Clare and Dave booked Trinity for their wedding, here they walk down the aisle in Fyfe Hall (image courtesy of Clare and Dave).

Host your ceremony in the beautiful Fyfe Hall with breathtaking stained-glass windows; transform the main hall with your own vision into a decorated banqueting area;  make the most of the iconic backdrop for photos in-front of the recently restored Grade II* listed former church, The Trinity Centre.

Abi and Jack celebrate their marriage in Trinity's large outdoor garden (image courtesy of Abi and Jack).

Book before 28 Feb 2019 to save 10% off 2019 Wedding packages – there are only a few remaining dates available in 2019 so be quick as once they are gone they are gone – to find out more and to arrange a viewing get in touch with us on 0117 935 1200 or email us at info@trinitybristol.org.uk

Viki Brown during her Hyper Fem sharing (photo credit @ Khali Ackford)

Viki shared her work: Hyper Fem in early January 2019 at Trinity. Hyper Fem asks whether the performance of femininity through Drag can be as powerful, political or subversive when performed on a female identifying body. It is strongly inspired by some of her recent previous projects which involved epic wigs and performing as a ‘make up girl in a tiny dress’.

Many people came along to Viki's sharing, including Trinity staff (photo @Khali Ackford)

The IGNiTE team attended alongside Trinity staff, industry professionals and members of Many Minds the Bristol based arts and mental health charity that Viki is a co-director of. A sharing is the opportunity for an artist to receive feedback on their work in progress and to develop the piece further. For audiences it is an opportunity to 'contextualize the artist’s vision'.

“I work alongside resident artists helping with admin and logistics. Often we talk about road blocks they are facing and their '’break though moments'’. Because of this when I'm given the opportunity to see sharing's I jump at the chance. It gives me the opportunity to push my boundaries and offer perspective that may not come from the artist’s typical audience. ” - Ripley, Admin Assistant

Viki interacts with the audience after her sharing of 'Hyper Fem' (photo @Khali Ackford)

Looking back on her residency Viki says: "Developing ‘Hyper Fem’ at Trinity has been an incredible opportunity for me. I find the building, its history and its placement in the city truly inspiring. It's political past and its dedication to the multiple communities who use the space have challenged me to think and dream bigger than ever before. I felt safe, supported and welcome in the building which after two weeks of working there started to feel like a second home. We are now excited to begin the next phase of the project: finding partners and commissioners to work with on the show!”

In March and April welcome Roxana Vilk whose residency will focus on the lullabies families cross Bristol sing to their children.

During the afternoon prior to performing his show as part of Trinity’s IGNiTE, Scottee gave a workshop titled “Making Stuff About Stuff”. The session was delivered in an open-minded, safe space, allowing all participants to exchange ideas freely.

Those who attended were able to share amongst one another and with theatre maker and performer Scottee himself. They discussed ways of finding inspiration for creating new work through different exercises.

Scottee introduced ways of finding new themes to develop new meaningful work. He started off by encouraging the participants to create a list of words that reflects their identity in their own eyes and the eyes of others.

In the second phase of the workshop, Scottee invited the participants to create a list of what makes them angry and to choose one of these particular ideas and write a “rant” about it.

"It felt like a really safe and generous moment. I liked having less 'showing work' and more talking about creative process in an interactive way" - workshop participant

There are plenty more IGNiTE workshops around the corner. Why not join Shane Shambhu (Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer,10 Mar) or Akeim Toussaint in the day time (before Windows of Displacement, 23 Mar), or drop in just before Rent Party (16 Mar) take to the stage for a dance workshop?

