Epigram #286

Epigram 23.03.2015

4

New arena Bristol-bound University of Bristol’s Special

Winston Churchill served as Chancellor of Bristol University from 1929 to 1965

Lecture series looks to commemorate Churchill

Maria Murariu News Reporter

“

Churchill was the first Chancellor of the University to be installed in the Great Hall in Wills Memorial Building When asked about the lectures Sophie Hatchwell, a teacher and PhD student in the Department of History of Art, said to Epigram that she was ‘thrilled to find such a wealth of information tucked away in our own archives. This work has given me a new appreciation of one of the most significant figures in British history, and an insight to the rich history of the University’.

Sir David Cannadine’s closing remarks were that Churchill’s legacy is an undoubtable one.

Whilst he remains a controversial figure, he really was a unique Chancellor and perhaps one of the most famous Chancellors of any UK university.

The one thing that remained constant throughout his ever-changing reputation was the support he had from University of Bristol, who always stood by him, for which he would be forever grateful.

Last week, Bristol Mayor George Ferguson announced the winning design for the new Bristol Arena, due to open in 2017.

Populous, the award winning design team who designed the London 2012 Olympic stadium and the London O2 Arena, will be heading to the South West to provide Bristol with its biggest music, sport and entertainment venue to date.

The winning team went up against four other contenders in a bid to win the £91 million pound build and were chosen by a committee. Over 50,000 people viewed the potential designs online and their comments were used to aid the decision making process. The Populous design was easily the public’s favourite.

The design, best described as a horse-shoe shape with an ‘adaptive façade’, is both attractive and practical. As Populous Senior Principal Nicholas Reynolds explained, ‘It delivers a world-class live concert venue for 12,000 fans and, with seamless conversion, the atmosphere and intimacy of a 4,000 seat amphitheatre’. This allows Bristol to uphold its reputation as home to a vibrant music scene for emerging artists as well as world-leading musicians.

The committee are hopeful that the arena will bring new life to the Temple Meads area, with cycle and pedestrian pathways linking it up to the station. It will be built on Arena Island, a former diesel depot site, and should re-energise the environment and stimulate the local economy.

“ in 2013 Bristol became the biggest UK city without a large arenastyle venue

The build is long awaited, as in 2013 Bristol became the biggest UK city without a large arenastyle venue. At present the two largest music venues (02 Academy and Colston Hall) only hold around 2,000. This opinion was reflected amongst students. One said, ‘The arena should help attract big names to Bristol which would make it even more attractive as a university city’.

However, another student told Epigram that the location is ‘slightly out of the way for uni students’.

A student single on the number 8/9 bus now costs £1 after a reduction in fares.

The general consensus is excitement and a positive reception of the designs amongst Bristol’s public and student population.

Work on the building will start next year so it can become ready for opening by 2017.

Matt Brown

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s death and the 75th anniversary of his first becoming Prime Minister. What many people – including Bristol students – don’t know is that Churchill also stood as University of Bristol’s Chancellor from 1929 to 1965.

These were tumultuous decades that saw a lot of complex international conflicts unfold, including World War Two and the Holocaust. To commemorate him, a series of special events will take place in Bristol to celebrate his life and achievements.

The University has organised a series of free public lectures as part of these celebrations, the first one having taken place on 4 March given

by Sir David Cannadine. The lecture focused on Churchill’s relationship with the University of Bristol.

In 1929, he was appointed as Chancellor of University of Bristol by Sir William McCormick, a former Professor of English Literature who had met him when Churchill was Chancellor of Exchequer. He had said, ‘If you want to get the aid of a man whose name will live in English history, you should invite Winston Churchill’.

Churchill was the first Chancellor of the University to be installed in the Great Hall in Wills Memorial Building, as it had only been completed four years before his appointment, which he regarded as a memorable moment.

As Bristol’s third Chancellor, he would hold the

office for life and, by the time he died in 1965, he would be, by a very substantial margin, the longest serving senior officer of any British university.

Alison Ralph News Reporter

Fitting with Bristol’s current title of European Green Capital, the arena will be the UK’s most sustainable arena. The design had received BREEAM environmental rating of ‘excellent’ due to its cutting edge design. For example, its displacement ventilation system and provision for the biggest building based solar-power system in the city.

Colston Hall only holds around 2,000 spectators

Plaid complain about Langford Cardiff branch closure

“

Sarah Newey News Editor

University of Bristol have decided to close their Veterinary practice in Wales, causing the leader of Plaid Cymru to contact the University directly.

‘I would hope the University would see the benefits of retaining the practice in Cardiff’ Steven W

The Cardiff branch of Langford Veterinary School has closed within a year of its creation

The Cardiff branch of Bristol’s Veterinary sciences school opened last year, but has not yet started to train students, and now it will not do so after operating at ‘significant losses’.

Veterinary Sciences is currently not available to study at any Welsh institution, forcing Welsh Veterinary students to cross the border to study the subject. The nearest accredited universities are Bristol and Liverpool.

In a letter to the University seen by Epigram, Plaid leader Leanne Wood said: ‘Wales does not have a veterinary school and, as a result, many Welsh students choose University of Bristol to study. I would hope the University would

see the benefits of retaining the practice in Cardiff which would be of great benefit to Welsh students working to become veterinary surgeons.’

Wood raised concerns that the closure will deny Welsh students the chance to train in Wales. She added that ‘an online petition has already been launched with the aim of retaining it in Cardiff.’

In a written response to the letter, Professor Richard Hammond, Chief Executive of Langford Vets, said, ‘Unfortunately, the growth in the Cardiff practice (unlike the rest of the enterprise) has been disappointing and, most recently, negative. [...] Not only is the practice forecast to show a sixfigure loss in the next financial year [...] but also it cannot provide the training opportunities we need.’

Maggie Leggett, the University’s Director of Communications and Marketing, told Epigram that the decision will have ‘no direct impact on the University’.

‘The Welsh practice is being closed as it is making significant losses because of competition from a number of other practices in the local area. It had been hoped that the practice might provide placements for Bristol students (and would be likely to be particularly attractive to Welsh students studying at Bristol) but there are already other Welsh placement opportunities for our students.’

Epigram 23.03.2015

5

Bristol Pink Week

Pink Week comes to Bristol University

“ Almost 50,000 women and 350 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year

Sarah Manuel, a committee member of the project in Bristol, emphasized that raising awareness of the disease and encouraging early detection through such events is extremely important for more people to survive.

She is hopeful that many more will get involved in the coming years following Cambridge’s incredible expansion. She adds that funds are

important but not their main focus at the moment, instead they want to raise awareness.

Some around Bristol have already taken part; Wills Hall is even organising its first Pink formal this week.

Bristol Pink Week kicks off on 23 March by presenting BED at Bunker together with Bristol Varsity. The following day, speakers are invited from 5pm in Wills Memorial Building in room 3.31, including Professor Paraskeva who specializes in experimental oncology and is one of the Coppafeel’s Boobette representatives.

On Wednesday 23 March, there will be the Pink bake sale around campus (contributions are welcome) and students are encouraged to dress in their finest pink attire! Pink smoothies will be served in Wills Memorial Building and there will also be a raffle.

Bristol Pink Week

Pink Week, which was launched for a second time in Cambridge at the start of March, is coming to Bristol for the first time this year. A range of events are coming to University of Bristol in order to not only raise funds but also raise awareness for breast cancer charities and research.

Nina Rauch initiated this innovative fundraiser in Haberdashers’ Aske’s school in 2011 in the remembrance of her late mother, Dina Rabinovitch.

Today her project has spread across Cambridge, with over fifty representatives spread out across the colleges.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with almost 50,000 women and 350 men

diagnosed each year. However, it remains a silent subject in many schools and universities.

To find out more or help the committee, visit www.facebook.com/bristolpinkweek or twitter.com/BristolPinkWeek

“

Sophie van Bercham News Reporter

Professor appointed to English Heritage Trust Alison Ralph News Reporter

University of Bristol News

Professor Ronald Hutton has been at Bristol University since 1981

Professor Ronald Hutton, a favourite amongst University of Bristol History students, has recently been appointed as one of five new trustees to the English Heritage Trust.

The independent charity will, from 1 April, be looking after the National Heritage Collection, which consists of more than 400 historic sites across England, including Stonehenge, Dover Castle and the best preserved parts of Hadrian’s Wall.

English Heritage was established by the National Heritage Act 1983 as the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commissions for England, with its main role being to champion and care for the historic environment of Britain.

The trust receives around eleven million visitors per year.

Ronald Hutton has been a Professor of History at the University since 1996. Prior to this he was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, before serving as a Reader in History at Bristol

University (1981-1996). He is the author of 14 books which specialise in Early Modern Britain and has appeared on British television and radio, such as BBC Radio 4. He is presently Chairman of the English Heritage Blue Plaques Panel.

Hutton is a favourite amongst University of Bristol history students

Professor Hutton will take easily to the appointment of trustee having previously held the position of Commissioner for the English Heritage from October 2009 until September 2013. Fellow charities, such as Designation Review and Remuneration Committees were also fortunate to have Professor Hutton as their former Chairman in recent years.

Professor Hutton’s fellow trustees are

Sukie Hemming, Director of Corporate Affairs at the British Museum, Ian McCaig, Chief Executive of First Utility, Malcolm Reading, Chairman of Malcolm Reading Consultants, and Sarah Staniforth CBE, who was previously Collections Director of the National Trust. Chairman of the English Heritage Trust, Sir Tim Laurence, is ‘delighted to welcome on board the new trustees’ claiming they will bring a ‘wealth of vital experience’ which will help establish the charity.

The appointment of Professor Hutton as a trustee for the charity is an honour for the University of Bristol, with Hutton commenting the decision was a ‘wonderful opportunity’ with which he hopes to do the University justice.

Professor Michael Basker,Dean of the Faculty of Arts, said Professor Hutton’s appointment was a ‘tremendous accolade’ and is ‘delighted’ that Professor Hutton’s standing as one of the UK’s pre-eminent historians is recognised at the very highest level of public service.

Epigram 23.03.2015

37

“

Bristol backs new Engineering Uni the degrees on NMITE’s behalf.

This university hopes to tackle the problem the UK faces in its shortage of skilled graduates.

In 2013 EngineeringUK raised concerns about the gap between the 87,000 engineering graduates the UK needs and the 46,000 students currently graduating.

Tarne Fidler News Reporter University of Bristol has given its backing to what will potentially be the UK’s first new university in over 30 years.

The New Model in Technology and Engineering (NMITE) based in the city centre of

Architype

An artist’s impression of what the new University could look like

Hereford is due to open in September 2017 and will offer 300 students places with intention to widen their intake to 5000 within a decade.

Though it will be privately funded the institution will not be for profit. It has not only secured financial support from Bristol and Warwick but also advice on course structure and content. Until it reaches University status these elite Russell Group Universities will award

‘Engineering is fundamental to the UK’s economic progress’

The issue of skilled graduates is constantly a feature in the debate on how the British economy can be grown. Many suggest that the UK is in desperate need of trained and skilled individuals with the ability to contribute to research and development as well as innovation and infrastructure which would provide a vital boost to the economic position of the country and allow Britain to compete in the rapidly

competitive global market.

Ex-Business Secretary Michael Fallon stated that ‘Engineering is fundamental to the UK’s economic progress, so it’s critical that we ensure there are enough skilled people to meet demand.’

NMITE hope to go further than simply fill a numerical gap and provide an entirely unique course, with a focus on business skills. Their degrees will be awarded not by subject, but rather by specific fields such as defence and cyber, agricultural technology and green and renewable technology. These courses have a substantial focus on what employers are looking for, with support and advice from leaders in the business world such as the Chairman of John Lewis and the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.

