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Live acts on the night:

Gypsy Unit (Dj set)
Miss Mally & Miss Twist
Beau Ties
4 Nine
PT
James
Billy
Spirate
Shae & Liana (Hype Dance Group)
Funkadelics

as well as an Open Mic opportunity for anyone to get on stage and join in!

His two albums should not be enough to support 90 minutes of such intensity. But there was no padding at all. Every song had its opportunity to shine. There were no duds. The band were fearsomely perfect. From the addition of a single harmony vocal on O'Brien's solo opening to a huge band roar for the finale and encore section they shaped a huge space and left the voice, delicate, enticing and fragile as clear as a bell.

Outstanding songs included "In Newfoundland Land You Are Free", "My Lighthouse" and "The Meaning Of the Ritual", but the huge achievement of tonight's show was the fierce unity of artists, audience and art. Trinity at its very best.

Support trio Stealing Sheep's distinctive harmonies and instrumentation were well received by the big crowd.

By Sam Saunders

We were incredibly pleased with the turn-out - receiving a great deal more entries than we expected.

The closing event of the Bridges short story competition saw all of the authors who entered exchange opinions, tips and tricks, as each discussed their own unique take on the theme.

The judges (Bridges Project Coordinator Dr Edson Burton and award-winning authors Taniah Hershman & Mike Manson) had a difficult time picking through the vastly different styles of writing and individual takes on the theme. Finally able to reduce it to the top 3 stories the judges were still not satisfied, choosing to also commend three more stories that they felt deserved an honourable mention.

The competition results were as follows:

1. First place: Like a Bridge over troubled Waters - A Tale of Two Clichés (Mal Sainsbury)

2. Second place: Interconnectivity (David Chedgy)

3. Third place: Guerilla Knitting (Jude Higgins)

Commended:

• The Quiet DJ (Lynn Hunt)
• I Remember You Well... (Manu Emmanuel)
• An Almost Invisible Crack (Adriana Dorsett)

Runners Up:

• Some Scenes from a Bridge into Adulthood (Maureen Andrews)
• A Bridge Too Far (Anna Rosenburg)
• Bristol and Beyond (Jane Mccallum)
• Bridges (Wendy Murphy)
• Chalking Circles Bowlingreen (Malcolm Hamilton)
• Crossing that Bridge (Bahar Syed)
• First Steps (Edith Anderson)
• Marley (Taban Yassan)
• Me and My Best Friend (Alicia Quinn)
• Reaching for the stars (Alex Rankin)
• Suspended Animation (Jane Duffus)
• The Bridge to Humanity (Andrea)
• The Current (James Dyer)
• Crossings (Madalin Durell)
• Nubian Soul Bridge (Tim Goodman)

English Heritage funding was used in 2009 to carry out a conditions survey of the former Holy Trinity Church. The survey identified perforations to the south aisle lead roof – a sign of underside lead-corrosion caused by moisture getting trapped between the roof lead work and underside insulation.

Following on from this, English Heritage supported the delivery of a feasibility study to look at options for development of the Centre to help increase usable space within the building. This led to further development works funded by Big Lottery Reaching Communities Buildings Fund and, as a result, a scheme of works has been developed – the first phase of which will be carried out this year thanks to Lottery funding.

Emma Harvey, Centre Manager said; “The building is 180 years old and is in seemingly good shape, however the failing leadworks is an issue that, if not addressed, could place the fabric of the building and its continued use in jeopardy. Lots of people care passionately about the Trinity Centre, and as a team we're working hard to make sure that past and present ambitions for the space are realised and she is here for another 180 years.”

Bristol City Council have recently granted TCA a 35-year lease through their Community Asset Transfer Policy, which has enable the charity to attract larger funding for capital works. A revenue grant of £15,000 Garfield Weston will help support the organisation this year as they deliver these challenging capital projects. TCA was also recently awarded the VISIBLE accreditation certificate by Community Matters in recognition of their service to the community.

Cath Hare, Programme Manager at Biffa Award, said: “Biffa Award is pleased to support this project to carry out essential repairs at the Trinity Centre. The work will allow more people to come together and use the building for a variety of activities, fulfilling its potential as a real community hub for future generations.”

The roof repair works scheme, totalling over £140,000 are scheduled to commence in March, while development works will begin in June and be phased in order to ensure that the Centre remains open throughout. The scheme of development works include improvements to the external grounds, creation of a new daytime reception and installation of heating, a sprung wooden floor, lighting and drapes in the upstairs hall space to make it suitable for activities such as dance, fitness and performance, as well as weddings and parties. The work will help to create a second smaller hall space, suitable for IT classes, community meetings and smaller functions.

