Summer Family Sessions - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

Are you a maker? Want to share your skills, interests or hobbies with your community?

On the 05 October we are teaming up with Eastside Community Trust and Somali Kitchen to host a free celebration of community creativity. This free event will take place at Easton Community Centre from 10am –4pm as part of the UK-wide Fun Palaces weekend.

During the day, there will be community volunteers offering a range of skill swaps – from a Fix It cafe to craft activities. Alongside this we are looking for other community makers to host their own skill swaps. This could be anything from a crocheting workshop to a keynote on stamp collecting – the day is all about sharing your skills with your neighbours!

We are offering each maker £50 towards materials/costs of your choice

How to get involved:

• Fill out this form, letting us know what skill you want to share.
• Deadline is midnight on Sunday 15th September.
• If you have any questions, please contact esther@trinitybristol.org.uk

Event information

• Fun Palace, 05 October 2024
• Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Street BS5 6AW
• Cost – free no registration required – just turn up
• Click here to find out more

Storytelling Sessions - Image Credit: Francisco Vicaria

Over the summer, as part of our Communities and Neighbourhood's programme, we hosted a series of free storytelling and movements session for parent/carers living in or around local neighbourhood, Stapleton Road.

The sessions where developed by Hibaq and Suad, who have recently joined the Trinity Team as Community Connectors. Community Connectors activate conversations with residents living within Trinity's locality which in turn help shape activities at Trinity.

Keen to encourage local families to spend creative time together during the summer break from school, Hibaq and Suad devised a four week programme of free-to-access activities that used storytelling and movement to explore and share stories of culture and heritage. Hibaq and Suad then invited families whose children attend local primary school, Easton CE Academy (one of three schools in the Cultural Alliance) to come along.

"I’ve had a lot of things on my mind this week, but here I forget everything, I relax" - Feedback, Participant, Storytelling Sessions

During the sessions parents and children took part in singing traditional songs, creating movement and dances. Hester Welch, the lead artist during the sessions, observed that during the sessions "families explored different ways of uncovering and sharing stories, building confidence in themselves and their surroundings, and celebrating these skills".

As well as using storytelling and movement to create connections between mothers and children, the sessions allowed space for women to have 'focus time' - a space to connect and express themselves in a calm, quiet environment while their children happily worked together elsewhere, creating dances and artwork to share back to them.

Across the four week project, we welcomed 45 participants from 12 families - all of whom live within a 20min walk of the Trinity Centre.

Read more about our commitment to celebrating, platforming and developing community creativity or find out what events are coming up as part of our Community & Neighbourhoods programme, including storytelling, singing, craft and drama drop-in workshops at our September Garden Party.

Bethany Ley - Image Credit: Giulia Spadafora

As part of our in-house programme, Trinity Presents, we are pleased to be bringing Bristol-based Bethany Ley to Strange Brew on 13 Sep.  Bethany will be performing their new EP, Sundial as part of a new Audio-Visual live show in collaboration with visual artist Alfie Dwyer, who recently worked with Aphex Twin creating the visuals for their 2023 tour.

We sat down with Bethany for an in-depth conversation about Sundial, exploring their creative process and what's next on their journey.

Hi! Please introduce yourself

B: Hello! I am Bethany Ley (FKA. STANLAEY), an independent producer, vocalist, and sound designer based in Bristol. I write music that explores the cross section of my background as a classical musician, with electronic production, improvisation and sound design.

"Trinity is such a big part of the tapestry of the Bristol music scene and I am grateful for the continuous support. If I step back, it’s nice to see the musical evolution in myself and the city – and that Trinity has been a constant force in that throughout the years" - Bethany Ley

You previously released music under the name STANLÆY - can you tell us the thought process behind changing your name as an artist, and how this has been reflected in your music?

B: Changing the name has felt like a natural progression of stepping into myself as an artist. I wanted to release music under a ubiquitous name that can constellate the hue of what I do in a way that makes sense to me. Stripping it back has given me a different type of excitement to explore production within my recorded and live work.

Your debut EP ‘Sundial’ was released a couple of months ago – can you tell us a little about the inspirations behind the project, the process of creating the EP and what the response has been like so far?

B: Sundial stemmed from a love and exploration of acousmatic sound design, and the visualisation of sound. The project actually started off as an imaginary OST to a sort of visual landscape, or generative video game. It then mutated and merged with structure and song-writing. Other topical inspiration was Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model which thinks of each person having several modes of self within themselves. The response has been heart-warming. I feel grateful for Lo Recordings for taking it on to a label that it feels very at home at! Also very grateful to my friends and new people I have met and chatted to when performing these songs live!

This project has seen you working with AV artist Alfie Dwyer to create animations for Sundial, what was that process like and what do you think the visuals add to the overall experience of the EP?

B: I experience and make music really visually and recently have been writing my music alongside creating visual scores, so working with a visual artist has felt really natural; especially someone I am so close with. Alfie and I have overlaps in our interests and art, so I think our work compliments each-other well and we both get inspired by each-other when talking about ideas. I feel like visuals and sound give each-other so much, and together create something bigger than each part individually. It’s Alchemy. Putting them together in this way for my debut EP ‘Sundial’ has felt like we are able to invite people into the universe of the music in a more physical way.

You’ve been on our radar for a while now – performing at Trinity several times including at our Garden Party – what has this journey been like for you as an artist?

B: I played at The Garden Party in 2021 (Post-Covid) and we absolutely loved that show! I also played with Ishmael Ensemble as part of their ‘Visions of Light’ tour at Trinity in 2022, and most recently supporting Waldo’s Gift at Strange Brew back in March. Trinity is such a big part of the tapestry of the Bristol music scene and I am grateful for the continuous support. If I step back, it’s nice to see the musical evolution in myself and the city – and that Trinity has been a constant force in that throughout the years.

