Trinity is committed to creating opportunities for people to gain access to the arts industry and gain experience in the creative sector, particularly amongst groups with lower representation in the arts industry.

“At Trinity the opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration are massive. I’ve learned so much being here that I wouldn’t have at other venues” Aysha, Event Production Coordinator

Many of our permanent team members initially joined Trinity on an internship. Aysha, Trinity’s Production Coordinator, started her journey at Trinity in 2019 on a three-month internship. A role was created to suit both Aysha’s skill-set and the needs of Trinity. Trinity feels that this individually focused approach to hiring staff leads to more meaningful, fulfilling employment, and means that employees are in roles that best suit their skills, experience and long-term ambitions.

Like many members of Team Trinity, Aysha was offered a permanent contract after the end of her internship, moving into the role of Production Coordinator, and having additional responsibilities such as line management.  Further to this Aysha is part of a city-wide campaign to create safer environments for everyone to enjoy nightlife in the city.

Trinity believes strongly that investment in staff is one of the most effective ways to democratise employment in the arts industry.

We are working in partnership with South Bristol Youth (SBY) to provide opportunities for KS4 students to experience insights into working in the creative sectors as part of their 'insight into apprenticeship' initiative.

We also became an accredited Living Wage organisation and have created opportunities for young people to develop skills in the creative sector. Through the Kickstarter scheme we offered entry-level roles to nine individuals including CPD, training and mentorship for young people to gain paid experience in the cultural sector including in event production, marketing and communications and operations.

Over ¼ of employees who start at Trinity on internships go on to stay as permanent members of staff. By offering both secure and meaningful employment alongside opportunities to progress and develop a career in the sector, Trinity can help ensure that careers in the creative industry are a viable option for everyone.

Ashton Court Future Ville Launch. Photo credit Caroline Thake

Bristol City Council has announced The Community Resilience Fund to be made available to community groups delivering provision in some of Bristol’s most deprived areas. The announcement of the grant follows the publication of Trinity’s 100 Beacons Report that we submitted to the City Council.

The report, created in partnership with other venues and the Council, shines a light on Bristol's community and cultural assets, including the critical role they played in providing local services as part of the COVID19 response.

"Huge thanks to Trinity for advocating for other community buildings in some of Bristol’s most neglected areas and to Bristol City Council for engaging and responding to this need” Katherine Chiswell Jones, Art Space Life Space

We created the report with the intention of building a collective case for capital investment in the city’s youth, community and cultural assets and we are pleased that Bristol City Council has now announced the commitment to funding these much-needed spaces.

The one-off pot of £4 million is also available for city-wide self-organised equality groups and is intended to help groups invest in costs, such as works to improve access, upgrading ICT infrastructure or works to a community building.

Our 100 Beacons report was part of our continued commitment to advocating for shared community and cultural spaces. We are members of Locality, support a ’Community Power Act’ and, have invested in Stokes Croft Land Trust.

Find out more about the funding and how to apply here

Forest School in Trinity's Community Garden

As part of our commitment to creating opportunities for children and families to connect with nature and learn through play we deliver regular free-to-access Forest School sessions in our Community Garden, funded by Children in Need.

“Thank you so much, we have loved coming here. We enjoy having a space to run around in as we do not have a garden at home. It is important for the children to have a space to run around in and spend time outside. They love digging and watering”. Parent of child attending Forest School

The sessions are aimed at children who attend local primary schools as well as families who are signposted through our partnerships with community organisations and outdoor play providers. The sessions provide a much-needed outdoor space for children, many of whom do not have access to outdoor spaces or gardens at home. So far 357 children, families and carers have taken part in the provision since Sep 2021.

Our work with children focuses on improving confidence and well-being through nature based-education. Children work in small groups, led by experienced facilitators, take part in activities such as campfire cooking, lighting fires and organic gardening.

