Trinity has been championing the use of free and open source software (FOSS) for several years, to bring affordable software solutions to the communities we service.

Emma Harvey, Activities Coordinator for the Centre, attended an IT4Communities Awards event in February where she met the philanthropist Sir I.C. Bovidae of Sweeden. Emma told him all about Trinity's work and also that we were in need of making urgent repairs to our 16ft stained-glass window at the front of the building.

Without hesitation, Sir Bovidae wrote a cheque for the entire sum of the repairs, but on the condition that the stained-glass window design be of a 16ft Tux penguin - a notorious symbol of free-software.

Emma Harvey commented, "The design will be both quirky and symbolic of Trinity's free-software policies - and everyone likes penguins."

The window is due to be unveiled next April.

For more information please check the code.3ca project

Trinity has now got an official wikipedia article, providing referenced information about Trinity from its construction until today.

Check it out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Centre

If you can provide accurate information about Trinity's illustrious past - make your contribution to history.

Hype Dance Company entered three groups into the UDO Southern Street Dance Championships in Reading and all of them got through to the international event which will be held in Blackpool on August 1-3.The youngest group of children, aged between five and 10 years old, will not attend, instead they will be staying in Bristol to perform at the Harbour Festival.

All the groups, which rehearse at the Easton Leisure Centre and Trinity Arts Centre, will be performing in the Galleries in Broadmead on July 19 and at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta from August 7-10.

The dancers have had success before - the senior group, aged between 16 and 25, has won at London's Notting Hill Carnival for two years running.

The nomination is for Best IT Volunteering Project – Innovation for our Linux distribution Trubuntu.

The awards ceremony will be held at BCS London HQ, Covent Garden on 19 Feburary.

2008 has been a year of rapid growth and development.

In one year we have played host to 49 live music events and facilitated 134 community sessions, from retro markets and jobs fairs to parties and forums. We have also run over 200 workshops and training sessions, either as part of our training program or through our various projects such as the Bristol Sound Project, our First Light Movies project and Project Respect.

We have seen our staff numbers grow from one full time member to three key posts. Activities Coordinator Emma Harvey continues excel in her role to achieving success for the Centre and the communities we service. Project Coordinator, Nick Young, has ensured successful delivery of our Heritage Lottery Young Roots grant, creating a project that was both engaging and ground-breaking. The newest member of our team, Training Coordinator Katie Pearce, will see us developing and improving upon the success of our 2008 training program, offering a wider range of courses to a broader social demographic.

We have several new directors, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. We have also seen an encouraging increase in voluntary participation at Trinity, increasing the efficiency and capacity of our admin team.

The most notable development this year has been Bristol City Council awarding us the status of Key Arts Provider within the city. This recognition of our achievements within arts and the community shows how far we have come since re-opening the Centre four years ago.

Another major success of the year has been the development of our IT facilities. We have made great progress in providing Free and Open Source Software alternatives to those using our facilities - improving the likelihood of continued use of these accessible tools outside of the Centre. We now have a fully networked IT suite running from our own Linux distribution, which will be of great benefit to the communities we service. We have also continued to develop and improve our website and have secured a second grant through the Quartet Foundation to add some more interactive features.

Finally 2008 has been a year of developing the building. We have a completed Recording Studio, part funded by our Bristol Objective 2 grant, and have secured an English Heritage grant to carry out a full conditions survey of the building in 2009. We have also renovated and improved our hall spaces, stage and the exterior of the building - much of which has been achieved on a minimal budget with huge voluntary participation.

A massive thank you to all those who have put their blood, sweat and tears into making all these great things happen.

Check out our Annual Report for more information.

In December 2008 Trinity 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.

The show was a resounding success with tickets sold out every one of the six nights the show ran for. It also received a 4/5 star review from Steve Wright in Venue magazine as well as an excellent write up in The British Theatre Guide. Read the reviews here.

After a brief break Trinity are pleased to offer a new theatre training course run by the director of At Tether's End. For more information please visit our home page.

Click here to read more about our current projects.

Trinity and The Wonder Club are producing a large site-specific performance, based at the Trinity Centre.

A fantastic team of professional artists and performers will be involved. The show will run for 6 nights the week before Christmas. 

If you are interested in getting involved as a performer, volunteer or supporting the artists and technical crew then please get in contact.