What can audiences expect from your show at Strange Brew on 13 Sep?

B: You can expect sonic and visual gemstones and crystals being gently hurled about the room. I will be playing electric harp, electronics and singing alongside a band on stage with me, whilst Alfie Dwyer performs his live bespoke visuals alongside Matteo Amadio on lights. I am so excited to be joined by musical angels James Storm (sax, synth & voice), Isla Greenwood (voice), Laura Wilson (violin) to bring to life the songs in a new and expansive way just for the Bristol show.

What’s next for Bethany Ley?

B: I am slowly working on an album or new body of work which I am excited about. I am saving up to go to Indonesia & plan to deep dive into the sound of bells, harmonics, and hopefully learn more about soundwaves in the process.

Bethany Ley will be performing at Strange Brew on Friday 13 Sep 2024 - click here to get your tickets.

Destination Old Market will encourage people to expolore this vibrant city-centre location. Image: Heart & Soul, Heritage Walks, 2018. Photo Khali Ackford

Freelance creative practitioners are invited to take part in Destination Old Market - a series of free public events that will showcase the area's cultural and creative scene – shining a spotlight on the many artisans, makers and independent businesses based there.

Destination Old Market will take place in October and November and we are looking for freelancers to help deliver this exciting programme of work.

Click here to find out more about our project in Old Market.

About the roles

Director/Dramaturg (Freelance)

This role involves collaborating with the creative team to shape the narrative and ensure the performances are site-responsive, engaging, and adaptable to various urban locations. You will guide the overall artistic vision, working closely with actors and the production team to create immersive, place-based performances.

Download the brief here.

Walking Tour Performer

This role involves performing live in various outdoor urban locations, engaging with audiences as they journey through the tour. Performers will deliver scripted monologues, interact with participants, and help create an unforgettable atmosphere in dynamic street settings.

Download the brief here.

How to Apply

• Download the job description and person specification for each role: Director/Dramaturg and Walking Tour Performer.
• Complete our anonymous online equal opportunities monitoring form - this will not be used as part of the selection process
• Fill out the application form for your chosen role: Director/Dramaturg or Walking Tour Performer

Deadline

This job advertisement will remain active till Monday 23rd September 2024 6pm, reflecting the fast-paced nature of the project with interviews on Tuesday 24th September.

Recruitment Policy

Trinity is an Equal Opportunities employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities. We recommended reading the job description and person specification thoroughly and describe exactly how you meet the requirements as this is the basis on which candidates will be shortlisted for interview.

We will make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process if you have a disability or long-term health condition, or if you need something different or additional as part of the recruitment process. To discuss your requirements, please get in touch on info@trintybristol.org.uk/ 0117 935 1200 or pop into the Trinity Office between 9:30am-4pm Monday-Friday.

Please see our Recruitment Policy for further information.

About Destination Old Market

Destination Old Market is part of the City Centre and High Streets Culture and Events Programme, funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority.

St Pauls Carnival Panel Discussion at Glastonbury Festival 2024 - Image Credit: Khali Ackford

Trinity is committed to creating ways in which citizens can take an active role in shaping arts and culture. As part of this commitment we are connecting with leading voices in the cultural sector to ask them to share their thoughts on the different civic and democratic tools that we as citizens can access. In the second in our series of opinion pieces exploring civic participation LaToyah McAllister-Jones, Executive Director of St Pauls Carnival, reflects on her experiences of using various tools to facilitate democratic decision-making.

Opinion: Voices in Decision-Making, LaToyah McAllister-Jones

I have always been attracted to work and play that enables people to have a voice. To be heard. After years of working with marginalised groups, from managing accommodation services for street homeless people to community organising in Hackney, I have developed an interest in the right to influence decisions being made about our lives.

One of the most interesting things about leading a community arts organisation is just how integral the community is to our work. St Pauls Carnival CIC is merely a custodian for the iconic event; we provide a stage and the community fills those spaces. Carnival celebrates African Caribbean talent in St Pauls and beyond as well as our culture and heritage. Our communities continue the traditions of our ancestors using music, dance and storytelling to share lived experiences and connect to our heritage. This is one of the most important things about our event: it allows us to tell our own stories, in our own words, using our voices.

In 2021, I was asked by Bristol City Council to facilitate a Citizens’ Assembly supporting policy development in housing, health inequalities and transport as the city emerged from Covid. The process was new to me, and I loved the way it cut through many of the challenges that we often come up against when engaging communities:

• Participants are randomly selected, and usually aren’t experts in the central assembly topic. There is a process to ensure that all participants are able to meaningfully contribute to the discussions, and this is critical to the success of an assembly.
• The process seeks to facilitate consensus, rather than debate which tends to have a winner and a loser.
• Participants are encouraged to explore what their real priorities are and what they might be prepared to forego for those priorities.
• Assemblies bring together a diverse range of people who you wouldn’t necessarily find together in a traditional social setting. This creates an opportunity for vastly differing viewpoints to be heard and influence how others participants might think about a topic.

St Pauls Carnival are currently delivering a Citizens’ Assembly for Culture in partnership with Trinity Community Arts, Citizens In Power and West Of England Combined Authority. The idea developed just as we were coming out of the pandemic and thinking about the lessons learnt; particularly the role of community. Together, we were curious about what it would look like to use the assembly process - democratic, person-centred and thinking about strengths of a place, its people and its assets - to reimagine what the cultural offer could look like in the South West region.

