NEWS! A Puppet Government Takeover in Bristol
Carla Denyer MP Visits Puppet Place, Bristol's House of a Thousand Eyeballs
NEWS from our friends at Puppet Place
Unit 18, Albion Dockside Estate, Hanover Place, Bristol BS1 6UT
info@puppetplace.org | www.puppetplace.org
Puppet Place recently hosted a visit by Central Bristol MP Carla Denyer. She was accompanied by local Cllr. Patrick McAllister and given a tour around the building in Bristol's historic Harbourside. The premises are home to 20 artists working in all forms of animation for stage and screen, ranging from socks to robots and everything in between.
On a day of visits to cultural sites around the Floating Harbour, the Green Party colleagues had toured SS Great Britain and the Aardman Animations' HQ before reaching the infamous 'brick door' that greets visitors to Puppet Place. Once inside, they saw the breadth of creative activity, much of it for projects around the world. One resident theatre company regularly tours to Japan, another is about to rehearse its clown/puppetry show 500km above the Arctic Circle, whilst two puppetry engineers have created large-scale stage effects that they are now bringing to life on a well-known UK singer-songwriter's current world tour.
A New Chapter for Puppet Place
The charity was pleased with the opportunity to show its guests around the building and share exciting plans for a large-scale redevelopment of its building. Trustee Chris Pirie said:
"We plan to take this inaccessible, unheated, uninsulated building that we've been in for two decades, and create a purpose-built facility for training and innovation. Our 40-year-old organisation will have an environmentally efficient home for all visitors, particularly young people from under-represented or marginalised communities. Our core activities of providing affordable workspace for start-ups, and training into meaningful employment in the creative sector, will be truly accessible to all, and Puppet Place can deliver its public and community engagement for another 40 years."
'Incredible Hub of Creativity'
Carla Denyer added:
“Bristol is an incredible hub of creativity and ambition, and Puppet Place is no exception. It was wonderful to meet some of the Resident Artists, hear about their projects, and get to see their creations first-hand. I was also really excited to hear about the plans to upgrade the facilities, creating an accessible, sustainable home for artists and puppeteers of all backgrounds in Bristol.”
FACTS:
In 2024, the New Statesman named Carla Denyer MP as 50th in The Left Power List 2024, the magazine's guide to the 50 most influential people in progressive politics.
In March 2025, The Independent marked International Women's Day with The Influence List of 50 Women across the worlds of politics, sports, the arts, media, business, fashion and activism – Carla Denyer MP was No 21.
Photography Credit: Chris Vaughan Photography
Puppet Place
www.puppetplace.org
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