The Bristol Magazine May 2019 by MC Publishing Limited

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THE

Issue 179

may 2019

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

£3.95 where sold

SUPERHERO CHIC Healthtech just got seriously cool... We look at Bristol’s pioneering bionics scene and much more

NETFLIX & FOTHERGILL A chat with the director of Attenborough’s Our Planet

BREWING IT FOR THEMSELVES The fab females on Bristol’s Craft Beer Festival bill

MUSIC MAN Multi-talented Tim Minchin talks Matilda

SHOCK & AWE Mandy Barker’s Altered Ocean at the RPS T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T M O N T H LY 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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Contents

May 2019

REGULARS ZEITGEIST

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

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Top activities for the month to come

CITYIST

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News and upcoming seminars from Lansdown Place plus this month’s charitable walk

FOOD & DRINK

Meet Bristol theatre bod Steve Hennessy

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

BARTLEBY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The latest from local foodies, restaurants and producers

...Gets momentarily political in broaching the B word

RECIPE

THE CULTURE

In the first of a new series, local Great British Bake Off star Briony May Williams shares the recipe for her beetroot brownies

THEATRE

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A chat with the man who made Matilda musical: Tim Minchin

WHAT’S ON

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A cross-section of the city’s varied events scene

DANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 New Works Ballet Theatre is addressing the gender imbalance in ballet

VIRTUAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Get down to the harbourside’s new VR theatre (a UK first), pop your headset on and be transported to alternate realities

MUSIC

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BEER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 With more female brewers, DJs and attendees for 2019, Bristol Craft Beer Festival has become much more diverse

HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Snippets from the sector

SUSTAINABILITY

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Crystal Rose looks at the local companies helping to clean up our act

Releasing a new record this month, Bristol’s Cut Capers are on our radar

HABITAT

ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

WILD BRISTOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

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May is best for birdsong; listen out for nature’s sunrise symphony

Mandy Barker’s aesthetically arresting call to arms at the RPS, plus Native American art at Rainmaker and Bristol’s first ‘exhiboobtion’

GREAT OUTDOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

FEATURES

Andrew Swift recommends Lundy for those who like nothing better than walking, watersporting, bird-watching and beer drinking

ENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 We chat with the Bristol-based director of the latest David Attenborough special, taking Netflix by storm

TECHNOLOGY

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Elly West finds unlikely bedfellows at Blackmore & Langdon’s

This city is a real hub for the development of technology for healthcare. Nick Flaherty finds out more

BOOKS

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Tips on how to diversify our bookshelves and broaden our horizons

TRAVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Local lakes well worth visiting, plus gardens around the globe to admire as flower-show season commences

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GARDENING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 PROPERTY

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News and developments

ON THE COVER

Tilly Lockey, who now has two 3D-printed artificial arms thanks to Stoke Giﬀord’s Open Bionics and film studio 20th Century Fox – see p52 for more on Bristol ‘s pioneering healthtech work

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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers

Clifton BS8 Guide Price £399,000

Redland BS6 Guide Price Range £875,000 - £925,000

Sneyd Park BS9 Guide Price £500,000

Clifton BS8 Guide Price £475,000

An attractive double fronted 6 bedroom, 2 reception room, circa 3,400 sq. ft., Victorian town house, with a sunny 32ft x 30ft rear garden in a prime location and needing complete refurbishment. Close to Whiteladies Road and the Downs. Offers obvious and valuable potential to restore a once beautiful home to its former glory. EPC: F

Redland BS6 Guide Price Range £775,000 - £825,000

A light & well-arranged 2 double bedroom (1 en-suite) first floor apartment in a fine detached Victorian building with off street parking. No chain.

A handsome 5 bedroom, 3 reception Victorian period town house, circa 2,050 sq. ft., with 35ft walled rear garden, currently arranged with a self-contained 1 bedroom lower ground floor flat. EPC: E

A beautifully presented 3/4 bedroom modern house with front garden, garage, driveway parking & courtyard rear garden. EPC: C

A 2 bedroom, 2 bath/shower room (circa 1,000 sq.ft.), late Georgian terraced house, with dual aspect 20ft x 13ft sitting room & 20ft x 13ft kitchen/ dining room which opens out to a timber decked garden terrace. EPC: C

Professional, Reliable, Successful

Harbourside BS8 Guide Price Range £815,000 - £840,000

A superbly situated, modern, 3 double bedroom, 2 bath/shower room water fronting townhouse with privileged views overlooking Bristol’s famous floating harbour, having an open-plan kitchen/dining/living room, easy maintenance gardens, balcony, off-street parking and single garage. EPC: C

0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP

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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers

Cotham BS6 Price Guide Range £1,350,000 - £1,400,000 A large & impressive, circa 3,500 sq.ft. 5/6 bedroom, 3/4 reception, 3 bathroom Victorian period family house with landscaped front & rear gardens. A quite exceptional family home in an elevated position, retains many period features & offers spacious & flexible accommodation throughout - elements of which could be adapted, if required, to provide spaces for working from home, informal renting out or dependent relatives/independent teenagers. No chain. EPC: E

Professional, Reliable, Successful

0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP

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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers

Is now the right time to sell? There is no easy answer to the ‘right time’. Traditionally demand increases into Spring/early Summer, particularly in the family home market. The continuing Brexit saga has naturally been causing a degree of uncertainty in this year’s Spring market. Sellers would be forgiven if feeling a little hesitant and perhaps waiting for the current melee to be over. What the future will hold is inevitably hard to predict. What we can say with confidence is that we have been successfully and consistently selling properties throughout the year to date, demonstrating that the local Bristol market has remained remarkably resilient. At Richard Harding, we have experienced the ebb and flow of markets for many years and understand the complexities that arise. More importantly, we come up with positive and effective solutions that enable our vendor clients to safely navigate the waters, whatever the prevailing conditions. If you would like to discuss the strategy and timing for the sale of your property, either now or preparing for the future, then please do get in touch on 0117 9466690

Professional, Reliable, Successful

0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP

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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers

Clifton BS8 Guide Price £375,000

Cotham BS6 Guide Price £865,000

Redland BS6 Guide Price £425,000

Clifton BS8 Guide Price £725,000

A large (over 2000 sq.ft.), 5 double bedroom Edwardian semi-detached family house in a lovely location high up in Cotham, near Colston's Primary & Cotham Secondary schools. Enjoying fabulous cityscape views over Redland & Clifton, many original features & a pretty town garden. EPC: E

Redland BS6 Guide Price £875,000

An immaculate grade II listed hall floor apartment offering generous sitting/dining room, 2 equally sized double bedrooms & use of residents private gardens to the rear.

An elegant 5 double bedroom, 2 bath/shower room, mid-terraced Victorian period townhouse, cira 1,814 sq.ft. with fully enclosed pretty front & rear gardens. EPC: D

A smart 2 double bedroom hall floor garden apartment with rear garden and off street parking. EPC: D

A stylish 4 bedroom contemporary mews house tucked away in an enviable location with a lovely south westerly facing walled town garden & a useful storage garage/bike store. EPC D.

Professional, Reliable, Successful

Stoke Bishop BS9 Guide Price £950,000

An immaculately presented 5 bedroom (2 with en suite), 2/3 reception room modern detached family house situated in an enviable setting close to the shops and amenities of Stoke Lane. Further benefiting from beautifully kept level 52ft x 41ft rear garden, off road parking for 2 cars and a double garage. Highly prized location.

0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP

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See what award-winning photographer Mandy Barker makes of the marine plastic problem on p40

THIS MONTH WE’RE...

Listening to... Slinky underground disco and deep electronic throbs fused with shimmering pop. Fans of dance music with a voice and soul will be flocking to Trinity Centre on 18 May, after Crazy P release their eighth album Age of the Ego and head to Bristol to celebrate.

from the

Snacking alfresco...

EDITOR

AMANDA NICHOLLS EDITOR

@thebristolmag

14 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

thebristolmag.co.uk |

MAY 2019

No 179

@thebristolmag

The Ostrich oﬀering has had a revamp

...At The Ostrich, the favourite old harbour haunt that’s had a makeover recently, including the installation of an outdoor street food airstream. Also, keep an eye out this month for the city-centre launch of La Sorella: Food and Wine; the more casual new drop-in deli from the family behind Pasta Loco and Pasta Ripiena. There’ll be exclusive Italian wines, spritz evenings, fresh pasta to take home with pairing suggestions, plus fresh bread, coffee, cheeses and meats.

Glamming up...

...For Glitterbox at Motion on 1 June. A force to be reckoned with in nightlife culture, it generates an inclusive, uplifting atmosphere designed to unite all ages, persuasions and walks of life on the dancefloor. Expect Todd Terry and Joey Negro plus emerging house talents.

Image by Khali Ackford

e feel like we already knew who would come out on top in the recent study of the UK’s most artistic cities (but cheers for confirming, Premier Inn!) – with more galleries, gigs, theatre, museums, street art and imaginative, outside-the-box creativity than you can shake a stick at in Bristol, all vying for our attention and excited tweets. But it’s not just the arts in which this city excels. Our cover feature (p52) looks at Bristol as a hub for the development of technology for healthcare – from a Braille version of the Kindle to a brain pacemaker that tackles Parkinson’s, and 3D-printed ‘hero arms’ with bionic hands that can open, close and adroitly change grips. Cover star Tilly Lockey lost both hands after contracting meningitis B as a baby and now has two customised creations courtesy of film studio 20th Century Fox and Stoke Gifford’s Open Bionics – which has this year secured investment to develop its range and go global. It just goes to show how our local researchers and entrepreneurs are pushing back the boundaries and using tech to do real good on street level. We’re talking Netflix, and how we can’t afford to be ‘chill’ about climate change, on p50 – where Jessica Hope interviews the local director of the latest Attenborough doco Our Planet. We’ve also got more on Mandy Barker’s ‘Altered Ocean’ show at the Royal Photographic Society – shock and awe combine in this display of beautiful, arresting aesthetics, to drive home the crucial message about plastic pollution. That’s not to say we’re ignoring the arts this issue – find out about Native American art in Bristol on p46 (the city has become something of a destination for artists like Cannupa Hanska Luger) or visit what we reckon is Bristol’s first ‘exhiboobtion’ at the Anson Rooms (p48). Musically speaking we’ve got multi-talented Tim Minchin, writer of the soundtrack for Matilda The Musical, as well as news from Bristol act Cut Capers (p38); then an introduction to the UK’s first virtual reality arts theatre, on the harbour (p36). In other exciting news, Great British Bake Off’s Briony May Williams joins the ranks on p57 – her first recipe column features the spiced beetroot brownies she made at her recent pop-up with fellow Bristol chef Dean Edwards. Then we’re profiling a few of the fantastic female brewers that have joined the Bristol Craft Beer Festival bill and the host of female DJs that will be entertaining the event’s increasingly diverse crowd (p58). In travel, and as flower-show season commences, we’ve gardens to admire around the globe, as well as local lakes to visit, while Andrew Swift recommends Lundy for those who like the sound of patchy phone coverage and nothing to do but walk, watersport and bird-watch. See also: sustainable beauty and the local businesses doing their bit, reading recommendations from Bristol’s Books That Matter, and more. Enjoy spring...

