simply to enjoy what you do and stay to true to yourself.

Everyone here at Trinity wishes Jack all the best of luck and success with his album release early next year.