When I come to Trinity I send some emails out advertising gigs and classes, what are going on here. I like getting out and meeting people and having a laugh. I like getting out and socialising and getting out of the house for a day. I am always kept busy at Trinity and I enjoy myself.

(Us) Can you describe your time at Trinity in three words? Happy, working hard

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

We have a long-standing partnership with Leyhill HMP - a CAT D, open prison - and provide long-term work placements to individual life-prisoners for between 6-18 months, in order to help improve their chances of successful release.

Many prisoners come into prison unemployed and 73.5% return to unemployment on release*

If an ex-offender is able to come out and find work, somewhere to live and develop a support network, this greatly reduce the chances of them re-offending.

Many prisoners are released with nowhere to go and support from friends or family is not always available. Therefore, in our commitment to providing services for the whole community, it is vital that organisations such as Trinity provide support in the form of work experience placements for ex-offenders.

“I am currently serving a prison sentence at Leyhill prison. As part of my resettlement I go to Trinity Centre where I help out with all aspects of keeping this community centre up and running for all the people in the area. This has given me a lot of confidence to help me move forward in my rehabilitation, meeting new people and giving me a new view on how to be more open and to give me more options for when I do get released from prison.” Statement from an individual on placement from Leyhill HMP, who has been successfully released, 2013

The Trinity Centre is a large, converted, Georgian, grade II* listed former-church building, so ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the building and grounds is a constant challenge.

Our Leyhill volunteers bring with them skills including plastering, painting, carpentry, brick-laying, gardening and cleaning, including COSHH. The placements allow individuals to gain practical work experience, whilst also helping us to carry out essential repairs and maintenance that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.

Providing ex-offenders with the opportunity to apply their training within a real setting provides individuals with valuable experience to enable them to secure employment on their release.

“Thank you for making me feel part of the team and treating me like a human being again.” Statement from an individual on placement from Leyhill HMP, who has been successfully released, 2016

Want to read more? See: In memoriam: Phil, a story of change.

Our placements are provided on a case-by-case basis, where individuals are not shown to be on the Child Protection Register or Protection of Vulnerable Adults Register. A full disclosure is undertaken, where individuals are assessed to ensure that offering a placement will not pose a threat to either Centre users or other staff and volunteers. We also have an Ex-offenders Policy that we use to train staff and volunteers in working with ex-offenders. Lehyill HMP regularly monitor placements as part of their “Through The Gate” scheme.

___

*HoC Work and Pensions Committee, Support for ex-offenders Fifth Report of Session 2016–17, p5

Mothers, fathers and children learnt to sing lullabies from around the world at the Easton Community Centre workshop in October 2019.

'Lullabies' sharing at Trinity

Roxana is a British-Iranian artist with a background in physical theatre, film and music. In 2018 Roxana Vilk moved to Bristol from Scotland and started teaching English to refugee women at the Malcolm X Centre. After attending a drop-in for international parents at her son's school, she was inspired to use lullabies to bring communities together. Soon after this, Roxana applied to become an IGNiTE resident

“When I walked into Trinity I thought ‘Ok, this is home" Roxana Vilk

Our community-led approach is what made her chose IGNiTE over other residencies that were available in the area. Joining us gave her a sense of grounding that helped her kick-start her artistic work in Bristol. During her four months with us, she grew her idea from “seed” stage to full blown project.

Roxana developed “Lullabies” together with local communities by collecting, recording and sharing songs from the many cultures in Bristol. Here she was filmed by the BBC during a workshop at Easton Community Centre, delivered in partnership with Up Our Street.

The Trinity team members supported Roxana with project planning, producing and time management guidance. This supported her growth as an artist. Roxana also feels like Trinity’s networks and connections benefited her project. The IGNiTE residency also allowed Roxana to develop new skills and take artistic risks, allowing her to "get out of her comfort zone".

“There’s a deep respect for Trinity amongst artists, and an awareness that there is integrity in any work that is supported by the venue.”