Democratic decision-making allows citizens to actively contribute to the discourse that shapes their communities. We also believe culture is experienced by everyone, in many different ways, and everyone should be able to access the culture that represents them. If this is to be the ambition, it is vital that we put people at the centre of that process. This means understanding how people experience culture, what it means to them and, as cultural leaders, asking ‘how can we reflect this in our approach and programming?’

The new Labour Government expressed an interest in the use of Citizens’ Assemblies earlier this year, and the format has been used to unpack challenging issues like abortion in Ireland. The South West region is already embedding this approach into how we speak to our communities, and we are at the forefront of using assemblies to understand how we deliver for everyone, and not just those who can afford it or who have easy access to culture.

Our Citizens’ Assembly for Culture project offers an exciting opportunity to create a new approach to engaging people in the cultural life of a place. The Assembly will take place in Spring 2025 as a central programme within Culture West, funded by the West of England Combined Authority and Arts Council South West. The recommendations coming from this Assembly will become part of the regional approach to delivering a citizen-led cultural offer.

Find out more about the Citizens' Assembly for Culture project:

• Read the first piece in this series about civic participation: Edson Burton’s exploration of why voting matters
• Sign up to an online information session with the Citizens' Assembly team
• Email Imogen@trinitybristol.org.uk to join our Citizens For Culture mailing list
• Read our blogs to find out more about the Citizens' Assembly project

Film by Latent Pictures

In September 2024 we will launch the ‘Cultural Alliance’, a two-year tailored arts-based learning programme delivered in partnership with three inner-city primary schools, Easton CE Primary, St Nicholas of Tolentine and Hannah More Primary. This new programme, funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, is a first of its kind in the local area and has been co-designed to meet the needs of each school.

The primary schools in the Alliance are based within a half-mile radius of the Trinity Centre with many of the children who attend facing challenges due to health, learning needs, and socioeconomic factors.

Aligning with Trinity’s long-term commitment to combat inequality through the arts, the Alliance will utilise a tailored arts-based curriculum focused on dance and drama in partnership with locally rooted creative partners ACTA and Movema. By addressing the detrimental effects of limited arts-education, the ambition is to support children's overall development and empower them to thrive in their learning journey. Alongside the programme, teachers will be offered ongoing support in their practice, offering them the creative tools and resources to provide the best opportunities for each student to flourish within their unique situations and learning environments.

“The Cultural Alliance will allow children across our local community to connect and learn through creativity. We are looking forward to working with our partner primary schools to inspire creative thinking and allowing each child who participates to thrive” Jenny Bodnarchuk, Youth Service Manager

The Alliance has been shaped through extensive consultation with primary school pupils, teachers, governors and community organisations, conducted by Trinity since 2021. These consultations highlighted the urgency of embracing alternative measures of academic success - considering their pupils’ diverse linguistic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds - and reported the need for new tools and practices to build trust and foster inclusivity.

The Alliance takes an investigative approach, incorporating tailored collaboration with each school, responsive to their unique needs. By integrating arts-based learning, teacher support, and initiatives addressing inclusion, the Alliance will create a transformative educational experience for educators and pupils, fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

The Alliance has been developed via initial seed funding from Van Neste Foundation and Nisbet Trust secured in 2023 to test and refine the programme through free-to-access arts-based provision for primary-aged children that included Forest School activities as well as embedding a dance programme, World in a Box, in partner schools.

Building on learning from these pilot activities, the launch of the Cultural Alliance in September 2024 has now been made possible through a two-year grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation marking a significant step forward in local investment in children's access to arts and culture.

Find out more about our Children and Young People's programme here.

Garden Party September 2023 - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

We are looking for friendly, reliable and attentive individuals to help out at Garden Party: A Community Celebration on Sunday 22 Sep. This event is the sister event of our May Garden Party, and is a free, day celebration of the local community featuring arts, dance, music and much more. Volunteering offers you the chance to make a positive impact in your local community, make the site welcoming to guests, help visitors navigate the site, and help raise funds for Trinity's charitable activities. If you'd like to read more about Trinity's charitable mission, click here to read our annual report.

Whether you are on or off site, you must be alert to health and safety issues, enjoy communicating with different people and ensure a great experience for all involved.

Grounds Stewards: General checking of grounds, reporting of issues, meeting and greeting public, sign-posting.

Fundraisers: Collecting donations at main gates as people enter and leave, providing children with wristbands. Handing out information and sign-positing.

We are asking people to volunteer for two or more two hour shifts:

12pm - 2pm
2pm - 4pm
4pm - 6pm
6pm - 7pm

What’s in it for me?

Volunteering is a great way to make new friends and contacts, develop skills, get experience and increase self-confidence, plus you know you are helping to make Trinity the rich, vibrant place that it is.

Click here to read an interview with one of our regular volunteers, Rob, about the benefits of volunteering at Trinity.

Lunch will be provided on the day for volunteers.

Who can apply?

Applicants need to be 18 plus. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and aim to be as inclusive as possible, working to accommodate access requirements, including covering travel to and from the venue as required.

How can I apply?

• If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the volunteer form and select the ‘Volunteer Steward’ option.
• Let us know the times you can do in the ‘Give a brief description about yourself’ section of the form.
• After the application please complete our anonymous online equal opportunities form.
• The closing date for volunteer applications is Mon 22 April 2024, 9am.

We will get back to applicants on this closing week.

Please contact info@trinitybristol.org.uk if you have any questions, or would like more information about volunteering at Garden Party.

Old Market Protest 07/08/24

The past few weeks have been deeply distressing, particularly for our Global Majority staff and Centre users and it was disheartening to see Old Market boarded up out of fear of hate.

After careful consideration our staff, security, event organisers and community reps made a difficult last-minute decision to close during the protest. This was a tough call, as we had to balance our collective desire to stand defiantly against racism with the need to protect those who might be targeted by the threats of violence.

