EPIGRAM 306

Fortnightly 14th November 2016 Issue 306

University of Bristol’s Award Winning Independent Student Newspaper

www.epigram.org.uk

‘I do not want to get the results sober’

. Bristol students see in US election in packed Balloon Bar . Students turned away as bar reaches max capacity . Donald Trump elected 45th President of the United States Features Alice Oliver asks should Bristol be banning speakers?

Epiflix and chill: Tom Besley takes a look at the new Black Mirror

Film & TV

Facebook.com/EpigramPaper

@EpigramPaper

Science & Tech Epigram Science celebrates women in science Highly Commended for Best Publication and Best Use of Digital Media 2016

A day in the life of a university hamster...

Living

Epigram

14.11.2016

Editorial

Inside Epigram

2 Editor: Ben Parr: editor@epigram.org.uk Online Editor: Hannah Price: hannah.price@epigram.org.uk Deputies: Caitlin Butler; Stefan Rollnick

Online Deputies: Sophie Hunter; Phoebe Jordan

Write for Epigram: join our writers Facebook groups or email editor@epigram.org.uk

A note (or two) from the editor...

Letters Page 16 - Forget the rich kids of Instagram, what about the ones on my Facebook feed?

Fee rises aren’t the real problem

Aren’t real newspapers great?

Style Page 28 - The diary of a fashion week intern.

Travel Page 27 - Reflections on volunteering in ‘the jungle’.

Lots more puzzles on page 45!

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Facebook/ Matt Gilby

Quick Crossword

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It has often been said that newspapers will have to adapt due to the new ways we consume news. Alternatively, you could just adapt your newspaper to piss off your neighbours.

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www.epigram.org.uk

ACROSS

Ben Parr, Editor in Chief

1. Memory jogger (8) 6. Shrove Tuesday food (7) facebook.com/epigrampaper 7. Finished (8) 10. At the rear of (6) 11. Perch (3) twitter.com/epigrampaper

For the latest news, features and reviews

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Printed by: CN Newsprint Cumbrian Newsprint, Newspaper House, Dalston Road, Carlisle CA2 5UA Epigram is the independent student newspaper of the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are not those of the University or the Students’ Union.

The design, text and photographs are copyright of Epigram and its individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.

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DOWN 2. Blew up (8) 3. Charged particle (3) 4. Roads with no exit (4,4) 5. Fish eggs (3) 8. Prudish (4) 9. Give off (4)

Webmaster Josh Jones Chief Proofreader Lowri Daniels Sub-editors Anna Lezard, Zuzanna Needham Jess Cselko, Lucy Thompson Sarah Roller, Elly Brett, Samuel Wong, Daisy Dowding, Megan Frost Managing Director James O’Hara Director of Communications Issy Bull Head of Finance Alfie Smith Business Team Calli Keane Amelia McWhirter Ellie Elstub Aravin Skantha Lucy Ellis-Keeler Megan Aldridge Helen Salter Joe Jones Lucy Roe

From the archives... ‘Thatcher’s children’ Think Bristol students are a bunch of Tory hating lefties?

Well that’s not always been the case. Believe it or not, at one point John Major’s Conservatives were the favourites amongst Bristol students In 1992 Epigram ran a poll of Bristol University students’ voting intentions and found that the Conservative Party was ‘by far the most popular political party, with the Liberal Democrat Party coming in second place and the Labour Party in third.’

Bristol West, the Bristol constituency that most University of Bristol students live in, is currently represented by a Labour MP. At the 2015 general election, the constituency saw the Green party coming in second place with the Lib Dem candidate falling into third place.

‘Akehurst blamed the poll on Bristol being a middle class university’ The results of the poll of 679 students – which at the time was over 8 per cent of the student population – were published in Epigram ahead of the 1992 general election.

John Major subsequently won the election, with Labour’s Neil Kinnock coming in second and the Liberal Democrats, led by Paddy Ashdown, in third.

Despite the Tories taking first place in the opinions of students, Paddy Ashdown was considered the best party leader out of

Epigram/ Ben Parr

instagram/epigrampaper_ epigramfood epigram_travel epigramstyle epigram_music

Tuition fees may rise again. Almost boring now isn’t it?

I mean, you can keep raising them, but after four years my debt is basically infinity monies anyway.

Let’s put this in context.

According to Money Saving Expert’s calculations, in order to pay my student loan back before it is written off in 30 years’ time I would need to have a starting salary of more than £30,000 (unlikely) which then increases to over £130,000 (very unlikely) within the next three decades.

What would raising fees further realistically mean then? For all but the future bankers and lawyers You know you won’t be earning of this world it’s likely to mean enough to pay that loan nothing. You’re not going to pay back when even your cat is it back, you’re just going to pay unimpressed by your CV. what is essentially an extra tax for 30 years.

Does this mean I think the campaigns against fee rises and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) proposals are pointless then? Absolutely not.

There are some very dangerous precedents being set by the current government which need to be challenged. For an example, since the coalition, the government have frozen the salary at which you start paying back your fees so that it doesn’t rise with average earnings.

On the one hand this means that the safeguards the Lib Dems insisted on - ensuring the new system meant that the poorest paid back the least and highest earners the most - are being eroded.

More seriously than that though is the fact that these changes to the terms of the student loans are taking place after we signed up to them. Imagine the uproar if your landlord was able to change your rent each month despite agreeing a very specific rent with you in your contract? It would be illegal.

Students often complain that we’re being screwed over by the government and, for once, here I actually think we are.

The new campaigns against TEF have potential, but for me what will make them worthwhile is if they are able to cut through the simplistic ‘tuition fees are too high’ line in order to scrutinise the changes that could not only directly harm students, but also make it the norm to do so without following any legitimate process.

After all, what’s an extra few hundred pounds on top of what might as well be an infinitely large student loan anyway?

Epigram/ Tim Parr

‘It’s your paper. Read it, write for it, eat your fish and chips out of it’, James Landale wrote in Epigram’s first ever editorial more than 25 years ago.

Of course, those were only three suggestions for what you could use a copy of Epigram for, and it is by no means an exhaustive list.

Helpfully, following their tragically unsuccessful BONUS campaign, that tabloid student news website team have taken a break from writing their usual hard hitting news stories, like ‘what flavour condom is your Stoke Bishop hall?’, to give us some suggestions for other uses of Epigram.

These uses involved everything from using Epigram as loo paper (try doing that with your online ‘newspaper’) to rolling joints with my editorial page - the latter of which I’m sure was just an attempt to inhale my wise words quicker than reading them.

My favourite alternative use of Epigram, however, was a student who posted on Facebook with the picture below.

‘I made a wall of sheets, taped it across the door of a flat that had been annoying me one night, then filled the cavity with about five paper’s worth of scrunched-up balls. The person who opened it in the morning got avalanched!’, they wrote.

Think you can come up with better uses? Feel free to drop me an email or tweet us with your best ideas- after reading it and completing all the puzzles first of course...

the three main parties with 44 per cent of students saying they preferred him. John Major wasn’t far behind on 42 per cent, whilst Neil Kinnock trailed in last place on 14 per cent.

The then Bristol University Labour Club Secretary, Luke Akehurst, said that he wasn’t concerned by the figures though, blaming them on Bristol being a ‘very middle class university’.

In words almost resembling todays complaints about the ‘mainstream media’, Akehurst went on to say that ‘Neil Kinnock’s low rating is a result of a constant campaign of press attacks on him and that during the campaign he will emerge as the right person to be prime minister’.

Akehurst was not the best at predicting elections, as Neil Kinnock resigned from being leader of Labour the next month following his defeat.

First published in Epigram on 20th March 1992

Epigram 14.11.2016

News

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@epigramnews

News Editor: Emily Faint news@epigram.org.uk Online News Editor: Malik Ouiza newsonline@epigram.org.uk Deputy News Editors: Mairead Finlay; Noa Leach; Ellen Jones; Amy Finch

Bristol watches in dismay as Trump elected president In a night of high drama, students crowded into the Balloon Bar until 4AM to witness the American election (and drink...)

Epigram/ Harry Plowden

Epigram/ Noa Leach

Ben Parr Editor in Chief

Students to protest Digs lettings Emily Faint NewsEditor

Epigram News Epigram/ Harry Plowden Epigram/ Harry Plowden

Epigram/ Harry Plowden

At first the ‘Make America Great Again’ hats seemed like a bit of fun irony, but by the time Florida was called for Trump, the mood in the Balloon Bar seemed much more sombre.

Over the night, Bristol students flocked to Bristol SU, filling the Balloon Bar to its 499 capacity, in order to take part in an all-nighter watching the results of the US Presidential election.

Unsurprisingly the overwhelming opinion in the bar was in support of Hilary Clinton, with cheers from the crowd every time a favourable result for her was announced, and boos when Trump appeared to be pulling ahead.

That said, whilst some of the Trump merchandise was being worn ironically, a handful of students were wearing it to show genuine support.

‘I think he’s the lesser of two evils. [Hilary]’s very corrupt and likely to lead to war. She should be locked up for treason’, a couple, each wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hats, said.

As the night began, the American themed playlist blared out such tunes as ‘Born in the USA’, and hundreds of students queued at the bar to fuel up for what was going to be a long night.

The general mood reflected that of what most of the media had been predicting: Hilary had the edge, but there was a real possibility of a Trump win.

‘I’ve never been so excited for something so unremarkable to happen- a Hilary Clinton victory’, John, a third year student said.

‘One option is so freaky you don’t want to discount it’, a Bristol student from Canada said.

By 23:00 the bar had reached its full capacity of 499, and a one in, one out, policy began, forcing a number of students to queue in the rain.

As alcohol was consumed and the massage society came and left, by 1:00 the student predictions had become more mixed than before.

‘I’m pretty sure Donald Trump is going to win at this point. I’m going to start my day with a Tequila sunrise’, Bristol student Steph said.

‘If they put on ABBA everything will sort itself out!’, Faye, a second year English student, said.

By 2:00 disaster had struck. The Balloon Bar had

run out of hot dogs, despite posters advertising that they would be serving them until closing.

Trump also seemed to have taken a clear lead with the popular vote.

‘I’m fucking terrified. I’m so nervous. I don’t want to get the results sober’, Alastair, who was ordering numerous drinks at the bar, said.

With a Trump victory seeming certain, and students hugging each other and drunkenly declaring it to be the end of the world, the bouncers stopped anyone new entering the bar, despite a small rabble outside shouting about having left their coats inside.

‘I’ve had half a bottle of vodka tonight. I’m that nervous’, Angus, a Biology student said.

As the night drew to a close, and students left the bar and took to social media to express their dismay and outrage, Greg, one of the SU bar staff concluded ‘America allowed two idiots to run for president. Whatever happens, they can blame themselves’.

To see Epigram’s full coverage of the US election night in the Balloon Bar, including interviews and interactive timelines, go to www.epigram.org.uk

The refusal of student letting agents Digs to sign up to an ‘Ethical Lettings Charter’ has sparked plans for a mass student protest by Bristol, Cut The Rent.

Due to be held on 17th November, the group plans to compose ‘a love letter’ to Digs, detailing ‘housing horror stories from students who have been subject to Digs reign of terror’. The event will entail a march on Digs on the Triangle to publicly ‘serenade’ the organisation for their refusal to sign up to the charter.

The protest was inspired by a statement from Digs Bristol Letting Manager claiming that the company were ‘not interested’ in signing up to the charter which would, if complied with, ensure that Digs properties adhered to a certain standard.

These standards would be ranked as either Bronze, Silver or Gold.

Requests from the student housing campaign group, Bristol ACORN Students, to persuade Digs to agree to at least the Bronze standards of services were met with the response: ‘Please remove Digs details from your system.’

A spokesperson for Bristol, Cut The Rent stated on the protest’s social media page: ‘We’re demanding […] that Digs are held to account for the crappy way they’ve treated students over the years.’

Participants are encouraged to ‘bring your friends, bring your instruments, bring your banners’ to demonstrate to Digs that ‘students aren’t going to take this shit anymore.’

Epigram 14 .11.2016

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Further privatisation of disabled student support met with criticism Amy Finch Deputy News Editor

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be deterred from applying here. This further stigmatises disability and makes it more difficult for students to access the support they are fully entitled to.’

These changes come on top of cuts made to Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA) by the current government, with aims of ‘modernising’ the system. More responsibility has fallen on Higher Education Institutions to help students with ‘mild difficulties’, with cuts to funding traditionally provided by governmental grants.

The NUS believe that students with dyslexia or learning difficulties, and deaf students may be disproportionately be affected, as they are most reliant on the help being cut.

Recent research has shown that students in receipt of DSA currently perform equally, but some believe that ongoing cuts threaten this equality.

For any more information, students can contact Dolcie at disabledstudentsofficer@gmail.com

‘The changes add to the stress of living with a disability for some students

promise ‘continuous attention’ to improve the situation, and promised that students could now expect to receive responses to all queries within five working days.

Disabled students officer Dolcie Paxton, told Epigram: ‘I believe that the changes being made add to the stress of living with a disability for some students. Paired with the lack of access information available on the university website, some prospective disabled students may even

Flikr/Jirka Matousek

Changes to disabled student support have left many feeling left angered, believing the company newly in charge of one to one support, Randstad, has failed to deliver.

The change has happened in line with the competitive quote system introduced by the government in December last year, which means that Universities now have to choose suppliers for one to one support based on the cheapest quote that ‘meets quality assurance standards’.

At Bristol, this has meant that students have been instructed to communicate directly with a local private recruitment company already supplying support workers, rather than University of Bristol Disability Services to begin accessing support. These support workers are then in turn responsible for organising non-medical assistance for disabled students to succeed in their courses, like note-takers and specialist equipment.

However, many students have experienced difficulties and delays in accessing support, as well as general frustration with the Randstad Office. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, commented: ‘I had to chase them up three times to arrange support. Despite this, I found them unhelpful and they didn’t seem to be

making much of an effort to help.’

The volume of complaints has been such that the Randstad Manager has issued an apology which was sent to all students eligible for this support. According to the email, ‘they had been understaffed for the volume of work that they were required to deliver’. Avery did however

Support offered by the support workers, hired by a private company include note-taking for lectures.

UoB students divided on male contraceptives Ellen Jones Deputy News Editor News of research into the male contraceptive injection being halted has caught national headlines in recent weeks, encouraging significant debate into the suitability of ‘internal’ contraception for men.

Results of the recent research into the male contraceptive injection released in October found it to be 96% effective in preventing pregnancy of their sexual partners, a higher success rate than condoms. However, further research into the injection was halted due to 20 of the 320 volunteers experiencing ‘intolerable’ side effects, such as acne, depression and changes to their libido.

News of the research’s stalling has been met with uproar by numerous commentators. Many denounce the decision as sexist, due to the commonality of negative side effects for female contraception users, and the argued continued expectation for women to take responsibility for pregnancy prevention.

Whilst advances to the male injection have been thwarted, research into alternative male contraceptives continue to take place. Scientists

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For some female students in particular, the idea of a casual sexual partner ‘taking care’ of contraception is concerning.

Cristina Rice, second year Philosophy student says that ‘the main concern for many young people when having sex with someone they don’t necessarily know that well is the fear of contracting STDs’. ‘For that reason, a condom is pretty much essential, whether a woman is on the pill or if a guy takes care of it’.

Eleanor Burns, another second year student, concurs, telling Epigram that ‘I think I would still use contraception even if a guy said he’d had the injection or taken a pill because it would be me who suffers the consequences if I got pregnant, not him’.

However, Ruth Fox, a History and Politics

student, notes that for women in relationships, male contraceptives could be a step in the right direction. ‘I think women will always use contraception regardless’, Ruth suggests.

‘But there is no harm in both partners using contraception to minimise risks’. ‘It would also be a great solution for women who suffer very serious side effects from contraception such as the pill…I don’t think research into the injection should have been stopped’.

It appears that the potential limitations of the male contraceptive injection worry young men, too. Jack Paisley, second year Computer Science student, told Epigram that ‘using condoms seems to be the most effective method of contraception, in order to avoid pregnancy and other scares’. ‘Having said that, I’d definitely be

willing to take responsibility for contraception with my girlfriend…the side effects of the injection wouldn’t bother me if they were what a girl would experience if she were on the pill’.

As with all contraceptive methods, the issues surrounding the male injection and pill therefore remain contentious. For the moment, further research into, and the potential dissemination of, the male contraceptive injection has been halted. Experiments for the male contraceptive pill continue to take place.

However, researchers say a marketed product would not available until 2021.

For more information from Wolverhampton University’s researchers themselves visit their website at http://www.wlv.ac.uk

A casual sexual partner ‘taking care’ of contraception is concerning

Flikr/Annabelle Shemer

from the University of Wolverhampton, together with Portuguese researchers, have been making sound advancements in the development of a male pill, which taken immediately before sex would temporarily ‘switch off’ the swimming ability of sperm.

However, the prospect of male contraception for one group of frequent users of contraceptive methods - Bristol students - has not been met with exclusively positive feedback.

Many hope that soon the male contraceptive pill will be widely available, but a market product likely won’t be ready until 2021.

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Epigram 14.11.2016

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Cocaine traces in Will’s Memorial Noa Leach Deputy News Editor An investigation into cocaine use in Bristol has found evidence of the drug in the Wills Memorial Building toilets.

The latest the building is ever open until is 10pm, meaning that users are taking the drug in the daytime. The toilets are usually accessible only to U-Card holders, but are sometimes open to the public.

The university building consists largely of seminar rooms, lecture theatres, and the Wills Library. It is the university building designated to the departments of Law and Earth Sciences.

The investigation was carried out by the

The future of the bar remains ambiguous

Flickr/ Robert Cutts

Will’s getting ready for an exam: the building’se 2 listing apparently didn’t deter some from using the Neo-Gothic classic for other purposes

60 per cent of air in former ‘Green Capital’ is so polluted it’s illegal

Flickr/ Harshil Shah

Local residents have been protesting air pollution in the city

Noa Leach Deputy News Editor

Organisation.

Further to this, due to MetroBus roadworks, an air pollution monitor in the city centre (Rupert Street) was removed in early October.

Rupert Street is said to be the ‘dirtiest part

of our city’ according to Charlie Bolton, leader of Bristol’s group of Green Party councillors.

This means that the ‘dirtiest’ part of the city is not currently being monitored.

‘Rupert Street experiences the highest levels of air pollution in Bristol, well above the legal and safe European limits,’ said Molly Scott Cato (Bristol’s Green MEP).

Campaigners are working to have the monitor reinstated, but the council will not know of air pollution levels until the roadworks have finished.

‘Air pollution is a silent killer which must be taken seriously,’ Bolton said.

According to the petition, as many as 300 people die prematurely per year due to problems related to air pollution. ‘This compares to about 9 people a year killed in road traffic accidents in the city.’

A study by the University of British Colombia recommended a speed limit of 9.3mph when cycling in urban areas to avoid inhaling pollutants.

Bristol Green Capital?

Is Bristol at the top of the green heap?

Flickr/ /Alex Philip Cohen Epigram Sheppard

Green Capital: but let’s hope those cyclists aren’t going too fast

Wikiemdia Commons / Charles J Shap

The city may be Europe’s ‘Green Capital’, but 60 per cent of sites in Bristol show ‘illegal levels of air pollution’, according to Bristol’s Green Party. The levels refer to concentration of nitrogen dioxide.

A petition demanding the mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, to ‘Let Bristol Breathe Clean Air’ was established on the 26th of October.

At the time of writing it had obtained 2,929 signatures of its necessary 3000.

The petition was created by Jane Stephenson, from the board of directors which organised Bristol’s year as Green Capital, and has been publicised by Bristol’s Green Party.

Stephenson is requesting a Clean Air Zone in Bristol, with the reasoning that ‘Bristol’s air pollution is above legal and safe limits and urgently needs to be reduced.’ A Clean Air Zone disallows any motorised vehicles.

Bristol won the prestigious Green Capital award in 2015, and remains the first ever city in the UK to win the award.

However, in May of this year, Bristol was found to be breaching air pollution safety levels as set out by the World Health

Services and to the police. Staff and students will be subject to the University’s disciplinary procedures.’

Possession of cocaine can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years

We have a ‘zero tolerance approach to the possession and use of illegal drugs’

news outlet The Bristol Post, using the same testing swabs used by the UK police force.

Two cubicles were tested and the drug tested positive in both.

‘If we find evidence of any student, member of staff or member of the public taking or possessing illegal substances on our premises then they will be reported to our Security

Flickr/ Davud NcJelvey

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The University’s press office released a statement regarding the discovery, saying that the university has a ‘zero tolerance approach to the possession and use of illegal drugs.

Not Green Capital, there’s always next year

June 2013: Bristol saw off competition from Glasgow, Brussels and Ljubljana to be named 2015 European Green Capital.

December 2014: The Bristol Cable published reported than a third of grant money had gone to organisations linked to award panel committee members.

Late 2015: Lawrence Hill and Lockleaze residents protest new inner city power stations.

2016: plans for large scale public bus project - MetroBus met with disdain from environmentalists.

No other university buildings were examined in the investigation, but Bristol’s City Hall, Central Library and Crown Court also tested positive.

As a Class A drug, possession of cocaine can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years and/or an unlimited fine.

‘We have a programme of activity in place to make our students aware of the risks of drug use and the support available to them,’ the university said.

The university recently published their updated Policy on Alcohol and Substance Misuse.

An Epigram survey last year found that 39 per cent of student respondents had tried cocaine.

PhD memorial scholarship on Ethiopian Volcanoes Amy Finch Deputy News Editor The legacy of a Michael Dreyfus, a University of Bristol graduate who died in a road accident in at the age of 28 will continue in the form of a PhD scholarship for an Ethiopian student. A group of his closest university friends made a generous donation after reading of joint research between the University and Addis Ababa University into volcanic activity in Africa’s Great Rift Valley.

George Elliston, a joint donor commented: ‘Mike was a quick-witted and charismatic man, whom we all loved. He died close to the Rift Valley, and here we are in another part of the Rift, looking to the future. So, it’s a nice way of keeping his memory alive in our hearts, and establishing some continuity between successive Bristol generations.’

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The donors hope to train a group of local scientists to shape government policy

35-year old Tesfaye Temtime Tessema will be joining the School of Earth Sciences for the next three years and applying learning from Bristol’s international volcano specialists to volcanoes in Ethiopia, most of which are ranked by the World Bank in the highest category of hazard uncertainty.

In the longer term, the donors hope to develop a group of well-trained local scientists to shape government policy on volcanoes, including disaster prevention and potential geothermal energy exploitation.

Tesfaye says ‘people are used to living with the risk of earthquakes in Ethiopia but it isn’t a top priority for the government, so research like this is really important for improving people’s understanding and assessing the threat they pose.’

Epigram

14.11.2016

Features

@epigramfeatures

Editor: Amy Stewart- Deputy Editor: Bea Gentilli

Online Editor: Adele Momoko Fraser

features@epigram.org.uk

adelemfraser@epigram.org.uk

bea.gentilli@epigram.org.uk

Would you like to be paid to change lives?

Epigram speaks to Jack Deslandes and Matilda Ellis about their experiences working with the charity Debate Mate in and out of the country September.

Bea Gentilli Deputy Features Editor Epigram talks to Jack Deslandes, a Bristol graduate, about his experiences working with Debate Mate in Bristol and also Matilda Ellis about her experiences working with the charity in Rwanda this summer.

So Jack can you tell Epigram a little bit about Debate Mate?

So, Debate Mate is basically an educational social enterprise which works in areas with a high percentage of child poverty. I guess its fundamental goal is to improve the communication skills of young people through a sixteen week debating programme. We pretty much train and hire university students to teach our programme, encouraging them to share their educational experiences with their classes, and hopefully improve the aspirations of the young people as well as giving them some key life skills.

Who started up DebateMate?

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With the tagline “Get paid to change lives” it was a pretty easy sell and I was keen to get involved!

How did you come across them?

I only found Debate Mate in my final year. I was approached at Welcome Fair by a friend who had graduated the year before and convinced me to come along to an assessment session.

With the tagline ‘Get paid to change lives’ it was a pretty easy sell and I was really keen to get involved. I think the problem sometimes with Bristol is that people think if you haven’t been part of something since first year there is no point getting involved in third year - but with Debate Mate that is far from the truth. It is challenging and a responsibility so any year is welcome as long as they are willing to work hard. Guess what I’m trying to say is - it’s never too late to get involved and Debate Mate are accepting applications to start work this January otherwise it is

The Bristol programme is bigger and better than ever this year. Right now, we work in seven schools across the city, from Easton to Parkway. That may seem like very few but last year my school in Bradley Stoke were undefeated right up until the semi-finals of the Debate Mate Cup, and two students from Oasis John Williams were on the winning team at our Downing Street Debates which I may add were hosted by David Cameron! So, we like to say Bristol is small but mighty.

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Honestly, the whole trip was the best experience I’ve had in my life and quite literally will never forget

As a job, mentoring with Debate Mate can really get you out of the student bubble and actually gets you interacting with some Bristol locals past the guy at Donervans and the Big Issue seller on the Triangle.

What is one of your sessions like?

Epigram/Bea Gentilli

As far as I’m aware Debate Mate was started by Margaret McCabe [confirmed

by Epigram to be fact!]. She was a barrister at the time, so clearly saw debating, expression and argument as really crucial amenities to building both children and teenagers’ confidence.

When she started it the programme reached 300 students across London yet now – amazingly – only nine years later, it reaches more than 5,000 students every week.

