News / homelessness
Help Bristol’s Homeless launch their first ever paint festival
The sound of reggae and the smells of jerk chicken and spray paint filled the air as Help Bristol’s Homeless (HBH) kicked off their inaugural Paint Fest on Saturday.
The free event, which will continue on Sunday, features artists painting murals across many of the shipping containers around the perimeter of the charity’s headquarters on Spring Street in Bedminster.
With the lord mayor set to visit on Sunday, and over 700 free tickets sold, organisers hope the street party will help raise money and awareness for all the work the charity does to support homeless people in the city.
is needed now More than ever
A key part of HBH’s work is providing temporary accommodation, in the form of converted shipping containers, for rough sleepers.
HBH has over 30 converted shipping converters in Bedminster as well as a shower block, a laundry and a community cafe.
Dozens of artists took part in Paint Fest on Saturday, with many more set to come on Sunday
The charity was recently featured in series one of the BBC 2 series Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts. Although Andi was born in London she spent many of her teenage years in Bristol, performing as part of a band called Kalimba.
HBH was co-founded by Tania and Jasper Thompson in 2017.
Jasper, who was manning the jerk grill on Saturday, moved to Bristol from Jamaica with his family as a child.
He joined the British Army at the age of 21 and later worked as close protection security for an array for high-profile clients including musician Kanye West and actor Keira Knightley.
In 2020 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Bristol.
Many of the shipping containers at the HBH site in Bedminster have been converted into micro flats
Jasper was inspired to create HBH after an interaction with a homeless person in Bedminster eight years ago.
As he explained to Bristol24/7 at the time: “I met a homeless guy in Bedminster and it prompted me to get going and do more to help.”
Today, Jasper describes helping homeless people in Bristol as his “calling”, motivated by his Christian faith.
The idea for Paint Fest came from Kerry, HBH’s project manager and the director of the weekend’s events.
Kerry said: “I went to Cheltenham Paint Festival and I was pretty blown away by the talent of these artists.
“I was like, these guys deserve more recognition than they get. And we know some Bristol well-known artists and people in the music industry too. So I said, ‘we’ve got all these wonderful containers, and it’s just a blank canvas, so let’s put a stamp on them which makes it big and colourful’.
“We’re (HBH) tucked away at the end of a street. So, we’re running this event to bring that footfall in so people know we’re here, which will generate money which goes back into sustainable projects.”
Artists featured at Paint Fest include Miss Peggy Brown, Mural Minded, Pekoe and Jeksart.
After Paint Fest, HBH’s next major event will be their annual art auction – Home is Where the Art is – in September.
Actor and BBC Radio Bristol presenter Joe Simms, who hosted the auction last year, will return as host this year.
Paint Fest will continue on Sunday from 10am-4pm. Live music and food are on offer. For tickets to the free event, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hbh-paint-fest-2025-tickets-1301899359029
All photos: Rob Browne
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