Many children who come to the sessions may struggle to engage with mainstream education, due to the impact of Lockdown or an additional educational need. 97% of the children who have attended Forest School have shown increased confidence in outdoor spaces and many have shown significant progress in their confidence and team working skills. For example one child presented initially as disruptive and disengaged however, following regular attendance they became an active and engaged participant working successfully with peers.

Due to the success of the project we are able to extend Forest School sessions and will continue working with schools and partners to continue to offer this much-needed provision. This includes our free Summer Holiday provision.

Over 12 weeks children and families from local school Hannah More primary took part Trinity’s ‘Art Club’ project, in partnership with Take A Part. During one session we headed down to Hannah More to chat with the children and families to ask them what they thought of 'Art Club', press play above to hear what they had to say!

"When I was their age, we didn't get the possibility to draw - we couldn't afford it" Baktiar and Asenat's Mum

In total 25 children and families came along to ‘Art Club’. During the sessions they explored different art-forms, such as clay making, model making using with different types of art materials.

The group also went on ‘go see’ visits to arts organisations and museums in the city. This included a trip to see the Grayson Perry exhibition in the Bristol Museum and a visit to the newly established arts organisations 'St Anne’s House' where they met resident artist Rachel Clarke.

‘Art Club’ is a Trinity commission, delivered by Take a Part in partnership with Hannah More Primary and made possible through funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund

Trinity believes that the best art is created and experienced by the 67 million voices that make up UK society today. This is why we support and nurture creative communities, creating opportunities for artists and communities to co-create and experience culture together.

"I can't tell you how much we enjoyed it. It was perfectly pitched for this age group. This is exactly what we need more of” - Head Teacher from school’s audience group

Collaborating with communities

In March 2021 we launched an ambitious community arts project, 'What I Want To Be, What I Want To See' that asked communities to share their hopes and dreams for the future, post-pandemic. From this initial idea we commissioned community arts practitioner Michelle Roche to collaborate Newton Network and the local community to programme a series of ‘creative happenings’.

Throughout 2021 Michelle, Newtown Network and local residents created a programme of activities including a weekly 'coffee morning and lantern making' session that culminated with a mid-winter Dolphin Parade. Residents also took part in a series of collective actions – a community painting day and a public playlist of their favourite songs – sharing the unique identity of this vibrant corner of Bristol.

Creating opportunities for children and families to access and shape culture

Spilt Ink Theatre Company was awarded the Young Audiences Commission, which was introduced following a consultation, to offer more young people and family activities. Through our on-going partnership with local school St Nicholas of Tolentine, the company delivered a series of workshops collaborating with over 60 children to devise a new work, ‘Home’ that culminated in a public sharing in May 2021.

Trinity joined forces with Take a Part and Hannah Moore primary school to deliver 'Art Club', a project for children and their families to explore what culture they enjoy and what issues matter to them. Art Club took place for 12 weeks after school and included group trips to visit organisations such as Spike Island and The Bristol Museum, meeting staff and volunteers and having an opportunity to ask questions and see behind the scenes of some of the biggest cultural venues in the city. We will also be hosting a pop-up exhibition of artworks created by children and families who took part in the project.

Supporting the development and sharing of new and exciting work

In the summer we welcomed a range of performances in our pop-up outdoor venue, in the community garden and, for the first-time since Mar 2020, inside the building. This included a Trinity ‘take-over’ by associate artist Roxana Vilk, The Vilk Collective and immersive tech-artists Squid Ink with their 'Lullabies Celebration' celebrating the culmination of Roxana’s Lullabies project. The project collected and responded to songs from the many languages spoken in Bristol and beyond. Roxana is continuing to develop her creative practise including performing at St Georges Hall and through her residency at Watershed’s PM Studio.

Through micro-commissions and subsidised space we continued to support the creation and development of new work, including Houston Dance Company who devised Like Mercury in the Fyfe Hall. The show was selected to be programmed as part of the spring season of theatre and dance in 2022 and premiered to sell-out audiences. The show explored gender, sexuality and identity and positive feedback from audiences included people commenting that the show ‘taught me to embody and celebrate my sexuality’. The company will be touring the performance in the UK throughout 2022.

