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THE
THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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Racing start
Issue 192
I
septeMbeR 2020
MAGAZINE
Why Bristol-born boy wonder and Formula One’s promising face of the future Lando Norris is one to watch
PLUS... S O M U C H M O R E I N T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T G U I D E T O L I V I N G I N B R I S T O L
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Image by Drew Gibson
Image by Zara Singh
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48 Contents September 2020 REGULARS ZEITGEIST
FOOD & DRINK
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CITYIST
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Local news from chefs, restaurants and producers
Top activities for the month to come ...........................................................................
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REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Catch up on local news and meet Bristol actor Stewart Wright
Delicious new nuts-for-nutrition start-up Field Doctor delivers
BARTLEBY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
RECIPE
...The slowly unfolding crisis of the high street has reached its Knepp moment, meaning that drastic action needs to be taken
A Cameroonian recipe from Grace Ekall at Taste Makossa
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36
BRISTOL UPDATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
EDUCATION
Business and community news
POETRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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64
News from the sector
INCLUSIVITY
CULTURE FASHION & DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Bristol textile studio &elle on trends, and how the industry is changing
SPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 A chat with Bristol motorsporting success story Lando Norris
WHAT’S ON
The thoughts of local wordsmiths on Bristol’s energised spoken word scene, and Ofqual’s decision to make poetry optional at GCSE
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A selection of the September events planned in the city
ARCHITECTURE
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Bristol Open Doors’ socially distanced walking tours in September
ARTS & EXHIBITIONS
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What’s on at Bristol’s galleries, including the city’s oldest, the RWA – which has thrown off the covers for Wilhemina Barns-Graham
ONE TO ONE
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30
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HABITAT GARDENING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Which weeds stay and which go depends largely on the gardener, says Elly West, but there are some dos and don’ts
INTERIORS
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Learn about prolific Redcliffe poet Thomas Chatterton as the city marks the 250th anniversary of his death
HEALTHCARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Bedminster Pharmacy’s Ade Williams’ advice for the coming season
CITY HISTORY
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Do you know how Brunel’s association with Bristol came about? It was by accident – quite literally
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With the clear upswell in remote working, we’ve been looking for practical solutions and items to give the home office a classy design edge
PROPERTY
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News from local estate agents and developers, plus a recently completed local renovation project beside Clifton Suspension Bridge
David Olusoga on Bristol, Festival of Ideas and the MacTaggart lecture
LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
48
Bristol educator Aisha Thomas on her campaign for representation, and her recent pilot scheme
ON THE COVER Bristol-born boy wonder and Somerset-educated motorsports star Lando Norris, who has impressed during his rookie year and second season for McLaren. Find out why many have pegged him the face of Formula One’s future in our interview on p16. (Image: Drew Gibson/McLaren)
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Glacier Knot, 1978, by Wilhelmina BarnsGraham. Turn to p26 for more on her work (image: © The Barns-Graham Charitable Trust)
THIS MONTH WE’LL BE...
Treating... ...Ourselves. If ever there was an argument for it, it’s now. Bouquets For Days has launched seasonal subscription packages in Bristol and, for a total of £55, you can have one ‘everyday bouquet’ delivered to your door on your chosen date each month of the season. Expect zero plastic, recyclable packaging and autumnal blooms fashioned into beautiful, rustic bunches.
from the
EDITOR
• bouquetsfordays.co.uk
S
eptembers, for us, tend to focus on the city’s promising youngsters. We’ve got one on the cover – 20-year-old Bristolborn sporting success Lando Norris, currently zooming through his second season in Formula One, having already bagged his first podium finish in Austria over the summer. The fresh face of McLaren, educated at Millfield in Somerset, learned a lot from his rookie year in top-flight motorsports and is now doing a bit of schooling himself. Turn to p16 for more on his racing start, and how his enthusiasm for simulator showdowns and live streaming during lockdown supported worthy causes and helped other, perhaps less socials-savvy, pro drivers engage with followers, broaden the sport’s fanbase, and show a less serious side online while racing everything from lorries to lawnmowers. Back in the real world but still on the subject of bright young minds, schools are reopening, navigating a complex new normal and contending with social distancing, staggered classes and myriad other changes. Among academic adjustments is Ofqual’s decision to make poetry optional as part of GCSE English literature – which comes at a time when Bristol’s spoken word scene seems more energised than ever. CARGO Classroom is launching audio-visual learning tools based around local poet Lawrence Hoo’s collection; A Poetic City is marking the 250th anniversary of the death of Redcliffe pre-Romantic writer Thomas Chatterton (read more about him on p32) with free comics, anthologies, residencies and workshops; third city poet Caleb Parkin is about to take the baton from Vanessa Kisuule; and more and more verse-based Bristol collectives are gathering momentum. We speak to a few local poets to gauge their thoughts on p42, before – continuing the educational vein on p48 – Bristol educator and campaigner for inclusive curricula and teacher diversity, Aisha Thomas, talks about her pilot scheme to redress school syllabi. Another galvanising figure making headlines, Festival of Ideas’ new patron David Olusoga talks on p30 about his recent MacTaggart lecture, the excitement of Bristol as a place to live, A House Through Time and other contemporary topics. Worth a read. Elsewhere, there’s artistic vibrancy within pages 26-28 as the grand old RWA reopens with a timely love letter to Europe courtesy of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham; while textile design studio &elle talks prints and styles on p14, and how the fashion industry has been changing and adapting. There are foodie finds in the form of Field Doctor (p35) and a bean-based Cameroonian recipe (p36) courtesy of Taste Makossa, plus health advice for the new season from Bedminster Pharmacy’s Ade Williams and – you know the drill – plenty more!
Editor’s image by Paolo Ferla; ferlapaolo.com
6 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
thebristolmag.co.uk
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...To see what Bristol residents – from the city’s schoolchildren to its artists – have come up with for People’s Platform. The new interactive public art experience’s first designs – to be brought to life in the digital realm and occupy Colston’s empty plinth on rotation – will be chosen next month. Anyone online anywhere in the world, or near the plinth with a smartphone, can witness the unique series of visual statements about what today’s city dwellers value. • peoplesplatform.co.uk
Cultivating...
...An atmosphere of calm, courtesy of Rituals’ recyclable new beauty box. Inspired by an ancient Chinese concept representing stillness and tranquillity, The Ritual of Jing includes hand lotion, shower oil, pillow mist, candle, body cream and scrub.
AMANDA NICHOLLS EDITOR
@thebristolmag
Interested...
SEPTEMBER 2020
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No 192
@thebristolmag
• £35/£40, worth £79; lookfantastic.com
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ZEITGEIST
top things to do in September
Help mark Bristol Pride from 1 – 13 September
RECONNECT
CELEBRATE This month, Bristol Pride goes online with a series of its much-loved events and a Virtual Pride Day. Due to the global pandemic, this year’s festival, which was scheduled to take place on The Downs in July, will be celebrated digitally from 1 – 13 September. Bristol Pride is a unique and important event that celebrates the LGBT+ community and offers the chance to connect and bring people together. This year, it is bringing theatre shows, comedy events, wellbeing and family activities live to your living room. Tune in to the virtual festival and sing and dance your heart out for Bristol Pride.
This month, reconnect with nature at the breathtaking South West Lakes – a haven for wildlife, walkers, runners, cyclists, families, sailors, bird watchers and anglers alike. The serene lakes of Wimbleball on Exmoor – less than a two-hour drive from Bristol – or the idyllic Roadford on the edge of Dartmoor, are places where you can relax and observe the resident wildlife Find peace at South West Lakes while enjoying a well-deserved café treat. Those wanting to dip their toes in can hire a variety of watersports equipment, including kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and sailing boats and for those who have their own kit there is the opportunity to use it on the lakes. South West Lakes are operating their activities and camping in line with government guidelines. Check the website prior to visiting to make sure you are up to date with information for your trip and ensure you maintain social distancing when visiting. • swlakestrust.org.uk
WITNESS
Watch the drama unfold from 8 September
Always hoped to be called up for jury service? This month, The Murder Trial Live’s groundbreaking social experiment returns with a brand new interactive series, The Black Widow. Members of the public are invited to sit on the jury of a murder trial – which airs twice a week from 8 September – review the evidence and decide whether they think the defendant is innocent or guilty at the end of each episode. The verdict will be broadcast live on 24 September. The Black Widow follows the fictional trial of paediatric consultant Dr Hilary Meadows, accused of 447 counts of murder across a medical career spanning over 40 years – making her, if convicted, the biggest serial killer in history. Did she carry out these heartless killings, or is she a victim of statistical coincidence? You decide...
• bristolpride.co.uk Follow @BlackGirlCon_ on Twitter for news of events
• themurdertriallive.com
LISTEN
WATCH
Black Girl Convention is back with a virtual season of creative workshops, talks, panels and experiences. The convention is dedicated to womxn and girls of African and Caribbean heritage and committed to creating a range of specialist opportunities and events – including a picnic on 13 September – where womxn can grow, and where allies can support. Head to the Black Girl Convention’s website and join the virtual audience.
I Will Tell International Film Festival is returning for its 14th year this month. Running until 9 September, it will host 60 films from over 30 countries, challenging perspectives and amplifying Black voices. The 2020 festival will From the film Fisherman’s Diary be hosted online, making room for a bigger audience to enjoy content from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The films on the bill address race issues such as police brutality, identity, family and the justice system and screenings will be followed by a live interactive Q&A with directors. There is also a ‘children’s corner’ and a ‘quarantine creatives’ section, which will showcase short films and micro-shorts produced by filmmakers during lockdown.
• blackgirlconvention.com
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 9
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THE CITY
My
BRISTOL Meet Bristol actor Stewart Wright
Taking Bristol global A locally made film has been selected to play at Toronto’s Caribbean Tales International Film Festival, which is going digital for 2020. Carnival, directed and produced by the award-winning Stuart Napier, tells the tale of an absent mother, Rochelle, returning to visit her young daughter, and with a cast of a thousand extras the story unfolds in the vibrant, colourful world of the St Pauls Caribbean Carnival. It’s a testing time for Rochelle, who must prove she has moved on from her shady past in order to keep her ties to her daughter and build a future for both of them. While at the carnival she meets a man from this past chapter and must decide whether she wants to be a different, responsible mother or go back to her old life. Caribbean Tales, founded by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, aims to enrich and promote culturally diverse film and television content for audiences around the world. "Filmed during St Pauls Carnival’s 50th year anniversary, we are very proud to have premiered a UK film screening during our first digital carnival – Spirit Up! United at Home,” says St Pauls Carnival’s executive director LaToyah McAllister-Jones. “The film captures the rich heritage of African Caribbean people and the complexity of our stories, with the iconic Carnival as the backdrop! Taking Bristol global; what's not to like?” “I’m delighted Carnival has been included,” said actor Nadia Williams (Broadchurch, Extras), who plays Rochelle. “It was a privilege to have filmed in the heart of St Pauls Carnival, and it’s thrilling to know that Toronto will get a taste of Bristol's rich Caribbean culture.” Ed Browning (Poldark), who plays Darren, added. “The film is an excellent showcase for Bristol’s pride in its Caribbean community and how it enriches the culture of the city as a whole. Bringing that to an international audience is such a great achievement. “It’s a beautifully honest story too, and that’s very important.”
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Small Axe is a BBC costume drama set in late 1960s to mid-1980s London and it’s out later this autumn. It is a drama anthology comprising five original films by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen. Each tells a different story involving London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will, despite rampant racism and discrimination. I play a teacher in the film titled Education. I enjoyed learning guitar for my role and absorbing myself in ’70s music. It was a thrill to work with Steve McQueen on his first project for TV and contribute to such a timely and powerful piece of work. If I’m at home the day starts early, usually with one of our boys jumping on my head. I’ll try and escape at least some of the mayhem by taking our dog for a walk around Victoria Park. By 9am I’m trying to piece my thoughts together over a coffee. I’m most productive in the mornings so this is when I’ll be learning lines, writing, sending emails, or reading scripts. I might fit in a trip to the gym or a yoga class before one of us picks up the boys at 3pm. Under normal circumstances, I could be in London for meetings a couple of times a week, or away working in theatre or on a TV or film set. Those days are quite different; I’ll wake up in a hotel, theatre digs or, where possible, my motor home. I had a nice role in Bollywood film Jungle Cry which premiered at Cannes in 2019 and is set for international release early next year. The film tells the real-life story of a group of Indian street kids who surprised the world in 2007 when they came to the UK and won the Junior Rugby World Cup. I play Paul Walsh, the coach who inspired the team to play.
Image: Ruth Crafer
Nadia Williams plays Rochelle
When I was around 30, I landed the role of PC Mark Mylow in Doc Martin, filmed in Cornwall. They provided cottages for the actors and I fancied a change, so I gave up my flat in London and lived down there for two years. I loved the space, tranquillity and nature but realised ultimately that I was a city person. I’d enjoyed working at the Bristol Old Vic before so headed up here to try it out as a place to live. I fell for the sense of community and creativity, and the city’s progressive outlook. I’ve lived in South Bristol now for 15 years. My wife Celia and I are raising our family here and we feel very much at home.
Creatives I admire include Esther May Campbell as a filmmaker, Craig Edwards for his theatre directing and Extinction Rebellion for their creative approach to protest. During lockdown I was involved in a series of short comedy films called Housebound. The directors sent the scripts to the actors and we filmed ourselves at home before it was all edited together. There are 14 10minute episodes on YouTube. I’ve also been falling back on my previous youthwork and playworker experience in an attempt to engage our five-year-old and three-year-old boys, who’ve been with us at home. I set up an Instagram account sharing ideas around this: @playworkdad. I’m part of a curry club working its way around the city’s curry houses. Our next stop is Nutmeg in Clifton. I rarely travel far for a drink, so The Victoria Park pub gets most of my custom with its family-friendly atmosphere and great beer garden. n
Jungle Cry is set for release early next year
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THE CITY
Up in lights: a heartfelt thank you for frontliners One of nine light installations from the inaugural Bristol Light Festival has been permanently installed at the city’s bus station in Marlborough Street as a symbol of gratitude to the many thousands of frontline workers. As festival organisers focus on The neon sign now sits as a permanent plans to bring the thank you in Bristol’s bus station event back to the city next February, they are asking Bristolians to nominate – by tweeting @bristol_light – another favourite local phrase to be turned into the next Overheard in Bristol light display for 2021. Supported by Bristol City Centre BID alongside Bristol-based creative directors Katherine Jewkes and Vashti Waite, this year’s popular event was the first in a three-year series planned for the city, with expressions of interest now open again for artists of any discipline, keen to work with light as a creative medium in Bristol city centre. “We’re excited to be giving Cheers Drive a permanent home in our city and it’s fitting that it is displayed in a location which every day welcomes residents, workers and visitors alike into the heart of the Bristol,” said Vicky Lee, Bristol City Centre BID’s lead for the Festival. James Freeman, First West of England managing director, added: “As we get the region moving safely again this new eye-catching addition to the city’s bus station from the Bristol Light Festival is right on cue. The sign gives us a highly visual, creative way to show our gratitude to the thousands of keyworkers – including our First staff – in true Bristol fashion now and for years to come.”
Royal Fort Gardens (image: Barbara Evripidou)
New local guidebook goes off the beaten track
A new book on Bristol, featuring unusual places not found in traditional travel guides, is being published this month. In 111 Places in Bristol That You Shouldn't Miss, author Martin Booth and photographer Barbara Evripidou pull back the curtain to reveal fascinating and eccentric destinations in Bristol, heading off the beaten track to a bridge to nowhere or to a pavement plaque no bigger than a pencil, remembering times past; drawing your eyes to a pair of mythical unicorns or giant wicker nose, a pub populated by cats or a shell-lined secret grotto. Explore by rail on a small suburban branch line or even from a ferry designed by the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, James Dyson, while he was still a student. “No matter whether you have lived here all of your life, are a frequent visitor or a first-time visitor, these are 111 things you might not have realised even existed,” says Martin. “This is an exploration of unknown Bristol from the Ice Age to the present day.”
Dr Mena Fombo and Michael Jenkins
Wind in their sails A project to bring to into being Bristol’s first ‘Black arts barge’ is gathering momentum thanks to two visionary local creatives. Bristol African Caribbean Culture Space Ltd (BACCS) is a non-profit enterprise focused on purchasing a new, large-scale boat venue to be located in the Bristol harbour – dedicated to showcasing the work of Black artists and creatives, sharing their history and celebrating our collective future. “We have been working on this for almost a year and when the Colston statue got ripped down and chucked into the harbour we thought it was a perfect time to let people know our ideas,” say founders Dr Mena Fombo and Michael Jenkins of Blak Wave Productions. “The barge would be ideally located next to Pero’s Bridge. We’ve just recruited a team of artists and creatives to help shape the next phase of this project.” Blak Wave is an independent production company based in Bristol, committed to producing film and TV that better reflects society, giving a voice to unheard voices and telling untold stories. Michael Jenkins is an award-winning self-shooting producer, director and writer of TV and film, who recently directed The Shadow of Slavery, as part of the Channel 4 series Take Your Knee Off My Neck and a spoken word BBC Arts film We Are Not The Virus. Dr Mena Fombo is a writer, director and TV/film producer, passionate about exploring issues centred on identity, sport and culture, who wrote and directed BBC Arts short Home Carnival Queen. To donate to help the barge’s transformation into an arts venue, visit the crowdfunder at linktr.ee/BACCS.
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Help Mena and Michael bring the first Black arts barge into being
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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A new Knepp moment
O
ver the summer we went to Knepp, the Sussex farm that has been ‘rewilded’ over the past 20 years so that the landscape now resembles the English countryside before intensive farming began in the 18th century. A Bristol friend we were travelling with remarked that it all looked a bit like the Northern Slopes – which some readers may know is a scrubby region of woods, scrub and rough grassland between Bedminster and Knowle. She had a point, the main differences being that the Knepp estate covers a thousand acres and is largely flat. Oh and there are free-range Tamworth pigs roaming about, cattle with wincingly long horns and – a rare treat for birders – white storks on a nest the size of a small car. Even during a drought in the dog days of August this perfectly untidy landscape was green and rather magical. But when the landowners decided, at the turn of the millennium, to let nature take back control, they had no idea that this bright future awaited them. All they knew was that the farm was losing money. They couldn’t go on as they were, but with no obvious solution the only option was to take a massive leap of faith. What would happen? They didn’t know. By coincidence the success of the rewilding project became widely known not long before the world was turned on its head by covid-19. Here in Bristol we’ve been pretty fortunate, not so far suffering the kind of spike in cases that has forced Leicester and other cities back into lockdown. As I write, the youngest Bartleby is getting ready for a return to sixth form, albeit with ‘electric school’ on alternate weeks. The mood among friends and neighbours seems quietly upbeat. There’s a feeling of life getting back to normal, but in some respects it isn’t, can’t – and probably shouldn’t. In some areas of life the virus has simply speeded up processes that were already in motion. I remember walking around the empty aisles of a large city-centre store a couple of years ago and wondering why someone had gone to the effort of assembling all this stuff and arranging it on shelves, keeping it a reasonable temperature and paying people to stop other people pinching it. With no more than five taps on my phone I could find any of these things online, cheaper, and have them sent to my house. This is obviously not new news, but up to now I think we’ve all been a bit head-in-sand about the whole business. I may be shopping online, we say to ourselves, but someone else will be taking the bus to town, plodding about in the rain, and paying over the odds for the pleasure. Well, now we know that they’re not. While smaller niche businesses are thriving, some well-known stores are going bust or retreating online. The slowly unfolding crisis of the high street has reached what you might topically refer to as its Knepp moment, meaning that drastic action needs to be taken. I’m not suggesting that we start bringing in the long-horned cattle, but perhaps there’s room in the city for a kind of human rewilding. If people need flats more than shops, maybe it’s time to allow some change of use. If people want a more fluid kind of city, with markets and pop-up restaurants and impromptu performances, then perhaps we should make this easier. If more of us continue to work from home, we will see more businesses opening on local high streets. City authorities could encourage this by lowering rates and supporting neighbourhood initiatives, so that Bristol becomes a network of thriving villages with less traffic congestion and cleaner air. For all its awfulness, lockdown did give us a glimpse of a city with fewer cars and a more local approach to life. Perhaps we can learn from that. ■
12 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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No 192
Publisher Email:
Steve Miklos steve@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
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2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bristol Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.
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bouquets.for.days
Seasonal flowers delivered to your door in the Bristol area. Zero plastic, recyclable packaging. Autumn subscription available.
