Father Paul moved to Bristol in his 20's and is well loved in St Pauls @Khali Ackford

Before Father Paul’s talk I did not know much about him and his life in Bristol, but afterwards it was clear that he is regarded as family by the community in which he serves.

As the push continues to #SaveJWB, we look back to Trinity's 2018 Heart & Soul project and our series of talks where both national and international speakers shared their knowledge and experience on the positives and pitfalls of re-imaging historic buildings. In this blog we reflect on Father Paul's talk the re-purposing of churches as community spaces.

On the evening of Tuesday 29th May 2018, we were very grateful to Father Paul who stepped in to cover the planned speaker who was unfortunately unwell. He appeared an unconventional priest, wearing camouflage combat trousers and a shirt, very much living up to the talk title ‘Rebel Conformist’.

Before Father Paul’s talk I did not know much about him and his life in Bristol, but afterwards it was clear that he is regarded as family by the community in which he serves. He has touched the lives of a lot of people in Bristol, particularly the St Paul’s area where he has lived and worked most of his life.

Father Paul talked about the need for the church to respond to contemporary issues @Khali Ackford

Father Paul wants to be able to conduct these ceremonies and to celebrate love without judgement. He told many anecdotes about individuals from the community where he has worked, mostly to show that, "where there is life, there is hope".

Heart & Soul project coordinator, Dr Edson Burton, gave a warm introduction to Father Paul. Several audience members as well as Dr Burton clearly hold him in great affection, indicative of the widespread impact Father Paul has had over the years. In a childhood anecdote, Father Paul remembers growing up in Pontypridd, Wales, wishing he had a brother to play with as he only had one sister. Not until his twenties when he had moved to Bristol and settled in St Paul’s did he realise he was lucky enough to be surrounded by many many brothers and sisters now.

Father Paul started by talking about gay marriage, and the fact that in Wales and Scotland you can have a gay marriage in church, supported by the Church. However in England although you can have a civil partnership or gay marriage, you still cannot conduct these ceremonies as a vicar in a church. It saddens him that there is nothing in the wedding hymn book dedicated to LGBTQ marriage. Father Paul wants to be able to conduct these ceremonies and to celebrate love without judgement. He told many anecdotes about individuals from the community where he has worked, mostly to show that, "where there is life, there is hope".

On many occasions people have gone to Father Paul for help and he has been a huge support throughout the community. These pillars of the community that have not faded despite the move towards communities being started or maintained by technological means.

A lot of people fear that the sense of community relying on face to face contact is being lost due to societal changes- we all spend more time looking at screens. However, Father Paul is an example that where there are people living together in an area, there will always be community leaders and supporters, no matter the advances in technology. It is our human nature.

Many local residents attended Father Paul's talk @Khali Ackford

He says; "Things fit together in ways I don’t always understand but don’t object to." I enjoyed Father Paul’s talk because it shed light on the positive influence one person can have in a community. Tess Sieling, project intern

After Father Paul’s talk, he invited a friendly discussion within the group. We moved on to explore what is the role of the Church now? Is it to serve the spirit or to serve the law? There seems to be an openness particularly in Bristol and other large UK cities that is calling for the Church to serve the spirit. In contemporary society, issues that need addressing and the nature of human struggles have been changing, so there is a need for the Church to serve them in an equally contemporary way.

Perhaps a testament to Father Paul’s openness is the fact that at one stage, he was visiting a convicted murderer in prison in Cardiff while also planning the victim’s funeral in Bristol. He says; "Things fit together in ways I don’t always understand but don’t object to." I enjoyed Father Paul’s talk because it shed light on the positive influence one person can have in a community.

This write up was by Tess Sieling, who was the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. The talk was part of a series exploring the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and was programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

How to get involved

Click here to sign the Hotwells and Cliftonwood petition to Save Jacobs Wells Baths

Further reading

Read more from our Heart & Soul talk series - Dr Katie McClymont, Fidel Meraz and A Million Bricks of Love.

Read more about the Save Jacobs Wells Campaign here.

x-church in Gainsborough

As the push continues to #SaveJWB, we look back to Trinity's 2018 Heart & Soul project and our series of talks where both national and international speakers shared their knowledge and experience on the positives and pitfalls of re-imaging historic buildings. In this blog we invited Marcus Hammond, curator of x-church - a community space in Gainsborough, like no other - to come and share its story...