People gather in the main hall for this years drumming workshop Photo @Alexa Ledecky

Families taking part in the craft workshops in the Main Hall Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Almatic's lead singer Katie during their set on the Main Stage Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Children taking part in Cirque De Silk's aerial workshop Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

All the enjoyment early on in our community garden Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Miss T, who attends sessions as part of our music making project plays the Making Tracks showcase Photo @Alexa Ledecky

Families enjoying the spring sun and vibes with Trinity and her iconic towers in the background Photo @ Khali Ackford

Wecil Collective perform in the Main Hall, including an cameo from Trinity's Engagement Coordinator Dr Edson Burton who MC'd on the mics Photo @ Khali Ackford

Bristol artist, DJ and producer Dutchie during her set Photo @ Khali Ackford

Rider Shafique and Sam Binga played the end set at this years Garden Party Photo @ Khali Ackford

Trinity T's everywhere! Photo @Khali Ackford

And it ends ... with Lottie Ball & Edson Burton hosts of this years Garden Party Photo @ Khali Ackford

Newtown street party in Aug 2021

Newtown is one of Trinity's closest neighbours, tucked between the Bristol – Bath Cycle Path and Clarence Road.  Many of the families in Newtown have lived there for several generations, creating a strong feeling of community and belonging. Newtown Network is a local grassroots community organisation that is working to improve the quality of life for residents and “putting Newtown on the map!”.

“Newtown Network connects the dots that wasn’t there before. I’m excited for the developments and regeneration that are going to happen in Newtown” Deborah Benjamin, Newtown Network

Deborah Benjamin, Newtown resident and chair of the Newtown Network, sees the role of the organisation to “address frustrations felt by residents who continue to feel disconnected from the investment that many other areas of Bristol have experienced, which they feel has led to high rates of crime and anti-social behaviour, leaving many residents feeling isolated.”

The Network are using creativity as a catalyst for change, delivering community projects, activities and events so that community members can feel heard, connected and empowered to influence their own future.

Newtown Network are valued members of Trinity and as part of our ongoing commitment to support grassroots organisations we have been working with them to offer support for the delivery and planning of their events

In August 2021 Trinity joined forces with Newtown Network to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Newtown with an (excellent) street party, steered by Newtown Network chair Deborah Benjamin and supported by artists Amy Rose and Jess Meadows from Mobile Urban Community Collaborations (MUCC). Over 75 residents came along, taking part in creative workshops, live performances as well as information stands from local organisations including the Salvation Army, Trinity Tabernacle Church, Lawrence Hill Health Centre and youth centre Baggator.

In October 2021 Newtown Network hosted the ‘Unsung Heroes – Give Thankz Celebration’ at Trinity. This event celebrated the local heroes who have contributed to their local communities. Guest speakers at the event included local poet Zed Regal and Joy Gardiner-Johnson who gave a presentation on the ‘Art of Headwraps’ and how they appear in different cultures.

Since November 2021, the Newtown Network have been collaborating with Trinity’s Resident Artist, Michelle Roche, to deliver the ‘Newtown Wishlist’ a series of creative happenings in Newtown in 2021/2022.  Residents who would like to take part in the project can meet Michelle for a cup of tea (and cake) at Rosevear House on Wednesdays 10 am – 12 pm.

If you would like to get involved or keep up-to-date with events and activities happening in Newtown get in touch with Deborah Benjamin (Newtown Network) newtownlive20@outlook.com or sign up to Trinity’s Community newsletter.

Spilt Ink developed Home at Trinity in collaboration with local school children

Spilt Ink Theatre, a trio of performers who specialise in movement, clowning and puppetry, created a new piece of work for children through a paid Trinity commission. The company worked in collaboration with a local school to develop a movement piece called 'Home’ - a piece that would celebrate the many cultural heritages of children in Bristol.

"My 4-year-old was totally engaged, repeating the keywords from the main character. She even wrote her own letter!"

Split Ink embedded themselves in the school. Many children felt anxious at first, having recently experienced disruption due to Lockdown restrictions however, through small group workshops, games and storytelling activities the children increased their confidence. As part of the journey children shared their own stories, many of whom had experienced the themes explored in Home, such as experiencing migration.

The final part of the development of the work saw the company inviting the children, their teachers and their families to Trinity to see a preview of the performance Summer 2021. As part of the post-show discussion the children shared their own insight into the themes of flight, home and belonging.

Having developed the seed of Home, Spilt Ink are now in the process of realising this into a full length children’s performance to be completed in collaboration with local school children and presented at Trinity in 2022.