How do Bristol students get involved?

typical

I mean they do vary, but I would say on the whole we’re all about active learning at Debate Mate so the first thing we do is push all the tables and chairs to the side of the room at the start of each session. We might get the students on their feet moving from one side of the room to other as to whether they agree or disagree as to whether, for example, [queue the giggles] Taylor Swift is the world’s best feminist or not, or defending their opinion on whether Jeremy Clarkson might or might not be the most useful individual present during a hot air balloon accident. I guess it’s all about having the students feel comfortable expressing their opinions and giving them the tools to express them more clearly and convincingly. As well as, of course, having fun and being rewarded for their efforts with chocolate prizes or Nandos vouchers!

What is it about debating that particularly helps teenagers and children with their confidence?

Public speaking isn’t necessarily engrained into the national curriculum so it would be surprising if any of the students had done any through school without the programme. Some of the children start off so nervous they struggle to even say their name in front of the rest of the class. By Christmas, you struggle to shut them up after three to five minute speeches. They learn to speak with confidence and they can use

Jack Deslandes at the recent Bristol Debate Mate launch that way beyond the classroom, maybe in job interviews or even just making new friends. As clichéd as it sounds - seeing this was honestly one of the most rewarding and wonderful things.

keeping them engaged was a struggle.

One of the best moments though was hearing under tens fight passionately for the reunification of North and South Korea. It was all a bit surreal but really rewarding.

Was there one child you particularly bonded with or made huge improvements?

What skills have your experiences taught you?

There was this one kid called Tom who was the only boy in my class of more than twenty students. I think he was a little intimidated by it all at first but he stuck with it regardless. He ended up being on the team that made it all the way to the finals of the Debate Mate Cup. In his first week, he said if he could change the world in any way he would invent a sweets company called ‘Tom’s Sweets’. This followed two girls answers which were creating world peace and ending child hunger. I loved how confident he was by his suggestion - it genuinely put such a smile on my face and from that moment onwards I called called him Tom’s Sweets – and this stuck for the rest of the year.

What has been the biggest challenge you personally overcame or dealt with?

My biggest challenge was when I was invited to mentor in South Korea this summer. The students were a lot younger than I was used to and the days were very long for them so

Debate Mate gave me some great training in classroom management and listening and drawing out people’s arguments. I honestly think teaching the programme has even improved my own communication skills. I used some of their structuring techniques for my uni essays and found my presentation marks went up but it’s also the best training for dealing with people in any scenario, including the boardroom I guess.

Why would you recommend Debate Mate to Bristol university students?

Everyone always says it’s the best thing they did at university. It gives you invaluable training and experience and is incredibly rewarding. So please trust me and get involved!

And finally, Matilda can you tell Epigram about your experience working with Debate Mate in Ghana over summer?

Through working with Debate Mate last year in Bristol, I got asked to go to Rwanda to take part in their international programme. We were there for three incredible weeks, during which we taught at many different schools in Kigali and Musanza. In a country which globally tends to go somewhat unheard as it is still grieving and healing it’s wounds from the 1994 genocide; there is an urgent need to empower the young to find their voice. Although we could only spend a week in each school, it was inspiring to watch the effect of the programme on the children. They showed unfaltering kindness, enthusiasm and determination. Honestly, the whole trip was the best experience I’ve had in my life and quite literally will never forget.

Well I think you’ve both put forward quite the argument encouraging people to join, so Debate Mate must have taught you something too!

Want to get involved with Debate Mate?

Email the team at: info@debatemate.com

Epigram

14.11.2016

7

Should Bristol still be banning speakers?

In light of the recent NUS referendum, Epigram looks into Bristol’s safe space policies Alice Oliver Features Writer Bristol voted to remain in the NUS last month, with a decisive majority of 67 per cent. While a majority voted to stay, it remains clear that a significant proportion of the student population feel the NUS is out of touch with real student problems.

The NUS on the other hand remains defensive of safe space policies, President Malia Bouattia stating on the BBC Today programme that: ‘We’re not stopping the tearing apart of problematic views and ideas. It’s incredibly naive to believe that unless we provide spaces where racist, xenophobic, homophobic views are aired, that they’re not otherwise known about.’

The NUS has become less popular since the election of Malia Bouattia in April due to allegations of anti-Semitism.

Bouattia has previously described the University of Birmingham as ‘something of a Zionist outpost’. Since her election the University of Hull, the University of Lincoln and Newcastle University have all voted to leave the NUS. Bristol SU on the other hand has continued to support Bouattia – four out of the six Bristol delegates at the NUS conference election in April voted for her.

It is yet to be decided whether or not Scruton will make an appearance.

There have been repeated issues regarding safe spaces at Bristol, including the attempted ban of Milo Yiannopoulos last autumn. Most recently controversy has surrounded Sir Roger Scruton, a conservative philosopher and journalist who was suggested to talk as part of the Richmond Lectures. Complaints were lodged against his appearance due to comments made in a 2012 article for The Spectator, entitled ‘Gay Marriage is Homophobic’. In the article, Scruton argues: ‘…same sex couples want marriage because they want the social endorsement that it signifies; but by admitting gay marriage we deprive marriage of its social meaning. It ceases

“

During Prime Minister’s Questions in September, May agreed with MP Victoria Atkin that safe spaces undermine freedom of speech, adding: ‘We want our universities not just to be places of learning but to be places where there can be open debate which is challenged…I think everybody is finding this concept of safe spaces quite extraordinary’.

Bristol SU expressed their reservations in a statement: ‘Given our commitment

to equality and diversity, the SU officer team have expressed concerns […] given his published views on homosexuality and have raised this with the student led committee of the initiative for them to consider.’

Asked about the issue, James Beattie, a second year Economics student, stated ‘Freedom of speech is a pillar of any democracy. The majority of students are

against banning speakers’. However, Simona Ivicic, a second year English Literature student, offered a counter view: ‘Maintaining safe spaces is more important than exhibiting radical opinions. There are no excuses for homophobia’.

It is yet to be decided whether or not Scruton will make an appearance.

Flickr / Policy Exchange

One key issue for the NUS is safe space policies, which aim to create a safe environment for minorities at universities by introducing a zero tolerance policy against hate speech, violence and harassment. However, these policies have come under much scrutiny for impeding freedom of speech, including recent criticism from Theresa May.

to be what it has been hitherto, namely a union of the different sexes, and a blessing conferred by the living on the unborn.’ Scruton has previously argued that homophobia is understandable, although he stated in a 2010 interview with The Guardian that he no longer stands by those comments.

Sir Roger Scruton speaking about his book ‘Green Philosophy’

Does Bristol need some more breathing space?

On the 2nd November 2016, the government was told that their plans to combat air pollution in the UK were illegal.

This is the second time within just 18 months that this issue has been seen in a UK court. After failing to enact the EU’s Directive on air quality the government was challenged in the Supreme Court, who demanded that they draw up plans to comply with air pollution limits. The result of this was an investigation which found that as many as 50,000 premature deaths in the UK a year are caused by long-term exposure to air pollution.

Dublin, Brussels and Paris are planning to ban diesel cars (the main culprits of producing nitrogen dioxide

While London and surrounding areas are the worst hit by the air pollution crisis, cities like Bristol are also badly affected. Bristol has been deemed the second most congested city in the country, with commuters on average being stuck in traffic for 84 hours every year.

This is reflected in its nitrogen dioxide levels, which are 35 per cent higher than the legal

There are currently six live air monitoring systems in use for Bristol city after being deemed the second most congested city in the country.

limit. Long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide contributes to 5.8 per cent adult deaths in the city every year – as many as 196 people.

There is no clear solution to Bristol’s pollution problem. Campaigns before have suggested‘car-freeSundays’aspartofprevious mayor George Ferguson’s ‘Make Sundays Special’ campaign. However this does not present a realistic nor permanent solution.

Prior propositions to rid the centre of traffic

altogether - giving priority to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport - have been called ‘radical’, without ever coming near to fruition, despite the success this has had in other cities on the continent. Cities like Groningen in the Netherlands are a key example of this, with many others aspiring to do so by 2020. Oslo and Madrid both intend to expel cars completely from the centre, while others such as Dublin, Brussels and Paris are planning to ban

diesel cars - the main culprits of producing nitrogen dioxide.

It seems unlikely for the moment that Bristol will follow suit. The hope of Bristol’s air quality therefore rests with our government. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) say they will ‘carefully consider this ruling’, and insists that ‘improving air quality is a priority for this government’.

Jason Howie

“ It is a major concern that on leaving the EU these [air pollution] standards will not be upheld.

Given the government’s track record it is a major concern that on leaving the EU these standards will not be upheld. This is far from being a political issue, and arguably is one situation in which the bureaucracy of the EU has worked in the favour of our public health. ClientEarth, the legal NGO who have prosecuted this matter on both occasions, have said that the government need to ‘get a grip’.

Flikr/ United Nations Photo

The High Court did not accept their strategies – which are to be implemented over a five year period – to fit with the EU’s requirement to clean up air quality in ‘the shortest possible time’. The levels of nitrogen dioxide in the majority of cities in the UK are above legal limits, making them unsafe for their inhabitants.

In spite of this staggering figure the subsequent policy, which was seen in court last week, was significantly curtailed due to cost considerations, and was completely unsatisfactory in terms of the Ambient Air Quality Directive. As this is EU legislation, it is as vulnerable as any other to May’s highly anticipated Great Repeal Act.

“

Daisy Adjerian Features Writer

Epigram

14.11.2016

8

‘We look away from the issue while they battle it head on’ Epigram looks into the work of One25 battling for the safety of Bristol’s sex workers Amy Stewart Features Editor Female sex workers are not normally a topic we as a community come together and discuss regularly and nor is it a legal profession in the UK. However, according to a House of Commons report from this year the number of sex workers in the UK is estimated to be around 72,800. One of the main concerns about sex workers is the number of women selling themselves on the streets and the violence they regularly receive because of this. This is where Bristol One25 comes in.

Bristol One25 is currently the only organisation in Bristol supporting female street sex-workers in the city, specifically helping around 230 women per year – 147 of these women are street sex workers. According to One25, out of the women aged 18-55 that they help in a year 80 per cent have experienced homelessness within any given year, 99 per cent are addicted to one or more Class A drugs and every woman has experienced some form of childhood abuse or neglect. One25 aims to reach out to these women trapped in vulnerable position with a compassionate and non-judgemental approach; they aim to help these women build new opportunities for themselves away from the current violence and poverty they are experiencing.

Flickr / Thomas Hawk

“

‘consent as a result of overwhelming circumstances is not that same thing as free choice.’

The women that One25 work with are some of the most marginalised and disadvantaged women in society with very restricted access to basic needs like a safe home, food and support.

Often these women are taken for granted on the assumption that their lifestyle as a street sex worker is their choice. However, in response to this assumption, One25 insist that it is likely the pressures of other factors, like childhood abuse, lack of self-esteem and abusive partners, have forced this choice to be their reality – ‘consent as a result of overwhelming circumstances is not that same thing as free choice’.

The St Pauls based charity was initiated by Val Jear and started its life in May 1995 where it started as a weekly drop in clinic then moved to 125 Cheltenham Road where their name came from in 1996. This same year representatives from local charities supporting drug abuse and sexual health joined and a van was donated to the charity. The organisation became a registered charity in 1997 and have come on in leaps and bounds ever since.

One founding member of One25, Sister Annaliese Brogden, noted that all the founding members of One25 came from very different backgrounds, some from the church and some not, but they all came together. She said that ‘we would draw together with the one vision we shared to provide … the best possible service, love and support so that they knew they were loved and cared for and not alone on the streets.’ The charity now, after 21 years, employs twenty full and part-time staff and is supported by around 120 volunteers.

One of the crucial ways One25 can help women on the streets directly is through their van outreach service. This service operates five nights

a week into the early hours and brings basic needs like food, blankets and condoms straight to the women who need them. The van acts as a safe space for the women to get advice encouraging them to seek support from the charity’s drop-in centre and caseworkers. The outreach team is armed with specially trained volunteers able to act in an emergency situation such as a woman being attacked. They help the women to give details of the attacker so other women in contact with One25 can be warned about them.

while they battle it head on, standing alongside the women and doing all they can to help. Women suffer emotional, physical and sexual abuse in street sex work, and have often fallen into the profession through desperation and cycles of abuse throughout their lives. [One25] plant the seed of hope that they can get out of the abusive cycle and that they can get clean, safe and off the streets and move forwards to a better life’.

”“

One25 is a charity that deals with the part of society most people prefer not to think about.

The drop-in centre on Grosvenor Road is another way One25 helps Bristol’s most vulnerable women head-on. Many of these women do not have a fixed address or a registered doctor’s surgery so find it difficult to seek the right support for their medical needs. This space is a female-only space which provides showering and laundry facilities as well as free meals and cooking, budgeting or even literacy classes to help improve the women’s confidence and self-esteem to move away from their current life.

Last year, Spotlights collaborated with One25 to put on ‘Things We Do Not Know’, a play based on the lives of the women One25 helps using real testimonies from some of the cases the charity has worked with. One director of the play, third year student Kate Wyver, spoke to Epigram about the valuable work of One25 saying ‘it’s an incredible charity fronted by generous, kind and courageous women and is very worthy of support be it money or in kind. One25 is a charity that deals with the part of society most people prefer not to think about. We look away from the issue

In a year 84 victims of attacks were directed to support services including therapy and testifying in court.

Epigram also spoke to third year student Davina Chao, also a director of ‘Things We Do Not Know’, who praised the work of One25 and their volunteers: ‘when we visited the One25 drop-in space, it became clear very quickly that the work they do on the frontlines is unlike any other charity … One25 is built on a foundation of compassion, with every staff member and volunteer crucial to the running of the charity, as are donations. The work they do is literally life-saving’.

One25 relies heavily on the support of donations and a team of trained volunteers to succeed in their mission to release women trapped in street sex-work. In order to volunteer for the outreach team volunteers must be twenty or over and to fundraise and volunteer within the office you must eighteen or over. The charity offers information evenings prior to applying to be a volunteer with the next information evening on 9th January 2017.

With all their hard work, this is an organisation that is succeeding in the battle for the most vulnerable women. Of the 155 women helped through intensive casework, 59 stopped street sex working, 106 were safely housed and 84 victims of attacks were directed to support services, including therapy and testifying in court. As well as this, One25 received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2014 and the South West Impact Award from the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales in 2015.

To find out more about volunteering and fundraising with One25, or reading the stories from some of the women the charity has helped find a better life, have a look on their website: www.one25.org.uk/get-involved

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Join our Facebook group ‘Epigram Features Contributers 2016/17’ and let us know your ideas.

Comment

Epigram 14.11.2016

@epigramcomment Editor: Abbie Scott

Deputy Editor: Ed Fernyhough

Online Editor: Sarah Williams

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It’s more than Clinton or Trump Charlie Essayan argues that university student voters could be responsible for Trump’s win Charlie Essayan Comment writer

If Bristol students and those like them were stabbed in the back by the old this summer, American students are in danger of impaling themselves, British students and pretty much everyone on the planet as they prioritise self-indulgence over the future of the world.

In a September Quinnipac University Poll just 31 per cent of 18-34 year olds said they would vote for Hillary Clinton, 26 per cent for Donald Trump, 29 per cent for Libertarian Gary Johnson and 15 per cent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. For context, Obama won 60 per cent of 18-29 year olds in 2012.

In such a close election, and one where most

old white people are beguiled by Donald Trump’s message, Clinton has to mobilise this demographic.

However, it’s not clear what she can do to win these people back. The antipathy to Clinton is not irrational - there are some legitimate questions regarding her fondness for secrecy - however it is emotional.

Coyness with the press is a hallmark of being a modern politician; while figures who are most press friendly are by no means the most trustworthy – see our very own brothers in Brexit, Farage and Johnson.

Clinton’s inability to charm the public has left a vacuum that has been filled by her critics with every sort of hyperbolised accusation that you could think of and some you couldn’t.

On substance, Clinton has a lot of things in her favour. Young people voted against her in the Democratic primary because she was against the more progressive Bernie Sanders. In response, she put out the most progressive Democratic platform ever and has Sanders himself campaigning for her.

Nevertheless, his popularity with millennials has largely failed to transfer to her. Instead, it has split off between third and fourth party candidates.

The swing to Jill Stein does make some sense in terms of common ideology. Although, she does suffer from the old third party stumbling block of not thinking through their proposals because they don’t believe they’ll win power. A move from Sanders

to Gary Johnson on the other hand seems devoid of political awareness, or indeed any awareness.

Johnson stands for everything the new generation of progressives should hate. The only thing that might appeal is that he is for legalisation of marijuana. So when he lowers taxes on oil companies, Americans can get high enough to forget that half of Florida is underwater.

When third party voting is looked at from a practical standpoint its self-indulgence is even plainer. The US keeps the election of its local representatives (Congressmen) separate from that of its leader. If we used their system, you could effectively vote for Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister while still voting for a local MP from another party separately.

Presidential elections are closer to Referenda than our parliamentary system. There are two possible options - with no coalitions or minority parties permitted. Proclaiming that voting for Clinton over Trump is picking the lesser evil is not only the most warped kind of false equivalency but could also not be justified by anyone with an iota of pragmatism.

If Trump does win it will be because the young either voted for third parties or did not turn out at all.

The extent of young America’s apathy will determine whether you are now reading this in a state of relief or shock. The only certainty is that they could have saved us all a lot of stress.

Epigram

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It may end up being our generation that puts a misogynistic crypto-fascist in the White House

Flickr / Donkey Hotey Flickr / Roger Blackwell Flickr / Richard Harrison

We, as a generation, like to think of ourselves as being on the right side of history. This is in the nature of generational divides. The same older generation that the young are pushing against were at one point rejecting their own backward elders.

In most of the culture wars and actual wars of the last century the young have eventually been vindicated. Recent years have seen young people congratulating themselves as they lined up overwhelmingly for gay marriage and against Brexit.

However, in this year’s generation defining US election it may end up being our generation that puts a misogynistic crypto-fascist in the White House.

It is a dangerous game to play and by the time this article goes to print we will know its results. There will either be an autopsy on how Trump got so close or we will be living in the type of nightmare that can only be fully comprehended after it has already occurred. However, in both these scenarios of relief and despair we will have to work out why the youth of America took the whole thing so lightly.

Epislam weekly* BREAKING NEWS: DOUBT CAST OVER ELECTION RESULT AS NUS REFUSES TO ACCEPT TRUMP PRESIDENCY For students disappointed with last week’s election result, there may still be hope yet. The NUS is going to save the day.

Off the back of their historic intervention in the Israel-Palestine conflict, the NUS has issued a statement to Donald Trump informing him that they do not recognise the result of the election.

Malia Bouattia, head of the NUS, described Trump as ‘even worse than Blair’ and the result as ‘the most dreadful election since Russia made the mistake of having them’.

There have been rumours coming from Washington DC that Trump is considering making Bernie Sanders his VP pick in order to quell fears of the NUS withdrawing their support. *Epislam is a fictional publication

Caption competition: American Presidential jollification This week’s edition of Epigram makes light work of the impending doom across the pond

@Jessiecee3

@EJFaint

Think you can make our memes great again? You probably can. Send your best captions to @ EpigramComment and we’ll be posting our favourites online!

Flickr / Jorge Hernandez

Flickr / JDLasica

Flickr / Michael Kovac

Flickr / The Speak!

Flickr: MrPeople PushFlickr / Gage Skidmore

Wikimedia commons

Flickr / Gage Skidmore

@EllieWakefield

Epigram

14.11.2016

10

A vote on Article 50 is an impediment of democracy Ed Southgate argues that despite Bristol and young people voting Remain, Article 50 still has to be triggered

June 23rd was undoubtedly an historic day.

But it was also a decisive day. We voted against corruption. We voted for democracy. It is about time Parliament understood this.

Despite 61.7 per cent of Bristolians, and 75 per cent of the very few (36 per cent) of 18-24 year olds who cared enough to vote, voting to remain in the EU, 52 per cent of the UK voted leave. We might be dangerously entering a period where, again, people try to subvert the result.

On Thursday 3rd November, the High Court ruled that Parliament must have a vote on whether we trigger Article 50 or not. Having voted for democracy, I applaud Gina Miller on her victory, but it would be a cruel irony if this instance of democracy is used to fuel another instance of democracy in order to undermine and subvert that ‘once in a lifetime decision’ which is commonly referred to as ‘the greatest democratic exercise’ in recent British history.

People have already taken to social media to celebrate the soon-to-begin ‘battle’ as they herald how ‘the chances of leaving the EU are decreasing’.

Many argue Theresa May’s mantra ‘Brexit means Brexit”’is meaningless, but, with individuals clearly wanting the result to be reformed, it is proving very meaningful. It means the government will respect democracy. Brexit means Brexit, and it’s about time people realised it.

Despite earlier saying the referendum result made her feel ‘physically sick’, Miller claims that her battle was ‘about process, not politics’. This is incredibly difficult to believe. A High Court challenge to postpone a political decision which makes you ‘physically sick’ is almost certainly politically motivated, especially when the process is actually quite simple. We either trigger Article 50, or we do not. The decision for this process had been put, quite clearly, into the hands of the British people; it is time that we understood this and stopped trying to frustrate the mandate.

This referendum was binding and decisive. I knew it was. You knew it was. Parliament knew it was

British people. We were in charge. We gave our say.

Parliament must act.

As many will be aware, the University of Bristol recently had its own referendum won our affiliation with the NUS. We voted to remain, but had we voted to leave would we subsequently expect our elected SU to have another vote on the matter? No, the referendum gave our instructions for the SU to fulfil.

Realistically, however, Parliament has no choice but to vote in favour of the British people. As we know, some voted Brexit for immigration reasons; for decades these concerns have been rising but, as mentioned in a previous Epigram article I wrote, people have been shunned, shamed and labelled a ‘racist bigot’ for having these worries. Society and the establishment refused to listen to them; this referendum gave them the opportunity to finally express themselves democratically. Thus we will be living in a dangerously tense society if Parliament ignores them, or is even perceived to be ignoring them once again.

If this really was ‘about process, not politics’

then Miller has made a mistake as this ruling will prove an unnecessary delay to the process of leaving the EU. Satisfaction or resentment aside, there was a growing acceptance that we must leave.

The University of Bristol refers to the result on its website as ‘the UK’s decision to leave’. recognising that we ‘will not leave the EU for at least two years’ and, during that time the University ‘will work to secure terms that are best for our students and staff’. The University recognised we voted to leave, and responded accordingly.

Dangerously, this ruling may well shift the government’s focus away from the concerns of universities who want ‘to secure terms that are best’ for you and me. We run the risk of falling back into those same old meaningless arguments about whether the campaigns were legitimate and whether the people knew what they were voted for, instead of giving our negotiation strategy the proper scrutiny it deserves.

The government must be held to account on the Brexit plan, but a vote on whether to trigger Article 50 or not is a dangerous way to do it.

Indeed, this referendum was binding and decisive.

I knew it was. You knew it was. Parliament knew it was. Was it not David Cameron who demanded that if we VOTE to leave then ‘there would be no going back’? Did both campaigns not use rhetoric such as ‘if YOU VOTE leave then [something will happen]’ or ‘if YOU VOTE remain then [something else would happen]’? Emphasis was strongly placed on our vote deciding what happened. What’s changed?

Yes, our constitution stresses Parliamentary sovereignty in decision-making, as did the Leave campaign, but the EU referendum occurred in a very unique environment. Parliament was consulted and had their say with the ‘European Union Referendum Act 2015’ which, alongside their aforementioned rhetoric and the promise to ‘implement what you decide’, delegated its decision-making powers to the

Gov.uk / Official Eu

“

We voted against corruption. We voted for democracy. It is about time parliament understood this

“

Ed Southgate Comment writer

Low vote turnouts: Are young people apathetic?

Kate Raison argues that growing differences between the interests of young and old are responsible Kate Raison Comment writer ‘Disinterested’, ‘apathetic’, ‘indifferent’: these are words I’ve heard those around me use to describe the attitudes of the younger generation towards politics, particularly in the last few years. Millennials are frequently viewed as lazy and uncaring about our futures.

But is this true? Political apathy among young adults stems from having nothing to engage with, not a supposed unconcerned attitude. It’s hard to become interested in politics if you have no one to believe in.

This goes some way to explain the surge

of support for anti-establishment figures, such as Corbyn. In 2015, during Corbyn’s first leadership bid, ‘Corbynmania’ hit the country by storm with a considerable number of his supporters being under 25. When there is

cheated. The expectation that the older generations should look out for us, and help us achieve the best future possible, has fallen flat. At the risk of sounding like a toddler, it just feels unfair. And perhaps that’s why those who are older don’t listen to us – when we say that it isn’t right or fair, we sound like children.

However, they really should start listening.

Those who took away free university education benefited from it themselves and then robbed our generation of the opportunity.

With university fees set to rise again, we are a generation faced by the prospect of debt hanging over our heads for a long time to come.

It isn’t just university fees that get us down.

Youth unemployment (ages 18-24) for June to August of this year is lower than previous quarters, but it still makes up almost 30% of all those unemployed across the country. Add the exclusion of under-25s from the National Living Wage of £7.20/hour and our economic prospects aren’t looking great.

It’s time for politicians to realise that investment in the younger generations is incredibly important to the future of the country. Until they do, and they start improving the prospects of young people, many are going to stay apathetic. Not through a lack of caring, but because we have no one to believe in.

Flickr / Flik

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Young people feel cheated.

The expectation that the older generations should...help us achieve the best future possible has fallen flat

someone to believe in and trust, many come out in support and get interested in politics.

But why bother if we don’t believe our voice will be heard?