Shop online: www.bouquetsfordays.co.uk
HISTORY,TRADITION & QUALITY
Kemps is a fourth generation family jeweller offering a beautiful selection of both new and pre-loved pieces
since 1881
We have taken all necessary steps to ensure our customers and staff are as safe as possible
KEMPS J EWELLERS
1881
9 Calton Court, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3DF www.kempsjewellers.com • 0117 950 5090
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 13
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FASHION
‘Exuberant Opulence’ for AW20 – hyper-real nature, oil slicks, highshine, ombre colour washes
Rise and high-shine
What’s inspiring chic Bristol textile design studio &elle, and how fashion has changed and adapted this year
E
llen Tozer moved from London to Bristol in 2015 after cutting her teeth in the capital’s fashion industry as a print designer for UK and international brands for over a decade. Having decided she wanted to relocate her work to a “more authentic and creative” city, Ellen founded her textile design studio &elle – based on Barton Road and born from a realisation that brands were increasingly using print and colour to define their aesthetic. Rather than buying ‘off the shelf’ designs she set up with the intention of creating bespoke prints tailored to the brands’ individual style, allowing them to create their own hero pieces. Here she talks fast fashion and future trends. TBM: Which brands are you working with this year? Ellen Tozer: Currently some amazing small UK-based and eco-focused brands – unfortunately none that can be named at the moment. They’re in a range of sectors, from men’s lounge and underwear to ladies’ casual wear and even ceramic tabletop products. Which is your favourite of the coming trends for AW20? We’re seeing an interest in high opulence for Christmas. In a backlash against future austerity and having to live pared-back lives, Christmas and winter are going to be focused around more being more. 14 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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There is a huge interest in the healing properties of nature, and how images and colours of nature can promote calm and positivity
How have/will our new circumstances affect what we’re wearing? Due to the pandemic there has been a huge shift in the way companies are predicting trends for the coming seasons – mainly because trends are predicted on street style, fashion weeks and previous buying patterns, all of which have been put on hold for the time being. Brands also have a huge amount of surplus stock from this summer which will be folded into the collections for SS21. This leaves us with a great challenge of predicting which trends will be key for SS21 and can layer into the old SS20 stock when it is put into store next summer. So we’ve been really busy though lockdown, working out the key trends for SS21. That being said, these trends are quite classic, and are harking back to retro eras, looking at them through rose-tinted glasses. The drawing style is hand-
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FASHION
done, illustrated and craft driven, inspired by our renewed interest in home-craft. There is also a huge interest in the healing properties of nature, and how images and colours of nature can promote calm and positivity. So for SS21, pretty meadow florals and earth-inspired textures are going to be big in the print world. Colour-wise, earth hues and fresh greens will come through strongly. Will these new circumstances change the fast-fashion industry at all? There seems to be a shift in consumer attitude towards fast fashion. Hopefully the recent highlighting of bad working conditions and the polluting nature of the fashion industry will help people to think before they buy something, asking the question: has the production of this garment caused any harm, either to its makers or the environment? And also the consideration ‘will this last?’ and ‘is this a long-life purchase?’ This in turn will force the larger, less compliant
‘Nature’s Cure’ – nature’s healing power, pressed flowers, linear illustrations, retro florals
brands to consider their supply chain and the good or harm it is doing. Lost Stock [the mystery clothes box scheme selling half-price fashion from high-street labels to stop clothing going to landfill at the start of the pandemic and support Bangladeshi garment makers left out of work when major brands cancelled orders en masse] is a fantastic project and one that is highlighting the injustice in the fast-fashion supply chain. Consumers have more choice than ever when it comes to these issues and, with it, hopefully more power to change things. Who do you admire in the Bristol fashion and design scene? I work in the same building as some amazing textile and fashion businesses. Dash and Miller [woven fabric design studio and textile trend consultancy], Made My Wardrobe [sewing patterns and workshops] and Antiform [forward-thinking fashion and ethical, sustainable design using reclaimed materials and heritage craft] are all brilliant companies that are pioneering in their own ways. ■ • and-elle.com
The trends are classic, harking back to retro eras, looking at them through rose-tinted glasses
The ‘Warm Earth’ trend for SS21 – sun-bleached hues, mineral textures, tie-dye, soft sketched
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SPORT
Racing start
Making the Grand Prix top 10 more than once and recently bagging his first podium finish, Bristol-born boy wonder Lando Norris is Formula One’s youngest ever British driver and one worth paying attention to. Already an influential figure broadening the sport’s fanbase, he talks Twitch fame and recognising true team efforts at McLaren
The Somerset sporting success has been a joy to watch both on and off the track – whether beating a penalised Lewis Hamilton to the podium or shaving his head for charity
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All photography courtesy of McLaren
Words by Amanda Nicholls
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SPORT
Lando’s unexpected first podium finish after the Austrian Grand Prix in July
Like Lewis Hamilton, Lando’s fully behind improving diversity in racing
Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
A
s forays into the fast-paced world of Formula One go, Lando Norris’s has been encouraging to say the least. He’s trackside, in 33-degree Barcelonian heat, when we speak – having just finished respectably in eighth position after the qualifying laps of the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix, sandwiched between teammate Carlos Sainz and Ferrari’s Charles Le Clerc. Lando Norris seems just as close with these nippy young drivers – alongside Max Verstappen, George Russell and Alex Albon – with off-the-racetrack, gentle ribbing and competitive banter part of their modus operandi, and the playful partnership with Sainz branded one of the biggest bromances on the circuit. For many fans the world over, it’s been a joy to watch the rise of the rookies – this shot of new energy continuing its course through virtual grand prix challenges set up during lockdown – and for Bristol, local boy Lando in particular. Despite high temperatures, fiddlesome face mask and not finishing exactly where he might have wanted to, the 20-year-old talent is positive, good humoured, characteristically collected – he knows he still has plenty to smile about. “Last year was very good but this season has started much better, better than we were anticipating and probably ever expecting, especially with the podium in race one then some P5s [fifth position grid starts],” says Lando, who on the very last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix in July, managed to seal his first F1 fastest lap and become the third youngest F1 podium finisher ever, after fearing he’d fudged the whole thing. He found himself stood on the rostrum beside Valtteri Bottas and Charles Le Clerc, showered in champagne after besting a penalised Lewis Hamilton, no less. “I guess the podium is the one that stands out,” grins Lando. He strikes me as a kid with the sort of psychological make-up you need to be able to let anxieties wash over you like water off a duck’s back – and to win. Even the pressure of being named rookie of the year by fans in 2019 hasn’t fazed him. “Of course I knew I needed to take a step up, and when you go into season two, people do expect just that little bit more. So far I’ve achieved that so I’m happy with how I’ve been doing but there are still things I need to improve on. But I never felt because of winning that last year that there was pressure.” Still – cucumberesque in his coolness or not – it must have thrown him to have his high-octane level-up into top-flight professional racing come screeching to a halt when the pandemic hit. It didn’t show, with Lando springing into action to help Formula One and a handful of other F1 drivers launch a virtual grand prix series from home, to replace the postponed real-life races. Providing light relief for viewers – at one point Lando’s car drove itself around the track after he lost internet connection – and bringing participating drivers closer, it helped them prepare for the eventual resuming of the season the only way they could. Hitting pause also allowed for a period of more in-depth analysis and reflection. “Before race one we did the preseason tests at the normal time of the year – the early part – then we had three, four months of not doing anything, so the main thing in terms of preparation off-season was looking at my strengths and weaknesses, trying to work on them, and making the whole package a bit better, driving the simulator at McLaren and putting more time into reviewing last year. Then before race one, there was a lot of time spent at home playing on the simulator and training.” A keen gamer who admits to 48-hour sessions – if Lando likes doing something he’ll spend forever trying to perfect it, whether it’s driving, graphic design or cleaning his house from top to bottom at midnight – he has felt compelled to defend sim racing in recent times. Younger drivers’ ability to risk-assess was called into question last year by 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who suggested an overreliance on racing simulators and less awareness of the dangers out on the track might have played a part in Anthoine Hubert’s fatal crash in the Spa Formula 2 race. Unafraid of voicing his thoughts and responding to criticism from more established drivers, Lando also hit back at Hamilton’s comments about F1 being too easy for entry-level drivers due to power steering. And anyone who follows Lando’s social media channels is likely to dispute another of Villeneuve’s recent claims that the sport no longer has enough character and personality – has he not seen ‘memelord’ Lando’s displays of self-deprecating British humour on Instagram after he’s crashed out of races? Indeed one of Lando’s strengths is his level of connection with his ➲
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SPORT followers, helping bring a new fanbase to Formula One, and he keeps them equally entertained with his off-track antics. He shaved his head live on Twitch, raising thousands for the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Solidarity Respond Fund in the process, and has encouraged other drivers such as Verstappen to be more active in terms of fan engagement and show their less serious side while racing everything from lorries to lawnmowers online.
On the very last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix, he managed to seal his first F1 fastest lap and become the third youngest F1 podium finisher ever
It’s important to be relatable and attract the next generation, he agrees, especially to a sport that has largely been seen as elitist, but it’s not something that’s ever asked of him by McLaren. “I enjoy doing it – it’s not something I have to do. I streamed quite regularly when I was at home – obviously it’s bit harder to do now – and because a lot of the supporters like it, I’ve made the most of it with the charity streams for various organisations which has gone down really well and raised a decent amount of money so I’m very happy. “It’s not something that every driver goes around trying to do; it depends what you want to achieve. It’s just something I like to do and if something that comes along with that is that it attracts some new fans and young kids who are getting into racing, that’s an extra bonus. It’s very easy to do.” For someone for whom being personable and providing quality live digital content comes naturally, maybe – the more media-shy among pro drivers might be less readily inclined to agree – and especially when the good times keep rolling with Sainz.
“We’ve had a lot of laughs, at the race track and away doing different activities with McLaren, sponsor events and so on – we both have just enjoyed our time in Formula One. When you have two teammates who enjoy it as much as we do you get this friendship where we respect each other and just want to enjoy our lives, whether we’re at the track or away from it. You see it on social media, you see it on videos and clips, and that’s just us, you know. “You don’t get it with every teammate, some are more quiet and don’t talk so you don’t get to see that side but I’ve always got on with my teammates and I think Carlos has changed quite a bit over the last two years since joining McLaren and being my teammate. It’s been a great journey for both of us so of course we’ll miss him, with the banter and the fun we’ve had together, but it’s life and we’re moving on with another cool teammate coming in.” Having got off to a flying start alongside Sainz (who is now due to move to Ferrari to replace Vettel), change is on the horizon, with Daniel Ricciardo poised to join McLaren in 2021. Needless, perhaps, to say, laidback Lando isn’t too nervous about a potentially different team dynamic. “We’ll have to wait and see, but in the last few years [McLaren has] already changed a lot so I don’t think there’s going to be huge change; there’s a much better structure in place than there was a few years ago so now it’s more fine tuning and continuous development rather than changing the atmosphere of everything.” That, at the moment, is very good he says, especially since he and Carlos joined in 2019. “There was a big step up in morale, a lot of it from us being more involved in the team, showing a little bit more respect to everyone and going round to all the different departments that work on the car – because it’s long hours, it’s a lot of work to produce the two Formula One cars that we drive and it’s not easy, you know, so we have to keep supporting everyone who is part of it, everyone back in MTC [McLaren Technology Centre] spending those hours into development and improving the car. “Doing that has really helped morale, so you get better performance, even better atmosphere, and it’s kind of a circle. Things have got a lot better over the last few years and especially this year.” Born in Bristol, Lando was schooled at Millfield in Somerset and
Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
The McLaren tears around the track against a picturesque backdrop during the Styrian Grand Prix
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SPORT despite his hectic international schedule, and his recent decision to eschew a move to glamorous millionaires’ playground Monaco in favour of a new pad in Woking to be close to McLaren HQ, he gets back to the South West now and again. “I did go back a few weeks ago in one of the breaks between races. It was the first time since February or March that I had been to Somerset. My family and friends are there, it’s where my dad’s office is, so there are a lot of people there supporting me. I love going back; it’s so quiet and peaceful compared to where I live, where, you know, I have a next-door neighbour! When I go home and live with my parents our next-door neighbour is nowhere close and we have more space and some gardens and fields full of horses so there’s much more greenery around me than the little garden I have now.” Traditionally, budding young drivers have needed a fair bit of money behind them to be able to go far in professional racing, although the leading likes of Lewis Hamilton have vowed to help Formula One become more diverse and accessible to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Lando’s father Adam Norris made his millions at Bristol firm Hargreaves Lansdown which allowed him to support his son in the sport, after he initially developed a love for motorcycle racing and later switched to karting. There’s not a trace of haughtiness or entitled virtuoso despite the privileged background; rather, likeability, deference and an approachable, down-to-earth nature appear to be the hallmarks of the friendly young face of Formula One’s future – as many have pegged him. Speaking of what could be further ahead, Lando, like Lewis, is fully behind improving diversity in racing – and is seeing gradual change.“ It’s obviously a big talking point at the moment and it’s something that’s continuously evolving and changing especially now within Formula One,” he says. “I’m happy to be part of it, promote it and do what I can and show my respect to everyone that deserves it. It’s something which has grown a lot and it’s really good for everyone in F1, showing that we can use all of our platforms, not just in terms of F1 as a show that you watch on TV, but using social media and followers and promoting it that way. But I’m happy with the way it’s going, it’s something I respect greatly.” ■ • Follow Lando Norris on Twitter/Twitch/Instagram: @LandoNorris
Lando’s playful partnership with Sainz is one of the biggest bromances on the circuit (Zak Mauger/ Motorsport Images)
Making a stop in the MCL35 (Glenn Dunbar/Motorsport Images)
Beautiful evening for a drive... Barcelona day one, test two (Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images)
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LOCAL | EVENTS
WHAT’S ON in September See the work of Wilhemina Barns-Graham at RWA
Enjoy a stroll around Bristol Zoo’s brick sculpture trail
inspiration behind her books. During the virtual event, Louise will demonstrate how she uses simple drawing techniques to enhance her work and explain how she develops an idea into a story. Free; eventbrite.co.uk
Hassan Hajjaj: The Path Until 1 November, times vary, Arnolfini This exhibition is a timely exploration of global culture across continents through the unique lens of the acclaimed Moroccan-British photographer Hassan Hajjaj. Explore his vibrant, contemporary pop art throughout September. Free; arnolfini.org.uk
BRICKLINE Ocean Sculpture Trail Until 6 September, 10am – 5.30pm, Bristol Zoo Gardens With over 50 sculptures made with half a million toy bricks, this is a unique seafaring adventure for visitors to the zoo. Discover fascinating species from across the world’s oceans, marvel at the orca whales – made by 20 builders using 223,259 bricks – and learn more about endangered animals. Ticket prices vary, book tickets in advance; bristolzoo.org.uk
Inspirational Journeys Until 19 September, times vary, RWA This art exhibition explores the work of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, a prominent member of the St Ives group and one of Britain’s most significant 20th-century artists. The theme of the show foregrounds a positive relationship with Europe and the inspiration found through travel and cultural exchange. £6.50; rwa.org.uk
Festival of Ideas: Thomas Frank 10 September, 5 – 5.45pm, via Crowdcast Donald Trump. Brexit. European right-wing extremists. All have been accused of populism. But what does this term actually mean? Acclaimed political commentator Thomas Frank takes guests from the emergence of the radical left-wing US Populist Party in the 1890s to the present day. Free; ideasfestival.co.uk
St Ives: Movements in Art and Life Until 19 September, times vary, RWA Discover how in 1939 St Ives became a temporary home to some of Britain’s most forward-thinking abstract artists fleeing World War II. This exhibition explores the creative inspiration offered by the harbour town in West Cornwall to a generation of artists whose lives and careers were impacted by mid-20thcentury conflict. £6.50; rwa.org.uk
Bristol Open Doors Festival 11 – 13 September, 12 – 6.30pm, M Shed and The Architecture Centre Bristol Open Doors festival is set to return with three 60-90-minute tours titled Vibrant Bristol, Hidden Harbour and Temple Tales. Visitors can explore the hidden gems of the city’s most trodden paths with the knowledgeable voices of Bristol’s resident historians, poets and producers in their ears as they journey through time to uncover some forgotten truths. Tickets start at £5.98; bristolopendoors.org.uk
Art and Wellbeing Until 30 September, times vary, Arnolfini Arnolfini is launching a new partnership with art and health professionals creativeShift, Fresh Arts, UWE Bristol and BCC Culture team and will be providing a platform for them to promote the resources they’ve designed to help people connect with the healing power of creativity. Free; arnolfini.org.uk Bristol Libraries: Louise Yates 3 September, 11 – 11.30am, virtual event Join author and illustrator Louise Yates as she chats about her creative process and the 20 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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5x15 talk, 7pm, virtual event Criminal law specialist The Secret Barrister
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speaks on Fake Law: The Truth About Justice in an Age of Lies, the new book debunking the lies and building a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy – as entertaining as it is vital. Joining the line-up is Laura Bates on her explosive new book Men Who Hate Women; ‘undercover economist’ Tim Harford on how to navigate a world of disinformation; poet Lemn Sissay on his powerful memoir My Name Is Why and filmmaker and activist Waad Al-Kateab, who directed documentary For Sama about her life in war-torn Aleppo. Free; 5x15.com Festival of Ideas: Michael Sandel 15 September, 6 – 6.45pm, via Crowdcast Philosopher Michael Sandel argues that to overcome the partisan politics of our time, we need to rethink the attitudes towards success and failure that have accompanied globalisation and rising inequality. For this event he is in discussion with Andrew Kelly, director of Festival of Ideas. Free; ideasfestival.co.uk Do You Believe In Magic? From 15 September, 10am – 5pm, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery Bristol Museum & Art Gallery’s major winter exhibition all about the origins and history of magic, features over 200 fascinating objects and stories that reveal how magic has been used to heal, hunt and harm across the world. Free; book in advance; bristolmuseums.org.uk Festival of Ideas: Bristol City Poet 23 September, 2 – 3pm, Bristol Old Vic As Bristol’s second city poet, Vanessa Kisuule is increasingly a local household name. This special event, hosted by Marvin Rees, will mark the end of Vanessa’s term and the appointment of Caleb Parkin as the new Bristol city poet. Enjoy Vanessa’s final performance in the role before she passes on the torch. £5; ideasfestival.co.uk n
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BRISTOL OPEN DOORS
If the streets could talk Some of Bristol’s remarkable stories that were once lost to history will be brought back to life this September as Bristol Open Doors returns with a decidedly outdoor twist to its much-adored annual festival
B
ristol Open Doors festival is a highlight in the city’s jampacked calendar, with crowds from far and wide flocking to explore buildings and attractions that are not usually open to the public. In these unprecedented times, however, we were prepared to add the festival to the list of events that the pandemic stole from us this year. Or we were until the team of brilliantly creative organisers designed three specifically curated walking tours to celebrate the past, present and future of the city and bring people back together – safely – for another year of the festival. Running from 11-13 September, Bristol Open Doors is set to see visitors explore the hidden gems of the city’s most trodden paths and, with Bristol’s resident historians, poets and producers guiding them through, walkers will journey through time and space to uncover some forgotten truths. The three tours, 60-90 minutes long and titled Vibrant Bristol, Hidden Harbour and Temple Tales, will let groups of 30 walkers loose
on the city streets, with visitors able to view local buildings and spaces – spectacular inside and outside – and uncover secrets that even Bristol’s biggest fans wouldn’t know. Starting at The Architecture Centre, each tour highlights a different aspect that has shaped the Bristol we know today – bringing in some of the city’s most prominent voices to add in facts that might have been glossed over in previous renditions of the tales. Across the three days of the event, visitors are invited to download an app for their selected slot to experience an immersive guided tour of the city. Their smartphone, headphones and the power of geo-locations will guide them through a mesmerising journey of lost stories and longburied facts. • Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children; smartphone and headphones required. Safety is paramount, with tours capped at 30 people and social distancing strictly enforced; bristolopendoors.org.uk
Historic Bristol
Journey through time and space during Bristol Open Doors
In Historic Bristol: Through Time and Temple, the area we now know as Temple Quarter is opened up and taken apart. Exploring the surrounding parish and its roots with the clandestine Knights Templar, this tour looks at what was once a seat of power for the city. Bristol Open Doors asks just where that power sits today – as well as who was usurped along the way.
Learn about the city’s colour and history from resident historians, poets and producers
Vibrant Bristol
Hidden Bristol
Vibrant Bristol: Street Art and the Painted City will explore the city’s artwork and delve in to the role that street art plays in Bristol’s identity – narrated by Upfest’s Stephen Hayles. Listeners will uncover the stories behind the artwork, learn more about the city’s culture and remember the artists that put Bristol on the map.
Hidden Harbour: Stories of a Radical City is curated by city poet Vanessa Kisuule and journeys through 1,000 years of history, leading up to the 2020 moment that saw the statue of Edward Colston plunged into the harbour. Hear the stories, featuring No. 10 Guinea Street, hidden caves and M-Shed docks, of the people who built the harbour, those who worked there and those who live there now.
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Sea Spray by Zanna Wilson
Ebb and Flow A solo exhibition by Zanna Wilson
Sept 17 - Oct 10 Lime Tree Gallery, 84 Hotwell Road, Bristol BS8 4UB
Tel 0117 929 2527 THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
www.limetreegallery.com
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EXHIBITIONS
STATE OF THE ART
The Palm Temple, permanent installation, University of Bristol The Palm Temple is a newly arrived Luke Jerram artwork, originally commissioned by Sky Arts in Italy, donated by the installation artist to the University of Bristol. Now on display outside the Chemistry Department, it’s free for the public to visit. Luke was approached back in September 2019 by production company 3D Produzioni in Milan about making an artwork – at least five metres in height and fabricated quickly for a temporary presentation – to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Brunelleschi’s dome of Florence Cathedral. The final commission was based on a spiralling lamella dome structure. This The Grade-II listed Soapworks building in Old Market
dome is cut in half and the two halves placed in parallel, like two palms of each hand coming together in prayer, and while Florence Cathedral is a temple for contemplating God, this new artwork is designed for contemplating nature. Suspended in the apex of the dome is an ‘extinction bell’ which tolls once, 150-200 times a day, at random intervals, indicating the number of species lost worldwide every 24 hours according to a 2007 UN Environmental Programme. The aim is to raise awareness of biodiversity loss by making audible events which are invisible to us, but occurring across the world in multiple habitats. • lukejerram.com
Centre of Gravity, Soapworks, 2 October – 1 November The former home of Gardiner Haskins, the Grade-II listed Soapworks, is set to host the work of more than 60 contemporary artists, in a show of support for Bristol’s creative community. The collaboration with property developer First Base will feature work which navigates the challenges posed by our new reality in a programme of visual arts, performance, talks and events. Expect established contemporary artists including Jo
Lathwood, BEEF, Andrew Mania and Annabel Other, as well as emerging artists Caraboo Projects, Rising Arts Agency and Latch. The exhibition, creating a network of support for artists, collectives, producers and curators, comes at a time when many artists are struggling to find opportunities to showcase their work. It is designed to ensure visitors can keep to distancing guidelines and feel safe while enjoying the art.
• centreofgravity.uk
Bridge at Sunset by Elaine Shaw
unique style is much sought after for the distinctive way it brings Bristol scenes to life. Elaine has exhibited in many galleries here and abroad and has had several sell-out solo shows of her landscape, figurative and abstract work. She accepts bespoke commissions.
Elaine Shaw, online and ongoing Bristol artist Elaine Shaw presents a new collection of limited edition prints of Bristol scenes. The gorgeous array of 11 giclee prints includes a sequence of Clifton Suspension Bridge painted at different times of day and season. The central focus of Elaine's work is how light plays on landscapes giving different energies, emotions and dynamics to a scene. Her
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EXHIBITIONS
Paul Lewis: Painting From The Edge, Clifton Contemporary Art, 12 September – 10 October This autumn, Clifton Contemporary Art is featuring the en plein air coastal paintings of internationally renowned artist Paul Lewin. Bringing the far South West to vivid life, over the years Paul has forged an intensely personal relationship with this restless landscape, evoking its atmospheres and elemental changes with a unique fluency. Each work places you in a moment, on a cliff top, or surveying broken, statuesque headlands as light and shade play across the water; not simply because Paul is a highly skilled painter, but because he was there, living and sensing the ragged edge between land and sea. Complementing Paul’s work will be a selection of paintings by gallery artists Neil Pinkett, Andrew Bird, Robert Jones and Sarah Brown.
St Agnes Beacon from Gullyn Rock, Portreath, by Paul Lewin
• cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk
Emergence 2020, Rainmaker Gallery, until 26 September
Esme at the Kitchen Table by Chantal Joffe © Chantal Joffe/Victoria Miro
Chantal Joffe: For Esme – With Love and Squalor, Arnolfini, 3 September – 22 November An exclusive new exhibition from one of Britain’s foremost painters, known for her intimate portrayal of women captured within rich layers of paint. Her work feels ever more timely and poignant in its ability to portray the ‘fragility of life’, and this show explores the intimate act of painting and portraiture. Taking its name from J.D. Salinger’s short story For Esme – With Love and Squalor (1950) in which time hangs as heavy as the protagonist’s ‘enormous-faced chronographic-looking wristwatch’, the exhibition captures the changing faces across the years of Chantal and her daughter Esme, moving between mother and daughter, love and squalor, and the act of care and being cared for. Including new works produced during lockdown.