This model of education is an emulation of the highly successful American Olin college of Engineering in Boston which combines engineering with the arts and humanities offering courses such as the history of technology and NMITE is the first to follow suit in Europe.

It seems that NMITE will be one step in the wider progress towards a diverse education system.

UoB students find rare plant: ‘I’m lichen it’ Alex Green News Reporter

“ ‘I have spotted fourleaf clovers in the past but never a rare lichen

An external expert later confirmed Miss Burak’s find. Professor Mark Seaward of the British Lichen Society confirmed the MSc students’ observation after he identified the lichen from a photograph. Burak said, ‘It’s very exciting but it has taken me some time to learn

Do you get enough sleep?

Ivana Scatola Deputy News Editor A study led by University of Bristol has uncovered innovative evidence for a link between lack of sleep and obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The study, conducted in partnership with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, concentrated on ‘sleep debt’ whic is the measure of the difference between nightly hours sleep in weekdays with those at the weekends. ‘Sleep debt’ is typically high, with most people opting for lie-ins at the weekend and longer hour sleeps than during the week.

The sleeping habits of 522 people were used in the study which found that those losing sleep on weekdays were more likely to develop these health conditions.

‘We found that as little as 30 minutes a day sleep debt can have significant effects on obesity and insulin resistance,’ said Professor Shahrad Taheri from Weill Cornell.

This ‘shift-work’ sleep cycle at the centre of the study throws the body clock out of sync, thought to disrupt the natural rhythm of hormones in the body - leading to an array of health problems, not to mention metabolic consequences as already discovered in previous studies.

The pressures of busy work and social lives mean ‘shift-work’ sleep cycles are common, particularly among students.

One second-year Psychology student said, ‘This is definitely quite concerning as a student. The “sleep debt” that the study looks at is pretty high for me, and I’m guessing for other students too. I get limited sleep in the week and make it up at the weekends, which I thought balanced out...’

Professor Taheri said, ‘Our findings suggest that avoiding sleep debt could have positive benefits for waistlines and metabolism and that incorporating sleep into lifestyle interventions for weight loss and diabetes might improve their success.’

Ken-ichi Ueda

‘This is a wonderful discovery!’ said Tom Wilkins of Plantlife, talking of a rare lichen that has been discovered by students from Bristol University. They discovered the golden-eye lichen, previously believed extinct, during a field trip to Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.

This discovery was a new species record for Wales.

A group of postgraduates, together with their lecturer Dr Paul Smith, discovered the lichen on the restored spoil heaps of Dare Valley County Park in Aberdare. The students were studying the ecology of coal waste in Glamorgan. Coal waste is known to harbour unusual collections of animals and plants. The complex geology of the coal heaps includes discarded limestone, sandstone, coal fragments and heavy metals, hence its propensity to natural diversity.

The field trip was undertaken to sample the bryophyte and lichen communities of these heaps.

Dr Smith, a professional botanist and lecturer at the University, was training students in the

techniques of field observation when Emma Burak first observed the rare lichen. Miss Burak, who is training towards an MSc in Water and Environmental Management student, said ‘I have spotted four-leaf clovers in the past but never a rare lichen. During our field trip Paul stopped to point out some lichen on a tree. I was at the back of the group and studied a less crowded part of the tree, which was where I spotted a species I had never seen before - the Golden-eye lichen.’

Golden eye lichen has never before been found in Wales; the appearance has been explained as a consequence of cleaner air its proper name.’ This is the first observation of the bright, yellow lichen in Wales. Tim Wilkins from Planttlife thought that ‘cleaner air and climate change are the most likely explanations’ for the lichen’s appearance. He added, ‘We’ve been hoping it would turn up in Wales. It just goes to show what can be achieved through surveys of less well-known habitats’.

Work in places like Dare County has revealed

the ecological value of investigating coal waste heaps. Sue Townsend, Biodiversity Learning Manager at the Field Studies Council said ‘It is fabulous to see a small and potentially overlooked species being picked up, recognised and verified by national experts’. She added, ‘Fieldwork skills such as those taught on Bristol’s course, are vital for the continuing monitoring of our environment.’

Flashmob surprises campus Chandhini Suresh News Reporter Sanjana Narang News Reporter continued from the front page The UBU Bollywood Dance Society proudly held a charity flashmob event to raise money for Cancer Research UK ‘Spring it On’.

Bristol’s Bollywood Dance Society showed off their moves, whilst also encouraging the public to join in, in an event which raised over £125.

Cancer Research UK was chosen by the society because they they ‘feel very passionate about it, and to be able to raise awareness and show our support was a great honour.’ The charity carries out life-saving research to find a cure or treatment for the condition.

The flashmob, which lasted 15 minutes, was part of a series of initiative to raise money, which will be carried out until the end of June.

Treasurer for the Society, Priyamvada S. Chukowry, told Epigram that: ‘It was a very original way to fundraise and our audience loved it. People had a great time while raising funds for a good cause. It is spring and a flashmob like this automatically puts everybody in a better mood and brightens the atmosphere at University. I was really happy that so many people joined our flashmob and I hope that next time University Security will give us permission to do it in a more central area like Tyndall’s Park.’

Ananya George, a second year Medical student who participated in the event, commented that: ‘It was so good to see such a big turn out! The society has come a long way in just one year and I think today’s flashmob showcased that. The energy, the atmosphere and the support was incredible. Above all, it was a privilege to raise this much money for such a good cause. Big thank you to all who participated.’

To donate to the society’s cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/springiton/ or send a text saying ‘FMOB50 £1’ to 70070.

Epigram

23.03.2015

9

The union is finally coming together Remember this dire monstrosity?

RIP Bar 100

Millie Morris Features writer

a glossy Narnia tucked away in the right wing of the building which urges you to question how a space so big can possibly exist there. The Balloon Bar, which operates as a café in the daytime and bar at night, is a triumph.

Whilst some students have referred to it as ‘like an Ikea showroom’ - and admittedly, the funky primary school chairs do little to help this - it throbs at the heart of social down-time. I have yet to walk into the bar without seeing

someone I know, but members of the public are equally drawn in by the atmosphere and affordable prices.

Even though as a third year my departure from the University is imminent, in some ways this is what I have been waiting for for over two years. The lack of a bar or even any communal area in my halls left an indelible mark of disappointment on high expectations of university; now, at least one of my boxes has been ticked.

“

Yet the refurbishment of the Anson Rooms in 2013 gave us a glimmer of hope, a spark which was nurtured to a flame when just a month ago, we were graced with more finished rooms.

With the long-awaited completion of The Balloon Bar, the Wickham Theatre and permanent addition of study spaces, the union is finally starting to become a hub for social and academic pursuits.

The Theatre is a hidden delight,

Matt Gibson

The glitzier yet affordable Balloon Bar, on the ground floor of the SU - so you don’t have to stumble up and down any stairs

Bristol SU

The social side of university is often epitomised in the media by a cluster of students drinking at a union bar: a cheap, fun way to wile away the hours and meet new people. The typical union should house societies, provide a safe space and, most importantly, help students to feel as though they are a part of something: that they belong to a unified institution.

Attitudes towards the SU building were apathetic to say the least when I started at Bristol in 2012. My expectations of socialising, meeting non-halls and non-course friends in an affable environment were scuppered by the frankly dead nature of the bar, which didn’t even open every night.

There was very little reason to drag ourselves uphill to the grey monstrosity.

The Freshers’ Fair, held then in the building, was a sweaty, claustrophobic and uncomfortable experience which left me vowing to never visit the hellhole again. The Union building, as a student representative admitted to me in a confidential tone when I was looking round on an open day back in 2011, was not the place to be.

Haunted by the ever-slipping standards of student satisfaction marring its reputation, the University is reviving itself with these new spaces.

In the wake of opinions asserting that the experience of Bristol as a city is superior to that of the University, the union’s transformative building may just work to silence those sharp tongues.

Frugal students diving into freeganism Emily Faint Features Writer As students across the country struggle to balance costs and live within their means in the face of rising living expenses, there is a community gaining increasing prominence that may have found the answer to our woes. The practice of ‘bin-diving’ or, as it is known in the US and Australia, ‘dumpster-diving,’ is the retrieving of edible food that has been discarded as waste, usually by restaurants and supermarkets.

According to Community Interest Companies (CIC), 18 million tonnes of food end up in UK landfills every year, and almost half is still safe to eat. Reportedly, six million tonnes come from households alone, with the remainder deriving from retailers and

producers. With such staggering figures in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that the practice, also known as ‘freeganism’, is so widespread today.

Many students are now opting for Sainsbury’s backstreet bins rather than the store itself in order to save money and combat the sheer magnitude of this environmental damage.

Under the 1968 Theft Act, which states that ‘A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another…’ bin-diving is technically illegal in the UK but rarely enforced by police, given the controversy surrounding its ‘dishonest’ nature and whether waste in a bin can still be considered as ‘belonging’ to those who discarded it. Investigating the issue, we joined the homeless in scouring the bins of Waitrose, Pret, and many other stores in the Triangle area to see if there truly was a banquet

sitting in the city’s bins.

As detailed on the previous page, Bristol is the European Green Capital of 2015 and, as such, we were not expecting to find a great deal. Most of the findings were simply scraps of inedible food, or bags of plastic and cardboard waiting to be recycled.

However, almost half of the bins the group encountered were securely locked in order to prevent the very thing we were attempting to do.

The growing frequency of freegan activities in the past has led many retailers to chain up their bins to avoid raids from scavengers, who search for produce to eat or sell. The Daily Mail reported an incident in February 2014 where a group of students ‘scaled a 10ft metal gate’ in order to reach the skips containing discarded food, which included sausages, ribs, bread, fruit and even packaged ready meals. Whilst

we encountered bolt locks and even chains protecting bins, some stores are going even further to prevent freegans from taking anything of value, by pouring bleach on some of their discarded produce. Is it possible, then, that Bristol’s locked bins are the true hiding places of all this valuable food?

Many students are now opting for Sainsbury’s backstreet bins rather than the store itself

Local organisations such as BUST (Bristol University Sustainability Team) and the Bristol Skipchen, one of 11

fully functioning, not-for-profit cafés running entirely from wasted food, would say yes. Moreover, one BUST blogger reportedly found ‘furniture, books, medicine, clothes; 150 bottles of Budweiser, 60 tubs of Ben and Jerry’s and 100 cans of tuna that were packed incorrectly’ on one of their trips.

The Bristol Skipchen, however, serves around 70 customers a day with the wasted food it acquires from supermarket bins and donations from local farms, and even hands out leftovers to passers-by at closing time. Given our miserable attempt to pursue this waste-efficient lifestyle for an evening, it seems that these organisations are the real people to turn to if you, like growing numbers of students, want to slash your food bills and tackle the global issue of food waste.

Paul Townsend

Credit: Raffaele Esposito

Epigram

23.03.2015

10

Is ‘Voluntourism’ a help? (Gap) yah or no?

Becky Morton Features Writer

Hug It Forward

From working in a gorilla sanctuary in the mountain jungles of Africa to building a school in a remote village in Peru, it can seem as if everyone has been involved in some kind of life-changing project during their gap year or summer holiday. But how worthwhile is it for British students to undertake volunteering abroad?

The popularity of these trips has increased exponentially in recent years with more than 1.6 million volunteer tourists, or ‘voluntourists’, now spending about £1.3 billion each year, the majority of whom are young adults. Cynics question whether these programs serve the tourists more than the locals, who experience a life-changing holiday whilst feeling like they are still ‘making a difference’.

