On Sunday 15th June, we made history.
The Harbourside was buzzing with energy, colour, and connection as between 5,000 and 7,000 people came out to celebrate the very first Bristol Birdman — our wild idea brought to life through community, creativity, and a whole lot of heart.
Delivered by our team at Grassroot Communities, the event was designed to do more than entertain. It was about raising awareness, building relationships, and generating vital funds to support the work we do with young people across Bristol.
Thanks to your incredible support, we raised over £10,000 — and counting!
👉 Donate to the campaign
✈️ The Flights, The Fails, The Fun
Ten amazing teams from across the city joined us, building and launching their own recycled, self-propelled flying machines — from flying trees to toasters and burnt toast and everything in between.
Some soared (briefly), others flopped with style, but every single team brought energy, effort, and joy to the day.
Taking home the prize for Furthest Distance Flown was The Bakehouse Factory, also known as The BreadEagles. Their creative design — and fearless leap — made a real impression.
Kate Statham, Managing Director of Bakehouse Factory, said:
“We are thrilled to have been able to take part in the first ever Bristol Birdman. When we found out about the amazing work that Grassroot Communities do, it was the ‘yeast’ we could do.”
🏆 More Than Just Distance
The event wasn’t just about flight. Our incredible panel of young judges awarded prizes for best looking flying contraption, best entrance song, best audience engagement, and even Best pre-flight performance. It was a day full of laughter, connection, and shared celebration.
Our founder, Ben Carpenter, put it perfectly:
“It blows my mind how people have turned out today — there are people everywhere you look. It’s been amazing.”
💚 Why We Do It
At Grassroot Communities, we work with everyday young people aged 8–30 from underserved areas of Bristol. Our projects — from detached youth work to mentoring, to creative, nature and sport programmes — are all built from the ground up, shaped by the people we work with.
Bristol Birdman was a celebration of that ethos — community-led, youth-powered, and 100% heart.
👇 Still Time to Support
We’re so proud of what we achieved together — but the work continues.
You can still help us reach more young people by donating to our campaign:
👉 https://www.goodhub.com/go/thebristolbirdman2025
And if you’re new to Grassroot Communities and want to know more about who we are and what we do:
👉 Learn more here
Thank you to every team, volunteer, donor, cheerleader, and curious bystander who made the day what it was. We’ll be riding this wave for a long time — and yes, we’re already thinking about 2026…