Trinity's Garden Party. Credit: Alistair Brookes

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

The initiative - Roots of Resilience - calls for urgent measures to safeguard and improve Bristol’s shared spaces, which are currently under threat due to various challenges, including legislation facilitating council property sales to address budget shortfalls.

“Unfortunately, without changes to how decisions are made about community infrastructure, the future of those spaces will always be at risk. The suggestions we are putting forward will enable us to secure a brighter future for our much-loved community spaces" Steve Sayers, CEO of Windmill Hill City Farm

In a published manifesto we join others in calling for several changes to ensure community buildings are appropriately valued. This includes:

• Review the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process, to enable more community organisations to consider this route.
• Adopt a target and strategy for increasing the number of community owned assets, in line with the One City Plan.
• Delegate leadership for community assets to a member of cabinet or committee, recognizing the sector’s role across council departments.
• Delegate authority to officer level to award CAT leases, for 95 years, when these are up for renewal.
• Include representation from Neighbourhoods and Committees in the CAT decision-making committees.
• Create a framework for protection and disposal of council owned assets, including creating a new ‘community’ asset class which prioritises preservation of community spaces.
• Implement a fair rent structure which recognises the social and investment benefits of community-owned assets.
• Develop a capital investment strategy for organisations with CAT leases

Read the full manifesto here

How you can help

• Decisions makers, city and business leaders are invited to talk to us directly, understand more about the work we do and see how these changes could enable us to make a much greater impact across the whole city.
• People of Bristol are invited to share their thoughts and feelings on what their local community space means to them, by writing on a ribbon or sharing a word, sentence or memory on social media using the hashtag #CommunityRoots.

The Community Anchor Organisations (CAOs) who created the campaign and manifesto are:

• Eastside Community Trust
• Trinity Community Arts
• Windmill Hill City Farm
• Black South West Network (The Coach House)
• Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust
• Knowle West Health Park
• Knowle West Alliance
• Southmead Development Trust
• Redcatch Community Garden Limited
• Ambition Lawrence Weston
• Bricks/St Anne’s House
• Artspace Lifespace
• St Werburghs Community Centre
• Filwood Community Centre
• Voscur
• Learning Partnership West

Our annual, free, music and arts event features a fantastic mix of local artists, bands, and performers. Garden Party is family friendly with workshops and activities running throughout the day.

Lineup:

Selecta J-Man ft Rider Shafique

Josephine Gyasi

Kesh

Mohamed Errebbaa

Komposa

Los Gusanos

Eva Penney

Other Activites:

Turkish Belly Dancing with Anna K

Greenbank Ceilidh Collective Performance

Hype Dance

Crafts Workshops

Children's Garden Activities

Access - if you have access requirements please let one of our team know how we can help.

Play your part in Trinity's future and support events like Garden Party, with a suggested donation of £3 per person.

Please note that no alcohol and no dogs can be brought on site. Bag searches will take place.

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.

Part TED talk, part history lecture, part folk club sing-a-long, part storytelling session… Come and share in these tales as they have been shared for generations.

See here for more information and frequently asked questions page.

Speak Out Celebration 2023. Credit Alastair Brookes

Speak Out is a programme of free creative courses exploring ways in which creativity can be used to shine a light on Future Proofing (or, thinking about our impact on the planet), Neurodiversity and Injustice.

Delivered in partnership with City of Bristol College, Bristol Refugee Festival and Our Second Home, from Feb - June 2024 Trinity will host a series of workshops delivered by a professional artist or facilitator. The sessions will offer a supportive young people to develop creative and craft skills, be inspired by new ideas and build interpersonal and collaborative skills.

The programme was developed following an in-depth consultation with over 150 young people that took place in 2023. This included Trinity's CYP team visiting further education settings, schools, community organisations as well as an in-person event at Trinity.

Speak Out Programme:

Future Proofing – Students of City of Bristol College will explore their impact on the planet. Led by Carene, a sustainable fashion expert, the cohort will explore ways in which they can fight against fast fashion. Running Feb - Mar 2024

Neurodiversity - Kabbo Ferdinand, an African Indigenous storyteller and musician, and Natasha Gatward, an immersive performance artist and costume designer, invite 16 – 18 year olds to explore the ways in which movement and expression can explore Neurodiversity. Running April 2024.

Injustice – Hip-Hop artist Moyah, who has lived experience of the asylum system, will lead workshops for young people affected by the asylum system in order to create a performance piece addressing injustice. Running April 2024.

Speak Out Showcase: Young people who have taken part in Speak Out are invited to come together in celebration of their work at a showcase event at Trinity Centre. Each groups’ practitioners will be at the showcase to support the young people and to guide them through the experience of publicly sharing their art (17th June 6-8pm).