Undoubtedly many students undertake projects with genuine intentions; however, it is important to note the potential dangers of such trips as not all companies are as responsible as others.

Students can pay thousands of pounds to volunteer with an established company and many have questioned whether this money is benefitting the local community.

Students and parents appreciate the security of going with an established company which offers professional incountry support to volunteers,

but this often comes with a hefty price tag. Research has shown that the more expensive the trip, the less responsible the company is likely to be, giving higher profit-margins for the company rather than benefitting the local community. For this reason it is definitely worth doing research before handing over your hardearned cash.

Companies which use local tourist operators for additional day trips or community members for language lessons inject more money into the local economy and responsible companies will likely be more than happy to break down exactly where your money is going. For example, ‘People and Places’, which won a Responsible Tourism award for organising a range of community development projects, is one of the few companies which does publish its figures, and at least 80% of profits go back to the local community.

Another problem with volunteer tourism is that the jobs done by foreign visitors could often just as easily be given to locals. Is a university student with no training in manual labour likely to be the best person to build a school or would this job be better done and more beneficial for a member of the local community? It is important to clarify with the company whether your skills and experience will actually be relevant and beneficial for the project. Specific skills such as

fluency in English or tutoring experience may be something that British students could offer that locals may not be able to and in this case volunteers are certainly valuable. Speaking to previous project participants is a good way of determining whether an organisation puts your skills to good use and offers worthwhile projects.

One of the most problematic projects students undertake is working in orphanages, which can even be counterproductive in some cases.

Orphans, who have already

experienced abandonment, can suffer psychological issues if they become attached to volunteers who are there for a maximum of a few months before they return home. A more disturbing trend is the rise of ‘entrepreneurs’ who set up orphanages to cater for the tourist demand, which is reported by NGOs to be becoming a growing problem in Cambodia. This can fuel a demand for orphanages when family-based support may be a better option. There is also the question of whether all students

are suitably qualified for such demanding work. No doubt many are, but in England, to work with vulnerable children volunteers requires a DBS check; should anyone just be allowed to work with such children abroad?

Of course there are also great benefits of foreign volunteers, who, when utilised effectively, can offer specific skills and support locals cannot. They can also attract visitors and develop a tourism industry in more remote destinations.

It is also important not to

forget the benefits for the volunteer who gains skills, independence, new friends, the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new culture, and, let’s be honest, something interesting to talk about in job interviews. Volunteering abroad should be a mutually beneficial experience. As long as students do their research to ensure the companies they use are responsible and admit their holiday is not a selfless act but also benefits themselves, it can be.

How do students respond to the homeless?

Georgie Couzens Features Writer

“ Over the last three years, homelessness in Bristol has risen by 90%

The increasing presence of people living rough is often noted by students, but that doesn’t mean that we always respond sympathetically. In general, most seem to have a level of affection for ‘Big Issue Jeff’, who is often seen on the corner of Queens Road and University Road, but beggars

are a different issue. While lots of students are willing to give a bit of spare change when they are asked to, it can get a bit wearing when you’re asked for change for the fifth time that day and you don’t have that much spare cash yourself.

One History student told Epigram, ‘I like to give money to homeless people, especially when they have made something, but after a while it begins to grate’. Other students have said that they give back to the community in alternative ways, such as volunteering at shelters or charities, and that they prefer to help homeless people in this way, rather than giving them money, which they worry will be spent on destructive habits.

The ‘Your Kindness Could Kill’ campaign from Ipswich Locality Homelessness Fund, which involves Suffolk Police, came under fire last year for discouraging people from giving directly to the homeless, instead directing their funds towards charities like Shelter

and The Big Issue. Similar campaigns have been instigated by police and councils in Bath, Bournemouth and Oxford.

Maddie Dwyer, a third year Psychology student, is the co-founder of the Bristol Knititiative,astudent-ledproject that aims to provide homeless people with handmade knitted garments to help them keep warm in the colder months.

The idea came about when she decided to give a neck warmer she had knitted for her father to a homeless person instead.

She says that in comparison to people from her hometown, the students at Bristol have been ‘overwhelmingly positive’about her project. Hester, a homeless woman Maddie has spoken to, has been very appreciative of the knitted gifts as they ‘really mean something’.

The reasons that people become homeless and stay that way can be complicated and varied - including leaving abusive family settings, unemployment, substance addiction and mental illness

- but the fact is that a lot of people only feel motivated to help homeless people when they can see homeless people helping themselves. This is why students are more likely to buy money from a Big Issue Seller, or give some spare change to someone in turn for a makeshift ash tray.

Homelessness isn’t a problem that can be solved overnight, and sometimes giving money

to the homeless, rather than giving it directly to a related charity, isn’t the most effective way to enact change. There are various ways that students can help homeless people and lots of Bristol students seem to be aware of this and acting as best they can to help lessen the problem.

Jon

Local charities and nonprofit organisations gathered for the third Bristol Big Sleep Out on a chilly Friday at the end of February, spending a night in the freezing, noisy grounds of St Philip and St Jacob Church near Castle Park, to raise money and awareness of homelessness and the services out there to help.

The Big Issue organised the event, which attracted local charities The If Group, One25 and No Second Night Out, and was visited by Mayor George Ferguson, who said the main issue is ‘getting people feeling they have a worthwhile life instead of being left alone on the street’.

The need for more funding and awareness of homelessness in Bristol is emphasised by the statistics. Homeless charity Emmaus Bristol reports that over the last three years,

homelessness in Bristol has risen by 90 per cent, occurring at a time when Bristol City Council has had to cut back spending on homelessness prevention by 20 per cent over the last four years and with further cuts planned.

Epigram

23.03.2015

119

Charity: do we know where donations go?

Alex Yeates Features Writer

“ Young people are more involved in volunteering and social action than any other group

Despite a sense of brewing suspicion toward the way in which charities operate in the UK, there has been a consistency in the number of donations made by the public to charitable organisations.

A recent IPSOS Mori survey found that young people are more involved in volunteering and social action than any other group, and are at least as active as previous youngsters in helping the least well-off. With

“ over £5million being raised in a few months last year through the Ice Bucket challenge for various UK charities, there is reason to believe that the public are still engaged with the idea of helping others.

Comic Relief ran into significant controversy in 2013 when it was revealed that they had been investing in arms, tobacco and alcohol companies.

Bristol Pink, a charity that has been set up by two Bristol students, is seeking to raise awareness of Breast Cancer through new and exciting means. As a departure from the mainstream tactics of big charities, Bristol Pink are seeking to help those in need by throwing awareness-themed events, such as club nights, the aim being to establish a level of awareness felt on a personal level, something large charities sometimes forget to do.

The message that is sent by the fact that people want to donate to charity but also have a distrust of larger organisations, is that something ought to change in the way the system is run. Although it is healthy for a society to want to give to those in need in large numbers and in various ways, concerns are felt that too many people trying to do the same thing will make it far less likely for it to be done well. Comic Relief, for example, being able to raise massive amounts of money over short periods of

time displays a positive side to giving. But equally the anger felt by the public over how those donations are spent reiterates why something has to change.

Comic Relief ran into significant controversy in 2013 when it was revealed that they had been investing in arms, tobacco and alcohol companies. BBC Panorama discovered that they had over £600,000 worth of shares in BAE Systems. Donations being spent in ways such as this shows us why people are so concerned with the way in which the industry is driven.

Large charities investing in the problems that they are trying to fix demonstrates considerable hypocrisy, and does well to

• •

•

There are just over 195,289 charities registered in the UK, raising £80 billion a year The number of applications made to the Charity Commission to set up new organisations totalled over 6000 last year 20 years ago there were around 70 international charities fighting to help those in need in Ethiopia - now there are around 5000

then explain why there is such a surge in smaller charities being set up. One thing’s for sure: if we are to prevent the problem

of too many charities, but also to stop donations from falling, we have to reform the way in which the largest behave.

Jon Tandy

As it stands, there are just over 195,289 charities registered in the United Kingdom, raising a staggering £80 billion a year. With the current rate of applications made to the Charity Commission to set up even more coming in at over 6,000 last year alone, concerns are being raised, not least from former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, Sam Younger, over whether there are simply too many charities trying to do the same thing.

After stepping down, Younger expressed worry over the current rate of charities being set up with little regard for ones that are already fighting for the same cause.

The rate of bereaved military families, for example, rushing to set up charities in memory of lost loved ones despite many already existing was one area that he felt needed more thought.

Where many are inclined to believe the more charities the better, others want to make light of the fact that having far too many organisations doing one thing can sabotage their overall aim. Some 20 years ago there were around 70 international charities fighting to help those in need in poverty stricken Ethiopia.

Now, that figure stands closer to 5,000. With a meteoric rise in the number of people working for organisations, whose very existence relies on there being

people to help, there is a growing scepticism amongst the public as to whether charities are spending their money where they should.

Since all registered charities in the UK which generate an income of over £25,000 a year have to submit an independently audited account to the Charity Commission, a considerable administrative cost is incurred by the industry.

Rather than using the money to help those in need, as was intended,charitiesarenowfaced with a cumulative accountancy bill of £252 million - a figure which fuels public belief that larger charities in particular are no longer operating in the most efficient capacity. The Red Cross Society’s highestpaid executive, for example, earns between £200,000 and £210,000.

MAstering the art of postgrad study

Andrew Bennett looks at the pros and cons of a Master’s Andrew Bennett Features Writer Many consider Master’s degrees a way to improve chances in a competitive graduate labour market, but is it worth accruing even more debt in the process?

What motivates people to take on this extra financial burden?

Evidently, there are a small number of professions that require some form of MA, MSc or MBA, whether it be town planning, social work, economic consulting, or chartered engineering. If, however, this isn’t your desired career path, why else might you do a Master’s?

Firstly, the near-ubiquitous concern about leaving education and entering the labour market can make further study attractive: you’re deepening your knowledge for

a subject you love, whilst also putting off the inevitable.

From a purely academic point of view, the relative lack of choice in your undergraduate curriculum can also be completely counterbalanced by a set of broader, more detailed module options. Nevertheless, this highlights that enthusiasm is vital. Master’s degrees focus on a capacity for independent thought and self-driven commitment, and with a year (or two) of more intense and rigorous study ahead, they are not to be entered into lightly.

The near-ubiquitous concern about leaving education and entering the labour market can make further study attractive

What about money? Charlie Ball, of the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, suggests that basing a decision on the socalled ‘postgraduate dividend’ - the alleged higher earnings between those with or without postgraduate degrees - is a stab in the dark, given that no substantial studies have been carried out comparing the career earnings of those with master’s degrees and those without.

Furthermore, those careers likely to pay more will naturally attract more qualified people, so postgraduate degrees are not so much the cause of high pay, but a way of seemingly competing for it.

Beyond subject content, a host of transferable skills are developed, such as analysis and research, problem-solving, improved presentation skills and lateral, critical thinking.

The mutual respect

from your peers, as fellow researchers, also not only develops a professional attitude but a network of contacts to match. For other, more general jobs, work experience adds a further string to your bow that, in conjunction with your postgrad degree in hand, allows you to compete on the international stage.

Courses can cost between £3,000 and £41,000 (the latter for an Oxford MBA), plus living expenses, making the year ahead a real financial struggle for many. While a fifth of students receive some aid from organisations such as the Research Council, employer sponsorship schemes or charities, these are all extremely competitive and not to be relied on. The current alternative is to take out a Career Development Loan, which is borrowed at a reduced interest rate, but repayments start immediately

“ after graduation whether you’re in work or not.