This show marks the re-emergence of our communities from the confines inflicted on the world by the Covid-19 virus. The works selected for this exhibition reference healing, ceremony, meditation, nature and resilience by eight artists from tribes across the USA. This group show introduces organic works on paper by Julia by Cara Romero Monty Little (Diné) and includes ledger drawings by Chris Pappan (Osage, Kanza and Sioux); minimalistic oil pastel drawings by Potawatomi artist Jason Wesaw; potent photographic portraits by Chemehuevi artist Cara Romero; contemplative acrylic paintings by Marla Allison from Laguna Pueblo; dynamic works by Osage painter Yatika Starr Fields; meditative serigraphs by Northern Cheyenne artist Jordan Ann Craig; and a touching portrait of tribal elder ‘Edna’ by Luanne Redeye (Seneca). • rainmakerart.co.uk
• arnolfini.org.uk
Sound of Taransay, Harris, by Zanna Wilson
Ebb and Flow, Lime Tree Gallery, 17 September – 10 October Lime Tree Gallery welcomes back long-time favourite Zanna Wilson. Born to Scottish parents in Hampshire, Zanna grew up in that area but returned to her spiritual home when she attended Edinburgh University. After formal training at Leith School of Art, she settled in Perthshire. Her work is vigorous and bold, often capturing the raw beauty and drama of the Highlands and islands and their rapidly changing weather. “Currently my inspiration has derived from all my many trips exploring coastlines, especially on the West Coast of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides, the Isle of Tiree and the North Coast,” she says. “These are all magnificently rugged and brutal landscapes where weather dominates life and I find it so exhilarating.” This solo exhibition covers a wide range of landscapes and seascapes, in various mediums. Above all it is painterly, in an immensely powerful way. • limetreegallery.com THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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ART ON SHOW
Celebration of Fire No. 3, 1992, by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
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ART ON SHOW
Brilliant shades of Europe Bristol’s oldest art gallery has thrown off the covers from works by some of the world’s most famous artists for the public to view once again, starting with Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and the artists of St Ives
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he city’s first art gallery, the Royal West of England Academy, reopened to the public via an online booking system last month with an extension of its major exhibition on Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and the artists of St Ives. The self-supporting independent charity joined many other arts organisations in taking the difficult decision to close to the public in March, just days after opening the show, which includes the work of Barbara Hepworth, Sandra Blow, Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon, Janet Leach, Ben Nicholson, Victor Pasmore, John Wells, Karl Weschke and more. Director Alison Bevan and the team spent the new-found down time productively, finding ways to continue inspire people with art and creativity online, utilising emergency Arts Council England funding to offer free zoom courses from the Drawing School programme and exhibition videos providing insight into and background for artists and their works. They even managed to pull off the much-anticipated Secret Postcard Auction virtually, raising £107,000. “Despite these successes, with less than 1.5% of our costs covered from the public purse and negligible reserves, our financial situation is still precarious and the future of the RWA in jeopardy,” says Alison. “Our £3.8m Light and Inspiration capital project, planned for 2021, is imperative in securing the RWA’s financial future, transforming its business sustainability and how it attracts audiences. Covid-19 has underlined just how essential this project is.” Dependent on income from ticket sales, workshops and other activities – at least £850,000 must be raised each year just to maintain its beautiful building – the team has been busy thinking of ways to make the galleries safer, ensure an improved museum visit and make social distancing easier. They’ve just set up a Smartify experience whereby visitors can download an app (@_smartify) before attending the gallery, then as they wander its chambers, whenever they hold their smartphone up to an artwork the app will recognise the image and they can read about it on their phone. Not only does this new feature help avoid the usual jostling among other visitors to read artwork labels, but it allows visitors to save their favourite artworks on the app, and go back and look at them after leaving the gallery. Now mounted in the gallery, ‘Inspirational Journeys’ comes courtesy of a partnership with the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust to present the first and only South West showing of the new major exhibition based on the 20th-century British artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s travels in Europe. The timely theme of the show is a positive relationship with Europe and the inspiration found through travel and cultural exchange. Scottish-born painter, printmaker and brilliant colourist Barns-Graham was a prominent member of the St Ives group from 1940 when she moved to Cornwall. She divided her time between St Ives and St Andrews following a consistent artistic vision throughout her 65-year career until her death in 2004. Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Orkney and Lanzarote feature, revealing how these places provided a significant impact on her wider practice and led to new perspectives, themes and stylistic changes in her work. “This show looks at Willie’s regular trips into Europe, sometimes specifically to work, but more often for holidays,” says its curator, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust director Rob Airey. “However, as she worked almost daily, every new experience and place would feature in new work made at the time and back in her studio. The exhibition highlights the importance that travel had for her and is reflected both in the detailed figurative depictions of specific landscapes and colourful abstract paintings.” ➲
Images courtesy of The Barns-Graham Charitable Trust
Glacier Knot, 1978, by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham,
Black Silence I, Maguez (Yellow), 1990, by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham,
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Alongside this show, ‘St Ives: Movements in Art and Life’ puts Barns-Graham in her more familiar Cornish context. From 1939, St Ives became a temporary home to some of Britain’s most forwardthinking abstract artists fleeing the dangers of the Second World War, many of whom settled in the harbour town, and in turn attracted international talent to venture to the far South West. The collection explores the creative inspiration offered by West Cornwall, its surrounding landscape and its people to a generation of artists whose lives and careers were impacted by conflict. It looks towards the communities and legacies that formed as artists’ relationships with the town evolved. Early works by retired mariner and artist Alfred Wallis are expressive visions of the town and sea, while later pieces by Peter Lanyon show entirely new expressions of the relationship between people and landscape. Experiences of the harbours and coastlines complemented and enriched the artists’ abstract works involving colour, line, rhythm and composition. “The South West boasts the most extraordinary artistic heritage, perhaps reflected in it being the only region to have its own Royal Academy of Art,” says Alison. “We are proud not only to be hosting these two great exhibitions, but to have been a part of the lives of several of the artists, including RWA academician Wilhelmina BarnsGraham. In common with many women artists of her generation, she has not always had the recognition she deserves and these exhibitions highlight the strength and breadth of her work in the context of familiar and much-loved St Ives works by her more famous friends and colleagues.” ■ • In the first instance the gallery will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-3pm only, in two slots. Unable to visit in person? Browse and buy Wilhelmina Barns-Graham prints online or view exhibition videos about the works. RWA’s major exhibition Streets Ahead: Bristol Street Art 2020 has been postponed until 2022, while the RWA Annual Open 168 will take place from 14 November 2020 – 7 March 2021; rwa.org.uk
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Download Smartify, hold your smartphone up to an artwork and read about it on the app – eliminating any of the usual jostling among other visitors to read artwork labels
Warbeth 7, 1985 by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
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David Olusoga.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2020 14:42 Page 1
ONE TO ONE
Rolling thunder
Historian, writer, presenter, broadcaster and Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester, David Olusoga seems to have it all, but he sees himself as a survivor rather than as a success story. Emma Clegg asks him about today’s issues, including the racial inequality within the television industry that his powerful MacTaggart lecture dissected
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Olusoga makes powerful reference in his lecture to “the decades of false dawns and unfulfilled industry pledges to tackle inequality” but this year he has seen a real shift that gives him justified optimism. “I do have a sense of optimism about the future because I think this is a generational change. This is coming to a generation who see race differently. And who are willing to have the conversations with their parents and grandparents that generations weren’t willing to have before, and that’s the great hope. How complete this process is will depend on how much pressure is put on power, because power never yields without pressure. But I think this generation who feels very differently about these things is coming of age. And in 10 years’ time they will be running everything.”
here are many who have a voice within the TV and media industry, but not so many of those voices are Black. And when one of those voices is selected to give the James MacTaggart Inaugural Lecture for the Edinburgh TV Festival, as David Olusoga was this year, that voice has a unique platform. This event, which brings together all parts of the television and digital world to debate the major issues facing the industry, is a gig that matters. In his lecture, Olusoga explained his own experience as a Black man working in television and how his treatment by the industry led to clinical depression. He said that marginalisation is leading to people of colour leaving their work in television, and warned that the TV industry has to share power with a Black, Asian and minority ethnic community or risk losing the entire next generation of viewers, and face obscurity. He describes preparing the lecture as one of the most difficult challenges of his life. “To deliberately talk about difficult periods of my life and to talk about mental health when I didn’t need to, when nobody knew about this, was to do something that was very exposing,” he says. “So I feel very uncomfortable having done it, but I decided it was worth doing because it would have been dishonest to talk about those issues in the year of Black Lives Matter to my industry and to pretend that those issues had never affected my own journey.” Olusoga is unwilling to direct criticism at individuals in the TV industry, seeing the problem as systemic. “These are failings over 30 years, many decades, a period over which the industry could have properly addressed the issues of inclusivity and diversity. But many of those in television now have only been in those positions of power for a couple of years. So it’s not right to blame people in power now for the mistakes of the past. A new clarity was brought about by the landing of BLM and the protests in the UK and people in power in television have made commitments. And let’s just see if the people in power over the next couple of years see those followed through. “This is the biggest issue facing the industry and – alongside the pandemic – the biggest issue facing the country. This is like rolling thunder – it’s moving from country to country and institution to institution and the TV industry is not alone. We also have to look at the world of art and creativity and heritage and historically those sectors have not done very well – it’s not a great record.”
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This is like rolling thunder – it’s moving from country to country and institution to institution and the TV industry is not alone Edward Colston’s statue, toppled unceremoniously from its plinth in Bristol, did so propelled by the energy of the global rise of the BLM movement, further to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota in May. Olusoga is not sorry to see the statue gone. “The number one reaction I’ve had from people who have written to me was that they couldn’t believe we had the statue of a 17th-century slave trader up on display in the first place. They couldn’t believe that in the 21st century this was okay. I’m pleased that this became known when the statue was removed, however it should never have come to this. It should never have come to the statue being toppled in the way it was. It should have been put in a museum decades ago.” Pointing out that Colston’s slave trading activity – which was primarily focused on The Royal African Company in London – wasn’t, in fact, directly linked with the harbour in Bristol into which he was plunged, Olusoga still sees the poetic justice. “It’s incredibly poetic that a slave harbour from which 2,000 slave expeditions left was the temporary watery grave of one of the most prolific slave traders in British history.” I wonder what he would like to see
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installed on the empty plinth. “I don’t see the point of putting another statue on the plinth. Heroic statuary is a defunct art form,” Olusoga maintains. “It is about individuals rather than artistic interventions. They are invisible to us because they are a defunct form of memorialisation. A statue says ‘this was a great man’. Do we really want to uncritically celebrate people who are mass murderers? “People don’t care about statues until somebody talks about toppling them and suddenly they look them up on Google and get very angry about it. I always say if you care about statues and their history then you should name them. People can’t name the other statues in the centre of Bristol. It is a false rage about a defunct form of artistry.” Olusoga likes Banksy’s suggestion for a slavery memorial that would incorporate Edward Colston and the protesters who tore his statue down. Other ideas are proposed, including the People’s Platform, which would showcase on the plinth the diverse visions of today’s Bristolians, brought to life digitally and on rotation. Olusoga has recently been made patron of Bristol’s Festival of Ideas. “I’ve long been a supporter of the festival and someone who has gone to lots of talks for many years – it’s one of the things that makes Bristol such an exciting and interesting place to live. It is a remarkable thing. You can go to a venue in Bristol almost every week and see somebody who otherwise you’d have to search out on TV or on You Tube and you can see them talking about their books and their ideas and they’ve all been lured to Bristol to be part of this endless ongoing phenomenon.” Many of the events this year and next will be virtual ones, however, and I ask how effective the virtual experience of events and lectures has been. “It has been far more effective than I think anyone imagined in March. It is possible to use this technology in this way. It obviously doesn’t make up for the excitement of a live event but I still think we’re never going to go back to a time when we do events and we won’t be streaming them as well. “I’ve virtually attended things that I wouldn’t have attended physically. Every week I listen to Intelligence Square debates and discussions and I probably would have gone to one of their events a year. So it doesn’t make up for it, but it is an incredible stop gap and I suspect that all events will be a combination of the two from now on. And, importantly, it is a lifeline which is helping events like the Bristol Festival of Ideas survive during this period.”
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Bristol is an exciting place to live, says David. “You can go to a venue almost every week and see somebody who otherwise you’d have to search out on TV or You Tube... they’ve been lured to Bristol to be part of this endless ongoing phenomenon.”
Olusoga’s book Black and British: A Forgotten History, tells the story of the long relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa and the Caribbean and he has just finished writing a children’s version of the book. I ask whether the history syllabus within schools is falling short on delivering a representational Black history. Olusoga is at pains to admire the efforts of individual teachers: “I have met hundreds of teachers who are making incredible efforts to deliver to their very often diverse classrooms a history that makes sense of everyone’s stories. So any criticism I have of the curriculum is not a criticism of teachers. “The problem is that history has always been political, always part of a curriculum where people have thought about the functions it could perform rather than just the importance of learning about the facts. It is wanting in teaching the imperial colonial aspects of British history. How can you make sense of anything about the Empire, how can you make sense of the Industrial Revolution without talking about the money that came
from British slavery and the cotton that came from American slavery? It doesn’t make any sense – it’s a critical omission that is shortchanging a generation of young people.” A House Through Time – of which there have been three series, the latest in a house in Guinea Street, Bristol, with a fourth series in Leeds showing in 2021 – is Olusoga’s comfortable primetime slot on TV. It takes a house and uncovers its history, so it becomes a living, breathing entity where you feel the stories of those who lived there. How does he feel about the series and its success? As ever, he places credit where it’s due, “It is a brilliant series; it wasn’t my idea, it was a clever woman called Emma Willis. “It has changed since it was first devised because I felt that it would only work if I cared about the people. I wanted to show that these people were real people, not just figures from the past or characters we made up, but these were things that happened in their life. And if you stand in the house where somebody lived and walk up using the bannister that they held and touch the front
door they touched and read their letters and the documents that affected their lives, often tragically, and if you cannot feel anything then history isn’t your thing. So it’s not reasonable for me as a presenter to expect anybody to care about these people if I don’t. “In the first series I found where some of the people had been buried and I went one night to the cemetery where their graves were and I thought about them and I left some flowers. It’s about remembering that these people are real. Being someone who is in a position to publicly talk about their lives, often about the tragedies in their lives, is an imposition that demands a huge amount of respect.” Respect is what’s needed and David Olusoga has it in spades. As a human being and as a spokesman for injustice and the critical issues of the day. n
• David Olusoga’s James MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival is available on YouTube
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Tate, London, 2011, collection – Tate Britain
GARDENING HISTORY | LITERATURE
The Death of Chatterton by Henry Wallis, 1856
The young father of Romanticism It’s been 250 years since the untimely death of the Bristol poet who, despite being said to have inspired, if not sired, the literary canon that encompassed Keats, Coleridge, Blake and Byron, is largely unknown in Bristol – although not to Stephen Roberts
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onsidering the sad brevity of his life, his biography is surprisingly lengthy. I’m talking about Thomas Chatterton (1752-70) who was the archetypal ‘tragic poet’, a supremely talented wordsmith who took his own life aged just 17. Born in Bristol, to a father who was a ‘sub-chanter’ (assistant cantor) at the cathedral and master of a charity school, young Thomas would not know his dad (another Thomas), who died in the August preceding his birth. It wasn’t exactly an auspicious start. It did not augur well, you might say. Thomas’ mum, Sarah, was then a poor schoolmistress and needlewoman, trying to bring up her son and his elder sister as best she could. Home was literally ‘beneath the shadow of St Mary Redcliffe’ where it is mooted Chatterton’s antecedents had been either sextons or masons, their connection to that noble edifice dating back to Elizabeth I’s reign. The church provided Thomas with inspiration, both with its Gothic architecture and its memorials to Bristol worthies. We can still see where Thomas and his sister grew up and experience what ‘beneath the shadow’ meant. His former home is still there (a café today) with a plaque to the right of the doorway recording that the poet was born there in 1752 (in what was the schoolmaster’s house). The building is across the road from St Mary’s, separated from it by busy Redcliffe Way. Between the café and the road is a wall, which is all that remains of the school (c.1739), where Chatterton’s dad had been master. It looks incongruous today as what looks like the school’s front wall is 32 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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illogically close to the house/café’s side wall. The school was actually demolished in 1939, however, to widen the then Pile Street into Redcliffe Way, with the school’s façade being rebuilt on the line of what would have been its back wall. Now, it all makes sense. The young lad was deemed to have been ‘a dull, dreamy child’ until his seventh year, when he first displayed his prodigious talent by learning to read from a Bible. Once he’d achieved that, he consumed any book that came his way. He advanced further, courtesy of Colston’s bluecoat hospital (1760-65), during which time he wrote his first poem, before beginning a clerical apprenticeship with John Lambert, an attorney. Chatterton’s existence at Lambert’s has been described as ‘sordid’ (the mind boggles) but his duties appeared well within his compass, leaving him time to broaden his mind (history, heraldry, antiquities, music, and, of course, poetry), although he did get a beating apparently when his employer discovered he had been ‘wasting time’ writing poetry. Writing was where Chatterton’s real interest lay, though, and he produced his first ‘literary mystery’ (Elinour and Juga) in the summer of 1764 before he’d attained the age of 12. Chatterton claimed to ‘have got’ this from the muniment room at St Mary’s and ‘Canynge’s Coffer’ therein (a chest relating to William Canning, or Canynge, an eminent Bristol merchant who was held to have either founded, or at least, rebuilt the church, and which contained valuable manuscripts). Chatterton began to make money from his talent too. Early in 1767, he put together a pedigree (family tree) of the De Bergham clan for a Mr. Burgum, a
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Chatterton's Holiday Afternoon engraved by William Ridgway after a picture by W.B. Morris – Bristol Reference Library
What’s left of the school that Chatterton attended, with the house (today’s café) behind it
pewterer, who was clearly interested in his forebears. Thomas was paid five shillings (getting on for £42 in today’s terms), for what turned out to be a hoax. Considering what was to befall Chatterton, it is perhaps a surprise to learn he was a bit of a practical joker. In 1768 he appears to have conned the whole of Bristol with a faithful description ‘from an old manuscript’ (cough, cough) of the opening of Bristol Bridge (1248). More seriously, he tried to interest the playwright/publisher Robert Dodsley in his work before approaching another writer/publisher, Horace Walpole, in 1769, with a transcript of some 15th-century work (the so-called ‘Rowley Poems’, alleged to be based on the work of Bristol priest, Thomas Rowley), which convinced Walpole, prompting Chatterton to send a further batch of similar stuff, together with a sketch (C.V.) of Thomas’ own story. When the poems were examined by experts William Mason and Thomas Gray, however, they were declared ‘forgeries’. Walpole’s next letter to Chatterton was one advising the youngster to ‘stick to his calling’ (being a clerk presumably). If the allegations were true, Chatterton was not the first, or last, to try and pass off his own work as some lost gem from times past. Nevertheless, it was pretty impressive that a mere 15-year-old could nearly pull this off. This episode seems to have precipitated the decline and downfall of Chatterton, who executed his last will and testament in April 1770, a mock suicide threat that had the happy consequence of getting him released from his hated apprenticeship (the whole episode was portentous). He then departed Bristol for London later the same month, although there was yet to be a false dawn. He arrived with his poems and possibly five guineas to his name (close to £1,000 today), taking lodgings in Shoreditch, and then Holborn. Not someone who over-indulged, and seemingly able to function with little sleep, Chatterton’s output was prodigious during this phase, as he rattled off all manner of stuff in machine-gun manner. There still seemed the chance that the golden child would come good and make his name and fortune in the city where the streets might just be paved with gold. Publishers appeared to be flattering Chatterton at last. He obtained an interview with the Lord Mayor, William Beckford, and earned 11 guineas in just two months (what would be over £2,000 now). The budding poet sent home letters full of prospects, and even a box of presents was headed for Bristol. The turning point appears to have come with the sudden death of Beckford, who presumably had been akin to a promoter for Chatterton and other writers and publishers. The government also cracked down on editors who’d been publishing opposition polemics, including those of Chatterton. It seems there was a change of mood with publishers hunkering down, the work dried up and Chatterton soon diminished from a life of plenty to being penniless and without hope. Things became so desperate he even applied for a job as a ship’s surgeon, back in Bristol, although he had no medical training whatsoever. Unsurprisingly, he was turned down. His rent also increased: the timing was inopportune to say the least. On 24 August 1770, 250 years ago, Chatterton locked himself away in his garret lodgings, shredded all his papers (manually you understand)
and then attended to himself. The following morning, the young poet was found, poisoned (opium and arsenic). He was laid to rest in the paupers’ pit of the Shoe Lane Workhouse. The Henry Wallis painting The Death of Chatterton depicts the scene. It seems macabre to have one’s suicide become a work of art, but then it was the single-most momentous event in the young poet’s being. It is worth nothing that some scholars of Chatterton believe his death may have been accidental, his cocktail of drugs being self-administered perhaps to try and cure himself of an STD (he was a philanderer by all accounts). Another artwork, Chatterton’s Holiday Afternoon (an engraving after a picture by W.B. Morris) appears to show the same garret lodgings, but in happier times, ‘leaning on a table deep in thought’, with the writer’s detritus strewn about. The reference to ‘holiday’ might suggest it was a happy interlude in a troubled life, or that Thomas’ sojourn in London was intended to be temporary before he returned to his family in Bristol. For his mother and sister, the death of Chatterton must have been a grievous blow – the loss of not just a son/brother, but also a potential provider as his career took flight. He was a victim, some say, of the materialistic society of the time, who fell prey to starvation and despair, so his story evoked romanticism and inspired the Romantic poets who would follow. He found his inspiration back in the 15th century: perhaps, to him, it was a purer, simpler age. The debate about Chatterton’s Horace Walpole manuscript raged on after his death for 80-odd years and would not finally be put to bed until Walter Skeat wrote his Chatterton (1871), in which he concluded that the bogus ‘early English’ had been ‘the boy poet’s own invention’ (in other words the Rowley Poems were a forgery). It seems Chatterton, talented as he was, continued to play the confidence trick beyond his rib-tickler regarding Bristol Bridge. He left a legacy though, as his life and work inspired Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Southey, Shelley, Robert Browning and Rosetti among others. ■ “Chatterton … is the purest writer in the English Language.” (Keats) “The marvellous boy, the sleepless soul that perished in his pride.” (Wordsworth) “Not to know Chatterton is to be ignorant of the true day-spring of modern romantic poetry.” (Rosetti) • Chronology 1752 – Birth of Thomas Chatterton in Bristol (20 November). 1760 – Chatterton attends Colston’s bluecoat hospital (until 1765). 1762 – The first poem written by Chatterton, On the Last Epiphany. 1763 – First poetry published in Felix Farley’s Bristol Journal. 1764 – Elinour and Juga, the first of the ‘literary mysteries’. 1767 – Paid five shillings for a pedigree of the De Bergham family. 1768 – Chatterton hoaxes the whole of Bristol with Bristol Bridge story. 1769 – Walpole receives Chatterton transcript, later declared a forgery. 1770 – Death of Thomas Chatterton in Holborn, London, aged 17. 1803 – Work including ‘Rowley Poems’ published by Southey & Cottle. 1871 – Skeat publishes Chatterton declaring ‘early English’ bogus. THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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FOOD & DRINK
TASTY TIDBITS FROM THE CITY’S RESTAURANTS, CHEFS AND PRODUCERS Mimicking the traditional taste of tequila and the essence of mezcal, the first iteration of Mockingbird also includes ashwagandha to help combat anxiety
ALL THE MARGS, NONE OF THE MIGRAINES During lockdown, tequila sales soared – as did concerns for the amount people were drinking at home, accelerating the launch of an alcohol-free, vegan ‘tequila’ just produced in Bristol. Developed during the darkest depths of lockdown over the course of seven months of rigorous tasting and testing, Mockingbird Spirit is made with Blue Weber agave straight from Mexico, and is the brainchild of 30-year-old firsttime founder Fern McCoy. Having spent years working in the drinks industry on alcohol launches, Fern decided to align Mockingbird with the ‘alcoternative’ sector, focusing on the “vehemently necessary” wellness boom of 2020 in functional consumables. Embodying the spirit of the mockingbird, by mimicking the traditional taste of tequila and the essence of mezcal, tasting notes include sweet vanilla and cinnamon with habanerothis. This first iteration also includes another hero ingredient, ashwagandha. This medicinal herb and adaptogen helps the body manage stress and anxiety by diminishing cortisol levels, and can boost energy levels – a welcome plus for a sober evening. • mockingbirdspirit.com
“The extra space will enable us to show a much greater range of wines, as well as special collections that we have not had room to display in the past. “We will also have our bin-end deals and old favourites, and the shop will allow us to react to customer demand and further expand our popular online and free local delivery service.” Expect rare gems and some killer offers from this long-standing Clifton Village independent, and for a chance to win incredible prizes, including a Pol Roger Champagne Jeroboam, simply pop into the new shop for a browse and leave your email address with a member of the team.
RELOCATION, RELOCATION After 11 years, seven of which have been spent on Kings Road, Clifton’s DBM Wines is set to move around the corner to a much larger premises on Princess Victoria Street. Following extensive renovations, the new shop (previously occupied by Oddbins) has been transformed into a beautifully light and airy space that will soon be home to an extensive and interesting range of great value wines from this respected local wine merchant. “We’ve been extremely excited about this opportunity to expand,” says Richard Davis, partner at DBM Wines.