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ZEITGEIST

fab things to do in MAY

Artwork by Rob Wheeler

WANDER Bristol’s street art scene is booming. Art lovers from across the world are flocking to the West Country to see the designs adorning our roads and buildings. If you fancy learning more about this creative industry, then join local graffiti artist Rob Wheeler on a walking tour, from M Shed, of some of the key sites in Bristol’s world-famous street art scene from the past and present on 14 May, 10.30am. Find out how this craze first took off, the key players and events, and the politics and controversies surrounding the art form. Pay what you think. Book in advance by calling: 0117 352 6600.

From the remote Arctic wilderness to the vast landscapes of Africa, be transported to some of the Earth’s most breathtaking but at-risk habitats at We The Curious this spring. Following the launch of the groundbreaking new natural history series Our Planet on Netflix last month, WWF, Google, Netflix and PHORIA have teamed up to create an immersive augmented reality experience where visitors to Bristol’s science centre can explore the world’s most extraordinary habitats. Until 2 June, you can use it to learn about the wonders of the world, through IMAX-style projections with spatial soundscapes. Free with general admission, advance booking recommended. Ahead of his appearance at The Bath Festival on 24 May, we talked to Alastair Fothergill, the Our Planet director and co-founder of Bristol-based wildlife film production company Silverback Films. Turn to page 50 for more. • wethecurious.org

GET YOUR BOOTS ON Bristol’s walking festival is back this month with a range of walks organised for you to see the city in a whole new way. Now in its seventh year, the festival attracts more than 3,000 people from around the city and beyond. From nature walks to historical tours and walking sports or if you just want to get fit and enjoy some fresh air, there are plenty of events to choose from, taking place around the city from 1 – 31 May. Most are free, and are open to all ages and fitness levels.

• bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed

• bristolwalkfest.com

LAUGH Middle-Weight Theatre Company return to the Alma Tavern and Theatre in Clifton this month with their hysterical production Amendments: A Play on Words. After already thrilling audiences on their national tour this year, and with upcoming appearances at Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals still to come, Bristol-based playwright Matt Roberts and director Tom Stabb fearlessly tackle the various absurdities, frustrations and necessities of political correctness, and explore whether PC culture is diminishing our ability to communicate. 16 – 18 May, 8pm. Tickets £7 – £9. • middleweighttheatrecompany.com

LISTEN After storming the Proms in 2017, Europe’s first majority-BME orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, has been making a name for itself for championing and celebrating diversity in classical music. Founded by pioneering double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, the ensemble, also the resident orchestra of St George’s Bristol, is returning to Bristol on 17 May, 7.30pm, for a programme featuring pieces by Mendelssohn and Britten, as well as new work by talented young composer James Wilson which celebrates the incredible life and achievements of one of Bristol’s most iconic civil rights leaders, Dr Paul Stephenson OBE. Tickets £5 – £25. • stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

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Walking Festival: Jesse Wild, Chineke! Eric Richmond

DISCOVER

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THE CITY THE BUZZ Suggs and co

BRISTOL Meet local theatre professional Steve Hennessey

Madness on The Downs Ska pioneers Madness are heading to Bristol this summer, for a one-off gig on Sunday 1 September from local promoters and the organisers of The Downs Bristol, Team Love and Crosstown Concerts. The one-day event will also feature esteemed reggae DJ David Rodigan performing with the Outlook Orchestra, as well as Trojan Soundsystem. Having had 17 singles reach the UK top 10, including One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love, Madness soared to success in the early to mid-1980s, spending 214 weeks on the UK singles charts over the course of the decade. Madness founder and frontman Suggs had this to say: “Friends, mad heads and countrymen, lend me your ears. This year be the 40th anniversary of the groupus maximus MADNESS XL and to celebrate the country will be witness to celebrations of Romanesque proportions!” Dave Harvey, of Team Love, added: “We had an incredible opportunity to bring these fantastic acts to the city and being able to use the existing infrastructure from The Downs Bristol, taking place the day before, has helped make this a possibility. Madness is one of the most iconic British bands of the last 30 years, Rodigan is legendary figure who you can always rely on to bring the big party vibes and Trojan is an institution of British sound system culture. This is going to be an incredible day.” David Rodigan has long been a pioneer of reggae and dancehall music and by the age of 15 was regularly DJing at school dances and youth clubs, going on to forge a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking DJs. As for Trojan Sound System, they were formed in London in 2014 and brought together some of the most talented selectors and vocalists in Daddy Ad, Superfour, Chucky Bantan and Jah Buck, representing the most seminal reggae and ska label in history. Tickets for Madness on The Downs are priced at £39.50 plus booking fee and Downs Levy. • madnessonthedowns.com

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I run Stepping Out, a charity creating theatre with mental health service users and theatre professionals. It has been going for 22 years! I started it as a drama group inside a small psychiatric hospital (the old Barrow Gurney hospital, now no longer there) and expanded from there. We now do big community shows and smaller shows with professional actors, including productions in Edinburgh and London. Last year we went to Finland to perform at a mental health festival. Essentially we use the healing power of theatre to help people recover. I am actually a Brummie, although I’ve been here for 30 years now. My parents are from Dublin and were part of the wave of immigration from Ireland in the 1950s. I moved to Bristol when I was 30, following my heart and moving for love. Ultimately, of course, I fell in love with Bristol and am very proud to call it home. We help people out of dark, difficult times with the arts. And it’s not just the performances our members find healing; they find a sense of community. It’s a family who don’t judge and who understand what you’re going through. It is not an overstatement to say the group is a lifeline to many members. Some have been with us 15 or 20 years. There is a vibrant social life – we do theatre trips, days out, even group holidays. We are a very close-knit community. We are working on The Stranger On The Bridge at the Tobacco Factory (14 – 18 May). Most people remember the story of a young man who wanted to jump from Waterloo Bridge but was helped by a stranger. He later decided to track down the good samaritan who saved his life; a story that resonated all round the world. It is a fascinating project bringing to the stage a very powerful story and we are thrilled to be involved. Suicide awareness and prevention is something very close to our hearts at Stepping Out. Tragically we have had two suicides in the group over the last 20 years. They were both incredibly talented and active in the group and left a huge hole. There will be group members on stage every night during the run. My theatrical inspirations come from people like Emma Rice, companies like Kneehigh Theatre and, indeed, Emma’s new company Wise Children. I adored their first show at Bristol Old Vic; I really enjoy larger-than-life productions. I also like classical stuff like

Chekov. I take daily inspiration from the stories of our members – the experiences they have been through and how they turn that around in the group. I am proud of that. The last novel I read was The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman. He is absolutely my favourite living author. I’ve mostly been listening to Stan Getz – an incredible jazz saxophone player – and Jacques Brel, a Belgian musician who wrote Ne Me Quitte Pas among others. His work is theatrical with a sense of cabaret and is hauntingly poetic. He was an outstanding performer and I wish I could have seen him. The passion in his music is very powerful. Kuch on Whiteladies Road is fantastic. Its Persian/Iranian cuisine is incredibly delicious, plus it’s a very friendly, relaxed place. If I was in charge I would crack down on illegal pollution in Avonmouth and sweetheart deals between local politicians and companies who dump waste into the air and water around Bristol. We did a production last summer at Kings Weston House called The Rise and Fall of Ronald J Dump which focussed on the shocking truth about the pollution at Avonmouth. I love going to the wonderful Clifton Lido to do my lengths – I always come out of there feeling much healthier. I also do lots of walking – mainly Blaise and the Kings Weston estate – and like stomping along by the river in town or wandering around Leigh Woods. If I’m feeling flush I treat myself to a meal out somewhere like Kuch or the equally delightful Souk Kitchen. ■ • steppingouttheatre.co.uk

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Contact

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Aberdeen . Aberdeenshire . Beverley . Brentwood . Bristol . Cardiff . Chester . Chichester . Farnborough High Wycombe . Linlithgow . Liverpool . London North . London West End . Manchester . Orpington Preston . Romsey . Sheffield . Shrewsbury . Southport . Sutton Coldfield . Tunbridge Wells . Wilmslow . York

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THE CITY

Show your colours

She Grows will help 1,000 women set up small businesses and replant the local forest

It’s a match! Bristol-based charity Tree Aid has launched a three-month appeal with proceeds to be doubled by the UK government. The She Grows appeal will help people reverse the effects of deforestation and climate change in the drylands of Africa, with any public donations between 1 April and 30 June matched pound for pound through the UK Aid Match scheme. Tree Aid was founded in Bristol in 1987 by a visionary group of foresters and has since planted more than 16 million trees and supported more than 1.2 million people. The local charity is increasingly gaining international recognition for its long-term solution to help alleviate poverty and halt deforestation in the poorest and most arid parts of Africa. “I have been supporting Tree Aid for more than 25 years because it provides such an effective, practical solution to the urgent issues of poverty in Africa and the environmental decline that so often causes it,” explained Tree Aid patron and She Grows supporter, Joanna Lumley. “Trees are being wiped from the landscape in the African drylands and the desert is spreading, making it harder for people, especially women, to feed their families and earn an income. I urge local people to please give what they can to the She Grows appeal, knowing their gift will be doubled by our government. If ever there was a time to support a local organisation working on global issues, it is now.” She Grows will help one thousand women in Mali to set up small businesses that process and sell shea butter and honey, and give them the tools to save and replant their local forest. • treeaid.org.uk/shegrows Hacienda Classical closes on 16 June (image by Anthony Mooney)