In 2016 this support had gone down, with exit polls suggesting more 18-24 year-olds voted for Owen Smith; an unsurprising result given Corbyn’s unsuccessful influence in his own party, let alone in Parliament: hope that he is our saviour from a stifling government is rapidly diminishing.

Our distrust in politicians isn’t unfounded either, particularly for students. No one can forget Nick Clegg’s fall from grace. It’s largely irrelevant here whether it was his fault that university tuition fees rose, what matters is that they did. And not marginally, they tripled. After all the campaigning to keep the fees down and all the false promises from politicians, they went up astronomically. And then, as if to twist the knife in the wound, they later scrapped maintenance grants, turning them into loans, leaving those from poorer backgrounds with the prospect of even more debt to struggle through.

This distrust has led to a lack of hope that politicians govern in the interests of the young, leading to confusion, frustration and a feeling of being hard done by. Crippling the younger generation through debt, a lack of housing and a lack of jobs, doesn’t bode well for the country 20 years later when we’re the economic force supporting the rest of the population.

Putting that to one side, young people feel

“

Epigram

14.11.2016

11

One male contraceptive is better than none Laura Waters states that men should put up with the side effects of birth control, just as women do

The recent news of male birth control trial being ended due to negative side effects has inspired vitriol and scorn, particularly from women.

Commenters have pointed out that many of the side effects mentioned, such as depressive mood or mood changes, weight gain and nausea, are all regularly experienced by women taking medicallyapproved birth control. That’s all, right?

This doesn’t get to the full picture of why the male birth control issue has angered so many people. To discover why this relatively normal phenomena: after all, clinical trials get cancelled all the time- caused such outrage, you need to go back to the early 1950’s, when female birth control was being developed in the United States. The laws in the US were strictly anti-birth control at the time, but in Puerto Rico, US Overseas Territory, there were no rules surrounding the use of birth control.

With this knowledge in hand, Dr. Gregory Pinchus and Dr. John Rock, medical researchers at Harvard, started trials of their birth control pills in Puerto Rico in 1955, focusing mostly on low-income and lowly-educated women in the slums, not telling

We should not have a different set of acceptable standards of side effects depending on gender

control pills do, which heavily raised the risk of blood clotting.

Many negative side effects were reported, and similar, if more informed, trials in the US were quickly ended due to reports of negative, potentially serious side effects. Three women in Puerto Rico died over the duration of the trials, and despite a controversial lack of autopsy, their deaths have since been linked to blood clots. The drug, based on these Puerto Rican trials, was FDAapproved in May 1960, and in the 1970’s, concerns were raised over links between the pill and fatal strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots.

Furthermore, though modern-day iterations of the drug have much lower hormone doses, and therefore risks of serious side effects, the issues cited in the abandonment of the study are those many contemporary women suffer from as ‘common side effects’ of the pill, and considering that it’s the most popular form of birth control in women aged 20-25 in the UK, that’s a fair proportion of our student body; (“common side effects” denotes 100-1,000 in every 10,000 users will

Flickr / HorsDeOuvre

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The side effects...are all regularly experienced by women taking medically-approved birth control

the women that the pill was experimental or that it could have potentially negative side effects. The pill that they were given contained a significantly higher dose of hormones than modern-day birth

experience them): Weight gain, headache, nausea, depressive mood or mood wings, stomach ache, amongst others.

When considering this alongside a landmark Danish study that conclusively proved what had been speculated for decades: that there is a positive link between the use of any kind of hormonal contraceptive and the user subsequently using antidepressants, and being diagnosed with depression at a psychiatric hospital, it becomes apparent that their complaints are justified.

As such, the debate misses the point almost in its entirety: everyone should have safe and ethically-run clinical trials, but we cannot deny

“

Laura Waters Comment writer

where modern medicine went wrong in the past, or try to erase it from history, by simply refusing to acknowledge it. Additionally, we should not have a different set of acceptable standards of side effects depending on gender- in this case, it serves to reinforce the idea that women should be responsible for birth control, and that women’s experiences of side effects are somehow lesser than men’s. No one should deny that the side effects these men experienced weren’t unpleasant, but they show a worrying disparity in the way we treat men and women’s ideas of acceptable side effects.

The Sex Discrimination Act contradicts its intent Julien Zuinghedau suggests that tunnel vision is inhibiting progressive workplace gender legislation Julien Zuinghedau Comment writer

“

When it comes to work positions, several posts are not available to both men and women

misogynistic because it advocates males, but in fact it is the same for women. Many (if not all) women’s organisations dealing with only women are not hiring men because of the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975. Often, women in need experience abuses and traumas caused by the opposite sex. Most feminists would agree that this section is legitimate because mental health has to be considered when it comes to the reinstating of disadvantaged women into the society. This Sex Discrimination’s Act section is difficult to challenge without being controversial, but there is a serious problem here. The answers of people to this thought are often ‘Why don’t you just concentrate on men” or “Well, I don’t see anything wrong with that.” But what if someone perceives something

These organisations are perpetuating gender dueality when the primary goal of this act is to ensure gender equality

wrong with this section and what if someone decided not to concentrate to their own gender identity but stand for the opposite one?

This Sex Discrimination Act does not appear legitimate for people part of the LGBT community. We will not be able to extend gender equality if males cannot stand for women’s rights and help women in need and vice-versa.

With only one section of this legal act, these organisations are perpetuating gender duality when the primary goal of this act is to ensure

gender equality.

Additionally, the legal act is leaving out people not identifying as men or women.

These organisations are underestimating the help of men to help women overcoming their personal traumas. It is essential to make sure men are understanding what women are going through and how we should fight these social phenomena. Once again the biological traits are putting forward. Perhaps, gender dichotomy is unavoidable.

It is important not to deny the real facts around sexual harassments and violence against women as well as the importance of legal control within our society but if no one challenges these legal institutions then there is a high probability that ‘women won’t earn as much as men for 170 years’ and that LGBT people will continue to hide their sexual identity within institutions such as workplaces.

Flickr / torbakhopper

“This article is based on personal experiences. I associate myself with the G of LGBT and I am a fervent defender of women’s rights. Throughout my time at the University of Bristol I have tried to apply for different internships for women’s organisations but the Sex Discrimination Act was the main obstacle to reach it. I, therefore, wanted to challenge it.”

There is no need to identify yourself as woman to defend women’s rights and help women in need. Nobody wants to believe the Gender Gap Index 2016 claim that ‘women won’t earn as much as men for 170 years.’

Recent activists launched the debate on how men should call themselves ‘pro-feminists’ rather than ‘feminists’ because men are not experiencing the same discrimination as women. This debate on how people should call themselves is just slowing down the gender equality process that liberal feminists are trying to achieve. Feminism is first and foremost an ideology defending women’s rights. It is true that women and men do experience different levels of discrimination due to the way our society is constructed, but emphasising the semantic problematic is only reinforcing the gender dichotomy.

Women’s struggle to acquire the same right as men is potentially at the origin of LGBT community discriminations. The insurance company Emerald life showed that in 2016, 1 in 4 LGBT undergraduates fear discrimination in work places. In order to expect involvement for the LGBT community, it is important to concentrate on the fundamental gender issue that is the inequalities between men and women.

When it comes to work positions, several posts are not available to both men and women. The Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 is there to ensure and promote the equality of men and women within the work place and other institutions.

However, one of the sections (Section 7 (ii)-d) shows that there is an exception to the rule. The sections states: ‘The nature of the establishment, or of the part of it within which work is done, requires the job to be held by man because those persons are all men (disregarding any woman whose presence is exceptional). First of all, this section and the legal rules appears

14.11.2016

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Epigram

Science & Tech

@EpigramSciTech Editor: Matt Davis Deputy Editor: Katie Coates Online Editor: Gina Degtyareva

mdavis@epigram.org.uk

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katie.coates@epigram.org.uk gina@epigram.org.uk

The fatal flaw in evolution research It has long been known that the fossil record is dubious at best; it’s incomplete, ambiguous, and involves by necessity a large amount of guesswork.

Yet if we’re to make any progress in the theory of evolution, we must work with what we’ve got, ambiguities and all.

Recently, however, researchers from the universities of Bristol and Reading have discovered a flaw in the approach to the fossil record – and it may disprove almost a decade’s worth of research in evolution.

The culprit, they say, is a method of analysis known as the ‘residual diversity’ method

The study was carried out by Professor Michael Benton from the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol and Dr Manabu Sakamoto and Dr Chris Venditti from the University of

Reading, and published in Methods of Ecology and Evolution last week.

The culprit, they say, is a method of analysis known as the ‘residual diversity’ method, which uses fossil data to make estimates of species diversity across time. But it does this in a rather unorthodox way: it assumes that the variations in number of different fossils available from a certain era is a direct reflection of how much rock was available at the time. Or, in Professor Benton’s words, that ‘any portion of fossil diversity that can be explained by variations in rock volume should be explained by variations in rock volume’.

When forced to accept that the lack of fossils is truly down the the lack of organisms used to create them...the story changes

This, of course, is a flawed assumption.

He urges: ‘at the extreme, if you have no rock you get no fossils. However, there are many cases where two time intervals are represented by the same amount of rock worldwide, and yet fossil diversity varies massively. Explain that.’

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Betsy Herbet Science Writer

Taking the old assumption for granted, scientists assumed that the Earth’s biodiversity remained relatively stable for millions of years, and that signs of species suddenly becoming extinct were simply due to lack of fossil records from that era. When forced to accept that the lack of fossils is truly down to lack of organisms to create them, rather than lack of rocks to be created in, the story changes – the history of biodiversity becomes much more dynamic, with periods of dramatic species booms and plummets, as well as periods of stability.

It truly seems scientists, from now on, may have to change their assumptions regarding the stability of prehistoric diversity

Flickr/ T. Michael Keesey

Professor Benton and colleagues have plenty of reason to assume that they are correct in their criticism. They ran thousands of simulations to test the residual diversity method, and error rates of up to 100 per cent as well as numerous biases. It truly seems scientists, from now on, may have to change their assumptions regarding the stability of prehistoric biodiversity; therefore almost a decade’s worth of research – including more than 150 published research papers – may now have to be looked upon with a critical eye.

Dyslexia and me: It’s time to talk Matt Davis Science Editor If you ask anyone who knows me what they think of my handwriting, they will most likely reply that it is the worst that they have ever seen; a large ungainly scrawl reminiscent of a 7 years old’s first attempt at writing. However, many people don’t realise that one of the symptoms of dyslexia is a difficulty in gripping a pen, and this obviously may affect someone’s ability to write clearly. Whether my poor writing can be attributed to my dyslexia (or to my inherent laziness) is impossible to say, but this is just one of the stigmas that may follow sufferers as they make their way through the education system.

dyslexia rather: you develop coping mechanisms. Many dyslexics struggle at school but many attribute some of their success to wanting to do better and prove their critics wrong, famously Richard Branson, Alan Sugar and Jamie Oliver who are all incredibly successful despite their dyslexia.

of immaturity in his development”.

Simply being told however that I was not ‘thick’ and there was a reason why I struggled with things that other people found easy increased my aspirations as I imagine it would to a sufferer at any age.

Diagnosis can be a lengthy and

Flickr / Janine ‘Dyslexia’

“ You never grow out of dyslexia, you just develop coping mechanisms

Approximately 1.5 million people in the UK sufferer from learning disabilities, of which a significant proportion may have dyslexia. They will face difficulties from the moment they start school and these will continue all the way to University. I suffered from only a mild form of the disease and due to this I did see improvement as I got older, but you never grow out of

finance and you may receive money for a more suitable computer provided you have proof of your dyslexia.

The money allocated to dyslexia grants is also used for other specific learning disabilities such as autism. This may account for some of the stigma and misunderstanding of the condition:

As I write this I have on my lap a copy of the psychiatric assessment that I took when I was just 7 years old. As a University student I can’t quite believe that just over ten years ago I apparently couldn’t spell words as simple as ‘bok’ (back) or ‘doun’ (down). The conclusion especially is quite depressing reading “I believe that Matthew should be on the school’s register of special needs. The diagnostic tests do show specific areas

potentially expensive process. When I first got tested the private assessment cost £295, but that was over ten years ago and now that same test will set you back in the region of £300-400. The government is aware of the costs and the difficulties that dyslexics face and due to this there is some funding available which comes under the umbrella of the Disabled Student Allowance. You apply for grants when filling out your student

somebody with severe autism has entirely different requirements and capabilities than a dyslexic sufferer and to paint them with the same brush is unhelpful and perhaps belittling to both parties.

Dyslexics aren’t held back by the disease or themselves, they are held back by other people and the lack of widespread awareness. You may capably manage your dyslexia such that there

is little difference between you and a non-sufferer or; you can find that your dyslexia puts you at a significant disadvantage because your full potential is hampered by negative connotations and an unwillingness to accept that you are more than how you come across on paper. When I was younger, I was quite shy and the last thing I wanted to do was expose myself as being different by having to stay longer in exam halls with extra time. However, in retrospect I believe that one must not be dissuaded from accepting the additional support they need where it is available.

“ At the end of the day it’s your creative ideas and opinions that will make people take notice - not your calligraphy skills

High profile sufferers have acted as role models for many years, proving it is possible to be both successful and dyslexic, however, almost all admit to struggling at school. There is still a prejudice in education which leads to secrecy where there should be only openness and acceptance. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, in fact Richard Branson once said ‘being dyslexic is actually an advantage and has helped me greatly in life’ at the end of the day it’s your creative ideas and opinions that will make people take notice, not your calligraphy skills.

Epigram 14.11.2016

13

Ada Lovelace Day: Celebrating women in science Michaela Mottershaw Science Writer

continuous stream of innovations.

At a time when the first mechanical calculators had only just been created, Ada was able to foresee the enormous potential of computers.

“

“ widely hailed as the ‘first computer programmer’

She predicted how they may be used to manipulate symbols, compose music, produce graphics, and serve as a tool for scientific exploration. Of course, a century later, her predications came true. She has since become a paragon for women in science.

In 2009, Ada Lovelace Day was established. The international event now takes place on the second Tuesday of October each year. Not only is it a chance to remember Ada’s groundbreaking achievements, but also to recognise the achievements of all women involved in STEM. It encourages women in STEM to tell their stories and shines a light on the successes of many unsung heroines.

Though great progress has been made in recent decades, women remain underrepresented in many areas of science. In 2015, The Women into Science

and Engineering (WISE) campaign found that only 14.4 per cent of those working in STEM occupations were

Women comprise only 2 per cent of the professional engineering sector

women. The statistics relating to female engineering professionals are amongst the most dire, with women comprising a measly 8.2 per cent of the sector.

Many attribute the gender gap to

Flickr / Mark Hillary

Victorian women faced the myth that they had no claim to educational rights.

They faced the myth that they lacked the intellect of their male counterparts.

They faced the myth that the world of science was not a world in which they belonged.

Once upon a time, these fallacies were largely accepted as facts. But they were triumphantly defied by Ada Lovelace, whose name now lives on to celebrate and motivate gender equality in STEM (science technology engineering and maths) subjects. She was a gifted mathematician and is now widely hailed as the ‘first computer programmer.’

Her notes on the Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computer envisioned

by Charles Babbage, were truly visionary. Babbage affectionately called Ada the ‘Enchantress of Numbers,’ championing her exceptional grasp of mathematics.

The Victorian period is typically viewed as an era of rapid scientific progress. It was a time of great industrial and technological change, marked by a

ongoing struggles with sexism and gender bias, a debate that recently exploded into the mainstream following the comments of British biochemist Timothy Hunt. The Nobel Prize winner made headlines by remarking that women in science were troublesome because of their tendencies to fall in love and cry. This incident is just one of the many clearcut examples of the enduring need to promote and sustain equality in science.

Though absolute equality is unlikely to be achieved without substantial cultural changes, increasing the visibility of female scientists is a great place to start. The founder of Ada Lovelace Day, Suw CharmanAnderson, sees it as an opportunity to ‘increase the profile of women in STEM and, in doing so, create new role

models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers.’ To get more women into STEM related jobs will require them to be targeted at a younger age, either at school or university, and effort made to prevent them from having experiences that put them off from continuing their subject as a career.

Here at the University of Bristol, the School of Mathematics honoured the day with a public talk on data science by Miranda Mowbray of Hewlett Packard Labs. Both staff and students have also been encouraged to get involved by sharing their stories of inspiration on social media and mentioning #UoBinspired @BristolUni and #ALD16 @findingada. If you have been inspired

by Ada’s story or that of a fellow student or colleague, I strongly urge you to spread the word and to join the battle for equality in STEM.

Under the microscope... Dementia, web tuning and resistant mosquitoes chers Re s e a r revalence p e Japan g th studyin on people in tsunami d a enti ses e an e in ca of dem e earthquak increas rced out th n a g in is fo e follow at ther se who were eighbours und th have fo a among tho d with their n d. People rate enti lace of dem mes and sepa were not disp d the most o a o h h h ir w g ousin of the duced those orary h part to the re t to d with e p r a m p te m in in ar co e p u p d u , in ded and cline who en nt cognitive de d neighbours, concluded a y n signific with friends a prooted. The on and u editati m contact ss of being t, n me educe e the str ess manage port might r tr p s u on ls that events ed socia increas ffect of such on. the e e functi cognitiv

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l oes kil Mosquit ,000 people 8 3 ria.

4 ing mala mated an esti ar by transferr bed nets and many each ye used in globally ere previously wever, as with istant. o s w H re s t. id e c s Pyrethro itoes on conta quitoes becau sed, many s u u o q t s s m o r fi e were killed m emicals, som at using ered th d the throids h v c re o t c y s p is e d r anti-p s afte t. It was , defeate 20 year resistan yriproxyphen roduction Around s were totally p gp l, g a e ic hem tion ing rupts popula side another c hemical inter combin y B . c le g e ti n nr h o lo T fe . a n s in , e is th ets ito become f bed n t mosqu resistan ses females to the material o e remaining u als on d and th t and ca chemic are kille le (94 per cen the two t populations ti r fe in d resistan s are rendere ductive rate). pro female on in re reducti

Michaela Mottershaw

Emma Isle

explains how disaster affects dementia

Flora Beverley

explains how spiders ‘tune’ their webs

explains the methods used to tackle mosquito resistance

Flickr/thellr

Flickr/thellr

Flickr/thellr

Epigram 14.11.2016

14

Our vision. Our strategy. Your chance to help shape its implementation.

The environment in which you study, live and play is as important as the education we provide

This strategy outlines our priorities for the next seven years and marks the beginning of an exciting journey of development and innovation.

Highlights include: • a renewed focus on teaching and learning, with a new Bristol Futures curriculum to ensure you develop the knowledge, skills, adaptability and resilience you need to thrive in a changing world; • a transformation of facilities on Tyndall Avenue to create a welcoming and student-centred heart for the main campus, including plans to build a new library and enhance the outdoor space.

We will also continue to invest in and build on our widening participation and diversity initiatives and our research strength and breadth, and we will prioritise internationalisation and sustainability.

Students at the centre The environment in which you study, live and play is as important as the education we provide. Our actions – from reviewing and enhancing the ways in which we provide pastoral support to ensure your wellbeing, to transforming our digital infrastructure to improve your learning experience – all aim to provide an outstanding education and student experience.

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Last autumn, thousands of you shared your views on the future direction and ambitions for our University via #change1thing. These fed into the development of our new University vision and strategy which we are launching this month.

Our plans for the Tyndall Avenue area give pride of place to a major new University Library and Student Resource Hub. We want to cluster the support and services you need in one place, and will be asking for your input into what these are and how you would like to access them.

Get involved and share your feedback on this exciting project

A consultation on the remodelling of Tyndall Avenue will begin this month – look out for details in the student newsletter and the MyBristol portal, as well as here in Epigram.

We hope you will get involved and share your feedback on this exciting project.

You can see the full strategy at bristol.ac.uk/ strategy.

This month we’re launching our new strategy, which has you at its heart. We want to share our plans with and involve you in their implementation (look out for further information shortly), as well as celebrate what makes our University special. Being at Bristol

enables you to see new horizons, try new things and explore new ways of thinking and seeing the world. Through our campaign #ComeToTheEdge we are sharing stories of what makes Bristol unique. We’d love it if you would share your stories, too: bristol.ac.uk/cometotheedge.

University Sponsored Content

Epigram 14.11.2016

Get moving with Active Residences

15

Delivering physical activity to students living in University accommodation, with hubs in Stoke Bishop, City Centre and Clifton

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The Active Residences programme provides a range of opportunities to get moving right on your doorstep – supporting you to move more, feel better and enjoy a healthy living experience.

out more about the classes on offer at: http:// www.bristol.ac.uk/sport/activities/active/activeresidences/

There is something for everyone, and it’s a great way to make new friends

Your Active Residences instructor and personal trainer, Lucy Eyre, will be visiting your hall or a nearby location to offer you free fitness training sessions. Meet Lucy for a fun 30 minute ‘workout of the week’ that will get your heart pumping, strengthen your body and help you to de-stress.

The sessions are suitable for all levels of fitness and will include easy to follow body weight exercises. Go on your own, or take a mate or two along with you for moral support!

The programme includes a regular timetable of exercise sessions, fun physical activity promotions and social sporting opportunities, all of which are free for those living in University accommodation. With a variety of classes – from box circuits to yoga, insanity workouts to social running clubs – there is something for everyone, and a great way to make new friends. There will also be new activities starting soon, so look out for additions such as social tennis and coaching sessions.

Residents in University accommodation can access the activities in any hub location, enabling you to choose something that suits your interests and schedule. There are activity timetables for each site; you can view the timetables and find

Meet Lucy, your personal trainer

We want your feedback We’d like to know what you think and it will only take a few minutes for you to share your ideas for activities with us. Anyone who completes our short survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a £25 Amazon voucher: http://bit.ly/activeresi We would also like to hear from students keen to get more involved in the programme; so if you have a sport or exercise qualification you can offer, or just want to help encourage others to get active a bit more often, do let us know via email: sportactive@bristol.ac.uk.

Feel It Festival 17 to 20 November St Paul’s Church, Portland Square, Bristol The Feel It Festival presents four days of events dedicated to investigating some of the most fundamental of human experiences: pain – of body, mind and spirit – and breath.

A programme of talks, workshops, discussions and performances will weave together research from across the University, with explorations by visual artists, aerial performers, dancers, theatremakers and musicians.

The collaborations will explore themes from respiratory illness to pain in cycling and offer a new perspective on these often untold features of our human experience.

Everyone – the public, patients, artists, and researchers alike – will be encouraged to feed into our understanding of what it means to be in pain, or to question

something so simple as breathing.

During the festival the venue will host a free interactive exhibition open to all.

The exhibition will give you the chance to explore work on pain and breath through sound, video, poetry, art and play, and to craft your own pain and breath from metal, paper, and colour.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation. Visit www.bristol.ac.uk/feelit-festival/ for the full programme and booking.

The festival is a collaboration between the University’s Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research and the Life of Breath project, in collaboration with Circomedia, and is made possible through the generous support of the Wellcome Trust.

University Housing Fair 22 November, 10am to 3pm Wills Memorial Building Starting to think about finding privaterented accommodation for next year?

You’ll find help and guidance in plentiful supply at the Housing Fair. Staff from the Accommodation Office will be on hand to offer guidance, and presentations on what to look for when house-hunting will be given every half hour. Bristol SU Lettings and other housing suppliers will also be there to help you get to grips with the rentals market in Bristol and save yourself money and stress.

University Sponsored Content

Epigram 14.11.2016

Letters

@EpigramLetters

Editor: Claire Hargreaves letters@epigram.org.uk

Forget the Rich Kids of Instagram - what about the Rich Kids on my Facebook Feed?

Myla Lloyd Deputy Arts Editor Coming from a humble state school, the most jealous I ever was of my friends is when they went to Disneyland Paris for a weekend during Easter. As my bickering parents packed us into a tiny car for another wet and windy camping trip, I couldn’t imagine anything sweeter than hanging out with Mickey Mouse whilst eating candy floss and riding the teacups until I threw up.

Flash forward to my teenage self, waiting tables sixty hours a week to scrimp and save for a naughty weekend in Bruges, or surviving on three euros a day on a trip to Barcelona, hunger pangs definitely dulling the joy of a break in the sun.

In my young naivety, this was the definition of luxury - a few days away from the grind of daily life and the stress of not quite being able to pay

inappropriate of times. (Note: there is a difference between having no money to begin with, and spending your substantial parental allowance in the first few days of term).

The fact your parents are able to buy you a new flat because your student digs aren’t up to scratch, or that they’ll fly you to a different continent to get your teeth done, is less a help than a hindrance, giving you a false sense of entitlement and a warped sense of how the world actually works for your less fortunate fellow students.

I have met an inordinate number of rich kids in my three years at Bristol, many of whom are smart, conscientious, and considerate. They can’t help the circumstances they were born into any more than I, and I do not condone discrimination based on wealth, no matter which direction the insults are aimed. It isn’t money that makes you unbearable, it is your attitude towards it.

That tenth photo of you in an infinity pool is infinitely boring for those of us whose last dip in the big blue was a five-minute plunge into the North Sea (that incidentally gave me hyperthermia). We all know money can’t buy you happiness. So please stop perpetuating the idea that it does.

Flickr / Leni Tuschen Flickr / Jared Zimmerman

“ ‘I am not jealous of your ability to spend money’

your rent.

Before I came to study at Bristol, where unlike wider society the privileged make up the majority, (60 per cent of Bristol students compared to 7 per cent in society as a whole, to be precise) the Rich Kids of Instagram were my only glimpse at a culture of conspicuous consumption.