• dbmwines.co.uk
TOO GOOD TO GO With footfall unpredictable during the easing of lockdown, and bakery produce having a short shelf life, food waste app Too Good To Go is calling on Bristolians to help prevent bread, cakes and pastries from going to waste simply because they haven’t sold on the day they’ve George Walton, head baker been baked. at East Bristol Bakery Bakeries are hopeful that the first-hand experience many picked up during lockdown, thanks to marathon baking sessions, resulted in a greater appreciation for the time and effort that goes into
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professionally made food. “A lot of what we sell is long-fermented sourdough so the process for each loaf takes two days,” says Rob Hagen, MD of East Bristol Bakery. “A lot of hard work and antisocial hours go into making bread. Making our products requires passionate, caring people who are dedicated to making something with their hands over a pretty long period of time. When you put your heart and soul into something it's devastating to have to throw it away. It’s always a balancing act for fresh food businesses when being mindful of the risk of food not selling and going to waste. If there is a football match or bad weather, it affects our production and it’s so hard to predict these elements in advance. It’s such a relief to me now that I can still sell it the next day through Too Good To Go. We know it will end up in someone’s stomach and not the bin if we’ve accidentally over-produced.” • toogoodtogo.co.uk
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FOOD & DRINK
The fragrant veggie moussaka was a hit
The virtuous-looking field green risotto
Following the science
We’re fans of Field Doctor, the smart new food service offering dietician and chef-created meals delivered directly to your door. Words by Alysha Chase
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ristol and Bath’s new purveyor of ‘nutritionally supercharged’ ready meals, field doctor. (Field Doctor) had this closet chemistry nerd at hello – with the cute little take on the periodic table on its planet-friendly packaging. It assured me my veggie moussaka would make for a working lunch packed with Fi (fibre) and leave me better off in the Pr (protein) and K (potassium) departments. Not only upping my vitamin stores (A, B and C) via three of my five-a-day quota, it was bringing folic acid and its feel-good friend selenium to the party – the latter an immune-boosting antioxidant that, like vitamin D, we just don’t get enough of in this country as our soils aren’t too rich in it. The Field Doc gang had smuggled the lesser known nutrient in via Brazil nuts which are a great source of the stuff – and actually, now’s a really good time to mention that this chef and dietician-led West Country team are nuts about nuts, so if you’re not (or worse, they’re your health kryptonite) then these are not the ready meals for you. But it was the beefy Brazils I was to partly to thank for the depth of flavour from the fragrant aubergine, courgette, British puy lentil, yellow pea, red pepper, white bean béchamel and pecorino cheese Greek-inspired creation – although the labour-intensive cooking methods employed make a real difference too. Cooking down the veg in extra virgin olive oil, soffritto-style, to concentrate the taste, and focusing on umami flavours, also help keep the salt levels down. It’s the famously robust Mediterranean diet that food-loving entrepreneur Martin Dewey and dietician Sasha Watkins – cofounders – built their range around with the Michelin-star experience of head chef and food educator Matt Williamson. Wholegrains and pulses are added to all meals, which are largely plant based, cooked in small batches and flash frozen to lock in their freshness. When meat does feature, it’s organic. We also tried the field green risotto comprising British naked barley with peas, broad beans, asparagus, courgette, kale, pecorino and ™
another choice nut, chopped almond, and it was equally moreish, with none of the clagginess that risotto sometimes can have (at least, when made by my hand) and a red pepper and chickpea curry with green beans, broccoli, cashews with a very light and fluffy turmeric brown basmati and lentil rice mix. While more importance is placed on substance, and we’re told the dishes are “not designed for Insta”, each looks noticeably high quality and pretty appealing even in its frozen state, and with the flavour profiles to back them up once out of the oven, you feel confident that you’ve genuinely given your body a boost, with zero effort. It’s a satisfying fix when you’re time-poor, up against the clock with a work deadline. Ordering on the website, you can whittle down what’s best for you using your dietary requirements or sorting by health claim – meals specifically designed to benefit the muscles, skin, bones, brain, eyes, heart or gut; meals that are better for energy or immunity. We’re just witnessing the germination of Field Doctor, but the aim is to nurture a regenerative relationship with nature – hence the brand name – and support the move away from intensive farming practices and modern food manufacturing towards sustainable farming, biodiversity and soil restoration, to look after both human health and that of the planet. That’s something we can definitely get behind. ■
• Delivered direct to your door, single meals priced at £6.75 (£9.95 for two), minimum order £25. Use code fdtbm10 for £10 off your order; fielddoctor.co.uk
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FOOD & DRINK | RECIPE
Cool beans
Bristol food entrepreneur Grace Ekall shares a favourite autumnal dish packed with pulses and health plusses
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ell-being coach Grace, who also uses dance to help women with chronic illness to take control of their health, started making hot sauces shortly after her cancer diagnosis in 2005, which prompted her to research the impact of food in relation to health. Very fond of spices, but having to be careful of sugar content, she found she could no longer consume the hot sauces on the market, so, a few years ago, she launched Taste Makossa, after encouragement from family and friends. A sugar-free, vegan-friendly hot sauce made from scotch bonnet and based on an authentic family recipe, it turned out to be something that a lot of people wanted in terms of both taste and health benefits. This month, Grace has kindly shared one of her favourite recipes – full of protein and fibre-rich beans. It’s similar in appearance to chilli con carne but Cameroonians like Grace know it as simply l’haricot. “The dish itself is vegan, sugar and gluten-free, but the real benefits come from the spice of the fresh scotch bonnet,” she says. “This particular type of chilli pepper is rich in vitamins A, B and C, is high in dietary fibre and has great anti-inflammatory properties. You don’t have to be stringent with measurements; just let your creativity flow...”
Like Chilli, But L’haricot Ingredients
2 cups kidney beans 2 tbsp coconut oil 2 red onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed Maldon sea salt, to personal taste 6 fresh tomatoes, chopped 2 tsp tomato puree 4 inches root ginger, diced 1 scotch bonnet chilli 1 stock cube 4 sweet potatoes, wedged Drizzle olive oil Sprinkle black pepper Sprig rosemary
Cook and wellbeing coach Grace Ekall
Method
Soak dry kidney beans in water overnight, making sure the water sits above the beans. (Skipping this step would result in them being tough and chewy.) The following day, drain the softened beans and let them boil in water (four cups’ worth). Add salt, and more water as needed until the beans become tender. Adjust heat as needed. In another pan, gently heat some coconut oil. Add half the chopped onions and let them turn light brown. While the chopped onion is browning, blend the remaining onions, garlic, tomatoes, root ginger, scotch bonnet chilli and puree together. Add the blended mix into the pan of frying onion. Let it sizzle for a few minutes, stirring gently. Next, add the stock and salt to taste, then place the lid on the pot and let simmer in low heat for 20 minutes. Then, add the pre-cooked beans and keep cooking on low heat for another 20 minutes. For the suggested accompaniment of sweet potato wedges, drizzle olive oil onto your prepared wedges. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and rosemary (or herb of your choice) on to taste. Place on baking tray and into the oven pre-heated at 200˚C. Cook for 20-30 minutes on medium heat. ■ • Follow @tastemakossa on Instagram and share your recipe versions using the hashtag #tastemakossarecipes
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No 192
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Our shelves are half empty
We need silver can you help? The Watersmeet Hotel in Woolacombe is a four star hotel on the waters edge with an indoor and outdoor pool & spa. Our two restaurants include a bistro and a fine dining option both with stunning views to the sea.
Our ‘Ramblers Package’ offer during October is superb value and a great time to visit the North Devon coast This fabulous 3 night break includes the following:
• delux sea view room • 3 course dinner, full breakfast • Devon cream tea • £840 per couple See our website for other special offers
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BRISTOL UPDATES NEWS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS The Kenshi game’s red desert landscape
BRISTOL GAME BIG IN JAPAN Two years after their official release, Bristol-based studio Lo-Fi Games has recorded sales surpassing £1.5 million in Japan. Founder Chris Hunt spent over a decade singlehandedly crafting the complex, post-apocalyptic landscape of flagship game Kenshi while working night shifts as a security guard and it wasn’t until the game’s ‘early access’ release on Steam in 2012 that he was able to expand the team, bringing sister Natalie on board as director. As a community of fans emerged, there was marked interest coming from gamers in Japan, the third largest gaming market in the world. Ahead of Kenshi’s release in 2018, the Department for International Trade assisted Lo-Fi Games with a bursary to exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show which led to over 89,000 downloads. “Kenshi is a unique offering in Japan where linear and console games tend to be more popular,” said Natalie, now working on Kenshi 2. “It has been enthusiastically received by players increasingly interested in ‘open world’ games like ours. We have always strived to create a game that we are passionate about, free from the pressures of investors. Our success overseas has enabled us to maintain our independence.” • lofigames.com
REOPENING THIS MONTH M Shed, Bristol Archives and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery are opening their doors to visitors – M Shed and Bristol Archives on 8 September, and Bristol Museum on 15 September – having undergone rigorous risk assessments to make sure that they are Covid-secure, with visitor numbers limited and visits to be booked in advance. There will be priority timeslots for vulnerable groups and children with special educational needs. ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019’ has been extended until 4 October at M Shed; ‘Do You Believe In Magic?’ and ‘Being Human’ at Bristol Museum until 28 February and 5 April respectively. Meanwhile, Watershed reopened on 1 September with a host of brilliant films that are at their best seen in the unique shared experience of a darkened cinema. Open Tuesday-Sunday, Watershed will run its cinema programme Thursday-Sunday. Visitors will find one-way systems, sanitising stations, new signage, changes to the way the toilets are used, pre-booking, contactless payment and table service, meaning visitors can now order food on their phone, laptop or tablet if they wish. Film highlights include Suhaib Gasmelbari’s documentary Talking About Trees and Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. “Lockdown enabled us to develop new ways of engaging with remote audiences and we don’t want that to stop,” said CEO Clare Reddington. “We will continue to work with distributors to present films online where available, and our Studio Lunchtime talks will also continue online for now. We are also beginning research into how we produce accessible hybrid events – designed for audiences both in venue and online.” • bristolmuseums.org.uk; watershed.co.uk
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No 192
IMPROVING PROCEDURE
Image: CEL UK
Researchers from UWE Bristol are exploring how 3D technology can be used to improve surgical training by creating organ simulators which look and feel like real body parts. The three-year project is one of a number of PhDs funded by the Appearance Printing European Advanced Research School. The aim is to create interconnected model organs which mimic the appearance, elasticity and consistency of human tissue, thereby giving surgeons a realistic simulation on which to practice more complex procedures. Led by senior research fellow David Huson, the project builds upon previous pilot studies into how 3D technologies can be used to develop low-cost, high-fidelity surgical simulation models. “This is a cross-disciplinary project, and we will be working closely with scientists, artists and surgeons to develop and test a working prototype,” said David. “Physical organ simulators offer a more ethical alternative to human cadavers or animal subjects which are often expensive to obtain and difficult to access.’’ PhD researcher Marine Shao, who is also working on the project, said: ‘‘While there are a number of commercial organ simulators available, they tend to reproduce just the most common procedures and do not accurately replicate the properties and feel of human tissue. This research project will address those limitations and develop a low-cost method of producing organ simulations which are cheaper to produce and more realistic than existing simulators.” • uwe.ac.uk
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WHY YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING DOESN’T WORK Your digital consultant’s job is to amplify you and your core message to your chosen audience. But if these three basics are not right, there’s very little they can do for you. I’m not a digital expert, but I have invested in digital strategies for over a decade for my own businesses. Let’s start with YOU. If you lack the confidence to sell yourself and your services, then don’t expect much from any marketing. Invest in yourself before investing in your business. Your self-doubt can manifest in procrastination, poor quality content, and ineffective sales conversations. So even though you may get leads, you may not be able to convert enough of them to reach your goals.
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Secondly, how deep have you empathised with your potential clients? Are they just an avatar or do you know how they feel, what they want, and what kind of person they need to help them? And here’s another thing most people don’t think about: you have a story that makes you choose to do what you do. Are you picking the market that resonates with your story and your uniqueness? And finally, what is your marketing style? I found it hard to do a webinar script that offered very little content for 45 minutes, and strings people along with lots of promises at the end. It may work for many, but that’s just not me. I have a lot of knowledge to share and I don’t mind sharing it. By knowing my style, I can shape my content scripts to fit me and my personality. And that makes marketing fun for me. What about you? Do you know your marketing style? Is marketing fun for you? You can set your expectations towards your digital consultant, but in my view, you need to also own up to your own responsibilities to build a strong foundation to help them get results faster for you. I hope this has helped you. If you want talk more, contact me. I’m happy to give you an objective point of view.
I help dedicated self-employed professionals create a comprehensive marketing approach in only 3 sessions, so they can reach their dream life without wasting time and money. Find out more about The Brave Zone at www.thebravezone.com or book an Initial Discovery Session to get fresh perspectives for your business.
www.thebristolmag.co.uk/subscribe or Tel: 0117 974 2800
Email her at cynthia@thebravezone.com
THE
BR I S T O L MAGAZINE
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BRISTOL UPDATES NEWS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS xxx
REDUCING THE IMPACT OF POVERTY Bristol’s only baby bank is asking for support due to a surge in demand as a result of Covid-19. Volunteer-run Baby Bank Network collects and re-distributes pre-loved items to women and children fleeing domestic and sexual abuse, families coming out of homelessness, refugees and low-income families. The charity – also in need of donations to buy items that cannot be re-used, such as cot mattresses and bottle teats – was helping almost 170 Bristol families every month before lockdown, supplying bespoke bundles of essentials to those who could not afford them. Then, incoming items stopped, fundraising events were cancelled and regular giving was reduced as families tightened their belts, and it became clear than an emergency response was desperately needed. “We help, on average, 40 vulnerable women and families every week and for us to stop our service meant many had to go without basic supplies,” said co-founder Becky Gilbert. “Naturally more families will need our help as more people are pushed towards poverty. These could be anyone; your neighbours, friends and family members. There is a huge backlog of referrals, we have reduced warehouse space due to distancing guidelines and our volunteer capacity is greatly reduced.” Donations of big-ticket items such as prams and cots are greatly appreciated; check the website and Twitter feed for up-to-date requirements. • babybanknetwork.com
THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH South Bristol Enterprise Support – a new service for local residents and businesses – launched over the summer for those looking to start a business, and existing businesses looking to grow. Bristol City Council is leading the partnership with Knowle West Media Centre, The Princes Trust, School for Social Entrepreneurs, and YTKO Ltd. Existing small and medium-sized enterprises and residents based in the area could be eligible for support from providers who have expertise in a range of areas including business training and mentoring, supporting young people in enterprise and digital manufacturing. The support offered includes pre-start up training packages, bursaries, access to workshops and digital manufacturing technologies at Knowle West Media Centre’s creative innovation space The Factory, plus support with product development, business coaching, a review of the business needs and specialist support. “Working collaboratively with key city partners is going to be vital to the recovery of Bristol, and SBES will help to help people from all walks of life who have brilliant ideas to turn them into thriving businesses,” said mayor Marvin Rees. Penny Evans, strategic lead for Knowle West Media Centre, The Factory, added: “We’ve been based in South Bristol for many years and we know that there is talent and creativity in abundance here – but many people haven’t had the opportunities or support to realise their ideas. We’re looking forward to supporting people who want to become part of a growing community of maker businesses – no previous experience of digital manufacturing or design will be required!” The project will support any sector of business but will include specialist advice for construction, digital and food businesses. It will also provide specific support for young people, social entrepreneurs and women. Plaster Creative Enterprise, a South Bristol based marketing business, is providing support to promote the project across South Bristol.
The defibrillator is now accessible to the public
Weston RNLI lifeboat station now has a publicly accessible heart defibrillator thanks to the generosity of the family of one of its previous crew, Brian Ward. A long-serving crew member at Weston RNLI station, Brian arranged for a defibrillator to be installed some time ago as, while volunteer lifeboat crew are highly trained in casualty care, a stopped heart needs more than sophisticated first aid. So that the station would be able to cope with cardiac arrest, Brian arranged with the British Heart Foundation, after some research, to acquire one. It was installed in the station but because it was not protected from vandalism it was placed inside the boathouse doors which meant it was only available when crew were in attendance. Brian sadly passed away in 2019 and a year later his family held a remembrance day, raising enough money for an external cabinet for the defibrillator – now fixed in place at the station on Knightstone Plaza so anyone who needs the defibrillator can use it to help save someone, even if the crew are not in attendance. “Brian Ward was a stalwart of our crew,” said Mike Buckland, lifeboat operations manager for the Weston crew. “He was always trying to help people, hence him arranging for the defibrillator to be acquired. His family have been tremendous in helping us fund the cabinet to make it publicly accessible.” • rnli.org
• sbes.org.uk
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A LIFE-SAVING LEGACY
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
A dose of community, care and kindness Ade Williams, lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy, community champion and brilliant ambassador for Bristol, speaks on health injustices unveiled by the pandemic, and the importance of keeping up with self-care as we head into autumn
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he broader cost to society of the pandemic is becoming more evident. In the face of what has seemed like an inexorable threat to our physical and mental wellbeing, many of us have unconsciously morphed, and these accelerated changes stemming from Covid-19 have sometimes even eclipsed the virus itself. Injustices are being laid bare as this ill wind blows away the cloak of camouflage, revealing that even in our shared experiences, social injustice means race, gender and financial status unfairly sets some people up to suffer much more. Recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that the proportion of people in the UK suffering with depression has doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic, with stress and anxiety being most commonly reported. With daily reports of job losses – pulling the rug from under already hard-pressed families – ongoing unplanned life disruptions and our increasing lack of confidence in leadership, it can sadly feel relentless. Amid this onslaught, here are some much needed useful tips on how to boost mental wellbeing: • Look after yourself. Where possible, try to maintain a daily routine and prioritise your wellbeing and mental health. Caring for others and the burdens of balancing life and work can take their toll. Remember this always: Seeking help is not weakness. • Stay connected to others. Keeping in touch with your friends and family as well as and checking in on others, especially those more vulnerable, is very important. • Talk with children. Be aware that children, even those who are very young, can tell when something is wrong. The changes in our behaviour, the impact of stress/exhaustion and most certainly the absence of some familiar faces and places will leave them puzzled and, many times, even scared. Take the time to talk with them and provide age-appropriate support to help them cope. • Only access health information from UK health organisations and reputable sources. Please avoid continually monitoring the news and social media feeds. Misinformation and inaccurate reporting cause much confusion and panic. The Coronavirus Support App (UK) created by a team of over 40 UK health professionals led by award-winning Bristol GP Dr Knut Schroeder is certainly worth downloading.
• Act responsibly. We all have a vital part to play: wearing masks, getting tested, socially distancing, self-isolating if necessary, adhering to hand hygiene, to name a few things. Please have no doubt, your actions will not only directly impact others but may even ultimately keep them alive. Profoundly our collective courage has driven us to seize hold of and share hope across the city, resulting in extraordinary acts of kindness. We proactively find ways to support each other while restoring dignity through our generosity. As an NHS professional, I know that the values shared by all colleagues include the convictions that our work is life-affirming and enhancing. Amid this upheaval, the visible demonstrations of how we have always gone about this captivated Bristolians. We are not heroes; this is our community, our city, home to our friends, neighbours and loved ones. Please be assured that our care and expertise remains available and accessible. To keep us all safe, things may look different; likewise, the processes followed or used, but please do not ever hesitate to contact us if you need to. Together we will get through this. ■
• Follow Ade on Twitter: @adewilliamsnhs or @bedminsterpharm
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Tjawangwa Dema (image: by Petra Rolinec)
Lawrence Hoo (image: CARGO Movement)
Shagufta Iqbal (image: Kiran Gidda)
Connor Macleod (image: Ray Roberts)
Rebecca Tantony
Caleb Parkin (image: Paul Samuel White)
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EDUCATION
Poetry in motion
The art form may have been deemed temporarily expendable by Ofqual but in Bristol it’s never been more alive and well, enjoying a “brilliantly energised” renaissance as it moves forward – a tool for learning and accessible means of expression
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here’s a lot going on in the world of spoken word this autumn, starting with citywide celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the death of prolific pre-Romantic poet Thomas Chatterton (the Redcliffe resident who died by suicide aged just 17, see p32). Exploring the legacy of the young literary figure, the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership project will be building on knowledge of his life and times and bigging up our vibrant, diverse poetry scene as it stands today. But that’s by no means where things end. Here in Bristol, poetry is experiencing a resurgence not only as a popular creative art form – with our third official city poet ready and waiting in the wings to take over from Vanessa Kisuule – but also as a choice educational tool outside of traditional curricula. Over the summer, filming took place for CARGO Classroom – a new set of audio-visual teaching materials created from a collection of award-winning poet Lawrence Hoo’s writings, seeking to bring balance to history syllabi and traditionally one-sided learning around subjects such as the transatlantic slave trade. The creative collective behind it, CARGO Movement, develops digital heritage resources for schools and the broader public – evocatively celebrating the resilience and visionary leadership of Black individuals who catalysed change and moved society forward. Its founders have long been dedicated to broadening Bristol’s understanding of its history and living legacy, putting forward missing narratives from our past and inspiring visualisation of a future full of pride and possibility. The first Classroom iteration, delivered with One Bristol Curriculum, Arts Council England and creative partners including pioneering, globally celebrated Bristolian band Massive Attack, will take the form of a set of downloadable history lesson plans for Key Stage 3 teachers. Not only innovative in their spoken word and audiovisual format, inspiring creative participation from learners, the interactive online features are innovative in their broadening of perspectives. Elsewhere, more and more spoken word collectives are sparking into life locally – those who converse in verse often using social media to link like-minded stanza fans – and some of the best Bristol wordsmiths are steadily gaining higher profiles. It all seems a little out of step with the recent news that poetry is to be made an optional element of GCSE English literature, and later in this feature we ask a handful of our many fabulous local poets for their thoughts on the news.
Citywide celebration
In the meantime, A Poetic City – now likely to be extended into early 2021 – is set to inspire writers of the future. Woven into the programme are contemporary themes such as the nature of celebrity; fake news and fake art; ongoing barriers to accessing culture in the city; arts and mental health; artistic credulity and credibility; and the resurrection of the Gothic. Keep an eye on Festival of Ideas’ website (ideasfestival.co.uk) for readings, events and workshops led by Lyra, Bristol’s new poetry festival. Two new publications about poetry have also been produced and will be distributed for free across the city in October – one, a comic telling the Chatterton story, and the second an anthology with 13 new poems, seven by Bristol-based poets, responding to Chatterton’s life and legacy. Romantic Bristol: Writing the City will see two new layers to its free smartphone app, and there are plans for a new interpretation scheme for the Chatterton room at St Mary Redcliffe as well as a Chatterton sculpture commission, plus tourism content on the theme of literary Bristol and a range of panel discussions, walking tours and symposiums.
Four writers-in-residence have also settled in for stints at the RWA, St Mary Redcliffe, Red Lodge and Glenside Hospital Museum. Shagufta Iqbal is the poet taking up the challenge of absorbing the archive materials at the latter – the former Bristol Lunatic Asylum, where a suicide awareness programme is also being rolled out – in order to form a creative response centred around poetry and mental health. In among work on her debut novel, new poetry and podcasts for Kiota Bristol – a collective for creatives of colour – busy Shagufta will be Festival of Ideas’ writer-in-residence at Glenside until November, with a commissioned work due to launch on World Mental Health Day (10 October) with a series of sharings and a workshop (check glensidemuseum.org.uk). They’ll present an opportunity to engage in the long history of Bristol and mental heath and a conversation on wellbeing, particularly in relation to the pandemic. Bristol has, time and time again, shown itself to be a city that really is about its communities, says Shagufta, whose aim is to create a space where people can come together and offer support to one another. ‘Day-glo queero techno eco poet and facilitator’ Caleb Parkin is another commissioned to commemorate the Chatterton anniversary. Tutor for Poetry Society, Poetry School and First Story, he takes over as Bristol’s third city poet in October and will mark the start of the new tenure with an energetic verbal manifesto before performing a second commission at Marvin Rees’ State of the City address – a sensitive piece reflecting on what a strange, difficult and – for many – traumatic year 2020 has been. “There are big questions around now and I think poetry’s place isn’t to answer them,” says Caleb. “It’s more important poems invite discussion about complexity, nuance and possibilities – about what makes each of us different, as well as what connects us.”
Curriculum vital
It’s why the subject has an importance place in formative education, as many local poets agree. We spoke to Caleb, Shagufta and Lawrence, along with Rebecca Tantony – writer-in-residence at St Mary Redcliffe – poet and musician Solomon O.B – also UK Slam champion 2016 and TEDx and UNICEF speaker – anarchic ‘stand-up poet’ Connor Macleod, and Tjawangwa Dema – poet, teaching artist and honorary senior research associate at the University of Bristol’s Department of English – about their views, experiences and different paths through poetry. TBM: What was your own experience of poetry in the classroom? Caleb: Poetry definitely resonated with me, as a wordy, sensitive child. For me, poetry has felt like a way of honing my chattiness into an art form, seeing what squidging language into different shapes can do. At GCSE, I wrote a book of poems and the process really confirmed that poetry had a special place in my creative and inner life. If I hadn’t been offered that space to write, explore and develop, I might not have ended up carrying a notebook around with me ever since… Lawrence: I don’t recall having an interest in poetry in school. I used to love writing stories in primary school but my handwriting, spelling and grammar was poor. I was made to hold a pen between my thumb and forefinger when I naturally held it between my forefinger and middle finger. This led to me losing interest in English and storytelling. Tjawangwa: I studied in Botswana and in the classroom it was the reading of stories that drew me to language, not poetry, specifically. That said, outside of the classroom I heard (not read) poetry with some regularity. It impressed me and impressed upon me an appreciation for
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EDUCATION how a stranger’s story can resonate personally. At university, I suddenly recognised this educational gap and wished I had been exposed to poetry earlier; its absence/sporadic presence made the climb much steeper. Connor: I loved poetry analysis as a kid. The only nickname I ever got in school was as a direct result of my passion for poetry analysis – my classmates called me Death Metaphor because I could usually argue that any particular image in a piece was somehow a metaphor for death and decay. I really resonated with this analysis and it sparked my interest in more general literary analysis which is now what I do for a job.
