"St Paul's Riot, that is the name it was known as but, for the Black youths of St Paul's it was yet another attack from the system. After years of Endless pressure of pure pressure, the melting pot spilled over. " Simba Tongogara, Walk Leader.

Community activist Simba Tongogara draws on personal experience to describe the events that led to the 1980 St Pauls Uprising, the subsequent campaign to ensure those charged were legally represented and that the voice of the Black community was heard. Simba also gives a searing assessment of the gentrification of St Pauls.

How To Book

Booking in advance is essential - tickets are Pay What You Can starting from £3+ booking fee per person.

Please check your ticket confirmation for the meeting point.

Art of Resistance is a two-year, National Heritage Lottery Funded project charting 100 years of protest in Bristol.

Image credit: Copyright Bristol Post

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

Lowkey, Photo Khali Ackford

Leading UK hip-hop artist, Lowkey is renowned for using spoken word and music as a form of activism and amplification. He was at Trinity to share the story of his journey as an activist/artist as part of Art of Resistance, a two-year Heritage Lottery project exploring creative acts of resistance.

Before the event, Lowkey kindly joined students from Trinity’s music making project, Making Tracks, to chat about how he entered into his musical making career, the challenges he has faced, and some top-tips for the emerging musicians.

“I found this advice really helpful and I've since tried to begin putting some of it into action. Lowkey also spent some time talking about how to stay motivated and keep up a consistent creative output, and how important consistency over time can be to develop a career in any creative industry.” Feedback from Jo Joyce-Venables, who is currently on a six-month placement at Trinity, as part of the Kickstarter scheme.

Lowkey shared some helpful advice on self-promoting, sharing his own story of how to use different methods of finding audiences online and keeping them engaged, using the technology and resources that are available today. Many students, including Jasper, found his tips on using Patreon and other online platforms useful, commenting "It was really good that Lowkey gave us a few insider tips such as using Patreon."

We are really grateful to Lowkey for taking the time to chat with students. Connecting emerging musicians directly to professionals is an important part of young people’s journey on Making Tracks. Lowkey joins the likes of Benjamin Zephaniah and Dev (Idles) who have all offered their support to the project and the young people’s journey.

Making Tracks

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.

An animated history of the Trinity Centre, Heart & Soul

As part of this years National Lottery Heritage Fund's, Heritage Treasure Day we are taking a look back to some of the heritage projects at Trinity over the years.

Art of Resistance 2020-2022

Art of Resistance was a two-year project exploring 100 years of social activism, protest and civil disobedience in Bristol and the art that underpinned each movement. In this project we explored how key movements and their messages have been amplified by different art forms such as poetry, textiles, posters, banners, music and performing arts. We also charted the lived stories of inner-city Bristolians and, explores the city's history of grass-roots artistic, community and cultural movements.

Heart & Soul 2017-2018

In Heart & Soul we explored the different uses of the Trinity Centre as a place for celebration. We explored the history of the building as a place for weddings and civil ceremonies and explored it’s journey from church to music and community centre.

Vice and Virtue 2013-2015

Vice & Virtue took a look beneath the area's reputation to explore the many cultures that have lived here, its national significance as an area of architectural conservation and key moments of historical interest. Themes included: the riots of 1932, the British and GI experience, business, trade and leisure in Old Market, the sex industry, the Gay quarter and new communities in Old Market.

What’s your Trinity Story? 2010-2012

Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund Your Heritage Grant - featured an an oral history and archiving project about Trinity from 1960-today, with specific reference to its role as a music and community venue.

The Bristol Sound Project: 2008-2010

As part of our heritage project exploring Trinity’s role in the development of the Bristol Sound we collaborated with The Wonder Club to produce a spectacular site specific promenade theatre performance At Tether's End. The show was inspired by the true story of a local young man William Pullin who tragically stabbed a police man, PC Richard Hill, to death. The show was part of the Bristol Sound Project and featured artwork, set and performances from a large number of young people working alongside professional artists from Bristol.

Explore more:

• The history of the Holy Trinity Church
• The Bristol Sound project
• The Art of Resistance
• Community at Trinity

Clay, Stained Glass and Woodcarving workshops

Do you want to learn some of the craft skills that built Trinity? Would you like to have your work permanently displayed in Trinity? Would you like to make new friends from different walks of life? We are offering a new block of free workshops in Clay, Stained Glass and Woodcarving on Tuesdays between 3 Apr to 22 May.

Everyone is welcome to take part but older people, members of Bristol's BME communities and residents of BS5 & BS2 are particularly welcomed.

Please note these are NOT drop-in or taster sessions. You will get the most benefit from your workshop if you are able to complete all the sessions. All the workshops are delivered on the same day and time, so please select and commit to your preference in advance.