It has been reaffirming to see the people of Bristol come together to stand up against racism. The cross-sector effort that quickly created the conditions for a safe counter-demonstration to take place has personally given me hope to keep move forward with purpose in pursuit of our charitable mission and values.

In this time of heightened emotion, please make space for complicated feelings to be processed in imperfect ways, and be kind and forgiving to yourselves and one another.

Emma, CEO

Make space to process...

There are a number of agencies across the city that can offer resources, support and advice:

Bristol Somali Resource Centre provides free and impartial information, advice and guidance 0117 907 7994

Nilaari Agency Black-led charity dedicated to providing mental health assistance, particularly to adults from Black, Asian, and Minoritized Communities - call 0117 952 5742

Samaritans offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week - freephone 116 123

Avon & Wiltshire mental health partnership offer mental health support, advice and guidance

Shout offers confidential text support 24/7 - text SHOUT to 85258

Staying safe & vigilant

SARI - Stand Against Racism & Inequality have prepared some resources on what you can do if you encounter or witness a hate crime.

Connect & celebrate...

Although Dionne's Speakeasy couldn't go ahead this week, we’ll be out to show our support next week. All are welcome—please spread the word!

At Trinity, families from across our surrounding neighbourhoods come together. Children create paintings reflecting their diverse heritages. They sing nursery rhymes in different languages. The UK I see each day is not the divided one that manifested this weekend. It’s a place where people connect and foster relationships, bridging our diverse pasts within our shared present.

To suggest multiculturalism is something we tried and can simply undo is a particular form of dishonesty. Whether you like it or not, our towns and cities will only become more diverse so we must find ways to rub up against each other in less painful ways.

Multiculturalism isn’t a problem, but it’s also not a Benetton ad. Trinity’s charitable purpose is to promote racial harmony by encouraging equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial and cultural identities, and by facilitating multicultural activities. This isn’t just because it’s great fun, but because cohesion isn’t incidental. It requires work, spaces and resources, which are in short supply as counties, councils and communities go broke.

As the world changes around us in quicker and bolder ways, demographic profiles will continue to shift. Connecting online or in spaces with those who only nod in agreement makes seeing the world through a different lens all the harder.

Anchor hubs, community halls, neighbourhood pubs, historical sites and cultural institutions can offer an antidote; providing a familiar backdrop for existing communities while welcoming new ones. But rapid redevelopment, rising costs and pressures on sustaining statutory services are placing pressures on councils – often the legacy owners of a portfolio of our civic, cultural and heritage assets – to sell off the spaces that underpin our social fabric. Meanwhile, the decline of high streets has slowed growth and depleted local offerings that were once the foundation of an area’s cultural identity. If we no longer have places to drink tea and eat biscuits together, this creates a feeling of loss and defensiveness of 'us' that compounds fears of 'them'.

The sleight of hand being played is, while attention is diverted to small boats, the real threat – unregulated speculative land investment and inadequate community land control – continues to rob us of what’s ours. The response is a growing movement of local and national networks battling to save our spaces. While there are success stories, many of these campaigns struggle due to a lack of resources, experience and long-term support. Cash talks meaning it can be difficult to compete against the pressure on local authorities to dispose of assets at a commercial rate to balance budgets. Unlocking decisions and funding to protect these assets often hinges on political cycles, party policies and slogans that feel beyond our influence. This means, for every success story, we’re still losing more than we’re saving.

If we want to make things better for everyone, we must find a way to value societal well-being and sustainable development as much as, if not more than, the economic value of the ground under our feet. We can call in the army, increase police resources and regulate online spaces. But, if we want to see less of what happened this weekend, we must engage in the national conversation about the systemic issues behind such events and address how we provide vital civic infrastructure for a population that will only continue to grow in density and diversity.

The decisions we make now shape the story we tell about ourselves to future generations. At Trinity, we push the boundaries of a building constructed by people who could never have imagined the ways we use the space today. This space, built without us in mind, requires us to find ways to resource it for the future while accepting that we can’t predict what tomorrow holds or control who gets to be part of that.

Communities, times and places change. Once disparate cultural threads intertwine, shaping the ancestors we become. The fringe becomes the ordinary, the dinosaur, the dust. In a world of polarisation, fear, and uncertainty, these are the spaces (as our Edson says) that allow us to curate a different way of being, resonating with our shared past and shaping a more resilient and culturally vibrant future.

Right now, these spaces are more vital than ever.

#RadicalInclusion

This is an opinion piece by Emma Harvey

Mungo's Hi Fi performing at Sequences Festival with Eva Lazarus and Charlie Hands

We are working with Bristol-based external promoters and artists to platform local grassroots artists alongside internationally renowned musicians. Teachings in Dub have been a staple of Trinity's programme for the last 15 years, honouring Trinity's legacy as a soundsystem venue by bringing some of the best Dub soundsystem operators and MCs to Trinity with monthly events at The Trinity Centre.

Ahead of our Day Party with Teachings in Dub and Mungo's Hi Fi on Sunday 18 August, we sat down with Mungo's to chat soundsystems, summer plans, up-and-coming artists and much more.

Q: Hi! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about how Mungo’s Hi Fi formed?

A: Hello - we are Mungo's Hi Fi, a Soundsystem based in Glasgow and named after Glasgow's founder, St Mungo. We started collecting vinyl, playing out, organising club nights, free parties and protests in the 90s. We saw the music as part of a social movement, and developed a DIY culture around what we did, starting to build our own soundsystem at the time.

"Bristol is the capital for UK soundsystem culture at the moment, fed by the deep enthusiasm for the festival and party scene, far enough away from London to have it's own scene, but still close enough to be involved with what's going on there" - Mungo's Hi Fi

Q: Your soundsystem is pretty legendary – can you tell us how it was developed?