If we want young people to feel able to cope with uncertainty, differences of opinion – inquiring about the language around them – they’ll need poetry as much as trigonometry
poetry through rap and to this day I would say I’m more influenced by rappers than I am by poets – though that is changing of late. It’s the dexterity of what you can do at rap speed, the messages you can communicate, the energy you can convey; it’s such a powerful instrument. Then I slowly found there was more room to speak and really be heard in spoken word context. That opened me up to the importance and potency of words, when used right. Buddy Carson gave me my first ever poetry set – 2016, pub in Bedminster. That was followed with Malaika Kegode with Milk Poetry. Rebecca Tantony was always a really encouraging presence, when she was doing Hammer & Tongue Bristol. Her and Thommie Gillow were probably happier than me when I grabbed the national title! Zena Edwards was a big influence in my early development. She mentored me for around six months and that laid a lot of foundations to progress to the next level of being a performer. Shagufta: It was Bristol Black Writers that gave me the incentive, encouragement and confidence to imagine myself as a poet – without which I would not have found this love as quickly as I did. I owe Kuumba and the Bristol Black Writers an immense gratitude for providing an environment that nourished my curiosity about poetry. I also spent many years running workshops with Glenn Carmichael with the Poetry Slam, and learnt so much about performance and audience engagement from him. Bristol really will miss his commitment and drive for poetry. Are you concerned about Ofqual’s decision?
Solomon: I struggled to relate to a lot of what was on the curriculum. So much so that in year nine, I asked if I could read the lyrics to Plan B’s Charmaine in place of some Shakespeare. We were reading about a love affair gone wrong. Clearly I saw more relevancy in the music I was listening to than what we were prescribed. I got onto the pathway of
Shagufta: It’s heartbreaking, of course. Now, more than ever, we have seen how much the arts have given people light in a very difficult time. Lawrence: Poetry is having a renaissance, connecting with diverse communities and voices who are embracing it. If ever there was a time to increase poetry’s use within the curriculum to engage and educate, you would have thought that time was now. Solomon: I am. But it falls in line with a society that has, for a long time, only placed value on certain types of intelligence. IQ, intellect. Emotional intelligence, awareness, spatial intelligence, other ways of being sensitive to the world don’t hold the same weight. But we are about to see a real shift in this. The value of being able to decode emotion and feeling and our relationship to body and mind is going to change in line with our environment. There will be a lot of suffering otherwise. Connor: Oh, Ofqual’s decision is diabolically wack. You wouldn’t make algebra an optional part of GCSE maths, would you? That being said, it completely makes sense. Education in our country has less to do with letting kids explore the world as they wish, and more to do with creating productive workers. The sciences are more employable than the arts, so of course the government is going to atomise the curriculum as a means of minimising our kids’ exposure to anything that isn’t going to get them a ‘proper job’. Tjawangwa: At the least, it is a narrow, ungenerous educational model. At worst it suggests a precursor for a model with dangerously low regard for what poetry and creative thinking offers us as human beings and the way this is connected to our capacity for thinking critically and empathetically. It is unfortunate timing for many reasons. This decision comes just as Arts Council England and the London School of Economics
Poetry is always having to prove itself – is it dead? Is it thriving? Is it valuable?
explore flagshipping SHAPE (social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy); a practice-shaping acronym to hold up alongside the much more familiar STEM. But I suppose poetry is always having to prove itself – is it dead? Is it thriving? Is it valuable? Is this form ‘real’ poetry? Even in this current moment where poetry has done a fine job of ‘proving’ its attraction to and its position as a go-to for those who are faced with life events they are struggling with distilling or reconciling with their humanity, it now has this hurdle, too, to overcome. Look,
Some poets, such as Solomon O.B – pictured performing at AiDU’s Live from the Jam Jar session in St Judes – find their entry point into the form through musical genres such as rap and hip hop (image: © AiDU)
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EDUCATION ‘everyone’ engages with poetry and what this moment has taught us is that it is a life skill rooted in self-expression, it’s not merely the preserve of the elite or literary practitioners. We all benefit from a relationship with it. We know this, though the children might not yet. Poetry was here before all of us who are alive to read this and will be here after us so I’m not concerned about it as an art form. But yes, education is all the poorer for not remaining fully and consistently in conversation with poetry. My fear is that when we take steps towards removing subjects like poetry from publicly accessible and mainstream education they are lost to those who can little afford to access them any other way. Caleb: The government has said it’s just for one year, to alleviate pressures teachers and young people are under because of the pandemic. My understanding is that teachers can choose to drop one area: poetry, 19th-century novel, or post 1914 fiction and drama. But I suspect many pressured teachers would drop poetry, as many find it difficult to teach. As a thought experiment, what if they’d made one of the sciences optional instead? (I’m not denigrating other subjects and actually think cross-curricular work should be the norm.) Perhaps capacity did need to be freed up in the curriculum, but it’s interesting that poetry was viewed as the most expendable. At a time when young people were facing huge challenges already, compounded by the pandemic, and with the UK poetry scene so brilliantly energised, why drop it now? Poetry is where we go to work with language and explore ideas, that little container of words which can become a creative arena for discussion – not just a utilitarian tool for instruction manuals and legal documents (although they’re both great styles to play with in a poem). If we truly want young people to feel able to cope with uncertainty, ambiguity, ambivalence, differences of opinion – to be critical and inquiring about the language around them – then they’ll need poetry as much as they’ll need trigonometry.
Students shine, where they have otherwise been written off; the quietest transform into magical storytellers. Poetry allows us to offer the most distilled versions of our truths
Is it easier and more effective to keep poetry alive and relevant to young people outside the classroom than in it? Connor: You could say that about any subject. Physics is a lot more exciting in BBC documentaries about the birth of the universe than it is in classrooms where you spend an hour attaching bulldog clips to lightbulbs and batteries. That isn’t to say that poetry can’t be living and relevant within classrooms, but it’s about blurring the line between the two – taking kids to poetry events, booking poets to run workshops. Poetry will always continue and remain relevant, but without its introduction into classrooms and workshops, many kids may never give it a go themselves. Rebecca: As a teenager, the poets I studied in school rarely had that resonance with me, because they weren’t contemporary and therefore relatable or igniting new reference points for the world I inhabited. Yet the language of music did offer that – listening to hip hop was my introduction to poetry and through that the recognition of craft, technique and the power of storytelling. In that sense, you could argue that poetry is something alive and relevant outside the classroom, but surely it’s about finding those ways to expand learning beyond what we think it is and where it should be found. Poetry and spoken word can offer a transformative entry point into understanding who we are, and the world around us. What better education is there than that? Solomon: It happens every day. In the charts (quality questionable), in lyrics all over. In conversations on the street without people even realising it. Poetry is alive as long as language is. Shagufta: Poetry should be part and parcel of classroom education – it encourages imagination, play and confidence with how we use language.
Cutting it out, even if temporarily, at this crucial time where we are having to re-navigate the world, is a terrible decision. Caleb: It’s both/and, not either/or. We need more poetry, not less – it should be kept alive in a way that teachers and students can find inspiring within the classroom. And it should be kept alive in the classroom to honour to the fact that it will – as an ancient art form and fundamentally human means of connection – inevitably be kept alive outside of it. Tjawangwa: I do not believe this is an either/or scenario – we’ve lost already if we view it that way. Instead, it is a collaborative project that views the classroom and life spaces outside the classroom as a looped continuum. The spaces must speak to each other. Are you inspired by poets of the past? What is their classroom value? Tjawangwa: I’m quite shameless about my preoccupation with multiple influences and voices regardless of era. I follow the work and the questions the work asks, or answers, or ignores. I often worry if, and where, the work of certain poets is excluded. I believe strongly in a growing, responsive canon that remains open to reflection and builds and dismantles itself accordingly. In the context of a canon like this I think ‘poets of the past’ would have much to offer us. In isolation, or to the exclusion of newer, or under-represented voice, they undo or skew ideas of who is capable of producing, and what counts as, great poetry. Connor: Poets and poems from the past are, of course, useful texts for exploring an evolution in language, theme and imagery as it pertains to a shifting historical context. Certain poems like First They Came ought to be essential pieces to discuss as a classroom for at least a lesson. I’m much more inspired by my contemporaries than historical poets, but I have written pieces directly inspired by classic work such as T.S. Eliot’s Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock before. Caleb: For me, John Donne was a contemporary thinker in the 16th century. Sometimes it feels like his poems reach across those centuries and right into my thinking, right now. But for me, the ‘canon’ as it’s currently thought of is too narrow. It tends to be a very particular demographic (ie, privileged white men) because other voices weren’t equipped to write poems, or didn’t have them documented for posterity. That’s not the case now and poetry can and should offer a much broader view. The curriculum should be truly representative, allowing teachers to make their own decisions about what will engage students. Educators might bring in poetry from across centuries to demonstrate how themes and ideas can be shared, the ways we’ve changed and, perhaps, made progress... Solomon: I am as I grow more into poetry. Khalil Gibran, Rumi. Poetry in scripture is full of amazing imagery and phrasing. I think that’s the main value it holds for me. The language and approach of a time past. We speak in a different tongue these days. It’s nice to hear the world framed in a different voice and it opens up some of the universal more for me. The eternal that was articulated as clearly then as we ever could now. Is it important to keep introducing modern poetry in the classroom and have a diverse offering rather than just revering the past? Shagufta: 100% – art should relate to its audience and the experience of its audience. While there are works that are timeless in their themes, it is important for young people to feel their experience/perspective is part of the poetic discourse. Otherwise poetry can seem an insular and exclusive world, and it has had a hard time trying to shake that image of itself. Connor: It’s essential to bring modern poetry, especially modern local poetry, into classrooms. It’s all well and good giving students Auden and Owen to pick apart, they are hugely influential writers after all. But without modern poetry or even poetry being written within the student’s lifetime, poetry can sometimes feel like this dead thing, an archaeological subject. It’s also vital to showcase Black poets in the same vein. My experience with Black poetry began and ended at Benjamin Zephaniah’s Talking Turkeys. I wouldn’t find out about famous contemporary Black poets like Maya Angelou and Akala until well after I left school. Solomon: As much as classic works should be admired we have to constantly update and use language to decode our times. Our selves. Young people need to have access to their own sense of language to connect to poetry. Otherwise the disconnect is quick. Tjawangwa: Absolutely. This I think has everything to do with why
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children sometimes get bored with poetry, when it’s not responsive or relatable to them. The idea isn’t to only give the children what they want – no parent would let their child eat ice cream every day, but challenge and fun are not mutually exclusive. This responsiveness also has implications across intersections such as race and gender – if we are barely beginning to come to grips with including the experiences and work of people not racialised as white in mainstream publishing or prize lists or reviews then it’s unlikely their work was prioritised in old canons. Additionally, there’s just tons of exciting, explorative, exemplary writing happening in recent literary history and in real time. How have you inspired students and collaborators? Lawrence: Through creating and delivering unapologetic poetic content challenging the status quo and continuing to be consistent while still developing and evolving along my own personal journey of discovery. CARGO Classroom will be launching a set of verified, high-quality teaching resources for history that embraces poetry as a method for sharing human stories. Shagufta: Workshops with young people are the most rewarding part of my work. It allows students to be braver and think more creatively, with their own opinion in relation to the world. I have seen students shine, where they have otherwise been written off. I have seen the quietest students transform into magical storytellers. Poetry allows us to offer the most distilled versions of our truths, and young people can do incredible things with this opportunity.
Adding in that unexpected element can make it possible to articulate things you didn’t even know you knew, or felt, before
Caleb: One of the joys of my work is finding exactly the right poem, approach, and activity for an individual or group. Sometimes, this means poems about things I’m not really into (ie, football poems!) so that a group can get into the idea of poetry through that topic. I tend to use a few approaches drawn from experimental traditions, like cut-ups, blackout poems, decks of cards, collages. These have a way of disrupting what we think a ‘poem’ is or should be and freeing people up to play and experiment with language. Even when you work with personal stories, adding in that unexpected element can make it possible to articulate things you didn’t even know you knew, or felt, before writing it. How hard do you think it is to inspire younger children who might see poetry as stuffy and boring; is the curriculum diverse enough to do this? Connor: It needn’t be hard to inspire kids today! The biggest step to making poetry less ‘stuffy and boring’ is to show that people are still making it. I’ve gone into classrooms before to talk to children and to get them writing poetry and it’s wild how quickly they go from perplexed that an actual human being still makes poetry as part of their career to enthusiastically producing their own work. Tjawangwa: Diversifying reading lists/chosen texts is one way of auditing what might be considered stuffy or boring, but more needs doing. Children, rightfully, have notoriously exacting palates and by bringing well-chosen, practising writers into the classroom we can mitigate these ideas of boredom. I expect that teachers have their contractual obligations to meet – grading rubrics, materials to cover, syllabi and all that – while visiting poets have some leeway to bring creative freedom to the students even as they build skills and have a new face to engage with. What does an understanding of poetry bring to young minds? Rebecca: Poetry gives a voice to current affairs, both on a personal and collective level. Therefore it’s vital that contemporary responses to the 46 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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world at large are offered through literature, and that we are shown this through a wealth of voices. Readers and listeners want to hear a narrative which resonates, applies to them or moves them into understanding someone or something else in greater depth. That is the beauty of art, to transcend what we know, while still offering reference points for what is ordinary and every day. Solomon: A different lens to see the world through. An idea might translate in a whole new way through poetry. It’s its own language. And that language might just be the key that unlocks a trouble a young person is dealing with; helps them understand themselves and how they relate to this world a little clearer. Caleb: Working with First Story, Poetry Society and Paper Nations, I’ve seen how the cycle of reading and writing can improve confidence, emotional literacy, group cohesion, speaking and listening. Poetry can offer a space for young people to affirm their sense of self, explore ideas, be challenged and challenging, and rediscover their joy of language. This last one is a big one for me: lots of us stop playing as we move into what we think is ‘adulthood’. (What is it, anyway?) There’s plenty of evidence that having no element of play in our lives is bad for health and resilience. There are lots of ways people play, but if you’re interested in language and creativity, poetry can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding. Connor: Aside from the obvious cultural enrichment, discussing, analysing, creating, and performing poetry gives kids a host of skills – efficient and persuasive writing, debating artistic merit and meaning, the understanding of local, national and international history through the evolution of artforms, an understanding of contemporary, living history and current events. Anthony Anaxagorou’s I Am Not A Poet uncovers a greater swathe of the sins of the UK, both internationally and domestically, in under six minutes, than any one hour lesson ever could. Tjawangwa: Some people think poetry is expendable because it is a form of play. I’m not here to say otherwise. I think poetry is definitely partly a practice of pedagogical play, but this is a thing to celebrate not undermine. It may be that we need to have conversations with early childhood development specialists who look at play to ask them how this functions in the teen/adult classroom because play and productivity are entangled. And of course, poetry is not all play, it is a practice that can and should demand rigour: reading widely, ‘analysing’ or close reading, discussing text and context. Poems often deal with difficult subjects from the very personal to the overtly political and this can create opportunities for students to become aware of themselves as citizens in the world. Why is poetry having such a renaissance in Bristol? Lawrence: Poetry’s profile always seems to rise in times of despair and with the recessions, elections, Brexit, Black Lives Matter and the coronavirus – to name just a few of the shocks to the system over the last decade – it doesn’t surprise me poetry is back in favour. Solomon: It is direct, clear communication of nuanced and big ideas, thoughts, feelings, perspectives. When you have a medium that functions that way, in a time when the landscape is becoming increasingly unclear and unpredictable, people are naturally going to be drawn to the thing that can bring clarity. In so much confusion. And chaos. Poetry is the magnifying glass. It brings clarity. It vents pent up emotion. It’s... a lot. Shagufta: It is the hard work and dedication from our artists who are leading the way for poetry in Bristol. Also, it is clear to see how much poetry speaks to people, how it gives space and a place to stop and reflect in a hectic world. What are your observations on poetry as a vehicle that can help people articulate difficult things within its flexible framework and devices? Lawrence: For me, poetry is the ultimate freedom to express. No rules, no form, no boundaries, no permission required. Just write what feels right, don’t get caught up in constructs. Shagufta: I think the root of spoken-word poetry is often found in a vulnerable place – it does not claim to know the answers. It often acts as a way to reflect back the world, question or challenge, without enforcing an opinion. It should leave the reader/audience to see things from a new perspective in a delicate and empathetic way. It is about a sharing of experience, accepting that we are human. I think poetry can speak to us all, and make us feel less alone. ■
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GARDENING EDUCATION
Aisha developed a pilot to trial in schools, to provide a framework for schools to begin to address the lack of black history in the curriculum, an idea that came from a conversation with her neighbour Whisper
From a Whisper to a shout: Representation matters The task of tackling racial inequality in schools should not fall on the shoulders of BAME teachers, however Bristol educator Aisha Thomas is committed to championing this change
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n a variety of roles, I have had the experience of working within several education settings. I am Black British Caribbean and currently an assistant principal and the founder of an organisation called Representation Matters. In my current position, I speak to and work with various different school leaders, thus providing me with a good understanding of how schools are navigating the issue of race in education and the way in which the curriculum plays a crucial part in change. It has been three years since the Runnymede Trust report named Bristol the most racially segregated city. While many will argue that Bristol is a very vibrant and rich, multi-cultural city, with great places to visit and experience, there are stark inequalities in the educational experiences of the children and young people that the city serves. Published by the Runnymede Trust and the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), the report saw Bristol rank seventh (number one being worst) out of the 348 districts of England and Wales on the Runnymede Trust’s index of multiple inequality. The report specifically noted that the current curriculum is unrepresentative and that this could result in poor educational outcomes for those students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) 48 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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backgrounds. The truth is, this is the experience of many BAME children and young people. They are in an education system that does not allow them to see themselves in their curriculum. One parent said, “To see a version of the world that seems to exclude you, your history and your culture, is to be confronted with a ladder of opportunities minus the rungs.” Many children and young people enter classrooms and they are told about the greatness of other people who do not look like them; they hear how people who look like them have been conquered. Yet they do not hear or experience any celebration of themselves – well, maybe in October! Black History Month (BHM) is often the vehicle which is used to celebrate. Yet the quality and extent of this varies greatly between schools and is often dependent on the overworking of individuals, often BAME individuals, who then go above and beyond their duties. As BHM is often not embedded into the culture of the school, when staff leave, for instance, or have a change in responsibility, the work is often not done. Then those staff who wish to support BHM can struggle, due to their lack of knowledge and training. While BHM does provide a vehicle for discussion on race, it is often the totality of what teachers could say about race, diversity and anti-racist practice in the curriculum.
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Is it possible that racial superiority could be stripped of its crown, and instead, all races are sworn in with equal importance?
So how did I address the curriculum?
Discussions about racial injustice and working towards change can be emotionally draining, however it is necessary to ensure that future generations have a better experience of representation in their education. Allyship is a crucial and is imperative if we want true change. Most middle, senior leader and CEOs are White British, therefore unity and commitment for change is needed by all. I developed a pilot to trial in schools, to provide a framework for schools to begin to address the lack of Black history in the curriculum. Teachers reported that they were very keen to add ‘colour’ into the curriculum and support the ‘decolonisation of the curriculum’ agenda, however, many cited capacity and knowledge as a barrier to change. I partnered with two primary schools to pilot a simple framework that could be used to support schools in their ambitions to fully integrate Black history in the curriculum, thus moving away from the Black history tick box. The idea was born out of a conversation that I had with my neighbour. One day I was talking to my neighbour, Whisper, whose name I had always thought was a nickname before he explained to me that, in his home country of Zimbabwe, children are often named after what their parents would like them to become. Whisper was named by his grandfather to mean ‘quiet person’. That then got me thinking; well, what is in a name?
The idea was that the concept of ‘what is in a…’ could be applied to so many aspects of life: paintings, pictures, music etc. The theme can bridge the gap between different communities, while making it relatable at the same time. The theme allowed students to recognise the contribution of Black history, while finding a link and connection with their community and understanding of the world.
What positive steps can we take as educators?
Audit your practice It is important that schools take a moment to pause and reflect on where they are in their journey. This will ensure it is not a tick-box exercise. Time must be taken to consult and review. Your audit should consider staffing, environment, imagery, curriculum and policies. Improve your workforce Take the opportunity to review the data related to your workforce. How diverse are your teams? Is there a gap in progression or pay? Are your recruitment practices fair? Training Are you investing in the knowledge of your staff? Have they received anti-racist training? Do they understand concepts such as intersectionality, micro-aggressions, and White privilege? One Bristol Curriculum and similar projects If internal knowledge is lacking, connect with organisations that have expertise. Practitioners can be linked with schools. There are several organisations providing free resources that will support an inclusive curriculum. It is also important to invest in the development of knowledge needed within your school. Listen Students, parents and local communities have a richness of knowledge. Provide opportunities for them within your school to share the experiences, expertise and good practice. Take every opportunity If curriculum time is limited, use everyday opportunities to drip-feed knowledge to students. Imagine if they knew… Maths – talk about Kathleen Johnson, mathematician for Nasa. PSHE – talk about Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, inventor of the sanitary belt. Engineering – talk about Garrett Morgan, an inventor of the three-light traffic system. “I will try to consider how all pupils feel represented in my lessons, whether it be through introducing pupils to Black and Ethnic Minority scientific discoveries or female scientists being represented,” one trainee teacher said. “I want pupils to be able to see themselves as scientists of the future and therefore hopefully be more engaged in my lessons. The lecture also made me more aware of my own biases and how everyone should be more aware of themselves as well as other people”. My mantra is simple: #representation matters. ■ • Throughout September, Aisha will be sharing 30 days of educational celebration via visual documentary. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram – @itsaishathomas, @rmest2018 – for news and updates
Image: Gareth Evans
“I agree that only studying Black history one month a year is not sufficient,” said one teacher. “Students at my P1 school picked up on this and felt it was an ‘add-on’ and not authentic or full enough within the broader curriculum. This is something I will actively consider and look to address.” Imagine if this narrative was changed. Could we live in a world where we are taught the value of all races? Is it possible that racial superiority could be stripped of its crown, and instead, all races are sworn in with equal importance? Children will then grow with a sense of value, connection and understanding of difference. Projects such as One Bristol Curriculum and the Black Curriculum seek to address the gap in knowledge. The current system does not enforce the teaching of Black history; however, we know the importance of this work. The current Black Lives Matter movement has challenged us all to pause, stop and reflect; to take a moment to consider the current status quo. It is no longer acceptable that we continue with a superficial and condensed version of black history, with recognition of a few activists and sporting heroes. Subjects such as PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education), citizenship, history, geography, have more scope for adaption and flexibility, whereas STEMS (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects seem to find this process much more difficult. This work needs racially literate staff who engage in the development of their subject knowledge to ensure that their teaching is diverse and inclusive. Research shows that it is best to impart this knowledge to children and young people as early as possible. “Black children need their racial and cultural identity recognised and acknowledged positively in order for them to feel good and thus flourish in the nursery environment,” says educational consultant Liz Pemberton (@theblacknurserymanager on Instagram). Not only is it important for the development and mindset of children and young people, but once students are in secondary schools, the latter years are then subject to the pressure of GCSE constraints. Therefore, those schools and academies who are interested in seeing a change in the curriculum should think about when these opportunities are presented to them.
Aisha speaking at Bristol Old Vic, where she presented her Tedx Bristol talk in November 2019
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BADMINTON SCHOOL
BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
BRISTOL STEINER SCHOOL Redland Hill House, Redland Hill, Bristol BS6 6UX Tel: 0117 933 9990 www.bristolsteinerschool.org admissions@bristolsteinerschool.org
Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3BA Tel: 0117 905 5271 Website: www.badmintonschool.co.uk Email: admissions@badmintonschool.co.uk
University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SR Tel: 0117 973 6006 www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk website@bgs.bristol.sch.uk
Autumn term: 4 September - 9 December 2020 Spring term: 5 January - 31 March 2021 Summer term: 26 April - 7 July 2021 Age of pupils: 3 - 18 years Number of pupils: 500
Autumn term: 4 September - 16 December 2020 Spring term: 7 January - 31 March 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 2 July 2021
Number of pupils: 1,300 approx. Day fees: £2,908 - £5,014 per term
Religious denomination: Non-denominational Religious denomination: Non-denominational The curriculum: The emphasis at Badminton is on a holistic education, not narrowly academic, and both the curriculum and the timetable are constructed to create a balance between academic achievement, personal development, life skills and other enterprising activity.
From their first lesson aged four, to 18 and looking ahead to university and the wider world, BGS supports each child on their educational journey. Inspiring a love of learning and with a huge range of opportunities in and out of the classroom, every child can flourish.
Extra curricular activities: The Enrichment programme is extremely important in the overall development of the girls at the School, as it provides opportunities to pursue wider interests and to contribute to the community. There are many activities on offer and they range from clubs with an academic bias such as model United Nations, Ancient Greek and science research to those that allow the girls to pursue creative interests, such as Leiths School of Cookery, art and drama. Music is also an important part of school life, with nearly 80% of girls learning at least one instrument during their time at Badminton.
