Our work with Communities
We connect the people of Bristol with the local and global heritage of the steam ship Great Britain.
Through our programmes we aim to ensure the diverse communities which have a stake in the ship’s international story, are included and represented in its discourse. Community-led, participatory work is transforming how people connect with us; members of our community get involved in research, collaborate, create, tell stories, guide decisions, demystify history, and listen.
We run monthly community workshops and host group visits using objects from our archive to tackle relevant themes that provoke debate and creative thinking. We embed the voices of the community in our organisation through the Boat Club, our community advisory group and provide a platform for discussion and storytelling through our research programme.
“These conversations help our understanding of history, particularly the knowledge that researchers outside of the dominant culture and profession might bring. Differences in culture and experience from us all individually reveal different parts of history.”
"Never in a million years did I ever think I could add Author, Poet and Researcher to my resumé. This project has reconstructed how I see my future, it's been a pillar of my confidence building. Being given the tools to reignite my passions has been remarkable. It's been a life-changing experience which will always be cherished."
What we do
Community Research
Since 2022, our research programme has brought people from underrepresented communities into the heart of our work. Participants attend the Brunel Institute for weekly sessions in which they dive deeper into an area of their passion and produce reflection, writing, art, workshops, and other creative outputs.
The programme is as much about what participants take away as what they contribute -building skills, growing confidence and developing a sense of ownership over a history that belongs to all of us. Output can span a range of mediums including publications such as Tying the Tides: The Colour within the SS Great Britain (2023) by Shani Whyte and My First Voyage (2024) by Huimyeong Lee, an exhibition piece by designer Jacqueline Braithwaite or contributing to research for the new SS Great Britain Experience museum focusing on diverse stories from the ship’s past.
The Boat Club
Our Community Advisory Group was established in 2023, and brings together people with a range of backgrounds, perspectives and lived experience to give direct input into the planning and decision-making at Bristol Dockyards. Now called the Boat Club, its members help us to think critically and consider our approach to a variety of issues depending on current organisational needs.
James W Jones Room
A dedicated community space which has been co-created with the Boat Club will open in the expanded SS Great Britain Experience. This space will provide a place to convene our community activities, as well as events and sessions hosted by community partners. In this space we will ask questions, start conversations, and find new discoveries.