A: We helped out with other people's sounds to begin with, and then found some old speaker boxes discarded in a skip. We bought an old amp, fixed them up and started building from there. We had a monthly gig in a bar which we took the sound to and played music at, as well as our own promotions in an old working man's club. We used the money from these events to pump back into buying more and better speakers and amps, as well as building speakers ourselves, some of which we are still using nearly 20 years on. It has improved over the years, and we have become more experienced in every aspect of using it.

Q: How did you first link up with Stryda and Teachings in Dub?

A: I am ashamed to say I can't remember. We used to listen to their radio show and they helped promote the releases we were putting out since we founded Scotch Bonnet in 2005...so we have been in touch for around 20 years. They have always been supportive of what we do, and vice versa.

Q: You’ve been a staple of Bristol lineups for some time now – is there anything about Bristol that sets it out from other cities in terms of Soundsystem culture?

A: Bristol is the capital for UK soundsystem culture at the moment, fed by the deep enthusiasm for the festival and party scene, far enough away from London to have it's own scene, but still close enough to be involved with what's going on there.

Q: What else does the summer have in store for Mungo’s?

A: This summer is pretty crazy for gigs. It started off with tours in Australia, New Zealand, America and Canada, and since then has been a whirlwind of festivals in the UK and Europe, from Latvia and Croatia, to the depths of the Scottish countryside. It is such a privilege to be invited to these sacred gatherings of various tribes. Got to say Boomtown will be a highlight this year with our first ever soundclash with David Rodigan.

Q: Who are some reggae and dub artists you think more people should know about?

A: Tough question, which depends on how much your ear is already to the ground. Coming from Jamaica right now you have to rate Samori I and Lila Ike as bringing something fresh and exciting. I'm a big fan of Johnny Go Figure from New York who I met for the first time a couple of weeks ago. As for the UK, I love what Joe Yorke is doing right now.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: I'm really keen to find out what the next generation will bring, and to see if there are ways that those of us who have been through it all can support them, cos I know it's harder than ever to make a name for yourself, let alone a career in the music industry. We help run a project in Scotland called The Soundsystem Project where we share some of the skills we have learned in building speakers, DJing, song writing, production and everything around that with young people. It really feeds my soul to see fresh faces getting involved, feeling inspired and growing as individuals and groups through the joyful act of making music together.

Mungo's Hi Fi will be playing at our Day Party with Teachings in Dub on Sunday 18 Aug alongside Solo Banton, Housewife's Choice and more - click here to get your tickets.

Nature in Newtown - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

Throughout the summer, we’ve been working with our Community Connectors to programme activities for the local community. Working with Shanti Pant, our Community Connector for Newtown, we devised a programme that encouraged residents local to Newtown to spend time together, enjoying and learning about local green spaces through gentle exercise and nature walks.

“You just don’t know what is on your doorstep” - Feedback, Nature in Newtown Participant

Newtown is one of three local neighbourhoods that Trinity is working closely with over the course of this year, to develop a greater understanding of residents’ interests and experiences, and how we can offer support to share creative activity. As a Newtown resident, and nature-lover, Shanti was keen to share her experience of how spending time in nature can provide a simple way to support wellbeing and connect with others, so we worked with her to create this project.

Nature in Newtown ran for ten weeks from June - August, led by Subitha Baghirathan, and supported by Shanti. With Lawrence Hill Health Centre as the groups’ meeting point, Subitha shared a range of wellbeing exercises and activities for participants to experience including; tai chi, vagus nerve breathing, mindfulness activities and listening walks. Through rain and shine, we welcomed ten local people over the weeks, enthusiastically sharing their knowledge of the area, and learning new things from each other.

We found out that there is plenty of nature surrounding Newtown, and new places to discover too. A walk through some tunnels - shared by one member of the group - contained beautiful tiles documenting ‘The Industries and Crafts of Bristol’s Rich Industrial Heritage’, a walk along the railway path encouraged group members to use Subitha’s tree book to identify different species by their leaves, and a visit to Trinity’s garden enabled the group to meet Fleur, our garden project facilitator, who showed them around the space and talked about our volunteer programme.

Over the weeks, participants reported an increased feeling of connectedness to their local community, confidence to explore the local area, and confidence to engage with others.

For the second part of this project, we’re inviting practitioners Shanti Sherson (Wellbeing at Wellspring Settlement) and Jon Aitken (filmmaker at Watershed) to join us at Lawrence Hill Health Centre’s community garden, for Filmmaking in Newtown.

Over three sessions in September, Shanti and Jon will lead nature-based activities and help participants create simple short films together that document our connection to nature.

The hand-crafted guitar built by young people who attend Novalis Trust, a Stroud-based learning academy

Young people from Novalis Trust have generously donated a handmade guitar to Trinity's music-making program. This guitar was created as part of the Workbench Project, an initiative delivered in partnership with Pi Guitars.

"We are honoured to donate this guitar to Trinity Community Arts. May it inspire creativity, foster community, and bring the joy of music to all who play it. Thank you for the incredible work you do in Bristol, nurturing the arts and empowering individuals." - James Mountjoy, Novalis Trust

The guitar will be available for young people who attend music making sessions at Trinity to access and play as part of 1-2-1 sessions or the weekly drop in music-making sessions Next Gen Sounds.

The Workbench Project involves young people at the Stroud-based college, who visited Trinity last week to present the guitar to the Music Team. In addition to the donation, the young people enjoyed a tour of Trinity's facilities, including the Recording Studio and the Live Room. Novalis Trust is a Stroud based charity who operate multiple residential facilities in aid of people with learning difficulties from the age of 7 all the way up to 65.

