Talks include looking at the changing nature of marriage photo @ Khali Ackford
Programmed as part of our Heart & Soul heritage project we will be welcoming national and international speakers to our evening talks, devised in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).
The series looks at the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings.
Speakers include: renown Architect Tim Rolands (20 March), known for his development of Jacksons Lane Arts Centre, who will share his unique perspective on transforming historic buildings; Mexican Architect and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz (27 Feb) will share his experience of the challenges and successes of transforming a range of disused churches into community hubs; Marcus Hammond, curator of Linconshire's arts centre Slumgothic x-church (17 April) who will draw upon personal experience to explore how 'unfinished' spaces attract new audiences.
Not all transformations end in success, former Drum Art Centre employee Mukhtar Dar, will consider the rise and fall of the Drum (Birmingham) in his talk The Life & Death of an Arts Centre (1 May)
Prof. Brian Heaphy will explore the diversity of marital union in Britain today in his talk From Weddings To Civil Partnerships (29 May) and UWE's Senior Lecturer in Planning Dr Katie McClymont (19 June) will consider how historic buildings, particularly former churches, are now used as sites of secular worship and as community hubs.
Vanguard of Gentrification (10 July) draws together a panel of commentators to explore one of the most contentious and relevant issues in Bristol today. We will close the series of talks with a panel of Trinity's former and current management members, who will discuss the pitfalls and successes of Reconstructing Trinity from Disrepair to Glory (31 July)
Find out more about the talks and how to reserve your free place here and read Heritage intern Tess' notes on our Tuesday talk series.
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.
Thanks to the support of our funders all events in our Heart & Soul project are free. We suggest donation of £2 that will go directly back into Trinity's charitable work.
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Keisha Thompson's Afrofuturistic Man on the Moon
Trinity’s new season of Theatre and Dance is all about celebrating change and features a strong cast of female led performances - launching with Keisha Thompson’s Afro futuristic journey of displacement and family relationships, Man on the Moon (March 23) and Ella Mesma’s emotionally charged fusion of hip hop and latin dance, Ladylike (24 March).
Thompson’s Man on the Moon is a bruk down journey, through space and time, fuelled by love and fear. Using poetry, looped sounds and story-telling, Keisha’s intimate performance explores the Black British experience of mental health and how that can impact the family dynamic. While Ella’s Ladylike fuses Afro Cuban, Breaking, Rocking and Contemporary dance theatre to fight & undress preconceptions of what it is to be ‘Ladylike’.
Uchenna Dance’s The Head Wrap Dairies (13 April) is “ an amazing piece that I know that a lot of people have been dying to see” says Natasha Benjamin who runs the award winning weekly urban dance group Hype at Trinity.
“I think Head Wrap Diaries really embraces the struggle that the Afro Caribbean community is going through at the moment, especially young girls and women, for many years of growing up not knowing when or where the natural form of their hair will be accepted, so I think seeing this piece will be an eye opener to those that may not be aware or may not understand the struggle of this issue.”
Natasha, sits on Trinity’s programming forum – who share their thoughts on possible shows for our in-house programme. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, so asking communities to help us shape our programme means the work we bring here is relevant to our audiences.
IGNiTE Launches with Man on the Moon, March 23. 7.30pm at The Trinity Centre. For tickets and more, head to IGNiTE's what's on.
About IGNiTE
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
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My name is Imoleayo and I live in Bristol. Before I started the Youth Music sessions at Trinity I wasn't doing very much, I was doing okay at school and doing some music sessions in a group - but not really learning very much.
I came here to get guidance and help so that by the time I get back to school I wouldn’t be lost. I would know what I’m doing, so yeah, Trinity really helped out.
My Mum found out about Trinity by searching online and we though that Trinity's courses would suit me the best, they are local and the people seemed really nice.
When I first came I was really shy, so my Mum came along and I just forgot she was there. I got totally involved in the session and it was like heaven. My confidence has grown and now I am like; ‘okay, if I can do it through music then I must be able to do it through just speaking to someone or meeting new people’.
Since being at Trinity I joined the BFI Film Academy and made a documentary! I've also been on Ujima, the communtiy radio based in Bristol, have gained work experience with a few companies and I am studying for my A Levels.
]]>I joined one of Trinity's Youth Music courses when I was 17, I was having a really hard time, I'd been kicked out and was on probation. When my probation officer suggested the course to me I didn't even know they existed.
I separated myself from the bad people around me and I had something to focus on - it was a place to come where you don’t feel judged. It's really welcoming and it was nice to have people that believe in you.
So I joined up to the sessions and the tutors helped me put together a CD. To build up my confidence I worked with a lady who worked at Trinity at the time, she helped me with performance - standing on stage singing, things like that. It was just a big self confidence booster for me and gave me the determination to actually do something. I then went off to Access to Music and got my diploma in Music and it was an upward spiral from there on really.
Now I am studying part-time at university whilst also working at a residential young person's care provision with young people aged 8-18.
]]>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.
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.
Some of the damaged stoneworks
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...