Speaking about the recently awarded Big Lottery grant, Councillor Simon Cook, Cabinet Member for Culture and Sport, said: "Trinity is a stunning local landmark, and a beautiful space, but with a legacy of high maintenance and difficult problems typical of very old and beautiful churches. Everyone involved has shown remarkable creativity in conceiving new uses and activities."

This period of change cannot happen without support. If you would like to organise your own fundraising activities for the Centre, visit: JustGiving.com/TrinityCommunityArts. You can also make a small, one-off donation via JustGiving Trinity Text Appeal 2013 text TRIN13 £5 to 70070 to donate to Trinity and make a difference today.

accompanying image by Said Toliss

After putting on some bright white roller skates and making a rather shaky entrance to the dance floor I clutched my friend and suddenly felt very thankful to have someone to hold on to. Instead of making a bee-line for the bar, (my usual course of action upon arriving at a club) I made a bee line for the make-shift neon hand-rails. The ground was quite literally moving beneath me and I could do one of two things. 1) Panic. 2) Accept that I was probably going to make an idiot of myself - but that sometimes that is hella fun. I chose option two.

I threw myself into the mass of skaters giggling and whizzing around the floor. On more than one occasion people fell down taking their friends with them into a hysterical heap on the floor, but everyone got up again and helped each other round. Some people really went wild throwing some shapes on the floor. I was never going to be this good. As I hurtled screaming into a man wearing leopard print I expected him to be catty, but he was really friendly and just helped me to find my wheels. Once I got the hang of it it was pretty exhilarating and even when I was scared everyone was so helpful and friendly.

If you’re bored of spending your Saturday nights in a commercial club or the cinema, or if you’re a bit of an adrenaline junky, or even just an 80s enthusiast then BUMP is definitely something to try, even just for a good old-fashioned laugh!

The BUMP crew are next at Trinity on Saturday 9^th February, more info here: http://bumpclub.co.uk/events.asp

By Tara Evans

Next Gen students perform as part of OTR celebration. Photo Alastair Brookes

We’re so much more than a music venue.

We are Trinity Community Arts, a charity based in The Trinity Centre, a Grade II* listed building in East Bristol. Last year, we welcomed over 65,000 people across over 1,000 events and activities - from dance classes for older people, to garden activities for children, to supporting the next generation of artists on their creative journey.

As a registered charity we rely on generous support from our loyal community to keep our spaces open and accessible for everyone to enjoy.

You can support Trinity with a one-off gift or a monthly donation:

• £10 could help provide free hall space for our regular community activities, such as Gerry Attic’s dance group for the over 55s.
• £25 could help pay for a monthly 121 music sessions for a young person experiencing challenging circumstances – helping them return to education.
• £50 could help provide an emerging artist with the rehearsal space and professional support to develop their practice

To find out other ways you can support our work or if you would like to sponsor a specific project, please get in touch with our Fundraising Manager, cordelia@trinitybristol.org.uk

Team Trinity (who managed to make it in against the odds) making a Trinitarian Snowman

The grant is from the Big Lottery Reaching Communities Buildings Fund - aiming to help people and communities most in need, through giving funding to improve community buildings where a wide range of community activities take place.

The Trinity Centre is used for a wide variety of activities and events and many people within the City will have their own memories of the Centre. The grant will be used to help improve the external grounds, create a new daytime reception and install heating, a sprung wooden floor, lighting and drapes in the upstairs hall space to make it suitable for activities such as dance, fitness and performance. The grant will also be used to install a full-height partition upstairs, so that a second smaller hall space will be created, suitable for IT classes, community meetings and smaller functions.

Emma Harvey, Centre Manager for the Centre said; "Trinity is already well used and loved by the community and it has been frustrating that we have not been able to do more because of the current limitations of the space. The upstairs hall is beautiful with loads of potential and we hope that more people within the community will benefit from attending activities run from within the Centre once it has been redeveloped."

The Trinity Centre has been a community centre since 1976. The Council has recently granted a new lease of the Trinity Centre (formerly the Holy Trinity Church) to TCA for a period of 35 years on full repairing and insuring terms at a peppercorn rent, using the council’s Community Asset Transfer Policy. The Church was purchased by the Council back in the 1980s following its deconsecration and has been converted to a community facility.

Works are planned to take place from June 2013 and works will be phased across the year in order to ensure the Centre remains open. We plan to complete the works and celebrate with a launch event in January 2014. Details of the planned works can be downloaded from our website or for more information contact 0117 935 1200 or email info@3ca.org.uk.