James Mountjoy - a Senior Occupational Therapist from Novalis - said that the group wanted to donate their guitar to Trinity as they love the work we do with Young People in the Creative Arts, reaching so many people to bring them opportunities to explore their creativity, much like the work done at Novalis and Pi Guitars.

Click here to find out more about Trinity's programme of events and activities for Children, Young People and Families.

Bristol Harbour Festival 2024 - Image Credit: Amy Fern

We were delighted to be welcomed back to programme the vibrant dance stage at this year's Bristol Harbour Festival - one of the biggest events in the city welcoming over 250,000 visitors across the weekend.

'This cocreated dance piece has been a wonderful creative project that brought dancers together from different backgrounds from across Bristol to create a unique, emotive piece' - Penny Marie, Dance Workshop Facilitator

Taking over the stage in Queens Square, we platformed a huge range of dance styles and traditions present in Bristol’s dance community; from Indian to Irish Dance, Voguing to Turkish Belly Dancing.

Some highlights from the weekend included Anna K, Bristol Ballroom Community, D-Wild Fitness and RSVP Drummers. We also platformed established resident dance groups based at The Trinity Centre, such as Gerry’s Attic, a dance group for older people who rehearse at Trinity every week.

In the lead-up to Bristol Harbour Festival, we commissioned Dance Facilitator, Penny Marie, to lead a series of participatory dance workshops in which attendees co-created a new dance piece to be performed at the festival. Across five workshops dancers of all abilities and backgrounds collectively devised a 15 minute dance piece entitled 'Our Light Within' that they performed on the Saturday of the festival.

Alongside this, HYPE Dance, who offer weekly street dance sessions at Trinity, hosted the Ultimate Dance Championships 2024 – a competition open to all dance styles for ages 12 and above. Winners of this competition showcased their dancing skills in front of the Harbour Festival audience and a panel of judges that included professional dancers Bethany Kyle, Tesleem Adeyemi and Candice Scott. Alongside this, HYPE brought performances from Lil Hype, Hype Dance and Hype Carnival Squad.

We wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who made the takeover at Bristol Harbour Festival 2024 such a success; from the facilitators, the talented dancers, the technical team behind-the-scenes, our partners Movema, Gerry’s Attic and HYPE Dance, and of course to everyone who came along to watch the performances and support dance in Bristol.

Programming the Dance Stage is one of the many ways we are creating pathways for communities to connect and celebrate together though culture. Click here to find out more.

We are committed to championing the positive benefits of music and arts on both mental and physical health, so we are delighted to work in partnership with Tonic Music to offer mental health signposting and advice support for audiences and artists as part of our in-house programme, Trinity Presents.

"Tonic Music are delighted to be partnering with Trinity to provide mental health support for music communities in Bristol and the surrounding areas. We look forward to starting this exciting partnership work."- Jeordie Shenton, Tonic Music, Programmes Lead

Through their Tonic Rider programme, Tonic Music will have an information stall at several up-coming Trinity Presents shows, offering a space for audiences and artists to find out more about the work they do and get access to the services they provide. The Tonic Music team includes qualified mental health practitioners, each with significant experience participating in music as an occupation.

Tonic Music is a registered charity with the aim of establishing good mental health within music communities, by providing accessible programmes of mental health support tailored for the music industry (Tonic Rider), music fans (Never Mind The Stigma) and music youth (Tonic Futures).

Tonic Music will be present at the following upcoming shows:

• 18/08: Trinity X Teachings in Dub day party with Mungo's Hi Fi
• 13/09: Bethany Ley EP Launch
• 22/09: Garden Party: Community Celebration
• 24/10: Ishmael Ensemble

Trinity Garden Party 2024 - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

We are very happy to announce we are one of three organisations to be awarded funding to deliver free culture and events activities in the city centre, between summer 2024 and February 2025.

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this grant and to be recognised as the anchor organisation to bring together the diverse communities that make Old Market such a vibrant neighbourhood to visit, live and work in” - Jen Farmer, Arts Engagement Manager, Trinity Community Arts

Compass Presents, The Invisible Circus and Trinity Community Arts have each received £40,000 of funding from Bristol City Council to be the lead organisations to produce and manage activities in three areas of the city centre: Christmas Steps, Old Market and Stokes Croft.

This grant highlights the focus of our work over the last few years to proactively connect and engage with our hyper-local communities in arts and cultural activities, alongside our live events programme that boosts the local economy. With this grant we can build on our reputation producing high quality arts activities by co-designing an exciting and meaningful programme in partnership with our trusted local partners bringing together artists, residents and small businesses to maximise our collective potential.

The ongoing aim of the programme is to attract more people into the city centre to help support the local economy, businesses and the culture and events sector by showcasing Bristol’s reputation for creativity and arts.

We will be announcing more details about the events in the coming weeks.

Acclaimed actress Miriam Margolyes took time out of her busy tour schedule to visit Jacobs Wells Baths, showing her support for the ongoing recovery efforts of this historic building. As an early supporter of the campaign, and a patron of Trinity Community Arts, Miriam's visit highlights the importance of restoring Jacobs Wells as a vital community and cultural heritage hub.

“I’m thrilled to have a chance to visit Jacob’s Wells Baths and encourage the Council and my fellow-supporters with their exciting plans to return this listed building to the service of the local Community. This will help so many to have a go - opportunity knocks at last.” Miriam Margolyes

During her visit, Miriam Margolyes met with our team and some of the professional team from PH3 Design who have developed the recently approved planning scheme to restore the space. Planned works include a street-facing main entrance and modernisation of the previously unused ground floor Pump Room, transforming it into a new cafe-bar and studio.

