Trinity Community Arts (TCA) has been awarded funding from Heritage Lottery Fund for the Trinity Centre Conservation Project.
Funding for an initial development phase will enable the centre to carry out surveys of the Grade II* listed building, in order to come up with a plan for repair works in 2017. Works will focus on repairs to the north aisle and slate roof, original stained glass window and stonework.
Over the last few years, there has been much investment to improve the Trinity Centre's facilities. With a footfall of over 50,000 each year, the planned repair works will help to ensure the community arts centre can continue long into the future.
Emma Harvey, Centre Manager of Trinity said; “Thanks previous support from English Heritage and the Big Lottery Fund, The Trinity Centre was removed English Heritage At Risk Register in 2014. However, with an old building like this, there is still much work to be done to repair the building. This support from Heritage Lottery Fund will help to ensure the community can continue to enjoy the space for decades to come."
The project will compliment previous capital repair and redevelopment works and will be the final major-works phase relating to the repair and conservation of the historic fabric. The capital works programme will be complimented by a range of heritage learning activities, including training in traditional heritage trades.
Alongside funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, the project development phase has also been supported by the Ashley, Easton, Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Partnership and the Quartet Community Foundation, with other supporters including Bristol's Rotary Club and Burgess Salmon.
Over the next year, the Trinity team will be working to raise the total funds needed to carry out the repair works and there will also be a number of job opportunities relating to the project. If you are interested in showing your support for the project or would like to know more visit: www.3ca.org.uk/activities/renovation for more information.
About Trinity's heritage
The Trinity Centre, Bristol, has been a diverse hub of community arts activities since its de-consecration as a place of worship in 1976. The building has been a prominent music venue for 50 years and has played host to a spectacular role-call of acts, becoming an important landmark in the globally exported 'Bristol Sound'.
Built between 1829-1832, the 'Waterloo Church' is considered to be one of the finest examples of the work of architects Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson. Trinity is an important Grade II* listed building, which retains significant townscape value in the context of Old Market Conservation Area, defined as "an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance."
Trinity's 41 stained-glass windows are one of the most striking but neglected features of the building. Built in an English Gothic Revival style, most of the mullioned windows and clerestory feature non-pictorial stained glass and have a Geometric Patten style using simple shapes. The building features a pictorial stained-glass panel in one of the South-East façade windows, with classical figures set against a background of vibrant colours, flanked by diaper quarries and foliage.
Trinity is situated within one of the most culturally diverse and economically deprived areas of the South West. Race, migration and the changing demographic of the surrounding area have played an important role in the history of the building. Over the years, the building has been managed by different community groups, who have all had a role to play in making the centre what it is today.
The Trinity Centre Conservation Project will help to explore some of this history and provide opportunities for people to share their stories and experiences, as well as learn about traditional heritage trades. Visit our Archive for more information.
Image by Jane Porter, BCC
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Following the recommendations of the green audit undertaken by UWE graduates in 2014 year, we have set short and long term goals to make our Grade II* listed building and charity more ecologically sound.
Short term goals have already been set in motion, such as the switch from traditional lighting LED lights in all our halls, workspaces and outdoor spaces and switching to a green energy provider. The Trinity Centre has an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C - considerably higher than similar historic buildings, which have an average rating of D. Recent installation of a new boiler and Building Management System (BMS) system, insulation works to the loft alongside the LED lighting has led to a very good rating being achieved for the style of building.
Other actions such as staff training and public awareness are an on going commitment. We are encouraging our visitors to show a positive attitude towards keeping green, such as having recycling points. Through leading by example, we hope to increase local people’s awareness of what can be done. These actions will be combined with workshops and activities around recycling, permaculture and keeping green Trinity will continue to work within the community to build awareness around green issues.
Long term we aim to install solar panels on the premises and implement ongoing improvements within the building to reduce energy loss. We are seeking funding to become more self-sustainable and use less energy within the building. One example of this would be our goal to replace the acrylic coverings to the original stain glass windows with double glazing, to help better insulate the building.
As well as directly developing the building Trinity aims to develop new and improve existing projects based around sustainability and keeping green. We plan to do this by continually supporting and working with local art projects such as Litterati who held a week's residence in 2014 at Trinity. The project was a culmination of local artists running free daily workshops for young people based around the idea of re-using items that would be traditionally seen as rubbish. This project educated young people about the amount of waste that is produced as well as ways to re-use and prevent so much waste.
