AWS Highlights of 2015

Arts West Side has continued to offer local groups and projects a home across 2015.

Our small but mighty satellite building was able to host a variety of projects and activities that included our now regular weekly writing group, the Art Cafe for over 50's, as well as Raw Food Workshops (part of our Bristol Green Capital project), small meetings and theatre rehearsals. Over 60 participants have been involved in AWS this year.

We have created new partnerships with local groups and maintained existing ones with organisations like University of West England (UWE), LinkAge and Sedated by a Brick.

Our women's writing group "We Can Write" secured a small grant from Literature Works, to continue their sessions and publish a compilation of their works and tutor Sarer Scotthorne was appointed our first Poet in Residence at Arts West Side.

We have also been able to continue to support the Bristol Somali Youth Network, in their aims and objectives, not only by providing a space to grow but also resources to strengthen their organisation. Their programmes have helped Somali young people re-orient their quality of lives and starting afresh to reposition their priorities in employment, training, education and social activities.

Our long term tenant, Phase 8 Photography, has been able to expanded their business and raise their profile by donating photography and collaborating with a number of community groups and projects, including the LGBT community; Trinity's Vice and Virtue: Discovering the Story of Old Market project and also providing free photography to new and local businesses in the area, including the Old Market Neighbourhood Planning Group.

We said good bye to The Good Roots Cafe in July and welcomed JJ's Cafe until the end of the year, when they moved their offer to Gloucester Road.

After a successful run of community cafe projects and due to the growth of this particular offer within the locality, we felt at the end of the year that a cafe space was no longer a priority in terms of achieving our objectives in 2016.

Trinity received many wonderful proposals at the beginning of the year but we were only able to select one: The Island submitted an innovative bid with a clear community engagement plan, which was close to Trinity's aim and objectives. Keep an eye on our website for the launch of SPACE (Sound-Performance-Art-Community-Engagement) in Spring 2016!

If you have an idea or project you would like to test out at Arts West Side, do get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you. Email karina@3ca.org.uk - or next time you are down Old Market, come in say hello!