To find out more about the second block of workshops and reserve your place, please visit the What's On page of the Hearth & Soul section or click on one of the following links:

Clay with Joanna Espinner - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 3 April to 22 May (8 sessions)

Stained Glass with Liz Barton - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 10 Apr to 8 May (5 sessions)

Woodcarving with Daniel Bendel - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 10 Apr to 1 May (4 sessions)

About the project

Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community is a celebration of big life events at Trinity. Throughout 2018 there will workshops, talks and heritage activities for all ages. The project runs along side our most recent capital works and has been made possible with the help of these funders.

You can find out more about Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community here, including how to get involved and how to contribute archive material here.

Films include the bodacious Bonde, Kiki Bristol/gal-dem collaboration featuring the legendary Travis Alabanza and the brilliant celebration of UK queerness and previous Queer Vision winner Beyond: It’s Always a Black Issue Dear. Actor/poet David Ellington will be the evening guest presenting their film: Liberty.

Bring your bad self in the boldest finery – let your attitude and colour be a beacon for a new normal. Come down and inject some fierceness into your lives!

All films will be captioned and there will be a BSL interpreter for the discussion.

About Kiki Bristol

Kiki Bristol, a collective who create safe social space events led by and for the QTIPoC community in Bristol.

About Queer Vision

Queer Vision presents a diverse programme of LGBT+ films from around the globe, including independently-made feature, animation and award-winning short films.

This is event is supported by  Art of Resistance, Trinity's project exploring creative acts of resistance.

New intern Davontay Benjamin checks out the damage to the stone with specialists.

Last October, work commenced a 11 month project to undertake vital repairs to the building's fabric and structure.

Enabled through the help of Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, Allchurches Trust and 13 other funders, as well as generous donations from members of the public, works began on the lead-roof, original stained glass windows and stonework structure, including the iconic Georgian towers.

With full scaffolding in place, specialists have been able to undertake a more comprehensive metalwork survey. Investigations to metal cramps that hold the stonework in place, reveal the damage to the building is far worse than anticipated.

If we don't do these works now, Trinity will be placed back onto Historic England's At - Risk Register. In real terms this means we are going to have to raise an additional estimated £200k other wise Trinity will be at risk of closure- and we need your help to do that.

How you can help

Trinity is and has always been a central part of the community. Our mission it to keep it that way and protect the building's future and to ensure that Trinity’s doors stay open.

A donation, however big or small, will help us to bridge the gap and ensure we are able to complete these important repairs.

Your support will secure the future of our much-loved community space.

Click here to donate today.

Some of the damaged stoneworks

Get involved

Last year Trinity was used by over 50,000 people. Everyone has a story about Trinity - attending a gig, taking part in a community garden activities, taking part in one of the many community led programmes or even being one of the 200 young people attending our bespoke music courses.

If you're interested in becoming a part of our heritage story - a part of a community and a part of this much-loved building's journey - why not get involved in our Heart & Soul Heritage project? Click here for more info...

Do you want to learn how heritage events are planned and delivered?

Would you like to find out more about the history of Women’s Rights,  Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism Workers Rights, Counter Culture movements?

Sign up to this online event to find out more about getting involved. At this meeting the project curator Historian Dr Edson Burton and the wider team will take you through the story of the project, the wider programme and give you a chance to decide how you may want to get involved.

Art of Resistance is a two year project funded by the Heritage Lottery Project charting 100 years of creative responses to the resistance movements above.

We are looking for volunteers to help us deliver this exciting project. There are a number of ways in which you could get involved.

We need help with the following

Research: archives, media, books, online & online, and private

Interview: Conducting audio/and or film interviews with activists and creatives.

Transcription: Writing up interviews (see above Editing: Video, & audio content as described above. Events: Planning, facilitating, stewarding a range of activities.

Volunteers will receive: Training in research methods The opportunity to work with experienced researchers, Expenses allowance. Free entry to ticketed project events

The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

As part of Art of Resistance Rider Shafique sat down with Edson Burton to discuss his multi-faceted career and his thoughts on the activist community in Bristol.

Rider is a lyricist, spoken word and recording artist and a prolific and versatile MC at both live events on record.

Rider creates visual and performance art to educate and inspire for his project I-DENTITY, including photography exhibitions, films, interviews, workshops and a radio interview series for Noods Radio called I-MC.

Want to find out more about Art of Resistance? Click here to find out more about the project and upcoming events or keep up to date with events and news at Trinity by signing up to our mailing list.

Art of Resistance is a two-year, National Heritage Lottery Funded project charting 100 years of protest in Bristol.

Soundtrack by Grove

Cleo Lake is an activist, artist and elected representative, her activism spans the BLM movement, environmentalism and gender equality.