Perfectly tanned teenagers, posing next to their new Lamborghini or showing off their latest accessories an entirely alien creature in my world of free school meals and weekend jobs.

Those spoilt young things who were once a distant trope now sit next to me in lectures, some of them are even amongst my closest friends. Suddenly my Facebook feed is full of people for whom a tenday Venice trip wasn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity but an annual occurrence, for whom the prohibitive cost of skiing didn’t even prompt them to raise an eyebrow.

Someone has a touch of jealousy I hear you say. You’d be wrong. Yes, I am envious of your first class education, of your ability to speak Latin, of the fact you never have to worry about not having a home to go to. But I am not jealous of your ability to spend money, or worse yet, to declare that you don’t have any at the most

What happens next Ellie Chesshire Letters Writer

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‘It does not focus on what students actually want anymore’

A clear issue that perhaps kickstarted the campaign to leave the NUS was the election of Malia Bouattia in April 2016. She has been associated with anti-Semitic remarks and, according to an article published by Epigram earlier in the year, has made little effort to apologise for said remarks. Last May her popularity faltered in the wider student body of Bristol with only 23 per cent supporting her. While certainly a controversial issue, arguably one way the NUS could and should improve its popularity among students would be to readdress Malia’s role in the NUS. Undoubtedly, she should properly apologise for any remarks that could be

Flickr / justgrimes

In October, Bristol voted to stay in the National Union of Students by a convincing 67 per cent. While I myself was a stay supporter, there is no doubt that there are things that the NUS need to improve on and change. Rightly so, the no campaign raised some interesting questions about the efficiency of NUS. Back in May, 62 per cent of Bristol students wanted to be disaffiliated with the NUS. Clearly, something needs to change.

deemed anti-Semitic.

Another problem of the NUS is that it does not focus on what students actually want anymore. The NUS needs to listen to the student voice and work towards change instead of just posting motivational photos on social media.

Bristol’s decision to stay in the NUS means that we are putting our trust in the organisation and as such they must work harder to achieve the things that students actually want. The NUS has continually been accused of being undemocratic, especially after it rejected a motion by York University to give all students the right to vote. A vote to condemn ISIS was also rejected, a decision that naturally raised many eyebrows. Recent research shows that students want the NUS to focus more on improving sustainability within universities, with 80 per cent of students claiming this is something they would really like to see.

While I believe we are better off being in an organised union of many universities, there is no doubt that the NUS needs to change and must work to improve popularity among students. While the controversy of Malia Bouattia must certainly be addressed, more importantly the NUS should be working harder to improve the things that students really want. Four times they have been unable to resist rising tuition fees and their dedication to the student body sometimes seems debatable. As a body who represents so many, the NUS should be more democratic and undoubtedly should listen to the student voice to achieve what the students actually want.

Tweets of the fortnight: @emilypayne1001

‘I hope all of my friends are happy with a firm handshake for Christmas this year, that’s all I can afford’

@warne97

‘It’s my “reading” week and the only thing I’ve read is the spoons drinks menu’

@julianakim98

‘Reading week more like sleeping week’

E2

Living Well Being Travel Style Food What’s On

Epigram/ Harry Plowden

Moving on

Lovely students of Bristol

Rent?

Have a top-up meter?

You can still switch.

Want to save around £200* per year and help the community?

Switch your gas and electricity quickly and easily at bristol-energy.co.uk/BristolStudents Call us free on 0808 281 2222 or pop into our Hub on the Harbourside.

#SwitchForBristol

*We’re saving our customers around £200 per year on their energy bills. This is Bristol Energy’s projected average saving per dual fuel customer, based on average annual consumption of 3,100kWh for electricity and 12,500kWh for gas as defined by Ofgem.

10643783 Bristol Energy_Bristol UNI_368.5 x 285mm_AW1 R.indd 1

20/10/2016 16:50

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Editor Johnny Thalassites

Online Editor Erin Beesley

Deputy Editor

living@epigram.org.uk

erin.beesley@epigram.org.uk

saskia.hume@epigram.org.uk

@e2living

14.11.2016

Saskia Hume

Epigram Living Section 2016/17

Bristol’s best markets Living Editor, Johnny Thalassites, runs through five of Bristol’s best-loved street markets.

With the dark of Winter descending upon Bristol, now is the perfect time to explore some cosy days out in the city. Whether it is with a partner, friends or family, a day out at Bristol’s markets is one of the best things you can do with your spare time. There are markets right the way through the week and at different times, too. Here are some of your options:

St. Nick’s market (MondaySaturday 9:30am-5pm) St Nick’s market (pictured, right) is among Bristol’s best known spots. It is set in the Exchange building near the City Centre, with the Glass Arcade also offering food, textiles and florists.

Most weeks, you can even find additional markets at St Nick’s - from the Nails Market on Fridays and Saturdays (gifts, artwork and photography), to Bristol Flea Market on Saturday (antiques, vintage and retro), to Bristol Farmers Market on Wednesdays (meat, fish and cheese directly from producers).

Whiteladies Road Market (every first and third Saturday of the month from 8:30am-2pm)

Over 40 food and drink stalls set up camp in Southville each Sunday for this market. There is also arts and crafts available, and the opportunity to see a different part of Bristol is not one to scoff at. This particular market is known for its eco-friendly and ethical products, so it’s one for the environmentalists!

Temple Quay Market (every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 12-2:30pm) This is without a doubt some of the best street food in Bristol.

Recently named one of Europe’s top 10 food markets, there is food from all over the globe on display at this bustling market.

Based in Temple Quay, it is accessible to students and there is plenty to do in the area as well. Thursdays may be busy with lectures and seminars, but with some planning, this is well within reach.

Bearpit Market (Wednesdays 122pm) Head down to the oft-fabled Bearpit to enjoy street-food in the city’s heart. There are few places more atmospheric across Bristol than the Bearpit, and it truly will be a memorable experience. A stone’s throw from Cabot Circus, this is accessible to Bristol students from Stoke Bishop right the way through to Clifton and the city centre.

Flickr/Jeremy Fennell

This local market is perfect for students! Just a couple of times a month, you can take a weekend morning to wander around Whiteladies and buy from West Country vendors. What a way to escape from the lecture hustle. There is food, drink and music at the Market, three things that are all pretty hard to refuse!

Every student is familiar with Whiteladies Road, so this is surely the easiest market for you to test the waters with. It is a very community-led, friendly environment.

Tobacco Factory Market (Sundays 10am-2:30pm)

Autumnal Instagrams The colours of autumn are some of the most beautiful of the year, so Erin Beesley, Living Online Editor, found a few of the best Instagram posts from Bristol students showcasing this.

Instagram/jacobjherbert

Instagram/elephantbeaches

Instagram/sophie_landau

14.11.2016

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My top spot: Hidden Gallery

Deputy Living Editor Saskia Hume shares with us one of her favourite places to spend her Sundays and soak up a bit of culture in the infamous Clifton Arcade.

Wander through the streets of Clifton and you’ll find no end of boutiquey shops and cafes in which to wile away a few spare hours. But delve a bit deeper and there are many more hidden and unexpected gems to discover.

As the name suggests, Hidden Gallery is tucked away down one of the village’s many side streets.

There is also some examples of work by Bristol’s own favourite claim to fame, the illusive Banksy. In all, the pieces themselves range from signed sketches to posters and prints as well as sculptures and more unique works such as light installations from Tracy Emin.

Although the presence of works by some of these artists may seem intimating, and the prices of many pieces are definitely not student friendly, the gallery itself is. You’ll be welcomed in and the owners are happy to let you browse with no pressure to splash out your loan on an investment. If you do feel inclined to buy

something there are some more affordable prints as well as offers from the aforementioned Bristolian creatives.

It’s easy to see that the eclectic mix has been lovingly handpicked by the owners themselves.

Even if the pieces are not all to your taste, there will certainly be something that catches your eye. For me it was the beautiful simplicity of the Pablo Picasso hand signed drawings and the bold colours of the Matisse prints that left me wishing I had a few

Flirkr/ Sharon Mollerus

Amongst these names is Matisse, Picasso and Miro, Dali, Moore and Hirst.

flickr / Sandro Maggi

If you can bring yourself to walk past the enticing aromas of the Primrose Cafe (coincidently the named top spot of Living Editor Johnny Thalassites), and down further into the charming Victorian Arcade, you’ll soon be upon this gem. The Arcade itself contains a plethora of shops to meander in and out of on a lazy Sunday, but it’s the Hidden Gallery in particular that I think holds the most appeal.

The gallery’s sleek and minimalist shopfront is the first hint at the treasures that lie inside. From afar you’d be forgiven for assuming that it’s simply another showcase of local artists - but in fact it’s far more. Nonetheless, the works of the relatively unknown do hang upon the walls inside, making the gallery far more approachable than some of its London counterparts. But what is the real surprise is that Hidden holds the work of some of arguably the best artists of the recent centuries.

thousand pounds going spare.

So, whether you’re an art fanatic or just curious, its definitely worth paying the Hidden Gallery a visit next time you’re perusing the delights of Clifton. Naturally, their collection is constantly changing as pieces are bought and sold, so each trip to the gallery will hold something different. Or if you want a taster before you check out the real thing, you can visit their website which gives you plenty of information, as well as archives of sold works and a regularly updated gallery of their latest additions.

The gallery is open from 10:00-17.30 Monday - Friday, 10.0018:00 on Saturdays and 11.00-16.00 on Sundays. For more information visit: www.myhiddenworld.co.uk.

Bristol on a shoe-string

It’s a well known fact that students have no money, so Epigram Living has researched a few of Bristol’s best free activities for those of you trying to scrimp and save.

1. Cabot Tower and Brandon Hill Situated just off of Bristol’s favourite incline, Park Street, there lies the beautiful Cabot Tower. Standing at over 100 ft its quite a sight to behold, and a trip up the spiral staircase to the very top is certainly worth it for the incredible views over Bristol that it offers. The hill itself is always open and is a great spot for a picnic on a sunny day. Cabot Tower is open every day except Christmas and New Year from 8am to dusk - 7pm in summer and 4pm in winter.

2. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

This attraction surely needs no introduction, arguably being Bristol most iconic attraction. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the 19th century bridge is a dominating sight upon the Bristol skyline. Once you’ve strolled accross the bridge and taken in the spectacular views it beholds over the river, why not head to the White Lion pub? Sadly though, a pint there won’t come free.

4. Spike Island Spike Island is a unique space showcasing contemporary art and design around a 15 minute walk from the city centre. It is both an exhibition site and a working space for artists and designers, supporting those who are up and coming. Entry to the gallery is free, and there are often talks and activities taking place,. Alongisde this there is also a cafe serving delicious and healthy food.

Flickr/Linda Bailey

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery holds 19 galleries with collections ranging from archaeology to geology to contemporary art. Although there are often special exhibitions running which require you to pay for entry, much of the space is free to wander around at your ease. It lies right next door to the Wills Memorial Building, so really there’s no excuse not to take a look inside.

3. Clifton Suspension Bridge

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A day in the life of a university hamster Meet Michelle, Bristol’s sassiest and most outspoken hamster, and find how out how it feels to spend a day in her shoes.

7.25 am

Good morning world! Time for some honey covered granola and a sun salute. Said no hamster ever. I’m bloody nocturnal, why does no one understand that? Goodbye morning sun, hello fluff. And whoever that is banging around upstairs – I couldn’t care less if you have a nine am seminar on Oliver Cromwell’s rejection of the crown. Here, in sawdust city, its 11pm and some of us want to catch some shuteye.

11 am Really? Really? The sound of vicious banging on the

door is followed by my home being plummeted into mid air, with mom running to hide me in her wardrobe. Fourth time this week there’s been a house viewing, and to be honest I’m getting pretty fed up.

We all know where I live is a great location, no I don’t know the monthly rent price and yes the tumble drier is broken hence the permanent smell of damp. (Definitely not my sawdust…)

And furthermore, why am I never allowed to meet these ghastly newcomers? Surely I get a say in this too. I’m going to run on my wheel in spite and hope the estate agent hears me, because this lack of attention is simply not on.

3.00 am

6.10 pm Once again, I find myself scooped into mid air

I haven’t heard from Milo in a few days now, and it’s getting me down a bit. I mean come on!

Hamsters have needs too. That’s why I figured it’s time to escape. If I can just squeeze through those bars at the top of the cage, then freedom is mine, and Milo will soon be safely within the clasps of my paws. My plan is to edge my way across the top of my strawberry hut, along the perimeter of the cage, balance on the water bottle, then leap and squeeze my way to freedom.

for the purpose of entertainment to my human companions.

They find it so cute when I clean myself, and I’m like hello guys, it’s hygiene? Now I’m just going to get greasier, resulting in me having to use even more of my limited edition sunflower seed shampoo. Although I do relish the attention, sometimes a woman just needs space to do her hair and sort her whiskers out. Without being rude, my human companion should just stop cooing sweet nothings at me and follow my advice; her monobrow really is something else.

3.07 am (Loud Thump) Well thank goodness for

11.30 pm The sound of progressive house echoes through

the three inch layer of sawdust is all I can say. That was an extremely close call, and to tell you the truth I’m feeling a little ruff led. It was all going well until I tried to squeeze though those bloody bars! Back to the wheel I go; no more slacking, it’s permanent diet season now. I guess on the plus side, Milo might like me more if I shift some of these love handles.

the delicate walls of the maisonette. That time of the week; predrinks for Lola Lo’s. Last week, someone spilt the most offensive mixture of rum and coke over my sleeping quarters, and the week before I was unfortunate enough to witness some heavy petting. And not the hamster kind.

11.35 pm Oh, of course. This week I’m playing the

3.45 am

Epigram/Saskia Hume

part of matchmaker. My face is met with that of the floppy Oh goodness. It’s the sound of the Etonian. haired Etonian boy who visits on certain days of the week. I’m Time to bury my head in f luff and pretend I’m oblivious most perturbed by the way he attempts to tickle my tummy; to all those…noises echoing from the human bed. It like hello? I’m not a replacement for that ancient slobbering really is a hard life when your mom gets more men than Labrador that resides in your country manor. Meanwhile, mom you. giggles and tosses her freshly washed hair, before scooping Exclusions and Restrictions apply. See terms and conditions here coop.co.uk/nusextra. Images are shown as serving suggestions. me up to embrace me in her perfumed arms. I’ve seen this all before; the classic attempt to show her love interest that alongside holding an enjoyment for motion and all things ‘Bristol’, she has a maternal, girly side stimulated by all things fluffy. A quick address to all you other hamsters out there; if you ever think your parents love you, think again. I can assure you, there will always be an ulterior motive for their ownership.

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11.44 pm Talking of 11.45 am No point sleeping now. Time for some snacks!

Although I’m supposed to be watching my weight, what girl can resist a peanut?

11.46 am Goddamn, that wasn’t a mealworm! It was a

dried pea, the worst type of seed that lurks in my bowl. How am I meant to make myself an appetizing early lunch when I can’t even tell my peanuts from my peas.

2.20 pm Oh my god! The sunlight burns. I’m finally

released from my wooden imprisonment back into the safe periphery of my Clifton Maisonette. If anyone dare insult me by putting me back into that musty, moth-eaten wardrobe, they risk experiencing the wrath of my teeth.

5.40 pm ‘Squeeeaaaakkkk…. Squeaaaaakkkk…. Sweaaaakkkkk’ The noise invades my nest like an unwelcome hairball. Could it be a potential lover? Oh no… it’s my alarm. 5:40 pm means its my gym time; fifty laps of the wheel because it’s October, a welcome break from the usual seventy in diet season. Gym leggings and a crop top, because God, girl’s still gotta look sexy.

love interests, I have my eyes on the most dashing hamster who resides in Exeter. His name is Milo and he’s a soft dappled grey, a color complimenting my own brindle coat divinely.

Although it’s a good train ride away, the great hamster philosopher William Shakeseed did declare that true love knows no distance.

12.05 am

Yipeee!

Midday, everyone’s out of the house and I finally have true freedom to express my hamster instincts. A few minutes of marking my scent round the cage, just to perturb anymore of those intoxicated Etonians, before some good old-fashioned digging.

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Editor Tianna Graham tianna.graham@epigram.org.uk

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Online Editor Flora Doble flora.doble@epigram.org.uk

Need some help?

Student counselling service: 0117 954 6655 Samaritans hotline open 24/7: 116 123

Epigram Wellbeing

14.11.2016

Have any mental health experiences you wish to share?

Join our Wellbeing Writers’ Group on FB! Everyone is welcome.

Positive Prescriptions and Powerful PTSD Glenn Mower (Student Counselling)

Or of course you could choose to set your radar and your daily consumption towards filling yourself with life’s troubles. If this is your decision at least become conscious that this is what you are doing. Pessimists are supposedly more measurably realistic than optimists, but I doubt if they enjoy life as much and I wonder if they sleep very soundly.

Two years ago I went to the doctors after experiencing a mental breakdown. Non-stop crying, suicidal thoughts and an inability to leave my bed had all become too much. I went away with a Prozac prescription and a fear about how this new medication would change me. For months it sat in my drawer unused and I managed to convince myself for a while that I did not need it. I was fine.

Six months later that I was back in the GP’s waiting room again, wondering why I could not function like a ‘normal’ person.

Upon researching antidepressant medication, I was bombarded with negative experiences: ‘antidepressants ruined my life’, ‘the symptoms were unbearable’, ‘this medication made me worse than I was before’. The packet’s leaflet listed just about every symptom there is, from itching and nausea to irregular heartbeat and suicidal feelings. All of this is enough to scare anyone off. To this day I still consider taking that first pill to be one of the bravest things I have ever done, even if I did spend a couple of hours playing with it in my hands and trying to calm my breathing enough to be able to swallow it down.

‘It was almost as if all the negative feelings were being held underwater’

After that first dose, I patiently waited everyday for the inevitable side effects to set in. Nothing came. I waited for the nausea, dizziness, insomnia, headaches or something more severe, but the symptoms didn’t appear. Neither did a miraculous change of mood mind you, but gradually I felt my emotions begin to flatten out. I felt comfortable, the bad thoughts seemed more controllable and distant. It was almost as if all the negative feelings were being held underwater – occasionally one would bubble to the surface and I got used to my occasional breakdowns, but mostly they were out of sight and out of mind.

The first time my meds ran out, I panicked. But after inevitably forgetting to take my daily capsule on a number of occasions

The Reality of PTSD Sarah Redrup (Public Policy MSc) Several weeks ago a psychiatrist confirmed something I suspected for a very long time; I have some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Which is not entirely surprising. From the age of 14 I have been in and out of relationships with physically and emotionally abusive men, assaulted by friends and strangers, and raped twice.

During our two hour appointment, I was finally given the space to tell another person everything. I told her how I’ve never felt physically able to tell other people what is going on in my brain without turning it into a joke or switching on what I call my ‘professional happy’ face, because as hard as I try I just feel too rude. I told her that I’m worried that I rely on alcohol to actually feel the sadness and hurt, and that I spend days sleeping or staring at walls in silence because navigating the world exhausts me. I even confided in her about how the second time I was raped I felt nothing, and on the very worst of days, I secretly wish someone will hurt me like that again.

On the one hand I came out of the appointment with a huge

Flickr / JustCallMeBecky

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Breathing in ‘may I be physically well’ Breathing out ‘may others be physically well’ Breathing in ‘may I be mentally well’ Breathing out ‘may others be mentally well’

Samantha Drake (Second Year)

without any side effects, I realised that Prozac had my back. Those times where I had had a sneaky drink, Prozac forgave me.

I slowly began to see that antidepressants were my friend – something that made me feel better rather than a punishment for being depressed that brought me down and restricted me. It allowed me to get my life reasonably back together.

I am now antidepressant-free and I feel good. My prescription ran out over summer and I didn’t get round to making a doctor’s appointment. University soon started again and after mentioning that I still needed to see my GP, my friends asked me how long I had been off Prozac. It had been a month and I hadn’t realised. Now it has been two. I feel fine – as if I never stopped.

As you come to the end of this article, there’s one more thing I would like to say: taking antidepressants is not a bad experience for everyone. Remember this and forget everything else about my story.

I was lucky to find the right medication for me first time, but quite often people have to try a few before they find what’s best for them. Medicines affect people differently. I was lucky to be able to miss capsules without panic and to be able to come off Prozac without even realising. Respect your meds. Listen to your GP. Pay attention to how your body is responding to them. Know what works for you and what does not. Don’t expect a similar experience to me, but also don’t expect a similar one to anyone else. Do not expect a bad one. Medication is there to help and we should stop demonising it.

Antidepressants will not necessarily fix you like they did me. But they also won’t necessarily ruin you like they have other people.

Flickr/ Carsten Schertzer

Research has shown that it is important for our wellbeing and identity to notice our environment and drink in positive experience.

Often the work of today seems to be wrapped in difficulties; problems of pain, misery, bloodshed, fear and regret. This battery of negativity, we are told, is the real news of the day.

But can you, even for a minute dare to be counter cultural? Can you set your radar to spot things you love in your environment, to remember things and people and actions you are grateful for, and absorb life’s little prizes?

Each season has within it the birth of the next: noticing the changing seasons can become a framework for growth and change in our own lives, and for maintaining our wellbeing. Turf out, have a rummage, look around, dare to feast your eyes, notice what is on offer.

Maybe right now you can pause long enough to take three deeper than usual breaths and actually notice what is happening around you. Awaken to the fact of being alive and interconnected in this very moment.

Stop and notice a nearby tree, become engrossed in the changing leaves, give it your complete attention, just for one minute. Embrace this moment in time and allow yourself the luxury of absorbing the unique intersection of your breath and all that you can hear, taste, touch, see and smell. See the environment in front of you as if you were seeing it for the very first time. What’s the impact of really slowing down and noticing?

Or you could choose to dash past this evolving uniqueness and remain full to the brim with your own thoughts and worries. We all have choices.

Maybe a step towards reclaiming a minute of interconnection and peacefulness could be to just note the choices you have rather than simply being absorbed in your own internal chatter.

And when you notice your external blanking through internal absorption, be kind to yourself. Offer yourself an inward smile, let yourself off and simply notice.

It is rewarding to notice small acts of kindness to ourselves and to offer kindnesses others. Rewarding practices but both can be surprisingly hard to do. Sometimes what others notice in us can feel enriching and yet we put up a defence against compliments and praise and still more often we reserve our greatest energy to squashing any like or love of ourselves– especially, counterinuitively, when we are actually hurting the most.

How about noticing what you like doing and what you do not – this is after all an important part of your identity. We can become what we repeatedly do. Our outlook and sense of wellbeing can be reinforced by what we repeatedly notice and think about.

Noticing our neighbours’ goodness can increase the reassurance that we are not alone, and it can be a wonderful gift, a terrific boost of energy for others.

Can you right now offer someone a random act of kindness, a smile to the person next to you, and thought of wellness to the stranger over the way?

Go on, I bet you can.

And if you are even half tempted to smile internally at any of those invitations, then you can congratulate your own inner wisdom.

Often the best place to start is by offering a small kindness to yourself. To be kind to yourself and others right now you could choose to follow each breath in and out while wishing all sentient beings health and wellbeing:

The Positive Side Effects of Prozac

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Gratitude and Attentiveness

sense of relief; I had spilled this mess of thoughts into her lap and she had put them back together like a jigsaw. She found the logical progression from my childhood to my current state. I felt validated. On the other hand, I now had a new burden to wrestle with. Although I didn’t quite understand why, she told me that the help I needed wasn’t available to me on the NHS. Since then I’ve spent quite a few more days in bed staring at the wall. Wondering why I felt like such a different person to the productive, confident and happy person I was just over a year ago.

It has been ten months since I left the man that ripped out a chunk of my hair while attempting me to pull me up a set of stairs by a french plait. Why is it now, after finally carving out a safe space in life for myself, that I feel at my weakest? It is a sad and frustrating reality of trauma that often it is our memories of it that hurt the most. I can sit in the safety of my room and remember my head smashing against the wall in Bunker, or the feeling of a stranger’s hands around my neck as if it were as fresh as the day it happened.

I now have the space and the time to think about how awful those things were. When these things happen however, your brain just switches off. You just can’t process it, you freeze.

Even during the four years I spent with someone who repeatedly hurt me, I wasn’t able to think about it. I lived with him, he would be in my bed in the morning or he would be bombarding me with messages of apologies. I would have work or lectures to get to, I had to think about money, university and the other people who we lived with. I didn’t have the time or the physical space to deal with it.

Recovering from trauma is a difficult and confusing journey to take, but the one thing that my relatively brief session with that therapist taught me was that there is logic in the mess. Everything we feel and do are for a reason; to protect ourselves, to live with the unthinkable.

If any of this feels familiar to you, please know that you can see a GP at the Student Health Service. They helped me and they can help you too.

Editor Ellie Donnell

Deputy Editor Hugo Lebus

Online Editor Jane Cowie

edonnell@epigram.org.uk

hlebus@epigram.org.uk

jcowie@epigram.org.uk

Join us at: Epigram Food Section 2016/17

14.11.2016

Follow us at: epigram_eats_out

Junk food café fights food waste Josh Spencer tells us about the new student-led pop-up surplus food café which simultaneously aims to tackle food waste and child poverty in Bristol Food waste is a hugely pressing issue for all of us – whether we like to admit it or not, it is a problem not just for Bristol but the entire country. Seven million tonnes of food and drink a year are wasted in British households and businesses waste a huge amount of food every day.

