Global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, is supporting Bristol music venue, Colston Hall, run by the charity Bristol Music Trust. The company is naming a room in the new education suite that will be created in the venue’s unused Victorian cellars as part of the £48.8 million transformation of the building. The room will be used for a broad base of music and science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) education, engaging with local school children to develop skills and get them excited about music and STEAM.
Renishaw has been involved with Bristol Music Trust for several years as a corporate sponsor and a sponsor of new music in The Lantern, a venue with a broad and cutting edge music programme situated in the oldest part of the building. Renishaw also funds the programme Beat Lab, a project with schools in Bristol that educates an estimated 800 pupils each year, by giving them a variety of music-tech experiences centring on engineering.
The Transform the Hall campaign is the biggest ever capital project to occur in Bristol’s arts sector. The Trust has raised £42 million to date and has a further £7 million to raise. Renishaw was the first corporate partner to sign up to support the project, by backing the new music education facility.
The room will be situated in the Hall’s new state of the art education suite located in the historic cellars, which are being opened up for the first time in 100 years. The suite will include practice rooms, social space and a recording studio and will house the first National Centre for Inclusive Excellence for young musicians with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEN/D).
“Colston Hall is an iconic and much-loved venue within the wider Bristol region,” explained Chris Pockett, Head of Communications at Renishaw. “The venue helps to enrich Renishaw’s local community, where many of its employees live. The Trust provides culture and educational opportunity to the area, making Bristol an attractive place to live and work, benefitting our current employees and helping us attract talent for the future.”
“This inspiring transformation relies on the support of local businesses,” said Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive of Bristol Music Trust. “The project will create one of the best arts and learning facilities in the country, benefitting young people and adults in Bristol and beyond. Renishaw understands the importance of developing the skills and interests of young people, a vision which is at the heart of the Trust.”
Renishaw runs an extensive education outreach programme to develop a pipeline of talent in the South West. For more information on Renishaw, visit www.renishaw.com.