We will continue to support 'green' or 'eco' themed conferences and workshops held within the venue offering advice about local resources such as catering and transport links in addition to offering a discounted rate for charities and non-profit green organisations.
We will also evolve our own projects, investing more time into supporting flagship projects such as our Garden Project and Arts West Side. As part of the Bristol 2015 programme we will be delivering the 'Grow It...Cook it...Eat It!' project, to educate, support and involve people within the community in the Green Capital agenda, targeting hard to reach groups as well as the wider community.
Keep an eye out on our website to find out more about this and other projects!
]]>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.
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*HoC Work and Pensions Committee, Support for ex-offenders Fifth Report of Session 2016–17, p5
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Portishead legend and Bristol-Sound pioneer Adrian Utley, together with world-renowned musician and guitarist John Parish, describe why they support Trinity's Notes for Notes Appeal in an interview, now available on You Tube
During the interview, John and Adrian explained why they are supporting the Trinity Centre by creating the "Trinity Anthem" for the Appeal, and Adrian goes on to remember his time performing with Portishead at Trinity back in the '90s.
For every £5 received in donation to the Appeal, Trinity will exchange a virtual musical note, and once 4,000 notes have been exchanged (£20,000), Adrian and John will release the Trinity Anthem - a unique piece of music that reflects and celebrates Trinity's rich 40 year musical heritage.
To support the Appeal, donate on our Just Giving page or by text to ROOF31 £5 to 70070
With thanks to Charlie Tothill, Chris Price (film & edition), Memotone (music).
]]>Click here to get to our Crowdfunder & support Trinity Community Arts
Artists Jimmy Cauty and Andy Council have created original and exclusive pieces of artwork to support The Trinity’s Crowdfunder Campaign, to launch on Wednesday 1st February. Funds raised will support our Conservation Project to carry out urgent repair works to the Trinity Centre roof, towers and stained glass windows.
Elecro-pioneer and founding member of The KLF, Jimmy Cauty has produced an original poster, God Save The Trinity Centre (pictured, left). Following their visit to Trinity last year as one of the first stops on the ADP Riot Tour, artists from Jimmy's L-13 Light Industrial art collective - Billy Childish, Harry Adams and Jamie Reed - have all collaborated to produce the punk-inspired artwork.
Cauty said God Save the Trinity Centre was, “inspired by the rich musical heritage of the Trinity Centre, particularity the punk bands who played there in the late 70s, and it reminds us of posters we used to make in those days.”
Jimmy's support comes at a time when it has been rumoured that KLF are set to reunite in 2017 – Sorry to disappoint! But a full denial has been reported in the NME and The Guardian. However, it is also reported that 'something is coming' in August to mark the end of a self imposed moratorium that silenced them for 23 years.
Local urban artist and illustrator Andy Council, best known for his Bristol Dinosaur and Creature-Creations featuring Bristol’s historic buildings, has also produced an original piece in support of Trinity's emergency repairs appeal.
Titled Trinity Fox the illustration features some of the historical buildings in Old Market. Speaking about the work, Andy said; “The Trinity itself is an iconic building in the city and it's been a while since I've included it in any of my Bristol ‘creature-creation’ pieces. Also included in the ‘urban beast’ are buildings from the nearby Old Market area. I've been wanting to focus on Old Market for some time now, the buildings there are really interesting and have so much history.”
As one of Bristol's leading community arts spaces, Trinity is proud to have the support of the city's arts community. In 2016, graffiti artist Stewy also provided his support, producing a series of limited edition prints and mural in memory of DJ Derek and in support of our youth music programme.
These latest original artworks will be auctioned online to raise vital funds to save the Trinity Centre - so watch this space for further announcements!
Donations to our Conservation Project can be made through Just Giving at or by Text Giving ROOF31 £5 to 70070. Click here to read more about The Trinity Conservation Project and the work Andy and Jimmy are supporting.
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Thanks to help from the Heritage Lottery Fund and match funders, alongside donations gifted from the public we are finally at a point where we can put scaffolding around the building and begin to embark on major and much needed repairs to the stonework. Alongside the most damaged masonry we will be fixing the windows so the building will be cleaner and lighter.
Access to The Trinity Centre will stay the same but during the 45 weeks the scaffolding is up our car park capacity will be severely reduced so anyone visiting us should think about alternative parking or modes of transport.
Now we have got this far we are going to be raising the funds to complete works on all the masonry (not just the most severely damaged as we had planned). Fund-raising for this now will mean we ensure that Trinity stays open for future generations and by doing the extra work now means we can limit the impact both on the public and financially.
