What an unforgettable night celebrating 10 years of Creative Communities at Bristol Drugs Project! We marked this milestone in October with a sold-out gala at Circomedia in the heart of St. Pauls. The event featured performances from all six Creative Communities groups, a fundraising raffle with prizes generously donated by local businesses, and the launch of, former BDP employee, Pete Weinstock’s book of poetry, Between The Cracks (Tangent Books). 

We want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who attended, performed, facilitated, or volunteered—each of you helped make the evening truly special.  

Over the past decade, our weekly creative and arts-based groups have built a national reputation for community-based creative recovery and have contributed significantly to the academic evidence base. 

The gala showcased the talents and journeys of our members through performances from Rising Voices Choir, Bristol Recovery Orchestra, Oi Polloi Theatre Group, Changing Tunes Beginners Group, Hip Hop Garden, Recovery in Motion, and Bristol Sober Spaces. We were also musically supported by our partner and supporting organisations—Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Changing Tunes, May Project Gardens and Fitzhardinge Consort —which helped elevate the show to new heights. 

“Such a joyous evening. every performance was inspiring, uplifting, and heartfelt, and the atmosphere was so warm and buzzing.”

Audience member

The evening was filled with spine-tingling acappella, orchestral arrangements, and performances of epic songs ranging from John Williams to Cat Stevens, alongside hip-hop, poetry, a funk medley, and a show-stopping, co-written finale that combined spoken word and movement.  

We are really grateful for the many hours that our Creative Communities members dedicated to rehearsals, and to the group facilitators for championing this vision from the start. 

The gala was fortunate to receive media coverage in the lead-up to the event, with features on BBC Points West, Bristol 24/7, Ujima Radio, Performing Recovery and BCFM. After the event, we were thrilled to receive a glowing review from Bristol 24/7. 

This incredible evening was made possible by Sophie Wilsdon—not only as the founder of Creative Communities but also for bringing all the groups together and serving as the driving force and vision behind the event. The evening sadly marked our final performance with Bristol Recovery Orchestra Conductor Jon James after 5 years of collaboration. We are grateful for not only creating fantastic pieces on the night but also for his dedication over the past 5 years.  We now welcome the orchestra’s new conductor, Raph Clarkson, and look forward to many exciting projects together. 

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