Over a million bricks hold together the love and forward-thinking acceptance of x-church. Marcus Hammond

Marcus Hammond bought a church building in 2006 and the night before he received the keys, the window got bricked. Therefore the first few days of his ownership were spent fixing the windows, and during this time he left the doors open. Children and young people walked right in and started playing in the space. This has lasted 12 years so far. ‘Now’, he said, ‘the building is almost incidental’.

It was interesting to learn that in the same way as the children wandering in, a lot of x-church’s journey happened almost accidentally: the building was described by someone as built in a slum-gothic way, and as well as enjoying the playful amalgamation of two words, Hammond and what was becoming a small team of volunteers decided it would be the name of a youth project.

x-church is host to many successful visual art installations

Physically building a place is hard but assembling the people is harder

They created a small dome structure for Slumgothic within the huge church space in which young people’s music and band practice can be contained. Immediately Hammond was building relationships with young people with total acceptance of who they are as individuals. Over time these relationships led to so much mutual respect that Marcus handed out keys to the front door. This helped with practical things such as not having to be there to unlock, but also gives the young people a sense of ownership of the building. With a mixture of surprise and pride, Hammond said, ‘So far, nothing bad has happened.’

The bare-brick architecture has become x-church’s strength and therefore not much has been added to make it more than a vast empty space. Marcus’s view is that physically building a place is hard but assembling the people is harder. For example, Mukhat Dar is open about his poignant story of how not all arts spaces end up in success as he reflects on The Drum Arts Centre (The Life & Death of an Arts Centre).

The x-church team like it when someone comes in and has a grand plan for an exhibition, show or event to hold there, and x-church is welcoming to almost all ideas. In a community like Gainsborough there is not an active interest in art or culture but x- church’s practice of ‘inconveniencing people with art’ proves that if you take it to the people they will engage.

From blocking out all the windows with card in order to turn x-church into a camera obscura to holding 24 hours of drumming for Syria, lots of events and exhibitions have taken place at x-church, some instigated by the young people and some by external artists. ‘Increasingly at x-church', according to Marcus, 'people don’t have a fear of making a fool of themselves.’ I agree wholeheartedly that there is a lot to be said for creating a space in which young people can take risks. In a time when young people are called upon to be available at all times via phones, it is increasingly important to allow freedom in other parts of their lives to benefit their wellbeing and independence.

Through loads of conversations and shared experiences, the lives of individuals and the Slumgothic community has been immeasurably touched. From what I heard at the talk, x-church is an inspiring example of what could be happening to benefit young people all over the world. Over a million bricks hold together the love and forward-thinking acceptance of x-church, but Marcus is not precious about what happens to the physical building, instead it is the people that matter. 'If the building collapsed we could just relocate somewhere else. Even to a field.'

This write up was by Tess Sieling, who was the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. The talk was part of a series exploring the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and was programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

How to get involved

Click here to sign the Hotwells and Cliftonwood petition to Save Jacobs Wells Baths

Further reading

Read more from our Heart & Soul talk series - Father Paul, Fidel Meraz and Dr Katie McClymont

Read more about the Save Jacobs Wells Campaign here.

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.

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

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Venue Accessibility

The venue is accessible on both floors.

People with disabilities can arrange for priority entry by contacting us in advance.

The stage is 1m high.

The hall floor has level access to all areas creating good sight lines throughout the venue and good visibility depending on crowd density.

We have a viewing area (floor level), house-right for wheelchair users and those who require seating.

The smoking area is wheelchair accessible.

Accessible toilets are located on both floors and a radar key system is in place. A radar key can be borrowed from the duty manager for the duration of the event you are attending.

We do not have an accessible bar yet; We can provide bartender service assistance upon request.

Seating

Most live music events are standing room only, unless otherwise stated.

Limited seating may be provided upon request.

We do not have a viewing platform but we can arrange a seat in our viewing area, at floor-level house-right.

Seating arrangements for theatre and dance performances vary.

Guide dogs

As a public space, guide dogs and personal assistance dogs are always permitted at Trinity.

Please be advised, the volume of music at live music events and club nights can reach continuous sound levels max 107db / peak level max 140db. As this could pose harm to your dog's hearing, we recommend seeking advice from your guide-dog school.

We also offer personal assistant tickets for all events.

Personal assistant tickets

We have a 2 for 1 Ticket Policy for personal assistants.

Please contact us to arrange a personal assistant ticket, providing one of the following documents, along with proof of your ticket purchase:

. Access Card or equivalent with a +1 symbol.