Forest escape

This year’s headliners have been announced for Forest Live, the outdoor concert series taking place at Westonbirt Arboretum next month. Stereophonics are to play on 13 June; 14 June will see Paul Weller play with support from Stone Foundation; and Jack Savoretti is taking to the stage on 15 June with special guests The Wandering Hearts; while Hacienda Classical, curated by DJ Graeme Park and Peter Hook with the Manchester Camerata Orchestra and special guests K-Klass close on 16 June. The annual live music series is held every summer by Forestry Commission England, and Forest Live 2019 will take place in seven beautiful woodland arenas across the country. Over 1.75 million people have attended a forest gig in the last 18 years, enjoying good food and drink, the concerts’ informal and relaxed atmosphere and the spectacular forest backdrop. Money raised from ticket sales helps to look after the nation’s forests sustainably. • forestryengland.uk/music; 03000 680400

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Children’s Hospice South West is bringing back one of the biggest and brightest fun runs to Bristol. The annual Rainbow Run will take place at a new venue for 2019, just a stone’s throw from CHSW’s hospice in Wraxall at the North Somerset Showground on Saturday 8 June. Entrants can choose to run, walk or jog through colourful explosions of powder paint with friends and family and raise sponsorship to continue the work CHSW does to help make wonderful memories for families whose children have life-threatening or lifelimiting conditions. The charity provides care for the whole family, including short breaks, a dedicated sibling team and one-to-one specialist care as well as end-of-life care and bereavement support. Anyone aged five or above can take part in what is quite possibly the region’s happiest and most vibrant fun run to support families from Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and West Wiltshire. Turn up in your white T-shirt and leave with a big smile and a raft of happy memories, covered in every colour of the rainbow. Join the CHSW team in the event village from 11am, where there will be music, face painters, food and refreshments. Volunteer photographers will be on hand to capture all the fun of the day, and there will be a warm up to get you pumped for the run. • To take part, visit chsw.org.uk/rainbowbristol Don your white T-shirt and prepare to get colourful at the North Somerset Showground (image by Colin Rayner Photography)

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THE

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ithout wanting to bring everyone down by mentioning ‘Exit with a silent Br’, I have been thinking recently about how on earth we all get through this wearying episode and move on. And as I mull over the future, help has come from an unlikely source, to wit the shaggy and not especially bright Jarvis Cockerpoo – aka the Damned Dog. The way I see it, the impossible complexities and confusions of B***** can be expressed in quite simple terms: there is a space, ie the British Isles, and inhabiting said space are people with very different views – opposing views, even – about how best to manage their affairs and the space itself. As I was wandering along with Jarvis, pondering this, it occurred to me that this is not unlike the situation in our local park. Like Britain, the park has borders. Like Britain it has a large and varied population. And as in Britain there are factions within this population that don’t get on all that well. Actually there are two main factions: people with dogs, and people without dogs. The attitude of the former is that the park is primarily a place where Snoop, Bella and Mr Magoo can run around, play with other dogs and generally enjoy an hour of freedom. Dog people point out, should you query this attitude, that they are the ones patrolling the park every day, summer or winter, rain or shine. It is they – and their faithful companions – who keep an eye out for unsavoury characters or the unsavoury things said characters leave behind. When Jarvis once collapsed while on a walk in the park we took him to the vet who informed us that he was not at death’s door but, in fact, high as a kite. People without dogs don’t see this kind of selfless public service. Instead they encounter the unsavoury things that may be left behind by the inattentive dog walker. Or discover that when you barbecue sausages, on the ground, in a park, you’re likely to end up with less of them than you planned. For years, as I remember well, the Bartleby clan were very much in the camp of people without dogs. Who could forget the time a bull mastiff, who might easily have played Bill Sikes’ dog in Oliver Twist, trotted over, seized young Master Bartleby’s football and ate it. And the even more memorable occasion when a staffie decided to join in our primary school end-of-term picnic, nipping sandwiches from the hands of children while the owner cried unapologetically, “E’s just bein’ a dog!” Oh yes, we all recall how it felt when a labrador stole Ms B’s birthday cake, or a westie cocked his leg on my backpack. Come to think of it, that was my mum’s dog… Anyway, the kids grew out of primary school picnics and Jarvis entered our lives, and now it is us playing the role of distraught owner as the beast grabs a baguette and runs. You’d be amazed how much food is consumed in a park on a daily basis, and how careless al fresco diners can be. Last year – oh dread memory – the creature spotted a circle of teens and immediately bounded over to them. Instead of screaming at him to go away they welcomed him into their midst, only for him to snatch a pizza – a whole pizza – and speed off across the park. We were horrified, but the kids thought it was hilarious. We offered to pay for the pizza. They wouldn’t hear of it. “He’s just a dog,” one of them said, “he can’t help it.” And they turned back to their conversation, and their considerably lighter meal, while we tried to accept that they really, genuinely didn’t care. They appreciated that a park is a place you just have to share with everyone else – even Damned Dogs that nick your tea. ■

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THEATRE

Theatrical magic Matilda the Musical is heading for the Hippodrome this month. Its songwriter, comic Tim Minchin, talks of his determination to avoid ‘Disneyfying’ Roald Dahl, and the hit show’s timeless message. Words by Theo Bosanquet

ussie comedian, actor, writer, musician, composer, lyricist and director Tim Minchin wrote his first theatrical score at 18 and has since written the music and lyrics for the stage version of a beloved children’s classic – we jumped at the chance to find out more...

performed by an orchestra for the first time – it remains one of the happiest days of my life. And first night was incredible, and I was already in a pretty heightened state because I’d just opened my first arena tour the night before! So I always knew it was special but I never allowed the idea to enter my head that it would run for so long.

How did you first get involved in Matilda The Musical?

Do you have a favourite moment in the show?

Back in 2008 I was beginning to get some traction as a comedian. The Royal Shakespeare Company called me in for a meeting and I didn’t know what it was about, so I sort of walked in blind. Matthew Warchus, who was so unassuming I didn’t realise he was a giant of his field, asked if I knew Roald Dahl’s work. I said yes, of course, and he said they were thinking about making a musical of Matilda. I told him the same thought had occurred to me a few years earlier and I’d even tried to get the rights. So it was a moment of huge convergence. But because things were going well in my comedy career, when they first offered me the job I hesitated. Fortunately I ignored my doubts when I realised what an amazing opportunity this was.

It depends on the performance, but if I had to pick one I’d say Quiet. It’s just this amazing moment when a small child stands in a spotlight with her eyes closed and her arms out, after this freefall of ideas has gone through her brain. And there’s total silence. It comes at the point in the musical where typically you get a big, belting song. But we put two fingers up at that, because at that point in the story our character just needs peace. It always makes me feel very special.

...Combine Miss Trunchbull and Mrs Wormwood and you basically have the current US president... What were your priorities when it came to writing the music? Writing musicals is hard, because it’s really easy for them to be cheesy nonsense. And with Dahl it felt especially important to avoid this. He was the king of my childhood, and he wrote with this holy trinity of humour, heart and darkness. The humour and the heart only work with the darkness to offset them; without it you’re not doing him justice. There’s a lot of stuff you can’t put cherries on, especially in Matilda. So primarily I wanted to make sure that when the actors started singing the songs, the audience didn’t feel compelled to slap them. I passionately wanted to avoid a ‘Disneyfication’ of the story. What’s the difference with having child actors at the heart of the show? The extraordinary thing about Matilda is that you’re watching a show about a miraculous child, being performed by seemingly miraculous children. I wrote the songs for children and always crossed my fingers that we could find young performers with the talent to deliver them. It soon became apparent that we could. I especially love it when people come with quite low expectations of how good a show performed by kids can be, then have their minds blown. When did you first realise you had a hit on your hands? I think it was incremental. I knew it was special the moment I read Dennis [Kelly]’s draft, and then I saw Rob [Howell]’s design and Peter [Darling]’s choreography, and just knew I could trust these people. Then Chris [Nightingale] did an amazing job with the orchestrations. I’ll never forget the sitzprobe [seated rehearsal] when I heard the songs

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What does it mean to be taking Matilda on tour? The show has been seen by millions of people, and feels like it’s become a part of our culture. But there are many people who haven’t managed to get to London or New York to see it. The fact this production will open the show out to a whole new audience is very gratifying. And it’s such a good production, with lots of great Matilda alumni in the cast. Is the show just as relevant now as when it opened? Matilda is a love letter to the power of stories, imagination and kindness in the face of cruelty, greed and superficiality. I think it’s become even more relevant in recent years. Combine Miss Trunchbull and Mrs Wormwood and you basically have the current president of the United States. But on top of that, it tells kids that reading is cool, and that changing your story and standing up to bullies is possible. That’s a timeless message. And the RSC is running a brilliant education scheme around the tour, which makes me even more proud to be a part of making this production happen. One of the songs you wrote for the show is When I Grow Up. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a farmer, which was a bit weird because I was asthmatic and allergic to hay. But my grandad had a farm we loved, so my brother and I naturally wanted to be farmers. Later I wanted to be a teacher, partly because I never really thought you could be a poet or a songwriter. It took me a long time to work out that it could be a genuine career path. If you could have a magical power, like Matilda, what would it be? I would like her ability to read so many books in a week. Especially now I’ve got kids attending new schools, I feel I have a lot to catch up on. But usually I get halfway through a page and fall asleep with the book on my face. So I would love to have Matilda’s ability to vacuum up knowledge; I’m so frustrated by the books on my own bookshelf, never mind the countless others in the libraries of the world. ■

• Matilda is at Bristol Hippodrome 7 May – 8 June; atgtickets.com

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THEATRE

It took Tim a long time to realise being a songwriter could be a genuine career path â&#x20AC;&#x201C; until then he wanted to be a farmer, which was a bit weird because he was asthmatic and allergic to hay

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Remodelling Four rings into One

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LOCAL | EVENTS

WHAT’S ON IN MAY Laugh your socks off with Kiri Pritchard-McLean at 1532 Performing Arts Centre