If you would like to sign up to the workshops please contact Liam, Youth Services Facilitator on liamc@trinitybristol.org.uk

Speak Out! Is supported by the We Move Fund: Youth Social Action aims to empower Black children and young people through Youth Social Action.

Ballroom is a community and culture originating in Harlem and dating back as far as the 1920s and before. Pioneered by black and Latinx trans women referred to as "Fem Queens" within the scene, ball and ball culture prioritises LGBTQIA+ people of colour. 
OTA stands for "Open to all" meaning anyone can walk any category but please respect the space and only walk if you are aware of what a category is asking for and understand its history.

As part of the celebrations for this year's International Women’s Day, we caught up with Saláma Kefentse from All Ah Wi Women's group ahead of their Saturday 09 Mar event at Trinity. Click here to find out more about Saturday's International Women's Day Celebrations at Trinity.

Q: Hi! Tell us a little about yourself and the All Ah Wi Women's group:

A: My name is Saláma and I started All Ah Wi Women's group last year under my brand name Just Love Hub.

The All Ah Wi Women's group is a space for all women, especially those from the Caribbean and African diaspora. The group offers a sense of sisterhood and freedom to be just as you are without the added titles of mum, daughter, sister, aunty etc. It's an opportunity to spend time focusing on their needs rather than the needs of others.

Q: Where did the idea of the International Womens Day event come from?

After a joint conversation with staff at Trinity the idea was offered for us host an event to celebrate International Womens Day. They offered this opportunity to us and as the women in our group possess such inspiring skills and talents it seemed a great idea to offer them the space to showcase what they can do and show how amazing they are.

The group was developed because we need to have a space to go to with women who looked like me and could relate to the ups and downs life throws at us, have a laugh, a cry and a moan without judgement. Be free to try new things and talk about topics that aren't typical but create awareness and are thought provoking.

Q: What can we expect from the event?

Expect great music from DJ Kissan and DJ Delicious, Essential oil 101 from spiritual healer Michelle Meridith and a workshop on 5 steps to overcoming childhood trauma with Author Carmen Carrol, hosted by the All Ah Wi Women's group.

Q: Why do you think celebrations like International Women’s Day are important?

Events like these give women the chance to shine a light for each other and be seen for who they are and what they do. It brings women together and shares good energy, healing and connection. We get to congratulate our sister's for their hard work and be inspired by them too.

Q: How can people get involved or help All Ah Wi Womens group?

The All Ah Wi Women's group is looking for volunteer session leaders to help organise and run the sessions and board members / trustees to start as a CIC to help with fundraising to bring the ideas these women have created to life.

The All Ah Wi Womens International Womens Day event is on 09 Mar 2024 from 10am – 3pm and features workshops from Michelle Meridith and Carmen Carol, music by DJs Kissan and Delicious and Podcasting form Keep It Real Podcast, click here to find out more.

Free hot food and drinks provided and all ages welcome.

Schedule
12:00 - 14:00 Songwriting and Poetry Workshop - Lisa and Maddie (ROADSIDE)
Join us in writing songs and poems inspired by life on the road. No experience required, everyone welcome!

14:00 - 16:00 - Open Mic hosted by Esmerelda.
Bring your instruments, share something, or just come and have a brew and listen! All are welcome to try out new songs and old favourites.

All Day Drop In - Visual Art Workshop with Beth Goodwin
Take part in the creation of a collaborative art piece. The idea is to produce a patchwork piece of drawings and collage, playing with tracing, drawing, light and shadow. Visually capturing the present movements of our bodies in this space, and the captured archival movement of the past. Bring your own images or stories to add to the piece or draw from ours!

Buy free workshop tickets here.

Esmerelda is a singer songwriter, with a neo-soul feel as well as folk and jazz influences. She draws inspiration from artists such as Lianne la Lavas, Nora Jones and Johnny Flynn. Her music explores nature, self and the relationship between the two, inviting you to nestle down and enjoy some sweet soft sounds.

Travelling Tunes is organised by the artists behind ROADSIDE, a new show coming to Trinity in April. Inspired by interviews with roadside dwellers across the south west and drawing on the musical history of this new traveller community, from festivals to free parties, to songs around the fire. ROADSIDE is a celebration of dance floor revelations and the emergence of a new traveller culture from festivals and free parties.

Buy tickets here.

About Trinity Presents:

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

ROADSIDE is supported by ACE, Trinity Centre and Camden People's Theatre.