The curriculum: The infant curriculum covers all of the requirements of the national curriculum. Lessons are linked in to a topicbased curriculum, which allows the children to explore a particular area while linking the subjects into a topic. In the Junior School children enjoy a breadth of education that stretches far beyond the national curriculum. In the Senior School and Sixth Form pupils enjoy choice and opportunity. They can discover their strengths through a wide range of optional subjects, within a curriculum that encourages them to realise their potential, explore their ideas and take their learning as far as they can go. Pupils in the Sixth Form can choose to study either the International Baccalaureate Diploma or A levels.
Pastoral care: The size of the campus and community at Badminton gives a homely and vibrant feel to the school. This, coupled with excellent pastoral care, leaves no scope for anonymity, but rather lends itself to strong mutually supportive relationships between girls as well as between girls and staff. Badminton wish every girl to feel happy and confident about her school life and work to ensure a well-ordered and supportive environment where girls are asked to take responsibility for themselves and others. This gives them opportunities to face challenge and build resilience.
Extracurricular activities: The curriculum is supported by an extensive extracurricular programme that includes activities such as photography, samba band, Bee Club, various sports, and many more.
The curriculum: Bristol Steiner School is an independent day school for children from the age of three to 11. The curriculum is enriched by integrated learning and the relationship between the theoretical and practical aspects of subject matter. Language and oracy play an important part in school life and children participate in activities that enhance this. Mathematics is taught in class and then used across the curriculum in woodwork, handwork and form drawing. Eurythmy is an expressive artform that combines language, music and movement. It is taught throughout the school. Physical education, swimming, music and forest school compliment the diverse curriculum. Extracurricular activities: Daily play for kindergarten pupils and outdoor learning in the school’s extensive gardens are a staple of the curriculum which includes woodwork, handwork, scientific skills through gardening and forest school. Other activities that pupils can benefit from include music tuition, drama and capoeira. Pastoral care: Headteacher Ruth Glover greets every pupil as they enter school each morning. Strong relationships are nurtured at school, where teaching and learning are seen as relational activities. Over the course of an education at Bristol Steiner School, pupils will be guided by just two class teachers. A kindergarten teacher nurtures pupils throughout their early years from the age of three to six. A main school teacher then moves through the years with pupils from the age of seven to 11. Pupils know all of the adults on site by name. Small class sizes promote the wellbeing and selfbelief of each child.
Headmaster: Mr J M Barot Name of principal: Mrs Ruth Glover Scholarships and bursaries: Scholarships: A wide range of scholarships including Academic, Creative and Performing Arts, and Sport are available for entry into Year 7 and Year 9. Scholarships are also available for entry into the Lower Sixth.
Name of principal: Mrs Rebecca Tear Outstanding characteristics: While Badminton retains a nationally outstanding academic record, the community gives girls a chance to develop an understanding of the viewpoints of others and to think about contributing to the world around them. Girls leave Badminton ready to face the changing and challenging wider world and, when they do, they take with them a strong network of lifelong friends developed through a wealth of shared experiences. SEPTEMBER 2020
Age of pupils: 3 - 11 years Number of pupils: 128 capacity School fees: Kindergarten £480 - £5,034 per annum. Primary £7,977 per annum
Bursaries: Families with a low or limited income can apply for a means-tested bursary through the bursary scheme. For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact Hollie Matthews in the admissions office on 0117 933 9885.
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Outstanding characteristics: The Bristol Steiner School is successful in achieving its aim and in providing a good quality education for its pupils. The curriculum, based on Steiner Waldorf principles, is intrinsically broad and effectively planned to engage pupils in their learning. Teaching is generally good and so pupils make good progress. Pupils’ personal development is outstanding, increasing their self-confidence and capabilities. The school makes outstanding provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety. Parents are very supportive of the school. All the regulatory requirements are met.
Please Note: All information here was checked at the time of going to press. Please check the schools’ websites for updates.
Day fees per term: £3,331 - £5,612 – nursery sessional fee: £28 per session. Boarding fees per term: £7,535 - £12,995
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Personalised tours
Religious denomination: Non-denominational Age of pupils: 4 - 18 years
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Autumn term: 9 September - 16 December 2020 Spring term: 5 January - 26 March 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 8 July 2021
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CLIFTON COLLEGE
CLIFTON HIGH SCHOOL
COLSTON’S LOWER SCHOOL
32 College Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3JH Tel: 0117 315 7118 Web: www.cliftoncollege.com Email: info@cliftoncollege.com Autumn term: 7 September - 10 December 2020 Spring term: 5 January - 25 March 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 1 July 2021 Age of pupils: 2 - 18 years Number of pupils: 1,205 (Preparatory School, ages 2 - 13, 440; Upper School, 13 - 18, 765)
College Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3JD Tel: 0117 973 0201 www.cliftonhigh.co.uk admissions@cliftonhigh.co.uk Autumn term: 3 September - 15 December 2020 Spring term: 7 January - 26 March 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 6 July 2021
Religious denomination: Christian foundation welcoming all faiths, with a long-standing tradition of welcoming Jewish pupils through the Polack’s Educational Trust. The curriculum: Clifton College offers an outstanding all-round education. The college is equally strong in STEM, literature, languages and the arts. Last year, 90% of students won a place at their chosen university, including places at Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Toronto, San Francisco and Hong Kong, to study a wide range of subjects from medicine, economics and modern languages to law, engineering, music and classics.
Day fees: £3290 - £5180 per term
Fees: Per term Years 5 & 6 = £3,650 Years 3 & 4 = £3,315 Reception, Years 1 & 2 = £2,685
Extracurricular activities: The High School is outstanding in its provision of enrichment opportunities for all pupils. There are over 100 extra-curricular clubs on offer each week. Partnerships with Bristol Henleaze Performance Swimming Club and University of Bristol Tennis Coaches provide pupils with elite coaching too. World Challenge expeditions and the everpopular Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme are also offered in the Senior School. Pastoral care: Clifton High is renowned for its high level of pastoral care. The focus on each child’s individual development as well as their academic success provides a supportive environment in which pupils thrive. The sense of community and family focus is prominent, and allows pupils to be ambitious in their individual pursuits, knowing they are supported. The school aims to equip each pupil with the necessary skills and qualities they will need in the ever-changing world; social competencies, emotional intelligence, global perspective, confidence and respect.
Name of head: Dr Tim Greene MA DPhil Outstanding characteristics: Clifton College is a traditional British public school with inspirational teaching, first-class inclusive sport, diverse cocurricular activities, exceptional pastoral care and an outstanding environment. It aims to inspire each child to seize learning and opportunity and realise their full potential through an eagerness to embrace life with passion, integrity and resilience, and to make a positive difference to the lives of others. Recent high achievers include GB hockey player Lily Owsley who won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics; internationally recognised violinist Julia Hwang, who recently made her debut at London's Wigmore Hall; and Freddie Owsley, Harry Ascherl and Harry Taylor, who have signed with professional rugby clubs on leaving the college. SEPTEMBER 2020
Sector: Independent co-educational
The curriculum: Clifton High School is a leading independent, selective co-educational school. Each year group benefits from a unique offering and small class sizes. There is an educationally focused year-round provision for The Hive; Nursey Pre-School, specialist teaching in the Junior School, The Diamond Edge Model of Education in Year 7 - 9; where boys and girls are taught separately in their core subjects and a forward-thinking Sixth Form.
Pastoral care: The school provides a real sense of community, both to its pupils and their families. Pupils form friendships that last a lifetime, with many opportunities in the years after school to network and join together again through the Old Cliftonian Society. The house system is at the centre of the Clifton College community; it provides a strong support network for pupils while inter-house competitions offer a fun way for pupils to compete across a variety of talents from the House Play Festival to inter-house debating.
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Number of pupils: 590
Religious denomination: Non-denominational
Extracurricular activities: Music, art and drama play a large part in the life of the school, as do sport, outdoor pursuits, Clifton in the Community and the Combined Cadet Force. The wide range of activities available provide opportunities to develop leadership skills, to take on responsibility and to broaden interests.
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Age of pupils: 3 - 18 years
Colston’s Lower School, Park Road, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1BA Tel: 0117 965 5297 Website: www.colstons.org Twitter: @ColstonsLower
Name of principal: Mr Matthew Bennett Outstanding characteristics: A meaningful education is a combination of personal development and academic achievement. At Clifton High School each and every pupil’s individual brilliance is realised, supported and encouraged.
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Religious Denomination: All faiths Total Number of students: 230 Extracurricular: To find balance in their learning all children are encouraged to explore their strengths in music, drama, languages, sport and art. School sport fixtures, trips, residential visits and clubs all enhance school life and each child’s enjoyment of their community. In the woodland, the Forest School learning resource sees children learn new skills, both within and beyond the national curriculum. They enjoy the time and space to develop their natural curiosity through handson practical experiences. Pastoral: Pastoral care is at the core of life at Colston’s. Pupils have a form tutor and are part of a deeply supportive traditional house system that celebrates all elements of school life, from sports day to inter-house competitions and regular house gatherings. Older pupils form bonds with Nursery and Reception classes in the weekly reading buddies sessions, which mutually support the reading skills of younger pupils and give Year 6 children a taste of responsibility and relationship building. Unique characteristics: In 2019 the ISI rated Colston’s as ‘excellent’ in all areas. The inspection team were clear that the excellent academic achievement was observed right from the youngest pupils in EYFS right through to the students taking A Levels in the Upper School. Pupils receive many opportunities on a daily basis to nurture intellectual curiosity and inspire a love of learning, which lay the foundations for a successful transition into senior school. Staff work extremely hard to help each pupil understand the world around them and develop strong values and respect for those around them.
Please Note: All information here was checked at the time of going to press. Please check the schools’ websites for updates.
Day fees: Nursery and Pre-Preparatory pupils from £3,440 Preparatory School from £4,540 Upper School from £8,340 Flexi boarding and boarding packages available
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DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITIES AT HABERDASHERS’ MONMOUTH SCHOOLS
For more details on our Virtual Open Days, please visit: https://www.habsmonmouth.org/admissions/open-days/ If you have any questions or queries, please contact our admissions teams by emailing boys.admissions@habsmonmouth.org or girls.admissions@habsmonmouth.org or by telephoning 01600 711104 for girls and Pre-Preps, or 01600 710433 for boys. *The schools have an established bus route covering the Thornbury area and are always happy to consider additional stops on their routes.
Autumn term: 8 September - 11 December 2020 Spring term: 5 January - 26 March 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 9 July 2021 Age of pupils: 7 - 18 years Number of pupils: 685 Day fees: Juniors: £3331 per term (£9993 per year) including pre and after school supervision until 5pm. Seniors: £4970 per term (£14910 per year). Fees include text and exercise books, and essential education trips but do not include public examination fees or lunches.
Open mornings: Virtual open events to be held on Saturday 10 October 2020 and Friday 6 November 2020 Religious denomination: Church of England, embracing all faiths. The curriculum: The curriculum is broad but also offers the chance to study subjects in depth. The school expects pupils to work hard, believing a good education is a voyage of discovery to be enjoyed. Pupils are stretched but not stressed. Extra curricular activities: QEH prides itself on the range of activities it provides, reflecting the wide interests of students and the commitment of the staff. Variety is key and all pupils should find activities that interest them. QEH is also committed to outdoor pursuits, with around 150 pupils taking part in Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme, many attaining Gold Award. Pastoral care: Pastoral care is second to none. Pupils need to feel happy and safe and, at QEH, they are free to enjoy their learning, exploring new opportunities with confidence. People often comment on how self-assured and well-mannered our pupils are. Their friendly spirit and good behaviour are partly the result of unobtrusive but strong pastoral care. Name of Head: Mr Rupert Heathcote, BSc (Nottingham) Outstanding characteristics: QEH is recognised for its outstanding academic record and the friendliness and confidence of our pupils is notable. The school is not socially exclusive, having a good mix of people.
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Please Note: All information here was checked at the time of going to press. Please check the schools’ websites for updates.
The buzz of pupil activity will be returning to the classrooms and corridors at Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools this month. After delivering a successful online learning progamme during the Summer Term, the schools will be welcoming all children back for the start of the new academic year. “Whilst we remained open for the children of key workers last term, we are excited to be reopening all five of our school sites for all pupils,” says Principal, Mr James Murphy-O’Connor. “We have been busy planning for the full reopening of our schools in accordance with advice from the English and Welsh governments and other key guidelines. “We have worked through detailed plans on how we can reopen our school sites and we will constantly review and monitor how successfully our measures are being implemented and make updates and changes whenever necessary. “Our overriding priority is to promote and protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our children and staff whilst providing the greatest possible breadth of education at Monmouth.” An exciting project over the summer has been the creation of a new health and wellbeing centre for pupils. The centre, opening at the start of the new term, will be home to the health and wellbeing team. A treatment area, GP surgery and physio space, and four en suite rooms are all included in the new centre. Meanwhile, Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools will be arranging individual bespoke tours for prospective children and families, whilst observing social distancing and other safety guidelines. The schools will also be running a series of small group visits tied in with entry to specific year groups. In addition, the schools will be holding Virtual Open Days on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd October from 9.30am to noon. Mr Murphy-O’Connor adds: “Our Virtual Open Days are a wonderful opportunity for you to discover what it is like to be a pupil with us and glimpse into the many opportunities across our family of schools.” n
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MONMOUTH SCHOOL FOR BOYS MONMOUTH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
Sixth Form taster day and information evening: 4 November 2020 – details to be confirmed
The curriculum: Pupils introduced to a wide range of subjects in their early years at the school and they usually go on to take nine or 10 subjects at GCSE. Around 25 A level courses are offered in the Sixth Form. In addition to their A level studies, boys have the opportunity to pursue a variety of enrichment and supplementary courses.
Fees: £4,875 per term Religious Denomination: All faiths Total Number of students: 564 Number of Sixth Form students: 140
Extracurricular activities: A wide and varied cocurricular programme is offered. All boys are encouraged to take full advantage of lunchtime and after-school activities and clubs. They develop confidence and make friends through chess, karate, reading, choir and many other activities. Through the unique Monmouth Model, boys also benefit from invaluable interaction with Monmouth School for Girls, sharing many trips and expeditions, events and community projects.
2020 Exam Results GCSE % 9-7(A*-A): 55% A Level % A*-B: 80% Extracurricular: The School is fortunate to have all facilities on a 30-acre site, meaning students can seamlessly combine academic studies and sporting pursuits. With over 50 clubs to get involved in each week, the Colston’s experience is designed to allow students to find and develop their passion beyond the classroom, whether through the pride and spirit displayed on the sports field, the exciting array of activities in Combined Cadet Force or first-rate creative spaces including art studios, the music technology classroom, or design technology workshop.
Pastoral care: Each pupil is allocated to a tutor who is drawn from the academic staff. Both tutor and housemaster are able to get to know each boy well over a period of years and provide experienced and sympathetic guidance throughout his school career. Utmost efforts are made to ensure pupils gain the utmost from their time at Monmouth, not only in the classroom, but through all the other experiences that the school has to offer.
Pastoral: The Colston’s philosophy is quite simple: happy children do well. This makes the provision of pastoral care of great importance in the school. At the very heart of this provision is the house system. Four co-educational, 1118 houses provide a structure through which the development, well-being and happiness of all of young people is monitored and supported.
Name of acting head: Mr Simon Dorman MA (Oxon) MPhil Outstanding characteristics: With the vast majority of pupils getting their first choice university and around 60% of offers for Russell Group universities, Monmouth School for Boys recognises the importance of getting the best set of exam results for each boy. Boys’ talents are nurtured and they make the most of the area’s wonderful natural resources and the excellent facilities on offer for sports, culture and the arts. Founded in 1614, endowment income ensures outstanding facilities and highly competitive fees. Scholarships and bursaries mean that around one in five pupils receives financial support. Coeducational teaching launched in Monmouth Schools Sixth Form in September 2018 which brings day and boarding boys and girls together at this final stage of their educational journey.
Unique characteristics: In 2019 the ISI rated Colston’s as ‘excellent’ in all areas. In their report they captured the true essence of Colston’s, highlighting the unique culture of the school as well as the less easy-to-measure elements, which combine to make a Colston’s education so special. The statistics have long shown that Colston’s pupils achieve outstanding exam results and make excellent progress. However, it is the strong values pupils develop; their self-confidence, well-developed communications skills and the resilience they show when things get tough that produce what is known as the Colston’s character. SEPTEMBER 2020
Open morning: 2 and 3 October 2020 (9.30am to noon) Sixth Form taster day and information evening: 4 November 2020 – details to be confirmed Autumn term: 9 September - 16 December 2020 Spring term: 6 January - 26 March 2021 Summer term: 19 April - 9 July 2021 Age of pupils: 7 - 18 years (co-educational boarding and day Sixth Form 16 - 18) Number of pupils: 630
Religious denomination: All faiths welcome
Sector: Independent co-educational
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Hereford Road, Monmouth NP25 5XT Tel: 01600 711104 Website: www.habsmonmouth.org
Day fees: £3,805 - £5,425 Boarding fees (per term): £6,956 - £11,166
Colston’s Upper School, Bell Hill, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1BJ Tel: 0117 992 3194 Website: www.colstons.org Twitter: @colstonsschool
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Almshouse Street, Monmouth NP25 3XP Tel: 01600 710433 Website: www.habsmonmouth.org
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Autumn term: 9 September - 16 December 2020 Spring term: 6 January - 26 March 2021 Summer term: 19 April - 9 July 2021 Virtual open days: 2 and 3 October 2020 (9.30am to noon) Age of pupils: 7 - 18 years (co-educational boarding and day Sixth Form 16-18) Number of pupils: 600 Day fees: £3,805 - £5,069 Boarding fees (per term): £6,956 - £11,166 Religious denomination: All faiths welcome The curriculum: A wide range of subjects is offered to Years 7, 8 and 9 to stimulate academic and personal development. Care is taken to ensure that no girl closes off the choice of a whole range of subjects for GCSE and A level. Extracurricular activities: There is a wealth of lunchtime and after-school opportunities which gives every girl a balance between work and play, helps develop some fantastic skills and truly enriches their learning. Through the unique Monmouth Model, girls benefit from the invaluable interaction with Monmouth School for Boys, sharing many trips and expeditions, events and community projects. Pastoral care: Staff aim to create a caring and supportive environment both in and out of the classroom, helping each pupil to feel valued as an individual. Pastoral philosophy is to develop resilience, confidence and skills which take the girls through later life, while offering each pupil bespoke care. Name of head: Mrs Jessica Miles MA (Oxon), PGCE Outstanding characteristics: Access to superb educational opportunities to engage, enrich and inspires pupils. Sport, music, drama and art supplement academic achievement. Endowment income provides outstanding facilities and competitive fees. Scholarships and bursaries mean one in five pupils receives financial support. Co-educational teaching launched in Monmouth Schools Sixth Form in September 2018 which brings day and boarding boys and girls together at this final stage of their educational journey. The School offers 16 to 18-year-olds the benefits of coeducational teaching and single-sex pastoral care to ensure a successful transition from school to university life. Offer around 25 A level subjects and many joint activities. The vast majority of pupils get their first choice university and around 60% of offers for Russell Group universities.
Please Note: All information here was checked at the time of going to press. Please check the schools’ websites for updates.
COLSTON’S UPPER SCHOOL
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REDMAIDS’ HIGH SCHOOL
SIDCOT SCHOOL
TOCKINGTON MANOR SCHOOL
Redmaids’ High School Westbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3AW Tel: Senior School & Sixth Form 0117 962 2641; Junior School 0117 962 9451; admissions@redmaidshigh.co.uk junioradmissions@redmaidshigh.co.uk
Oakridge Lane, Winscombe, North Somerset, BS25 1PD Tel: 01934 843102 www.sidcot.org.uk
Tockington Manor School, Washingpool Hill Road, Tockington, Bristol BS32 4NY; Tel: 01454 613229 email: admin@tockingtonmanorschool.com www.tockingtonmanorschool.com
Autumn term: 3 September - 15 December 2020 Spring term: 6 January - 1 April 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 1 July 2021
Autumn term: 8 September - 11 December 2020 Spring term: 5 January - 26 March 2021 Summer term: 20 April - 9 July 2021
Open day: 25 September 2020 Age of pupils: 3 - 18 years
Open days: Junior 5 September, 7 November. Senior 24 September, 10 October. Sixth Form 15 October
Number of pupils: 603
Religious denomination: Non-denominational
Number of pupils: 750
The curriculum: A creative and stretching education that inspires children to want to learn. To achieve this, the curriculum is shaped to meet government requirements without an examobsessed, prescriptive syllabus.
Fees: Years 3 - 6: £3,420 per term; Years 7 - 13: £5,025 per term The curriculum: Redmaids’ High provides the best opportunities in Bristol and beyond for academically able girls who aspire to achieve their full personal, social and academic potential. Its formation through the merger of Red Maids’ and Redland High schools has created a stronger school with outstanding facilities, high quality teaching and an exceptional range of subjects and qualifications. In the Junior School, the girls enjoy a broad and rich curriculum, engaging enthusiastically in activities and achieving excellent results in national music, speech and drama exams. In the Senior School and Sixth Form, a wide choice of subjects is available through GCSE, A Levels and the IB Diploma.
Curriculum and teaching methods are designed to foster students’ intellectual curiosity and creativity. The aim is to educate students, rather than simply train them to pass tests. Throughout their time at Sidcot, students develop the selfmotivation to enable them to take responsibility for their own learning. It’s no surprise that these personal qualities go together with academic excellence. Results have been consistently excellent with average points per candidate always significantly higher than the world average scores.
Extracurricular activities: In the Junior and Senior Schools, an extensive programme of clubs and societies offer important personal development opportunities, discovery of new talents, hobbies and interests.
Extracurricular activities: At Sidcot pupils are lucky in having an excellent rural location and top-class facilities for sport, arts, crafts and environmental studies. The P.A.S.S. programme (Programme of Activities for Sidcot School) is based on the key Quaker values of integrity, stewardship, self-reflection, adventure and community. This range of co-curricular activities is embedded in the timetable for every year group, throughout the year. Year 9, for example, focus on self-reflection and practical life skills, first-aid, sewing, car maintenance and money management; whereas Year 11 visit elderly people, run primary school after-school clubs and work with people with disabilities.
Pastoral care: This is regarded to be of the upmost importance. Small classes are an important feature throughout all year groups. In the Senior School, students are supported by a head and assistant head of year, form tutors and assistant tutors. The girls’ health and well-being is regarded as the responsibility of every member of the school community. Name of principal: Mr Dwyer Outstanding characteristics: Redmaids’ High was the first International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in Bristol, winning accreditation in 2008. Ten years on, it has guided its Sixth Form students to world-beating IB Diploma results, alongside its established and successful A Level programme. Its small, family friendly Junior School provides the perfect new start for girls rising up into Year 3. The spacious Sixth Form offers independent learning and relaxation space, and girls from many local schools join at this point to benefit from the excellent opportunities. Bursaries and scholarships are awarded to girls from all backgrounds joining at Year 7 and above. Redland Hall, opened in September 2017, is a busy and modern hub at the heart of the school, and is fast becoming a popular venue for concerts and other shows.
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Pastoral care: The Quaker value of equality is evident in the open and friendly relationships between staff and students, and between students of all ages. It’s often remarked that students are extremely supportive of each other, making newcomers, students, teachers and visitors quickly feel at home. Name of headmaster: Iain Kilpatrick Outstanding characteristics: Sidcot offers its Sixth Form the choice of both the International Baccalaureate and A levels. The ethos of the IB, with its broad curriculum and emphasis on study skills, community service and internationalism, fits well with Quaker values.