With Trinity's support Roxana is continuing to develop “Lullabies” gathering songs with Bristol-based communities and running workshops culminating a “Lullabies” showcase at Trinity in 2020.

Finally, Roxana feels like IGNiTE really benefit marginalised communities in Bristol. Several people at the Trinity sharing said they had never attended a show or been involved in one before because opportunities are usually not communicated to them. Roxana believes the local engagement work Trinity does, makes it the most distinctive community arts provider in the area.

“If the Arts Council is all about prioritising access to the arts, supporting Trinity and more specifically the IGNiTE programme is a no brainer.”

About IGNiTE

IGNiTE is Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and by Bristol City Council.

Photo credits @ Alexa Ledecky www.alexaledecky.com

The Art Therapy sessions were planned for young adults, most of them referred by their GP's. The purpose of the project was to help individuals to increase their understanding of what is happening, reducing the level of distress caused by unusual experiences and prioritising personal recovery and a quick return to valued roles and social relationships.

Katie Gannaway, Mental Health Worker for AWP Bristol Early Intervention Team explains why the project was important:

"Earlier this year we ran a therapeutic art group from Arts West Side, for 16 weeks. The group was for young people 16- 35 years who are experiencing mental health difficulties. As part of their recovery we wanted this group to be in the community to promote social inclusion, leading to service users to feel less isolated and facilitating them to link in to other community resources.

The art group gave them an opportunity to explore their creativity whilst receiving emotional support in a safe group environment enabling them to feel more confident to be part of the community. The group was for a maximum of eight people, and included two healthcare professionals facilitating the therapeutic art group.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends the use of art for young people because it can help to alleviate negative symptoms and should be provided in a group setting.

The feedback from group members was very positive; they liked the location because it was central, they also felt the space provided was safe and confidential, allowing them to freely express themselves through their art.

They also appreciated the art space below (SPACE), giving them the opportunity to view various exhibits, which for some, influenced their art and interest. This often impacted on our art sessions; members would access the group through the exhibition and this would become a talking point, and an opportunity to engage with others. Some of the members had never had the opportunity to visit art exhibitions; however, the accessibility provided this opportunity.

We would have struggled to provide this group in the community due to limited funds; Arts West Side offered a great space, accessible to communities that are often isolated."

Jasmine: “I think I would like to see more theatre...it has been really great to have a project to focus on an be part of something.”

Scott: “It's great to be part of a theatre company in my community...Tank Theatre is one of a kind in Bristol.”

James: “More shows and performances – I feel the audience that came were diverse and benefited from the experience.”

D: “It makes me believe anything is possible if you dedicate enough adequate time talent and feeling for an aspiration.”

In one year we have played host to 49 live music events and facilitated 134 community sessions, from retro markets and jobs fairs to parties and forums. We have also run over 200 workshops and training sessions, either as part of our training program or through our various projects such as the Bristol Sound Project, our First Light Movies project and Project Respect.

We have seen our staff numbers grow from one full time member to three key posts. Activities Coordinator Emma Harvey continues excel in her role to achieving success for the Centre and the communities we service. Project Coordinator, Nick Young, has ensured successful delivery of our Heritage Lottery Young Roots grant, creating a project that was both engaging and ground-breaking. The newest member of our team, Training Coordinator Katie Pearce, will see us developing and improving upon the success of our 2008 training program, offering a wider range of courses to a broader social demographic.

We have several new directors, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. We have also seen an encouraging increase in voluntary participation at Trinity, increasing the efficiency and capacity of our admin team.

The most notable development this year has been Bristol City Council awarding us the status of Key Arts Provider within the city. This recognition of our achievements within arts and the community shows how far we have come since re-opening the Centre four years ago.

Another major success of the year has been the development of our IT facilities. We have made great progress in providing Free and Open Source Software alternatives to those using our facilities - improving the likelihood of continued use of these accessible tools outside of the Centre. We now have a fully networked IT suite running from our own Linux distribution, which will be of great benefit to the communities we service. We have also continued to develop and improve our website and have secured a second grant through the Quartet Foundation to add some more interactive features.