This has led a group of Bristol students to set up Bristol Students Junk Food Café – a brand new pop-up serving vegetarian and vegan food to Bristol residents.

One of the main motivations for setting up the café was ‘to engage students in the issues of food waste and food poverty’ Food Cycle do incredibly important work in an area of Bristol with 35 per cent child poverty, so supporting them was a big driving factor behind the event - as well as battling against food poverty.

The absence of a similar organisation to Food Cycle around

Epigram/ Sadie Catt

All the food is cooked by students and donated by local businesses, and would otherwise be thrown away.

A ‘pay as you feel’ scheme is being operated by the group, with donation boxes provided at the events. All profits go to Food Cycle, a charity working to help those living in food poverty.

The first event took place on Tuesday 1st November in the Multifaith Chaplaincy on Woodland Road and was a huge success, exceeding the expectations of the organisers and raising over £200 for Food Cycle.

Everything cooked at the pop up was vegan – a range of hot meals like pumpkin soup, ribollita, sage and pumpkin pasta were served along with sautéed potato, roast vegetables and garlic bread - as well as plum pudding for dessert.

the groups to work together in future to help expand.

Now they have pulled off their first success, Keir promises that ‘our next one will definitely be even bigger and better, we’re thinking of moving to a bigger space.’

Keep an eye out in the next few weeks, and make sure to check out the group’s Facebook page - Bristol Students Junk Food Café - for more information on future events.

Josh Spencer

Epigram/ Sadie Catt

Epigram/ Sadie Catt

the University, though, is what really got the group thinking. Keir Barraclough, one of the organisers of the event, told Epigram: ‘I had a conversation with some of my housemates about how there is nothing like that around the Uni in Bristol which runs regularly.’

Keir himself has worked for charities in hometown Brighton such as Chomp, which works to feed children who live in poverty, as well as Real Junk Food Project Brighton which does the same sort of work as its new Bristol counterpart.

Having seen this gap in presence around student hubs, Keir told us that a further motivation for setting up the café was ‘to engage students in the issues of food waste and food poverty.’

Students in Bristol generally live in affluent areas but there are areas of Bristol that are incredibly poor - the city has one of worst poverty gaps in the country - so the café is a way for students to connect with these problems.

Local businesses have been more than playing their part with donations, as they have been excited to help, with some companies even asking for collections every night. In the future, the group hope they will be able to provide these meals for the community every day.

‘‘We went to Sainsbury’s and filled a car with food’’

Epigram/ Sadie Catt

Flickr/ duncan c

Epigram/ Hannah Price

Epigram/ Sadie Catt

In particular, the big supermarkets seem to have been huge backers of the project: ‘They are always keen to help and have a crazy amount to give us. We went to Sainsbury’s and filled a car with food.’

The fact that the food cooked by the café on the night was only a fraction of Bristol’s waste from one day is a further sign of how important the work they are doing is.

While they are still finding their feet and learning how to run the operation, it seems certain they’ll go from strength to strength with future events.

Just Eat It are another new group, run by Bristol Hub, which aims to tackle food waste and turn it into meals, and there are plans for

Flickr: Sales

Epigram/ Flora Beverley

‘‘All the food is cooked by students and donated by local businesses, which would otherwise be thrown away’’

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‘Student Cook of the Year’ competition spurred by generation of healthy students Food Editor Ellie Donnell explains how healthier food choices and Instagram know-how could win you £1000 in groceries The popular trend for healthy eating has managed to nestle its way into the notoriously ‘quick, cheap and easy’ mind-set of students living on a budget.

Where reaching for the pot noodle once seemed like a quick and cheap answer to an empty fridge and a dwindling bank balance, students are now far more likely to make healthy choices when it comes to the meals they buy and cook. No doubt, the rise of Instagram has fuelled the nation’s insatiable appetite for healthy foods – and avocadoes – as the social media platform transforms nutritious fare into a feast for the eyes as well as our stomachs.

Indeed, students at the University of Bristol have been ranked 4th out of the top 10 universities for being the most creative and skilled in the kitchen. The results were based on entries from the 2015 ‘Student Cook of the Year’.

‘By cooking from scratch, introducing colourful, fresh fruit and vegetables and usuing a healthier salt in their diet, every student can take a major step towards a healthier lifestyle’

age encouraging us to make healthier food choices.

Food is one of the primary expenses of student; so a tidy £1000 in grocery vouchers should prove an irresistible reason to add some veggies to your meals!

It is time to whip out the saucepans (and the coconut oil!) and try your hand at cooking up a delicious, balanced dish. Your health, and your bank balance, depends on it.

Ellie Donnell

LoSalt/ Miriam Brown

LoSalt/ Miriam Brown

In light of this move towards a healthier balanced lifestyle amongst budding undergraduate cooks, LoSalt, the leading brand of reduced sodium salt, has launched a competition to find the next ‘Student Cook of the Year’ with a prize of £1000 in grocery vouchers.

Caroline Klinge, Marketing Director of LoSalt, says ‘we’re keen to promote healthy eating and cooking habits across the generations.

By cooking from scratch, introducing colourful, fresh fruit and vegetables and using a healthier salt in their diet, every student can take a major step towards a healthier lifestyle and that’s beneficial

for life.’

To enter, you simply have to snap a photo of a healthy, nutritious and delicious looking dish you’ve created and post it on Instagram or Twitter with its title and the hashtag #LoSaltStudentCook or #LoSaltSCOTY. Get creative with a flash of garnish, some strategically placed lighting and you’ll be on your way to an Instagram worthy ‘foodie’ post that does credit to your wonderful creation.

And with the deadline on 26th December 2016, there is plenty of time to whip up some winter favourites. Perhaps put a healthy spin on some comfort food classics: try apple crumble made with oats and sweetened with honey or a mighty roast dinner cooked in a single tray.

Those shortlisted will be set a challenge to create a healthy meal for four on a budget of approximately £20. Five selected finalists are chosen to attend a ‘cook off’ in London - travel expenses paid for - where they will cook against the clock, and each other.

This year’s judges include the founder of Olive magazine and ex-BBC Good Food editor Orlando Murrin, celebrity student chef Sam Stern and ASDA’s innovative chef Mark Richmond. The first two stages of the competition will be judged by an independent viewing panel.

LoSalt’s ‘Student Cook of the Year’ competition is yet another compelling contribution to the catalogue of reasons in this day and

How supermarkets are killing the christmas magic

Pre-Halloween mince pies and advent calenders are a tad too premature for Deputy Food EdItor Hugo Lebus, who explains why Christmas in October is ruining the yuletide charm.

Just picture this: the fire crackling, Christmas tree freshly looted for its presents, you are onto your fifth cup of mulled wine, and then you reach for another mince pie - but something stops you.

The mince pie gorge took off a bit early this year, October, and now its special Christmas magic has rubbed off. Unfortunately the same has happened with all other Christmas snacks and drinks.

‘‘Extending the Christmas period has not increased the joy it brings but instead has dampened its magic’’

Flickr/ Me!bourne Mermaid

Extending the Christmas period has not increased the joy it brings but instead has dampened its magic when it actually comes to the main event and we attempt to eat our four hundredth mince pie of the season.

Whilst of course it does make sense for the shops to want to get their Christmas products out as early as possible to tempt buyers, they could at least have the decency to wait until after Halloween, once all of its decorations and pumpkins have been and gone.

This year, whilst on my daily shop, I noticed Sainsbury’s was already stocking mince pies, Christmas chocolate and advent calendars in October before we had even had time to put up our jack-o’-lanterns. spiders’ webs and fake rats– let alone take them down. Soon the season of work parties, Christmas Balls and unlimited festive merriment will arrive, leaving us - it is probably safe to say - fairly saturated with it all by the end of the season. Why extend the season unnecessarily and make it harder for ourselves?

For many, the John Lewis advert has become a traditional marker of the beginning of the Christmas season. Bristol begins its Broadmead Christmas market with authentic German gingerbread on the 11th November. I personally take the first box on my advent calendar as the point from which I can start blasting Slade from my speakers.

Everyone has his or her own way to signal the beginning of the Christmas period, but we can all agree pre-Halloween mince pies and mulled wine might be a tad early. What makes Christmas so special is that it’s only for a limited amount of time.

The 1996 film Christmas Every Day tells the story of 13-year-old boy Billy Jackson who is forced to have to have Christmas every day until he learns the true meaning of Christmas. Now I am not suggesting that we do this (that might be taking it a bit far), just don’t let the supermarkets turn us all into Billy Jacksons.

Hugo Lebus

Editor Maya Colwell travel@epigram.org.uk

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@e2travel

Deputy Editor Nia Price nia.price@epigram.org.uk

Online Editor Izzie Fernandes izzie.fernandes@epigram.org.uk

14.11.2016

Epigram Travel Section 2016/17

@epigram_travel

Monkeying around in the Peruvian Amazon paradise Louis Halfpenny reminisces on his summer spent volunteering in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon Around this time last year, I was thinking about what I wanted to do over the summer: commit myself to a heartless internship, spend it all on an enlightening travelling experience, go festival-hopping. The classic options. That was when the thought hit me that I could do something I was actually passionate about. Working with endangered animals. Many people’s dream, no?

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Pilpintuwasi houses over 160 animals, many of which are free-roaming.

These include over 60 monkeys of eight different species, ocelots, two species of sloths, a tapir, a jaguar, a manatee, anteaters, a menagerie of tropical birds, kinkajous, coatis, agoutis and a butterfly house comprised of over 19 endangered species.

If you’re still with me, thanks for getting to this part. Now I will relay the part of the article that you’re probably most interested in - the animal sanctuary. If you ever go and work at this magical place, you will be staying in a quant Amazonian village known as Padre Cocha, about a 10-15 min boat journey from Iquitos (that costs all of 30 pence) right on the banks of the Amazon, in the heart of the rainforest. The people here are incredibly friendly, very welcoming, and like in Iquitos, you will also find that they like to party.

Walking from the village to the animal sanctuary takes no time, as it is literally on the outskirts. As you enter Pilpintuwasi, you’re reminded of Jurassic Park as you step through a wood and steel-mesh tunnel, surrounded by Amazonian flora. Noises emanate from all around you. Mostly birds and monkeys, but very occasionally you hear the deep reverberating growl of what can only be Pedro, the sanctuary’s resident jaguar. The sanctuary is run by an Austrian ex-pat called Gudrun, the most wonderfully mad yet lovely woman you are likely to ever meet. The first thing you realise about her is how utterly committed she is to Pilpintuwasi and the animals who live there. Regarded by many of the monkeys as a mother, she is quite literally queen of the monkeys. They all compete for her attention, jumping on her whenever they get a chance.

“

One of the most memorable tasks was taking Hari, a beautiful fully grown female ocelot, out for walks (yes, walks) through the Jungle whilst playing with her

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

“

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

Pilpintuwasi houses over 160 animals, many of which are free-roaming. These include over 60 monkeys of eight different species, ocelots, two species of sloths, a tapir, a jaguar, a manatee, anteaters, a menagerie of tropical birds, kinkajous, coatis, agoutis and a butterfly house comprised of over 19 endangered species. The place is amazing. The sanctuary’s full name is Pilpintuwasi Animal Rescue Centre and Orphanage. That is because all animals here have been rescued from around the country from the illegal pet trade, restaurants, circuses, black markets and illegal private ownership. One of the most heart-wrenching cases was Lois, a spider monkey who had spent nine years in someone’s garage, kept on a metre-long chain fastened about his neck. He was confiscated by the illegal pet police, and found a home at Pilpintuwasi, where he now thrives with six other spider monkeys.

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

Here I’ll skip right into the action. After a couple nights in Lima, I flew directly to Iquitos, the largest city in the world that you can’t access by road - only by boat and by plane. This in itself is somewhat incredible. Iquitos is a thriving jungle metropolis, full of markets, culture, and most of all, parties. They LOVE to party in Iquitos. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there is some discotecha or lively bar selling drinks and playing music at any given point during the day. Most surprising of all about this remote, disconnected Amazonian city? Not only is there a very strong LGBT presence, but it’s a quintessential part of the Iquitos culture. To call the people of Iquitos progressive would be misleading, as this does not cross their minds. There are no gay and straight clubs as such, just clubs. Everyone is integrated together. It’s not a statement to be out; it’s so embedded into the heart of the city it’s almost mundane.

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

I hit the Internet in a newfound fervour, endlessly scrolling through pages and pages of animal-related fodder. The issue here is that many shrewd and cunning buisnessmen (and women) realise that this is a dream for those of us privileged enough to have grown up fantasising about feeding endangered animals rather than ourselves. I was hugely discouraged by the vast number of organisations offering so called ‘life-changing’ experiences with elephants, pandas and orangutans in Thailand, China and Indonesia, for anywhere between $700 and $2500. A ludicrous sum for anyone, particularly a student. And that was when I stumbled across Pilpintuwasi. Buried in the depths of the internet, it was exactly what I had been looking for. For the modest donation of $50, all of which I came to see was of vital importance to the institution, I could volunteer for an entire month at an animal sanctuary located right in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. What is great about the location is that after your month (or more) at the sanctuary, you’re in the heart of one of the most amazing countries on Earth and can simply go travelling afterwards. This I highly recommend, as Peru is truly breathtaking in every aspect.

As a volunteer, you’ll be given a plethora of tasks. A typical day entails feeding the monkeys, making toys for them, spending quality time with some of the more neglected animals, and giving English-speaking tours to tourists; I should mention that Pilpintuwasi operates as a tourist attraction offering non-invasive tours of the animals as its sole means of operating and sustaining the work it does. But each day is different. Some days you’ll be asked to fish in the lake to provide fresh fish for the ocelots and Pedro. On others you’ll have to look after an animal taken ill. Twice a day I would take out Pepe, a macaw who thought he was a human, in the hopes that I could make him into more of a parrot, for he was bullied by the other macaws, evidently for not being ‘bird enough’. One of the most memorable tasks was taking Hari, a beautiful fully grown female ocelot, out for walks (yes, walks) through the jungle while playing with her, receiving the odd scratch in return. What else would you expect when playing with a wild cat?

There is so much more I could say about this truly wonderful place, somewhere where resolving a monkey-parrot conflict becomes commonplace, but I am aware this article can only be so long. In truth, writing this has made me desperately want to return to this place, and

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

Epigram / Louis Halfpenny

The stars of Pilpintuwasi, however? The troop of free-roaming Red Uakaris. With eight of them in total, these are the most-endangered monkeys in all of South America, but some of the most gentile, loving and sociable beings you are ever likely to meet. After winning their hearts with food, I found myself accepted into their clan. At any point during the day they would drop from the trees onto my head, and instigate a grooming session, whereby they would literally clean and comb my hair. They were also incredibly playful, and would almost request to swing about my person. Of all of them, Britta was my favourite. The only Red Uakari in the world not to have been born in the wild, she was born right there in Pilpintuwasi, and was beyond friendly. She would sit on my shoulder for good portions of the day, going about my tasks with me and playing on my head.

14.11.2016

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Memories of light in the burning jungle

In light of the closure of the Calais refuge camp, Online Editor Izzie Fernandez reflects on her time as a volunteer It is one of those funny human traits I suppose, that you never quite realise how special something is until it is gone. This summer, I spent just three days working with L’Auberge des Migrants. It took no longer than the first morning to identity just how special a place this was. That said, in light of atrocious reports which have emerged in the past week regarding the closure of the Calais camp, I have found myself thinking about my experience there more than ever. Now, when I am saddened by the indignities cast upon so many amid the destruction of the camp, I am comforted by the memory of the absolute dignity and respect with which every volunteer considered the men, women and children in that camp.

aspect about it being the inclusion extended to every volunteer. What was passionately conveyed was the sensitivity with which the charity was adamant work in this warehouse and within the camp would be approached.

‘You are not here to fill out blog posts’, we were told, ‘nor to stare at people and compare what you’ve read in the newspapers to what a refugee camp looks like in the flesh.’ She continued ‘some of us stay for months and in

A passionate leader is all it takes and my word, L’Auberge des Migrants had one of these. A ‘lassy clad’ in an orange jumpsuit said it all as she bounced around and we followed her high knees and lunging demonstration by way of the day’s warm up. This became a morning ritual, the most beautiful

It was with greatest sadness that I received a message from a friend of mine a few days ago. It was a video of a double decker bus burning down in the refugee camp itself. Why, you might ask, what does a derelict bus mean to you? I did spend one day in the camp. This day was spent on board that bus which was at the time a safe haven for the women and children. With just 400 women present of what the government deemed a total of 8000 (but probably nearer 9000) refugees, this was a very special pace. A safe place and learning environment during the week but this was Saturday, ‘ladies’ day’! So, equipped with nail vanish, massage oils, and hair accessories, we made our way into the camp ready for some girl time! As many of the ladies later told me, my massages are not to be reckoned with.

Coming face to face with the reality of what these ladies and their children were experiencing was of course difficult. So many stories - people were all from vastly different places, but what was enchanting was the commonality

This made such perfect sense; it was a relief to hear it spelled out so clearly.

Essentially, we were the grassroots workers. Thus, it was with gusto that over the following days we embarked upon our tasks. We began by sorting through boxes of clothes, the largest of which were not fitting for a camp made up largely of Somalis and Sudanese people. Larger men’s clothes went to Lebanon. So too did ladies’ clothes since the ratio of men to women in the camp by no means required an equal number of bras to boxers.

Epigram/ Izzie / Maya Cowell Fernandez Epigram

We had no sleep in the tank, so shovelled cereal bars down as means of fuel for whatever this morning may bring. Little did we expect to be greeted by a table of cereal, tea and friendly volunteers. We learned quickly that a donation for each meal was a small price to pay for the close knit community which this ethos of eating together bred. It was a pleasure to so quickly become one of many who, albeit from such a wide range of places, backgrounds and stages of life. Before we knew it we were two links in a huge circular chain of volunteers, not necessarily sharing in language or generation but each one of us shared a common interest in humanity and we were all just here to help.

that time I myself may only visit the camp sporadically where, when and if I specifically am needed for a job. But, that the camp is not a zoo and largely, your role, like mine will be here, in this warehouse’.

When you see photographs of the burning remnants of the camp, these will not include the warehouse where I made these memories. I assume that the infrastructure of that is still intact. Yet, I hate to think what it is like without the bustling family of volunteers busying away inside doing what they could to make so complex a situation that bit more bearable for the refugees.

Epigram / Maya Cowell

Paradoxical as it may seem, one of the most important things I have taken from the camp is not the one day which I spent inside of it but rather, the initial two days which I spent in the warehouse located a five minute drive away. So it began. A 2am departure from Dover meant that, despite a few map mishaps and just three hours sleep in the car boot parked up in a campsite car park, we were ready to start the hard graft come 9am of Wednesday morning.

Epigram / Izzie Fernandez

Before now, I have been reticent about writing this experience down. How can you put something so harrowing and sensitive, rife with political tension and juggling with human lives into words? Yet, in light of the recent destruction it seems right to acknowledge some of the deeply human aspects which I feel privileged to have been a part of in Calais. Having spent just three days in the camp, what I saw could only be a mere snapshot. The recent reports of total desolation, parentless children and thigh-deep mud is somewhat different from the picture with which I was faced.

something which played such a significant part in his own life bears testament to the community spirit fostered so strongly with L’Auberge des Migrants.

Reflecting on my time in Calais, of course the living in a car boot, the delicious communal vegan meals and the friendships formed with both children and adult volunteers all play hugely on my mind. Grubby as some tasks were, it is what we actually did which is so important to me. Working under the beating sun in yellow Wellington boots, goggles and gloves for a day certainly didn’t resemble the onion chopping, clothes sorting and toiletry counting going on in the warehouse.

Epigram / Izzie Fernandez

I had no idea of the importance of working in a wood yard until I got there.

Government restrictions disallowed any firewood to be given to refugees if it could be deemed large enough for use as building material. So, the planks upon planks that had recently been shifted from a building site all required sorting and chopping. No playing the hero or the damsel here boys and girls, a half tonne plank of wood is no mean feat for a group to manoeuvre.

that they found in the English language. The children found this too and while being smothered in nail vanish by various rascals, listening to their pigeon English was totally delightful. In light of the situation it was strange to jump into the car and onto the ferry that same night. How similar people are, yet how different their lives can be. However, we left with a sense that although we had done just a little, we had done something.

Once again, the sense of community within this hot sweaty yard was so strong. Breathless as I was from the work, I was left speechless after one particular encounter here. As we picked up scraps, I got talking to an Eritrean man who had himself been in the camp three years before. His story was striking. Having been given a leave to remain he now lived in Camden and returned with friends to work in the camp monthly. This giving back to

In the devastating aftermath of the camp’s closure it has become so alien.

In spite of the hardships which every person in that camp faced, there was still a very human side as well. People smiled, people laughed and testament to the ethos of sharing both in and out of the camp were the braids which I returned home with courtesy of some very talented Sudanese ladies keen to return the favour for the massage!

Volunteer overseas, for free!

Amy-Leigh Hatton shares an extract from her blog about a scheme she believes deserves more recognition - the International Citizen Service Since coming to university and being repeatedly asked the question ‘so what did you do on your gap year?’, it’s become pretty clear to me how disappointingly unheard of the ICS programme I took part in is. So, I thought I’d write a little something about it.

The government has been running a scheme for the past few years, and (thankfully!) is continuing to. It’s called International Citizen Service, and it sends young people overseas to work on community development programmes. Free of charge.

Yes… Free of charge. The UK government is actually running something accessible for all, with no catch.

I guess it’s an opportunity to benefit them by building a wider community of active citizens, whilst doing their bit with international aid.

For the first three months of my gap year I volunteered in Kenya. I led youth empowerment projects in schools for my placement, ran an event on mental health awareness, and even was even able to set up my own project in a disadvantaged school I had visited. I was also part of large community events like World AIDS day and World Disability day.

I lived with a host family who took me in as one of their own, and fed me damn good food. It gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Kenyan culture in a completely unique way. I worked alwongside a group of likeminded, beautiful souls, and had the ability to get to know members of the community well. I trekked through breathtaking scenery, danced as the sun set at a wedding, got lost in the hustle and bustle of the capital, camped next to a lake of hippos, and spent my birthday having water repeatedly thrown over me.

•

•

• But as well as all the fun bits, I challenged myself in ways I never thought possible. The programme gave me the ability to explore parts of the world I probably wouldn’t have otherwise gone to, and make an impact I otherwise wouldn’t have been been able to make.

So how does it work?

ICS is for 18-25 year olds, and team leaders need to be 23+.

The application is online and no experience or qualifications are needed.

• The assessment day that follows is simply about proving your ability to work as a team.

• Applicants are matched with different NGOs based on the type of work • •

• •

• •

they want to do (this gives opportunity to tailor the experience to your preference).

Before going away they ask for £800 to be fundraised to go towards the NGO you’re working alongside. This is much easier than it seems, and I’m happy to offer advice!

ICS will cover flights, all vaccinations needed, and travel for training days. They also give a weekly allowance when in country, as well as a travel allowance.

The UK volunteers travel together and meet the in-country volunteers upon arrival, which forms a group of around 20.

A few days are spent training in a hotel before going into the community.

UK and in-country volunteers are paired and given a project to work on based on preferences. Each pair having a different project means levels of motivation and focus are high and the work is more rewarding.

UK volunteers are then paired with a different in-country volunteer and allocated a host home, again based on preferences.

As well as given projects, there are also committees to work on. These include media, community events, socials and planning the midway review (which is a weekend away).

14.11.2016

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Editor Online Editor Jessie Onion Alex Boulton style@epigram.org.uk alex.boulton@epigram.org.uk @e2style

@epigramstyle

The diary of a Fashion Week intern

An internship at Jenny Packham for Paris Fashion Week by Giulia Loregian Paris est belle but, as well as the city itself, the style and the thought people put into fashion have always been appealing to me.

Hence, I couldn’t believe it when I actually got an email back from Jenny Packham, after I’d applied for the position of a wholesale showroom internship for Paris fashion week, saying they would like to call me for an interview. I hadn’t really been holding my breath for it, given that my degree has got nothing to do with fashion (I do philosophy) and I had no previous experience in the field whatsoever.

Epigram/ Giulia Loregian

Epigram/ Giuilia Loregian

Forward a couple weeks and I am in Paris, in front of the showroom, where I get to meet the team. The first thing I get told in the lift up to the showroom is: ‘Fashion is not glamorous’.

In fact, stepping into the showroom said a lot on why people may have thought that it is: a spacious, bright Parisian apartment, with high ceilings on the third floor of a very nice building.

Epigram/ Giulia Loregian

Epigram/ Giulia Loregian

However, that sentence was the perfect introduction to the most intense 12 hours of work that then followed.

We carried the dresses upstairs from the van, unpacked them, moved them from plastic hangers to wooden ones and steamed them; then we did the merchandising. There were 140 dresses and we did all of this for them all, one by one. When we stopped for lunch we all sat down together and had lots of nice food, including cheese on bread, because ‘are you really in France if you don’t eat cheese?’.

My back was hurting so much by the end of the day that when I got to my Airbnb I couldn’t even stand up to make myself dinner for a good hour, but I was keen to go back the following day.

After the initial panic of a client from a very fancy boutique in Thailand showing up without an appointment when we weren’t ready, (he was ‘tired of waiting’ and wanted to start buying) the next few days turned out to be less physically intense but always busy, and we all got to know each other and enjoyed the time working together.

Clients would come in, not always sticking to their appointments, make their selection of dresses from the ones they could see in the showroom and we would have to help the models get changed into the dresses (this sounds

easier than it actually was considering they were 5.9 ft and I’m 5.1 ft) they would show them to clients and they would then make orders for which and how many they wanted in their boutique.