The Steve Williamson Experience & StringTing at St George’s Bristol

Award-winning play Passionate Machine heads to The Theatre Shop, Clevedon

1972: The Future of Sex Until 11 May, times vary, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic It’s 1972. An era of possibility and polyester and pubic hair. Ziggy Stardust is on Top of the Pops, Penny is writing an essay on Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Christine is watching Deepthroat. Brian is confused. With their trademark theatricality in tow, The Wardrobe Ensemble return to their old stomping ground to tell stories of the class of ’72, accompanied by a live band and some spacehoppers. £16; bristololdvic.org.uk Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Victim, Complex 2 May, 8pm, 1532 Performing Arts Centre You might have seen Kiri on Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour or heard her on The Now Show. You might have no idea who she is; that’s fine too. What you should know is, she’s very quietly been going mad for a few years and, to borrow a phrase from Uma Thurman, she’s been “waiting… to feel less angry”. So, it’s time to talk about victims, love and lies. You might not believe her, but she’s used to that. Presented by Chuckle Busters. 16+. £12; 1532bristol.co.uk Barber Shop Chronicles 2 – 18 May, times vary, Bristol Old Vic Following two sell-out runs at the National Theatre and a world tour, Inua Ellams’ acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles is a heartwarming, hilarious and insightful new play that leaps from a barber shop in Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra over the course of a single day. Directed by Olivier Award-winning director Bijan Sheibani. From £11.50; bristololdvic.org.uk I Fagiolini: Da Vinci 500 2 May, 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, British vocal ensemble 28 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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I Fagiolini celebrates da Vinci’s iconic work through projections of his most famous images while performing a programme featuring the work of Tallis, Monteverdi, Bach and more. Art historian and expert Martin Kemp and director Robert Hollingworth will introduce the evening. £5 – £30; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Bristol Early Music Festival 3 – 5 May, All Saints Church, Clifton Bristol’s first festival featuring wonderful music from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, performed by local and international musicians. The programme features evening concerts, weekend morning and afternoon workshops for singers and players with experienced professional tutors, and an exhibition of instruments with talks and demonstrations. Events £5 – £12, or £25 for an advance festival pass to all the events; bristolearlymusicfestival.uk Bespoked: The UK Handmade Bicycle Show 3 – 5 May, opening times vary, Brunel's Old Station Europe’s premier handmade bicycle show showcasing the best artisan makers and their extensive ranges, including classic, road, track and mountain bikes, as well as handmade cycling accessories and apparel. This is the place for the public, industry and press to meet independent makers and designers. From £20; bespoked.cc Glos Rd Central Mayfest 4 May, 10am – 5pm, Gloucester Road This popular annual community fair takes place outside the shops and businesses on Gloucester Road. There will be plant sales, creative activities, face painting, vintage items, food stalls, live music and henna designs. Plus, don’t miss the Jack in the Green procession at 3.30pm.

Midge Ure 4 May, doors 7pm, Anson Rooms, Queens Road An artist who has received Ivor Novello, Grammy and BASCAP awards, along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records, really needs very little introduction. Midge Ure comes to Bristol on his Songs, Questions and Answers tour, performing some of his mostloved tracks including If I Was, Dancing with Tears in My Eyes and No Regrets. Tickets from £21.84 via Eventbrite. Borderlands Fundraising Concert 4 May, doors 7.30pm, Clifton Cathedral Borderlands South West is a charity working with asylum seekers and refugees, aiming to promote inclusion. This spring fundraising concert features organist Joachim Schwander with a recital of From the Bachs to the Archers. The programme also includes music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vierne and Arthur Wood. Free entrance, donations welcome; borderlands.uk.com An American in Paris – The Musical 7 May, 7pm, Curzon Cinema and Arts, Clevedon This breathtakingly beautiful satellite screening of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, inspired by the Oscarwinning MGM film, tells the story of discovering love in the City of Light. Jerry Mulligan is an American GI striving to make it as a painter. Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young dancer named Lise, the streets of Paris become the backdrop to a sensuous, modern romance of art, friendship and love in the aftermath of war. £9 – £11; curzon.org.uk Alexandra Streliski 8 May, 8pm, Colston Hall Foyer One of the rare women in the neoclassical world, Alexandra Stréliski creates music that

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LOCAL | EVENTS

EDITOR’S PICK... MADELEINE PEYROUX 6 MAY, ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL, 8PM

Madeleine Peyroux continues to challenge the confines of jazz in brilliant fashion, venturing into the fertile fields of contemporary music with unfading curiosity. 22 years since the release of her debut album Dreamland, Peyroux’s new record, Anthem, finds the singer-songwriter collaborating with writers and musicians Patrick Warren (Bonnie Raitt, JD Souther, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Lana Del Rey, The Red Hot Chili Peppers), Brian MacLeod (Sara Bareilles, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Ziggy Marley) and David Baerwald (Joni Mitchell, David and David, Sheryl Crow), who are also the basic rhythm section players on the album. Together, they cast a sober, poetic, and at times philosophical eye on the current state of the world. £30 – £50; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

enthralls listeners, filling their minds with rich, cinematic images. Reaching international fame after her recordings were included in Oscarwinning Dallas Buyers Club and Demolition, Stréliski’s latest release Inscape is filled with emotional and delicate solo piano. £13.08; colstonhall.org Henleaze Concert Society: Classical Gypsies 11 May, 7.30pm, Trinity-Henleaze URC Music inspired by passionate and romantic Hungarian folk melodies features in this programme alongside Beethoven’s dark and brooding Piano Concerto No.3, in a reduced

orchestration arrangement. The Bristol Ensemble welcomes back the pianist Viv McLean for a fifth year as soloist, completing the set of Beethoven piano concertos. He will also perform Liszt’s dramatic Hungarian Rhapsody in an arrangement for piano quintet. £16.50 for adults, £5 under 25s, from Opus 13 music shop. Tel: 0117 923 0164; henleazeconcertsociety.org.uk Pasetti & Boote Tasting 12 May, 12 – 6pm, The Forge Private chef and catering company Pasetti & Boote and The Forge present a fantastic selection of importers and producers of wine

and cider from Bristol, Wales and London, where guests can taste around 50 wines from all over Europe, as well as fruity ciders and perry. £15, includes local cheese and bread plate. All proceeds go to The Square Food Foundation; theforgebristol.com Ruston Kelly 12 May, 8pm, The Crofters Rights If you like your Americana with a Bruce Springsteen twang, but sung by someone who spins a little heavy metal too, Ruston Kelly’s “powerful grasp on storytelling” (Rolling Stone) might be the perfect musical tonic. The Nashville-based artist has been making Continued on page 30

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LOCAL | EVENTS

Remains of the Day at Bristol Old Vic

Learn hand embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework

Alistair McGowan at St George’s Bristol

Evening retirement planning seminar 13 May, 5.30 – 7pm, Glassboat Brasserie, Welsh Back, Bristol Confused about your retirement options? Many are unsure about what options are available when they retire. A qualified Financial Adviser from Four Wealth Management will offer clarity on pension options at this seminar, which is aimed at those over 50 who want to make the most out of their retirement savings. Refreshments included. Tickets are complimentary. To book, tel: 0117 973 0500, email: fourwm@sjpp.co.uk Fame and philanthropy with Professor Alice Roberts and Miranda Krestovnikoff 13 May, 6.30 – 9pm, The Bristol Hotel, Prince Street What spurs celebrities to support charities? Is it altruism or self-interest and image promotion? We’ll find out from two influential TV personalities – academic, writer and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts and presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff – who will share tales from the world of TV and radio, and will be joined by local charitable organisations. £25; bit.ly/2DzwaNv Spring sketching tour 14 May, 9.45am – 3pm, Tyntesfield Estate, Wraxall Learn something new and be inspired to draw the beautiful grounds at Tyntesfield on this spring sketching tour. Gemma from Green Fox workshops will first show you how to effectively capture nature through tonal shading and mark-making techniques followed by a burst of colour using chalk pastels. 18+. £45, includes materials and lunch; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield Research without Borders 2019: Showcase Exhibition

15 May, 11am – 6pm, Colston Hall Discover the latest postgraduate research emerging at the University of Bristol at this exhibition showcasing more than 50 interactive, hands-on displays featuring the most recent developments at the cutting edge of research. From robots to nanoparticles, from prehistoric life to cultural cooking, there’s plenty to learn. Free; colstonhall.org Secret Postcard Auction 16 May, 6 – 9.30pm, RWA The ever-popular Secret Postcard Auction is back, offering the chance to purchase unique works of art by leading figures from the art and cultural world, from £40. Pieces by internationally acclaimed artists include Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Ana Maria Pacheco and Nick Park. £10; rwa.org.uk Benjamin Zephaniah and The Revolutionary Minds 16 May, 7pm, Trinity Centre Internationally revered poet, writer and socio-political commentator Benjamin Zephaniah returns to Trinity on his spring tour following the re-release of his Revolutionary Minds album. His poetry, books and plays have captivated hearts and minds, fuelling imaginations and winning him a legion of fans all over the world. Revolutionary Minds is a chance to experience Zephaniah’s innovative talent in full force; a triumphant creation of emotional songs that highlight the poignant global issues faced by society today. 14+. £15; 3ca.org.uk Alistair McGowan 16 May, 8pm, St George’s Bristol After the success of The Piano Album and his first tour in 2018, Alistair McGowan is back with a hugely popular show which brings together all his talents. Along with some classical piano pieces, Alistair will play everything from Glass to Chopin, John Field to Bill Evans. He will talk about the history of each, the composers and the problems and benefits of starting to learn the piano at the age of 49. £15 – £17; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

The Bath Festival 17 – 26 May and 1 & 2 June Venues around Bath Bringing the very best from the worlds of literature, culture and music together, The Bath Festival’s 2019 programme will not disappoint. Expect to see the likes of Jo Brand, Sir Michael Parkinson, Sara Cox, Dame Darcy Bussell, Simon Armitage, Melvyn Bragg and Kate Williams heading up the literature side of things. Music includes BBC Radio 2’s ‘Friday Night is Music Night’, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, Roger Eno and much more. Closing the event on a high is the festival finale weekend at the Recreation Ground on 1 & 2 June, where Grammy winners Clean Bandit will headline Saturday, with legendary Van Morrison on the Sunday line-up. See the full programme online; thebathfestival.org.uk Bristol Phoenix Choir: JS Bach Mass in B minor 18 May, 7.45pm, Clifton Cathedral Bristol Phoenix Choir, under conductor Paul Walton, with the Fitzhardinge Consort and the Corelli Orchestra, will perform JS Bach’s B Minor Mass with soloists Daisy Walford (soprano), Rob Waters (counter-tenor), Chris Lombard (tenor), and Dan Robson (bass). Tickets £15, students £5, under-16s free, from Opus 13. Limited tickets available on the door; bristolphoenixchoir.org.uk Royal School of Needlework Open Day 19 May, 11am – 3pm, RSN Bristol, 38 Old School House, Kingswood If you’re interested in learning hand embroidery, then the Royal School of Needlework is offering an open day in Bristol to learn more about its day classes and certificates and diplomas which offer flexible courses covering the core techniques; royal-needlework.org.uk Story Slam 19 May, 2pm, The Wardrobe Theatre A hugely popular community-driven storytelling event, Story Slam is where you can hear amazing true stories told live on stage. Continued on page 32