Image: Nathalie Codsi in Arnold's Big Adventure by Tessa Bide Productions, photo by Kai Taylor

Spilt Ink Theatre Company have been awarded Trinity’s Young Audiences Commission to develop a new piece of work for 3-10 year olds. The £6,000 commission has been made possible through the support of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Spilt Ink are a physical theatre company who create playful, joyful and fun work with and for communities and children. During their development commission they will be exploring the themes of home and identity.

“We will create a fantasy ‘home’ rooted in real stories of our multicultural community. It will explore both the physical sensation of home and the cultural meaning of home.  We will question what home means to ourselves, as diverse artists, and to the multicultural local community of East Bristol.”

They will work with Trinity and local community partners to deliver creative and playful workshops with local children and families; sharing and exploring the stories of the many communities living in Lawrence Hill and Easton.

Spilt Ink were selected for the commission following an open call out that received 20 project proposals. Their project, Home, stood out to our parent-led selection panel - made up of staff, volunteers and community reps - for the way it placed co-creation at its core and young people at the centre of deciding where the project journey would take them.

Between its members - Lebanese/Italian actor and theatre maker Nathalie Codsi, Bristol-based international theatre director, community arts facilitator and performer Hester Welch, and British actor, puppeteer/ theatre maker Sarah Cribdon, Spilt Ink have a wealth of experience of working with diverse communities across the world and we look forward to seeing where Home will take them.

If you are interested in finding out more about how to get involved with the Young Audiences Commission as it emerges, please get in touch or sign up to our mailing list.

“As we have struggled with funding...The doors of the Trinity Centre have always been open to us.”

Simi Chowdhry, Director, Awaz Utaoh

Awaz Utaoh weekly women's group at Trinity

In memory of life and work of community leader Simi Chowdhry, who sadly passed in November 2021, we look back on the work of our charity partner Awaz Utaoh, who ran a weekly Asian women's support group at Trinity for over a decade...

Awaz Utaoh means 'raise your voice' - founded in 1998, the charity sought to engage women from across Bristol's South Asian community of any religion.Each Wednesday until 2019, Trinity's Main Hall was filled with music, dancing, food and fun, thanks to Awaz Utaoh's weekly well-being and empowerment workshops and activities for Asian women of all faiths and backgrounds.

From Zuumba to gardening, language classes to safety courses, the group provided vital support for South Asian women to improve their health and well-being.

The group was supported via Trinity's Community Kickstart scheme until the retirement of Simi, the charity's founder, who sadly passed away in November 2021.

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

From riots in 1831 to the Colston statue and Kill the Bill protests, Bristol has long been a city renowned for radical action. Now, as then, radicalism has been accompanied by an outpouring of creative responses - from poetry to illustration to performance.

Now, Stories of Resistance, a new nine-part podcast series has been launched, uncovering some of Bristol’s lesser-known stories of contemporary activism. From the story of how one moment changed the direction of a grassroots boxing club, to a mother’s journey into disability activism, to changing the face of environmentalism and pushing for better gender representation in the music industry, these podcasts explore the stories of ordinary people fighting for change.

"What I noticed was by taking part in this project people discovered that there are so many people battling injustices and fighting against social injustices and yet so often don’t see themselves as an activist." Miranda Rae, Community Journalist

The series was created by Bristol residents during workshops with award winning journalist and broadcaster Miranda Rae (Sound Women SW and Ujima Radio). Over four months Miranda hosted group and 1-2-1 training sessions where participants learned how to produce, research, record and present a podcast.

The podcasts were commissioned as part of Art of Resistance, our two-year Heritage Lottery Funded project that has been exploring, documenting and celebrating the human stories behind activist movements in Bristol.

The podcasts will be distributed on Ujima Radio on Sundays  throughout January at 11am starting on 08 Jan throughout January 2023 and will include interviews with the creators as well as Dr Edson Burton, who is the driving force behind the project. Please note that the episodes may include language and topics that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Listen now on Spotify