The Roman Baths has been working with partners to deliver sessions for people seeking refuge since early 2024. This programme has continuously expanded and changed, to fit the changing demographics and needs of this diverse audience. We focus on constant consultation and ongoing feedback to ensure our programme delivers what the community genuinely want and need. This links to a key theme of the site as a place of migration, part of our reinterpretation of the site.

The talk will explore how we figured out what to offer, and how this method resulted in a new, core audience. The programme includes adult only sessions, family sessions, celebrations for cultural festivals, workshops, etc. We also introduced a work placement programme as part of our aim to meaningfully engage with community needs. This is all organically driven by listening to the community, this talk aims to champion this way of engaging and highlight that if you plan your consultation well and continue to do so, you increase numbers and long-term engagement. The talk will also explore how resilience pays off; not all sessions are popular but offering a reliable space ultimately gives you great results.