Click play to watch Stokes Croft Lands Trust's campaign video

As part of our continued commitment to advocating for shared community and cultural spaces, we have pledged £1,000 to become a shareholder in the Stokes Croft Land Trust, matching the pledges of grassroots arts groups, The Invisible Circus and Artspace Lifespace.

“PRSC is a contemporary example of radical art in Bristol that represents the themes we’re exploring in our heritage project. Though this pledge, we hope to strengthen our ability more closely with PRSC and create shared outcomes for communities in relation to the art of resistance theme.” Rhiannon Jones, Programme Director

In early 2022, Trinity published the ‘100 Beacons’ report: A Community Canvas - building the case for community infrastructure, to shine a light on the importance of – and understand the risks posed to – Bristol's community and cultural assets. This report identified sustained underinvestment in civic assets coupled with the city’s rapid regeneration, poses a risk to Bristol’s unique identity that has led to it regularly topping the list of the "best places to live in Britain."

Bristol is a city renowned for its cultural offer and its activist spirit. However, parts of the city such as Stokes Croft that have historically shaped this identity have seen a huge growth in private development, which has already impacted on the cultural offer of this locality, with artists leaving Hamilton House in 2018, due to increased rents.

In response to this, the Stokes Croft Land Trust (SCLT) has been created to purchase 17-25 Jamaica St, Stokes Croft, which is home to the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft HQ (PRSC), in order to protect one of the area’s remaining cultural landmarks. Through a community shares offer, members of the community and like-minded organisations are able to come together to help ensure the building stays in the hands and ownership of artists, protecting its use for the benefit of the community. This is a model much like the Cube Cinema, which secured its building back in 2012 through community fundraising.

“Stokes Croft is a significant artistic destination in Bristol. With the scale of redevelopment happening and in the interests of social welfare, Trinity wants to help ensure our city’s cultural spirit and radical identity is nurtured. We’re working with the PRSC team to celebrate Bristol’s history of art in protest and we want to pledge our support for the Stokes Croft Land Trust so future generations of misfits have a space to call home.” Emma Harvey, CEO, Trinity Community Arts.

The Fundsurfer set up to help the SCLT purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership is already over 50% of the way towards their minimum target of £272,000.

Trinity’s commitment also supports our current work to document and celebrate 100 years of art and activism in Bristol through the National Lottery Heritage funded project, Art of Resistance.

Click here to pledge your support to Stokes Croft Land Trust today

Image credit: Docklands Community Centre/Full Circle

Dubbed by agencies across the voluntary sector as, ‘The Great British Sell-Off’, our shared heritage and civic assets, community and youth centres, libraries and public green spaces are being lost as part of the council funding crisis.

Bristol City Council’s 2022-23 budget announcement is framed with the proviso that further cuts will be needed to plug a £19.5m deficit. This includes, “£3.5m by reviewing the buildings we own across all services.” With the statue debate still raging nationally, we’re sleepwalking into a future that, even prior to the pandemic, has already stripped Bristol of £30m worth of publicly owned assets.

"If we continue to deplete our supply of places where we can read our first book, become a Scout, learn a language or a new dance move or play Bingo in our retirement, we’ll continue down the pathway to polarisation."

The challenge is not in making such spaces loved, it’s in making them viable. We neglect the leaking community centre, or the inaccessible library, whilst trying to ‘level-up’, through investing in ‘transformative’ projects where the cost of the economic impact assessment alone would cover repairs and alterations across community spaces citywide. It’s hard to see how the building of an Arena or a multi-million concert hall refurb compensates us for the loss of the places where we connect with one another, make memories and build our sense of place and belonging in our everyday lives.