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The Remains of the Day: Iona Firouzabadi

waves on the far side of the Atlantic with the release of his debut EP Halloween and his latest record Dying Star, created with an impressive collective of musicians. 16+, £10.90; colstonhall.org

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Enjoy the Bristol Early Music Festival at All Saints Church

All are told by volunteers from the audience. Put your name in the hat for a chance to tell a story, or just head along and enjoy everyone else’s. £5/£8; thewardrobetheatre.com Penny Brohn Presents: Doreen Doreen 19 May, 4 – 11pm, Penny Brohn UK, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill For one night only, cancer charity Penny Brohn is hosting two of Bristol’s finest acts – Doreen Doreen and Mark Olver and friends. Held in the marquee in the centre’s beautiful gardens, the event will feature bars, food stalls and face glitter. From £25; pennybrohn.org.uk Dialogue in the Library 20 May, 5pm, Redland Library Two talented and challenging writers, Niven Govinden (The Brutal House) and Saskia Vogel (Permission), discuss their work and the creative writing process with University of Bristol’s Dr Madhu Krishnan and Harriet Castor from UWE. £3; friendsofredlandlibrary.org.uk The Remains of the Day 21 – 25 May, times vary, Bristol Old Vic 1930s England. Darlington Hall runs like clockwork under one of the last truly great butlers. Reserved and dutiful, with the funny and forthright housekeeper Kenton by his side, Stevens faithfully serves his employer. Meanwhile, England stands on a precipice as fascism builds and boils in Europe. 20 years later, Stevens travels to find an old friend, remembering choices made and not made, journeying to one last chance at happiness. From £10; bristololdvic.org.uk The Steve Williamson Experience and StringTing 23 May, 8pm, St George’s Bristol The latest project from legendary saxophonist Steve Williamson provides a unique journey around music’s potential to change our state and make us feel better. Through his lifelong study of harmonics, Steve creates music that soothes as well as entertains, blending classical and jazz to create an entrancing combination. £5 – £18; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk 32 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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Bristol, City Of Film: Panel Talk 27 May, 11am – 12pm, M Shed Bristol was designated as a UNESCO City of Film in October 2017 – but what exactly does this mean? Find out what makes Bristol stand out as a leading city in the field of film and moving image, with a panel of talented individuals from across the industry. £8/£9; bristolfilmfestival.com Passionate Machine 30 May, 7.30pm, The Theatre Shop, Clevedon What would you change if you could travel through time? In this multi-award winning original blend of science, sci-fi, Schwarzenegger and self-determination, Rosy Carrick explores the realities of time travel to find out. Passionate Machine is a playful, intelligent and searingly honest story about obsession, salvation and finding yourself – literally. £12; theatreshop.org.uk An Evening With Alan McGee 31 May, doors 7.30pm, The Thunderbolt, Bath Road Alan McGee is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian. He is best known for co-founding and running the independent Creation Records label and is the man who discovered and signed Oasis. Join Alan as he discusses his career, the music industry and his relationship with bands such as Oasis and Primal Scream. £16; bristolticketshop.co.uk

PLANNING AHEAD Yola 1 June, 8.30pm, Fiddlers Club Inspired by country and soul from the likes of Aretha Franklin, The Band, Gillian Welch, Gene Clark and The Byrds, Yola is a force of nature and an incredibly talented singer and writer. After several years as a writer, producer and featured vocalist with dance artists such as Massive Attack, Duke Dumont and Chase

Join Professor Alice Roberts as she talks at The Bristol Hotel

and Status, she has embarked on solo career. Supported by Lady Nade; fiddlers.co.uk The Festival of Nature 1 – 9 June, venues around Bristol and Bath The UK’s largest free celebration of nature is back this summer, helping to engage and inspire people to connect with the natural world. The exciting programme features events happening across Bristol and Bath including free interactive exhibitions, live performances and talks from inspirational and world renowned leaders of the natural history world. Weekend events are free to enter and tickets are available to book before special weekday events. See the full programme online; festivalofnature.org.uk The Les Miserables Sing-Along Workshop 2 June, 2 – 4.30pm, St Werburghs Centre To coincide with the UK tour of Les Miserables; celebrate the songs of one of the most popular musicals ever written. Laugh, cry, and sing your way through this exhilarating musical journey. £15, includes refreshments; sing4wellbeing.co.uk La Bohème 3 & 4 June, 7.30pm, Bristol Old Vic OperaUpClose present their highly acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning, new English version of Puccini’s La Bohème. One of the most accessible and moving operas ever written, La Bohème charts the ups and downs of a group of idealistic graduates as they bicker, party, try to make ends meet and follow their dreams. From £11.50; bristololdvic.org.uk Forest Live 2019 13 – 16 June, 6 – 10.30pm, Westonbirt Arboretum The Forestry Commission England’s major outdoor live music series is back this summer for four nights of great music, food and drink, in an informal and relaxed setting. This year’s headline acts include Stereophonics, Paul Weller, Jack Savoretti and Haçienda Classiçal. Tickets from £38.50. Money raised will help to look after the nation’s forests sustainably; forestryengland.uk/music n

Prof Alice Roberts: University of Birmingham/Alexandra Stréliski: Raphael Ouellet

Classical pianist Alexandra Streliski at Colston Hall

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GARDENING DANCE

Tweaking tradition

Sarah Sigley – one of only four female ballet company directors in the UK – explains how she is striving for equal opportunity for everyone who studies this beautiful discipline, from her Bristol dance school base

arcey Bussell, Anna Pavlova, Margot Fonteyn, Galina Ulanova, Natalia Markova, Gelsey Kirkland, Sylvie Guillem, Tamara Rojo, Natalia Osipova, Marianela Nuñez… Off the top of your head, how many of these famous female dancers have you heard of? Now, how many of these names do you recognise? Crystal Pite, Mona Inglesby, Andrée Howard, Bronislava Nijinska, Jessica Lang, Ruth Brill, Vanessa Fenton, Gillian Lynn, Cathy Maston. Believe it or not, the latter is the most current list of female choreographers, to date, in ballet. It might not seem that bad, until I tell you this is a list from across a 275-year period of ballet, ballet companies and the popular rise in ballet among the public. Don’t get me wrong, if you go to any church hall in the UK, on a Saturday morning, you are likely to find plenty of girls and young ladies working hard to understand and enjoy this art. If you look at any corps de ballet (the big groups of dancers in a company) there are many more women than there are men. So clearly it is not the lack of females in ballet that is the issue here. My name is Sarah Sigley. I am one of very few female choreographers and one of only four female ballet company directors in the whole of the UK. I run my company, New Works Ballet Theatre, in Bristol and grew up creating choreography from a very young age. At the time, I was not popular enough at my local ballet school to have anyone make up a dance for me, so I just started making my own out of necessity to have something to perform. People seemed to like it and I carried on, not thinking anything of it. Ironically enough, it wasn’t until I was training professionally in London that it became an issue. Suddenly I realised that a female choreographing ballet was not the done thing. No one ever really said anything, but I felt it wasn’t my place to make ballets. It was okay if I made contemporary dance, but ballet was not something a girl did. Unless she obviously fancied herself as the next Pavlova and apparently, I was more blancmange. 34 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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I never spoke about this, for quite a number of years. Mostly because I couldn’t quite explain what was wrong and also because, as a female dancer, you are taught not to question things. Remember that church hall we spoke about? That is the reason why females are seen as so very dispensable. There are a lot of us. I would argue that everyone can bring something new and different to the table, but tradition doesn’t always see it that way. Let’s think about tradition for a moment. In the beginning, women were not allowed on stage (too wicked and full of sin) but eventually the rules began to change and on they came – contributing grace and gentle fluidity to ballet and (in the Victorian era) boosting ticket sales for being ‘easy on the eye’. So they were a good marketing tool. It was still men who called the shots though, deciding what productions would be shown, which of them would choreograph and who would write the music. It was a sign of the times; women had no control of their lives and did as they were told. At this point it is also worth noting that there were equal numbers of men and women working in ballet. Fast forward to the Second World War, and with the severe lack of men due to them being enlisted and, often, killed in action, those in a ballet company were a scarce commodity. Companies were even turning a blind eye, due to this demand, to homosexuality, which, at the time, was illegal. This goes some way to explaining why men are so very valuable in ballet and why women have been taken for granted somewhat. Our perceived value is also instilled in us right from childhood in the studio and, typically, boys and young men are taught to believe that they are unique individuals who can do whatever they choose. Girls and young ladies are often told that they are always replaceable, that the person next to them on the barre is better than them and to not question anything, but do as they are told. Of course, we can’t all go around breaking the rules all the time or no one would get anything done, but imagine if both sexes were educated to think about themselves in the same, more encouraging way,

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with equal confidence in females and their abilities. I believe more sectors of the industry, especially schools, have to start thinking more carefully about how they teach young people to think about themselves and what they can do, not what they can’t or what they are up against. However, who and what we see in the industry is massively important. Being able to identify with or see a part of yourself in a role model, someone representing a minority, a body type or a position that wouldn’t commonly be assumed, has a lot of power, especially in this visually reactive age. All this must go for the men too. The typical image when thinking of ballet is a female in a tutu and pointe shoes – the star of the show – and chaps don’t often get that moment in the spotlight, instead supporting the lady as an insipid prince or characterless shadow. While the industry is starting to dip a toe into bettering this, there’s still a way to go. Even now in the programmes, we see long lists of males in the leadership and creative roles and only the occasional one-off production with an all-female creative list – which is often hyped as a huge novelty. Those little girls and boys in the church hall classes need to see more women in directing and creative roles. Both men and women should be able to combine energy, emotional understanding and passion, free of judgement of being who they were born to be. These outdated ideas are all anyone has known in the industry – and change is hard when they go back hundreds of years – but it is time we started to question and gently tweak them. With New Works’ Associate Programme for children we are offering further training so young people have the opportunity to learn new skills that they may not have had the chance to, such as choreography (to apply, see NWBT website). We are not looking to completely eradicate the traditions, rather to strive for genuine equal chances – when it comes to the roles in shows, as well as who creates and choreographs – for everyone. ■ • New Works presents a double bill featuring a retelling of La Fille Mal Gardee, set in post-war 1940s’ Somerset, and the choreographic debut of Rosy Piggott, of Shades of Blue – a visceral piece about how mental health affects us all – at Kelvin Players Theatre on 25 May; nwbt.co.uk