Whether it be University of Maastricht, the Paris School of Economics, or Scandinavia (where fees are non-existent for EU members), foreign study can offer cheaper learning and even better quality

George Osborne admits that this cost of postgraduate degrees ‘deters bright students from poorer backgrounds’, so there will finally be a postgraduate student loans system from 2016/17 onwards available to students under 30, who will be entitled to up to £10,000. Megan Dunn, the NUS

Vice President, affirms that this is a ‘major step in the right direction’, hopefully making further study more affordable.

Despite this, the answer could be to look abroad.

With an increasing number of cheaper postgraduate degrees being taught entirely in English, a ‘new gap year’ tradition is being established.

Whether it be at the University of Maastricht, the Paris School of Economics, or Scandinavia (where fees are non existent for EU members) foreign study can offer cheaper learning and even better quality.

Of course, this all depends on your commitment and enthusiasm towards your subject. With only a minority of students going on to do further study, the most important thing remains a good first degree and a keen desire to learn on the job.

Anson Rooms

Purity ring 3 may For information and tickets for this event and more visit

www.ansonrooms.co.uk

Epigram

23.03.2015

Letters

Editor: Olivia Petter

@EpigramLetters

letters@epigram.org.uk

Could I give up social media?

There is no doubt that social media has become a huge part of our lives. In fact, I’d say most of us are addicted to it.

I for one can say that I was spending a huge amount of time on social media and more often than not, the first thing I did in the morning was check my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I’d then check it again when I sat down to work in the library, often wasting a good hour or so and then it would be the last thing I did before going to sleep.

It wasn’t until I actually added up the amount of time I was spending on social media per day that I realised how much time I was wasting. So, instead of giving up my favourite indulgent treats for Lent, I decided that I would give up social media instead...and as cliché as it sounds, it’s honestly changed my life.

Within 24 hours, I had almost forgotten about it completely and I’ve started to reap huge benefits.

The first thing I’ve noticed is that my sleep has improved hugely. Instead of looking at my iPhone or iPad before I go to sleep, I pick up a book or ring a friend or I just go straight to sleep, and I haven’t slept so well in years. I think a lot can be said for spending less time in front of a screen. Not only do I actually wake up on time, but I also feel really refreshed and much more alert.

I also feel much more content because I’m no longer constantly comparing myself, and my life, to those I was looking at online. It wasn’t something I was doing consciously, but I’m pretty sure we all do it. It’s so easy to forget that people tend to post the highlights of their lives on social media and this can sometimes start to make us feel unsatisfied with our own lives.

Like most people, a lot of my communication with friends was via social media but, as this is no longer an option, I’ve started ringing people or arranging coffees more often. It’s so

“

nice to talk to people properly and it is definitely something that I will continue to do. Communicating via social media just isn’t the same.

I feel really refreshed and much more alert

I was conscious that giving up social media would mean I’d miss out on news and events, but in reality I’ve missed out on nothing. After not responding to people’s Facebook invites, people have started to email or text me, and instead of reading the fairly mindless articles that circulate on social media, I’ve started picking up the paper, reading things that are actually interesting.

It can’t be denied that there are benefits to social media. It is great for keeping in contact with friends, notifying people about events and, if you have a business, it can provide fantastic opportunities for marketing.

But I have to be honest, we are three weeks into Lent and I’m thoroughly enjoying my life without social media, to the extent that I am genuinely considering giving it up for good. I feel so much more satisfied without it, and with two dissertations due in less than eight weeks time, it probably couldn’t have come at a better time.

Although it sounds a bit extreme and although you might feel like it doesn’t affect you that much, I’d thoroughly encourage you to give it up for a period of time, even if it’s just for a weekend.

It really isn’t as hard as you think and I can almost definitely say you will feel happier and much more refreshed.

Tweets of the fortnight: @Jennyjoya

“Forgive my pronunciation I’m from the North #ubuquiz #uobproblems

@Adoushek

“The whole coursework thing would be a lot more fun if my tutor liked my essay as much as she liked my dress today :) #waytogo”

@Emilygillingham

“Is it just me or is Divergent like a really, really long muggle version of the sorting ceremony in Harry Potter?”

“ “ Alice Bennett

Can’t we get along with our neighbours?

Students are inconsiderate and loud on weekdays. In return, neighbours feel no obligation to be reasonable

the house next door decided to invite half the University over. Don’t they know there are sleeping children next door?

I don’t think this is one sided, and I think both parties are similarly to blame for this hostile relationship.

Students are inconsiderate and loud on weekdays. In return, neighbours feel no obligation to be reasonable and turn straight to phoning landlords or university security to issue a complaint.

My housemates and I occupy the only student house on our street, although it is adjacent to student packed streets.

We’d heard from our letting agent that the boys who rented previously threw countless parties almost every weekend, had been complained about three times

before the Christmas period and were generally rude and messy.

You could tell the neighbours dread the new residents every year. But we introduced ourselves to new faces every time we saw them, and sustain a good relationship with them. We got sent a couple of Christmas cards and the next-door neighbour even dropped off a box of chocolates for us, thanking us for being such good neighbours.

In January, we had post-exams drinks before going out. We knew there was likely to be some noise, so we warned the neighbours. They were both shocked and thrilled that we’d actually gone to the effort to be respectful and tell them in advance. They were fine with it.

“

By now you may have heard about this anti-student leaflet that was apparently distributed to longer-term residents in the Redland area last month. The leaflet encouraged longer-term residents to stand up for ‘no more noise,’ ‘no more rubbish,’ ‘no more disruption,’ ‘no more cars’ and the key protest point ‘no more students.’

When people buy or rent a house, they look for lots of qualities unrelated to the actual house (catchment areas, quiet roads and the like). As students, we are the same. Many students choose Redland because it is close to the university. We may also like being near to the Whiteladies shops, and in (sort of) walking distance to the Triangle on nights out. I also personally quite enjoy being a 5-minute walk from the Student Health Service.

There are, however, more permanent residents in the area. Some of them may have moved to a street with no student housing on purpose, only to find that 10 years later almost every street is a student house.

When you’re living next to students, you’d rather not have crying children and barking dogs in the night because

Some neighbours need to stop being so petty

Respect and communication is key from both sides. If you don’t want your neighbours to call the University all the time, respect that they have children, and pets, and need to get up for work on weekdays. Send them some Christmas cards, or warn them when you might be too loud. Even buy them some chocolate when you know you might have peed them off.

We got sent a couple of Christmas cards and the neighbour even dropped off a box of chocolates

In return, some neighbours need to stop being so petty. Some noise is inevitable. Do they know they wake me up on occasional mornings, too? I can tell you that next-door’s office is on the other side of the bedroom wall, because the shredder wakes me up. On the right side of my room, just behind the wall,

there is the baby’s room. I am often kept awake by screaming children at all early hours. It’s annoying, but the walls are thin and we are all meant to co-habit in the area together. I get over it.

Redland is a convenient location for us students, and anyone who has ever bought a home here must be fully aware that there is student housing in the area, and as the university expands there will be more and more student houses popping up. I’m by no means suggesting people up and move from their homes, but I do find it incredible to learn about anti-student leaflets circulating what is and will always be a student area. Perhaps even laughable, if I’m allowed to say that.

Not all students are bad. There is no need for hateful and immature anti-student campaigns. The situation requires a level of respect and neighbourly cooperation. Both the residents and student residents should act like adults now, because we are all here to stay.

Helena Elliott

Ned Darlington

C U LT U R E

Epigram | 23.03.2015

40

Interview with the cast of Falstaff Society’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

Shakespearean plays such as ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ are often being performed on stage.

Is there anything special about Falstaff’s adaptation that sets you guys apart from the others?

Why did you choose to do the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and not any other Shakespearean play?

Tom: I love the play and I love the film adaptations. It can be really, really fun and all the characters are so great. Beatrice is one of

“

Niall: I think out of all his comedies, this is his best one. It was brilliantly written. It was stuck in my head even after reading it, it was like a roller coaster. Entry, party, fight, discussion, banter, love…

Tom: It is so action packed!

Were there any challenges getting into character?

Rebecca: Beatrice is a bit older than me, so it is hard to imagine what it would be like in my 30s.

Ben: She is also really unpleasant, and Beatrice is a lovely girl, so…

Rebecca: I don’t know. We do have some bits of similarities like sarcasm, I would like to think.

Ben: I think one thing with this play, is the fact that it is Shakespearean dialogue, which means everything has to be word perfect, and this makes line-knowing a little more stressful and challenging. I am lucky to have Rebecca – she is such a great opposite and this makes it easier to… spar.

a cracking good time, they will have a fun evening and it will be something to remember.

Phoebe: something

There is for

definitely everyone.

Why do you think people should go watch your play?

Tom: Absolutely! There is such a blend of different character, scenes and emotions, so much so that people will come out feeling…

Niall: They are going to have

Phoebe: like it’s the best thing ever.

A new ‘Lyrical Ballads’: Romanticism and Bristol

Flickr: shogunangel

Henry Wallis’ ‘The Death of Chatterton’, a painting of the young Romantic poet from Bristol, Thomas Chatterton, who died of arsenic poisoning at the age of 17 Friday 6 March saw a commemoration of Romanticism at @Bristol as 23 contemporary poets descended on the city for an evening of history and poetry. ‘New Lyrical Ballads’ is part of the Bristol Festival of Ideas, and the event was fundamentally a celebration of poetry old and new, as well as Bristol’s importance to the Romantic movement. Among the group of nearly two dozen poets were Sir Andrew Motion, former poet laureate of the UK; Don Paterson,

Alice Oswald and David Harsent. Each had been commissioned to write a new poem that responded in some way to the works of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

It was Wordsworth and Coleridge who, in 1798 with the publication of their Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, were arguably responsible for the birth of the Romantic movement which was to dominate British poetry for the next 30 years. Giving rise to such literary giants as Keats,

Falstaff Society

Tom: We are doing it in a new Espionage James Bond style, which is quite appropriate for the play because a lot of the themes in the play revolve around deceit, gender roles, observing, spying and appearances versus reality. It is quite a glamorous play, so we thought it would be fun to do it in a James Bond style with spy references and so on. It is definitely something that hasn’t been done before.

the greatest, if not the greatest female Shakespearean character.

Ben: Shakespeare tends to scare people off when they first hear about it, but this play is really approachable – especially with the way we have done it, it’s completely easy to understand.

“

Amid their busy rehearsals and preparations in lieu of their biggest production for the year, I managed to briefly catch the play’s director, Tom Besley, assistant director Phoebe Simmonds and cast members Rebecca Kent, Niall Potter and Ben Gosling to find out more about the upcoming production of Shakespeare’s play and their unique take on it.

Tom: Anyone can come along to enjoy it! We have done a modern adaptation of it without simplifying or dumbing it down. It really captures the spirit of the original that

Shelley and Byron, the period is one of the most important in the western poetic canon.

The kind of radical thought and expression that has come to define the Bristol of our time seems then to be deeply ingrained in the city’s history.

The city of Bristol was hugely significant to the Romantic period. The Lake Poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey all spent a large amount of time in and around the city, and it was here in 1798 that Joesph Cottle first published Lyrical Ballads itself. The kind of radical thought and expression that has come to define the Bristol of our time seems then to be deeply ingrained in the city’s history.

The poems on offer, all of which responded in some to the works of the early Romantics, were a sterling way of monumentalising this period of English poetry, and Bristol’s place in it. Some, like Alice Oswald’s ‘Dead Bird’, an elegy to a dead swan which she passed on her shoreside walks, sought to somehow transpose iconic images of the Romantic period, in this case the albatross carcass of Coleridge’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, into a modern context. To see contemporary poetry haunted by images that have come to define a past literary movement was a moving reminder of the importance of poetic influence and tradition. Conversely, poems like Sir Andrew Motion’s ‘The Concern’ focused on the figures of Wordsworth and Coleridge themselves.