Classes will run from 5:15pm - 6:45pm on:

• Wednesday 06 March
• Wednesday 13 March - Cancelled
• Wednesday 20 March
• Wednesday 27 March
• Wednesday 03 April
• Wednesday 10 April
• Wednesday 17 April - Cancelled
• Wednesday 24 April
• Wednesday 01 May
• Wednesday 08 May
• Wednesday 15 May
• Wednesday 22 May
• Wednesday 29 May

Please pay on the door at the beginning of the session. Julia will accept payments via cash or card.

About Julia 
Julia has worked extensively in dance over the past 30 years She trained at the Laban Centre and received an MA in Creative Producing from UWE. Julia is the Artistic Director of Julia Thorneycroft Dance. Under the umbrella of JTD, she has devised and produced many funded projects including Full Bloom, a festival of dance for and by older people. This project developed from working with older Bristol residents to set up Gerry’s Attic Dance, a performance company for over-55’s in partnership with Trinity Arts Julia is currently working with Untold Dance Theatre. Having toured with the company as a performer for Woman Wise and Ties that Bind, Julia recently co-directed the companies new show On the Inside which toured in 2022.

Line up TBA

Expect: congotronics, Samba, Bhangra, highlife, gospel, jigs & reels, dancehall, dub, calypso, soca, soukous, middle eastern dance music, indian acid breakfast, bossa nova, ethio-jazz, soul, baile funk, lovers rock, balkan wedding bangers, and the odd worldly jungle curveball because why not?
This will be a properly joyous night of music, dance, friendship and community. Let's get sweaty

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

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

From the summer of 2024 through to February 2025, the money will be used to fund activity in three city centre areas:

• Christmas Steps
• Old Market
• Stokes Croft

The aim of the programme is to attract more families and visitors to these areas and increase the amount of time and money they spend, helping to support the local economy, businesses and the culture and events sector.

To make sure funding is put to best use, Bristol City Council would like to hear your thoughts and ideas on:

• What makes these places special?
• How can we celebrate cultural diversity?
• What would you like to see on offer during the day and night?

Bristol City Council are running some face-to-face and one online event to gather thoughts and ideas. If you live, or your business or organisation is based in any of the areas, or you are an arts, events or cultural organisation, please join and contribute to a collaborative discussion.

To sign up to book your place, please email: business@bristol.gov.uk

Image - PUBLIC by Ockham’s Razor presented by Handstand Arts

© Lisa Whiting / Bristol City Council

Eight artist students explore the relationships they have with themselves, their family or dreams, or the relationships they bear witness to - such as a place, a machine, or materials. The exhibition extends an invitation to first gather, and then to connect.

The works include diverse mediums and techniques such as painting, mixed media, moving image, lino printing and photography; all of which negotiate the challenges of what relationships can mean, potentially evoking hidden links in our everyday lives.

Jacobs Wells Baths - Image Credit: Sam Prosser

Preserving and maintaining community spaces is proving increasingly difficult as local authorities grapple with continued budgetary pressures. Some local authorities are facing or have already issued Section 114 notices – which means expected income isn’t enough to cover expenditure. In response, the Government is considering making it easier for councils to dispose of publicly owned assets to cover rising costs of essential services. Financial news provider, Bloomberg, sets out how, “The move would mark a sharp relaxation of the current constraints, which prevent councils from using money from asset sales to meet budget pressures from day-to-day services without approval from the central government.”

"The choices we make now in response to the challenge of preserving civic and cultural infrastructure in the face of financial uncertainty is a decision that will have lasting consequences for future generations" Emma Harvey

Community groups and charities are collaborating to devise shared solutions to protect civic and cultural assets from disposal and loss; from volunteering to manage local allotments and raising money to invest in parks and play areas, to taking on ownership of local pubs or community buildings and developing their own Neighbourhood Plans.

Whilst there are individual success stories of spaces saved, the challenge lies in how we create a national community asset transfer approach that is replicable, scalable and sustainable. As Brendan Conway, a leading voice in community assets, sets out in a LinkedIn post at the start of the year; “we must not valorise small precedents that have hidden foundations and assume that they are replicable.”

The current model places communities under increasing pressure to do more, though they may not equally hold all the necessary resources to convert short-term passion into sustained success. Existing funding schemes tied to short-term political cycles overlook the complexities of such projects, which require a variety of factors to align. Passionate people who care will inevitably overcommit and inexperienced individuals will underestimate what’s necessary to sustain a recovery effort over time. Some communities may hold the aspiration, but struggle to channel the right energy, investment or efforts consistently and continually. Others may just be overwhelmed, fatigued, or disheartened from past failed efforts to save the things they’ve loved and lost. This could lead to an increasingly disproportionate distribution of social resources, unless we proactively lay the foundations required to enhance success rates equitably across the breadth of UK communities.