Finally 2008 has been a year of developing the building. We have a completed Recording Studio, part funded by our Bristol Objective 2 grant, and have secured an English Heritage grant to carry out a full conditions survey of the building in 2009. We have also renovated and improved our hall spaces, stage and the exterior of the building - much of which has been achieved on a minimal budget with huge voluntary participation.

A massive thank you to all those who have put their blood, sweat and tears into making all these great things happen.

Check out our Annual Report for more information.

This year Trinity has seen rapid growth within our management team, and development of the infrastructure of the building and our facilities. This is due to the continued intensive investment of time and energy made by all who have Trinity’s success at heart. The success of Trinity Community Arts, in my opinion, is now firmly fixed as a stable reality. We can now boast that we are truly self-supporting, and that any investment made in us will be solely used to directly benefit the community.

For example, we have seen the completion of the first year of training here, one of our finest achievements so far, leading to the close partnership we now have with City of Bristol College. Trinity has now made the necessary first steps to becoming an accredited learning centre, and we look forward to a bright future with more courses planned and a wider remit. In particular we are continuing to address the inability of main stream education to target those young people who have disengaged from society, or who are at risk of doing so - those most in need of a sense of direction.

Another milestone that we have passed this year is the start of the long-awaited first floor improvements funded by Objective 2, Bristol City Council Equalities team, Yansec and ourselves. These improvements make the first floor more accessible to the public and will provide high-quality sound-proofed studios for the local community.

In July we saw the arrival of Emma Harvey, our new Activities Coordinator and Administrator. She immediately adapted to the position and has now become the central focus and the most valuable asset to the organisation. Emma sees no boundaries to her job title, and has successfully taken on fundraising, website design, publicity, and recruitment - far exceeding our expectations. It also gives me great pleasure to welcome Jennie Jones as new Chair of the organisation. I believe that we would not find a more talented and enthusiastic person and I am now very excited about the future with such a solid team. Watch this space.

Let’s not forget the events which are such an important part of Trinity’s heritage. Muse Music (now Meme Music) has continued to raise the game in this area with highlights for 2007 including The Good the Bad and the Queen and Willy Mason.

We have now entered a more professional and high-profile arena, which mirrors the progress we have been making as an organisation. Many thanks to Simon Bell and Teresa Vandre of Meme Music for the effort they have made in maintaining and improving our partnership.

Finally, the year 2007 ended on a very positive note, as the successful management of Objective 2 funding now opens the door to significant funding from Heritage Lottery, English Heritage and the Arts Council. Our short lease previously excluded us from access to major funding from these bodies, but in 2008 we will draw up a new service level agreement with Bristol City Council. This should provide a lease long enough to persuade these bodies to invest substantially in the fabric of the building, and in other worthy projects to enhance the resources available to deprived local communities.

We all firmly believe that Trinity can and will develop into a renowned centre of excellence for the South West, and become one of the finest jewels in Bristol’s crown.

Check out our Annual Report for more information.

Contractors gcp Chartered Architects and CW Duke worked tirelessly and within strict budget and deadline to complete the scheme of works, which included a new reception area, heating system, partition wall, sprung wooden floor, lighting and drapes - to enable us to provide a more flexible space for the variety of uses of the centre.

The plan to redevelop the Trinity Centre has been an ambition for decades and this former converted church has long been a focal point for the cultural and community activities in East Bristol. Thanks to support from funders including Big Lottery Fund and Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, these long-held aspirations have now become a reality. With a second large hall space in the upstairs of the Centre, we are able to provide access to high-end facilities at affordable rates for a range of activities including dance, performance, meetings, conferences, weddings and more.

Over 200 Friends of Trinity turned out for our official opening of the new 'Fyfe Hall', named in memory of former board member Nicholas Fyfe, who passed away in 2007. The event gave people in the community and users of the Centre the opportunity to see all the improvements made to the building and the audience were entertained by Bristol Reggae Orchestra who gave an outstanding performance as the first musicians to perform in the newly renovated space. This was folloed by the public relaunch event with a performance from Adrian Utley of Portishead.

