Through Citizens for Culture, we are creating the opportunity for people across the West of England to express their views to help shape an inclusive cultural plan for the region.

As we shape up plans for a 2025 Assembly, we are connecting with some of the people who have been part of the journey so far to ask them how they are exploring inclusive decision-making processes.

Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC), a Bristol-based arts and technology organisation, is a prime example of reimagining leadership and governance. Their commitment to creating fair and thriving neighbourhoods has led them to adopt more equitable and democratic practices.

In this piece, Martha King, co-director KWMC, shares their reflections on how the Bristol based arts organisation are embracing different ways of ‘organising’.

Martha King, Creative Co-Director, Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC)

KWMC is an arts and tech organisation in Bristol. Our mission is to ‘make fair and thriving neighbourhoods together, with arts, tech and care’. We believe in empowering communities and fostering non-hierarchical spaces for change making.

KWMC started in 1996. Back then it was all about democratising access to camera technology and supporting young people to tell their own stories. Now, we work with people of all ages, both locally and beyond, to imagine and co-create equitable futures through arts, technology, and collaborative making.

Being place-based, we want our organisational structure to reflect our commitment to inclusivity and non-hierarchical collaboration. This Easter, with the retirement of our founder-director, Carolyn Hassan, we saw an opportunity to re-evaluate leadership and explore new models of organising. We worked with Practical Governance Collective who helped us transition from a single CEO model to two co-directors as a step towards more distributed leadership.

Our journey towards more distributed leadership ….

During the pandemic, we connected with cooperative Outlandish, who supported our staff to use methods from Sociocracy, a values-based governance system, to embed consent-based decision-making within KWMC.

Sociocracy’s ‘circles’ method provides an easy-to-follow process where people bring forward proposals. All voices can be heard and decisions are made based on a process of iteration and consent, applying the notion of ‘good enough for now, safe enough to try’.

We support staff to use these tools through coaching and training so they can regularly develop these skills. We see coaching as a way of enabling staff, community, partners and artists to find their own solutions and assume leadership in relation to goals.

Our team of 30 is currently using Theory U, a systemic change method, to develop a refreshed collective vision. Through active listening and co-creation, we're forging a future built on shared understanding. This work is drawing on methods and approaches from the Clore Leadership Systemic change programme that I attended earlier this year.

Looking Ahead: Experimentation and Collaboration

There are many examples of good practices of organisations who are using alternative modes of organising. However, as the recent Arts Professional article highlighted, it is still not common for arts organisations to adopt non-hierarchical structures and use models such as Sociocracy. We are ready to go on this journey.

We are mindful, however, to make sure we don’t get too caught up on internal organising at the expense of delivering our activities. We are aware we need to keep thinking about how we can increase representation of our local community and other stakeholders at different levels of decision-making, inspired by models of Citizens’ Assemblies and the adoption of citizen juries by places like Birmingham Museums Trust.

At KWMC we are excited to go further towards more radical ways of organising that match our co-creating practices and are ready to experiment, learn and share with others.

Connecting and Sharing

KWMC are keen to connect with others doing similar things and are currently in conversation with FaCE about co-producing some talks that share inspirational practice in this field. Watch this space for more developments and feel free to reach out for a conversation: martha.king@kwmc.org.uk

Further Resources:

• Find out more about ‘Teal’ or self-managed organisations from ‘Reinventing Organisations’ by Frédéric Laloux.
• There are useful tips on the ‘Sociocracy for all’ website on setting up ‘circles’ and using consent based decision making.
• Dark Matter Labs blogs about organising beyond the rules.

Interested in finding out more?

Email Imogen@trinitybristol.org.uk to join our Citizens For Culture mailing list

About Citizens for Culture

Citizens for Culture is an initiative from St Paul Carnival CIC, Trinity Community Arts, Citizens in Power and West of England Combined Authority and is supported through funding by Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch).

Image by Alistair Brookes

Historic England has awarded a grant of £89,743 to the Grade II listed Jacobs Wells Baths in Bristol, providing a further boost to secure the future of this important Victorian building.

The funding will support urgent repairs to the south studio wing, releasing the space for temporary community use while the wider restoration plans progress.

The work will include the restoration of the roof lantern, repairs to the chimney, roof supports, and gutters, and essential masonry work.

The south wing once housed the women’s warm baths. It is matched by another single-story wing on the north side which housed the men’s warm baths.