The solution as to how we preserve civic and cultural infrastructure amidst financial uncertainty requires a nuanced, adaptable and holistic approach. It’s a delicate balancing act that, if we fail to get right, will leave our communities of tomorrow without the infrastructure they need to allow our more diverse, more densely populated neighbourhoods to function. The more we embark on these ambitious, quirky, complex projects, the more we will see projects fail. Should sites revert back to local authority control at a point where resources and capacity has further depleted, this will only compound risk of future asset disposal, not least because now one might also point to how the community tried, but failed to make it work.

In Bristol, there are a number of organisations driving a community ownership movement and a more strategic approach to community asset management, such as Bristol’s Community Anchor Network who have launched a manifesto to ask for more targeted support and investment to protect the city’s social fabric. More widely, Platform Places are collaborating with councils, community asset managers and owners to repurpose vacant high street properties, whilst Locality are continuing to promote their #SaveOurSpaces campaign by launching a new “community power revolution” to place more power in the hands of communities.

The choices we make now in response to the challenge of preserving civic and cultural infrastructure in the face of financial uncertainty is a decision that will have lasting consequences for future generations. To ensure a resilient and culturally vibrant future for UK communities expanding in diversity and population density, we must adopt a nuanced, bespoke and holistic approach to the assets that underpin our daily lives; one that embraces all the complexities, personalities and idiosyncrasies of our changing social and cultural landscape. And we need to do that pretty soon, before we have no space left to fight for.

Emma Harvey, CEO Trinity Community Arts

#SoldFromUnderYou

#SaveOurSpaces

About this article

• Trinity are committed to advocating for shared community and cultural spaces. We are members of Locality and are currently leading an appeal to restore Jacobs Wells Baths in Hotwells.
• Read our 100 Beacons report that shines a light on the importance of – and understand the risks posed to – Bristol's community and cultural assets.
• Read opinion piece "The preservation paradox: sell now, pay later"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further reading:

Indulge in movement, spiritual healing, music and take part in live podcasting discussions.

Throughout the day there will be workshops and sessions hosted by Carmen Carrol and the Keep it Real Podcast team.

The event will be hosted by the All Ah Wi Women's group in partnership with Trinity Community Arts.

Schedule

10am-10.50am Holding Space

11am-11.45am Freedom Soul Dance workshop with Penny Avery - a fusion of West African contemporary and afrobeat

12pm-12.30pm Essential oils 101 with Michelle Meridith

12.30pm-1.20pm Music by DJs Kissan and Delicious

1.30-2pm- 5 steps to overcoming childhood trauma with Carmen Carol

2-3pm Keep It Real Podcast

About Carmen Carrol

Carmen's enduring passion for art and writing has remained steadfast and blossomed into a vibrant force in her adult life. Embracing her innate creativity, she has seamlessly woven it into her professional endeavours, carving a path as a freelance events promoter and writer.

About Keep it Real Podcast

Welcome to Keep It Real, the podcast where we tear down the patriarchy and save woman kind, hosted by BBC Radio 1 favourite Ruth Royall, DJ/Percussionist Rhiipercussion, MC/Poet and hiphop artist Madly and jungle queen DJ Anna Pixie Holmes. The podcast explores equality in the music industry, body positivity and invite you to come Keep It Real with them.

Holly Wellington joins the Keep It Real team to discuss 'Women's health visibility in the music industry.

When Holysseus Fly (Holly) burst onto the scene with her 2023 debut solo EP ‘Birthpool’, it was clear that she was something special. As the vocalist, co-writer and pianist with critically acclaimed collective Ishmael Ensemble, Holysseus Fly has already made a powerful impression as a solo artist.

It is a free session, a friendly and confidential space to support your wellbeing. If you are a woman of colour, we invite you to sign up or drop in to take a step towards yourself care. It provides an opportunity to meet others over a hot drink and express your thoughts, struggles, joys, being in a collective and benefit from this space. You would often find that others may have had similar experiences and talking about it reduces the sense of isolation. There is no compulsion to share either. You may join and be an active listener as well.

The group will run for 2 hours every time with a break in between. For now, the group will be once every month through March, April and May only:

• Wed 13th Mar, 10:30am - 12:30pm

• Wed 10th Apr, 10:30am - 12:30pm

• Wed 8th May, 10:30am - 12:30pm

The group is facilitated by women of colour, and we invite you to join to freely share your concerns being a part of this community, just to share how you have been or even to be a listener and to have a sense of belonging. If you have any questions please email Sayam