Owned by you,
run for you

A group of elderly people sat in our community café as part of the local history group.

Since our humble beginnings in 2011, we’ve always been a community space. We’re now community owned and do everything we can to support our local people and be the best café in Bristol. Read our story and meet the team below!

Owned by the community, for the community

✸

Owned by the community, for the community ✸

Women attending an evening of 'Women in Business Free Support' at Zion Bristol. The cafe looks beautiful with its high, decorated ceiling, and string lights. A speaker stands near the screen, and attendees are seated at tables listening attentively.


Buses from Centre
43 & 75 stopping at Bishopsworth Road (C), Zion will be 150m up the road from the stop.

Buses from South of Bristol
43 & 75 stopping at Lulsgate Road, Zion will be visible from stop.

Nearest Train Station
Parson Street - 15 minutes walk via Bedminster Road, Bedminster Down Road & Bishopsworth Road 

Or a 15 minute taxi from Bristol Temple Meads

Bikes
We have two cycle racks outside

By Car
We have free street parking outside the café which usually has spaces available.

Address
Zion Bristol, Bishopsworth Rd, Bristol, BS13 7JW.

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How to get to us

Zion Bristol is a Community Hub in Bedminster Down, where everyone is welcome.


We provide a warm, safe space for community groups to run, our café serves great food and we put on an array of affordable events. Although originally a church, Zion was bought in 2011, with the dream of continuing to be a hub for the community and loving place for people to gather.


As of the 12th May 2023, Zion became community owned! There are 380 Community Share investors, including Cooperatives UK, who have invested in the buildings, alongside a successful Government Community Ownership Fund Grant.

 

Meet the Team

  • A woman with short purple hair taking a selfie indoors, she has a lovely smile and looks confident.

    Emma

    Centre Manager

  • Photo of a blonde woman with a kind smile wearing sunglasses.

    Sadie

    Cafe Manager

  • Close-up of a young woman with long brown hair smiling at the camera.

    Bianca

    Kitchen Manager

  • A woman with long, wavy blonde hair, and a slight smile, standing in front of a brick wall.

    Natalie

    Bar Coordinator

  • A man with short hair and a beard smiling, wearing a black shirt and an apron.

    Stuart

    Cafe Assistant

  • A man with a beard sitting indoors at a cafe, smiling while holding a small black dog wearing a pink bow tie collar, next to a window.

    Alex

    Bar Coordinator

  • A young man with a friendly smile, wearing a white t-shirt and a green cap, stands with his arms crossed.

    Patrick

    Programme Coordinator

  • A young woman with long brown hair and glasses in front of a bansky.

    Stacy

    Kitchen Assistant

  • Woman with red wavy hair wearing a black shirt with white symbols, smiling, with sunlight on her face.

    Samantha

    Bar Manager

  • A woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a nose ring smiling in a close-up selfie. She is wearing a white top, a grey cardigan, and a gold necklace with a small round pendant.

    Elaine

    Bar Assistant

Meet the Board of Directors

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a blue jacket standing in front of a garden with various colourful trees and flowers.

  • A local resident since 2018, Sara works as a Finance Assistant at Pasture head office and has over five years of financial administration experience. With a background in both hospitality and accounting, Sara hopes to help ensure that Zion remains sustainable and continues to offer a space for the community.

Portrait of a woman with curly dark hair wearing a red sleeveless turtleneck top, smiling slightly, against a plain light background.

  • Emily’s day job is as the Group HR Manager within Financial Services and has worked in retail, manufacturing, tech and loves getting stuck in with volunteering and charity events both in and out of work. A new Bristol resident, Emily is pleased to be joining the Board and looks forward to getting to know the community at Zion.

A woman with short gray hair and glasses wearing a black collared shirt, standing against a plain light-colored background.

  • Trina’s background is in child protection and when retiring, she wanted to get to know her community better. Trina has volunteered at Zion’s winter hub, family sessions and at the cooking club. She also volunteers at Cheddar Grove School and is a Governor at Bedminster Down School. Trina’s looking forward to being on the board to help bring a smile to more of the community.

A young man with short dark hair, light skin, and a friendly smile, wearing a gray jacket and white shirt, standing in front of a white panel wall.

  • A passionate retailer and customer service advocate with over 10 years experience within retail and hospitality. Opened and ran a health food store in keynsham for 5 years which was sold in 2015. Throughout this time became heavily involved in local issues, in particular the high street and local development. Currently Head of Retail & Catering operations at Better Food, where I continue to enjoy the local community, the people within the business and Bristol's varied foodie and events scene which Zion certainly contributes too!

A smiling man with a bald head and beard sitting indoors in front of large windows with a green cafe background.

  • Blué O'Connor is a social entrepreneur and strategic leader with a passion for social enterprise, charity, and business for good. After a decade in Aerospace Engineering, he shifted to driving social change. Now the Social Venture Manager at the London School of Economics, Blué previously led programmes at the School for Social Entrepreneurs and co-founded Talk Club, a global mental health charity originating in Bristol. He has supported hundreds of social ventures, scaled impact, and built key partnerships across sectors. A proud Bristolian, Blué is committed to empowering local communities and ensuring Zion thrives as a creative, inclusive hub.

A smiling man with light skin, short white hair, wearing a pink shirt, sitting indoors against a blue wall, holding a book titled 'In Every Drop of Water There Is A Story Of Life' by Andy Lewis.

Everyone at Zion is heartbroken to hear of the news of the passing of our friend and director, Andy Lewis. Andy was passionate about Bedminster Down and its community.

This shone with every Local History Group he led, every person he spoke to and also being such an essential driving force in securing Zion’s future.

Our History

Zion Community Space is a community-owned and run venue in Bedminster Down, South Bristol, open to all.

Built in 1890, Zion Methodist Chapel originally served the local community, which was closely linked to the nearby mining industry. Architecturally, the building is the last surviving example of a Primitive Methodist Church in the city of Bristol.

Due to a dwindling congregation, the chapel held its final service in 2008 after serving the community for nearly 120 years.

In 2011, the chapel re-opened under private ownership as Zion Community Art Space, a not-for-profit venue for community use.

Community ownership

In 2022, the local community was given the opportunity to buy Zion Community Space from its owner. This ensured that the space remained open and continued its long tradition of being at the heart of the community. To raise funds for the purchase of the building and land, the organisation converted to a Community Benefit Society (CBS).

Funds were raised through Community Shares (with the majority of shareholders living in the BS13 area), alongside grants from the Nesbitt Trust, the John James Foundation, Bristol City Council, and Sovereign Housing. These were match-funded by the Government’s Community Ownership Fund.

As a CBS, everything we do must benefit the local community and we operate on a not-for-profit basis. Zion continues to be a safe, creative space for all—hosting community events in our café, providing space for support services, partnering with organisations to create local opportunities, and offering evening events where people can come together.

Our work is supported through ticketed events, venue hire for private functions and weddings, as well as grants and donations.

We continue to listen to and collaborate with our community, and we are proud to be a space that is community-owned, community-run, and welcoming to all.