Miriam's visit comes as we complete key milestones for the project, including securing planning and lease completion. This means we can now begin crucial Phase 1 Repairs including works to the main hall roof, funded by £1.6 million secured from the DLUHC Community Ownership Fund and match funders.

We are excited to now be able to move forward with our efforts to bring the building back into use as a multidisciplinary venue for arts, heritage, youth, community and educational use.

We want to give thanks to everyone who has so far shared in our journey to make this vision possible, including our Patron Miriam, Bristol City Council, local stakeholders and the Hotwells & Harbourside Community Association, who led campaign efforts to save the building from disposal.

Completion of the 35-year leasehold is still to be confirmed by asset owners, Bristol City Council.

Find out more about our Jacobs Wells mission:

• Discover our vision for the building to be restored and reopened
• Learn about our Community Asset Transfer offer by Bristol City Council
• Donate to our Fundsurfer to help raise much needed funds for our phased plans to restore the building

Oh Miriam! Live is at Bristol Beacon, 12th July – Click here for tickets

In partnership with St Pauls Carnival, Citizens In Power and West of England Combined Authority we are delivering a Citizens’ Assembly for Culture in 2025.

This ground-breaking initiative will bring together people from across the region, to meet with creative practitioners, cultural providers and decision-makers to shape the future of a cultural delivery plan for the region.

We have recently recruited Anjali Prashar-Savoie as the Citizens’ Assembly Producer to help with the successful delivery of the Assembly. We caught up with her to find out more about the project that will take place in 2025.

Q: Hello Anjali! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you’ve come to be the producer of the Citizens’ Assembly.

A: I've been working in the cultural sector and in nightlife with a focus on grassroots culture, community organising, and creating spaces that prioritise people, equity, and access. I'm really passionate about how culture can drive new forms of social and civic participation, especially given the current political, environmental, and social challenges that we collectively face.

This experience led me to the Citizens’ Assembly Producer role. I'm grateful to contribute to something that represents the kind of systemic change we need in both culture and society as a whole. Often, we know what challenges we face in culture and beyond, but practical moves towards solutions can be difficult to organise at scale. The Citizens’ Assembly stood out to me because it offered a practical model for doing culture differently.

Q: What has your experience been of the job so far?

So far, I've been connecting with cultural workers, organisations, and grassroots organisers to get people involved in the project and understand how Citizens' Assemblies can be useful. I'm also working on expanding a wider Citizens for Culture network to make sure that the Assembly is shaped by the people it serves.

Q: You’re currently working on connecting with other cultural organisations and individuals in the region over Citizens For Culture. Why would you encourage people in the cultural sector to get involved with the project?

The sector is filled with incredible talent and group efforts that make for an exciting and diverse culture. However, sometimes the work on the ground doesn't trickle upwards into decision-making and policy. On top of that, a lot of the cultural sector is made up of freelancers who work somewhat disconnected from each other, meaning we work in silos.

Engaging with Citizens for Culture will connect people interested in citizen or community-led culture. This means you can expand your network, share information, skills, and resources, participate in upcoming workshops, and contribute to collective advocacy efforts to influence policies and secure better support for culture in the region. It provides an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with citizens and other cultural workers, creating a collaborative community with shared goals of doing things differently.

Citizens for Culture also connects you with the Citizens’ Assembly set to happen early next year. We are looking for people in the cultural sector to become associates of the assembly and help guide what happens next. By engaging with this project, together, we can make sure your voice is amplified to shape the Assembly, and that the outcomes of the assembly are supported. Overall, this is a region-wide collaborative project that is worth being a part of because the process and outcomes will be determined by the people who join.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

We are offering online information sessions over the summer to learn more. The sessions will cover what a citizens’ assembly is and how you can get involved. In these sessions, we will also be seeking your input into our upcoming workshop series that will run throughout the Autumn.

Additionally, I love to chat. If you are a creative, cultural worker, venue, organisation or community organiser in the region, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out to me directly to chat about all things culture, community and citizens' assembly.

Find out more about the Citizens' Assembly for Culture project:

• Sign up to an online information session with the Citizens' Assembly team

• Email Imogen@trinitybristol.org.uk to join our Citizens For Culture mailing list

• Read Edson Burton’s opinion piece of why voting matters in this series about civic participation

• Read our blogs to find out more about the Citizens' Assembly project

Kamal photo credit Gemma Ordish

Contract type: Permanent ​

Job Title: Finance Manager ​

Responsible to: Deputy CEO ​

Team: Middle Management​

Direct reports: Finance Officer​

Hours: Full time (part time considered)

Rate of Pay: £35,000-£39,000 TBD (depending on experience) ​

Annual Leave: The holiday year runs from April to March. ​Full-time employees of Trinity are entitled to 21 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays, based on 37.5hrs/5-day working week. Entitlement will be calculated on a proportional basis in accordance with your hours and duration of contract. ​

About the role

We are looking to appoint an ambitious and self-motivated Finance Manager. Working closely with Trinity’s Leadership Team, you will play a key role in helping Trinity to strengthen organisation resilience and deliver against its charitable objectives.  ​

The role will require someone who is willing to work flexibly and independently. You will have a background in finance, qualification/accreditation in relevant field e.g. ACCA/CIMA or equivalent, confident and able to adapt your skills, whilst managing two critical finance functions, Trinity’s trading and charitable subsidiaries. ​​

We recognise that not everyone is able to work full-time. As such, we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements including flexible start/finish times or compressed hours​

​How to apply

• Download the job information pack here

• Download and complete an application form by visiting here and email to info@trinitybristol.org.uk with "Finance Manager " in the subject line.

• Complete our anonymous Equal Opportunities form here.