Comments

Ross Simmonds, South West Regional Director at Historic England, said: "Jacobs Wells Baths is a remarkable example of Victorian civic architecture that tells an important story about public health and community life in Bristol. This grant represents another vital step in breathing new life into this much-loved building, ensuring it can once again serve as a vibrant community asset."

Emma Harvey, CEO of Trinity Community Arts, said: "This funding is more welcome news for Jacobs Wells Baths. These essential repairs will not only protect the building's historic fabric but will help us create a temporary community hub in the south wing. This space will become crucial for engaging local residents and stakeholders as we develop our wider vision for the building's future."

Carla Denyer, MP for Bristol Central, said: “Jacobs Wells Baths is an incredible historic building and I’ve been delighted to watch the progress as it has been restored for the community to use.

“This grant will play a vital role in ensuring that the Baths can become a thriving community hub, and I can’t wait to see the outcome of the restoration.”

This is the second Historic England repair grant to support the Saving Jacobs Wells project, which aims to transform the baths into a multi-purpose community, civic arts, and heritage hub. A grant of £57,800 in 2024 funded emergency works to prevent water getting into the building.

History

Built in 1889 to the designs of City Surveyor Josiah Thomas, the Northern Renaissance Revival style building features distinctive local red brick with buff terracotta dressings. The baths originally served Bristol residents with both swimming facilities and warm baths, fed by the natural springs of Jacob's Well on Brandon Hill. The building was listed at Grade II in 1977.

Paul Stephenson - Image Credit: Khali Ackford

Sir Paul Stephenson has left a profound legacy that reverberates across recent decades.

Few individuals have been so widely regarded across their lifetime as Civil Rights activist Sir Paul Stephenson.  Paul is best known for his leadership of the Bristol Bus Boycott. As some of you may know a colour bar was in operation across Britain, including Bristol. The colour bar restricted Black and Asian migrants' access to housing, employment and services. Unlike apartheid South Africa, Britain’s discrimination was not codified in law. Instead, in the absence of legislation preventing discrimination, landlords, employers, service providers of all kinds were at liberty to deny services to whomever they chose.  'No Blacks, No Dogs no Irish' typified who was vilified.  Regardless of skill levels migrants were relegated to the least desirable jobs, that is if they could find employment at all.  The colour bar in housing meant that migrants were concentrated in the less desirable parts of Britain’s towns and cities.

Sir Paul, a former service man, had moved to Bristol to take up a post as youth worker when he joined a group of West Indian activists who wanted to bring attention to the colour bar in Bristol. They chose The Bristol Omnibus Bus Company as their cause Celebre.

The Bus Company’s refusal to employ Black drivers was widely known in the city. It was all the more glaring given the numbers of Black staff employed elsewhere in the country across the transport sector. Inspired by the US civil rights movement Paul and fellow activists Roy Hackett, Owen Henry, Audrey Evans, Guy Bailey, led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus company from April-August 1963. The boycott was supported by students, liberal Christians, and of course members of the Bristol’s Black community. Crucially, the boycott attracted the attention of the national press at a time when Britain was entering a new relationship with the Commonwealth. Moving away from its dominant role, Britain wanted to signal it could be the head of a multilateral Commonwealth of Nations. News of racism in Britain was then a stain on Britain’s reputation among the newly independent nations.

A charismatic, handsome, orator and to all intents and purposes an Englishman, Paul was the perfect spokesmen for the movement. Under pressure from the Wilson Government, the national Trade Unions the Bristol Bus Company capitulated two months after the start of the boycott.

Various commentators argue that the boycott was an important catalyst for Britain’s first anti-discrimination act. Introduced into law in December 1965 the Act made it illegal to incite racial hatred and to refuse access to public spaces.  The Act was strengthened in years to come but was at least the first step in a long legal journey towards equality.

The Bus Boycott was only the start, albeit a dramatic start to Paul’s activist career. He was once again in the public eye the following year when he was arrested and charged for causing a public nuisance. Paul had refused to leave the pub after the manager refused to serve him on account of his colour. The case went to court, an eyewitness corroborated Paul’s version of events he was acquitted, and the manager was later dismissed but as with the bus boycott, Paul’s actions exposed a persistence of racism to the wider public.