As costs of a few projects escalate to keep pace with aspiration, this increases the distance between the ‘viable’ and ‘non-viable’ spaces. If you’re a charity running a building, it’s almost impossible not to get caught on the capital conveyor belt to nowhere, in which we all chase an unattainable vision of the perfect building. Often, like Trinity, it’s what we’re legally constituted to “preserve” our asset. This means, even with the best intentions, we can end up leaving behind our stakeholders and our communities in the pursuit of building back better.

When we get swept up in the notion that a capital project is the priority above all else, we lose sight of the thing that makes buildings important in the first place; it’s the empty space within and the energy it’s filled with that matters more than the bricks and mortar.

We want to make Trinity the best venue it can be, just not at the expense of other venues or those who need the building in the first place and who have been happy using it even at its shabbiest. Balancing the need to future-proof and make a viable and sustainable Centre, whilst taking others with us and ensuring any investment is felt beyond our four walls.

This is why we produced the 100 Beacons report in partnership with other venues and the Council to evidence the contribution of Bristol’s community assets, including the critical role they’ve played in providing local services as part of the COVID19 response.

As part of Bristol’s One City Plan, early indications are a commitment from the Council to invest in improvements to concessionary lettings, such as those referenced in our report. This could provide a lifeline to buildings owned by the city and managed on our behalf. As the budget is still in draft form, we still don’t yet know how this will translate into money to make neighbourhood hubs useable, accessible, green and COVID-Secure. However, this is at least an example of what can be achieved if we work together on what matters to people, to ensure spaces are retained for community use for the benefit of ourselves and future generations.

If we continue to deplete our supply of places where we can read our first book, become a Scout, learn a language or a new dance move or play Bingo in our retirement, we’ll continue down the pathway to polarisation. Such catastrophic loss to communities makes it easy to develop false attachments to an effigy of a slaver not designed with us in mind, whilst increasing our resentment towards those we see as encroaching on any space we feel we have left, be it the immigrant or the gentrifier.

If only those advocating to preserve commemorative statues put even a fraction of that energy into campaigning to save their local heritage asset or civic space, volunteer at their local community or youth centre, or set up a regular social activity in their local library we’d all feel the positive effects. As we continue to navigate the isolating impact of a period of successive restrictions, it’s the spaces that reduce the distance between us that help us to level-up, culturally, socially and economically.

Emma Harvey, CEO

Read the report: A Community Canvas - building the case for community infrastructure 2022 - 2026

Artists Rider Shafique and Khali Ackford (I-Dentity) & Trinity team up to bring a monthly meet-up to a offer a place of support, reflection, reason & opportunity for Black Creatives (all disciplines welcomed).

Supported by Trinity, the meetups have been inspired following feedback from online workshops, delivered by Rider and Khali, as part of Trinity's community arts project What I Want To See, What I Want To Be.

Meetups are on every fourth Monday of the month.

To find out more or to register to take part, get in touch.

“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

Forest school workshops with local schools and artist Alice Cunningham

The Bird Bath is carved in Ancaster Weatherbed stone by artist Alice Cunningham

Trinity commissioned Bristol artist Alice Cunningham to create a bird bath sculpture as part of the recent improvements to the community garden.

"I liked exploring the garden and being able to build up trust with my team because before we started I did not have trust in them" Baraka, workshop participant, St Nicholas of Tolentine primary school.

Carved in Ancaster Weatherbed stone, the bird bath is in memory to Bunty Bax, following a legacy donation by her daughter Amelia. Amelia’s legacy gift donation contributed towards creating an accessible outdoor space including new pathways, raised planters and a sensory nature trail.

As part of the making of the bird bath, Bristol-based sculptor, Alice, also delivered workshops with 12 local children from Hannah More and St Nicholas of Tolentine Primary Schools who attend Forest School sessions at Trinity. The children explored different types of homes and nests in nature and then used clay to create their own sculptures.

We are really grateful to be able to complete this round of improvements to the garden creating an accessible inner-city garden for all to enjoy. The improvements have been funded by Power to Change, match funders and Amelia’s legacy gift donation.