Please note we do not accept CV applications.​

This position will be advertised until a suitable candidate is identified.  Our approach to this hiring process is to identify the most suitable candidate; ensuring that we select an individual whose skills, experience, and values align with our needs.

1985 Oct 25 International Time Off for Women Day, credit Evening Post, collected as part of Art of Resistance

Trinity is committed to creating ways in which citizens can take an active role in shaping arts and culture. In 2025 Our Citizens Assembly for Culture, created, in partnership with St Pauls Carnival and Citizens in Power will take place, offering people living in the West of England Combined Authority region the opportunity to actively shape the arts and cultural experiences that matter most to them and their communities.

As part of this commitment we are connecting with leading voices in the cultural sector to ask them to share their thoughts on the different civic and democratic tools that we as citizens can access. In the first in our series of opinion pieces exploring civic participation Dr Edson Burton, Curator at Trinity, reflects on the role of voting in democratic decision making.

"The Bristol Bus Boycott, the Gay Rights Movement, the Disability Rights Movements of the 1960s-1990s. These campaigns or movements have led to legislative changes that have, in turn, transformed our social attitudes"

Opinion: Voting Matters, Dr Edson Burton

‘Politics time again, are you gonna vote now?’ lamented the reformed Buju Banton, alluding to the lethal elections of his native Jamaica. But the question could equally be applied to the forthcoming British election. During the last General Election (2019), 67% of the population voted, up from the all-time low of just over 59% in 2001.

While that figure is on the rise, it still means that over 30% of the population has no say in how they are governed. According to a recent YouGov poll, the reasons given for not voting include a lack of access to polling stations, ineligibility, and no forms of ID. However, the most prominent reasons are a lack of trust in politicians and a feeling that voting will make little difference.

One might argue that cynicism is rife in politics, with pledges that are misleading if not downright dishonest. It has ever been thus, but in a crowded information world, voters may become so confused as to become indifferent.

Perhaps the dance of truth owes as much to us as to our politicians. Few would jump for joy at the thought of higher taxes, but without increased taxation, how can we fund our troubled public services, invest in green technology, or ensure education offers opportunities for all?

Responding to concerns over national identity, political parties offer a raft of immigration control measures that, if implemented, would lead to a national staffing crisis. Yet, to extol the virtues of immigration is to risk electoral suicide.

The convergence between the main political parties may also fuel voter apathy. "There's no difference between them" is the often-heard lament. Despite the barbs and bites, there appears, at times, to be more that unites than divides the main parties. They vie to expose the actual commitment to an agreed-upon agenda rather than the agenda itself.

But it is worth remembering that this consensus is the result of political participation. The impetus to secure or woo working-class votes in this election is a result of the extension of the franchise beyond a small property-owning class. Once enfranchised, all parties have had to take seriously the interests of a wider range of citizens with divergent interests and lives. Further franchise expansion was not some benign gift of a ruling class but the result of blood and guts campaigns by working-class men and women. Think Chartists, Unions, the Suffragettes.

What is the point of voting if you cannot meaningfully participate in society? If your race meant you could be legally denied access to jobs or employment? If your gender meant you were denied promotion, let alone equal pay? If your sexuality or sexual identity could lead to your imprisonment?

Such was the case prior to major civil rights campaigns: the Bristol Bus Boycott, the Gay Rights Movement, the Disability Rights Movements of the 1960s-1990s. These campaigns or movements have led to legislative changes that have, in turn, transformed our social attitudes.

Broadly speaking, all our political parties have arrived at baseline of inclusivity consensus. In recognition of new voting demographics and the reputational damage of appearing to be illiberal parties may wish to appear to be race, gender, and disability friendly

But how safe is this consensus? Is it a pragmatic concession to the present while some hanker for an illiberal past? The USA has recently demonstrated the danger of complacency as civil rights advances have been eroded by reactionary forces. Could the same thing happen in England? Perhaps if it is electorally beneficial, but certainly not if it is electorally damaging. It could only be so if we vote or hint that our vote is for the preservation of our rights.

Beyond preserving our rights, further changes that we want to see in society will inevitably involve legislation, which in turn will involve exerting pressure upon politicians. The time scale of change may not suit the urgency of our demands, but rather than lose heart, we must continue to exert political pressure through campaigning and ultimately through the ballot.

Not voting is a verdict on politics, but it cannot lead to change; rather, it will maintain the status quo. In the calculus of win or lose, only voters and their interest's matter.

Vote.

Find out more about movements that have shaped society by exploring our interactive heritage timelines

Waldo's Gift performing at Trinity in 2021. Photo Khali Ackford

Casual Bar Staff

£12ph* basic (+10% for anti-social hours), shifts vary

Deadline: Open call

We are looking for casual Bar Staff to join our team in time to help us with the delivery of our varied event programme.

The role will require someone who is willing to work flexibly according to our growing events calendar which includes everything from community meetings and conferences, live performances, club nights and weddings. We are looking for someone who is passionate about people.

How to Apply

1. download the job description and person specification
2. complete our anonymous online equal opportunities monitoring form - this will not be used as part of the selection process
3. send a CV to info@trinitybristol.org.uk with the subject header ‘Casual Bar Staff’

Trinity is an Equal Opportunities employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities. We recommended reading the job description and person specification thoroughly and describe exactly how you meet the requirements as this is the basis on which candidates will be shortlisted for interview.

We will make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process if you have a disability or long-term health condition, or if you need something different or additional as part of the recruitment process. To discuss your requirements, please get in touch on info@trintybristol.org.uk/ 0117 935 1200 or pop into the Trinity Office between 9:30am-4pm Monday-Friday.

Please see our Recruitment Policy for further information.

*Starting rate shown as of July 2024 - rates subject to increase in line with Living Wage Foundation changes