Trinity's Community Consultation

Thanks to the support of Architectural Heritage Fund, we were able to carry out an extensive community consultation, led independently by Artspace Lifespace. Working with PH3 Designs, we also worked to update our Feasibility Study for the Trinity Centre, to ensure we have a plan for future capital works linked to the feedback of communities we serve.

Our 12pt action-plan, linked to our Business Plan for 2023-26 will help to ensure we remain on track to respond to these fundings and recommendations, in line with our values:

Accessibility & visibility

1. Achieve 'Attitude is Everything Charter' Silver Award to further improve venue accessibility
2. Develop a 'soft' entrance into the building, introducing visual aesthetics to make the Centre more inviting, welcoming and celebratory of our communities
3. Provide a programme of publicly accessible drop-in activities to enable visitors to attend and utilise the site freely

Relevancy & equity

1. Develop activities in direct response to feedback and community needs analysis, including open access activities for young people and targeted provision for men aged 55+ living locally
2. Increase place-based work, delivering activity outside of Trinity to connect and engage new communities in partnership with local groups and artists
3. Adopt Equity Union minimum rate of pay for freelancers/artists and prioritise resources to nurture and support locally embedded artists
4. Invest in a cross-sector partnership model and prioritise support for grassroots groups who can proactively respond to community needs and interests

Reach & representation

1. Develop existing and new participatory decision-making forums to ensure representation across programmes
2. Develop targeted community-specific communications and engagement, including neighbourhood champions to reach our diverse communities and celebrate community achievements
3. Adopt Unlock: the Inc Arts Diverse Workforce Toolkit, which includes inclusive recruitment actions to reach and support a diverse workforce

Responsibility & accountability

1. Update our 2014 Green Audit to identify short, medium and long-term actions in response to the climate emergency
2. Appoint a dedicated mental health lead for Trinity’s workforce and offer mental health first aid training to support staff and centre users

Context

Trinity’s values are Empower, Respond and Amplify and we are committed to living these values through the proactive development of our workforce, programme and building. In response to previous surveys and feedback we have taken the steps to ensure our actions align with our values, including:

• Empower: Becoming a Real Living Wage employer in 2020 for all age-groups and roles, to ensure everyone is paid fairly to start their career in the arts

• Respond: Appointed a new Activities Coordinator in 2021 to lead asset-based community development activities and initiatives

• Amplify: Ran the 100 Beacons campaign, 2022 to raise the profile of the work of community buildings across the city, helping to inspire a £4m Community Resilience Fund for the city

If there is anything else you think we could or should be doing to make sure we live out our values, please get in touch with your suggestions: feedback@trinitybristol.org.uk

More info

What's Next? Community Consultation, Artspace Lifespace

Feasbility Study, PH3 Designs

Trinity Business Plan, 2023-26

Community Painting Day part of the Wish List. Photo credit Khali Ackford

We have joined forces with St Paul’s Carnival to launch an ambitious project that aims to pilot a new people-led model for culture. Together, we want to support people to take decisions, make change and create culture that matters to them.

St Paul’s Carnival and Trinity are both grassroots, independent organisations based in East Bristol. Alongside delivering citywide events, we both work with local communities to design and deliver creative and cultural provision throughout the year.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) has committed funding for this research and development project, to test a process in which citizens could lead the creation and design of a cultural strategy for Bristol and the surrounding region.

Trinity and St Pauls Carnival will collaborate with the Gulbenkian Foundation, David Jubb of Citizens In Power and others to develop a bottom-up approach within the city that speaks of the collective experiences of diverse communities in order to better shape future decision making.

“We want to explore a different approach - one in which the very people who make and enjoy culture have a voice to express what this means for our city.” LaToyah McAllister-Jones Executive Director of St Pauls Carnival

Over the next year, the pilot will explore tested models such as Citizens’ Assemblies - used in Bristol in 2021 as part of the city’s post-COVID19 recovery planning - to input and shape democratic decision making in Bristol; a city known for its arts and culture.

This research phase will run until Summer 2023 and will involve a series of targeted workshops and open sessions, that will explore different ways of co-creating with communities.

If you would like to get involved, or for more information, please contact esther@trinitybristol.org.uk or sign up to Trinity’s Mailing list.

Trinity have partnered with Coexist Community Kitchen to deliver a series of community gardening and cooking sessions. The sessions are aimed at bringing people together from a wide range of backgrounds to learn more about gardening, harvesting and cooking in our beautiful garden.

