Goldfinch Create and Play, Bristol’s first art café for children and adults, is opening its doors on 4 September, with a Family Open Day taking place on 9 September.
Based in Westbury on Trym, the venue offers art classes for children aged 18 months to 13 years old within a variety of pre-school and after-school art and yoga sessions, plus a different adult art series every weekday evening.
On weekends the venue lends itself as a creative space to host children’s birthday parties, all set in an environment built to nurture wellbeing and creativity, whilst also looking after the planet.
In advance of the opening, the purpose built venue will be hosting holiday camps for children aged 5 – 13 years, from 9am – 4pm during the summer holidays. These will feature –
- Monday 14 August – Creative Construction
- Tuesday 15 August – 3D Creatures and Watercolour
- Monday 21 August – Print and Play
- Tuesday 22 August – 3D Paper Play
Goldfinch Create and Play is the brainchild of Nicole Strong, who was originally from Cape Town and spent six years as an Urban Designer and Landscape Architect working for Social Services at the City of Cape Town. Her role was to design community facilities and outdoor play areas in some of Cape Town’s most disadvantaged areas.
Designing these play areas Nicole came to understand just how important playing and imagination is, for not only children, but adults too.
When Nicole and her family moved to Bristol, she started looking for creative outlets to take her two young daughters, Alexandra and Josie. She quickly realised that there was a lack of creative spaces available for parents to take their children and started to imagine what this place could be.
After teaching children’s crafts at her home, Nicole realised that she needed a venue to expand the idea. She then found an old high street building in the heart of Westbury Village and commissioned her architect husband, Mark, to redesign the building with sustainability and creativity at its heart.
The result is Goldfinch Create and Play, a purpose-built café and art space for children and their grown-ups to have the freedom to be inspired by nature, create, and connect – without the confines of the traditional café or classroom. It’s a place where imagination can roam free, a space to get creative, have fun and nurture wellbeing.
The café will host art and craft sessions for children in the day and adult art courses in the evening. It will also serve delicious, healthy snacks and really good coffee!
At the core of Goldfinch Create and Play Café is an inspiring team of creatives, who all have a diverse range of artistic skills, backgrounds and life experiences, but share a passion for inspiring kids and grown-ups through art, craft and nature.