Community life

Our Student Council are here to advocate for, build, and continually improve both the student experience and community life at college. You can see short bios of the current members of the Council here.

Our reps are here to listen to you, report to the SLT (the decision-makers) all of your ideas, grievances, celebrations and everything in-between, and then to communicate back to the students how it has all been received. For us this means running student drop-ins (with cake!) to listen to you, meeting regularly with the SLT to feed back, and finding new ways to keep that open communication so everyone feels heard.

We also have a number of student ambassadors, who represent different areas of life important to both the student body and the SLT, including satellite community, disability and SPLD, UKME, women, worship and spirituality.

The vision of the Student Council is to create a diverse Christian community at Trinity where all feel a sense of belonging, champion one another in love, feel heard and develop as disciples in the gifts that God has given each one of us. 

Our heart is that every student feels their voice is heard and is represented. Whenever possible, we want to celebrate all that Jesus is doing at college. We want to foster an environment in which issues and problems are solved with creativity and innovation. We want to ensure there is transparency and good communication between the student body, Connect and the Senior Leadership Team. Whilst acknowledging and celebrating the different modes of study, we want to encourage unity and a sense of belonging across the whole college through communication and inclusion.

Our students’ partners and children are a valued part of the Trinity community, and we offer many different opportunities for families to experience and enjoy college life together.

Our community for spouses and children is called Connect – find out more here.

Further education for spouses

We welcome all student spouses to take advantage of their time at Trinity and audit classes for free (which means you would come to the lectures without having to do any of the assessments). If you are really keen and want to take classes for credit, anyone whose spouse is studying full time is eligible for a 50 percent reduction on fees for many of our programmes, whether you do a few modules or actually enrol on an accredited course.

On-site day nursery

We have our own Ofsted-registered day nursery on campus which, as well as serving the families of Trinity students, is open to the public, so it offers a great chance to get to know other families in the local area. Muddy Boots Day Nursery offers care between 8.00 am – 6 pm, and the children of full-time Trinity students are able to attend for a significantly subsidised fee.

We approach your spiritual formation just as intentionally as we do your placement and academic study. We want to walk alongside you in your journey to become more like Jesus Christ, to help you bear witness to his kingdom in all you do, and this happens daily at Trinity within the context of community life.

Worship

We begin each day with the opportunity to worship and pray together in our morning chapel services. These serve as both a sacred act of worship and a formational time of learning. Groups of students take it in turn to plan and run the services so that everyone has a chance across the year to both lead and be led. We also have weekly Communion services, which includes a more extended time of teaching.

Our services often take the form of Common Worship, but we also make use of other traditions and styles of worship, from the simple expressions of the Iona and Taize communities to the poetic liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer. We also have several Creative Weeks where the community’s innovation is given free rein. It is both a privilege and a learning opportunity to be able to worship God in such diverse ways.

Quiet times, personal reflection and retreats

We lead three quiet days a year, each involving different opportunities for personal and corporate reflection, prayer and spiritual growth. You will go on retreats organised with your tutor group, as well as a retreat with Bristol Baptist College. 

Prayer triplets

Prayer triplets are a key part of our community life, helping provide personal support, encouragement and accountability. These relationships often continue to provide valuable support well beyond your time at Trinity.

Our residential community meets weekly for formation in a tutor group of about eight to ten people, often the students with whom you serve in your context church, and a college tutor.

These groups meet for two hours every Wednesday, dividing their time between worship and prayer, theological reflections, serving the wider community in practical ways, and building friendships together.

Our chaplains offer a listening, impartial ear, as well as a willingness to pray with and for those within our community, whether you are wrestling with personal issues, or just needing a space to vent.

Read more about our chaplains >

Some of the best moments of spiritual formation and theological questioning happen when you’re not in the classroom but just enjoying the company of others on a similar journey to yours.

One of the main forums for that is the chance to have lunch together as a community every week day, the cost of which is included in full-time student fees. There are also regular socials throughout the year, giving you a chance to see how well your fellow students dance, how skilled they are at roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, and how useful they can be in a pub quiz team.

We have a netball team, The Trinity Flyers (no prior experience needed!) which includes students, spouses and partners, and a running group, the Trinity Trotters, which welcomes everyone from beginners to ultra-marathon runners. When you don’t fancy the great outdoors you can take a break from studying in our on-site pub, the Badgers Pouch, where you can have a drink or use the full-size snooker table.

Where you live has a huge impact on what you are able to gain from and give to the community during your time here, especially if you have relocated to Bristol to study with us. We do all we can to ensure that you have accommodation that works for you and your needs. Our Accommodation Manager and Admissions Officer are always happy to chat to you about your individual circumstances, needs and preferences. 

Bristol-based students 

Our single students mostly live in the newly-refurbished Quad, with their own single study bedrooms and lovely communal kitchen and living areas.

Our married students mostly live in properties that we own or lease within a three-mile radius of college. Our Accommodation Manager can help you find housing near Trinity or close to your context church’s parish, and can also direct you to agencies for private rentals if that works better for you. If you’re bringing a family with school-aged children with you, we’ll help you think about local schools. 

Context-based learners 

When you come to us for block weeks, you stay in the Carter building, where each student has their own study bedroom with a desk and basin. Carter has a large kitchen with a dining area and kitchenettes on every floor. 

Trinity owns or leases many properties that are mostly within a three-mile radius of college, and we can also help direct you to agencies for private rentals.

We would love to talk more with you about which of our accommodation options would suit you best, so feel free to ask us about it at an Open Day or just contact our admissions team to find out more.

Bristol is a lively city with a good network of buses, plenty of parks and open spaces, great shops, interesting art galleries and museums, lots of theatres and live music venues, a beautiful cathedral and more good restaurants than anyone on a student budget will ever be able to get through!

We’re conveniently close to Bath, Wells, the Somerset and Devon coasts, the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean, Oxford, the Cotswolds and, just over the Severn Bridge, south Wales. You’ll also find Bristol to be a very family-friendly city, with the We the Curious Science Centre, Bristol Aquarium, Aerospace Bristol, free museums like the MShed and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery (your children will love the fossils and rock collection), and the annual hot-air balloon fiesta and kite festival.

Trinity is situated in a quiet residential area, a few minutes’ walk from the Bristol Botanic Garden (students get in free), with easy access to the city centre but nicely removed from its busyness by being set within the nine acres of its grounds.

We’re also very close to the Clifton Downs, a large grassy and wooded area ideal for walking or running, from which you can see the Avon Gorge and the famed architecture of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.