NWBT students learn new skills they may not have had the chance to, such as choreography

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TECHNOLOGY | CREATIVE

Get the best seat in the house and immerse yourself in otherworldly Cirque du Soleil (Image: Dreams of O by Cirque du Soleil)

Virtual insanity Trip on mind-bending, immersive visuals at Bristol’s brand new, crazy-creative VR theatre on the waterfront

ast month the clever local creatives at Limina Immersive threw open the doors to the UK’s first dedicated arts VR venue, supported by Watershed, beside the harbour on Cannons Road. But what exactly has Limina: The Virtual Reality Theatre got to offer, those who aren’t so au fait with VR might ask? Well, a pretty ace selection of the world’s best artistic, natural history, documentary and culture experiences, including some of the most creatively brilliant VR work to date from Cirque Du Soleil, The Guardian, Colston Hall, Welsh National Opera and natural history pioneers Biome Productions. The opening programme offers the opportunity to meet threatened Kenyan elephants up close, with Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o; step on stage with Cirque du Soleil performers; trip on mind-bending visuals while nodding along to beats from DJ Hoffman; or see one of the earth’s most endangered and beautiful coral reefs. You can even submerge yourself under the ocean’s surface with free-diving yogi Sara Campbell, or join Senegalese fashion designer Selly Raby Kane on a surreal Alice in Wonderland-style journey through Dakar. Just pop on a headset. Limina Immersive, founded out of Watershed’s Pervasive Media xxxx

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Studio, has years of experience running pop-up VR events across the country and developed its own inclusive way to screen to audiences, having grown to be an internationally recognised industry leader in championing artistic VR content and ethics. “There is so much incredible, breathtaking, creative and cultural virtual reality out there,” says CEO Catherine Allen. “It is an art form in its own right. The trouble for audiences is that this new medium is very hard to see at home unless you have your own virtual reality headset and know what to look for. Limina bridge this gap by curating selections for people to see together, much like going to the cinema, the theatre or a concert. We want to offer audiences a fantastic, thoughtful addition to their day or night out.” They’re on a mission to make artistic virtual reality accessible to as many people as possible, according to chief content officer Chris Sizemore. “At our new Harbourside venue, we’re presenting nine specially curated virtual reality shows in our inaugural programme – join us and open your senses to this emerging world of artistic experience where you go inside the art.” n • Tickets £12.50 per session; liminaimmersive.com

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On the radar Joyful Bristol nine-piece Cut Capers launch their new album this month

ince the release of their debut record Say What in 2016, this infectiously upbeat Bristol hip-hop/ska/swing band have taken their high-energy live show across the UK and Europe, including well-received slots at Glastonbury, WOMAD, Latitude and Bestival, and shows in Belgium, France, Holland, Italy, Turkey, Bahrain and Ireland. Their unique, bouncing blend of genres has had the likes of Jimmy Cliff singing their praises, and we reckon this summer’s tour should see a sight more fans added to their already burgeoning base. The band is currently gearing up to play 20 shows and festivals across the UK and Europe, with an album launch party planned for a hometown crowd of 1,000. Formed in 2011 by a cohort of old school mates, Cut Capers developed into an incendiary live band before heading off across the festival scene and garnering a reputation for themselves – tearing up the main stage at Glastonbury’s cult-corner Shangri-La in 2017 and getting tongues wagging with their gleeful abandon and tight funk. They release their second studio album Metropolis on 10 May. Mixing elements of vintage-style brass (think Caro Emerald) with soul and hip-hop, it invites comparison with the likes of Madness, The Streets or Lily Allen. Recording it, say the band, gave them the opportunity to build on the success of their live shows and stretch out across a format that allows for slower, more reflective moments and a lot more production polish. The tunes combine the catchy vocal melodies of singer Jane Thomas with the band’s summery, feel-good attitude which has become something of a trademark, as well as rappers Mark and Eloy dropping rhymes in both English and Spanish. TBM: So what elements of Bristol life influenced the album? CC: There’s this diverse, passionate mixture of people here. We’ve drawn on all our own experiences from being a part of that unique spirit. Nights out, chats in pub gardens, the daily grind of day jobs, watching other bands; we’ve channelled our observations and feelings on what we see around us as honestly as possible. Fave local people and places? The Spotted Cow, Burger Theory, Kongs, The Gallimaufry, The Miner’s Arms, The Brewhouse and Kitchen, Cotham; they are brewing our signature beer Pinstripe! We love a good Eat A Pitta. We grew up watching bands like Smerins Anti-Social Club, Bad Science (Dizraeli), Babyhead, and First Degree Burns. They showed us that it could be done; you can get a bunch of mates together and reflect this melting pot of sounds of everything around you in a way that makes everyone go crazy and come together. ■

• Twitter: @cutcapers; facebook.com/cutcapers

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The tunes combine the catchy vocal melodies of Jane Thomas with the band’s trademark feel-good attitude

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A SHORT HISTORY OF FREEMASONS’ HALL, BRISTOL

tanding proudly at the foot of Park Street, this iconic Grade ll* listed building first opened its doors in 1823, as "The Literary and Philosophical Institution." It was Bristol's first Museum and Exhibition Hall and was funded entirely by public subscription, with shares costing £100 each. The architect, S R Cockerell had toured Italy and Greece after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and sought inspiration for the curved "tetra style in antis" portico from the Temple of the Winds, on the Acropolis. He persuaded the building committee to spend 1,000 guineas on a suitable frieze to be placed within the portico. This was the work of Bristol's now forgotten master sculptor, Edward Hodges Baily (17881867, famous for his statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square.) The frieze is an allegory in praise of peace and depicts Apollo and Minerva leading the muses of the arts and sciences to Bristol who is seated at the confluence of the Frome and Avon. They lay their tributes of wealth and plenty at her feet, as it is only in times of peace that prosperity can flourish. Financing the Institution had never been easy and by 1870 debts had built up to such an extent that the building had to be sold by public auction. Happily this coincided with the search for larger premises by Bristol Freemasons and the building was secured at the auction by a bid of just under £6,000.

For the next 70 years, the building served the Freemasons well but in November 1940 incendiary bombs fell through the roof and gutted the interior entirely. Only the exterior walls survived and mercifully also the portico and frieze. If you look carefully, the marks of the shrapnel can still be seen on the Park Street wall. By 1955, the war damage had been repaired and Freemasons' Hall once again became the home of Bristol Freemasonry. It has just been substantially redecorated and can be arguably described as “a jewel in the crown of Bristol Architecture.” The Open Day provides an opportunity to look inside and see the beautiful double height entrance hall, with its Corinthian columns and the Ceremonial Rooms on the first floor. A selection of artefacts will be on display, including works of art produced by French prisoners of war during the 1790s. Entrance is free and a variety of refreshments will be available as well as guided tours. Freemaons’ Hall. Park Street, Bristol BS1 5NH

For further information please contact Arthur Grannan. Email; a_grannan@hotmail.com

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ART

Appreciate the power of photography to communicate, educate, create awareness and hopefully alter damaging human behaviour

The RPS opened in February and has welcomed hundreds of visitors

Supporting sketchbooks connect the practical work and the research that informs it, while scientific samples allow full engagement

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SHOCK AND AWE The latest Royal Photographic Society exhibition aims to alter damaging human behaviour and raise further awareness of a critical environmental issue using ultra-arresting visuals.

isturbingly beautiful photographs,” reads a comment written in the Altered Ocean exhibition guestbook. “Hauntingly beautiful images telling a distressing story,” is another. Although the exhibition only recently opened, the guestbook is filled with comments praising the breath-taking aesthetics and powerful message beneath it. The gallery is filled with large-scale prints – immersive and thoughtprovoking. Each photograph shows plastics suspended in space, creating an impression of galaxies comprised of plastics. Each object – ranging from balloons to fishing line, toys, straws and even footballs – has been retrieved from the world’s oceans and individually photographed to create gorgeously detailed images. This is a beautiful show with an important main takeaway to transmit via engaging aesthetics – on how plastics are destroying the environment. Altered Ocean is the current exhibition, by artist and environmentalist Mandy Barker, at the recently opened Royal Photographic Society gallery within the Paintworks creative quarter. Mandy Barker (b. 1964, UK) is an international award-winning photographer whose work investigates the issue of marine plastic debris. Working with scientists, she aims to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the world’s oceans to highlight current research on the effects on marine life and ultimately ourselves. Her work has been exhibited globally and published in over 40 different countries. The show highlights how marine plastics are destroying the world’s oceans, and could not be more timely, with David Attenborough’s Our Planet recently launching on Netflix (see also p50) and Sky Arts’ Deep Ocean Live highlighting how our oceans are being destroyed. The Foresight Future of the Sea report, by the UK government chief scientific advisor, projects that plastic in our oceans is due to treble by 2025, and also states that plastic does not decompose; merely breaking into smaller pieces. The full effects of these plastic particles on sea life are not yet known. Initially the Yorkshire-born photographer Barker began collecting rubbish in the 1980s as an art student; one assignment in which she was briefed to lay out rubbish in the colour of a rainbow really stuck with her. In 2010, prompted by the growing amount of plastic rubbish she was finding on beaches, and learning it could take centuries to degrade, she began to photograph it. “To begin with I tried photographing the objects I found hung on fishing line, and I tried floating them on water, and on white backgrounds, but the black seems to work best because it makes the objects look as if they are in suspension,” she recalls. In 2012 Barker was awarded the RPS/The Photographic Angle Environmental Awareness Bursary, which enabled her to sail across the North Pacific Ocean as part of a scientific research expedition to photograph recovered plastic from the tsunami debris field. “For plastic researchers it was an interesting phenomenon because for once they knew how long the objects had been in the ocean; they could measure the rate of deterioration.” Having spent almost 10 years collecting objects to photograph (and storing these, archived and organised, all over her home) Barker now only visits the beach every few months and always finds plenty of material to work with. “Every time I go collecting I find something that makes me think ‘I don’t believe it’,” she says. Among the visually arresting prints and displays of objects at Altered