Paul used his friendship with celebrities, such as Mohammed Ali, to raise money for various youth charities He joined the Sports Council England but resigned in protest over the Thatcher Government’s refusal to criticize a British cricket tour of South Africa at a time when many in the sporting and entertainment world actively boycotted the apartheid regime.

Despite his national profile Paul continued his grassroots activism. Amongst many other roles he was chair of the West Indian Parents and Friends Association. He and his fellow activists were particularly concerned by the challenges facing the second generation of Black Britons. All too often, they experienced new forms of discrimination whilst also feeling marginalized from Bristol’s cultural mainstream. It was for this reason that members of the Association took on the management of the Trinity Centre.

Trinity had been purchased from the Church by a previous community organization in 1977.  During this period Trinity offered a range of vocational courses, artistic development and an entertainment space. Despite its popularity, Trinity faced financial hardship and went into receivership in 1984. Owned by the Council, the building underwent a substantial overhaul and was put out to tender in 1991.

The tender was competitive but Paul’s influence as well as that of West Indian Parents and Friends was key to securing the building’s future as a community venue.

Trinity owes a debt of gratitude to Paul Stephenson for its continued existence. But wider than Trinity, Bristol and the country at large is indebted to his example of unflinching public service.

Tribute written by Dr Edson Burton

Shops for some naughty stocking fillers while you’re mingling too. Don’t forget to bring items for the monthly kinky clothes swap.

Entrance for the event will be via Reception (around the side of the building). Toilet access will be downstairs there is a lift available for accessibility.

Stalls by :

• Tamatha- Ann Lovett
• Chipper Leather Co
• Collared by Miles
• Malice
• Lisa Rose

Club Love socials are open to members and non members. Non members will also have the opportunity to be vetted for Club Love Membership in person at the event.

For more info on the event visit the ticket link here. For low income tickets and free PA tickets please email here. 

*NOT A PLAY EVENT

Entry requirements: 18+

Line up:

- Skee Mask + Neffa T

- Beatrice M. & Om Unit

- Rishi

Powered by Firmly Rooted

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available.

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity is introducing a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

Line up:

- Fungus Funk (Sangoma Records)

- Alta (Bom Shanka / Zero 1)

- Dj Minali (PTRNS) Lurk (Zero 1 music / Shroom)

- Sean Shift (Planet Shroom)

Plus silent disco in chill out room

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available.

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity has introduced a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

Image credit: Trinity Garden Party, Alastair Brookes

Trinity have joined forces with Eastside Community Trust, Windmill Hill City Farm and 13 other organisations to call for urgent action to protect and enhance Bristol’s shared spaces.

As part of this we are inviting organisations who manage community buildings across Bristol to take part in a survey that will form the foundation of a report on the importance of our city’s community spaces.

This report will build on insights from the 2021 Trinity Community Arts Lettings: A Community Canvas, highlighting the vital role these spaces play in supporting public health, social cohesion, and community wellbeing.

The survey is part of Roots of Resilience: Saving Community Spaces initiative, a city-wide call to action to protect and enhance Bristol’s shared spaces.

These spaces are currently under threat due to various challenges, including council budget cuts and legislation enabling the sale of council properties. Roots of Resilience advocates for urgent measures to safeguard these vital community assets.

Why we’re creating an updated report

The original 2021 report was produced in response to community spaces across the country facing closure due to ongoing council funding crises. Its findings led to Bristol City Council’s one-off £4m Community Resilience Fund, supporting building capital improvements.

Since then, budgetary pressures have worsened, with Bristol City Council estimating a £22m deficit for their 2024/25 budget. This indicates further cuts, increasing the pressure to sell publicly owned assets.

The updated report will aim to provide evidence that supports policy changes and secures long-term investments for the city’s community assets, ensuring their sustainability and accessibility for future generations.

Click here to complete the survey

The deadline for responses is Monday 13 Jan 2025

Share your story:

We’re also looking to meet with people to gather case studies. If you’re interested in featuring in the report, please get in touch at Imogen@trinitybristol.org.uk - we’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support. If you have any questions or require support with the survey, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Imogen@trinitybristol.org.uk.

RDG and Silverback are coming together once again to put on a night they hope you will struggle to forget.

Flying over hardtrance legend, they bring you DJ Arne L II from Germany! Playing alongside this mega line up, they have some of the best selectors and producers in the scene such as Duton b2b Jack Lane, Tommy b, T-menace and Anna Prank.