. Front page of DLA/PIP (no specific rate required).

. Front page of Attendance Allowance letter (no specific rate required).

. Evidence that registered severely sight impaired (blind).

Performers' accessibility

Trinity has a mobile accessible lift to enable wheelchair users and other users with mobility issues to access our Main Stage.

Users who would like to access the stage via our lift should speak to their Events Organiser as part of the bookings process.

Deaf & visually impaired users

Currently we do not have an Induction Loop.

Visually impaired customers, deaf or hard of hearing customers are welcome to stand at the front of the event and we can make security are aware of individual requirements.

People with photosensitive epilepsy

Some events use strobe and flashing lighting. Get in touch if you have any questions

Parking at Trinity

There are four accessible parking bays located next to the daytime entrance, which are situated on the left-hand side of the building.

Please note our Car Park in managed by Car Flow and an ANPR system and charges apply for all people parking at Trinity, including Blue Badge holders.

There is a 10 minute grace-period for drop-off /pick-up access.

There is free on street parking available for Blue Badge Holders within a 50yd radius of Trinity including areas of Stapleton Road and Old Market.

You can find out more about Bristol City Council’s rules on Blue Badge parking on their website here.

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Trinity is proud to have achieved Bronze status in line with Attitude is Everything's Venue and Festival Charter of Best Practice.

Click here for more information about access.

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.

Trinity aims to provide unique opportunities for young people from challenging circumstances who are interested in developing a music career. Our in-house music training department has begun an exciting new initiative that provides young people with a chance to meet some of the national and international touring artists that perform within the legendary Trinity Centre – one of Bristol's key live music venues.

The first of these sessions took place in October 2015 with prolific Canadian multi-instrumentalist, heavy-rock legend, Devin Townsend. Devin was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad (1994-2007) and has also had an extensive career as a solo artist.

Passing through Bristol on a rare 7 date UK acoustic tour, Devin happily took time out of his busy schedule to take questions from a group of 10 music students. Devin was incredibly welcoming throughout and the young people were visibly in awe as Devin discussed the perils of rock 'n' roll excess and unrealistic over ambition. He stressed that music should remain an enjoyable creative process, as opposed to a career driven choice, which was very inspiring for the young people.

He gracefully allowed the students to observe his sound check, giving the group a unique insight into the professional processes involved in ensuring sound levels for each instrument are balanced and correct, in order to best match the acoustics of the space and artist. Finally, he took time at the end to sign CDs and have photos with the students, before carrying on preparing for the show at Trinity, which was a huge success and well received by the audience on the night.

A big thank you to Devin for making our first Industry Insights session possible!

Spilt Ink developed Home at Trinity in collaboration with local school children

Spilt Ink Theatre, a trio of performers who specialise in movement, clowning and puppetry, created a new piece of work for children through a paid Trinity commission. The company worked in collaboration with a local school to develop a movement piece called 'Home’ - a piece that would celebrate the many cultural heritages of children in Bristol.

"My 4-year-old was totally engaged, repeating the keywords from the main character. She even wrote her own letter!"

Split Ink embedded themselves in the school. Many children felt anxious at first, having recently experienced disruption due to Lockdown restrictions however, through small group workshops, games and storytelling activities the children increased their confidence. As part of the journey children shared their own stories, many of whom had experienced the themes explored in Home, such as experiencing migration.

The final part of the development of the work saw the company inviting the children, their teachers and their families to Trinity to see a preview of the performance Summer 2021. As part of the post-show discussion the children shared their own insight into the themes of flight, home and belonging.

Having developed the seed of Home, Spilt Ink are now in the process of realising this into a full length children’s performance to be completed in collaboration with local school children and presented at Trinity in 2022.

Movema's Easter Dance Club. Photo credit Alastair Brooks

We were able to provide 150 local residents and users of the Trinity Centre supermarket vouchers as part of the Winter Crisis Fund. The support has come at a crucial time when families are grappling with unprecedented costs due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

To allow for a fair and accessible process, we developed a user-friendly online form where individuals could indicate how they met our four predefined criteria for receiving vouchers. We then worked with key stakeholders to share the scheme, including printing flyers to distribute among resident groups and parents/carers whose children participate in activities at Trinity.

"I am in receipt of a low income. The shopping voucher really helps with everyday shopping, e.g., food, cleaning products. Furthermore, by being awarded the voucher, I feel listened to and valued. Thank you."

