Our hope for St Anne’s House

We know that St Anne’s House has made a huge difference to people’s lives since we opened our doors in 2021 - and we’ve only just started. 

We want to be here for the long term, we want St Anne’s House to be an inclusive and welcoming space where everyone can find something valuable to engage with. 

We have bright and exciting plans for the future that have all been shaped by you, the communities we are part of.

Why we need your help

Did you know that it costs around £306,000 to run St Anne’s House each year?

This winter has been really challenging. We’ve been hit by multiple break-ins, causing nearly £10,000 in damage to the building and equipment. Our building, with its single glazed windows, poorly-insulated walls and old heating system is expensive to heat - it has cost almost £20,000 in the last 3 months alone. 

The future is bright, but none of our shared long-term vision can be brought to life without first securing our financial present.

This emergency money will:

• Keep the lights on and the heating running – so the building remains a safe, usable space for all.
• Maintain affordable studio and workspace for the many tenants, social enterprises and services based in the building.
• Strengthen our security to prevent future break-ins.
• Improve the energy efficiency of the building for the future.
• Prove that St Anne’s House matters – to secure its long-term future as a space for the community.
• Ensure we can continue our community and youth based programmes.

Alongside being a creative and community hub, St Anne’s House also plays a quiet but crucial role in helping people build financial resilience — whether that’s through providing affordable workspaces to reduce business overheads, helping people turn creative ideas into sustainable income, or offering free workshops, training and mentoring that support employment, self-employment and financial confidence.

By supporting this campaign, you’re not just helping to save a building — you’re investing in a space that gives people the tools to take control of their future.

"As a St Anne's resident, I was so happy to hear about this St Anne’s House opening. It improves my quality of life and gives the community somewhere to go. It's an asset to our community" - local resident

"My parents have lived in the area for 47 years and said that this is the most community focused thing they have experienced.’’ - local resident

The Value that St Anne's House Creates

St Anne’s House is a creative and community hub. Since 2020, it has been grown, shaped and led by local residents and Bristol’s creative community working together. 

Here you will find creative and community projects, affordable rooms to hire, youth projects, a community café, cooperatively run gym, community sauna, play therapy, social prescribing, artist studios, coworking, rehearsal space, wellbeing therapy rooms, ceramic studios and much much more. The building is busy with free community activities, after-school clubs, weekly coffee mornings, mending circles, reading groups, cooking classes and exhibitions - all run for and by local people.

We provide affordable workspaces and community-led programming that empower individuals, freelancers, and small enterprises to build financial resilience, develop employability skills, and create sustainable income streams. Our support ensures that financial security is achievable and accessible for local creatives, social enterprises, and small businesses.

A place for social entrepreneurs and creatives to grow their practice: St Anne’s House provides its tenants with some of the key conditions necessary to develop their practice and trade, through a) providing an affordable tenancy offer, b) fostering a collaborative environment and c) offering showcasing and commissions opportunities.

An inclusive programme of activities that delivers social value: St Anne’s House offers its communities a creative programme focussed on skills and creative careers development and through engaging themes including the climate emergency, physical and mental wellbeing or art-making as activism.

St Anne’s House is actively involved in the climate emergency agenda: St Anne’s House is engaged in a variety of initiatives illustrative of its dedication to environmental sustainability. Bricks is a signatory of Bristol’s “Just Transition Declaration” and “Culture Declares Emergency”, a growing movement of people in arts and culture. It also supported a local resident to set up a local Great Big Green Week, and Bricks also facilitated the creation of the Brislington Community Climate Action Plan.

Support this amazing community of people today to ensure a space to thrive for the future.

#LoveSAH