Throughout the year, the Trinity Centre was used by over 40,000 people, across 222 activities and events. This includes:

• 7674 participants in community events, across 12214 unique visits
• 730 people participating in projects such as our Community Garden, Arts West Side and Vice & Virtue
• 41 young people involved regularly across our youth music training programme
• 53 volunteers supporting across all activities
• provided 4 paid intern-ships for young people aged 18-24 through the Creative Employment Programme.

Our Trinity Community Initiative (TCI) provided 1,180 hrs of free or subsidised space hire at The Trinity Centre for grass-roots groups and community projects (inc theatre and dance rehearsals), meetings and events and approx 125 hrs at Arts West Side – our satellite venue on Old Market High Street.

In line with the Bristol Green Capital 2015, we will be focusing on making Trinity more sustainable, both environmentally, through taking steps to make Trinity a greener venue and financially, through building our reserves. Our activity plans for 2015 include exploring new ways of bringing communities together, such as a series of live community-debates, taking more artistic control over our live-programming and providing more learning opportunities for young people. We're looking forward to doing more for our communities in 2015!

Key Achievements

• TCA was awarded the VISIBLE accreditation certificate by Community Matters in recognition of our service to the community.

• Successfully completed our roof repair project with funding support from English Heritage, Pilgrim Trust and Biffa Award

• Delivered a training programme for 16-18 year olds in activities including Music, Photography and Graffiti, in partnership with the City of Bristol College

• Secured a new contract to deliver youth training provision in partnership with Weston College for 2014

• Delivered a Youth Music project with open music sessions for young people aged 13-21

• Delivered a community garden project, including a Women and Children's drop-in on Wednesdays as well as free gardening sessions on Thursdays with groups of vulnerable adults from Rethink and Second Step

• Completed works to our outdoor community kitchen and installed a new children's play area thanks to funding from Veolia Environmental Trust, promoting natural interactive play

• Completed our Arts Council funded Bridges Project, which culminated in a citywide site-specific performance The Ithaca Axis, featuring both professional actors and community ensemble

• Held our annual free garden party and fireworks parties attracting audiences from across the community

• Delivered the Digital Activism project for young people aged 18-25 to develop experience in the creative industries in partnership with Knowle West Media Centre and Ujima Radio

• Delivered a new youth Tank Theatre project with support from Ernest Cook Trust for young people aged 15-26 to take part in weekly acting workshops leading up to a final performance M.C.Beth at the Trinity Centre at the end of August

• Secured Awards for All funding for the Activate West Side Project at Arts West Side and have appointed a new Volunteer Coordinator for the project at the end of the year

• Secured Heritage Lottery funding for a new 18mth long project, Vice & Virtue about the history of Old Market High Street, 2013-2015

• Delivered a capital improvement project to the Centre, funded by Big Lottery Fund and Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, to renovate the upstairs hall space and grounds

• Participating in the new Creative Employment Programme, providing paid internships for young people aged 18-24 within Trinity

• Supported numerous groups with free/subsidised hall space. See Annual Report for details.

During 2011 a number of additional Directors were recruited in order to strengthen the governance of the organisation. The enlarged Board is busy settling in and has recently held two “away days” in order to assess how best to operate in order to serve Trinity.

One long awaited success has been gaining charitable status for Trinity. This is important because it will enable us to access a wider range of potential funds and to achieve greater financial stability. As part of this initiative we have set up a trading company to operate our non charitable activities, with all surpluses gifted to the charity.

For the first time we have been awarded a grant from the Arts Council - £65,000 for the Bridges Project - an important recognition of the high quality work being delivered at Trinity. The Bridges project will provide a programme of accessible arts workshops using spoken word, creative writing, performing and visual arts, to draw out personal stories of local people and to use the arts to build bridges between communities and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of inner-city Bristol.

We are working very closely with English Heritage as part of ongoing repairs to the roof, assisted by project management skills from Bristol City Council. The Council have also committed to a 35 year lease through their Community Asset Transfer Policy. We are very grateful for the assistance of all our partners.

