This autumn will see the commencement of a series of events where the newly finished auditorium in the St Michael’s Centre in North Road, Stoke Gifford [BS34 8PD] will be used to its full capacity.
The auditorium is going to play host to a number of entertainers, suitable for the whole family to enjoy. The St Michael’s Centre has recently completed the installation of seating in the balcony of the auditorium which has provided a further 163 seats for events such as church services, concerts and conferences. The extended seating was used for the first time on Wednesday 25th April when the Diocese of Bristol attended the Connected Conference. The 500-capacity auditorium has now allowed the centre to schedule a variety of performers to entertain the local community over the coming months.
As part of the ‘Heart of the Community’ project, the St Michael’s Centre wants to serve the community in ever increasing ways. Ian Taylor, director of operations at the centre, explains: “The centre is already used for numerous activities such as the Golden Oldies, Keep Fit and a number of youth activities and groups. The large hall is also used for wedding receptions and birthday parties. Now that the auditorium has additional seating, we would like to reach out to the wider community and offer events that are suitable for the whole family to enjoy together.”
One of the key ambitions of the ‘Heart of the Community’ project is to “create a spacious modern meeting place in the centre of the community”. Andy Mead, who is in charge of venue hire at the centre, says: “The idea behind hosting these events is to reach out to the wider community and make our space available to everyone in the community, not just those who attend our church.”
If you would like to read more about the ‘Heart of the Community’ project, visit www.stmichaelsbristol.org/heart
Many of the events that are being held throughout autumn provide entertainment for the whole family, including:
- Friday 5th October – Steve Legg, Comedic Magician. Steve Legg has been performing his comedic magic show for over 30 years and has travelled the length and breadth of the UK as well as numerous countries around the world, entertaining children and adults alike. He is well known in the entertainment industry and has worked alongside many famous faces such as Jonathan Ross, Fern Britton and Keith Chegwin. Using a blend of comedy and sleight of hand, Steve aims to provide a unique entertainment experience that will leave the audience feeling amazed, amused and believing in the impossible.
- Friday 16th November John Archer, Magician. John Archer was the first man to fool Penn and Teller in their TV show ‘Penn & Teller – Fool Us’, hosted by Jonathan Ross. This won him a trip to Las Vegas to perform with the infamous duo at the Rio Hotel. He is also a past winner of ‘The Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year’ and has spent many years entertaining audiences all over the world through his writing, singing and acting.
- Saturday 15th December – Comedians and Carols. This feel-good mix of stand-up comedy and sing-a-long carols features four UK comedy acts with their take on the Christmas Story. It includes Paul Kerensa, a comedy writer and stand-up comedian who wrote the hit TV show ‘Miranda’, Dominic Holland, whose BBC Radio 4 series won a Comic Heritage Award, Steve Price, a comedic magician and Stephen Cookson, a stand-up comedian who has performed at numerous comedy clubs throughout the North West of England.
Other events that are being hosted by the St Michael’s centre are:
- Friday 28th September – Stuart Townend, a leading singer-songwriter and worship leader.
- Thursday 18th October – Left to Their Own Devices: Confident Parenting in the Digital Age.
- Friday 23rd November – Honesty Over Silence. An evening to open up conversations around difficult topics such as dealing with anxiety and depression.
If you would like to find out more about the events taking place or purchase tickets then you can do so online at www.stmichaelsbristol.org/smcevents or ring the centre on 0117 9692486 and ask to speak to either Andy or Ian. Any profit made from ticket sales will be used to continue developing the centre facilities.
Photos: Auditorium at the St Michael’s Centre.
This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 20 & 21). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
