An update on our partnership with St George’s Bristol

Last year, we announced the start of our three-year sponsorship of St George’s Bristol, a brilliant local organisation with a wonderful concert hall and entertainment spaces, an exciting programme of cultural events, and a prominent role in the Bristol community.

It’s already proven to be a great partnership and it has quickly become clear that our organisation and theirs share a lot in common. We’ve enjoyed building a strong relationship with the team there, and a sense of mutual respect.

We were fortunate to team up with St George’s in their 200^th anniversary year, just in time for us to support the Midsummer Magic Gala fundraising event. For this, the space was transformed into a glamorous fairyland for a black-tie audience, including some of the IW&I Bristol team and our guests. Everybody that we spoke to on the evening and afterwards had a wonderful time, and the feedback has been universally positive.

We’ve also sponsored two fantastic concerts and a pre-concert supper for members of St George’s Star Circle of supporters.

One of the values we share with St George’s is a commitment to our community. So, it’s not all black-tie events and exclusive dinners. Our support helps St George’s deliver a wide range of impactful work across Bristol’s communities, from an afterschool choir for primary school children, to a mass-participation chorus of happiness, and free tickets for older people facing loneliness or isolation in their local community. The former church also offers beautiful gardens that are freely available to visit whenever the venue is open, and a wonderful café-bar that’s also open to the public.

Speaking with the Chief Executive of St George’s, Samir Savant, he expressed, “We are a resource within the city. We’re lucky to have this beautiful space and we want it to be enjoyed by everyone. We work hard at trying to reach those people who may think that St. George's is not for them, or those who have difficulty accessing it, financially or logistically. I think everyone belongs here.”

You can see highlights from our conversation in the video below.

We also spoke about what’s coming up at St George’s over the next year of our partnership. Samir shared, “We've got so many artists from many diverse backgrounds. Alongside music, we also have a spoken word strand to our programme, with lots of great authors. We have a philosopher-in-residence who runs philosophy salons, which are very popular. Plus, we have thinkers and activists coming and speaking. It's all on the website, so people can have a look.”

We’re looking forward to supporting St George’s in all that they add to Bristol’s cultural scene, and we hope that each of our clients will find something to enjoy in their exciting programme for the year ahead.