To celebrate Trinity's history we will be launching a series of events, talks, and courses in artisan crafts to compliment the works. You can find out more about the project here. To keep up-to-date and informed about the project sign up to our mailing list at 3ca.org.uk/mail or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Works due to start 2 Oct for 45 weeks.
]]>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.
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“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
]]>We have created an online poll allowing people to share their thoughts and feelings for Jacobs Wells Baths.
The platform allows you to vote on other submissions, this is collected anonymously and gathers common themes.
If you would like to share please click this link and share with anyone who may want to join in.
About Pol.is
Pol.is is a survey technology where users can enter statements, which other users can express their positions on, clicking either “agree,” “disagree,” or “pass”.
It is an Open Source online tool that can be used to gather open ended feedback from large groups of people. It is well suited to gathering organic, authentic feedback while retaining minority opinions.
If you have any other feedback or comments, or would like to get in touch about something more specific, contact sarah@trinitybristol.org.uk
]]>Photo Alexa Ledecky
Photo Alexa Ledecky
Trinity has been selected to be one of 40 community arts centres to take part in Here and Now, a national and local celebration of culture within communities running alongside the National Lottery’s 25 year anniversary.
“After speaking to others who are of mixed heritage, and face a similar challenge of how to keep our mother tongues and cultures alive I realised there was scope to dive deeper into this subject but through music, as music has no borders, can touch us all and unites us rather than divides us.” Roxana Vilk
The project, headed by Future Arts Centres, will see 40 new projects created in community arts centres across the UK, co-created between exceptional artists and community participants.
Trinity will be working with award winning multi-disciplinary British/Iranian Roxana Vilk who will develop her project Lullabies.
Lullabies celebrates the diversity of cultures who call Bristol home by gathering & sharing songs from across the globe. Lullabies connects communities through the sharing of songs, celebrating the stories and the heritage behind them.
Roxana during the sharing of the pilot of Lullabies at Trinity.
Credit: BBC
Roxana secured an IGNiTE artist residency at Trinity in 2019 where she began collecting Lullabies during her pilot of the project. During her year long residency she delivering a workshop at Easton Community Centre to residents and families living in the BS5 area as well as meeting with Bristol residents to collect recordings.
In 2020 Roxana will be meeting with communities members throughout the year to collect Lullabies alongside hosting workshops, culminating in a celebratory festival event at Trinity later in the year.
If you're interested in getting involved please get in touch on info@trinitybristol.org.uk
About Here and Now
Here and Now: 40 new projects taking place in and around 40 arts centres as part of a national and local celebration of culture within communities.
@HereandNow2020
One of Trinity's charitable aims is to preserve, protect and improve for the public benefit the Trinity Centre - formerly the Holy Trinity Church - and promote the heritage of this building.
As a Grade II* Listed building, the former Holy Trinity Church is one of the most prominent façades in the Old Market Conservation area and a source of local identity and city pride.
Designed by renowned Birmingham architects Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson, it was built 1829-32 as part of a national programme of church building approved by Parliamentary commission. Funds for the programme totalling one and a half million pounds came in part from the spoils of Napoleonic War, hence these churches are variously known as the ‘Waterloo Churches’.
Deconsecrated in 1976, the building was purchased by Bristol Caribbean Community Enterprise Limited and has since served as a community arts centre for East Bristol.
In 2009 Trinity was placed on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ Register, due to significant dilapidation of the building’s stonework, roofs and structure.
Since then, Trinity Community Arts have been working to carry out a phased repair programme, which saw the building removed from the At Risk Register in 2014, followed by a full structural repair programme 2017-18.
]]>Nature & Play activities at Trinity
2019-2021
With funding from BBC Children in Need, Trinity delivered a three year programme of activities based in our Community Garden engaging, educating and connecting our local children aged 18 and under to a green space and to each other.
In the first year of the project, the garden team have worked in partnership with local schools and charities to welcome over 140 children to weekly Forest Schools and Gardening Days, as well as inviting families and friends from our local community to Summer Holiday Family Days.
Sessions are tailored to help support social and emotional development as many children and families who take part in the programme experience economic and social hardship.
During a Forest School/Gardening Day children take part in fire making, identifying plants, sowing seeds, and team building games as well as natural craft activities and free play in the garden.
Family Days, delivered in partnership with St Pauls Nursery & Children's Centre and Julian House charity, include storytelling activities, music workshops, natural craft workshops, insect hunts, and games