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Age of pupils: 2 - 13 Number of pupils: 226 Day fees: Lower School £3,332 Upper School £4,519 - £5,197 Religious denomination: Church of England The curriculum: The Pupils from Nursery through to Year 8 are taught a full range of academic subjects. The school introduces French and Spanish from Nursery, Latin from Year 5 and geography, history and science as separate subjects from Year 1. Tockington Manor has an exceptional record of achievement in the common entrance exam. The new music and performing arts suite allows each child access to state-of-theart facilities and dedicated music tuition. Extracurricular activities: A diverse and wideranging choice of activities is available in break times and as part of the school’s wrap-around care. Activities are led by teaching staff and external subject specialists and include judo, archery, football, tennis, drama, computing and horse riding. Educational trips support classroom activities e.g. SS Great Britain and Chepstow Castle. Extra-curricular excursions are also offered with the schools educational partners The Bristol Hippodrome and Wild Place Project, including career workshops. Residential camps in the UK and France form part of summer term activity week. Pastoral care: The school’s aim is to provide a caring, safe environment where children develop their individual abilities and enjoy an effective education tailored to their needs and interests. The school adheres to traditional ‘family values’ with small class sizes encouraging strong bonds between year group and teacher and a sense of community and respect throughout the school. Name of principal: Mr. Stephen Symonds BAED (Hons) Outstanding characteristics: The school strives to allow children to be children for as long as possible while preparing them with the attitude and aptitude for senior schools and beyond. They help ensure a smooth transition, offering parents and pupils personalised guidance in choosing their next step, resulting in an enviable success rate in first choice senior school entry, many with scholarships. The 28-acre grounds lend themselves to sports with cross-country trails, national standard allweather pitch, cricket/rugby/football pitches and an indoor heated swimming pool.
Please Note: All information here was checked at the time of going to press. Please check the schools’ websites for updates.
Day fees: from £2,710 (Reception) to £6,080 (Year 13) per term. Nursery £22.90 per session
Age of pupils: Girls aged 7 - 18
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School and Nursery open day: 2 October For those unable to visit, the school is offering 1:1 video calls with the headmaster and registrar to discuss requirements in more detail and for parents to find out more about Tockington Manor.
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CITY HISTORY The launch of Brunel’s ss Great Britain by Prince Albert in Bristol’s Floating Harbour on 19 July 1843
She made it back: Celebrating the SS GB
Brunel stamped his personality on Bristol like no one before or since. Yet his association with the city came about – literally – by accident, says Andrew Swift, as anniversary celebrations continue aboard the engineer’s great ship
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n 12 January 1828, he was at work on a tunnel beneath the Thames at Rotherhithe, designed by his father, when the water suddenly burst through. Two men working with him were killed, and he was only saved by sheer luck. His legs were crushed and he was knocked unconscious, but the wave that swept into the tunnel bore him along towards a shaft where he was hauled clear of the rising waters. After a short convalescence in Brighton, he returned to London, but he was clearly far from well, and, with work on the tunnel suspended, he took up the offer of a stay in Clifton. There he learned of a competition to design a bridge over the Avon Gorge, and the rest is history. Bristol, when Brunel arrived, was at a particularly low point. The abolition of the slave trade had hit the city hard financially and it was becoming increasingly apparent that the ownership of slaves – the source of many Bristolians’ wealth – would soon be outlawed as well. Bristol had long been eclipsed by Liverpool as the busiest port on the western seaboard, and, as ships got bigger, the problems of bringing them up the Avon and into the floating harbour grew ever greater. In 1830, Liverpool was linked by rail to Manchester, with plans for another line to Birmingham, while Bristol dithered. Then in October 1831, the city was shaken by some of the worst riots this country has ever experienced – during which Brunel performed sterling service as a special constable. And, although he won the competition to build the bridge at Clifton, work was suspended indefinitely when the money ran out, and not completed until five years after his death. Nevertheless, he made many useful contacts in the city, and, when a company was eventually formed to build a railway to London, he was
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appointed chief engineer. If there was one thing that characterised Brunel it was absolute confidence – confidence in his abilities and confidence that his railway – naturally with the word ‘great’ in its name – would be the finest ever built. Its stations, tunnels and bridges would not only be supremely functional; they would also be architectural wonders. Its trains, meanwhile, running on tracks over two feet wider than those of other companies, would offer unrivalled speed and comfort. Once work had started, some of the directors started to get cold feet over the scale of the project, and its likely cost. When they voiced their concerns at a meeting in October 1835, Brunel replied, “Why not make it longer, and have a steamboat to go from Bristol to New York, and call it the Great Western?” This seemingly off-the-cuff remark was the signal for a new era in transatlantic travel. The SS Great Western would, in fact, sail from Bristol to New York before the first train from London arrived in Bristol. Who but Brunel, as his directors squabbled about cost – with the railway still a dangerous novelty as far as many were concerned – would have conceived a plan for extending the project to America? And who but Brunel could have achieved it? The SS Great Western proved so successful, there were soon calls for a sister vessel. Brunel, though, was not one simply to repeat past success. His new ship would not only be the biggest ever built, it would be the first ocean-going vessel with an iron hull and the first fitted with a screw propeller instead of paddle wheels. The SS Great Britain was launched, by Prince Albert, on 19 July 1843, but it was almost another 18 months before the lock from the floating harbour was widened sufficiently to allow her to squeeze through and head down the Avon.
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CITY HISTORY
Images: Courtesy of ss Great Britain Trust; Alamy
‘Her glistening prow pointing seaward’
No one could have suspected that, after being holed up in Bristol for so long, she would ever return. Her career as a transatlantic liner was brief, and from 1852 to 1876 she made 32 voyages taking emigrants to new lives in Australia, before being converted to carry coal and wheat to the west coast of America. In 1886, she was damaged in storms off Cape Horn. After her captain had taken refuge in the Falkland Islands, she was found to be beyond economic repair, sold as a hulk and used as a floating warehouse. In 1937, as her condition deteriorated, she was deemed a hazard to shipping, towed to a deserted bay and scuttled. If this hadn’t been one of the most remote places on earth, she would almost certainly have been scrapped. As it was, she lingered on, fuelling the dream that she would one day be saved. Eventually, in 1968, the SS Great Britain Project was formed. Two years later, after entrepreneur Jack Hayward had donated £150,000, plans were made to bring her back to Britain. The tale of her homecoming and eventual restoration is every bit as inspiring as that of her creation. When salvage teams arrived, they had to pump out the flooded hull and plug a huge hole in her side with mattresses. It was almost three weeks before she was finally settled onto the pontoon on which she would be towed 8,000 miles back to Britain. Nothing like it had been attempted before, and although Bristol City Council – concerned they would be saddled with a rusty hulk in a part of the docks where they planned to build a traffic interchange – were reluctant to see her return, on 19 July 1970 she finally berthed in the dry dock she had left exactly 127 years earlier. Today, that hulk has been transformed into what looks for all the world like something time-warped from another age, recreating the bustle of those cabined, cribbed and confined below decks. It is not just the ship that has been brought back to life, but the ghosts of those who crowded aboard, heading for America or for new lives down under. The transformation is nothing short of miraculous – not heritage but living history. This July saw the 50th anniversary of the SS Great Britain’s return, and the images of the forsaken hulk being towed under the suspension bridge now seem as irretrievably remote as the engravings of her launch back in 1843. Great festivities were planned to mark the occasion, which would have coincided with the Harbour Festival, but like so much else, they fell victim to the pandemic. While the main celebrations have been postponed until next year’s festival, a video, incorporating a poem by Saili Katebe – which provided the title for this article – can be found online at ssgreatbritain.org/aboutus/anniversary-weekend. There is also a free open-air exhibition on Brunel Square (next to the SS Great Britain), celebrating her incredible journey from beached wreck to Bristolian landmark.
‘Sailing her many flags into the future’
The anniversary weekend saw the SS Great Britain reopen to visitors, with measures in place to ensure safety and a pre-booking system in operation – details can be found at ssgreatbritain.org/reopening. The future may never have seemed as uncertain as it does right now, but, if inspiration is needed, the confidence which characterised Brunel’s determination to build the greatest ship in the world, together with the confidence which sustained the dream of her rescue and restoration, seem a good place to start. ■ • ssgreatbritain.org/whats-on/photography-exhibition
THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 63
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
WHAT’S NEW IN THE WORLDS OF WELLBEING, FITNESS, CARE AND COSMETICS
SUCCESS IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY NoCo Hair in Bristol has not only weathered the storm facing independent businesses but been recognised as a finalist in HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards – for Salon of the Year and Independent Salon: Newcomer of the Year, recognising entrepreneurs who made their business dream a reality and launched a successful salon with an annual turnover of less than £350,000. NoCo stood out for its growth, customer care, training policy and marketing strategy, and eye for assessing performance and making improvements. Noel Halligan and Corey Taylor, who run NoCo, impressed with their business aims translated into evidenced success after the company’s inception. “This year has required salon owners to adapt, think creatively and showcase tremendous amounts of resilience,” said Jayne Lewis-Orr, executive director of the Awards. “For new businesses, I can only imagine how nerve-wracking the last few months have been, but to be named as a finalist in both categories confirms just how exceptional NoCo is. They have clearly poured their heart and soul into building their business from the ground up. It’s no wonder that NoCo Hair attracted so much attention with their entry because it was full of individuality founded on brave and brilliant business structure and marketing ideas.” The awards evening should take place in January at the London Hilton Park Lane. • nocohair.com
SWITCHING IT UP FOR AUTUMN Rihanna’s runaway success of an inclusive cosmetics brand – Fenty Beauty – has been busy working on new products over the summer, including Brow MVP Brow Sculpting Wax Pencil & Styler and Pro Kiss'r Luscious Lip Balm in three sheer lip-enhancing shades. The latter offers a subtle, creamy tint with a big boost of moisture and a plush doe-foot applicator that softens and preps the pout, while the brow styler makes applying clear brow wax a breeze with its easy-grip pencil and a sweat and water-resistant formula. Suitable for all hair colours, it promises to keep brows on lock without residue or flakiness. Fenty has also brought out Snap Shadows mix and match portable mini eyeshadow palettes in two new limited edition shades for autumn: 9-Wine (rich, neutral burgundy) and 10-Money (vivid pops of forest green). Use them solo or snap together any two palettes to double your collection while keeping it perfectly compact. • harveynichols.com
Rihanna has been busy launching the autumn haul
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Noel and Corey made the finals again after winning best newcomer in 2019
BACK IN BUSINESS Bristol Dental Specialists has reopened, continuing to see specialist private patients promptly from its practice at 24 Berkeley Square, Clifton. With restrictions on the number of patients that can be seen, and the treatments offered, due to the pandemic, dental care has suffered a massive impact this year and while some dentists have re-opened their doors, others remain closed and unsure of their future. Fortunately, Bristol Dental Specialists has been one of the former, able to get back to ‘treatment as usual’. They quickly responded with new processes, using online consultations to assess, advise and even treat patients, and arranging appointments to adapt to the downtime required between certain procedures. With a hugely experienced line-up of registered specialists and hospital consultants, they cover most treatments, including braces, gum health, root canal treatment, dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, oral surgery, and all aspects of children’s dentistry. • bristoldentalspecialists.com
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Clinical Director, James Scrimshaw
MBST: Bristol-based advancements in the management of long-term injury and Osteoarthritis
M
BST is a German technology that is relatively unknown in the UK. It is a therapeutic adaptation of MRI, but instead of forming an image , it stimulates a significant repair response in damaged tissue and joints. There is a large body of evidence to support this and there are over 200 clinics in Germany almost exclusively run by Orthopedic surgeons. While there is no large scale UK-based research as yet, it’s only a matter of time before trials begin. The impressive results we’re seeing are hard to ignore and clinicians at the highest level are taking notice, with the number of MBST clinics in the UK more than doubling in the last nine months with several more in the pipeline. One thing we do know is that it’s a completely risk free and pain free therapy. ‘I’ve been hugely impressed by the significant improvement in symptoms by my patients I have referred to CURA Clinical. The MBST technology is widely used in Europe with proven clinical benefit. Furthermore this is a group of patients who up till now have few other effective options. I recommend it highly’ Jonathan Webb MB ChB FRCS (Orth) Consultant Knee Surgeon.
In a preliminary validation case study of around 200 patients seen at CURA Clinical in Bristol, 90% of patients have seen significant improvement in their symptons. Of these, 70% have particularly good long-term remission of symptoms and improvement in lifestyle and function.
‘When James suggested that I try MBST for my back pain due to degenerative discs, I decided to give it a go. It was a really easy experience and quite mindful just lying down for each of the seven sessions. It also worked!! I do feel it could be a game changer for the NHS if its value is recognised.’
10% of cases we’ve seen are generally considered beyond the reach of MBST with some bone-onbone patients requiring surgery. However, the good news is that in many cases, the antiinflammatory effects have made patients more comfortable until they can have the operation.
Dr Tim Mitchell MB MRC GP DRCOG DPD GP Bristol MBST is a therapy that offers a viable option to patients for which hands-on treatment has provided limited help, but who continue to live with pain. It’s worth considering MBST if you are not ready for surgery or really don’t want to go down that path unless absolutely necessary.
On the flip side we’ve found a ‘sweet spot’ for patients who are at the mild to moderate stage of joint damage in which the results really are extremely impressive. Patients who respond particularly well to treatment are those with mild to significant Osteoarthritic joint changes in neck, back, knees and hips, hands and feet. We’re also able to help those with severe tendinopathies and other long term soft tissue or bone injuries.
For further information or for booking enquires please call: 0117 959 6531. Email: info@curaclinical.com
Examples of those we’ve recently helped range from an 88 year-old female with very severe leg pain (due to degenerative spinal stenosis) to several patients ranging from 52-74 years with significant arthritic change in their hips and knees, who are not yet ready for surgery but are living with life-altering amounts of pain.
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Cura Clinical Consultancy 1 Henbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym www.curaclinical.com
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
“I was in constant pain and some days I couldn’t walk or sleep” Jo Lee, CNM Graduate in Naturopathic Nutrition
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got through the days with over-the-counter pain relief and spinal injections. I constantly looked pale with dark rings under my eyes; being in so much pain was soul destroying. Suffering with very bad back and nerve pain made getting through the day a real challenge. The spinal injections offered some relief, but the pain soon returned. I was told by doctors that surgery was the only option left; I wasn’t keen to go down this route, so I kept it at the back of my mind as a last resort. My focus on food began when juicing had just become fashionable and I went on a weeklong juicing retreat. The positive impact that nutrition had on my body soon became clear. Changing my diet was a real turning point in my health. I decided to try acupuncture and explore further nutrition and lifestyle changes. I started to feel so much better and this was a real light bulb moment for me.
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I made the decision to study Naturopathic Nutrition, so I began looking for courses. I found the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) on a Google search and went to meet a college representative to discuss the course in more detail. I was thrilled at the thought of starting and signed up to the three-year diploma as soon as I could. After years of studying via distance learning, I was ready to meet other students on a regular basis and I loved the fact that CNM involved time at the college with other students. I was so lucky to study with an amazing group of people. Every lecture inspired me to learn more about the subject. I also loved the final year student clinics. Even though they were nerve wracking at the beginning, the clinics gave me the confidence to be able to practice on my own. We had incredible support from our clinic supervisors and peers. The course helped me to focus on my health and realise the importance of healing my body in a holistic way. I’ve been able to get to the root cause of my ill health, rather than just silencing my symptoms; this has been so powerful. I now have the skill-set to help others and empower people to take charge of their health which is an amazing feeling. Since graduating, I’ve set up a private clinic at home called Vitalife Nutrition. I create recipes and meal plans for other clinics and therapists. I’m constantly learning new things, following the latest research and reading everything I can about nutrition. I love helping clients understand how their body works and inspiring them to take the first step towards positive change. If you’re curious about health and nutrition,
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consider studying with CNM. Even if you don’t want to practice, you’ll leave feeling so in awe of your incredible body and you’ll be equipped to take the very best care of it. You’re never too old to learn something new!
Jo Lee
CNM Online Open Events Discover how natural therapies promote true health and vitality. Our events are packed with inspiring tips on how to nurture yourself in natural, sustainable ways. And if you are thinking of turning your passion Geoff Don into a career, an Online Open Event will also cover what you need to know about studying at CNM.
Visit cnmcourses.com
or call 01342
777 747
CNM has an exceptional 22-year track record training successful natural health practitioners online and in class. Over 80% of graduates are practising.
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Has life become so busy that you never have enough hours in that day? Do you have never-ending-to-do lists for work and home?
Are you constantly juggling the needs of everyone else meaning there’s no time left for you? Then you need the Home Clearing Club in your life.
Led by Tanya Slater AKA The Girl Who Simplified, female entrepreneurs are guided through a proven process of powerful decluttering to create more time and space for the things they love in life.
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 67
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HEALTHCARE
In safe hands at Abbeyfield The pandemic has meant a difficult time for many people, including our high-risk elderly generation, but Abbeyfield Bristol & Keynsham’s chief executive Frances Stretton has expertly steered the team through
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art of The Abbeyfield Society, an international organisation established in the 1950s to combat loneliness and isolation in the elderly, Abbeyfield Bristol & Keynsham offers supported retirement living in studio and one-bedroom flats within five houses across Bristol. Residents benefit from affordable all-inclusive rental fees, home-cooked meals, a calendar of social events and the reassurance of a team member on hand 24 hours a day. With early, preventative action and comprehensive additional measures in place, the retirement organisation has, to date, had no coronavirus cases across its Bristol houses and has now officially opened its doors again to new residents. Frances explains more... How have you managed to keep residents safe? We always have stringent hygiene and infection control procedures in place and we significantly increased measures to reduce the risk of infection across all our houses. We immediately introduced enhanced cleaning regimes and social distancing, such as different sittings at mealtimes, or spreading residents between different rooms to eat, and insisted on at least three metres’ distance at all times. I have to say our staff members have been incredible and remain absolutely committed to the health and well-being of our residents. We’re a strong team and I’m so very proud of everyone. How did residents cope? The hardest thing for residents was not being able to see their loved ones. We had to limit visitors to carers, or a family member or friend acting in the capacity of carer. As a retirement organisation whose ethos centres around community, companionship and helping older people remain independent, having to ask residents to stay in the house during lockdown was also very difficult. But we had to keep them as safe and protected as possible, and to support them during this time. 68 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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How was the atmosphere in the houses during lockdown? Team members were amazing when we couldn’t bring in our usual entertainers or keep-fit people, and they ramped up our activities and fun events to keep everyone occupied. The good weather helped tremendously and, as soon as we could, family and friends were able to visit in the gardens. Residents are now able to welcome visitors inside the house which is wonderful, and great for morale. What is the current situation across your houses? We haven’t been able to show potential residents around the houses since early March and so our enquiry levels dropped. As a result, there are vacancies across most of our houses, which is an unusual and worrying situation for us to be in. I’m also very aware that there are older people who have been isolated from their families during the pandemic, and who might still be struggling to live on their own, and it’s concerning to think they might lack the confidence to make the move to an environment where they will be happier and more secure. What would you say to reassure families and potential residents? I do appreciate families might be concerned about their loved one moving to a retirement house right now, but I want people to know that it’s completely safe to join any one of our Abbeyfield houses and that we have lots of measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety when a new person comes to live with us. New residents are currently asked to self-isolate for 10 days in their new apartment but after that, they’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits of their new Abbeyfield home. ■ • As part of the Safe Hands campaign, Abbeyfield Bristol & Keynsham is offering all new residents one week free. Its houses are in Redland, Henleaze, Easter Compton, Hanham and Keynsham. Call 0117 973 6997 to find out more or go to abbeyfield-bristol.co.uk
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The Care Industry has had its fair share of criticism over the years with many vulnerable people needing help but not knowing where to turn, families want to help out more but are unable to do so because of work commitments and everyday life, because of this they encourage their loved ones to go into a home or respite. The staff in homes do the most amazing job but for some residents it simply is not the place for them because home is where their heart really is. I run an agency that allows people to live in their own homes so they can be around their cherished possessions, memories and have someone with them to ensure they are safe, eating and drinking and are taking their medication and attending appointments. The feedback that I get from numerous clients when I visit them for their first initial assessment is how much cheaper Live In Care is compared to Domiciliary Care or Night Care and what value you get for your money as someone is there to support 24 hours a day as opposed to half an hour or hour visit 2 to 3 times per day, giving families complete peace of mind knowing that someone is with their loved ones at all times, and seeing to their every need. I have experienced carers who work tirelessly to provide good care and companionship, they all have their different strengths, some carers like to provide companionship only where as others like more challenging Live In Assignments like End of life care, Dementia and Parkinson’s. We will tailor make a package that suits all involved and we will provide a compatible Carer to meet all of their needs.
• • • •
Below is an example of past and present clients we have cared for, if you have any specific requirements regarding carers or clients additional needs that has not been mentioned please call me to discuss. Stroke Rehabilitation End of Life Care Dementia/Alzheimer’s Paraplegic
• • • •
Partially Sighted Diabetic Companionship Learning Disabilities
Please call me at anytime on 01380 870 270 / 07921 299 286 or e-mail info@mulberryliveincare.co.uk
to discuss your needs, costs or for some advice, as deciding what to do for the best for a loved one is a huge decision and one you don’t want to make lightly.
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 69
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GARDENING
Forget-me-nots can become a nuisance but lend cottage-garden charm in the right spot
Friends or foes?
Which weeds stay and which go depends largely on the gardener, says Elly West, but there are some dos and don’ts
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ften I’m asked whether something growing in a garden is a weed or not, and my answer is often the same. If you don’t like it, consider it a weed and get rid of it, and if you do like it, then call it a wildflower, not a weed. With the current trend towards growing more native plants and encouraging birds, bees and butterflies into our gardens, with wilder areas of woodland or meadow, the line between weeds and non-weeds becomes less distinct. There are exceptions, of course, and certain plants are highly invasive and should always be removed, usually with chemicals and sometimes with professional help. Horsetail and Japanese knotweed spring to mind. However, others such as wild carrot, valerian, cow parsley and yarrow are finding their way into gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as well as our own plots.
Never rotavate a patch of soil containing brambles and/or bindweed as you’ll just be propagating thousands of new plants
A weed, according to my Oxford dictionary, is a ‘wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants’. In a meadow, wild grasses and buttercups won’t be seen as a problem, whereas they may not be as welcome in a cultivated border or lawn. Some people deliberately cultivate a patch of stinging nettles for soup, butterflies, and homemade fertiliser. Forget-me-nots and daisies growing between the cracks in paving stones and walls soften the hard 70 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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landscaping and add rusticity and cottage-garden charm. Aquilegias pop up everywhere in my garden, but I largely leave them alone. However, the ornamental bamboo (planted by my predecessor), I definitely consider a weed. Red clover is sometimes planted as a ‘green manure’ to fertilise the soil where crops are to be grown. These fast-growing plants can be dug into the soil while still green to improve its structure and add nutrients. Lawn invaders such as daisies and dandelions upset some people more than others, and there’s a strong argument for tolerating a few of these ‘weeds’ to benefit early pollinators and help create a balanced ecosystem, avoiding sprays and chemicals. Negative characteristics of so-called weeds are their ability to grow fast and produce an abundance of seeds, or they may have an extensive root system that spreads through the ground. Horsetail roots can be up to two metres deep, and Japanese knotweed can seriously affect the value of a property, as mortgage lenders won’t lend if a survey reveals its presence. While it’s not illegal to have Japanese knotweed in your own garden, you do have to stop it spreading to other people’s gardens, and it’s an offence to plant it in the wild. This notorious weed can grow up to 20cm a day, through concrete foundations and brick walls. Eek. Giant hogweed is another to avoid as the poisonous sap can cause blindness and severe burns to the skin. It’s a striking plant, similar to cow parsley, but reaching up to three metres in height, and has hit the headlines this summer as its population is spreading from riverbanks into parks and roadsides, causing injuries to children and adults unaware of its dangers. Recent legislation has made it an offence to grow giant hogweed, and sightings should be reported to the local authority. Others such as Spanish bluebells are beloved in spring, yet could be classed as a weed because of their ability to spread and their anti-social nature, causing the demise of our native bluebell where escapees have got into our woodlands.
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GARDENING
Which weeds stay and which go depends largely on the gardener, and there are several methods of removal. Probably the best way to control weeds is to prevent them taking hold in the first place. Adding a thick layer of mulch will act as a weed suppressant, and planting densely so there isn’t much spare, bare soil between your cultivated plants also helps. Using weed-suppressing membrane and planting through gravel is another answer, although it’s not foolproof. Strong perennials can push their way through the membrane, while others will self-seed in the gravel – although the latter are relatively easy to remove. Laying carpet or sheets of newspaper over a bare patch of land will also suppress undesirables by blocking out the light until you are ready to plant your desirables. However, pulling out by hand, though time-consuming, is probably the most effective method of weed removal. Keep in mind that many perennials such as bindweed can regrow from just a small piece of root left in the soil, so always try to remove the roots as well. And never, ever rotavate a patch of soil containing brambles and/or bindweed as you’ll just be propagating thousands of new plants by chopping up the roots into tiny pieces. Annual weeds such as chickweed and groundsel can be dealt with by regular hoeing, slowing growth and preventing them from setting seed, which is a common method for allotment and vegetable gardeners where it’s relatively easy to hoe between the rows of crops. Elsewhere, cutting back the flowers before they turn into seeds will help stop weeds spreading, and is a good option for those wildflowers that look pretty but quickly lose their novelty once they are growing everywhere. Chemical control should be a last resort, because of its negative impact on the environment, but is effective and may be necessary where aggressive weeds are taking over. It’s also the quickest way to deal with a large area such as a driveway – although boiling water is a more ecofriendly option. Be careful not to spray on a windy or wet day and choose a time when plants are in active growth, ie. spring onwards.
