• South West Fed - Celebrating 94 years of being 'Together for Heritage'
  • info@swfed.org.uk
Two women are presenting in a modern conference room. One is wearing a floral dress and glasses, speaking, while the other in a cream-colored top listens with her hand on her chin. A large screen displays a slide with "Thank you, Bristol" in bold red and yellow text, alongside an image of a bride interacting with firefighters. Sunlight streams through the windows, casting shadows on a black podium.

We The Curious: Recovery, re-launch and re-discovery after the fire

The first SWFed event of the year was held at We The Curious in the heart of Bristol. It was a fascinating afternoon which took us through the highs and lows of the 25-year-old organisation, not least overcoming the fire in 2022 that resulted in a 2 year closure, and its continuing look into the future.

Gathering in the impressively remodelled entrance, with room for schools, groups, a shop (and a very good café), we were met by Rosalie White (Creative Director). Even from our short time in the space it was clear that the team have successfully created a welcoming and fun environment in which to explore and discover.

We went to the upper floor event space to hear from Nicole Briggs (Audience Director) and Lydia Ladbrooke (Commercial Operations Manager) as they took us through their ‘recovery, re-launch and re-discovery’. It was a brilliant presentation, containing some very touching moments.

Nicole and Lydia gave us an insight into the history of the site and the organisation. As an educational charity, We The Curious has a vision & to create a culture of curiosity’, and this was borne out of the extensive public consultation that took place in 2016-17. They evolved from ‘making science accessible to all’ with the previous name of @Bristol to produce a more accessible and challenging experience, creating a culture of curiosity and encouraging people to ‘be curious, look up, peer closer, pause, connect with new people, and ask questions’.

Just as they were hitting their stride and evolving their exciting plans for the next chapter, the pandemic struck – it was a real challenge to recreate the immersive experience with closures and social distancing. As the world started to reopen there was a devastating fire on the roof which, although did not itself cause significant damage to the building, had far reaching consequences. An infamous ‘tweet’ WTC sent out saying they would be closed for 2 weeks turned out to be far from accurate as 2 weeks became 2 years of closure.

There was a significant focus on the wellbeing of the team and on outreach during the closed period. All jobs were protected, although there was a great deal of change as the team attempted to deliver the spirit of the organisation without their primary asset. The ‘curiosity cube’ travelled to every postcode in Bristol and a tremendous amount of partnership working took place with hubs and community groups around the city. Viral campaigns such as hidden tickets and teaser adverts led to a hugely
successful reopening and a sold-out summer and autumn in 2024.

Nicole, Rosalie, and Lydia shared their honest advice from these incredible few years, not least that there will still always be operational challenges despite best laid plans. It was genuinely moving to hear the personal stories on this journey and the connections that the charity found and strengthened.

After the talk and Q&A, there was a dash to the café for important networking and to try their famous cookies. There was also a chance to get hands on with the exhibition which was a huge amount of fun. It was wonderful to see the enjoyment attendees got from engaging with the installations.

Finally we were invited to a show in the UK’s only 3D planetarium, the content for which is designed entirely by the in-house We The Curious team.

It was a really great visit, full of surprises, connections and curiosity.

Katherine Nichols