 “This is an amazing opportunity for participants to work on a professional production and perform to a paying audience”. Nick Young, Project Coordinator

Rehearsals will be at Trinity from every Thursday 5-7pm (under 18s), 7pm-10pm (18+)

Please contact nick@3ca.org.uk  for more information.

Bristol Wireless's Woodsy reviews the customised Trubuntu desktop provided to all students

• NEWS! Casting for the performance in December will be held in September. It promises to be Bristols show of the year. If you are interested in theatre, dance, singing or working behind the scenes and are aged 16+ then contact nick on the email below for more info.

• The Trinity Young Council of Management is up and running. If you are interested in putting on your own event / class / workshop or are just interested in having a say in what happens at Trinity in the future then come down to one of our weekly meetings a 4.30pm in the centre.

• The project is also currently looking at beginnings of the Trinity Centre and how the venue became the birthplace of 'the Bristol Sound' music scene. We are in the stages of finishing the exhibition which will tour later in the year.

• If you have a story or would like to get involved, please contact nick@3ca.org.uk

Trinity Community Arts has been awarded several small grants from the Quartet Community Foundation. The most recent grant of £2,000 through the Fund for Older People, will allow us to run "Respect" again from September 2008.

The last project (pictured) saw a group of 30 young and older people come together to create a mosaic sculpture for the Trinity Gardens.

In March 2008, a group of young people from a range of ethic and cultural backgrounds studying English at the Bristol Academy worked with groups of Elders from Upper Horfield Community Trust, The Golden Ages from Easton Church and local residents from Knightstone Housing Association and the St Pauls area.

These unique workshops are designed to provide a safe space for two generations to meet, share experiences and create artwork together.

Local artist Victoria Appleton who will be delivering the next programme of workshops said; “We are looking at the role of Elders in other societies and in the UK, exploring beliefs and concerns about older and young people.”

If you are interested in taking part, or for more information please contact us at: info.3ca.org.uk

To view more images from the last "Respect" project, please see: www.3ca.org.uk/archive/gallery/respect-project

   www.quartetcf.org.uk

Show of Strength, based in Bedminster, is one of 15 arts organisations that will miss thousands of pounds after the council decided to change the way it dishes out arts grants.

The ruling Labour cabinet approved the £735,000 arts, festivals and events investment budget last night.

Show of Strength has staged a series of acclaimed shows, and Mamma Mia! writer Catherine Johnson, who lives in Leigh Woods, worked with the company on this year's street theatre production Trade It?

The authority has funded Show of Strength since 1987, but has pulled the £11,700 annual handout, saying it no longer meets its criteria. The only concession, was that funding will end at the end of the financial year, rather than this September.

Another charity to lose its funding is Trinity Community Arts, which runs the Trinity Road church venue in Lawrence Hill. It had applied for £80,000 over three years.

Both groups criticised the application process and accused the council of failing in its claim to make “open and transparent” decisions.

Chairman of Show of Strength, Diane Kershaw, said: “It's a great shame we had to resort to the Freedom of Information Act to find out why we weren't approved and the reasons for it.”

“We have been very efficient but have a very large influence, nationally, internationally and regionally.

“The report says we may be able to apply for project funding but that's only £10,000 for one year, and for a small company you would spend all your time looking for other funding.

Emma Harvey of Trinity Community Arts said: “Trinity staff and volunteers strive to develop the Trinity Centre as a creative resource, and preserve a grade II* listed historic landmark and one of the last independent music venues in the country. “We work hard to build bridges and bring people together through the arts, not just in Lawrence Hill but in our local communities of Easton and St Paul's, across Bristol and the region.”

Council leader Helen Holland accepted the criticism of the way the application process had been handled and said lessons would be learned.

Councillor Rosalie Walker, executive member for culture and healthy communities, said: “We had £1.5 million worth of applications come into this council for a budget of £735,000. It's very sad when some groups don't get what they like, and if we had more money they would do.

“We have been as fair as we possibly can.”

This was the second open day, following on from our “Aiming High” open day in partnership with YMCA, Fairbridge and Brunel & Gordano in June.

Highlights included a moving talk by Casper Walsh, author of “Criminal” - an autobiographical novel about growing up as the son of a criminal and drug addict, and what happened when he went down this path himself. The talk provided a great chance for young people to ask questions and find out how Walsh was able to turn  his life around.

During the day there was also a BBQ, football and performances from some of Bristol's finest young and upcoming talent.