“I’ve loved learning to cook authentic meals from different parts of the world, coming together with people from different backgrounds and learning about their food” - Toby, Participant

Coexist Community Kitchen work with individuals who are accessing support for mental health issues, addiction, loneliness, and anyone who would benefit from taking part in outdoor activities to improve their personal well-being. The group learn about and take part in harvesting fresh produce such as carrots, marrows and radishes, before coming together to cook a meal as a group. In one session, participants made Vietnamese-style vegetable spring rolls and pancakes with vegetables and herbs picked garden.

Over the summer we delivered six weekly sessions, with around 30 people taking part. Participants spoke about how these sessions help with mental well-being, reduced isolation and loneliness, and offered the chance to learn more about cooking and gardening. Being able to offer free, outdoor sessions is something that has become increasingly important, especially post-pandemic when isolation has become more common.

We launch a new series of Community Cooking Sessions on 13 Sep. Click here to find out more.

These events are part of Eastside People and Places, made possible through funding from Bristol Impact Fund.

Eastside People and Places is three-year project delivered by Trinity, Eastside Community Trust and Somali Kitchen (CIC). Together, we are delivering a programme of events and activities aimed at bringing people together; reducing loneliness and isolation and helping people feel included and welcome.

As part of the project, Trinity is offering support, help and guidance to people who have an idea for a community activity. Community Activities Coordinator, Stefan, works closely with community groups/ individuals to help shape ideas, create connections and plan activity.

"I never have have thought I would ever enjoy doing anything like this, but I've absolutely loved it - thank you". Creative coffee morning participant at Rosevear House

Stefan has helped residents of retirement housing Rosevear House establish a regular creative coffee morning following Trinity's Community Arts Project - The Wish List. In these coffee mornings an established artist supports participants to develop their creative ideas. Alongside this, local families whose children attended our Green Shoots After School Club will be launching their community-led regular playgroup for early years in the new term.

Regular groups have also been supported to re-ignite or establish activities, including 'Rhythm of the Night', a club night for people with learning disabilities and their friends, the new community-led LGBTQ+ theatre group, AmQueer, plus a new a relaxed and friendly social for over-55s East Central Mingle.

We are now looking to programme our Autumn/Winter activity and invite Community groups/ Individuals who have an idea for an activity that brings people together to contact stefan@trinitybristol.org.uk for a chat.

Click here to find out more about the Eastside People and Places

Eastside People and Places is supported by The Bristol Impact Fund

Teachings in Dub regular sound system night @Trinity, ©Khali Ackford

Trinity Community Arts Statement re Trinity Road Police Station Redevelopment (Application Ref. No: 21/04338/F) – Updated August 2022

Trinity welcomes the prospect of increased affordable homes and social housing offered by The Guinness Partnership. As such, since 2019, we have been liaising with Guinness and have worked closely with other community representatives including the Old Market Community Association (OMCA), as part of a shared effort to deliver the best possible outcomes for new residents.

Our main concern stems from the findings of an independent acoustician, who has concluded the noise measurements that underpin the acoustic assessment are not fit for purpose. Specifically, that the metrics adopted in the assessment fail to specifically consider the high potential for disturbance caused by low frequency music noise.

This was accompanied by concerns that proposals for a Deed of Easement - while providing additional protections to the venue - may not be suitable for a social housing development due to lack of social mobility of incoming tenants. Tenants with choice limited by their means will be more likely to accept an offer of unsuitable accommodation and will have less social mobility to relocate in the event that they find the conditions and impact of living in such close proximity to a venue to be unsatisfactory and unable to complain about this due to restrictions in their tenancy.

In addition, solutions such as mechanical ventilation, may offer little comfort to those who are most at risk of the impacts of rising energy costs and the current cost of living crisis.

As with other developments in the city and country, the 1st of 10 principles from the Govt’s National Design Guide, is ‘context’. Too often, the rapid re-imagining of our cities comes at the expense of existing social, cultural and physical landscapes.

Were the development to be permitted, we hope that Guinness will continue in their efforts to address these concerns to ensure every step is taken to mitigate against impact of our existing operations on our new neighbours.

Protections promised byAgent of Change remain largely untested and sadly the responsibility to protect what exists already falls to individual citizens to speak up in defence of the things that matter to them.

So far, there has been a lot of good will expressed by all parties including the Local Authority. We now need to ensure this translates into clear conditions and robust mitigation measures as part of the planning process, to legally safeguard Trinity’s future as a cultural institution for East Bristol and to ensure a duty of care is undertaken for the future tenants of those living 50yd from our front doors.

We recommend anyone with concerns to direct these through the Bristol City Council planning portal (application ref no. 21/04338/F).