About Trinity

Trinity Community Arts (TCA), a charity running the Trinity Centre – a unique grade II* listed converted church, community arts centre and independent live music venue based in Bristol. We help bring communities together and support regeneration within Easton, Ashley and Lawrence Hill and Old Market - rated as among the top 10% of most deprived wards, nationally. We deliver arts, education and heritage activities to encourage participation and promote cohesion within the area.

TCA has a tradition of making significant achievements in the community. With no reserves and little core funding, we generate revenue through a diverse range of income streams, including a programme of live music events - all of which we reinvest back into the Centre and community activities. We are now at a crucial stage in our development, and this year of improving the building will be a challenge for the organisation.

This period of change and growth cannot happen without your support. We've set up a JustGiving page so that people in the community who care about Trinity can organise their own fundraising activities for the Centre. If you would just like to show your support, you can donate via the Trinity Text Appeal 2013 - text TRIN13 £5 to 70070 to donate to Trinity and make a difference with JustTextGiving by Vodafone.

Full of festive cheer and the anticipation for what 2013 was to bring the audience positively screamed the place down as The Skints took to the stage suited and booted. Kicking the set off with ‘Mindless’, the first track from the album ‘Live. Breathe. Build. Believe.’ The reggae / dub band’s lyrics about social injustice and rising up together to spread more love in the world got everyone in a rebellious ska punk mood and ready to skank together as Marcia rapped one minute and sang the next. Clearly a very talented band, mastering the off-beat genre of Dub fantastically despite hailing from East London – not quite Jamaica it felt fantastic seeing in the New Year with them on stage. When 12 o ‘ clock hit the love in the room was perceptible as everyone kissed and screamed and hugged each other. Keen to get back to playing, The Skints kicked off 2013 with Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’ showing that not only do they have amazing original material, but they also do justice to some of the greatest artists of our time. Also covering Katy B and Magnetic Man the band showed their versatility, but most importantly the crowd had a wicked NYE dancing in 2013 together.

Review by Tara Evans

In making the award, the assessor commented; "The organisation was very open, receptive and genuinely interested in improving their practice and documentation."

The assessment process was long and detailed and required a high level of work in preparation for the final assessment. The process helped Trinity to identify the need to register as a charity, which was implemented in November 2011. The process provided a clear framework within which to review our activities and policies, including child protection, fire risks, and health and safety.

Emma Harvey, Centre Manager said; "Working through the VISIBLE accreditation has helped the board and management to take a detailed and strategic look into the responsibilities involved in running a community centre and identify areas we can improve, to better our building, organisation and service offer for the local community."

The VISIBLE report included areas for development which we will be implementing, including updating policy documents which will be made available online in the new year.

2012 finished with the news that we had been awarded £500k from BIG Lottery – this will enable us to open up the first floor and to generally improve access to the building. Congratulations to all involved with our successful bid.

During the year there have been successes on all fronts.

2012 was our first as a charity, enabling us to apply for funding from a variety of trusts who we would not have been able to approach previously.

Following extensive negotiations, Bristol City Council has granted us a 35 year lease on the main Trinity building, a tremendous vote of confidence in our ongoing ability to maintain and look after this wonderful building.

We have also received significant financial and technical support from English Heritage in the planning of essential roof repairs – due to commence in Spring 2013. Whilst these will be largely unseen they will nevertheless contribute to the general air of progress and stability at Trinity.

Trinity’s outpost in West Street – Arts West Side - opened in the Spring and has gradually built up both custom and a challenging and enjoyable programme of events and activities.

Community Matters have assessed our policies and procedures – by means of the VISIBLE accreditation approach – and have been very pleased with our approach, although there is always room for improvement!

It’s a privilege and great fun to be the Chair at Trinity. Trinity’s continued success is a tribute to Emma and all the staff, volunteers and fellow Trustees who have jointly contributed so much during the year. We are very grateful too for the ongoing support from Bristol City Council, English Heritage, Arts Council, and BIG Lottery.

With so much change anticipated in 2013, we look forward to reporting on even more progress and success in the coming year. See our Annual Report for more information.

Situated within walking distance of the city centre I was excited to see what was on offer. There was a myriad of stalls each offering something homemade and arty. Glamorous handmade silver jewellery, homely and rustic pottery, and quirky clocks made out of records which would really appeal to music lovers. With fantastic prices there was something to suit everyone, even that difficult to buy for aunt! The atmosphere was very seasonal with a chance to get out of the cold and warm up with some mulled wine or creamy hot chocolate.

A Christmas tree took pride of place on the stage - there was even another tree a seller had made out of silver cutlery which added to the creativity of the day! The cosy vibe filled the air as the hall bustled with a sense of community spirit. Everyone had a great time and soaked up the atmosphere together whilst warming their fingers on a hot drink, the perfect way to keep the cold winter winds at bay!

Tara Evans