Our newest venture in West Street is nearly ready to be launched, with building works almost complete and enthusiastic volunteers exploring how best to use all the new facilities.

This is a very exciting time to be involved with Trinity. I’m delighted to be able to report positive progress on so many fronts. I look forward to even more progress in 2012 and in subsequent years.

Check out our Annual Report for more information.

At last year's AGM we adopted new articles, which now enable us to carry out our work with a clearer understanding of our position and legality. There were some concerns expressed in certain areas and following a period of further consultation we will be presenting a refined version of the articles for approval at the 2010 AGM. We believe this will address the issues raised and ensure our constitution is a true reflection of our shared mission and values. We have been working with the Cooperative Assistance Network, CommunityMatters and the Business Development team from the Communitybuilders Fund, who have all helped us in 2010 with the ongoing development of the organisation.

We have been working with Bristol City Council in the negotiation of a longer lease for the Trinity Centre, to secure the future of this building for the community. Bristol City Council have now implemented a Community Asset Transfer Policy, which will help to advance this process and we are hopeful to achieve a positive outcome in 2011. We have also applied for Charitable status and are receiving support in order to ensure this application will be successfully concluded in the near future.

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the members to thank the Board of Directors and our Company Secretary Simon Hewes and the team at Bond Pearce – all of whom have given a huge amount of time voluntarily, and have received no payment for their services, either directly or in the way of expenses.

Throughout the year we have been working to identify how best we can widen participation through our membership. We have held several consultation sessions and are keen to work with local people and Centre users to assure the needs of our communities are reflected and influence the future development of Trinity.

We have received considerable grant support from a variety of funders to deliver projects, training and improve the building. Future applications are in hand, which will hopefully yield further development. The directors and staff feel that we are now in a strong position to move forward and further develop and improve the scope and range of activities taking place at Trinity.

Check out our Annual Report for more information.

Gh0$t took part in a vocal looping workshop with performer and musician Keisha Thompson. Photo KoLAB Studios / Khali Ackford

Making Tracks is a life-changing music making project, delivered by Trinity and partners ACE and Basement Studios. The project supports young people to take their next steps in education or work through accessing music provision.

Gh0$t, aka Jack, joined Making Tracks when he was 23 - finding out about the programme through a suggestion by Access Creative College. The college have worked with Trinity for a number of years, often referring students who may benefit from an alternative education setting.

“Jack’s journey has had its challenges, but his passion for music and the support Trinity provided throughout this time has helped to keep him focussed and motivated. Jack has showed a consistent level of dedication and has seen the confidence in his own abilities and talent develop exponentially.” Dave Thomas, Youth Activities Manager

All young people who take part in Making Tracks have individual learning plan. This is created through conversations with students, highlighting what they may want to achieve and input from tutors, identifying key areas of development.

Jack showed an interest in developing his skills in writing original lyrics, rap and learning more about recording his own songs. He developed his music skills in regular 1-2-1 sessions and attended workshops and opportunities offered throughout the programme. This included workshops with touring artists Keisha Thompson, Making Tracks Summer Music Sessions, Q&A sessions with industry professionals and music events. Gh0$t also was active in promoting his own music made during his sessions on social media.

The final part of Jacks development was the opportunity to work as a youth mentor on an Anti-Knife Crime project. Organised by Avon and Somerset Police and delivered in partnership with local schools, Jack supported students to create a soundtrack for an animation. Jack was completely dedicated to the process taking part not only as lyric writer and performing artist but also as a consultant, offering musical advice to the students in the project.

“My main motivation … stems from my past. It actually drove me to write and work on this project because I felt I could relate to what these young people go through on a daily basis, but I also wanted to portray the message that you can still make a difference and become something that no one believed you could be.” Gh0$t

Since completing the programme, Jack is working on building his youth work CV and accessing further courses and youth work qualifications - proving his commitment to continue his professional journey.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as support from match funders Youth Sector Support Fund.