SPARKS Bristol has officially reached its two year anniversary- and the city is celebrating! Sparks is more than a creative venue—it’s also a space for learning.
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00:00We decided to set up an alternative department store because we're here in Broadmead, the heart of the shopping area of Bristol, and because it was previously a department store before us.
00:10And we wanted to make it somewhere that was creative and fun and move people away from online shopping, which has obviously caused a lot of problems in terms of small businesses and delivery drivers and carbon emissions.
00:24So we wanted to offer somewhere that was an alternative where people could come and shop and feel that they belong and were welcomed.
00:31And you officially hit your two-year anniversary. Two years ago, what did this store look like and what is it now?
00:38Oh, my gosh. So two years ago, it was before we opened the doors.
00:42It was just this enormous, huge space, which you're thinking, how on earth are we going to fill this?
00:47So we're very, very grateful that we're working in partnership and collaboration with lots of different organisations across the city, as well as small local traders.
00:55That have really helped to bring this space to life.
00:57And I hope that people can see if they did come two years ago when we first opened and come again now, the difference that's been created in that time.
01:04We're much fuller. We've got so many more exciting things going on, things to see, places to shop.
01:09So there's been a huge evolution and we're so delighted we've been able to offer the opportunity to so many people to be part of what we're doing here.
01:17Sparks is hosting a two-day programme that includes panel discussions, performances and creative workshops,
01:23all aimed at sparking conversations about sustainability and community and allows locals to meet the sparklers, the volunteers who have been brought the vision to life.
01:35Let's find out from their team the impact of community involvement on the project.
01:40Community is very much at the heart of Sparks. So tell me a little bit about the importance of community.
01:47Obviously, you've got a lot of volunteers here. Tell me about that.
01:50So we do have quite a lot of volunteers, but we also have all our paid staff who are paid a living wage.
01:57But yes, we're very much at the heart of the community. We love to work with different diverse community groups.
02:01We have our community champions who've been involved in what we've been doing here in Sparks from the beginning.
02:07We've got our cultural festival coming up in June, which will be celebrating the whole diversity of the city.
02:12And we're very inclusive in as many ways as we can. Behind me here is the prayer space that people can come in and use.
02:19And we also encourage community groups.
02:21And has the vision changed? Has it developed in the last two years from where you were before?
02:28The vision remains the same, really, to try and encourage people and involve them in a better, fairer future.
02:34So I think we've just been able to do it better and involve more people over that time.
02:39Obviously, things have evolved and changed in terms of we've probably got bolder and braver and we've learned things that have worked and some things that haven't worked.
02:47But we're totally open all the time to continually changing and growing.
02:51So we love to be in conversation with different groups and people about what they might want to see happen here or even put on events themselves.
02:57So we're going to be in conversation with different groups and people about what they might want to see happen here.