It was interesting to hear how different clients from different parts of the world had different requests when it came down to their orders and how the collection somehow suited all of them.

This client from Dubai wanted to see most of the collection in all the different colours as he would only order one piece for each. He explained that, if a woman went to a party and another woman was wearing the same dress as hers (even if in a different colour), it would be a disaster and hence they all needed to be unique pieces.

The prices of the dresses reflected very much the clientele but it was nice to know that fashion is not actually made up of snobby or stuck up people, but that there are very hard-working, down-toearth, friendly people, too (including high-up people like Jenny or her husband Matthew, who is the CEO of the company, who I got to meet). I was also told that they are careful about making sure that their dresses are produced ethically, in particular when it comes down to workers’ rights for production being respected, especially in typically exploited areas such as India.

I never thought of the work that goes into fashion as trivial but it really made me appreciate that there is so much you don’t get to see behind a piece of clothing, or a magazine cover, or anything we see fashion-related. It may seem sparkly, glamorous and fun, and it definitely is at times, but it isn’t as shallow as some may think.

The best coats to buy now

Collarless Biker Jacket Missguided, £60

Puffa jacket Urban Outfitters, £76

Instagram/ @london

Velvet Bomber, Asos, $85

Instagram/ @topshop

Instagram/ @thefrugality

Instagram/ @alexachung

Anorak, Topshop, £55

Giulia Loregian Style Writer

Faux Fur coat, Topshop, £79.99

Biker Jacket Topshop, £59

Read the full article by Ellie Caulfield on www.epigram.org.uk

14.11.2016

29

Fix Up Look Sharp: upcycled fashion for a good cause

Helena Raymond-Hayling meets Ruth Strugnell and Hayley Robinson, the creators behind Fix Up Look Sharp, a label launched through Clic Sargent here in Bristol Fix Up Look Sharp is so much more than a clothing label, all the money raised by selling the gorgeous clothing goes to support the work of CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and their families. FULS is the brainchild of Ruth Strugnell who launched the label four years ago and is assisted by co-pilot Hayley Robinson, who I had met in the Bishopston Clic Sargent charity shop.

I arrive in the Fix Up Look Sharp studio which is buried in amongst a collection of drab, grey warehouses in Filton and am hit by a burst of colour and patterns.

I scan the empty room and look around for Ruth and Hayley but fail to find them.

‘In terms of the style, when we started the label it was a lot of one off things, each piece would be different and made out of one specific piece of donated fabric. Now we get much bigger pieces, we have streamlined the process so we have fewer designs but a size range, which is more sellable and practical.

‘Our original studio was on Stokes Croft in a building that’s now full of really rubbishy and businessey desk spaces. If it was any less than a really sunny day our hands would seize up and our noses would run because it was so cold, it was really unpleasant to work in. We started with one desk and one sewing machine, and not an awful lot. ‘[The sewing] was all in our spare time, and because of the lack of structured working time we would spend a ridiculous number of hours down there, which was really fun but five days a week we’d be there, go to work, come back and carry on until stupid o’clock in the morning, which was a pretty unrealistic business model.

‘Having volunteers is really invaluable’ FULS has really taken off since its conception, the label has a full range in the Bishopston Clic Sargent shop, and have started stocking the Barnstaple branch too. The brand has expanded beyond the charity shops though, Co-LAB in Broadmead also stocks their clothes.

‘Fix Up has been very well received within the charity, and beyond. The CEO loves it, and it’s a proper project within the charity now. They were really forgiving with us when we were starting up and couldn’t budget accurately and needed to buy things to get ourselves going. They now play a video about us to new members of staff on their induction day, which is pretty cool.’

I left Ruth and Hayley deliberating on how to cut a piece of tartan, completely inspired by their great vibes, creativity and dedication to both fashion and Clic Sargent.

‘We started with one desk and one sewing machine, and not an awful lot’ ‘At the moment we are in an amazing position where we can keep all our places fully stocked, and so we are just trying to streamline our production process, concentrate our efforts and keep everything ticking over ahead of Christmas.’

With Ruth only working for FULS two days a week, and Hayley’s role completely voluntary, I ask how they can manage to keep the business thriving and the clothing so high quality with so few hands on deck.

Twitter/ @FULSClothing

‘Fix Up came into being when I was volunteering at the Bishopston shop over four years ago, and applied to be deputy manager. I have a background in fashion design, and they asked me what I could bring to the shop and I said I could do some sewing or make something from the clothes that didn’t sell, so we decided to make it into

Fix Up has a really distinctive style, bright colours, fun patterns and clean cuts, and I ask Ruth and Hayley how they have focused their efforts and managed their time, to create such a unique range of clothing.

Epigram/ Helena Raymond-Hayling

Suddenly, they both jump out from behind a desk to startle me and after a warm welcome and a good giggle, I am shown around the studio and admire the fun fabrics and beautiful donated sewing machines the girls use to make the clothes. The girls tell me about the label’s genesis over a brew much appreciated after the lengthy bus ride.

‘We now request from all of the shops certain kinds of donated items that we want to make things with, so if it’s winter and we want to use a lot of tartan or wool, for example. We now also cut up sweatshirts and t-shirts and swap the body, neck or the sleeves, which we get from a company called BTC that donate all their end of line stock to us. It’s really helpful because now we are stocking shops, we have to have a size range for each item and everything is brand new, which is amazing and means all our donated fabric goes further because it is supplemented by all this stock from BTC.’

Facebook/ Clic Sargent

Hayley’s role at FULS is completely voluntary, she works for the trading team at Clic Sargent and does freelance design work in between. The fashion graduates met through Clic Sargent and are now partners in crime, taking down Bristol’s independent fashion scene one stitch at a time.

‘We have a few volunteers who come in and cut everything out for us, which helps us with getting stock made quickly, which has been our biggest problem so far - we used to sell out the Bishopston shop and then not have time to make any more clothes.

By myself, two days a week isn’t enough to push the business anywhere, so having volunteers is really invaluable for the label.’

What is really incredible about the label is that every item is made from donated fabric or upcycled items, which means the girls are immensely thrifty and resourceful, without compromising their creative intentions.

Epigram/ Helena Raymond-Hayling

Epigram/ Helena Raymond-Hayling

Ruth works for FULS two days a week and also owns Neat Frontage, a label she set up herself which stocks both Don Majors and That Thing, whilst working for her sister two days a week making boat covers back home in Devon.

a label, and Fix Up Look Sharp was born.’

Helena Raymond-Hayling Online Arts Editor

fresh

TUESD AYS

EVERY TUESDAY Hip Hop, House, Dance, Pop Party and Student Anthems

Epigram 14.11.2016

Editor Anna Wyn annawyn.epigram@gmail.com

Facebook: AKIRA Event Page

Facebook: Salves Page

Facebook: Bump Roller Disco Event Page

SOCIETYS

JFS Presents: Workshop With Robert Glasper 02 Academy, 21.11 The JazzFunkSoul Society is bringing you a workshop you’ll be GUTTED you missed out on. Join JFS and Grammy award-winning Robert Glasper for a super-exclusive workshop, where you’ll listen to one of the leading contemporary R&B/Jazz musicians discuss his life and works, and work with some of Bristol’s finest bands.

Genghar The Louisiana, 23.11

This psych-pop quartet have had a stellar year after the release of their debut, ‘A Dream Outside’ in 2015. Having toured with the likes of The Maccabees, alt-J and Wolf Alice, these boys are definitely ones to watch. For fans of Tame Impala and Palma Violets.

FILM

This game-changing animated movie is a favourite of the cineliteratre, and Akira is sighted as the definitive anime masterpiece. It returns to the big screen to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Manga Entertainment.

If the film doesn’t take your fancy, the venue definitely should. Cube gives off major disused warehouse vibes, but its interior is complete with walls covered in tatty old-school movie posters and a killer bar.

Crystal Castles Motion, 12.11

Slaves 02 Academy, 21.11

These lip-flapping lads from Tunbridge Wells are unabashed and unadulterated.

Expect post-punk political screamings, and a crowd filled with rizla-toting ‘wall of deathers’. These boys are mad, so this is probably not a gig you’d want to take your Mum to. For fans of Jamie T and Rat Boy.

This experimental electronic band are back. Formed in Ontario, these guys are known for their chaotic live shows, and their homade electronic sound. Imagine something you made on garageband at about 4:00am after four cans of Redbull.

For fans of Grimes and Knives.

NIGHTS OUT Facebook: Crystle Castles Page

AKIRA Cube Cinema, 23.1124.11

MUSIC

Bump Roller Disco Trinity Centre, 18.11 Bring along your skates and your best roller-derby glad-rags and head down to this! Bit of a change from your standard night out on the Triangle. If the novelty wears off a bit too quickly, have a drink and wonder why you ever got on the rink in the first place. This event has been going for years, and is well-loved, but I feel like I should finally click ‘going’ instead of ‘interested’ on Facebook.

RECLAIM

THE NIGHT a national movement against gender violence BRISTOL SAYS TEF OFF

everything wrong with the He bill IN PICTURES

this bristol girl can bristolsu.org.uk

RECLAIM THE NIGHT

a march for equality

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reasons to come to the National Demo with Bristol and UWE students and staff

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Education’s going to s***: this is your chance to be angry about it

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This march is historical

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Now is the time for international solidarity

It’s only a fiver (or free if you need help paying for it)

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It is therapeutic to express yourself through creative banner design ,I \RX·YH DOZD\V KDG D VQDSS\ SXQ WKDW \RX·YH ZDQWHG WR ZKLS RXW ZKHQ DQRWKHU JRY SROLF\ UXLQV VWXGHQWV· OLYHV QRZ LV \RXU FKDQFH :H·UH JRLQJ WR EH SDLQWLQJ EDQQHUV RQ 0RQGD\ 1RYHPEHU LQ WKH 8QLRQ ZLWK RXU SDOV IURP %ULVWRO &XW WKH 5HQW 1R DUWLVWLF SROLWLFDO H[SHULHQFH LV UHTXLUHG )LQDOO\ LW V LPSRUWDQW WR QRWH GHPRV DUH QRW QHFHVVDULO\ DQ DFFHVVLEOH IRUP RI DFWLYLVP DQG \RX FDQ JHW LQYROYHG LQ 1RY HYHQ LI \RX GRQ W PDUFK RQ WKH VWUHHWV <RX FDQ FDPSDLJQ RQ VRFLDO PHGLD OREE\ 03V WR RSSRVH WKH %LOO

visit bristolsu.org.uk/tefoff For more information and to sign our open letter

this bristol girl can - get up and glow sessions

RECLAIM THE NIGHT Reclaim the Night - a march against gendered violence and for equality takes place 25 November. We asked the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Network to explains why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important.

When asked what their fears are, many women probably wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t list fear of gender based violence at the top. Maybe because it feels almost hyperbolic.

Or maybe because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so innate that VRPHWLPHV ZH HYHQ Ă&#x20AC;QG RXUVHOYHV overlooking it because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always felt normal. And yet, according to Fiona Vera-Gray, a researcher at the University of Durham, everyday women put in place strategies and behaviours to shield themselves from sexual assaults.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fear that was taught to us when our mothers told us not to walk home at night as teenagers, but never pressed the same message on our brothers. And often so young, that we never thought to interrogate it or question what the avoidance related to. But it was always about avoiding gender based violence.

You can hear it when we ask our friends to text when they get home, and the follow up messages when they inevitably forget. <RX FDQ VHH LW UHĂ HFWHG LQ WKH NH\V ZH FUDGOH LQ RXU Ă&#x20AC;VWV DQG WKH ´GRQ¡W WDON WR meâ&#x20AC;? faces we carry when we walk the streets alone.

This fear is so common that it has inspired a whole catalogue of apps under the banner of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Safetyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no wonder. Indeed, a 2014 survey that asked about womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences on Clifton Triangle found that only half felt safe getting home at night. Additionally, More found that 73% of women fear rape, and almost half avoid going out at night due to fears over their safety.

Many women are, however, met with few alternatives than to walk the streets at night, whether theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re commuting or meeting friends. And yet consistently weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re told not to. And worse, when an incident occurs we are reminded not to walk the streets. We are told to police ourselves: donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drink, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wear short skirts, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tie your hair back. Instead of making these spaces safe for women, we remove them from them, and in doing so we make women responsible for the harms committed against them.

But we reject that. Women should not be forced to plan their lives around fears of violence and harassment. They should be able to walk the streets freely.

So on November 25th we take back the streets. We Reclaim the Night to challenge that culture that tells us so often we must hide ourselves away. Join the march at bristolsu.org.uk/reclaimthenight

christmas christmas dinner dinner Treat your group to hearty Christmas grub!

Evenings of December 7th, 8th , 14th and 15th.

To book contact: balloon-cafe@bristol.ac.uk

3 courses for ÂŁ8.25 !

WHAT'S ON FEATURED EVENT TEF OFF national demo

On 19 November Bristol SU will be joining the National Demonstration against rising university fees and the TEF. ÂŁ5 coach tickets to and from the demo are available now!

Book yours here: bristolsu.org.uk/tef-off

Bristol RAG Athens Marathon Info Talk.

Tuesday 15 November, 6pm, LT1, Arts Complex, Woodland Road. Join Bristol RAG in taking on the original marathon, whilst raising money for the Meningitis Research Foundation. Come along to RXU LQIR WDON WR Ă&#x20AC;QG RXW DOO WKH GHWDLOV

Julia Holter. Sunday 20 November, 7.30pm. Anson Rooms, Bristol SU. Julia Holter will be performing her latest album 'Have you in my Wilderness.' This is Holter's most sonically intimate album.

Will aviation destroy the planet?

Thursday 17 November, 1pm, 1.18 Queens Building. This talk hosted by Engineers without Borders society will cover noise, pollution, fossil fuel GHSOHWLRQ DQG HQYLURQPHQW :H DOO Ă \ more, but have we thought through the consequences? Open to all, free.

Trans Day of Remembrance. Friday 18 November, 6pm. Anson Rooms, Bristol SU. Bristolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ceremony of remembrance in honour of all of those killed in the past year simply for being trans.

Housing Fair. Tuesday 22 November, 10am-3pm, Wills Memorial.

6WDUWLQJ WR WKLQN DERXW Ă&#x20AC;QGLQJ SULYDWH rented accommodation for the 2017/18 DFDGHPLF \HDU" <RX OO Ă&#x20AC;QG KHOS DQG assistance in plentiful supply at the Housing Fair.

Agnes Obel. Saturday 26 November, 7.30pm, Anson Rooms, Bristol SU. 'DQLVK VLQJHU VRQJZULWHU $JQHV 2EHO comes to the Anson Rooms. A global artist with a rare ability to connect with a broad audience.

The Big Fat Bristol Pub Quiz. Monday 28 November, 8pm, Balloon Bar. ([SHFW REVFXUH IDFWV QHDU LPSRVVLEOH challenges, general hilarity and extremely cheap beer. By far the best thing to do with your Monday evening!

For more information on all upcoming events see bristolsu.org.uk/events

Epigram

14.11.2016

Film & TV

@epigramfilm Editor: Ella Kemp

Deputy Editor: Josh Spencer

Online Editor: Phoebe Graham

ekemp@epigram.org.uk

josh.spencer@epigram.org.uk

phoebe.graham@epigram.org.uk

@ella_kemp

@_joshjs

@phoebe_elise19

Marvel’s momentum marches on - Doctor Strange review

Dry those tears, Cumberbitches - he’s back. Film & TV Writer James Turnbull tells all about Marvel’s Doctor Strange

BFI/LFFPRESS

In this issue...

Doctor Strange is a bold, immensely entertaining film full of charm and charisma that is well worth your time

Strange’s egotism drives much of the narrative and results in him almost assuming a villainous role throughout. It gets him thrown out of The Ancient One’s enclave in Nepal. It repels his loved ones, Rachel McAdams amogst them, who deserves more to do in the film as Strange’s love interest.

It even leads to the accident that sets this journey in motion: phone calls about potentially ‘interesting’ medical procedures to take on result in him crashing his Lamborghini en route to another speaking engagement – an engagement that, of course, makes him feel like the most important person in the room.

Liam Holmes on Tim Miller and Deadpool 2 Page 38

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The fact that we are not only eagerly awaiting a Doctor Strange film but expecting it to make millions at the box office speaks volumes of Marvel’s cinematic invincibility nowadays. Once upon a time, the struggling comic book powerhouse was forced to offload its most coveted characters to movie studios to stay afloat.

Now, a big-budget Superman reboot is no match for the interplanetary adventures of a talking tree and a loud-mouthed, gun-toting raccoon. How times have changed.

Doctor Strange is the second film in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and perhaps the franchise’s most inventive instalment to date. Benedict Cumberbatch is in brilliant form as the titular Dr Stephen Strange – a brilliant neurosurgeon whose skills with a scalpel are matched only by his monstrous ego. He is the sort of person who will correct you on your knowledge of 1970s music while extracting a bullet from someone’s brain. We all know a Stephen.

Robbed of his surgical abilities by a car accident, his desperation to restore his gifts takes him to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he encounters a mysterious society of sorcerers led by The Ancient One - none other than Tilda Swinton, regrettably cast in a traditionally Asian role. Here he learns the mystic arts and discovers his place in this bizarre new world of sorcerers and dark dimensions.

The film’s shortcomings are those of the majority of Marvel’s origin stories – that is, a somewhat undercooked plot and a

forgettable villain. Mads Mikkelsen is mostly wasted as Kaecilius, an exiled sorcerer who seeks to draw power from the Dark Dimension.

Much like Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy, Kaecilius is merely serving some scarcely-seen bigger bad who appears later on and as such is not really captivating enough to be a proper antagonist.

Despite this, the film functions just fine without a real villain, given the focus on the evolution of its protagonist.

Getty Images

James Turnbull Film & TV Writer

And yet this is the same character after his transformation from self-absorbed genius into superhero. He still loves being the smartest man in the room and he still lets his own ego get in the way, inevitably causing problems for other people.

But the character development is noticeable, as key moments signal a deeper evolution of Strange and make the whole journey a lot more satisfying. The script also has enough self-awareness to poke fun at its ridiculous premise without becoming cynical – a fine line that few films walk well.

This is also, probably, the most gorgeous film you will see all year. The effects deserve a place in a museum of modern art; each new scene feels like a hallucinatory trip into another beautiful, computer-generated nightmare.

Skyscrapers fold in on themselves, hallways twist and turn like a kaleidoscope and the dimension-hopping antics of the main characters are so seamless that it feels like you could trip and fall into one of them by mistake on your way home. Everything onscreen is vibrant, colourful and conveys a deep respect for the source material on which it is based.

Of course, the same faults remain. Your tolerance for these problems might depend on your tolerance for Marvel movies in general. Is it formulaic? Yes, technically – the story has a certain familiarity that might irritate those tired of the genre.

But Doctor Strange is still a bold, immensely entertaining film full of charm and charisma that is well worth your time. This superhero origin story may follow a rather well-worn path, but if the journey is so enjoyable, where is the harm in that?

Tom Besley on Black Mirror

Alicia Wakeley on I, Daniel Blake

Page 38

Page 39

Epigram 14.11.2016

Epif lix and Chill: Episode 4

Black Mirror’s third season explores a series of difficult themes related to control and perception, and in doing so delivers one of the most challenging and consistently enjoyable seasons of the year. The future is here and humanity is not equipped to handle it.

This six-episode season from the series created and written by Charlie Brooker is filled with familiar faces from Bryce Dallas Howard and Gugu Mbatha-Raw to House of Cards’s Michael Kelly, Game of Thrones’s Jerome Flynn and the ever brilliant Kelly MacDonald. The acting is terrific across the board, covering an impressive variety of characters and genres.

There is the classically cautionary ‘Nosedive’, the horror-filled fear simulator of ‘Playtest’, the government military conspiracies of ‘Men Against Fire’ and the Hitchcockian police procedural of ‘Hated in the Nation’. The entire season blends together perfectly, and removing a single episode would upset the balance between personal stories about self-perception and the larger stories about public perception.

“

As ever with Black Mirror, the former work better, although only just this time around, as the quality is so high throughout. If the season has standouts, they are the third and fourth episodes ‘Shut Up and Dance’ and ‘San Junipero’ for completely different reasons, balancing heartbreaking and uplifting respectively.

Black Mirror depicts a world in which everything can be controlled and asks ‘do we embrace this technology or opt out?’

Together, these two episodes form a striking pair.

While ‘San Junipero’ is pre-occupied with themes of romance throughout its duration, ‘Shut Up and Dance’ initially foregrounds sexuality, drifts away from the topic and then abruptly smashes back to it in the final moments. The episode introduces

Flickr/ mezclaconfusa

With the recent release of the third season on Netflix, Film & TV Writer Tom Besley reveals why you should be watching Charlie Brooker’s terrifying vision of the future in Black Mirror.

young and awkward protagonist Kenny (Alex Lawther), a character who feels as though he has wandered over from any familiar university social gathering. When Kenny’s laptop is hijacked by an online hacker and used to film him performing unsavoury acts, he is sent on a cross-country journey that pushes to the limits of what he is willing to do to prevent the video’s release.

Certain questions are thrown up very early on – why does Kenny not just tell his mother or call the police? What is the connection between sexualisation and internet humiliation? Why is Kenny so emotionally unstable? And as with all good twists the answer is right in front of us but too horrible to admit. It is one of the most subtly devastating revelations in recent history, and leaves suitable room for interpretation about what Brooker is trying to say with the episode.

‘San Junipero’ on the other hand is a wonderful romance story between two characters whose pasts and lives slowly unravel before each other following their meeting in the 1980s in the holiday town of San Junipero. It is uplifting and

meditative, a rare instance of positivity for Black Mirror, and evidence of a philosophy beyond a reductive ‘technology is bad’. If ‘San Junipero’ teaches us anything, it is that with the right attitude and a defiant spirit, technology does not have to be this ominous corrupting thing that it is so often depicted as in the series. One of Brooker’s big tenets is that technology is not the real villain, but rather the humans who abuse it.

And in this episode we see what happens when its potential is used for good.

And the finale ‘Hated in the Nation’, while not as bold or emotional, brings all of the season’s themes together in a tale about the dangers of public shaming and anonymous internet abuse.

It is distinctly contemporary, and at worst is a great thriller film with a story so enjoyable it stands up even without discussion or analysis.

It is a conclusion and consequence of the social pressures seen earlier in the season, showing how there is actually little difference between those who believe in social justice and those who struggle against it.

It is one of many connecting threads that make this season more than just six independent parts.

Look out for a phone call from Mum, machines designed to show one’s worst fears, popularity contests and memory loss in multiple episodes.

One of my favourite parallels in this season comes between two cakes – a cake that says ‘I Love You’ in ‘Shut Up and Dance’ and a cake that says ‘Fucking Bitch’ in ‘Hated in the Nation’. There is even a singing throwback to previous seasons that fans of the series will no doubt recognise.

All of this adds up to one of the best packages of the year. Black Mirror depicts a world in which everything can be controlled and asks if we should embrace this technology or opt out. It is a doubleedged sword; the problem tricky to negoatiate.

Every character makes their own mistakes and are held accountable in vast and various ways.

And there is never a single correct answer.

Got an idea for the next installment of Epiflix and Chill?

“

38 30

Get in touch @EpigramFilm

Tim Miller, Deadpool 2 and a recent history of the battle between directors and studios Following news of Deadpool director Tim Miller’s departure from the sequel, Film & TV Writer Liam Holmes looks at recent conflicts between executives and filmmakers Recently Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool, abruptly departed the film’s sequel following a rumoured clash with lead actor Ryan Reynolds.

Reportedly, the situation came to a head over Miller’s proposed casting of Kyle Chandler as mutant Cable – Reynolds was opposed to this decision and the studio ultimately went with the film’s star, prompting Miller to walk from the project.

In the aftermath of this news breaking, a petition for director Quentin Tarantino to helm Deadpool 2 emerged on the internet and gained momentum. While the idea of the fourth-wall breaking Deadpool knowingly paying homage to Tarantino films in the sequel is amusing, it ultimately seems pretty unlikely.

A reality of the industry is that this new breed of big-budget franchise cinema is not all that attractive to established, respected directorial talents. There are of course exceptions – Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series being the glaring one – but generally speaking the Tarantinos and Thomas Andersons of the world have earned the ability to focus on their own projects with near full creative freedom and unsurprisingly choose to do so.

This leads to studios often hiring fresh, almost unknown talent to helm the various instalments of their franchises and these up-and-coming directors can find themselves in exceptionally weak negotiating positions. While it has led to some delights – James Gunn more than delivered

the set. While much more could be written about Trank’s subsequent meltdown and the film’s ultimate implosion, suffice to say the results were not pretty. Until recently there was a big question mark as to whether Trank would ever even direct again.

Last summer’s Suicide Squad was directed by David Ayer, who had already begun to break ground with his previous film Fury. Reportedly Ayer’s vision for the film was tonally similar to Fury, but after reaction to more light-hearted trailers was hugely positive, the studio made the near Wikimedia

“

In the last few years there have been several slightly disconcerting stories of behind-the-scenes tensions between studio and director

on the smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy – in the last few years there have been several slightly disconcerting stories of behind-the-scenes tensions between studio and director.

The most striking example is, of course, 2015’s Fantastic Four. Produced by Fox – notably the same studio behind Deadpool – the film was a fascinating disaster from start to finish.