22:00: Doors

02:00: Last entry

04:00: Curfew

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available

Venue levy: Trinity has a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

Their music doesn’t just follow the American storytelling tradition—it redefines it. Whether evoking the deep melancholy of Delta blues or the frenetic energy of punk, their sound is raw, powerful, and unmistakably their own. For over two decades, this genre-defying trio has carved out a place in the American roots scene, delivering high-energy performances that leave audiences captivated and wanting more. They've released seven studio albums and three live recordings, with their latest, Spirits, marking a return to their stripped-down roots.

+ support: Beans on toast // Sam & Richie (CC Smugglers)

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available. To reserve a limited seating spot and/or arrange a companion ticket, please contact info@trinitybristol.org.uk

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity has introduced a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

The band is composed of Joshua "Joe" Keogh, Tom Sperring, and Henry Wyeth. The band have released three full-length albums, three mini-albums, and five EPs. They have managed not just to continue but to thrive on their own terms through making music together.

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available.

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity has introduced a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

They describe their music as "a liquid meeting of musical minds and talents. A powerful elixir of cinematic British folk-rock, post-punk, organic songwriting and freefall jamming.

19:00: Doors

20:30: Last entry

23:00: Curfew

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available

Venue levy: Trinity has introduced a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

The festive power comes courtesy of RC1.

Line up:

- Deep medi B2B White Peach

- Glume B2B Phossa

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available

Last entry 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity has introduced a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

• Clothes - new, pre-loved, reworked, vintage
• Books - radical, gothic, vintage, alternative health, anime, manga, graphic novels
• Jewellery - handmade, quirky, gothic
• Household items - gemstones, incense, quirky toiletries
• Music and work from local artists

Alternative Market strives to create a welcoming environment, inclusive of all people. All donations made at the event will go towards charity. If you would like to nominate a charity to receive the donations, please contact aiden@altmarket.uk with your suggestion.

This New Years we have teamed up with trailblazers of post-lockdown Queer nightlife, Crotch, to bring you Bristol’s Loudest Queer NYE Party.

In an epic two room take over we invite you to immerse yourself in a vibrant realm of creative expression, exuberance and explosions of Queer counter-culture fury.

So... where else are you going to be?

Main Hall

A glistening range of Bristol’s iconic Queer DJs alongside Crotch’s remarkable residents will be playing  the best of House, Garage, Baile-Funk, Dubstep, Techno amidst your favourite array of Queer club classics.

• Adeevah

• Slaggamuffin

• Phia500 [Harmonia]

• TommySinewave [Crotch]

• Bendy Wendy [Crotch]

• K-RUSH [Crotch]

• Catwalk: The Cute Cartel & Bristol Ballroom

• Lightshow from AV legend Roo Macphee

Fyfe Hall

The iconic Hall will be transformed by Bristol party collective Earthwork bringing their unique vision to adorn the space with decor and lighting. Music provided by leading DJ’s in the alternative Queer scene. Genres Including: Electro, Breaks, UKB, Trance, Experimental, Techno, Funkot (Indonesian Electronic) and much more…

• Kankofski

• Space Mistress B2B Spot My G [Queerky]

• Petracore [Transgression FM]

• Tirta [Earthworks]

• Occyx [Earthworks]

Plus, it wouldn’t be Crotch without the classic dance-floor antics of The Cute Cartel and their powerful, pink, bally-clad rave misbehavior.

Chill out area

• Sofas

• Can Bar

• Welfare team

About Trinity Presents

This is part of Trinity Presents - our in-house programme of music and performance, bringing world-class artists and emerging talent to inner-city audiences.

Venue levy: Trinity has introduced a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

About Crotch

One of the first post-lockdown Queer Club nights to flourish in Bristol, Crotch has been a melting pot of live music, DJ's and performance fueled by activism and celebrating the diversity throughout the city.

Lead by Kez [The Cute Cartel] and K-RUSH [Dons Of Disco/Conqueer] and featuring resident DJ's Bendy Wendy, Angel Mel & TommySinewave, this party powerhouse of a collective has held their heads high, sustaining a powerful reputation for almost 5 years as a bright gem is Bristol's Queer Crown.

Forever evolving with community at the heart of all they do, Crotch will always be the proud host of Queers and allies alike creating a brave and safe(r) place to party

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