Everybody Dance Now - Dance Connect Residency at Filwood Community Centre

Moving Bristol (2020 – 2021) was a partnership project with leading Dance Producer, Deborah Baddoo, supporting the development of dance across Bristol.

Over two years, Trinity supported four paid artist residencies, embedding practitioners in a range of grassroots sevices and community arts and health settings, to explore new ways of collaborative working.

We welcomed a total of 2756 participants across 61 workshops, focus groups, meetings and performances, both online and in-person. Alongside this, the project supported 69 artists paid work opportunities. The learnings from the project were embedded into Thriving Communities a year-long cross-sector partner project. Read more about Thriving Communities here.

“It was really meaningful for people who did get involved, it was transformational for some of the young people who participated in workshops.” residency host venue, KWMC

Artist Residencies

Artist Lerato Dunn worked with Southmead Development Trust to develop Wellbeing Moves a project that explored a dance on prescription model.

Dance organisation The Original Spinners worked with Fresh Arts supporting the recovery of elderly and frail patients through working on dementia wards.

These residencies explored different ways in which dance can be used in health settings to improve wellbeing. This included targeted work with those experiencing life-limiting illnesses. Activities were co-designed by artists, service users and delivery staff.

Penny Caffrey and Helen Wilson collaborated with Filwood Community Centre to create Everybody Dance Now to promote a positive sense of place within communities.

Artist and Producer Katy Noakes collaborated with Knowle West Media Centre to develop a new contemporary dance piece 'Shuffle'.

These residencies explored ways that dance can be used to create a sense of place, community and belonging.

Dance Hubs

Producer Deborah Baddoo worked with participatory dance artists Helen Wilson, Julia Thorneycroft, Gather Up and Raquel Meseguer to develop cross-sector collaborations with target community, health and education services.

Connecting with venues The Trinity Centre, Creative Youth Network and Arnolfini, the artists established an active youth-dance network, produced and delivered a citywide Dance and Health Conference in November collaborated with venues to explore and understand how to break down barriers for people taking part in dance activities.

Read more about the background to Moving Bristol project and the Bristol Dance Futures partnership.

Trinity are hosting a new series of Music Masterclasses for young people aged 16 to 25 interested in learning more about performing and working in the music and events industries.

Trinity have invited top industry professionals from Bristol and beyond to come and share their knowledge and insights in a series of exclusive workshops and classes. This series will feature a diverse range of guests whose jobs include performing ,producing and mixing music, as well as assisting musicians in roles such as programming, label management, radio, and much more.

Music Masterclasses form part of Trinity’s ongoing commitment to providing vocational training for young people in Bristol who may otherwise experience barriers to accessing the arts and music industries.

This series will provide young people with industry advice ,guidance and practical learning, as well as opportunities to connect and collaborate with other young people in the city.

Click the title of the event that you'd like to attend to register your interest:

Batu + Saffron Records (10 Aug)

Bristol-based DJ, Producer and Record Label

Laurence Walker (14 Sep)

Bookings and Promotions at Lost Horizon

Young Echo (12 Oct)

Music collective based in Bristol

t l k (02 Nov)

Improvisation Workshop

NSL (23 Nov)

Lighting and Sound Specialists

Noods Radio (14 Dec)

St Pauls-based Radio Station

Do you know someone who would benefit from our Music Masterclass series? Send an email to fleurw@trinitybristol.org.uk to register your interest.

Volunteers help maintain the gardens at Trinity

Putting Down Roots is a horticultural therapy and training project, using gardening as a tool to help people in their recovery. Delivered by St Mungo’s, the project helps to build people’s self-esteem, confidence and sociability through connecting with nature.

“It is a pleasure to work in such a beautiful space and to be part of something so positive that so well serves the local community.” Putting Down Roots Participant

The group meet weekly and help maintain the gardens in Trinity’s historic grounds and work in teams to plant blubs, prune trees, weed and even to take part in crafts activities such as mud sculpture.

On average about ten people attend the weekly sessions at Trinity. The team delivering Putting Down Roots say that taking part can be an up and down journey, but it is proven to help people take positive next steps in their recovery.

One client, Miriam*, took part in Putting Down Roots for about a year and a half. She particularly enjoyed being in the garden and the St Mungo's team saw her benefit therapeutically through being able to get involved, for example, in pruning the trees or weeding an area enough to unwind and feel much better after a few hours than she did when she arrived. Miriam recently moved on to start a new role as a Forest School Assistant.

Clients who take part in Putting Down Roots are referred to the project through their key worker - they may live at the St Mungo's hostel or are recommended by a someone who has previously taken part.

If you would like to find out more about the project please visit the St Mungo's website.

*name changed to protect privacy

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