Ocean there are also tips on how to reduce plastic usage, so that visitors leave both motivated and empowered to make a change. Ultimately Barker’s work aims to shock people into action over this critical issue, to consider the impact their personal use of plastics causes and to inspire others to lobby for change. “The only way to stop plastic pollution is to stop manufacturers producing unnecessary plastic, but there simply aren’t enough alternatives yet,” says Barker. “I try to lead a plastic-free life but it’s very, very difficult. The only way to stop plastic pollution is to stop producing it.” ■ • Altered Ocean is on display until 23 June at The Royal Photographic Society, 337 Paintworks, Bristol (open Thursday – Sunday). Plan your visit and find out more about upcoming events exploring photography and the environment, including a ‘meet the artist’ event with Mandy Barker on 18 May at rps.org/mandybarker Mandy Barker has spent a decade collecting objects to photograph as part of this project. Photograph by Derryn Vranch

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EXHIBITIONS

STATE OF THE ART The Young Americans, Rainmaker Gallery, until 8 June Bold prints by Jordan Craig (Northern Cheyenne), colourful abstractions by Terran Last Gun (Piikani) and an astonishing reconstructed self-portrait by Greg Ballenger (Diné). The show also includes the supernatural narrative photography of Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), dynamic figurative images by Manuel Ramirez (Otoe-Missouria) and vibrant artworks by Yatika Starr Fields (Osage) and Phillip Vigil (Jemez Pueblo). Collectively these artists embrace influences from traditional Native American design and 18th-century portraiture to contemporary street art and Japanese anime. Educated, articulate and fearless, this generation of Native artists epitomises the exciting and fast-changing scene of indigenous art. For more information, see p46. • rainmakerart.co.uk

Immanuel Kant (self-portrait) by Greg Ballenger (Diné)

Cliff & Crescent: Works by Neil Pinkett, Clifton Contemporary Art, 10 May – 4 June For early summer the gallery will be showing a new collection of exciting works by celebrated en plein air landscape painter Neil Pinkett. Embracing the restless play of elements and unyielding terrain across his West Penwith home, Neil’s latest paintings also feature some very different landmarks: the elegant terraces and crescents of Clifton. From ancient outcrops to refined architecture, Neil’s use of deeply textured, layered oils expresses the sheer physicality and presence of these diverse subjects and the beautifully delicate play of light that glows from sky, water and stone. • cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk

Gaudier-Brzeska: Disputing the Earth, RWA, until 2 June Treen Shallows by Neil Pinkett

French artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915) created an astonishing range of animal-inspired artworks. This will be the first exhibition to examine his full range as an animal artist and the significance the animal kingdom held for him. Including works as varied as wallpaper designs, sculptures and sketches, the show will be grouped according to the places Gaudier found his subjects – zoo, park, wilderness. The collection will demonstrate his stylistic variety and the extent to which his abstract work was rooted in the observation of nature. He spent two years here in the South West, sketching in Bristol, Cardiff and surrounding countryside. This exhibition brings Gaudier-Brzeska's sculptures and drawings back to Bristol, a century after he first explored the city. • rwa.org.uk

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Bird Swallowing a Fish, c.1913–14, cast 1964, bronze. Tate: Purchased 196. Photo © Tate, London 2019

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EXHIBITIONS Cricket World Cup Exhibition, SS Great Britain, 25 May – 21 July The SS Great Britain is steeped in cricketing history, having transported players to Australia in 1861 and 1863 before any sporting world cup events were established, when the All England Cricket Team played Australia. Celebrate the ship’s role in international cricket with its special exhibition. EM Grace’s diary, along with photographs and other objects telling the stories of the two cricket team tours, can be seen in the show, and visitors will be issued with replica boarding cards of some of those early international cricketers as they explore the world’s first great ocean liner, sit in the First Class Dining Saloon and step inside the cabins where EM Grace and his teammates travelled. There is even the chance to dress up as a Victorian passenger or climb the rigging in the footsteps of a sailor. • ssgreatbritain.org

Fair Mind: A Conscious Collection, Diana Porter Contemporary Jewellery, until 30 June One-of-a-kind, ethically sourced, precious stones found in the USA, Australia, Malawi and Sri Lanka, each fashioned into a special piece of art. Inspired by their unusual cuts and colours, and using yellow, rose and white Fairtrade gold, Diana Porter – shortlisted for the ‘Ethical Jewellery Business of the Year’ at the Retail Jeweller UK Jewellery Awards – has created a unique collection, with environmental thought at the heart of each design. Having always been aware of the ethical concerns around sourcing materials, Diana wanted to act on this. Expect an exhibition of masterpieces from her passionate workshop, exploring the beauty of precious stones sourced with transparent ethical integrity and crafted and developed in Bristol. The Fairtrade gold used is sourced from the MACDESA mine in Peru, where social responsibility is at the core of the operations, which have supported lives in the local area and provided the community with essentials such as water and electricity. Imperative movements including the education and the professionalisation within roles of women miners (pallaqueras) are at the forefront of MACDESA, which is why Diana has invested. Each of the 25 precious stones can be mapped back to the country of origin, ensuring the owner has invested in an entirely ethically sourced piece. With their distinctive, irregular faces and vivacious shines – from a royal blue 2.6ct sapphire sourced in Sri Lanka, to a Barbie-pink 1.02ct oval tourmaline from Malawi – each includes a card of authentication and product traceability. All pieces are for sale. • dianaporter.co.uk

● Charlie O’Sullivan, Clifton Fine Art, 22 May – 5 June Clifton Fine Art represents and nurtures new talent, as well as artists of intentional importance. Working predominantly on birch panels and aluminium, Charlie O'Sullivan has developed a signature style but often challenges, with new ways of working both in subject and technique. While the notion of the sea and her Scottish identity may have been the exclusive priority of her earlier work, her more recent work has focused on mapping these same memories onto landscapes and includes relevant figures from her own memories and those of others. Head to the gallery on 22 May, 6pm – 9pm, to celebrate her newest collection of work. See work by

See work by Kevin Stuckes in Portishead

Charlie O’Sullivan

• cliftonfineart.com

Portishead Arts Trail, various venues, 3 – 12 May Ruth Ander, Hilary Kington, Teän Kirby, Ian Price and Kevin Stuckes will be exhibiting in Portishead as part of North Somerset Arts Week. There will be one-off prints, woodcuts, sketches, paintings, ceramics and photographs – so plenty to browse, from landscapes and seascapes to portraits and wildlife plus an installation of birds in a flower meadow. Portishead has breathtaking views across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh hills and is just 10 miles from Bristol so very much worth a visit – take a leisurely walk between the venues, taking in the coastal path. Details, brochure and app can be found on the website. • northsomersetarts.org

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ART

Shattering perceptions Introducing one of a new generation of young Native American creatives being showcased by Rainmaker Gallery and bringing an explosive visual mix of techniques and perspectives that challenge clichéd ideas of ‘Indian’ art

Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger

Lazy Stitch exhibition, 2018 (image: UCCS GOCA)

We Have Agency XI, 2018 (Image: Declaration! Institute for Contemporary Art – Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA)

urprisingly perhaps, Bristol has become something of a destination for Native American visitors, and over the last decade, artists have travelled from right across America to exhibit at Europe’s only dedicated Native American contemporary art space, Rainmaker Gallery in Westbury Park. In 2018, 11 Native academics and artists addressed the symposium ‘Indigenous Art in Britain’ at the University of Bristol and last month several indigenous guests attended the annual Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival at Watershed. Among them was a delegation from California who came to repatriate ancestral remains from Bristol Museum. In fact, Bristol’s Native American visitors go back to the 16th century when three Inuit captives sadly died here. The continued Native American presence in the city has recently been mapped out by the University of Kent as part of the Beyond The Spectacle project and is now available as a mobile app walking tour. Meanwhile, the latest arrivals to our streets are Cannupa Hanska Luger and his family. Cannupa is an internationally celebrated, multi-disciplinary artist and activist, and recipient of the $50,000 Burke Prize – a prestigious national award for creative innovation. Raised on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, he is of Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Austrian and Norwegian descent. Through monumental installations that incorporate ceramics, video, sound, fibre, steel, and cut-paper, Cannupa interweaves performance and political action to communicate stories about 21st-century indigeneity. 46 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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Recent works include installation ‘Every One’ (2018) – composed of 4,000 handmade clay beads created by hundreds of US and Canadian communities to re-humanise the data of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and queer and trans community members – and ‘The Mirror Shield Project’ which invited the public to create mirrored shields for water protectors who were resisting the construction of the Dakota access pipeline at Standing Rock. Cannupa is one of 16 indigenous artists from 20 tribal nations whose work is showing in ‘The Young Americans’ exhibition at Rainmaker Gallery. It showcases a new generation of Native American artists; young creatives who bring an explosive visual mix of techniques, experimentation and perspectives that shatter clichéd perceptions of ‘Indian’ art and life. They are unapologetically forward-looking and offer a refreshing perspective on what it means to grow up in the United States today. As Cannupa says; “I am motivated to reclaim and reframe a more accurate version of 21stcentury indigenous culture and its powerful global relevance.” Join him in conversation on the afternoon of Thursday 9 May and learn about ‘Settlement’, his planned occupation of Central Park, Plymouth, which will see 20 Native American artists present and live in a radical large-scale installation of public art for the summer in a groundbreaking project linking communities across the globe, during the Mayflower 400 festival in 2020. n • Artist talk: 9 May 3pm – 4pm (£5; to book contact the gallery). Artist reception: 9 May 6pm – 8pm; rainmakerart.co.uk

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A RARE BROADSIDE AND SURVIVAL… Lawrences’ recent 550-lot auction of books, maps, manuscripts and photography in Crewkerne recorded some remarkable results, with a steady demand in evidence throughout. One worth particular mention is a rare broadside (single printed sheet) published in 1688 and entitled, The Beginning, Progress and End of Man. Regarded as one of the earliest examples of the moving image, this unusual publication was intended to instruct and entertain. Believed to be unique for being coloured, and comparable with only a few others in the British Library and the Bodleian Library in Oxford, this rather worn but intriguing remnant from the era of the Restoration showed the strength of demand for rare ephemeral items. It was once in the collection of Thomas Pengelly, the noted 17th century merchant. To the delight of the vendor who had delivered it to Lawrences within a sketchbook unaware of its potential, this carefullycatalogued curiosity was bought for £9,500. Lawrences are able to handle entire libraries and have done so for many of the nation’s greatest private and public collections, as well as the thousands of private entries that come through the door each year. For further details, please contact: Robert Ansell on 01460 73041 or email robert.ansell@lawrences.co.uk