Motion’s work was a commemoration, and celebration, of the friendship between the

the audiences would really enjoy.

Niall: Shakespeare would be proud.

Falstaff’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is showing from 24-26 March 2015 at 7.30pm in the Simon Pegg Studio Theatre in the Students’ Union. Tickets will be available both online and on the door.

Tiffany Gwee

two writers (which they called ‘the concern’) and its ‘lover-like intensity’, without which there would likely be no Lyrical Ballads.

Most importantly, the evening drew attention to the continued relevance of the values and ideals on which the Romantic movement was founded. Director of the Bristol Festival of Ideas, Andrew Kelly, drew attention to the Romantic focus on ‘nature and the emotions, place and the environment’, and it is easy to see how these kinds of attitudes are still hugely important today. With the world in a state of ecological turmoil, the issue of humankind’s relationship with the natural world is one that is at the forefront of contemporary science and ethics. The poems of Lyrical Ballads also draw attention to a society in a state of divide, of a discrepancy between the attitudes of the rich, and of the poor. Wordsworth’s poetry is a reclamation of language for the working people of Britain, and the themes of social dislocation that run through the work of the early Romantics is tremendously relevant to our society.

These issues of poetry, politics, and environmental ethics are continued in the ‘Coleridge Lectures’ series, which is running in Bristol throughout March and April. The aim of the series is to allow the country’s finest minds to raise awareness of, and provoke discussion about, these contemporary problems, in much the same way as Coleridge himself did when he hosted his own talks and debates whilst living in Bristol. These endeavours are all proof of the continued relevance of Romantic ideals and beliefs, as well as a call to arms to those concerned with the tense relationship between ourselves and the natural world.

Ed Grimble

Explore your opportunities

Masters Excellence Scholarships up to £500,000 worth of competitive scholarships to support UK/EU students who are planning to start a taught master’s programme in September 2015.

Postgraduate Information Fair Thursday 23rd April 2015 11.00am www.cardiff.ac.uk/postgraduate

Epigram 23.03.2015

44 30 flickr/ Ma_Co2013

Still Alice Film & TV Writers Dulcie Jones & Ellie Girolami on the film that won Julianne Moore the Best Actress Oscar and isn’t as bleak as it might sound Undoubtedly, the hype surrounding Still Alice has been largely due to the Oscarwinning performance given by actress Julianne Moore and, my goodness, does she deliver. The film opens with the seemingly idyllic life of Dr Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) who is celebrating her 50th birthday surrounded by her equally intelligent husband, John (Alec Baldwin) and her three aesthetically-pleasing children: Anna (Kate Bosworth), Tom (Hunter Parrish) and Lydia (Kristen Stewart). However, as is the case

“

there is no Hollywood gimmick to move the audience

“

the ultimate message is the power and redemptive quality of love Despite the subject matter, Still Alice is not merely a depressing study on the traumas of such a horrifying disease. There are moments of real humour during the film and the ultimate message of the movie is the power and redemptive quality of love.

The film does not end on any emotional clichés and you do not leave the cinema feeling deflated but, instead, touched and heartened.

Flickr/Chris Elt

flickr/canburak

of such picture-perfect family setups, all is not so simple. Alice begins to show small bouts of forgetfulness leading her to seek out medical help for suspected cancer.

It is within the confines of her doctor’s office that she is diagnosed with earlyonset Alzheimer’s disease. To make matters worse, she is informed her rare case is also genetic and could be passed on to one of her children.

The married director-duo Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland undertake the challenge of following Alice’s slow, debilitating plight and the repercussions it has on her family. The audience stays close to Alice for the duration of the movie with the camera even, on occasion, descending into her consciousness with flashbacks of her childhood being brought to the screen, as well as blurred images representing her sense of uncertainty. Indeed, this story demands an exceptionally capable actress and they have certainly obtained such in the brilliant casting of Julianne Moore. A close-up of Moore’s face during an amnesic episode illustrates the subtle detail, which

Moore brings to her performance with heartbreaking effect. The movie as a whole is shot simplistically, acting as a canvas for Moore’s powerful portrayal; there is no Hollywood gimmick to move the audience, Moore’s storytelling is enough.

However, it would be unfair to neglect the excellent performance from Kristen Stewart who perfectly supports Moore. Stewart is better known for her emphatic pained expressions than her stellar acting, yet, this characterisation is used to great effect here. She plays the creative black sheep of the family who is in contention with her mother over her future. Yet, she is the only child to properly empathise and attempt to understand her mother’s situation.

There is an incredibly moving moment in the film when Alice and the family go to watch Lydia in her play and, afterwards, Alice congratulates Lydia as if they were strangers. Stewart’s brief wave of anguish at her mother’s mistake is registered by the audience before she must remain composed for the sake of her mother. It is another example of bringing tender subtlety to a role and Stewart should be praised for her accomplishment.

Some outrageous product placement that we’re perpetuating here.

The Casual Vacancy Film & TV Writer Adam Becket on why the TV adaptation of JK Rowling’s novel surpasses its source - without even mentioning Harry Potter

flickr/ KatieA3

JK Rowling - role model and model citizen, you can’t not love her.

When did Sunday night become the hottest point of the week for drama? The BBC decided that it was the ideal slot for the television adaptation of JK Rowling’s (never heard of her) novel, The Casual Vacancy. Set in the almost too English town of Pagford, The Casual Vacancy is a biting commentary on middle England life, and the tensions between those with, and those without.

The plot follows the aftermath of the death of Barry Fairbrother (Rory Kinnear), a respected local councillor and lawyer, resulting in an intense election battle over the local council, particularly concerning local services for the deprived.

‘Midsomer Murders without the murders’ is how Philomena Cunk, Charlie Brooker’s television ‘expert’ on Weekly Wipe, describes the show. That is exactly what it is: a small, picturesque, English town falling in on itself under the pressure of the election. Barry lives on, post-death, online and exposes the corruption and hypocrisy in Pagford.

Michael Gambon is wonderful (well, horrible), as town mayor Howard Mollinson, a pompous arse of a man, who is concerned with the appearance of the town over the quality of life of the people. Pagford is divided between the pretty town itself, and the council estates around the edge, which act as a clear metaphor for the divides in modern day Britain. Some Big Society.

Every single character in the drama is rich in detail, and wonderfully acted by the star-studded cast. Rory Kinnear seems to be everywhere at the moment, even more than Olivia Colman, and he didn’t disappoint as the one truly nice character,

Barry Fairbrother. Keeley Hawes was cutting as Samantha Mollinson, just as Rufus Jones was perfectly weak as Miles Mollinson, her useless husband. Miles does whatever his parents Howard and Shirley Mollinson (Julia McKenzie) ask, including running for the vacant council seat in order to make Pagford even more reactionary. Julia McKenzie plays the scheming mayor’s wife to perfection, being nasty to just about everyone. It was the perfect ensemble cast for the story of Pagford self-destructing.

“

shows how a small English town came to be ripped apart through different views As much of the credit that goes to JK Rowling for the original novel has to also go to Sarah Phelps for the wonderful adaptation to the small screen. Much talk was about how Phelps thought Rowling’s original ending was too bleak for TV; yet one must not forget that the ending was still heart-wrenching. The young characters of the show were undoubtedly some of the

Epigram 23.03.2015

45 best, Krystal Weedon the tragic antihero, Stuart ‘Fats’ Wall, possibly the biggest dickhead in the whole programme, and Andrew Price, the author of ‘The Ghost Of Barry Fairbrother,’ who’s probably the most normal of all the characters. The young characters are how the viewer has any access to the ridiculousness of Pagford; they show how there is normality, and niceness, under the many of layers of pomposity in the town. Well, they help for me anyway, as I couldn’t deal with the lunacy of the adults.

The drama drags the audience through a moral minefield, forcing them to contend with the idea of shutting down Sweetlove House, and thus the removal of the need for people from the estates coming into the pretty, historical town centre. This is modern England in crisis, the nation split into two, just as Benjamin Disraeli would have had it. Those who try to fight for more togetherness are rebuffed, or caricatured as weak and ineffectual. Simon McBurney gets

this completely right playing the challenger for the vacant council seat, and local Deputy Headmaster, Colin Wall. Colin represents the media’s stereotypical Green Party voter, a sandal wearing, OCD obsessive who is constantly in need of his inhaler. Richard Glover is positively scary as Simon Price, the final candidate; he threatens his family and ends up losing all, just like many of the characters in the village.

Obviously none of the candidates deserve to win the election - Miles does, but that’s not the point. Instead, The Casual Vacancy shows how a small English town came to be ripped apart through different views of society, and the secrets and corruption that runs through everything. The television adaptation improved upon Rowling’s original work, and was an indictment of modern little England. Who knew that such an inane event could destroy an entire community?

Channel 4

relish Flickr/screen I could claim

that it’s Deputy Hannah who fancies Cucumber’s Freddie, but I’d be lying - it’s me.

Cucumber, Banana & Tofu

Flickr/canburak

Film & TV Writer Anna Smith on Russell T Davies’ cross-platform, multigenerational LGBT drama. It’s named after levels of erection The latest offering from Russell T Davies (Queer as Folk, Casanova, Dr Who) is a triumvirate of tales with a distinctly LGBT focus. The three programmes, Cucumber, Banana and Tofu, (named after, ahem, progressive stages of firmness during erection), interweave across platforms to create a treatise on modern relationships.

Channel 4’s Cucumber, written entirely

by Davies, is a comedic drama following Henry (Vincent Franklin), a fortysomething gay Mancunian living an apparently settled suburban life with his long-time partner, Lance (Cyril Nri). When a misguided night out leads to the problems in Henry and Lance’s relationship coming to the fore, Henry flees suburbia to shack up with a 19year-old colleague Dean (Fisayo Akinade) and his sultry but aloof housemate Freddie (Freddie Fox), with whom Henry is pathetically besotted. Sounds anarchic?

It is. Infused with Davies’ trademark joie de vivre, Cucumber is a melange of rattling monologues and chaotic confrontations, encouraging you to watch through your fingers as Henry ricochets from one poor life decision to the next. There will be some for whom Henry’s short-sighted narcissism is enough to put them off spending more than an episode or two in his company.

However, his saving grace is Vincent Franklin’s energetic performance, which perfectly captures just enough of the roiling anxiety beneath Henry’s spiky surface to engender the sympathy necessary to stick with him.

Unfortunately, the show’s frenetic energy is also its biggest stumbling block.

The boisterousness at times seems a little forced, particularly when it prevents proper exploration of Cucumber’s more serious themes such as shame, restlessness and grief.

Similarly, the ensemble are predominantly defined by their interactions with Henry, which means their character development (if it occurs at all) is somewhat uneven, an unfortunate waste of a strong supporting cast.

E4’s Banana goes some way towards delving deeper into the lives of those in Henry’s orbit. Davies (who has admitted that his interests lie predominantly in depicting the lives of gay men) steps aside after episode one to hand the reigns to a varied roster of writers and directors,

featuring established names among newer voices. The stand-alone stories interweave with those in Cucumber, often with an incidental character from the main series taking centre stage. This serves both to flesh out the world that Henry and co. inhabit and to bring the series a greater diversity than the predominantly cisgender gay male perspective of the main programme.

These snapshots of modern gay, lesbian and transgender life (comedian Bethany Black breaks ground here as the first out trans woman to play a trans woman on British TV) range from the sublime to the ridiculous, but if nothing else demonstrate the range of LGBT-focused stories it is possible to tell whilst moving beyond the confines of more traditional coming out narratives.