The studio hired Josh Trank, fresh from his debut directing the brilliant Chronicle, to lead the picture. Trank had a unique vision for the series, one closer to the body-horror of David Cronenberg than the comic book s o u r c e material. The reaction from fans to news of the project was largely ambivalent from the get-go, as the studio was perceived to be churning out a reboot in order to stop the film rights from reverting to Marvel, and Trank’s changes to the tone angered many.

Reportedly, the studio panicked and began to pressure Trank to produce a more fan-friendly film, much to his chagrin. Eventually after much bad behaviour from Trank, a large share of the film was actually ghost-directed by Simon Kinberg with the credited director absent from

unprecedented move of bringing in the trailer company to produce an edit of the film, competing with Ayer’s own. Again, the end results were not pretty.

Looking ahead to the Star Wars franchise instalment Rogue One, there were reports that after director Gareth Edwards’s original edit was too dark for Disney’s liking, he is now sharing responsibility for the film’s final cut with another director. It is hard to imagine that this film is going to be a disaster, but it would be wrong to completely ignore the warning signs given the recent precedent.

Ultimately in each of these cases it seems

that the issues stemmed from the studio hiring a director with a relatively unique vision for the project, losing nerve sometime into production and then forcing a change; resulting in films which among other issues simply weren not cohesive.

After Deadpool was such a success with Tim Miller at the helm, it really seems like a great shame for the project to have lost him

While I like Ryan Reynolds and now hope that I would take his side on whatever the cause of his fallout with Tim Miller, it is tempting to be more cynical and imagine a scenario where, left with a choice between the star around which their new franchise is built and a replaceable director, the studio pragmatically sides with the former.

After Deadpool was such a success with Miller at the helm, it really seems like a great shame for the project to have lost him. However, given the other films mentioned here, perhaps it really was the best decision for him to have left the project early on. Miller has a bright career ahead of him, while Trank is lucky to still have one at all.

Going forwards the important thing is that, whoever the studio hire as replacement director, they are clear and agreed on a vision for the film and that ultimately something true to that vision makes it to our screens. Here’s hoping that Fox have learned from Fantastic Four.

Who do you think should direct Deadpool 2?

Get in touch @EpigramFilm

Epigram 14.11.2016

39

How much did you pay for your cinema ticket? Think twice with I, Daniel Blake

“

It won the Palme D’Or at Cannes, now Film & TV Writer Alicia Wakeling discusses why everyone in the UK needs to watch I, Daniel Blake. viewers are left unable to hold back laughter and tears in equal measure.

Where the film is most devastating is in the much talked about food bank scene. It was inspired by real stories told by food bank volunteers and it is plain to see that the reactions of the characters are unscripted. While there is certainly acting happening, nothing feels forced; instead it seems intimately real.

I, Daniel Blake is an undoubtedly powerful film to an audience and is also supremely well made

Watershed

The director Ken Loach is probably best known for his 1966 television play Cathy Come Home: an unashamedly political look at homelessness. It did not lead to much practical change, but it went a long way towards making the general public more aware of the issue.

50 years later, Loach has delivered a film with similar emotional impact about an equally political and harrowing issue in I, Daniel Blake. It

tells the story of Daniel Blake, a life-long joiner who is suddenly unable to work after a major heart attack and has to navigate the bureaucracy of a benefits system unfit for purpose.

The script is largely uncomplicated, even slightly clunky in the rare instances of unnecessary exposition. But Loach’s long time screenwriter, Paul Laverty, knows exactly how to wrench a reaction from an audience and the

Realism is a hallmark of Loach’s films and I, Daniel Blake carries this on through the abandonment of a soundtrack, as all of the sound in the film is contained entirely within the world.

It is surprising that this is not jarring, given the prevalence of orchestral scores in many of today’s films.

To add to this, the camerawork is not over the top. This is no Birdman. What is central to Loach is story and character and he has worked hard to make sure that these are not overshadowed.

The acting is superb throughout, with comedian Dave Johns bringing heart and quiet defiance to a role which could have easily been played martyr-like or hammy. Hayley Squires shines as Katie, the single mother of two who has been sanctioned. This film could not work without the natural chemistry between the two leads.

Since the film is only 100 minutes long, it does not lack pace, although there are slower moments which work well given the tone of the film. Clarity is lacking in some areas until the climax of a scene, which works in many films, but for one which is attempting to explain an

What’s On?

Have you seen I, Daniel Blake? Do you agree with Alicia?

Get in touch @EpigramFilm

Films to Faces Andy Murray

Editors’ Picks

Wikimedia

Lionsgate

BFI/LFFPRESS

Youtube

Ella Editor

intricate problem to the public, the slower pace can be frustrating.

The ending, without spoiling the film, is abrupt and it feels unsatisfactory. It is almost as if the last part of the third act has been chopped from the film. It is uncomfortable for a film to end in such a way, but it is also entirely appropriate for the story and the characters and is therefore completely forgivable. Had it ended in any other way, it is unlikely that it would have had such a great emotional impact.

I, Daniel Blake is emotional and quietly angry about the state. It focuses on what is real rather than sensationalist, with people always at the heart of the film, as was reflected in the organised protest and ‘people’s premiere’ held in Newcastle.

It shows that Loach does not simply talk the talk about difficult social issues, he will walk the walk as well.

There has been much discussion in the press surrounding the accuracy of events depicted in the film, while #WeAreDanielBlake, which was trending on Twitter during the premiere, reinforces the fact that people relate deeply to the subject matter. They are now coming forward with their experiences of the benefits system as it currently stands in the UK. I, Daniel Blake is an undoubtedly powerful film to an audience and in general society, but it is also supremely well made. This makes it both delightful and heartbreaking to watch and it should be seen by as many people as possible.

A ticket pledge has been set up on Facebook to match people who can afford to buy another ticket with people on benefits who want to see it but are not financially able. These are the films that make a difference.

Josh Deputy Editor

Phoebe Online Editor

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Arrival

American Pastoral

In cinemas November 18th

In cinemas now

In cinemas now

It seems obligatory to put life on hold each time this happens: J.K Rowling is back. Fantastic Beasts feels more exciting as it is the descendant that never should have been. National treasure Eddie Redmayne makes his long(ish) awaited return - and I shall be welcoming him back with open arms.

After the success of Sicario, Denis Villeneuve brings us a new film with an incredibly clever concept. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner star as linguistic experts charged with translating the cryptic language of aliens who have landed on earth. By far one of my highlights from LFF, Arrival is set take the box office by storm.

It is time for English students to flaunt their postmodern literary knowledge with the release of the cinematic adaptation of Philip Roth’s American Pastoral, starring Ewan McGregor.

If you were not already enough in love with McGregor’s multi-faceted talents, this is also his directorial debut! What can the man not do?

Good Girls Revolt

Planet Earth 2

Close to the Enemy

On Amazon Instant Video

On BBC One

On BBC Two

Breaking Bad, Hannibal, Peep Show and even most of Black Mirror - however great these shows are, I cannot help but notice a lack of really interesting female leads. Good Girls Revolt answers my prayers and comes in my time of need, channelling Mad Men and showing viewers what proper journalism - and style - is all about.

Sir David Attenborough has returned to screens with his follow up to one of the most celebrated nature documentaries of all time - and I could not be more excited. Shot over three years in 40 countries, this promises to be full of visually stunning moments as well as some typically astute insight from the national treasure Sir David himself.

Set in a bomb-damaged London hotel in the aftermath of WW2 and the emerging Cold War, it tells the story of an intelligence officer whose last task for the Army is to ensure that a captured German scientist starts working for the British RAF to develop the urgently needed jet engine.

Welcome Poliakoff back to the BBC very soon!

1. Chariots of Fire Every time I have ever needed motivation while playing, I turn to two things: my mother and this film. I take both with me to every match. I imagine myself in slow motion with the theme tune playing in my head.

2. Braveheart Whenever I need to remind myself that I am Scottish, not British, I watch Braveheart.

Whatever the public might want me to be, I play for Scotland, not England.

3. Balls Out: Gary The Tennis Coach Now that I am world Number One, I am going to settle down to my favourite tennis film with a twist. It is not just the balls that are bouncy in this one…

Who should we interview next for Films to Faces?

Tweet us @EpigramFilm

Epigram

14.11.2016

Arts

@EpigramArts

Editor: Ed Grimble

Deputy Editors: Myla Lloyd & Georgia O’Brien

Online Editor: Helena Raymond-Hayling

arts@epigram.org.uk

deputyarts@epigram.org.uk

artsonline@epigram.org.uk

Do women have to be naked to get into Bristol’s museums and art galleries?

On the occasion of the Guerrilla Girls retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, Deputy Arts Editor Myla Lloyd investigates the status of female artists in Bristol Museum and The Royal West of England Academy

The Guerilla Girls are at the forefront of the campaign to make sure our museums and galleries are properly represnting the diversity of our cultures and societies

publicly available, a quick count of their current academicians reveals that there are around twenty per cent more male artists

Save for a few pertinent examples, the history of the nude in European painting is the history of the objectifying male gaze, and the performaning female sitter.

the collection is female, in contemporary collections this figure rises; 57 during the nineteenth century, 112 during the twentieth century and 44 living artists. Last year’s blockbuster exhibition, ‘Art from Elsewhere’, for instance, was comprised of eleven female and five male artists.

Although detailed statistics on the male to female ratio of artists in the RWA are not

than their female counterparts. Why is this?

Can it really be argued that male artists possess more talent, more inherent value?

Or is this simply the hangover from the RWA’s founding years, when a certain strata of wealthy men were instrumental in its operation?

This brief look at the collections of two of Bristol’s most established art institutions

WHO

the representation of artists of colour. As the Guerrilla Girls make clear, ‘Unless museums [...] show art as diverse as the cultures they claim to represent, they’re not showing the history of art, they’re just preserving the history of wealth and power’. As opposed to being a relic of third wave feminism, it can be argued that the Guerrilla Girls provide an inspirational model that we, the public, should emulate. Despite the positive advancements in representation of women in art institutions locally and globally alike, there is still some way to go in achieving equality. The representation of female artists should not be an act of tokenism, but a well planned and committed approach to redress the balance of a male-dominated history.

‘Guerrilla Girls: Is it even worse in Europe?’ runs at the Whitechapel Gallery, London until 5th March 2017.

With thanks to Julia Carver, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, whose research and enthusiasm was integral to the writing of this article.

Myla Lloyd

WHAT Karl Ove Knausgaard Writer Flickr / editrrix

Throughout his childhood in rural Norway and his time as a student in Bergen, Karl Ove Knausgaard dreamt of the literary fame which he would one day achieve– ironically by revisiting these places of his past. Novelist and essayist, Knausgaard is most renowned for his hyperdetailed semi-autobiographical epic My Struggle. ‘Who’ Knausgaard really is then, is a question best (and most extensively) answered by all 3,600 pages of that six-volume book.

confirms the view that the Guerrilla Girls still perform a pertinent role in discussions of art galleries and museums. Beyond the scope of this article, but of perhaps even greater significance in such a multi-cultural city is

The representation of female artists should not be an act of tokenism

Epigram/ Myla Lloyd

Three decades on and a lot has changed.

Art historians and curators alike have championed women artists and rescued them from the anonymity of a patriarchal past. This year alone we have seen the appointment of a female director of the Tate, Frances Morris, whose work has been instrumental in expanding the museum’s collection to better reflect the achievements of international and female artists, and in Spain the Prado opened the first female show in its two-hundred year history.

All this left me curious about the representation of female artists within the art institutions of Bristol. Are the same grim statistics to be found here, or is the story a more positive one? I did some digging into the collections of the Bristol Museum and the Royal West of England Academy to find out if their representation of female artists is what we would expect from a twenty-first century institution.

At the time of writing, both the Bristol Museum and Royal West of England Academy are host to exhibitions focusing exclusively on female artists. ‘Adela Breton: Ancient Mexico in Colour’, currently running at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, showcases just some of the 1,500 works bequeathed by the artist to the museum upon her death. By Victorian standards, Breton was something of a maverick, travelling the world and recording what she saw in beautifully vibrant hues. This December, the RWA plays host to ‘Strange Worlds: The Vision of Angela Carter’, an exhibition curated by two women

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Can it really be argued that male artists possess more talent, more inherent value?

which explores the impact of the writings of Angela Carter through both literature and contemporary art.

Whilst both these exhibitions are to be celebrated, they should not lull the viewer into a false sense of optimism, for the historical collections of both these galleries paint quite a different picture of female representation.

Bristol Museum has a collection of 1307 paintings, 197 sculptures and around 20,000 works on paper, comprising 3,196 artists. Of these only seven per cent are women.

Quite a damning statistic one might think.

However, as Julia Carver, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Bristol Museum explains, it is one that the museum’s staff are currently working to change. Whilst just one of the seventeenth century artists in

Flickr/ franziska

It is over thirty years since the Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous collective of activists committed to exposing inequality in the art world, came into being. Anonymised behind their gorilla masks– an ironic subversion of the label ‘guerrilla’ activists– these female agitators took to task American museums on their patriarchal practices. In 1985 they conducted an infamous survey of American art institutions, bringing to light the chronic underrepresentation of female artists. The results were shocking– and their message to audiences across the pond? ‘It’s even worse in Europe’.

1968- Present Zadie Smith has previously compared reading Knausgaard to crack cocaine...

Knausgaard’s debut novels Out of the World and A Time for Everything were well received, but it was not until the 2009 release of the My Struggle cycle that he became a household name, not least because of the controversy they raised. Condemnations of over-disclosure, law suits mounted by family who wanted the books stopped and critical acclaim that hailed him the ‘Norwegian Proust’ only fanned the fire of sensation that saw Knausgaard become, by forty, a Norwegian publishing phenomenon.

Epigram

14.11.2016

41

Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’ and the spectre of cultural appropriation…

Alice English dives into the work of artist Adela Breton, whose work is being exhibited at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; the ancient traditions of Mexico’s Day of the Dead; and the murky depths of cultural appropriation

Breton was bound to Bath for her early life looking after her elderly father. In 1887 when he died, with her newfound freedom and financial stability, she was able to embark on an 18-month Grand Tour through North and Central America. After developing a passion for discovering in the Ancient cities in Mexico in 1892, Breton spent the rest of her life living and working among the overgrown temples and pyramids of ancient cities such as Teotihuacán, and Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán.

Flickr / Greg Willis

A traditional Day of the Dead ceremony in Mexico: a quiet and restrained affair...

One gets the sense that things like Day of the Dead confectionary might be diluting tradition...

Mexico’s ‘Dia de Los Muertos’ or ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations, which dates back to the Aztecs, has been undergoing a controversial

Associating the symbols of a joyous, spiritual celebration with an altogether different holiday about fear and hedonism has resulted in online backlash transition due to the influence of Halloween and Hollywood from the U.S.A. The holiday traditionally consists of quiet family gatherings with drinking and music at the graves of lost loved ones, the creation of altar-like shrines in the home, or for example in Ciudad Juarez, the laying of trails of orange marigold petals in pathways to lead dead family members who they believed had truly returned for one day to their doorway.

Their view of the dead is not ghoulish or one of fear, but a joyous occasion of celebration and remembrance.

This year, however, Mexico City held its first Day of the Dead parade as part of a new, multi-faceted campaign to bring tourists to Mexico during the annual Day of the Dead celebrations. The parade attracted thousands of people to the huge spectacle of over 1000 actors, dancers and acrobats, floats covered in skulls and marigolds, giant skeletons and images of ‘Lady Death’ or La Catrina (who is thought to preside over Day of the Dead festivities).

Tourists and locals were invited to dress up, and restaurants and hotels had their own Day of the Dead altars. Tourism officials said the parade was inspired by last year’s James Bond film, Spectre. The parade encompassed

WHEN

WHERE

Flickr / Christmas Junkie

The action of My Struggle is predominantly based in, and interwoven with, the Norway in which Knausgaard grew up. This distinct geography and culture has been used by some to explain his success; Scandinavia’s lack of any innate confessional tendency makes Knausgaard’s total exposure all the more shocking and irresistible for a Norwegian audience. That said, since being translated into English the first five volumes have continued to enjoy success elsewhere.

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Breton was an extraordinary woman whose legacy and contribution to history is rightly remembered in this exhibition

This exhibition, following on from the BRSLI’s summer show, features some of her full-sized watercolour mural copies which she carefully traced and painted straight from the wall to ensure utmost accuracy. There are also architectural and sculptural drawings and photographs, her travelling sketchbooks and some of the ancient tools she collected.

These objects on display are a small taster of the 1,500 items she bequeathed to the Museum upon her death.

In typical Bristol Museum and Art Gallery style it is very interactive and aimed at children, with screens showing a virtual tour inside the ruins of Teotihuacán and complete with chirping bird noises to create the illusion of being in the Mexican jungle.

However, it also certainly holds the interest of the older visitor.

These watercolour drawings of ancient caryatids alongside the photograph of them are just one of many that demonstrate the accuracy of her sketches. Now in the National Museum in Mexico City, the majority of colour has faded making her sketches the best record of the original colour.

Breton was an extraordinary woman whose legacy and contribution to history is rightly remembered in this exhibition. It is of vital importance to highlight significant contributions that are not widely recognised, especially women who were defying the norm of their time like Breton.

While Breton, a Western woman, worked to preserve and enrich our knowledge of Ancient Mexico and its traditions, Westerners are today seen as tarnishing, changing or even fetishizing Ancient traditions.

Where have I seen a title like that before?...

Flickr / Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble

Little-known Victorian artist and traveller Adela Breton (1893-1923) is celebrated in this small exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, for her copying and recording for posterity the architectural details, murals and decoration of Ancient Mexican temples.

She worked tirelessly making meticulously detailed full sized copies of wall paintings, friezes and carvings, capturing their vitality and colour for future audiences. Since then, most of the wall paintings have weathered and completely lost their original paint, so her copies are the only full record of what was there in the 1900s. Consequently, they have become immensely valuable to today’s academics and their interpretations of the art of these ancient societies.

It was the death of his father in the late 1990s and the need to articulate his state of mind following that event which drove Knausgaard ever closer to an autobiographical approach. After a decade of trying to shroud the story of their relationship in fiction, Knausgaard gave up and reverted to a form of unabashed realism he later described as both liberating and transgressive, and which eventually resulted in his ‘non-fiction’ novel.

both media and brand partnerships and was livestreamed on Facebook. It received very mixed reviews, with many people complaining of commercialisation and loss of spirituality. However, Mexicans themselves have also made changes to the holiday, without outside influences. In recent years, they have used it to express social protest, including the erection of public shrines for over 30,000 civilians disappeared during the drug wars, as well as a procession organised by sex workers to remember their brutally murdered colleagues.

Westerners have also been criticised for donning sexualised La Catrina costumes and Calavera (sugar-skull) make-up as part of recent Halloween celebrations, with some calling it cultural appropriation and offensive to those who practice the sacred traditions. Associating the symbols of a joyous, spiritual celebration with an altogether different holiday about fear and hedonism has resulted in online backlash for celebrities sporting the make-up as well as supermarkets like Asda slated for selling Day of the Dead style costumes.

With the rise of social media and the increased sharing of cultures it seems inevitable that some will be interpreted and appropriated in ways other than originally intended. Cultural appropriation is constantly highlighted in today’s society. However in this case, despite media uproar, in smaller villages in Mexico the intimate family Day of the Dead celebrations go on and seem safe from threat.

‘Adela Breton: Ancient Mexico in Colour’ runs until 14th May. Entry is free.

WHY

Alice English

Reading Knausgaard’s deepest thoughts and darkest secrets proves enjoyable to the point of addiction; Zadie Smith compares it to crack cocaine. Yet whilst disclosing every sticky detail of his life brought Knausgaard the success and recognition he craved, it came at a price. Relationships with his ex-wife and father’s family are now totally beyond repair, not to mention his privacy. Little wonder, then, that he has admitted to having made a Faustian pact.

Carina Murphy

Epigram

14.11..2016

Music

@epigrammusic Editor: Sam Mason-Jones

Deputy Editor: Ellen Kemp

Online Editor: Georgia Marsh

music@epigram.org.uk

ellen.kemp@epigram.org

musiconline@epigram.org.uk

LICE

Music Editor Sam Mason-Jones gets down to the nitty-gritty with LICE at their show

LIVE at

in a disused church.

the Crypt, 28.10.16 The word ‘Halloween’ has been shortened down the years from ‘All Hallows’ Eve’, the night before the traditional festival of All Saints’ Day, when family members would flock to churches and graveyards to visit the resting places of their deceased relatives. Alas, this practice has slowly been diminished across the 20th century, with the occasion gradually being replaced with the altogether more commercial 31st October frivolities we enjoy today.

Yet while the rest of Bristol was Instagramming painstakingly painted Diá du Muertos selfies or working out precisely how much fake blood would allow that cheerleader costume to strike the perfect hot/scary balance, a local band were injecting an aspect of the ecclesiastical back into their Halloween celebration. With their show at the Crypt on Friday evening, LICE were taking me (and about 50 others) to church.

And, aside from the slightly contrived meaning that I have attached to its selection, the venue is fucking cool. With arches rising and falling disorderly, columns placed erratically and ornate carvings hidden away esoterically, the stripped and stony interior of the Crypt is suitably gothic to befit the spookiness of the music it hosts - as well as a cheap can bar at the back, manned variously by each member of LICE. Each member of LICE also receives premature representation onstage, as the drummer of first support Van Zeller, who open the service, interchanges masks of their faces throughout their set. Together with his band mates, who all stand in rather fetching drag, they rattle through a set which recalls Black Lips at their punkiest. It is well-received by the crowd, which swells with newcomers and who, largely, have taken the fancy dress decree as seriously as the band in front of them, with Beetlejuices, zombies and pirates all receiving strong representation.

Apparently less arsed about fancy dress are the four members of Bad Breeding, who take up their instruments afterwards, clad unassumingly. This is presumably because they are plenty terrifying as they are, thank you: facing away from the crowd, singer Chris Dodd projects his roared delivery into the face of his drummer, who has seemingly recently really cheesed him off about something. Stalking the furthest extreme of the church with a deranged urgency, he is flanked by bassist Charlie Rose and guitarist Matt Toll, who between them wrench an unholy noise out of the place. Due to mixing difficulties, this does, at times, overawe and outmuscle the vocal, but doesn’t deter the parishioners, who continue their worship in spite of the tinnitus they are likely incurring in the process.

After limited respite, LICE take up their posts next to the pulpit. Bassist Gareth Johnson begins playing with a carved pumpkin coating his cranium, whilst singer Alastair Shuttleworth performs from beneath a bed-sheet, decorated only with two eye-holes, as a budget (holy) ghost. Neither of these last much longer than Silas Dilkes’ riffed opening to ‘In A Previous Life…’, with Alastair encountering similar difficulties as those which plagued Tarantino’s klansmen in Django Unchained.

Eventually ripping through the sheet to reveal his face during next song, ‘Why Do They Always Get In My Way?’, his barked, E Smith-esque delivery is no less ghastly, and only broken from between songs to give earnest thanks to the faithful in front of him as well as others who have made the gig possible.

During the songs he is altogether less polite, his dead-eyed forays into the crowd inciting frenzy with each step and every snarl.

The mid-set double-header of ‘Gentleman’s Magazine’ and ‘Little John Waynes’ is where the band reach their sensational and sordid peak, with the choruses at their most jaggedly all as bruises begin to shine on the arms and shoulders of those sacrilegiously pogoing in the font. ‘Sick Of Complaining’, ‘Ted’s Dead’ and ‘The Woodlouse’ follow, before Alastair invites us all for a post-gig pint with him prior to closer ‘Little Mouth’.

It has been utter blasphemy and wrong on so many levels. It has also been absolutely excellent.

Facebook / Dave Hibell

Sam Mason-Jones

Epigram 14.11.2016

43

Halloween in Motion The Blast: Carnival of the Dead

Just Jack(’o Lantern) Bristol dance music institution Just Jack blasted in Motion for a Halloween extravaganza of epic proportions. Cue lights, cue lanterns, cue some of the finest techno selectors in the game. Yet, to Georgia Marsh’s bitter disappointment, 2007 indie smash ‘Starz In Their Eyes’ was nowhere to be heard.

Halloween weekend begins with a Blast: boasting Shy FX and MC Redders in their line-up, Reece Webster joins the frightful festivities at Bristol’s favourite haunt.

Yet this was Halloween, the crowd’s spirits were enormously high and Holy Goof was next to take the stand.

An up-and-coming DJ in the bassline scene he came to set the night straight. Incredible drops and quirky basslines filled the room to get the whole crowd on such a great level.

As if laying down a bassline remix of The Fugees’ ‘Ready or Not’ was not enough, Holy Goof brought out an array of heavier tracks that led up to a hard hitting remix of My Nu Leng’s ‘Set It’. With the track ‘Buss’ flowing through the speakers the crowd danced to and fro and the costumes of the crowd really started to come in to their own.

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If Just Jack was at school, he’d be the charismatically cool kid with the huge house whose parents are never in town. In other words, Just Jack know how to throw a massive rager.

Facebook / Wisdom Makubile

Chimpo set off the night at a slow and steady pace. In good warm-up fashion the music didn’t demand our attention but set the tone for the rest of the night with a lot of grime, a bit of dubstep and finally some drum and bass. It wasn’t the most entertaining of warm-ups since much of what was being played was just too slow. Though not particularly energetic to begin with, luckily towards the end of the set a couple of drum and bass featured, but, as if to keep everyone from having too much fun, they were each replaced by mellow bassline; slowing down the tempo again.

This time around, Just Jack returned to Motion – the jewel in Bristol’s clubbing crown – for their annual Halloween special.