Plant of the month: Blackberries It’s prime blackberry-picking season, and while most of us won’t want Rubus fruticosus (brambles) taking over our borders, as part of a managed native hedge they can have a welcome place in gardens as well as the countryside, making for a prickly burglar-deterring barrier. Children reluctant to take part in country walks can often be lured outside with the promise of blackberries to pick, and they certainly feature heavily in my own Somerset childhood. Betterbehaved cultivated varieties for gardens are also available, compact and thornless, and even suitable for containers. They like a sunny, sheltered site and free-draining soil. ‘Sylvan’ and ‘Loch Ness’ are popular varieties, since you ask. The fruits are best picked when ripe and can be used to make jellies, jams and desserts, such as blackberry and apple crumble.
• ellyswellies.co.uk
Create space with a garden room GARDEN OFFICES • LOG CABINS • STUDIOS • SUMMERHOUSES POSH SHEDS • TIMBER GARAGES • OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES
01225 774566 • www.gardenaffairs.co.uk Visit our Display Centre at Trowbridge Garden Centre 288 Frome Road, BA14 0DT THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 71
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INTERIORS
Home-work comforts
There's been a clear upswell in remote working in recent months. Emma Clegg has been investigating practical solutions and items to give your home office a classy design edge
Montblanc pen pouch and pens, individual items start from £215, Mallory; mallory-jewellers.com
‘Pencil sharpenings’ wax candle in stoneware vessel, £40, one of a series of perfumed candles by Loaf; loaf.com
Desk and chair as part of a home office package from Inna Hart Interiors; packages start from £350; ihinteriors.co.uk Baldwin desk lamp, £55, John Lewis; johnlewis.com
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INTERIORS
Lounge chair as part of a home office package from Inna Hart Interiors; packages start from £350; ihinteriors.co.uk
Chockablock console table, 1m width, £445, Loaf; loaf.com
Steel wire flying swifts, made on commission, Celia Smith; celia-smith.co.uk School House White, price dependent on prefered surface and finish, Farrow & Ball; farrow-ball.com
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A
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be, 30c
m, £89.99, John L ewis ; jo
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Prima Jake gazebo, 3 x 6m, from £4,256, Garden Affairs; gardenaffairs.co.uk
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Turning your ideas into beautiful spaces Elly’s Wellies Garden Designs will help you maximise the potential of your outdoor space and tailor it to your individual needs. Whether you are looking for a complete garden redesign, or just need advice on what to plant in a border, Elly’s Wellies will be happy to help.
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 75
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PROPERTY | RENOVATION
Roya and Allan purchased the coach house in 1992 and began to remodel in 2019
Alpenfels Coach House
Overlooking Clifton Suspension Bridge, with views of the Avon Gorge, this 17th-century property has undergone quite the transformation over the past 12 months and is now complete despite the slight pause necessitated by the pandemic
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PROPERTY | RENOVATION
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he impressive property you see here was originally the coach house for the horses at Alpenfels – the Swiss chaletstyle pad built in the late 1800s by a wealthy man for his Austrian wife to try and replicate her home style. It turned out she didn’t want to live in a Swiss chalet after all, but quite fancied a quintessential English abode, so before long the place was sold on. “The house was, we think, developed in the early ’70s,” say current owners Roya and Allan Rosengren, who purchased it in 1992 and added a bit in around 2000 before starting to remodel last year. “Its beauty is its light and view of Clifton Suspension Bridge and Sion Hill, then across the city to the hills past Bath, so we chose to redevelop rather than knock down and rebuild to maintain the unusual angles and interesting aspects that capture the views.” The past year has been spent modernising and future-proofing – improving the street presence, the open space and the light aspect of the house. Architect James Dexter of Dexter Design helped Allan and Roya through the design process, making changes to initial designs in line with their vision and the possibilities presented by the existing structure, until the desired layout was achieved and the project was granted planning permission to proceed. Jim Smith of Smudge Build and Develop, along with his team of experts, was appointed to undertake the remodelling in July 2019 with an eight-month programme. “We sourced some materials ourselves, with Woodpecker wooden flooring and Westex Carpets supplied by Kieley Carpets of Lydney,” says Roya. “The kitchen came from Nick Mitford of The Kitchen Man in Waterloo Street, Clifton; the bathrooms from Neil Grinham of Westwave Bathrooms, Weston Super Mare; and lighting from Lumination lighting in Bristol. “We made some changes along the way as we came across certain developments which enabled us to further open the spaces which were initially designed with short nibs to support beams. We changed the roof to slate tiles and created additional space in the dressing room and en-suite by raising the gable ends, and created a double-height entrance which gave us space for a wonderful copper light fitting created by Gordon at Lumination.” The main challenge was the rear access which had to be obtained from the bridge to put a scaffolding ramp on its land which would take diggers and skip loading dumpers to remove a couple of hundred tonnes of debris away, then put all building materials back in. Other than that, it was smooth sailing until the pandemic hit, but luckily the only real problem they had to deal with in terms od covid-19 was the delay. “Smudge Build and Develop did their best to continue with the project under government guidelines which meant we finally finished at the end of July, almost exactly 12 months from when we started,” says Roya. “We are delighted with the end result.”
The build
“A large property set over three floors, its cellular layout was a result of various extensions and alterations over the years,” says James Dexter of architectural and planning consultants Dexter Building Design Ltd. “The lower ground floor led out into the garden but had a very low ceiling and was used as utility rooms and storage, while the main living space was on the upper ground floor with a small entrance hall, several reception rooms, another utility room, the kitchen and a large terrace. Upstairs were three bedrooms, but again ceiling heights were low, spaces felt small and views were limited.” The brief was simple: modernise the building, improve the layout and flow and generally upgrade. Improving the building started at the street. “We wanted to give the building some kerb appeal and get some balance in the front elevation,” says James. “On the rear elevation we wanted to make every opportunity of the view, better the access into the garden and make the building more impressive.” The wide, double-height glazed entrance foyer create immediate drama for those who come in. “We took the kitchen out of this floor and removed some walls to form a large open-plan space leading out onto the terrace through large sliding doors.
“A new staircase leads down to the lower ground floor where we reduced the floor level to increase the ceiling height and added an extension to allow for a new kitchen, dining room and lounge, with sliding doors out to the garden.” Upstairs, the roof alterations increased the floor area and allowed for the creation of the master bedroom with a luxurious bathroom and dressing room. “We also added another set of sliding doors that lead out onto another terrace to take in those views. All the windows and doors were changed to powder-coated aluminium, and roof tiles were changed to slate with a new render finish proposed to give the building a clean, modern appearance. To finish, feature walls were to be painted, the boundary walls were to be rebuilt in stone and the driveway was resurfaced.” Jim Smith at Smudge Design and Build was equally as taken with the prospect of transforming the property. “Commanding beautiful unobstructed views over an iconic bridge, this was a unique, fantastic project that needed careful planning to create a home that would include a gym, cinema room, light and space,” he recalls. “Our schedule of work included extensions to all levels, increasing the
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PROPERTY | RENOVATION
width and height of the existing footprint; major structural works and demolition to the whole property, reinforced with structural steel beams; a new roof including remodelling of existing roof structure to create a modern, sleek look; and materials for the roof, slates, aluminium fascias, soffits and guttering, to result in a striking exterior finish with crisp and clean lines.” The team set to work on floor level reductions in the basement and the entire garden, including the infill of the existing swimming pool to create a bigger outdoor space for taking in the surrounding views. A new driveway was created with vintage flagstones, and a complete internal refurbishment included a rewire by Amigo electrical, external and internal decorating by Scott Morris, tiling by Ricky Scott, balustrades by Aspire Glass, a sweeping new bespoke oak staircase connecting the ground floor to the basement and open-plan kitchen area, by Churchill Joinery, and new underfloor heating to basement level and new bathrooms by JM Plumbing & Heating Services Ltd. The latter designed a heating system separately zoned on each floor for management control, using nest thermostats to give Roya and Allan the ability to control the heating and hot water from their phone or tablet via wi-fi when not at home. On the lower ground floor, underfloor heating was installed throughout for comfort when padding across the tiles, with Milano Aruba radiators put in on the ground and first floors, and unvented pressurised hot and cold water to supply the volume needed for the high specification bathroom and shower rooms complete with rainfall shower heads, water softeners and a secondary hot pump for instant hot water at all outlets. Water feeds were also supplied to the hot tub, plus some outside taps for garden use.
Tailored design
From the outset it was clear that Roya and Allan were seeking something unique for their feature lighting, says Gordon Gurr at Lumination. “As we specialise in bespoke light fittings this was an ideal opportunity – interpretation of their ideas and putting them into reality was the challenge. Early in the process the boldness of our rose copper ranges came to the fore and were favourites for the over-island lights. For the stairwell we selected the Maia II pendant lights again in
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copper and these we made to order on a triple head with the fittings curling down the staircase in a helix spiral. “For the entrance hall – an architect-designed new feature for the property – something special was needed. Being tall and narrow with a vaulted ceiling, a bespoke piece of lighting in proportion with its dimensions and complementing the space was required. Again the focus turned to the rosy copper – soon the established theme for the house. We went for a combination of fittings configured in a random arrangement as pendant drops for a special manufactured aluminium mounting plate.” The whole fitting was to be suspended from drop rods to overcome the restrictions of the vaulted ceiling and a trial fitting was prepared using available materials which allowed Roya and Allan a clearer idea of what was being proposed. “The rosy copper makes for a beautiful contrast against the black, white and grey interior,” says Gordon. “Having a client prepared to make bold moves and be creative is a real pleasure.” The Kitchen Man, on Clifton’s Waterloo Street, was asked to create a beautifully streamlined contemporary kitchen with push-open doors and drawers, colour-matched to any chosen colour, with big island and a focus on symmetry. “A custom pearlescent lacquered finish was created for the dark doors to help prevent finger marking,” says Nick Mitford, “the doors themselves being only 15mm thick to give a very contemporary look and feel.” The ovens were a combination of existing kit and matched new ones. Overall, Roya and Allan created lots of working surface space and extensive accessible storage. The prime challenge was to modify cabinetry to enable good invisible extraction from the hob in the island, and to make cabinetry to exactly match the ceiling height. “A waterfall island surface by Valley Marble, mitred to the floor in marble-look quartz, looks like a block of stone in the middle of the room. Additions include a ventilated hob, a flush French fridge, and a large sink with full glass splashback matched to the lower cabinets,” says Nick. “The tap also lights the water flow!” ■ • Special thanks also to local contractors R.O Dando and Sons and Nailsea Patio Supplies who were a great help through a very challenging time.
P79.qxp_Layout 23 24/08/2020 11:49 Page 1
Remote Kitchen Design Service Available
THE
KI TC HE N PA R TNER S
Call or email for further details 01179 466433 • studio@thekitchenpartmers.co.uk
The Kitchen Partner Design Studio formerly in-toto Kitchens Bristol.
DESIGN STUDIO
Founders and Lead Designers - Fiona & Clinton
HALF PRICE ®
Inspirational kitchens, practical living
TAP OFFER*
www.thekitchenpartners.co.uk
*TERMS & CONDTIONS APPLY
102 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2QY | 01179 466433
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PROPERTY | HOMEPAGE
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his superb spilt level two double bedroom home enjoys a period feel throughout having been fully and sympathetically restored by Bristol based developer, The PG Group. Offered for sale with a 10 year new home warranty, the property blends the best of modern living with a Victorian inspired finish throughout complemented by the dual aspect restored stained glass windows, stunning hand crafted oak panelling and double height living space with exposed roof timbers. The property offers secure key carded access and upon entering via solid oak front door, offers in brief a welcoming hallway with access to the generous second bedroom, boasting large stained glass window and walk-in storage area. Further along the high-pile carpet hallway, the main bathroom can be found; fully tiled and finished with a characterful three piece white suite. The dual aspect living area comprises a stunning double height room complete with oak flooring and panelling; open plan, the bespoke kitchen comes fully integrated. There is ample living and dining space with an impressive original open fireplace in addition to two useful storage cupboards. A solid oak staircase provides access to the master suite which occupies the whole upper level and comprises a spacious bedroom with dressing area complete with Velux skylight, exposed brick feature wall and a ensuite shower room with walk-in double shower. Externally can be found landscaped communal courtyard garden and secure covered bike store. Ready for immediate occupation and located just a short walk from Bristol city centre we highly recommend an early internal viewing to appreciate the quality on offer.
Hansom Hall, St. Agnes • Stunning duplex apartment • Dual aspect with Kings & Queens stained glass windows • 2 double bedrooms • Bespoke hand crafted oak panelling and staircase • Original open fireplace £450,000
CJ Hole New Homes, 92-94 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8BN. Tel: 0117 9232 888
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 81
Bristol & Clifton’s premier Commercial Property Agents Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk
(0117) 934 9977
25/27 CLARE STREET, BS1
71 QUEENS ROAD, BS8
• An impressive self contained corner building
• Clifton offices • 1,350 sq ft
• Prime city location
• New flexible lease
• 2,450 sq ft
• Reent on application
• Office use • New lease
69 OAKFIELD ROAD, BS8
42 PEMBROKE ROAD, CLIFTON
• Light and bright contemporary refurb of a period office building
• Fully refurbished studio office space • Very prominent location
• 1,900 sq ft
• 1,162 sq ft
• 3 cars
• TO LET – New lease
• New lease
21 THE MALL, CLIFTON
CITY PENTHOUSE OFFICES TO LET/ FOR SALE
• Impressive fully fitted retail unit
• Light and bright loft style office suite
• 908 sq ft
• 3,762 sq ft
• Ready to walk in and trade
• 2 car spaces
• New lease
• Prime position • TERMS ON APPLICATION WESSEX HOUSE, PORTISHEAD FOR SALE
CLIFTON SHOPS, CAFES AND RESTAURANTS
• Modern detached office building
WE HAVE NUMEROUS NEW PROPERTIES AVAILABLE!
• 3,143 sq ft + 16 cars • Freehold
PLEASE TELEPHONE HOLLY FOR MORE DETAILS….
• Only £550,000
Julian Cook FRICS
Jayne Rixon MRICS
Charlie Kershaw MRICS
Finola Ingham MRICS
Tom Coyte MRICS
Holly Boulton BSc(Hons)
• Sales / Lettings • Acquisitions • Valuations • Landlord & tenant • Auction Sales
• Rent reviews • Property Management • Investment Sales / Purchase • Development & Planning • Dilapidations Advice
Bristol & Clifton’s premier Commercial Property Agents Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk
(0117) 934 9977
4 BROAD PLAIN – BRISTOL CITY CENTRE FOR SALE- GUIDE C. £695,000
10 CALEDONIA PLACE, CLIFTON VILLAGE FOR SALE – ONLY £1,450,000 Currently 16 letting bedrooms, this is a rare and wonderful opportunity to purchase a whole house in need of refurbishment and therefore allowing a purchaser to adapt and finish to their own specific style and layout. Located in one of Clifton’s finest locations, just moments from Brunel’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge and many high quality shops, boutiques and eateries in Clifton Village.
Located in a popular city centre location, this fine period property totals a net area of c. 3,000 sq ft. Currently office use with potential for residential, this is a rare opportunity to purchase freehold.
Business Unaffected Head Office now at St Johns Road
44 PEMBROKE ROAD, CLIFTON FREEHOLD FOR SALE – PRICE ON APPLICATION
BS1 – PENTHOUSE OFFICE SUITE TO LET or FOR SALE
This stunning property was designed with Italian and Greek neoclassical influences. From the moment you enter, the accommodation is flooded with light and has a warm and homely atmosphere. The accommodation flows very well and is situated over four floors. The garden floor has good natural light and could make a sizeable two bedroom flat or an office. The property has been well maintained yet gives scope for the new owner to adapt and finish the interior to suit their precise needs.
An Impressive penthouse office suite with City views and providing open plan light and bright studio offices totalling 3,762 sq ft NET, plus 2 car spaces.
Julian Cook FRICS
Jayne Rixon MRICS
Charlie Kershaw MRICS
Finola Ingham MRICS
Tom Coyte MRICS
Holly Boulton BSc(Hons)
TO RENT OR PURCHASE – PRICE ON APPLICATION
• • • • •
Sales / Lettings Acquisitions Valuations Landlord & tenant Auction Sales
• • • • •
Rent reviews Property Management Investment Sales / Purchase Development & Planning Dilapidations Advice
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PROPERTY NEWS
BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM ACROSS THE CITY’S BOOMING SECTOR Robert Antony, now partner at Bruton Knowles
STEPPING UP
SWEET SUPPORT benefits that construction and regeneration works can bring to an area,” said Lewis Sweet, MD of Sweet Construct. “The funds will be used to support and develop initiatives, projects and organisations that benefit the residents of Greenbank and will help achieve our aim to leave a legacy through our work that reaches far beyond the buildings we create.”
The community of Greenbank in Bristol is set to benefit from financial investment from local firm Sweet Construct as part of a new initiative that will help fund local community groups and projects in the area. ‘Sweet Support’ will offer a total funding pot of £5,000, with individual grants made of up to £500 towards eligible projects and initiatives that can demonstrate how the money will help to deliver lasting benefits to the community. “Supporting the communities we work in is an important part of what we do and demonstrates just some of the many
• Full details regarding the scheme, terms and conditions, eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found by visiting sweetconstruct.co.uk/sweetsupport
BUDDING AMBASSADORS interaction with their community. Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, will provide £10,000 through the #IWillFund for the Community Ambassadors Programme and Sovereign will provide £5,000 funding to deliver the Clarion Futures MiniCommunity Ambassadors Programme. “Now more than ever, young people need access to opportunities which provide positive differences to themselves and their local communities,” said Lucy Saunders at Young Bristol. “The Ambassadors programmes will offer a really exciting opportunity for young people to shape, influence and support their wider community. We look forward to working with Sovereign and Clarion Futures on these new projects later this year.”
Young people in Brislington, Hengrove and Whitchurch Park are to have a new club brought right to their door to brighten up the days after lockdown, thanks to a £15,000 boost for local charity Young Bristol from housing associations Sovereign and Clarion. The newly launched youth club on wheels – which includes a chill-out area with table and seating and pull-out awning – will deliver socially distanced sessions after school, including sports and creative activities. Those visiting will be encouraged to take part in social action projects such as volunteering, engaging with the elderly or those with special needs, litter picking and improving community gardens, with ideas developed and delivered by the children attending. It is hoped that the sessions will encourage participants to talk about issues that matter to them, as well as increasing
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Property consultancy Bruton Knowles has announced a key promotion within its land development and planning team, proving its ambition to drive the business forward across the South West despite the current economic challenges facing the property industry following the lockdown period. Robert Anthony, who works across the Gloucester and Bristol-based offices, has been promoted from associate to partner. With an ambition to grow the team and drive the business forward across the region, Rob will focus on the development of consultancy skills and branching out of Gloucester/Bristol to continue to extend the client list further still. “I am delighted,” said Robert. “After working with the business for 17 years, I have built up a high level of experience and a strong client list, and will be using my skills to educate and grow the team, while driving forward opportunities for securing work from new and existing clients.” Managing partner James Bailey explained why the promotion is an important step for the business: “As an industry we are entering a period of recovery mode post-lockdown and to combat that we need to think bigger. Now is the time to invest in employees who showcase a passion for the business and a willingness to branch out to create new opportunities.” Robert started working with Bruton Knowles in 2003 as a graduate. He will now provide advice to landowners from all sectors including private landowners, house builders, registered providers and government authorities. “Robert is a land and development expert and his attention to detail, personable approach and successful results mean he is regularly retained by clients, to provide comprehensive valuation and strategy advice,” James continues. “The new promotion will enable him to continue to work closely with landowners and housebuilders not only in the South West region but further afield, driving new development opportunities, which will ultimately help to grow the business.” • brutonknowles.co.uk
cjhole.co.uk
Offering a truly unique living space and set within the popular Hansom Hall in St Agnes comes this fine period home. Completely restored and renovated it offers characterful split level accommodation offering open plan kitchen living area, two double bedrooms, the master complete with and en-suite and spacious entrance hall. Boasting ornate stained glass to both front and side aspects double height vaulted ceilings and its own courtyard garden we highly recommend an early internal inspection.
CO SO MI O NG N
Hansom Hall, St. Agnes
Eastover Close, Westbury on Trym
This stunning detached new build property is located on a quiet cul de sac in Westbury On Trym. A superb family home it offers a spacious kitchen/family room, large bifold doors opening on to a beautifully landscaped south facing garden. The property boasts parking for three vehicles via a paved drive which fits two vehicles and a garage. Set in a convenient location the property is only a short walk to the local High Street which benefits from a wide variety of shops, banks, cafes and restaurants. The property will be covered by a 10 year new homes warranty and ready for occupation in 2020.
CENTRAL BS1
GUIDE PRICE
CLIFTON BS8
£295,000
GUIDE PRICE
£319,000
A stylish and well-presented two bedroom ground floor flat in a Grade II* listed building. The flat is offered with an allocated parking space. An excellent location to live conveniently situated between Park Street and Brandon Hill. Viewing highly recommended.
An extensive one double bedroomed garden flat with off street parking. Excellent location situated just off Whiteladies Road. Viewing is highly recommended.
DURDHAM PARK BS8
WESTBURY PARK BS6
GUIDE PRICE
£350,000
GUIDE PRICE
£390,000
A spacious three bedroom upper floor apartment with covered balcony/conservatory and spectacular views over the city and Durdham Downs, well placed for the great variety of amenities along nearby Whiteladies Road. The apartment is offered with a garage and has use of beautifully maintained gardens.
A two double bedroom first floor flat within this attractive Victorian property offers a generous and well-presented interior. The flat is conveniently located within easy reach of the various shops, cafes, restaurants found along North View and Henleaze Road. Close to the Downs, Whiteladies Road, Waitrose supermarket and the Orpheus Cinema.
CLIFTON BS8
REDLAND BS6
GUIDE PRICE
£395,000
A light and spacious first floor flat. Benefitting from a generous separate kitchen and a vast living room, the property is opportune for entertaining. The two double bedrooms private roof terrace. Set on a sought after tree lined street in Redland, it is a stone’s throw from a myriad of cafes, restaurants and boutiques.
0117 923 8238
GUIDE PRICE
£400,000
A delightful two double bedroom garden flat, with private south west facing rear garden and front terrace garden. Superb and most convenient location to live. Viewing is highly recommended.
www.howard-homes.co.uk
hello@howard-homes.co.uk
COTHAM BS6
SSTC
£440,000
KNOWLE BS4
GUIDE PRICE
£550,000
Located halfway between Whiteladies Road and Gloucester Road this two double bedroom flat has great access to all that the city has to offer (the City Centre and The Downs are within walking distance, and Redland train station and the lovely Cotham Gardens are just a couple of minutes’ walk away). Views across Redland from every room and many original features. Similar properties required.
A substantial three bedroom family home which has recently been refurbished throughout. Externally there is an enclosed, mainly lawned, walled rear garden and an open area to the front of the house. Ideal location for direct access to the city centre, Temple Meads Station and the M32/ M4 motorway links.
FAILAND BS8
REDLAND BS6
SSTC
£585,000
A four bedroom family home set behind a large laurel hedge in one of Failands most popular addresses. Parking for several cars and well placed for commuting with Bristol Temple Meads just 5.7 miles away, M5 junction 19 just 4.3 miles away and Bristol international Airport around 6 miles away. Similar properties required.
HENLEAZE BS9
SSTC
£790,000
A substantial 1930’s four bedroom detached family house set over three floors. Beautiful rear garden and sun terrace and views of the surrounding area. Drive and garage. Similar properties required.
GUIDE PRICE
£675,000
A substantial three double bedroom garden flat with garage. Large hall, living room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, bathroom, en-suite, utility room and private gardens.
CLIFTON BS8
SSTC
£1,500,000
A four bedroom detached family house set within generous gardens in an excellent Clifton location. Recently built annexe/study, off-street parking and scope for development, subject to planning. Similar properties required.
203 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2XT
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