The accompanying 4OD documentary series, Tofu, is a set of shorts featuring talkinghead testimonies from Cucumber’s actors and members of the public interspersed with some frankly bizarre sketches. It’s interesting to hear a variety of perspectives from real people (god knows how they were persuaded to be so candid) on the issues brought up in Banana and Cucumber, and although some of the testimonies are the reason the phrase ‘too much information’ was created, there is also much here that is relatable and even poignant.

One of the most compelling themes addressed in Cucumber, and touched on in Banana and Tofu also, is the chasm between the experiences of those gay men who were discovering their sexuality, coming out and falling in and out of love in the eighties and nineties, and the youngsters who are doing the same now. While in Cucumber, Henry, in a rare moment of genuine introspection, admits to the terrible fear he felt concomitant with the first inklings of his sexuality as a child, the series’ younger characters live out-and-proud lives with largely supportive parents. The advent of social media and the roles sites such as Grindr, Tindr and YouTube play in modern romance, and society in general, are also explored.

Overall, Cucumber, Banana and Tofu offer an enjoyable experience which does more than one TV programme could to explore modern attitudes to sex and sexuality, and to examine how those attitudes are changing in our increasingly technological age.

Editors’ Picks

Our personal choices of what to watch over the next two weeks Matthew Editor

Hannah Deputy Editor

Manvir Online Editor

The Voices Friday 20 March

Maxine Peake as Hamlet Monday 23 March

Get Hard Friday 27 March

For too long, it seems, the indisputably charming Ryan Reynolds has been either absent from the big screen or else soiling it with utter dross. Having already won festival awards, this fantastically-psychotic dark comedy about an ordinary guy with evil talking pets looks set to help redress that balance.

Theatre productions being shown in the cinema is quickly become the norm. So why not go see my favourite Shakespeare production, played by one of my favourite TV Actresses Maxine Peake.

Starring the hilarious Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, this film sees the millionaire James King put in prison for fraud and turns to Darnell Lewis (Hart) to prep him for prison. Expect laughter all the way.

Queer as Folk Available on 4oD flickr/ ORSVP NYC

After finding his latest series Cucumber to be easily one of the most engaging shows on TV recently, I wholeheartedly recommend you revisit Russell T Davies’ 1999 game-changing LGBT drama, Queer as Folk.

Ordinary Lies Wednesdays 9pm BBC One As a very loyal fan of BBC dramas, I can’t wait to see the wonderfully odd choice of cast come together in this new show. Jason Manford, Michelle Keegan, and Jo Joyner - surely a recipe for a lovable new addition to our TV schedules.

Cheers Weekdays on UK Gold The bar where everybody knows your name returns back to our screens. Yes, it may be a vintage choice but this is one of the best TV comedies of all time and spawned the brilliant Frasier. Now in its 30th anniversary, this show is still funny and much better than the some of the rubbish that is called comedy today.

Epigram 23.03..2015

4725

Bristol’s Fleece faces a new threat of closure as developers appeal against restrictions on new residences.

A favourite among Bristol’s music venues for over 30 years, The Fleece originally launched a campaign earlier this year against plans to convert nearby office space into flats. This petition attracted 42,000 signatures and, though planning permission was granted, it was on the condition that flats overlooking the venue would have soundproofed windows which could not be opened. Now the London developers behind the project are objecting to these restrictions, hoping to install openable windows which would leave the venue liable to complaints.

The Fleece’s preemptive strike reflects the vulnerability of independent music venues in this situation: once residential development goes ahead, it may be too late to avoid the concerns of some new neighbours, who move in apparently without realising they might be able to hear gigs going on next door. Complaints have plagued live venues up and down the country: Night & Day Cafe in Manchester was served with a Noise Abatement Notice after complaints by a single new neighbour, finally getting the notice removed thanks to a massive show of support from local music fans. Brighton’s Blind Tiger Club was less lucky and eventually closed for good last May following pressure from residents living in the same building, on the floor above its stage. Councils tend to take complaints very seriously, in the case of the Blind Tiger Club issuing a ‘Notice to Abate a Statutory Nuisance’, which essentially ordered the venue to stop hosting music acts or face a crippling fine.

In an effort to avoid such conflicts, an e-petition last year aimed to ‘introduce mandatory noise complaint waivers for anyone who buys or rents a property within close distance of a music venue’. Despite its commendable intentions, the wording in this petition was vague and the government’s response essentially dismissed the whole idea. If something like this were to be enforced, the ‘close distance’ it mentions would need to be specified, possibly depending on factors like the venue’s size.

Potential residents would have to be provided with enough information about the location and nature of their local venue to make a decision about signing away their right to take issue with excessive noise in future.

the Agent of Change principle like that used in Australia. Whoever introduces the change to a community - the owner of new residences, or the venue which opens in a residential area or changes its curfew - is responsible for adequate soundproofing. As The Fleece point out in their petition, recent changes to national planning policy mean that residences near music venues must have optimised soundproofing, which fits with the Agent of Change idea because the developer would be the party required to take precautions against noise disturbance.

With more and more buildings being developed to address housing shortages in this country, the previously unoccupied bubbles around many music venues are being invaded by people who simply want a good night’s sleep. If the UK’s live music culture is to continue to thrive, we need a common-sense solution that takes the needs of both venues and residents into account.

The Fleece’s current e-petition on change.org has reached more than 16,000 signatures.

Kate Howard, Fourth year, Psychology

CLOSING TIME? Bristol’s legendary live music venue faces closure again...

An arguably better thought-through campaign has been masterminded by singersongwriter Frank Turner, recommending

flickr: Matt

Epigram

23.03.2015

48

LIVE @ THE NME AWARDS Alastair Shuttlesworth explores the weirdly sexual world of The Fat White Family...

The figures presiding over all this offer a striking spectacle. Keyboardist Nathan Saoudifar from the seated, hunched-over silhouette of Palma Violets’ Peter Mayhew- stands up to bob and bash furiously at the keys. Sideburned guitarist Adam Harmer somehow plays the entire set wearing woollen gloves. Singer and guitarist Saul Adamczewski thrusts wildly through the set, while the screamed vocals of Lias Saoudi (who briefly whips out his tallywhacker midway through the show) bear a thrilling contrast to the more restrained singing heard on their studio recordings.

What’s more, they’re clearly enjoying every minute, flashing wild grins at each other as they storm through crowd-favourites ‘Touch The Leather’ and ‘Bomb Disneyland’, with which they bring the performance to a sweatdrenched conclusion.

The Palma Violets were spectacular, Slaves are a refreshing reinvention of the two-piece rock band model, and last-minute addition ‘The Wytches’ proved their place very welldeserved. However, the evening belonged to the eccentric, chaotic and virile performance by the Fat Whites; an important step in their progression to bigger audiences.

Alastair Shuttleworth, First year, English

flickr: Alter1fo

The Bristol leg of the NME Awards Tour was dominated by The Fat White Family, a band who continue to prove that they deserve recognition for more than the (considerable) depravity of their art- they’re just about the most exciting new band in the country.

The Fat White Family is a band that, initially, seems too repulsive to be adored.

With a penchant for onstage masturbation, stomach-churning music videos and questionable song titles (to follow), the band has been widely caricaturised as a dysfunctional gang of filthy-minded nutcases. This image threatens to overshadow one of the decade’s most original, visceral and exciting debut albums, Champagne Holocaust, blending the chaotic tones of The Fall and The Monks with the dark, satirical lyrics of The Country Teasers.

In recent months they’ve released some of their most ambitious work, including the terrifyingly atmospheric ‘I Am Joseph Stalin’. However, tonight they’re playing the favourites.

After an unnamed spokesperson gives the band a baffling spoken-word introduction, they start with slow-burning album-opener ‘Auto Neutron’. They then launch into their incendiary ode to oral sex ‘Is It Raining In Your Mouth’, as their nowshirtless frontman Lias Saoudi scrambles into the thrashing front of the crowd. Some of their more heavily produced songs- such as the disgustingly anthemic ‘I Am Mark E. Smith’ and ‘Cream Of The Young’- take on a rougher, fuzzier quality in their strippeddown live forms. This means that, despite being two of the band’s slowest songs, they send the crowd into fierce convulsions.

Epigram

23.03.2015

49

ALBUM PREVIEW: NUBIYAN TWIST not just the rhythms and melodies but live dubbing and scratch DJing that mark this record as a frontrunner in its genre.

With the growing hype around the band, it’s a surprise that they remain unsigned. However, this hasn’t seemed to hinder them.

Recorded and self-produced in a small straw bale and cement studio in the depths of Oxfordshire, Nubiyan’s strength lies in their authentic and colourful character.

Taking the listener on a genredefying adventure across continents and eras, this is a record that will fill any dancefloor and is not one to be missed.

Out 30 March via Wormfood Records.

Ben Lock, Second year, Physics

Anson Rooms

BEN HOWARD 28 mar

www.ansonrooms.co.uk Available to purchase from 11am Monday 23.

Sajid David somehow looking incredibly pleased and awkward at the same time

flickr: Number 10

Almost half a decade in the making, the colossal sound of 12-piece afrobeat, dub, neosoul and hip-hop group Nubiyan Twist has somehow been compressed to the size of a CD. The upcoming release of their self-titled debut album will leave you asking why you hadn’t discovered them sooner.

After releasing their latest single, Work House, a stripped back groove-laden beat dominated by an immense horn section premiered on SBTV recently. The band have been building the hype further touring the UK, including a gig at Bristol’s own Marble Factory alongside dates in Manchester, London and Leeds.

Influenced by musical greats such as Fela Kuti and J Dilla, it’s not hard to detect the orgiastic fusion of genres their music ensues.

This groovy synthesis of themes translates in the band’s use of both Portuguese and English in their lyrics – which is cordially accompanied by Brazilian vocalist and percussionist, Pilo Adami.

But it is the auratic frontwoman, Nubiya Brandon who holds the spotlight. With her sultry and smooth deliver, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with the likes of Lauryn Hill, none more so than on standout track Figure Numatic. Across the LP, it’s the blend of

s i e t o v o t g n i r Registe . y s a e n i t e h t f beans-out-o If you want to vote at uni in the 7 May general and local elections, register by 20 April 2015.

It only takes a few minutes. Go to gov.uk/register-to-vote and register with your uni address. Easy beansy.

Epigram 23.03.2015

52

Benefits of new packaging are plain to see James Franklin Science Writer Researchers at University of Bristol, working with colleagues from the Universities of Exeter and Sterling, have found that using plain packaging can alter smokers’ attitude towards their cigarette packet. The study, published in BMC Public Health, found that although there did not seem to be an impact on the number of cigarettes smoked over the course of the day, the users who smoked daily did report that they had a more negative experience when using the plain packet.

The research was conducted by asking daily cigarette smokers to use either a plain pack or a pack of branded cigarettes for a single day: the plain packs were Australian and the branded were from the UK. The behaviour of the smokers was monitored using a device known as a topography monitor. By getting the participants to smoke through this device, researchers were able to measure their smoking behaviour.

As well as having a more negative experience of smoking, the subjects

their particular brand. Tobacco companies are extremely restricted in what they can advertise already and the era of Joe Camel and the Marlborough Man is long since over. For years, companies have opted for simpler packaging with a colour scheme and logo, to avoid being seen as attracting risk groups, such as children. One aim of plain packaging is to ensure that children

never find anything attractive about cigarettes.

The tobacco industry has moved onto other methods of getting and keeping customers. One trial by the BMJ found the use of certain textures led to haptic sensations that build attachments over time. Results found that people missed the feel of certain things, like pulling back the foil, and this triggered a desire to

“

Flickr: : TimHsu

“

to ensure that children never find anything attractive about smoking

who used the plain pack cigarettes also reported that the health warning was more impactful. These sorts of findings are likely to be welcomed by the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, just two of the groups funding the study.