]]>I am a 21 year old singer songwriter from Thornbury. I enjoy music and skateboarding. A friend recommended Trinity's music session to me and I’ve really benefited from attending. It’s really good to be in a creative environment working with other musicians and collaborating with them. Coming in to Trinity means I was able to record my album.
It’s a comfortable environment. I’m comfortable with it. It helped me to be more productive and get work done. The staff at Trinity are professional but can have a laugh too, they also know when to knuckle down, which is good for me. I have definitely got more confident since I started. It’s been a boost to my confidence working with other people in a legitimate studio environment. It’s always interesting and enjoyable here at Trinity. There are always great opportunities going on.
Since attending the 121 sessions at Trinity I have gone on to attend a course a the renowned music school BIMM. Last year I performed at Trinity's AGM and played a professional gig at the Fleece in Bristol.
]]>As you may know (by the sheer amount of scaffolding) we recently secured funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, All Churches Trust and 14 other funders, to undertake essential works to the The Trinity Centre, a Grade II* listed building. Alongside the essential building works we are also launching the heritage project ‘Heart & Soul: Celebrating major life events at Trinity Bristol’. Alongside activities we will be collecting images, archive footage and stories from people who have had big life events here.
From the christenings, when the building was a church, to a first birthday party, there are hundreds of stories out there from all the communities who live around and use Trinity.
Local artisans specialising in clay, woodcarving, stained glass and textiles will deliver a series of workshops in the traditional craft skills used in the initial 1800’s building of the centre.Everyone is welcome to take part but older people, members of Bristol's BME communities and residents of BS5 & BS2 are particularly welcomed.
We will also be welcoming national speakers to a series of accessible evening talks, devised in partnership with Bristol's Architecture Centre & the University of the West of England (UWE). Looking at the challenges and achievements of reusing historic buildings speakers include Tim Ronalds, who brings a unique perspective on transforming some of the Britain's most iconic buildings, like Wiltons Music Hall, The Hackney Empire & Jackson's Lane.
We have a programme of activities to suit a range of ages, including a podcast project in partnership with local schools, history quests for children and families and a series of guided heritage walks. For the young at heart we have two memory dances – a morning of dancing and delicious cakes. Hosted by Dr Edson Burton, participants we will be encouraged to share their stories and memories of Trinity. As with all our heritage projects we will be collecting stories from residents, community members and all those who have a story to share about celebration at Trinity. In October the stories, images and archive material will be exhibited at Trinity at our end of project celebration event.
There are also volunteer roles for those who wish to gain skills or have an interest in heritage, as well as a part-time Project Assistant Internship (24 week, entry-level career development)to help us deliver this programme.
You can find out more about the activities here, by picking up a brochure from Trinity or various venues, cafes, and community spaces across Bristol or you can download a copy of the brochure here.
]]>Be part of our archive celebrating the history of Trinity and the communities of Old Market
As part of our Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community project we will be collecting stories, pictures and memorabilia documenting Trinity as a space of unique celebration & commemoration. We would love to hear from people who have memories of special occasions at Trinity - from christenings to weddings to civil partnerships to wakes to parties - from when Trinity was church, and now as a community arts venue. Your stories and pictures will form part of our end of project exhibition and online archive.
Want to get involved? Have a great story to share? Then contact Dr Edson Burton for more details: edson@3ca.org.uk with the subject header: Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community
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.
]]>Dr Edson Burton sharing the tales of Old Market's rich history in June 2018 @Khali Ackford
'Medieval market' bustling High Street' ' home to the city's most prestigious cinema, churches, and music halls, ' 'a red light district' 'Bristol's gay quarter' now described as up and coming before .
Trinity invites you to join us for a series of Heritage Walks of the Old Market area with historian & writer Dr Edson Burton. They will explore first hand the physical and social historical changes that are making the area increasingly popular.
Revival:
1. an improvement in the condition, strength, or fortunes of someone or something
2. an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again
Through this series of guided walks, Dr Edson Burton reveals the ebb and flow of Trinity and Old Market's history. They take place on the following dates and times:
Sun 16th Sep, 12pm-2pm (part of Bristol Doors Open Day)
Spaces are limited, so book your free place in advance, following the ticket links on each of the events
Head over the the Heart & Soul project page to find out about our other events and activities.
]]>Rob Drysdale, from "Stick It On" (Brighton), just donated £500 towards our Youth Music Training Programme!
Rob's support is a great vote of confidence in our mission and will help us to respond to a growing demand for the provision we offer, protecting the future of this vital programme.
Trinity has been delivering music training sessions to disengaged young people since 2005. We offer a variety of music drop-in sessions, tailored to individual or group needs. We work in partnership with pupil referral units, schools and organisations to provide regular support. Our students choose what they would like to focus on, incl: drumming, guitar, bass, vocal tuition, Dj’ing and music production.
A personal friend of DJ Derek, Rob was aware of the Sweet Memory Sounds legacy fund that DJ Derek's family set up in his honour in 2016, and how last year it supported Trinity’s work with disengaged young people, including young offenders and those with other health and behavioural issues through music making.