We are pleased to be part of Fun Palaces, a three year project that aims to give power to communities so they can re-think, re-claim or re-purpose civic and community spaces.

Fun Palaces are creating opportunities for everyone to have a say about what counts as culture, where it happens and who experiences it.

At Trinity, a Fun Palace Ambassador will be in place for the duration of the project to support volunteers, grassroots communities and organisations to programme events or create projects that celebrates community and everyday creativity. Alongside this they will support people with free advice and guidance on developing ideas into realities, support with funding applications and event management.

Batu checks out the new equipment in the studio. Photo credit Batu

Trinity are pleased to be welcome First Light Studio as new residents. Founded by Bristol based DJ and Producer Batu, who is best known for Timedance, his bass-driven and hypnotic dance nights that have been a key player in the scene over the last seven years.

First Light Studio will take residency in Trinity's recording studio and will offer workshops and free studio hire to Bristol's music-making communities.

“So many people have helped me along the way and I've received a huge amount of support from the community around me. Privately renting a studio is an expense that is prohibitive for a lot of up and coming artists, and there should be more access for free.” Batu

With the support of Dr. Martens the studio at Trinity has undergone a make-over - providing an open and inclusive space for artists to develop their skills - removing financial barriers many face in accessing professional studios.

The studio is a stepping stone into the music industry allowing producers to create, refine and experiment with the pro-level kit they need to enhance their ideas into fully fledged professional productions.

The investment by First Light Studio and Dr. Martens will mean that young people who access our music-making programme, Making Tracks, will also have access to the new equipment.

First Light Studio is open Mondays and Fridays - click here for more info and to book the studio.

MX Centre, St Paul's has provided a vital base for localised COVID19 services

"I think its very important for a city to have range of arts and community spaces, suitable for a wide range of music and events and accessible to all. There shouldn’t be a hierarchy but rather an understanding that different conditions are needed to present a full symphony orchestra and chorus, an experimental jazz session or a poetry slam. These events all have their own particular economics, what is important is that they are all the best they can be - exciting, empowering and inspiring. Bristol needs and deserves all of this." Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive, Bristol Beacon

Trinity believes in the power of shared space. That’s why we’ve launched ‘100 beacons’, to shine a light some of Bristol’s most loved community buildings and spaces and build a collective case for capital investment in the city’s youth, community and cultural assets.

Bristol Beacon is not the only asset owned by us. Bristol City Council’s property portfolio consists of over 1,500 properties; approximately 250 community spaces such as libraries, parks and leisure centres and 117 concessionary lettings including scout huts, youth clubs, community farms and centres such as St Werburghs, Filwood and Harcliffe.

Whether it’s the park you walk in, the library you read in, the community centre you meet in, or the youth club you learn in, the chances are this space is owned by the local authority.

The condition of these buildings and spaces vary greatly. One of these spaces is Malcolm X Community Centre, based in the heart of St Pauls. Born out of the St. Paul's Uprising of April 2, 1980, MX Centre has survived the storms to remain a much-needed space serving the local community throughout the pandemic - most recently as a COVID19 pop-up clinic, vaccinating 200 people in one weekend.

However, as this statement from the Centre's Board of Trustees outlines, this space is in desperate need for financial investment:

"MX Centre is crying out for some TLC - essential repairs would cost a fraction of £107M. There is an ancient heating system that threatens strike action daily. Infrastructure that is in desperate need of modernisation and accessibility work, including lifts that are in place technically though haven't functioned for years.

Having a building where individuals with mobility needs cannot access certain spaces is just not acceptable in 2021, yet we struggle to realise a solution without Council support as the asset owner. This is just a snippet of the building's current issues and needs.

None of the other community spaces owned by Bristol City Council object to the refurbishment of the Bristol Beacon. But what about the other council owned community spaces across the city that exist in need of care and repair? Do they not deserve some funding to serve their respective users?