Dr Olivia Maynard, the lead author of the study, said: ‘the changes in attitudes that we have observed after this short exposure to the packaging are interesting and suggest that plain packaging may impact behaviour over time, which could lead to decreased rates of smoking.’ She also justified the lack of change in the number of cigarettes smoked by claiming that ‘the fact that we did not see any effect of using plain packaging on smoking behaviour is perhaps not surprising, as our participants only used the packs for a day.’

The results of this study came two days after the UK voted in favour of introducing plain packaging for cigarettes. This new measure is to be introduced in May 2016. The introduction of plain packaging could be held up for several months after this date, perhaps longer, as several tobacco companies have suggested that they will attempt to block the law on the grounds that it invalidates their copyrights. While a similar unsuccessful case was made in Australia, it is likely that these companies will fight this legislation.

A statement made by British American Tobacco calls on people to defend their rights, like any other company, over the colours and designs they feel make up

smoke. This use of haptic materials has been confirmed by at least two companies, the click of a Lucky Strike being one example.

All the reputable research leads to the conclusion that plain packaging works

Flickr: : eko

The tobacco industry frequently states to the media that ‘studies’ show that plain packaging has no effect on smoking rates. The research they are referring to mostly comes from a study, commissioned by British American Tobacco and conducted

by Deloitte. This is a rare example of such a finding, and one that has been criticized for having flawed methods that bias the conclusion towards the tobacco industry’s case. While on the other side of the debate, stand the BMJ, AMJ, the UN World Health Organization, as well as many more reputable bodies. Another study found that plain packaging led to people feeling that their tobacco was of a lower quality and had made them think of quitting at least once more a week. All the reputable research leads to the conclusion that plain packaging works.

John Oliver’s recent exposé showed the lengths tobacco companies will go to stop even small markets, like Togo, introducing antismoking legislation. The battle over plain packaging is likely to go all the way to the Supreme Court of the UK.

Sport

Epigram

23.03.2015

53

“

The best league in the world?

Tom Gellatly Sport Features Writer

With the Premier League enduring another period of disappointing results in European competition, Epigram Sport took it upon itself to make the case for the defence of the self-proclaimed ‘Best League in the World’...

Flickt: Ronnie Macdonald

The Barclays Premier League’s (BPL) status as the most thrilling, star-studded and overall superior league in world football has come under increasing amounts of fire in recent years. What with BPL teams only having won three of the last ten Champions Leagues, and with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich’s seemingly impenetrable chokeholds on the ‘best two teams in the world’ tag, it seems to be harder and harder to defend the league from allegations that it is falling by the wayside in comparison to other European leagues.

I think such allegations are nonsense. Whilst La Liga might have the duopoly of two of the best club sides of recent times in its favour, plus the ever-improving Atlético Madrid providing some truly Premier League-esque upsets, such as a recent 4-0 triumph over city rivals, Real, simply having the best teams in Europe is not necessarily the recipe for the best league. The Bundesliga, too, is almost completely out of contention for this accolade, with Bayern’s dominance so complete and routine that the only headlines really emerging from the German football world are the incredibly rare occasion on which they lose, or more documenting of Borussia Dortmund’s bizarre fall from grace.

What the Premier League boasts, which other European leagues truly cannot, is utter unpredictability in every single game, every single week. A quick glance at the table and some recent results proves this assertion pretty quickly; Southampton are 6th, rising from 14th place two years ago, and from 8th last year. West Ham, Swansea and Stoke are all in the top ten, there are only five points between third and sixth place. Now, these surprising positions would be good enough alone to push the Premier League’s un-

Arsenal’s Mesut Özil: One of the Premier League’s star attractions

predictability above that of its continental rivals, but it is the drama and unpredictability in games each week that truly makes it What the Premier the most thrilling League boasts, league in the world. which other Newly promoted Leicester City’s European leagues comeback from 3truly cannot, is utter 1 down to 5-3 up against the league’s unpredictability in highest-spending every single game team, Manchester United, was an early-season highlight. Tottenham’s vanquishing of league leaders Chelsea with the same score was a similarly shocking result, coupled with another newly promoted team, Burnley’s, comeback from 2-0 down away to defending champions Manchester City showing a similar kind of David vs Goliath story that the Premier League so consistently provides.

When matches like Wolfsburg vs Bayern and the Madrid derby are the biggest upsets in the two main rivals to the Premier League’s ‘best league’ crown, it’s important to remember that all four of these teams are in the top three of their respective leagues - these would not be ‘upsets’ or ‘surprises’ in the Premier League; they would just be standard results.

Indeed, anyone who attempts Sky’s ‘Super Six’ challenge each week – to guess six BPL matches’ scores exactly right and win £250,000 – can attest, the Premier League is so infuriatingly unpredictable each week that it seems impossible ever to get remotely close due to the frequency and dramatic nature of the upsets that occur. Still, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

CWC 2015: Why England failed The coach: Peter Moores

Captain who?

It’s a gentleman’s game

Peter Moores is undeniably one of cricket’s good men. He is also undeniably a good coach. No-one leads Lancashire and Sussex to their first County Championship titles in donkey’s years without possessing a high level of tactical nous and an ability to inspire his players to go above and beyond the call of duty. Unfortunately, none of these qualities have been on show in his second England tenure, which will ultimately be defined by the recent World Cup failure. A proportion of the blame for the inability to qualify for the quarter-finals of a tournament in which the odds were stacked enormously in his side’s failure must be lain at his door. Merely watching from afar, the side were too reactive, too stuck in their ways and too unable or fearful to adapt - namely, they exhibited none of the qualities which made the 52-year-old such a successful coach at county level. Perhaps systemic problems played a part, but it is the coach’s job to ensure that his players are relaxed and able to deliver their best on the field. This was, at no point during the World Cup, evident.

Andy Bull in the Guardian highlighted (after doing so originally following his reappointment), that Moores was, in terms of results, a failure as England coach between 2007 and 2009 and giving him a second bite at the apple was misjudged. There are no signs that has changed, with England not only failing to beat New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but also failing (apart from against the latter), to compete. If it hasn’t completely gone backwards, then this country’s one-day cricket and tactics are certainly stuck in the past.

When Alastair Cook was appointed ODI captain in 2011, the idea was that he would build a new England and lead them to World Cup glory four years later. The plan didn’t quite work. Cook was dropped months before the tournament, Eoin Morgan – an Irishman who couldn’t buy a run – replaced him and the whole focal point of the team altered.

There is no possible way such a last-minute change in captaincy can that be good for a team. In happening once every four years, World Cups allow for sides to go through natural cycles. Chris Robshaw took the reins of England’s rugby team after their own World Cup failure in 2011. And, all going well, he will be looking to carry the old chariot home this autumn. Unfortunately for the cricketers, the chariot didn’t so much come home but instead lost its driver, broke its axel and sank somewhere between Australia and Bangladesh.

In any sport the captain is crucial. In cricket you need the skipper to be a leader on the field, a player in form and a familiar face in the dressing room. Cook struggled in two of those fields, Morgan couldn’t do much better. It was always going to be a disaster.

Rightly or wrongly, the English Cricket Board prioritise Test Match cricket. There may be nothing better than a sun soaked day at Lord’s watching the boys in white, but, if England are ever to win a World Cup, they’ll need to adjust their attitude to the one-day game.

It probably didn’t help that up until the end of 2013, English counties were playing 40-over cricket despite the World Cup using a 50-over format. Imagine playing 80-minute games in the Premier League and then adjusting to 90-minute matches for England. It simply wouldn’t happen.

Equally, England’s policy of resting and rotating players in major ODI tournaments may develop some new players but it stops your best XI from consistently playing together. Would they mix and match in the same way in the Test arena? I hardly think so.

The other issue is that England play an old-fashioned brand of one-day cricket. In may cause a few shudders in the MCC when David Warner smashes a ton in 20 overs but the one-day format has developing into a big-hitters’ game. Slowly grind through the overs in Test matches, but there is no time for that in ODIs. Against Sri Lanka, England played the perfect one day innings of yesteryear: starting smoothly, knocking around the middle overs and smashing it at the end to reach a respectable 309. Sri Lanka cantered over the line one wicket down.

If England are to compete against the best in ODIs, they have to adapt their game.

Flickr: NAPARAZZI

Flickr: ASHISH1987

Flickr: Mertle

The Adelaide Oval: Yet again the scene of an England failure Down Under

Eoin Morgan could hardly buy a run as England captain

Australia’s David Warner is the archtypal modern ODI batsman

Epigram

23.03.2015

54

Busy Term for Athletics and Cross Country John Ashcroft Club captain

Back in January, 35 runners headed to Brighton for the cross country championships, the first of many races in a busy schedule for the Athletics and Cross Country Club. There were many great performances on the hilly mud-bath of a course, such as Callum Jones and Florence Emond, who led the men’s A and women’s team home respectively.

A number of runners also ended up choosing one of the hardest cross country courses to make their debut on, while the specialist track runners certainly did not enjoy the mud either! Bristol were one of the best represented teams at the championships and despite missing some key runners finished 17th and 23rd respectively, laying down a marker for the club’s trend for success over the next few weeks.

Next up were the British indoor championships. Oliver Jefferies, Jazmin Sawyers and John Ashcroft were Bristol’s representatives in Sheffield. Ollie Jefferies’time of 8.58 seconds in the 60m hurdles was unfortunately not good enough for him to progress in a very high quality field. However, managing to achieve the qualifying time shows he is set for a strong season with outdoor 110m hurdles.

fourth in the shot put, just 11cm behind third place. In the 200m Ben Lyszkowski ran a personal best (PB) (25.5), whilst Alex Atkins ran 23.29 to qualify for the semifinal, where he finished 6th. Lizzie Toole also managed to cope with an early start on the final day of competition to finish fourth in her heat with an impressive time of 29.95.

In the 400m Yousuf Rana and Joe Thornton both put in a fantastic effort in their heats to make it through to the semi-finals.

Unfortunately medal hopeful Thornton ended up toppling onto the track after a collision with a fellow runner as they fought for the lead going into the second lap during the semi-final. Joe’s competition ended early, while another good run and fourth place finish was just short of seeing Yousuf into the final. Some of the other highlights of an excellent weekend in Sheffield included a

PB for Jake Andrews and Ornette Matthews running 7.39 in the 60m, a solid run by Ieuan Jones in the 3,000m, Robin Lane and Ben Topley doing well in the 800m and a fourth place finish by John Ashcroft in the 1500m.

At the same time that all of this was happening James Thompson (who finished 2nd) along with many others competed

in the Varsity 10k, Sawyers took part in the Birmingham Indoor European Trials while Ben Westhenry and Jones participated in the National Cross Country Championships!

With the indoor season out of the way, attention turned once again to the longer distance runners. Next up for them was the Bath Half. Despite some issues with the official results we are confident it was one of the highest attended races of the year for the club so congratulations to all those that gave it a go!

There were plenty of PBs on the day with Tom Mowbray being the first University of Bristol runner back in a time of 1.21.05.

He was closely followed by Matthew Deacon in 1.21.45. The first of the female athletes from the University was Imogen Peck in an impressive time of 1.29.54.

Sam Pagliarini, Emond, Jim Lumsden, Charlotte Fowler, Tom Joy, Lauren Pennock, StephenCampbell, Sean Tuffy, Zoe Partridge, EmilyJane Mitchell, Emily Orton, Richard Shoulder and a fair few more all put in an amazing effort and posted some fantastic times while raising money for some good causes too!