The club that never sleeps put on a sold out event the night before, with The Blast throwing their Carnival of the Dead, yet Just Jack was certainly the superior night of the weekend, showcasing an unrivalled line-up to make any other event that Halloween weekend green with envy.

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While most punters stuck to face paint or body glitter, the queue was heavily bombarded with men in Trump costumes, fully outfitted with Oompa Loompa faces, dodgy toupees and ‘Make America Great Again’ caps. The looming US election was definitely a scarier prospect than any bloody and deformed face prosthetic which wove through the crowd during the course of the night.

An emphasis on providing Bristol’s tastiest Halloween line-up proved to be a winning strategy for the label.

Several inflatable dolphins were being carted around the warehouse, not by strength of hands, but by the strength of people’s thighs. There were two big burly, and very well dressed, 70’s pimps giving its shapes left and right. And even a set of Ghostbusters were on hand; because, well, it’s Halloween, why not? There were mummified bodies hanging from the lights; candles decorating the decks and blood-drenched bunting everywhere.

The crowd was, in fact, a pleasure to roam in and out of.

Because the night wasn’t sold out (probably due to the astronomical prices of final tier tickets), the rooms were heaving but not so much so that everyone was packed in like a squeamish sardine mess, as Motion so often is. This made for easy access to The Marble Factory and The Tunnel, an especially useful feat at the beginning of the night when one wished to trade standardly sleek techno for something thoroughly more danceable.

Shy FX appeared at the stage with a DnB remix of Beenie Man’s ‘Who Am I’ and launched into the night’s headline set. Surely, this iconic DJ with an incredible, practically untouchable back catalogue of jungle and drum and bass tunes was there to make this Halloween night one to remember. It was not, in fact, to be spectacular but instead a rather uninspiring, jump-up-heavy, set. All was not lost luckily as we sang the lyrics Shy FX’s remix of Proteje’s ‘Who Knows’ or when he laid down ‘Mr Happy’.

Facebook / Wisdom Makubile

The DJ Jaydrop kept the DnB coming with heavy-roller after heavy-roller

The music had a similar feel in The Marble Factory, where the team of two warm up acts – Tom Rio and Dan Wild – played a farfetched set far into the night, following the likes of Pender Street Steppers and Prins Thomas.

The night finished in a heat of impressive emceeing as MC Det came to the stage at the Marble Factory. This quintessential drum and bass legend had all his experience to throw at us and it did not disappoint. The DJ Jaydrop kept the DnB coming with heavy-roller after heavy-roller all the while being amplified by Det’s unmistakable vocals.

An extra special treat for Motion-goers that evening was the occurrence of daylight savings. While some wide-eyed ravers roamed the site bemused that it was still only 1.30am (how could this be? It was 1.30 an hour ago?), others cherished the precious extra hour they were able to spend in the sanctified company of Just Jack.

Another talent decided to light the stage up in the form of MC Redders. Giving a lighter more song-like take on emceeing Redders impressed the crowd just as much as Det and the two different voices ran together in perfect unison.

It was a good way to end the night, seeing an older icon standing on stage alongside two up-and-coming talents.

Headlining the evening was none other but Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann – one of the most influential figures in techno today. His three-hour set managed to lack in anything monotonous, instead venturing into his signature deep, dark techno and kept eyes open and feet itching until the ultraearly hours of the next morning reared their head.

Reece Webster

Facebook / Wisdom Makubile

Calling all aspiring writers and music fans! Come and join us at our writers’ meeting, which will take place at the Highbury Vaults, 6.30, 27th November.

The Tunnel was especially impressive for these reasons.

Dan Wild and Marcellus Pittman in particular served some spectacularly jazzy house, infusing funked-up techno with hard-grooved house. Unlike anyone else that night, they swapped sleek minimalism for something that punters could really get their feet moving to, catering to those who fancied a groove to something with an alternative palette.

Although Just Jack have pulled back the extravagancies that contributed to the quickness of their fame, this didn’t stop them from pulling out all the stops this Halloween. An emphasis on providing Bristol’s tastiest Halloween line-up proved to be a winning strategy for the label.

Georgia Marsh

Epigram

44

14.11.2016

An Interview with Sleaford Mods

Harris Ferguson chats to Jason Williamson,

frontman of abrasive and explosive post-punk duo Sleaf0rd Mods. And he’s actually really nice.

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they’re all crap now” but now, well, I’ve said that, you know, I’ve moved on. I’ve stopped giving it too much thought, you know what I mean? I suppose it’s a case of live and let live, these people still don’t really inspire me, but I haven’t really got an opinion on them anymore. Back then I was quite passionate about the fact that I thought all these people that had influenced me had kind of gone off the boil and weren’t very good anymore, so I was quite vocal about that in the early stuff, but now I’ve kind of shifted my interest, you know?’

I’m not sure I completely believe him, since it was only last year that the band had a highly publicised and expletive-fuelled go at everyone from Slaves to Kasabian and the perennial leech of pop music himself, Noel Gallagher, and Williamson can’t resist slipping another word in. ‘Obviously they can do what they want to do, but it’s not something I’d want to do, or agree to.’ He pauses again.

‘Definitely not’.

While the band have always been vocal about not being seen as preachers of social truth, Williamson seems highly aware that an increasing proportion of their audience has no direct experience of the things he describes. How does he feel about that, and about the kind of working-class fetishism that’s increasingly showing up in places like affluent universities?

‘For those that come and see us, that’s the only way that a certain element of the audience will get exposed to that kind of a life.

But on the other hand, university is quite unobtainable for people who come from low-income families. It’s certainly more coveted by the lower-middle class upwards. I mean, there are many factors that can go into an individual’s story, but if anyone’s pretending to be something they’re not, then I have a big issue with that. If someone’s pretending to be street when they have no experience of the streets whatsoever, then I’ve certainly got a problem with that.’

flickr / Kmrone

Ask anyone to describe Sleaford Mods in one word and they’ll say ‘angry’. For just shy of ten years they’ve been releasing material that seethes with rage and disaffection in a way that seems unique to the world of pop music we’ve been left with for so long.

As such, I’m a little nervous about picking the brains of frontman Jason Williamson.

Combining the acidic lyrics of Williamson with the abrasive, almost minimalist musical beats and strong post-punk loops of Andrew Fearn, Sleaford Mods have made a name for themselves with songs like ‘Jobseeker’, a brutal, merciless and incidentally very funny depiction of the negligence of job centres that manages to voice the feelings of many of those thrown under the bus by austerity and governmental ineptitude.

There is a terse silence near the start of the interview as I bring up John Cooper Clarke, a comparison the band is famously sick of.

Does Williamson think that the music industry and media latched onto the fact they were sweary and from somewhere north of London, trumpeted about ‘a true working-class voice in music’, and put Sleaford Mods in the box they’ve struggled to get out of since?

‘Definitely, I think initially it was that. Two or three years ago, there weren’t many people coming back and doing the ranting spoken-word thing, so people like John Cooper Clarke and The Fall were thrown around a lot, and okay, it’s an easy reference point for people. It’s probably one of the only reference points for them, because a lot of people aren’t into a lot of music with that kind of style. It’s more hip-hop than anything that influenced me though, it wasn’t any poet or anybody like that!’

For a band with ‘Mods’ in the title, Williamson seems to have dedicated a lot of time on early tracks like ‘Whack it Up Bruv’ to ripping into, among many others, beloved pop icon Paul Weller.

Does he still get as pissed off by ‘sell-out’ acts as he used to? ‘I haven’t got an opinion now. I used to be all “oh, they’re all shit,

After twenty minutes or so of conversation, I realise the Williamson I’ve been talking to has been nothing but considerate and calm, careful to put his inept student interviewer at ease. Is all the anger just for show? ‘I have been a very angry person, but now a lot of it is performance. But then again, it’s still there, a lot of it is energy, the kind of energy you need to pull off those songs live.’

‘For those that come and see us, that’s the only way that a certain element of the audience will get exposed to that kind of life’

But with a new EP, TCR, out on Rough Trade Records less than a month ago, there’s plenty of that anger left, easy to hear curdling in Williamson’s spitting Notts delivery. The title track is them at their best, with simple, infectious beats under a savage, streamof-consciousness rant - ‘the trappings of luxury can’t save you from the nail-biting boredom of repetitive brain injury / the injury of your useless mind, stuck to the track / clinging onto years of “that’s not yours, that’s mine, gimme it!” / Total Control Racing!’

Luckily, in the middle of a serious tour, and with another album heading towards release next year, Williamson and his taciturn partner Fearn show no signs of letting up, and especially in the current climate, their particular brand of humour, rage and invective is something that is not to be missed.

Harris Ferguson

Epigram

Puzzles

@EpigramPuzzles

Editor: Suzie Brown

Solutions will be posted online at www.epigram.org.uk before the next issue is released.

puzzles@epigram.org,uk

Sudoku

Cryptic crossword 1

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0 0 0 0 0 0 Codeword 14

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8

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13. Enthusiasm cut short - it blows (4)

13

DOWN 1. Grope keen loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ex first (6)

5. Confused genius has nothing on granite, for example (7)

12. Fasten mangled leg behind duvet warmth (6)

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Word links PZL Find the two letters that can suffix the word on the left or prefix the word on the right, in each case giving a real word. E.g. HE-AR-MY.

TAP STY PILL LAP PARS BOA PA SCAR COD QUO

ATE ANT DENT RUM HOES RAY ROUGH AM AMPLE ME

Can you find words containing the given letters in order, with each of the required total number of letters? E.g.

HAD -> had (3) head(4), hardy (5), shared (6).

GRM 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

ICY 5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Word grid How many words can you find including the middle letter, with at least four letters per word?

There is a nine-letter word.

28 = Average 34 = Good 40= Excellent

Want to set a puzzle for the next issue? Get in touch via email or tweet @EpigramPuzzles

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Bristol Polo Club: galloping good fun for all Nicky Withers Sports Reporter

Flickr: Alasdair Massle Facebook/ /UoB UoBBoat PoloClub Club Facebook

It is well known that University life is about more than just getting a degree.

It includes new experiences, meeting people and trying new things. Polo is not the most common of sports and at home may not be accessible to everyone, but the Bristol University Polo Club (BUPC) have made it their mission to ensure as many students as possible can try this sport.

Played on horseback, the aim is to score against the opposition, using a long stick to hit the ball. BUPC offer specialised beginner lessons where you can practice the basic techniques before climbing onto a horse. Lessons take place on Wednesdays at Druids Lodge Polo Club in Salisbury, with more practiced players also training on a Saturday at Longdole Polo Club. Sessions consist of improving shooting techniques and generally end with a friendly match between the players.

The club’s 40 members take part in a range of events throughout the year.

The SUPA (Schools and Universities Polo Association) run the National Universities Championships, which take place once in the winter and again in the summer. The Championships involve teams camping away for the weekend and competing with other universities across the UK, making them huge events for the club.

BUPC have made a real name for themselves on this stage, with the open team winning their league in the summer 2016 Championships, which is an impressive achievement.

Varsity is, of course, a big fixture in the polo calendar for both Bristol and UWE and whilst they didn’t have a match last year, BUPC are no strangers to success in the past. It’s a great spectator sport, with fast paced matches and the rivalry never fails to make things more intense.

Off the horses, BUPC’s annual trips

show they’re not afraid of having a good time. Having visited Antibes and more recently Budapest, the club combine playing polo with sightseeing and a few nights out. I spoke with club captain Thor Gilje about his experiences:

How did you get involved with polo?

I first got involved with polo when I was about 11 at pony club camp. There was an exhibition of polo there, and we got to try a bit out on our eventers.

From then on, my brother and I were hooked. We started by playing at our local club, being taught by one of the local pros, David Ashby, who now runs his own polo school and coaches at Oxford University Polo Club. From there I joined pony club polo, which is a huge tournament for all ages nationwide. It starts at age 6 and goes up to semi-professional players at 21. I worked my way through the whole of pony club polo; and played at school,

which just about leaves me here.

What is your favorite thing about the sport?

My favorite thing about this sport is the speed. Everything happens so quickly, there’s always something going on. What I enjoy is unlike other team sports like hockey, rugby or football in polo if you end up standing around doing nothing, you’re doing something wrong. You have to be active all the time, there should never be a moment when you aren’t charging around the pitch. Due to the fact that polo is only 4 a side, it means that every member of the team is vital, no matter their standard.

What is your best memory with the club?

My favourite memory of our club is probably nationals or our trip.

Summer nationals for me is definitely the best, as you get to play on grass

instead of an arena, but also as all the clubs camp in a field and day drink. It’s really just a chance to bum around with your mates from other universities, get drunk every day and play some polo. Winter is the same but everyone stays in my house, and whilst we do get drunk, it’s cold, dark and wet so not so much fun. I unfortunately couldn’t go on our trip last year, but in my first year we flew down to the South of France, near Antibes, to play at La Riviera Polo Club. While the club itself is really small and we had to groom for ourselves, it was really great fun with beautiful surroundings.

One day we rode down to the lake with a picnic and some digestif, got drunk and played water polo, with us swimming on the horses’ backs chucking a ball around. It was great fun for the horses too!

start playing polo?

I’d say don’t get intimidated. It seems daunting and scary when you first see it, but it’s addictively fun. Also don’t get put off when you first start if you can’t hit the ball. Polo has a steeper learning curve than most other sports but once you get the swing, everything else falls into place.

Thor clearly has a lot of experience, but BUPC are committed to welcoming all students, no matter their ability and making polo as affordable as possible.

Lessons and matches are subsidised by their sponsor (Tiger Paws Adventures) who are known for providing polo and horseback holidays. So, if you have ever thought of trying something completely new, maybe polo is the sport for you. Follow the club on Twitter or Facebook if you want to get involved.

What advice would you have for anyone wanting to

Shuttlers’ racking up points for Badminton Club Jack Francklin Deputy Sports Editor

competition. The club has also seen great successes here with promotion of Women’s 1st into the Premier Division, whilst the men’s first and second teams both finished second in their divisions 1A and 2A respectively last year.’

Lest not forget the social side of things. Their Halloween handicap tournament saw social squad players pair up with team members in a competition as to who could score the most points while navigating themselves around cones, squash rackets and exercise balls. Another similar event will be held closer to Christmas, indicative of demonstrating their inclusive attitudes within the club.

The club contributes a lot of its successes to their sponsors, FZ FORZA as well as the Slug and Lettuce. They hope to continue these partnerships and expand the number of BUCS and local league teams, in addition to running Bristol University’s first ever National Bronze Tournament.

It is certainly a club on the up.

For more information about the club and how to get involved, visit their website at uobbadminton.com.

Facebook / UoB Badminton Club

Epigram caught up with the University of Bristol Badminton Club (UoBBC) to get the lowdown on the latest happenings at the club.

The UoBBC is thriving with the support of 150 members, two professional coaches, as well as coaches in the form of student volunteers. Indeed, they had a staggering 400 student and staff members who turned up to the fresher’s fair, which makes you wonder why it often goes under the radar.

The club uses a three tiered system, providing a social, development and performance squad to cater to all abilities. UoBBC team member Rohan Gupta explained ‘The social tier provides an active and enthusiastic platform for beginners and recreational players, regularly seeing 50 players attending at 5.00pm on Saturdays in the Sports Hall. In addition to these sessions the club has a new initiative run on

Saturday mornings to give players a chance to get tips from our player coaches, with major improvements seen in the past five weeks.

The development squad is a more competitive ball game, with studentled court time and group coaching.

This provides three local league teams for the men’s, women’s and mixed teams respectively and they have produced some terrific performances this season. Thus far, the men’s and mixed teams have dominated the local league competition, winning all their matches in their respective competitions, while the women’s team have also gained more points this year than in the entirety of last season. Development players also triumphed at the BUCS National Time Attack Competition in February 2016, prompting them to have the largest squad they have ever had.

Gupta goes on to say, ‘Our performance squad attracts competitive club, county and international players to compete against the UK’s best universities in BUCS league, cup and individual

Epigram

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Sporting alumni: where are they now?

Dan Reuben Deputy Online Sports Editor

UWE 1st 22-17 Bristol 1st Men’s Football: Bournemouth 2nd 0-1 Bristol 1st Women’s Badminton: Bristol 1st 6-2 Exeter 1st Men’s Lacrosse: Bath 1st 4-8 Bristol 1st Women’s Lacrosse: Bristol 1st 16-12 Bath 1st Women’s Netball: Bournemouth 1st 28-39 Bristol 1st

career. Tanner graduated with a BSc in 1970 and coached the Men’s Four to bronze at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

He was then given the role of Performance Director with British Rowing when the Lottery Funding scheme was introduced in 1996. He has since overseen the careers of some of Britain’s greatest ever rowers, including Katherine Grainger, Sir Steve Redgrave and James Cracknell, whilst developing Team GB to the dominant rowing power that they now are. In addition to this, he launched a talent recruitment programme, Start, in 2002 and this produced five of the ten GB rowing Olympic gold medallists in 2012.

Ed Woodward (pictured above) has been the executive vicechairman of Manchester United

since February 2013, facilitating big money transfers including Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria and Anthony Martial.

A career deciding the commercial strategy and player recruitment of one of the richest football clubs in the world may seem unexpected considering Woodward studied Physics at Bristol, graduating with a BSc in 1993.

However after university, Woodward went into accounting, working at PWC for six years before moving to JP Morgan in 1999 as a senior investment banker.

At JP Morgan, he became a financial advisor to the owners of United (the Glazers) and so he was invited to join the club as a financial planner in 2005 before slowly moving his way up the club hierarchy to his current position.

Iain Percy came to Churchill Hall

as a fresher in the same week as fellow Churchill resident Josh Lewsey and had an equally glittering career on the water as Lewsey did on the rugby pitch.

Percy represented Great Britain in sailing at four Olympic Games, winning two golds and a silver and returned to Bristol to be given an honorary degree as a recognition of his achievements in 2009. Percy studied Economics and managed to travel to and from the south coast to sail at weekends whilst keeping up with his studies.

In 1998, Percy graduated with a BSc, immediately went professional and set about trying to make the team for the Olympics at Sydney in 2000. He was successful in this bid and went on to win gold before repeating this feat at Beijing in 2008.

The feel-good factor at UoB Futsal Facebook: UoB Archery Epigram / Charles Prince

Lewis Blakeman Sports Reporter Following an impressive start to the season from all three of UoB’s Futsal teams, there has been a massive feelgood factor surrounding the club. So much so in fact, that they have now developed a running joke surrounding

Wednesday 2nd November (Select Results) Men’s Rugby Union:

Flcikr / Siralextuan

Over the 107 years of the University of Bristol, it has developed a reputation for academic excellence.

However, a look back at the prominent alumni in sport shows that sporting excellence, especially in the last 25 years, is not far behind.

Josh Lewsey played across the back line for the England Rugby side, winning 55 caps and playing a key role in the 2003 World Cup win in his ten-year career. Lewsey made his international debut just days after finishing his final exams, having been given special permission by the University to complete his exams on England’s 1998 Southern Hemisphere tour, supervised by the tour manager.

He treasures his three years studying Physiology at Bristol as some of the best years of his life, saying when he came back to receive his honorary degree in 2009 that ‘most people have the best three years of their life at university and I certainly did’. Lewsey played for both UBRFC and Bristol RFC during his three years and was often played out of position because according to former Head of Sport, Exercise and Health, Bob Reeves, ‘we had several fine backs, one of whom, Alex King, had the fly half position coveted by Josh.’

After graduating, Lewsey went back to Wasps, whose youth side he had represented in his pre-university days, where he stayed for the duration of his playing career, making 186 appearances.

He has since worked at PWC and Citigroup as a management consultant and as the Head of Rugby for Wales.

Sir David Tanner has been instrumental in the success of British Rowing since becoming their performance director in 1996 and this passion for rowing began when he was studying at Bristol in the late 1960s. He would often row from the boathouse at Saltford and took up coaching at Clifton College. From here he started his glittering coaching

BUCS Wednesday

club vice-captain Polly Adams, which recently culminated in a party where everyone wore custom-made masks of the UoB goalkeeper’s face! We managed to catch up with the legend herself to talk about the Futsal season so far.

‘They threw a Polly themed party and it was such a secret, they actually forgot to invite me!’

The joke itself started when club member Alice Shiner started a Facebook page titled Polly Adams Bristol Futsal Goalkeeping Sensation, and it’s a great example of how much of a close community the Futsal club has already become this season.

On the pitch, things are just as successful. Both the men’s and

women’s first team are currently flying high in the Premier Division and are now pushing to secure a qualification spot for the BUCS Super 8s tournament at the end of the year.

‘Last weekend’s results against Team Bath have got the whole club buzzing, with the women’s team securing an outstanding 10-2 win and the men’s team recording a comfortable 10-6 victory against our big rivals.’

Around 250 freshers signed up for Futsal this year, as the sport continues to grow in popularity.

‘It’s great seeing people so enthusiastic about Futsal. It’s so much faster and more intense, and a great spectator sport!’

‘In the women’s team we have quite a lot of players who also play for the UoB football club, whereas in men’s game it tends to be two distinct teams.’

As Futsal is played on smaller pitches and favours the technical side of the game, it can be a fun alternative to the full-sized game.

If you would like to get involved: open sessions are held every Saturday.

Saturday.check social media if you’re interested in getting involved!

Wednesday 16th November (Select Fixtures) Men’s Lacrosse: Bristol 1st v Cardiff 1st Men’s Badminton: Bristol 1st v Cardiff 1st Women’s Rugby Union: Bristol 1st v Cambridge 1st Men’s Volleyball: Bristol 1st v USW 1st Women’s Netball: Bristol 1st vs Gloucestershire 1st For a complete list of BUCS fixtures and results, head over to www.epigram.org.uk/sport!

Fantasy Football

Epigram Sport is running its very own Barclays Fantasy Premier League. Feel free to join!

Liga de Epigram Code: 808585-362510 Good Luck!

Epigram

14.11.2016

Sport

@epigramsport Editor: Jonathan Harding Deputy Editor: Jack Francklin

Online Editors: Oscar Beardmore-Gray & Dan Reuben

sport@epigram.org.uk

oscar.beardmoregray@epigram.org.uk dan.reuben@epigram.org.uk

jack.francklin@epigram.org.uk

BUCS Star Team: Netball 4s battled it out with South Wales to continue winning streak Rory Macnair Sports Reporter Welcome back to BUCS Star Team, our feature that showcases the very best performances from across Bristol’s competitive sports teams. Every fortnight, we cover the heroics of the winning side, who have all been put forward for the honour by the Sports Executive.

Epigram / Steph Dean

This issue the award goes to the Netball 4th Team after their successive victories against the universities of Carmarthen, Aberystwyth and most recently South Wales. The team showed no signs of complacency as they travelled to South Wales on Wednesday, eager to continue their winning start to the season. Going up against a 1st team coming off two home victories was sure to prove a challenge for Bristol but they played with an admirable confidence and togetherness to return victorious, 28-21.

Commenting on the match, team captain Steph Dean said, ‘When we see we are doing well and winning by a substantial amount, we don’t let it make us complacent, we continue in full force and make an even bigger lead. The last match proved one of our toughest but that didn’t stop us.’ This team dynamic is certainly

proving effective. Bristol Netball 4s currently lie second in the Western 3B division, trailing to the University of Cardiff 4s only on goal difference.

Much can be said for the performances of GA/GS Ellie Smith, two-time player of the match, who has embodied the energy and conviction which lies behind the team’s recent success. It is, however, the entire team’s mentality that has been most crucial in their winning performances. Team captain Dean continues: ‘Despite not playing together for very long, the team has gelled extremely quickly. Every week we go on to the court with a positive attitude and play each quarter with as much energy and determination as we can to put ourselves ahead at every opportunity.’

Dean exudes an air of confidence in discussing her team’s chemistry and is clearly aiming high, stating that ‘through more training and trying out different position combinations, I’m sure nothing can stop us winning the league at the end of the year.’ In order to do so, Bristol will need to overcome the University of Cardiff, who they face away on November 16th. Looking at their recent displays, the Bristol Netball 4s surely deserve the BUCS Star Team award and they’ll be looking to carry this positivity with them as the season continues.

Careers Service Sponsored Content

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Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Internships are the best way to pick up inside company knowledge and retain it, helping you stand out from the crowd. Some organisations take on their interns for longer term part-time work afterwards or even offer them graduate roles. More than 90% of the UK’s leading graduate employers are offering paid work experience programmes for students and recent graduates during the 2015-2016 academic year – an unprecedented 14,049 paid work placements are available (High Fliers).

Earn some money whilst at university or during the vacations,

boost your confidence and improve your CV – these are all added bonuses of undertaking an internship. They also allow you to explore career options, try out a career path to see if it is right for you and find where you fit in the world of work. You should come away with a greater understanding of what graduate work is like, the beginnings of a network within your desired sector

and hopefully having had an enjoyable experience!

Did you know that the university runs its own internship scheme to support current students and recent graduates?

The UoB Internship Scheme provides 4 week internship opportunities with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the UK, including charities, social enterprises and start-ups. One UoB

intern told us: “I think that small, startup or charitable businesses have a lot to offer an intern, and it is great to have these doors opened by the scheme and be able to do paid work.”

Start exploring the options now: look at our job listings on mycareer and apply for a role that interests you.

Or, make a speculative application to an organisation which you would like

to work for. A key part of the scheme is that we make sure you are paid at least £7.20 per hour. Internships so far this year have included marketing roles, researchers, business development and IT-related positions and new opportunities are added regularly.

Get in touch with the internship team at careers-uobinterns@bristol. ac.uk or on 0117 928 8548.