A former Colston girls school student and a leading voice in the Countering Colston movement Cleo, on taking office as Lord Mayor of Bristol, removed a portrait of Edward Colston that hung in the Lord Mayor's parlour.

Dr Edson Burton caught up with Cleo as part of the oral history research for Art of Resistance and captured the inspirational story of how she remains rooted in grassroots activism whilst navigating local and global corridors of power.

Watch the highlights of the interview above or view the whole interview by clicking here.

Want to find out more about Art of Resistance? Click here to find out more about the project and upcoming events or keep up to date with events and news at Trinity by signing up to our mailing list.

Art of Resistance is a two-year, National Heritage Lottery Funded project charting 100 years of protest in Bristol.

Soundtrack Soft Cheeks by Grove

Bristol’s acclaimed spoken word night, Raise The Bar will host a pre-talk open mic followed by a DJ set from DJ Adibah (Booty Bass).

6pm - Doors Open

6:15pm - 6:45pm - Open Mic

7pm - In Conversation with: Lowkey

8pm - DJ Adibah (Booty Bass)

Tickets are priced at £5 as this event is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. if you would like to request a bursary tickets please contact us on info@trinitybristol.org.uk.

Please note that the original date for this show was 08 Aug, tickets are still valid for the new date.

About Lowkey

Since launching his rap career in the early 00s, Lowkey has been a consistent and powerful voice against Islamophobia, neo-imperialism, and the plight of Palestine.

In his hip hop career, Lowkey has worked with Immortal Technique, Wretch 32, Akala, Dead Prez, and Outlawz.

Sign Up For the Open Mic

Signing up for the open mic will be on a first come first served basis. Each open mic slot will be three minutes maximum and you will be given a free ticket to come along to the event. Please note that only a microphone can be provided in terms of technical support.

To sign up please contact jo@trinitybristol.org.uk by 20 Sep

About Art of Resistance

Art of Resistance is a two-year, National Heritage Lottery Funded project charting 100 years of protest in Bristol.

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time. Please note, proof a negative PCR/lateral flow test is required for entry.

Hosted by Art of Resistance curator Dr Edson Burton, Julie will be reading extracts from her past and present work including her latest publication Out of Order. Julie is also an editor at Friends of the Suburban Bristol Railways.

In Conversation with: is series of talks with key people involved in creative acts of protest and resistance. Programmed as part of Art of Resistance, a two-year project exploring creative acts of resistance. Find out more about the project and other workshops in the series here.

Photo credit: Ice Road by Raucous, Jack Offord, Jacobs Wells Baths

"Bristol is brimming with dance talent in many forms, and it is well overdue for a dedicated space of its own" Deborah Baddoo MBE, Bristol Dance Futures Producer

Former dance centre and Victorian swimming pool, Jacobs Wells Baths has recently been saved from potential disposal by Bristol City Council following their announcement to launch an open process for expressions of interests to manage the building via a Community Asset Transfer.

In 2019-21 we were part of Bristol Dance Futures, a consortium dedicated to building dance profile, capacity and infrastructure in Bristol. The project highlighted the rich potential of dance in the city and created legacies including cross-sector working across health and community development.

We asked Bristol Dance Futures Producer, Deborah Baddoo MBE, to reflect on the project and to share how it could help reimagine a community space, such as Jacobs Wells Baths.

"During my time as producer for Bristol Dance Futures it was clearly evident that there is a huge gap in terms of a dance specific space in Bristol.

Obviously, it is important to bring dance into other organisations who may not normally have access to dance activity, but there is a thriving dance community throughout the city, hiring commercial studios, performing in unsuitable spaces and trying to book spaces in venues for rehearsals, classes and workshops.

Post Covid-19, now more than ever, the powers that be are recognising the valuable role that dance and indeed all the arts have on helping individuals on their journey to wellbeing and the special role that dance has in connecting people, improving mobility, releasing stress and enhancing creativity, to name only a few of the benefits of dance.

A dedicated dance space such as Jacobs Wells Baths has potential to be a place where many exciting initiatives can flourish, a networking space for dance, a rehearsal space, and importantly hub for dance and wellbeing activity in the city.

Dance in Bristol has gone through many changes and manifestations over the last 25 years, but these have always tended to be piecemeal, short-lived initiatives having limited long-term impact for the sector as a whole.

Bristol is brimming with dance talent in many forms, and it is well overdue for a dedicated space of its own. A dedicated space will help enable the dance sector in Bristol to continue to grow and be a catalyst for exciting new developments and a much needed home for dance in this vibrant city."

Deborah Baddoo MBE, Dance Producer

If you would like to join a conversation on what the future for Jacob Wells could be, please click here.

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