On 7 March it was time for the Athletics and Cross Country Club to host their very first Bristol relays.

Megan Williams did an amazing job in organising the 3km relay on the Downs while the perfect weather set up a brilliant day of racing. In the ladies’ race University of Bristol finished second to local athletics club Bristol and West, whilst in the men’s event University of Bristol managed to claim first, second and third with only Clevedon coming

in fourth to stop them from making it a perfect top four spots win for Bristol. Positive reviews all round for this relay gives strong promise that the event can grow in the coming years to become an important part of the calendar for both the Athletics Club and other sports clubs.

In a few weeks, for their last competition of the term, the club will be joining in with the fun of Varsity day in Exeter for an unofficial varsity match. After this we look forward to BUCS outdoors which will be held in Bedford during May. Well done to everyone on a great year so far!

Finally, the Athletics and Cross Country Club went to Oxford for their prestigious Teddy Hall Relays.

There were some excellent runs with Bristol entering teams into the men’s race and the mixed race.

The men’s A team of Kit Grierson, Ashcroft, Thompson and Topley finished fourth behind Imperial, Oxford and the RAF. The mixed team of Tom Joy, Emond, Alexa Parker and Ashcroft managed to go one better by finishing an impressive third. There were other terrific performances throughout all the teams with Bristol being one of the most represented universities at the competition.

If you want any information about joining in with the club, please email bristolathletics@ gmail.com.

Sawyers once again showed what a talented athlete she is. A jump of 6.32m was good enough for her to take away the bronze medal, and was also one of her biggest indoor jumps to date. Jaz wasn’t the only medallist from the club, as Ashcroft swapped the cross country for track and managed to capitalise on a tactical race in the 1500m to finish in third.

John and Ollie were back in Sheffield a week later joined by 13 others from the University for the BUCS indoors championships.

There were some strong performances throughout the whole weekend. Simi Pam narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing

John Ashcroft and Florence Emond

Epigram

23.03.2015

55

Scottish dancing: How’s that for a sport?

Edward Henderson-Howat Online Sport Editor

of Dunkirk.

Lieutenant J.E.M. Atkinson faces the rest of the war a prisoner but he decides to do something to keep up the morale of his men, baffle the Nazis and show the strength of Scotland. He invents a reel.

With long lines of participants dancing together, forming the Saint Andrew’s Cross at the heart of the action, this comparatively modern reel carries with it a weight of history and resonance. It, along with many other dances, from the Dashing White Sergeant to the Duke of Perth, were certainly on display on Friday 13.

For Atkinson and his regiment, this was an all-male affair but for the rest of time, there’s always been the opportunity to dance with the fairer sex.

Here I put it to you, that there is no better way to meet and engage with ‘Mr or Mrs Right’ than on the whirling, twirling floor of a Reeling Ball.

For starters, the music is loud but not so loud one is forced to shout at your partner. The contact is there, a clasping hand or arm round the waist but it falls far short of the quick smooch and a grab seen in so many of Bristol’s fine establishments (yes Bunker, that means you).

The dances’ length allow one to get a good sense of the synergy flowing between you and your partner and when the reel comes to an end, one can quite reasonably dance with someone else, or if you’re really feeling the chemistry, ask for their hand again.

Here we have another point,

Flickt: rfduck

You may (or may well not!) have heard that every week Epigram Sport runs a feature focussing on some of the smaller, more obscure sports clubs in the University.

Unfortunately,your esteemed online editor was busy watching England fall apart in the rugby and cricket when he realised to his horror that he had nothing to fill the space for Monday.

Desperate emails were sent but to no avail. Despondently he made his way to reeling practice on Sunday evening (we are talking about a very cool individual here) when inspiration struck him.

Why not compose an article on the fine art of Scottish Country Dancing performed within Bristol’s Caledonian

Society or more specifically write a piece on the event that was the Black Tie Reeling Ball? Granted, reeling isn’t exactly a sport but then neither is darts, weightlifting or bowls.

Scottish Country Dancing, reeling, ceilidh dancing – call it what you will – has a long history, involves enough kit to make the keenest lacrosse player proud and it requires a hell of a lot of energy. So I’m happy enough to write this feature on this obscure ‘sport’ played within the University.

It is, in no straighter terms, the finest form of dancing you can partake in and as far as I’m concerned, the Bristol Reeling Ball on Friday 13 March was one of the finest occasions you should have attended this year.

Anyway, back to the reeling…

Picture the scene, it’s 1940 and the 51st Highland Division have just been captured by the Germans at the Battle

More kilts than you can shake a stick at

reeling brings us back to bygone days of chivalry but there is something agreeable in the way a gentleman can politely ask a lady to dance or introduce her to her next partner during the reel. Indeed, beats in the music are often specifically set aside to allow new couples to face each other and set by means of introduction.

Honestly, how much better is that than the average nightclub? In a dark seedy room people prowl the dance floor approaching others from behind without stopping to say hello, somehow thinking their drunken, sweaty aroma is sure to win their conquest over.

At a Reeling Ball, one must ask your partner to dance; this strikes up instant

conversation. Then after a few minutes of dancing there is normally enough contact and comedy to bring about an immediate camaraderie.

And there’s another thing worth mentioning: Scottish dancing is filled with laughter. Whether you have the finest spin in the book or two left feet there is a warmth of atmosphere comparable to none.

Any friend who has had the misfortune to see me on a night-out can testify to my appalling dancing and general lack of co-ordination but with a bit of grit and tongue sticking out, even I can muddle my way through most reels. It’s open to all and can be done by all.

The practices are casual so it is well worth coming along whenever you fancy (details can be found on the Facebook page). From Buchanan to McDonald every tartan will be on show. As the boys don their kilts, trews or suits (just make sure you wear a bow tie – black ties are for very different events) and the girls slip into their long ball gowns it will be a night for dressing to the nines.

All the while through the history and flirtation, the laughter and the style you may suddenly realise how much you need the next drink. No, that’s not because you need to lose all your inhibitions in your desperate attempt to dance with someone. It’s because it is all bloody good exercise.

So there you have it, your obscure sport for the week – Scottish Country Dancing.

Water polo sail into national final Jordan Kelly-Linden Hal Sherrington UBSWPC

WOMEN’S:

the Freshers on their squad. However, it was beyond hilarious to watch, and for that, Cardiff, we want to thank you for, at the very least, amusing us.

Imperial’s game ended 6-5 to Bristol, the girls were left with an unfortunate 12-3 to Sheffield Hallam, and, finally, Cardiff took a blow, leaving Bristol to seal the deal with a 11-2 win.

The girls shall be joining the Bristol boys in their crusade of the BUCS finalists soon. There, they will be the only southern University left in the women’s competition, and will meet Edinburgh, Sheffield Hallam, and Newcastle. It’s certainly set to be interesting, with Bristol more than

Flickt: Flying Cloud

The weekend of 14 March: the very same weekend where one Sheffield Hallam player came away requiring reconstructive breast surgery after daring to touch Bristol’s keeper.

The weekend Cardiff realised that throwing the ball into their own half while Bristol countered off them was a very bad idea. The weekend Imperial realised that ‘third time lucky’ was not the phrase they were looking for when they came up against Bristol for the third, and final time. This weekend Bristol women’s water polo qualified for BUCS finals for the first time in four years, and in the process becoming the only club in the University to take both men and women’s teams to the final stages of this national competition.

They knew it wouldn’t be easy, they knew they would have to fight for it, but they also knew it wouldn’t be impossible. That Saturday, the girls were faced with a 6:30am start, a long uncomfortable journey, and the memory of last year’s semi-final result, which was less than favourable.

With two games to look forward to that day, the pressure was on for the performance to live up to all the hard work invested throughout the year.

First up in the morning was Imperial,

a team, Bristol, in all honesty, was sick of the sight of. Once was enough, twice was pushing it, but the third time round Bristol’s win against the Londoners felt more like an act of bullying than the deserved victory of a more organised team.

With one win under their belt, Bristol had set their sights on a spot in the finals, but first they had to contend with Sheffield Hallam; a team that boasts three ex-GB players, an old but rather brutal PhD student, who refuses to graduate, and at least two other national league players. This game was tough, the scratches and bruises say it all, but Bristol came away with the knowledge that if they ignored the first quarter, then the score would have been 6-2. For a team who, on paper, should outweigh Bristol, and in reality actually does… this kind of statistic is more than promising for the next time the sides clash.

Putting Saturday night’s result behind them with a good night’s sleep, many bites of Rachel Hollington’s home baking, and three rounds of breakfast later, Bristol were more ready to take on Cardiff. Luckily for them, Cardiff’s only outfield player to actually know the rules had decided to travel to Walsall for a GB camp, leaving the game wide open. What they didn’t expect however, was for Cardiff literally to hand Bristol the ball, not once but twice, and allow the girls to score without resistance. It was an unfortunate move by Cardiff, and the girls extend their sympathy to

ready to challenge the Northerners’ comfy position as leaders in the world of women’s university water polo.

Leeds… Here we come!

MEN’S: Dejected they go, crashing through a river of broken dreams and then sinking into a sea of dashed hopes.

Farewell, Oxford. Au revoir, Edinburgh.

Your endeavours will inspire poetry and song. Your absence at finals next week will leave us hollowed and incomplete. We promise to write you letters.

Ascension, dear readers. Once more unto the breach, dear friends. Once more we reach, daringly, recklessly, for gold and glory. Unbeaten for 41 games and records quiver as a maroon, speedo-clad hurricane rages closer.

The Bristol men’s water polo team shook the semi-finals in Sheffield with another three wins notched onto the bed post.

Edinburgh was the entrée in a threecourse meal. As starters often are, the game was the least satisfying of our gastronomic gallivant. But bravely we chewed and swallowed our Northern adversaries. The game was lethargic from the start; limp and lacklustre. One thing that is clear about the Bristol boys, they do not cope well on 6AM starts and inhumanely uncomfortable three-hour bus rides. Some suspect refereeing and a strong performance from the Scots made it a tough first

game. Mel Gibson would be proud.

Loughborough were served up next, and after a good night’s sleep, the Bristol boys woke up hungry, and one Premier Inn bed feeling unused and unwanted. The Loughborough rabble have a reputation for savagery, and did not fail to meet expectations. This very reporter did not escape the game without a ferocious reach-around from number nine playing at centre-back.

But it didn’t get them far against a Bristol side who average well above six foot. Loughborough kicked, punched and flailed their way to a loss and emerged spattered in cuts and bruises: the origins of which are baffling to us.

And then the sweetest of desserts.

For the third time in one season we got to deliver Oxford a spanking fuelled by the burning intensity of a thousand rejection letters. It really never gets old, a lot like Jennifer Aniston.

Edinburgh emasculated 12-7, Oxford obliterated 13-2, and Loughborough left licking their wounds 14-8. Finals here we come.

Joining us will be Loughborough, Cardiff and Durham. All strong teams, they will not hand over a fourth gold medal easily. But Bristol, riding on a three-year high, have no intentions of ending their streak next week. If any team expects to hold that trophy I hope they are eating their vegetables this week: we’re not going down without a fight. A big congratulation to all three for their performances this weekend.

See you in Leeds.

University of Bristol: Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group

Needs YOU!

Participants aged 37 and above needed You will be reimbursed ÂŁ30 for your time Investigation: The delivery of simple computer tasks on different computers.

What you need to do: Complete some simple cognitive tasks on different computers.

Attend 3 sessions at the School of Experimental Psychology on Priory Road, each spaced one week apart.

First session approximately 40 minutes Next two approximately 1 hour.

When: Weekdays between 09:00-18:00.

If interested, please email kayleigh.easey@bristol.ac.uk for further information.