Rob felt inspired and said to us: "I'm very happy to support a Bristol charity that supports youth development in music. DJ Derek was a good friend and it feels good to make a contribution to his local community."
Get involved
If you, like Rob, would like to support our work, please get in touch with us! You can also make a one-off or monthly donation directly on our website or through justgiving
If you are a young person that would like to attend a course, or if you are looking to refer a young person, then you can call us on 01179351200 and chat to Dave Thomas (Training Coordinator) or ping him an email: davet@3ca.org.uk
Stick It On is an alternative DJ entertainment service transforming parties into something personal, engaging and most importantly fun - check out their website here, to find out more.
Hello I am Amelia and I am donating some money to the Trinity Centre in Bristol, in memory of my mum.
The Trinity Community Garden delivers gardening and cooking workshops for lots of different members of the local community, engaging over 500 people every year. My mum's legacy will pay for disabled access to be put into the garden so it can be enjoyed by even MORE people.
I have visited the garden a few times now and went to one of the workshops the other day and it is the loveliest hidden gem. The people who run the workshops are fantastic. This would have been one of the things that my mum could really have benefited from because they run workshops for people with mental health issues and social isolation. I truly think they are invaluable and I know what a huge difference these kinds of things make, especially when, unfortunately, NHS mental health services are so stretched that people slip through the net. These workshops are FREE and anyone can go and there are highly trained people running them.
Many of you will know the Trinity Centre from gigs, fireworks or their big garden party, but maybe don't know more about it. It's a place that does so much for the community and is not for profit. They can get other funding to continue running projects, but not lump sums to pay for things like accessibility. Just imagine how many more people could benefit!
You don't have to give money or anything, just 5 minutes of your time, filling out a slightly dull form (sorry!!) and voting for the Trinity Community Garden project to receive "match" funding from the Aviva Community Fund competition. This means that the money I am giving the garden has the potential to be doubled if they win!
The projects with the most votes (the top 8 in each of the 4 categories) will be entered into the Competition Finals. There, a panel of judges will decide which projects will receive funding. There are 8 awards (2 in each category) for up to £25K.
Click here to vote now! Voting closes on Tuesday 21st November
For those of you who knew my mum will know that she LOVED gardening - to the extent that I would grump aged 5 "Mummy, you love your garden more than ME". She would have loved this place so much and could have benefited from it so much. We NEED more places like this in our community :)
]]>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.
]]>We would like to thank everyone who has been involved in organising this event. #brisvote17
Up Our Street would like to invite you to a Bristol West Question Time event, on Tuesday 23 May, 6pm to 9pm at The Trinity Centre.
This will be a chance to hear our candidates answer tough questions about real issues facing our neighbourhood including on housing, health, education and schools, welfare, race equality, neighbourhoods and community and more.
Book a place
Priority goes to people from BS5 and BS2
Booking is NOW OPEN – Click here to book your place!
Submit a question
If you have a burning question, send it to us by 19 May. We won’t be able to ask all the questions sent in but they will help us know what’s important locally.
Please send this out to people from Easton and Lawrence Hill who you think would be interested in this event.
This event is supported by Locality, National Union of Teachers, Trinity, Black South West Network, Ujima and BCfm.
]]>One year in the life of SPACE!
In April 2016, Trinity welcomed The Island (Artspace Lifespace) into a new partnership to maintain and promote Arts West Side as an affordable and accessible community arts space: SPACE occupies the ground floor of Arts West Side and shares the use of the Art Room in the first floor.
Standing for Sound, Performance and Art that the Community can Engage in (SPACE), has actively invited and involved the wider community to develop their own ideas, relevant to their needs and interests, to showcase work and participate in a free programme of events.
Working in partnership with local groups and artists, over the last year SPACE has hosted 46 events and activities under Sound, Performance, Art, Community and Engagement themes, keeping an open shop front over 224 days and engaging an audience of 2,070 people. Click here to see the full breakdown of events.
SPACE has also provide valuable work experience for 6 committed volunteers, including 2 work placements, supporting the continuous regeneration of the Old Market area. Together, they have raised the profile and visibility of local community activities and increased a sense of neighbourhood in this diverse area of the city.
Regardless of your age, profession, ethnic, cultural, or educational background; whether you consider yourself an established/emerging artist or not at all, SPACE wants to hear your ideas for 2017, so get in touch! Proposals are accepted all year round. Contact Claire Brown, SPACE Project Assistant: space@theislandbristol.com / 07922 359 261
Project history
August 2011 - Trinity took on a 5-year lease on 6 West Street, Old Market, through the Bristol City Council's Community Asset Transfer (CAT) policy
2012 - Trinity launched Arts West Side (AWS), to provide a hub for community and arts activities
April 2016 - Trinity began a partnership with Artspace Lifespace to launch SPACE - an affordable, accessible community arts exhibition space from AWS main shop-front
August 2016 - We secured an extended lease from the City Council until the end of March 2018
April 2018 Trinity says goodbye to AWS and hands over the running of 6 West St to Artspace Lifespace to continue their SPACE projet until 2020.
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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