These are spaces that cater largely to the city's marginalised communities and would be grateful for a fraction of that colossal figure. We are simply asking for equity in funding distribution from the Council, for being caretakers of their spaces.

The Malcolm X Community Centre is one such space of hundreds across the city. It is imperative that Bristol City Council address this issue of disparity, which is years old, necessary and now urgent."

Malcolm X Community Centre, Board of Trustees

With the launch of new schemes such as the Community Ownership Fund alongside the Government’s Build Back Better principles, we want to help build a collective case for capital investment in Bristol’s publicly owned assets, so that they can:

• facilitate good health, well-being and positive relations between communities as they grow and diversify 
• compete in a social enterprise environment where ‘sweating the asset’ becomes key to sustaining local services

• fulfil their role as local economic multipliers, creating vital paid jobs, contributing to our economic prosperity and collective recovery.

As Kathryn Chiswell Jones Managing Director of Artspace Lifespace who look after Council-owned assets including The Vestibules and Ashton Court Mansion says; "Not all community assets are designated mansions or grand halls, but they are beacons for communities. Our local community spaces are integral to social and economic inclusion and to building Bristol Back Better."

Way’s you can help

If you manage a Council owned building, please take fifteen minutes to fill in our concessionary lettings survey to help us build the collective case for investment.

Write to your local Councillor or MP about the importance of capital grant support for a local building that’s close to your heart, using Trinity’s template.

Make sure you make a commitment to investment in community assets a key question for all Mayoral candidates at upcoming hustings meetings.

Check out Locality’s Save Our Spaces for an introduction and toolkit if there’s a space in your local area that you’d like to save.

Read and share We Need a 'Bristol Beacon' in Every Community , an opinion piece in the Bristol Cable by Trinity CEO, Emma Harvey.

Share on socials using #100beacons

Emma Harvey, CEO, Trinity Community Arts

Jon Newey, Managing Director, Full Circle

Kathryn Chiswell-Jones, Company Manager, Artspace Lifespace

LaToyah McAllister-Jones, Executive Director, St Paul’s Carnival

Makala Cheung, Creative Director, Filwood Community Centre

Primrose Granville, Director, Malcolm X Community Centre

Stacy Yelland, CEO, Eastside Community Trust

Hype's mission is to use dance and movement to help young people excel. The award winning urban dance company for 5yrs- young adult, runs weekly all year round (apart from the six-week summer) holiday and runs an open door policy so new dancers can join any time.

Class times:

• 6pm - 7pm 5yrs-11yrs (primary school age)
• 7pm - 8pm Teen/young Adults classes-(For 12+)

Cost:

• £8 pay as you go weekly. Classes can be paid on the door via card/contactless payment or exact cash each week .

Further information

• New starters can start on any Wednesday as its new routines each week at our open for all classes so there is no need for a trail class.
• First session is half price classes are 'closed classes' which means parents are unable to sit and watch as it is more comfortable for the students to progress and be themselves.

Follow Hype Dance Company

• Instagram
• Hypes Facebook
• Hypes Tiktok
• Email
  
  

Two weekly session run

• Mondays, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - Fyfe Hall
• Fridays, 12pm - 2pm - Main Hall

Please email here if you are interested in joining the class, Julia will need to speak with you before sign up. The company is led by Julia Thorneycroft.

About Julia 
Julia has many years experience of creating, directing and teaching dance in professional, community and academic contexts. She is Programme Leader for the Dance Foundation Degree,City of Bristol College, and has Artistic Director roles for Kinesis Youth Dance Company, and Julia Thorneycroft Young Dancers Company. Her performance company, Julia Thorneycroft Dance, creates accessible dance theatre that explores current social themes and human nature, engaging the core human emotions of its audience. She is committed to reaching out beyond traditional theatre space into outdoor festivals and rural touring.

Please note: Trinity operates a 24hr Pay & Display Car Park and all Visitors are required to Pay & Display.