Stories

by Susannah Gooch When Conversations Shift We’ve all been there. We’re mid-conversation about something seemingly trivial – the weather, perhaps, or the fate of a local venue, or the latest […]

On Mother’s Day, 21 women & children from countries including Iran, Syria, Eritrea and Iraq joined local women to walk to the Stadium and watch the Women’s League Cup Final […]

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Frost as our new Managing Director, effective from the 2nd February 2026. Stephen is firmly committed to Bridges’ values and brings […]

We are challenging our community to cross as many bridges in Bristol as possible between 9-29th March, to raise money for our work bridging communities in Bristol, and enabling people […]

By Ekanem Uwahemu-Harvey. About this Research Over the Spring of 2025, Bridges for Communities hosted a series of events called A Taste of St Pauls. It brought the community together […]

At Bridges for Communities, we’re deeply aware of the concern and fear many are feeling as divisions grow on our streets. Flags, marches, migration — these are complex issues. We […]

Last summer, violent disorder swept across the UK, fuelled by misinformation and the tragedy that took place in Southport. In the midst of this, a remarkable story emerged from Liverpool […]

by Roaa. I first began volunteering in response to the crisis in Syria. As a university student, I witnessed the arrival of large numbers of internally displaced people into my […]

by Reem My first encounter with Bridges took place during the Refugee Festival in Queen Square in 2023. As an urban researcher, I am deeply interested in how people experience […]

by Maryna. When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, my family fled to Uzhhorod, a quieter region in the western part of the country. While there, I joined […]

by Kathy. Comparto [my story] con usted I am from Ecuador, and when I arrived, I was feeling lonely inside, missing people. That was the impulse for me to volunteer. […]

Women in Bristol are building friendships across cultures while creating wonderful works of art, home-ware and clothing. “We all share a stitch language. We might speak a different language but […]

By Leeza Awojobi. An essential part of bridge-building is the ability to help people see things from a different view. Our divisions don’t exist in a vacuum, they are connected […]

Last Thursday, we had the privilege of partnering with Muslims4Bristol and Bristol Cathedral to enable people of all faiths and none in Bristol to share a meal together. In a […]

The beginning of the year has seen a series of events that brought people together to celebrate the cultures, cuisines, and communities of St Pauls, Bristol. The series included two […]

The violent disorder in the summer may feel like a distant memory for some of us, but for people who were directly affected, the impact is still being felt. We’re […]

Sima and Christine share the story of their Stitching Together class, how their friendship flourished, and the inspiration behind the stunning patchwork dress they have created together, with women from […]

Our Stitching Together hand-sewers are busy stitching birds for their Christmas tree at this year’s Treefest, taking place in the splendid gothic surroundings of St Mary Redcliffe church, Bristol. Thursday […]

by Dan Morrice for Bridges for Communities Once in a blue moon, Britain goes big on protests. The keep calm and carry-on mentality that we’re supposedly known for goes out […]

At Bridges for Communities we are deeply saddened by the recent attacks on asylum hotels, faith spaces and migrant communities around the country. These have impacted individuals and families that […]

by Dan Morrice, for Bridges for Communities What does a marathon runner from Birmingham and an El Salvadorian hairstylist have in common? I didn’t know either, so I tracked down […]

by Dan Morrice, for Bridges for Communities What would it look like to go one step further than celebrating diversity in cultures? How about building friendships across cultures, seeing people from all […]

Sarah and Max share their heart-warming story for our series on, ‘The Power of Friendship.’ From cooking pupusas to styling hair, from learning Spanish to investing in mental health, this […]

As we launch our celebration of ‘The Power of Friendship,’ we wanted to highlight the inspired story of Doaa and Walker, featured by ‪@SustransLibrary‬ last year. Their adventurous spirit and […]

Suus shares 7 Top Tips for learning a language. Suus manages our Refulingua programme. RefuLingua offers language and culture classes taught by people of refugee and migrant backgrounds. It enables […]

Join Suus, Bushra and Dan as they explore the Power of Language – with guest appearances from Hanaa and Jenny from RefuLingua.

Each day during Inter Faith Week in Nov, we released a video interview with somebody from each of the 7 biggest faith groups in Bristol. Our aim was to create […]

Our Mission For over a decade, we have been building bridges between people of different cultures, races and faiths in Bristol and beyond, recognising that we have more in common […]

In August this year, the government announced that it was closing all hotels housing Afghan refugees who had arrived in the UK following the fall of Kabul in 2021. We’ve had […]

Dawn shares the beautifully stitched cushions, clothes and crafts from our Stitching Together programme. Stitching Together creates a safe space for women from refugee backgrounds in Bristol to build friendships, […]

by Holly Taylor, Task Volunteers Coordinator We are really proud to have launched our new Task Volunteering role at the beginning of this year. Volunteers provide support to families from […]

Clare Nutbrown-Hughes is in her third year of training with the United Reformed Church. She spent a year on placement volunteering with Bridges and offered this reflection as she looked […]

Thanks to Brunel’s SS Great Britain for a marvellous Peace Feast! In the stunning dining room of the ship we tucked into a delicious three-course, locally-sourced meal, courtesy of Houria Catering, shared stories […]

by Nic Hope, b.friend Project Manager When I took the Project Manager role of b.friend in October 2021, the nation was heading out of the pandemic which had deeply affected […]

To mark the end of the school year, Bristol School Linking, took part in the Linking Network’s first School Linking Celebration Week  1000’s of schools across the country marked the week […]

Reflections on our Afghan response, a year after the fall of Kabul by Hattie Mitchell, Events Coordinator ARAP Scheme “Wow! It’s just like Afghanistan!” I’m sure you’ll be as surprised […]