This initiative enabled us to offer some relief to the challenges posed by rising living costs, and the distribution of vouchers primarily benefited local residents with caring responsibilities. 78% of the vouchers were allocated to families whose children attend local schools or children's centres or take part in Trinity's Children and Young People program.

About the Winter Crisis Fund:

The Winter Crisis Fund is an initiative of The Society of the Merchant Ventures.

“Being able to use Trinity free of charge has enabled us to keep running the art and craft drop-ins even with a very limited budget, reaching a greater number of disabled people.” WECIL

We believe activities are most successful when they're led by those by who use the services.

Our Community Kickstart scheme supports inspired individuals in our communities who have an idea and the passion to start an activity that is lacking in the community or neighbourhood. The scheme gives local residents free space, support and seed-funding to get new neighbourhood activities off the ground.

Kickstart is open to groups that are not in receipt of funding and do not have access to regular space to deliver their activity. Activities can include a dance, arts or fitness class, a community meeting or network event, a regular tea morning or an advice group or workshop.

Through Kickstart, we've launched new regular groups and classses such as Gentle Dance, which was set up in 2010 with support from LinkAge Bristol. With Trinity’s support, the group has become self-managing and sustainable, with 30+ regular participants each week, helping to improve health and well-being for over 55s through regular dance activity.

To qualify for our Kickstart scheme you have to be:

We are what you make us, so #makethespace and #getinvolved

Trinity Garden Party. Photo Alastair Brookes

Over the last year, we have developed our Community and Neighbourhoods programme in response to the needs and interests of residents, community groups, and grassroots organisations.

“I’m really looking forward to connecting with the residents of Newtown. The weekly sessions will be a place where people can share their skills and interests and socialise together” Shanti, Community Connector

We have created three 'Community Connector' roles to connect with communities within the Newtown area, families who live on or near Stapleton Road, and people who access services at the Wild Goose Cafe.

Shanti Pant is the Community Connector for Newtown, a neighbourhood directly opposite the Trinity Centre. As with all the Connectors, Shanti has an active presence in Newtown both as a local resident and in organising community events alongside her daughter, Hemlata.

Originally from Nepal, Shanti has lived in Newtown since 2019. Having grown up in the countryside, she is keen to bring activities to Newtown that connect people to nature and organise weekend events for children and families. A keen craftsperson she wants to use these skills to offer activities for people who may be experiencing loneliness and isolation, providing opportunities to connect through creativity and craft.

In the first few months as a Connector, Shanti has been working with Trinity’s Communities and Neighbourhoods team to plan workshops inviting local residents to join artist Benoit Bennett in designing a mural to celebrate Newtown and the communities who live there. She also attended workshops led by the University of Bristol at their Wellspring Micro-campus in Barton Hill. These workshops explored ways in which older adults can use film as a creative medium – something that Shanti is keen to explore with local Newtown residents.

Alongside this, Shanti has been connecting with residents and community organisations, including Lawrence Hill Health Centre, to create two new free-to-access activities for Newtown residents that will start in June 2024.

Nature in Newtown is a series of weekly nature walks where local residents are invited to explore the area and take part in gentle movement activities. Initially led by facilitator Subitha Baghirathan, the sessions will then move on to exploring how to use simple creative film techniques as a way to capture and express participants’ experiences of engaging with this activity.

Shanti will also be hosting drop-in Coffee Morning sessions in Rosevear House every Friday morning from 10am to midday, starting on 4th June until 5th July. These meetups will include creative activities and the opportunity for residents to connect with each other.

If you are a Newtown resident and you have an idea for creative activities in your community you can speak to Shanti by:

• Attending a coffee morning or joining a nature walk
• Calling Trinity on 0117 935 1200
• Sign up to our mailing list

Community Connectors and our Community and Neighbourhoods programme has been developed in response to our pledges, click here to find out more.

Abi & Jack's Wedding at Trinity Centre

"Everybody wanted to get married there at that Trinity Church. My Auntie Marge and Auntie Iris got married there, I was bridesmaid there. What I do remember is where the vicar used to stand, it was a lovely eagle that he had the Bible on that he used to read the service from." Gloria, recorded on 22nd August 2018

Designed by our awesome intern Tess Sieling (who alongside her archive work has spent the year blogging about the Heart & Soul project) the booklet presents a sample of weddings, wakes and parties spanning the life of Trinity. View the booklet in its full glory here, or you can pick up one of the limited printed copies from Trinity. Previous heritage projects include What's Your Trinity Story and Vice & Virtue.