Lawrences AUCTIONEERS The Linen Yard, South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8AB. T 01460 73041

lawrences.co.uk

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ART

Check up on it Want to be in with a chance of taking home this gorgeous piece by Bristol artist Amber Rose? Head to the Anson Rooms this month...

e love this vibrant artwork by Bristol artist and designer Amber Rose, which she’s kindly donated to the CoppaFeel! Bristol Uni Boob Team as a prize at their ‘exhiBOOBtion’ this month. CoppaFeel! are collaborating with local artists, jewellers and designers to present the special event at Bristol’s Anson Rooms in aid of breast cancer awareness. They’ll be auctioning and raffling off boob-related art as well as displaying and selling other works from their talented artists. There will also be stalls, games, activities and a prosecco reception for the first 30 visitors through the door. From her Bristol-based studio, Amber paints bright, multicoloured mixed-media paintings, full of texture and detail. She uses acrylic paint, metallic markers and gold leaf, layering and blending the colours, but has also worked with beautiful pieces of wood. “After I left education, I loved the freedom that I had with my artwork and I think that’s where the bright combination of colours came from,” says Amber. “I have so much fun painting the pieces and I hope that comes across. After trying the multicoloured style on a rose, I then

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moved on to a giraffe which spurred me on to paint my Rainbow Safari – a fun collection of vibrant animals. “Coppafeel Bristol approached me and asked if I would be interested in donating a piece for their upcoming event to represent the charity. I have seen how important cancer prevention and detection is and I immediately knew that I wanted to take part. “It struck me that I didn’t actually know how to properly check for any signs of breast cancer – that’s when I knew I wanted my submission to be an accurate representation of how to check yourself and use my bright and colourful style to show the positivity of this charity and what they stand for.” Amber has an exciting new collection in the pipeline and her work is currently available at Room 212 on Gloucester Road but keep your eyes peeled for more of her pieces popping up in different parts of the city. n • Coppafeel! ExhiBOOBtion, 12 May, 1pm – 4pm, Anson Rooms, University of Bristol Union; @coppafeelbristol (Instagram); madebyamber.co.uk

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From Kashmir to here

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ENVIRONMENT

ONE WORLD, ONE CHANCE

aving travelled to the planet’s most treacherous environments, explored its vast oceans, and encountered the freezing temperatures of the Arctic, director and producer Alastair Fothergill has seen more of the natural wonders of the Earth than most. Now, more than ever, these are under threat from climate change – and without urgent intervention will soon be lost forever. “Our biggest single challenge at the moment is global warming. It’s having an impact on all habitats and producing effects worldwide,” says Fothergill, who is renowned for his work producing some of the BBC’s landmark natural history documentaries such as Planet Earth and Frozen Planet. This sense of urgency is what inspired Fothergill and producer Keith Scholey to create their latest documentary series, Our Planet. “I felt the time had come to not only celebrate the natural world and look at what remains, but delve into more depth about the challenges our planet faces.” Produced by Fothergill’s Bristol-based production company Silverback Films, the Netflix Original documentary launched in

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April on the streaming service. The eight-part series, made in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), showcases the most precious species and habitats from across all seven continents, from the most remote corners of the Arctic to the jungles of South America, via the deep, dark oceans. “We don’t film destruction,” says Fothergill. “Our Planet is about the value of the habitat. And we talk about biodiversity and what we must save if we want to pass the world on to the next generation.” The series also reflects on the positive changes happening in the environment, such as the sighting of an aggregation of more than 200 humpback whales, feeding, off of South Africa. A commercial whaling ban was implemented in the 1980s after the whale population had been decimated from worldwide hunting, therefore discovering the whales off of South Africa means a considerable increase in its population. The crew were also able to capture remarkable footage from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster zone. “Using motioncontrolled cameras that were left there for two years, we were able to film wolves in Chernobyl. Wolves are the top predator, and

you only get them if the whole habitat is healthy. And there are, in fact, more wolves in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl than all the surrounding areas,” he says. News of this highly anticipated series shot onto the world stage when its first advert debuted to viewers of the Super Bowl final in February – this was also the only advert that Netflix purchased to be broadcast at the big game. “I think this reflects Netflix’s extraordinary interest in the series,” he continues. “The Super Bowl is the most expensive advertising in America – and probably the world. They’ve never done an advert at the Superbowl for a documentary before, and they estimate that 120 million people viewed it.” Broadcasting the documentary through Netflix also means that the series’ core message can be spread across a worldwide audience. “We will be shown in 190 countries, with 139 million subscribers,” says Fothergill. “A lot of those subscribers are aged between 16 and 30, which is the age group that has deserted terrestrial TV, and they are also the people who really care about the environment. We’ll be on Netflix for years to

Photography by Kieran O’Donovan/Silverback Films/Sue Flood

It’s said that climate change is the single largest threat to our world. In a groundbreaking new documentary, director and producer Alastair Fothergill addresses the issues the planet is facing head on. Jessica Hope found out more

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AT ONE WITH NATURE: This page, Alastair Fothergill in Antarctica, and, left, a male Siberian tiger – filmed by an Our Planet camera trap – patrolling a mountain range in the Sikhote-Alin range in the Russian Far East

come, allowing us to continue the conversation.” Following the global climate strikes in March, where children from more than 100 countries across the world walked out of their classrooms to protest against the lack of governmental action in preventing climate change, the discussion about preserving the Earth definitely isn’t wavering. To keep the conversation going, there is an enormous source of regularly updated online content available from the WWF following the series launch, so audiences can find out more about the habitats featured in the series, as well as what people can do in their everyday lives to make a positive difference to global warming. There is also a fully illustrated companion book to the series available, published by Bantam Press. Working together on a joint project, WWF, Netflix, PHORIA and Google have created an augmented reality (AR) globe installation called REWILD Our Planet, which will go on tour around the UK, Singapore and New York. The first installation opened at We The Curious in Bristol last month and is open to the public until 2 June. Visitors can explore the planet through AR, investigating the vast habitats of animals from across the world as if they are really there. From a young age, Fothergill was fascinated by animals and the natural world. Born in

London, he went to Harrow before reading zoology at Durham University where he entered a competition for students to make a natural history documentary. “We went to Botswana and made a really rather bad film. But it was a wonderful way of appreciating that film-making was a way for me to show my passion for the natural world to other people.” After graduating, he joined the BBC’s Natural History Unit in Bristol in 1983, producing programmes such as The Really Wild Show. His first job with Sir David Attenborough was on the 1990 series The Trials of Life, and he has continued to collaborate with him on countless projects ever since. Attenborough, therefore, was a natural fit to narrate Our Planet. “Most of the damage we have done to the planet has happened during David’s lifetime,” says Fothergill. “He’s 93 in May, and has a legacy. He’s now decided to be more outspoken about [climate change] than ever before. “He’s the voice that is really trusted. We are saying some stark facts [in Our Planet] – some would say controversial facts, but they’re not. By working with WWF, we are 100% certain that it’s scientifically accurate. But we are saying things that some people really don’t want to hear. But when it comes from David with his authority, that’s what is absolutely

critical to us.” After almost 30 years at the Natural History Unit, including a spell as the unit’s leader at only aged 32, Fothergill set up wildlife production company Silverback Films with Keith Scholey in 2012. Recognised for his outstanding contribution to natural history programming, Fothergill was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 2016, and was presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of Bristol in 2018. After dedicating much of his life to helping promote and preserve the natural world, Fothergill is hoping that Our Planet can encourage people to take accountability for their actions and make a real change to the environment. As he says, “The word ‘Our’ implies ownership and responsibility. We only have one.” n

• Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey will be speaking about Our Planet at The Bath Festival on 24 May, 8pm, at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. £10; thebathfestival.org.uk

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TECHNOLOGY | HEALTH

Some of the most amazing recent technology has come from developers tinkering away in ‘hack spaces’ across Bristol. Tilly Lockey lost both hands after contracting meningitis B at 15 months old and is one of the original Hero Arm users

A HOTBED OF HEALTHTECH Bristol is a real hub for the development of technology for healthcare. From a Braille version of the Kindle to leading-edge 3D-printed artificial arms and even a pacemaker for the brain to tackle Parkinson’s disease, researchers and entrepreneurs are pushing back the boundaries. Nick Flaherty finds out more

echnology can take many years to make it safely into hospitals around the world, but now the latest breast cancer scanners, with the latest wireless technology developed in Bristol, are rolling out after nearly 10 years of trials. Meanwhile researchers are already using quantum technology for the latest diagnostic equipment and to solve big healthcare problems. Some of the technology has come from developers tinkering away in ‘hack spaces’ across Bristol. After five years of development, Bristol Braille Technology is launching the world’s first multi-line digital Braille e-reader. Developed with, by, and for the blind community, Canute 360 will make reading digital Braille books affordable, practical and enjoyable. Unlike current readers, which can show only one or two lines of Braille, Canute displays nine lines of 40 characters of Braille and supports all the different six-dot Braille codes, including music, maths and foreign languages, as well as tactile graphics to give a full experience, just like a Kindle e-reader. Excitingly, Canute is being shared with groups around the world, and is now entering mass production. At the same time, entrepreneurs Joel Gibbard and Samantha Payne were working with 3D printing prosthetic arms. Open Bionics has

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now raised nearly £6million to develop its range of medically certified, 3D-printed, artificial ‘Hero Arms’ that were the first to be available for children as young as eight years old, and are now causing a stir in the US. The technology is also open-source so people around the world can easily use it. By scanning a patient’s arm, a close-fitting prosthetic can be printed, easily growing as the child grows. Children with Hero Arms can open and close their bionic hand and change grips by flexing muscles just below their elbow. Almost more importantly, the technology allows for different covers in a wide range of styles, from Disney’s Frozen and Star Wars to the latest films... Tilly Lockey lost both hands after contracting meningitis B at just 15 months old and is one of the original Hero Arm users. Earlier this year, Open Bionics worked with film studio 20th Century Fox to print two customised arms for Tilly inspired by the film Alita: Battle Angel. Tilly was presented with the arms as a surprise at the world premiere in London alongside the movie’s star Rosa Salazar and director James Cameron. “Tilly has grown up to be an incredible person and has never let her disability hold her back in any way,” said the Titanic and Avatar director.

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TECHNOLOGY | HEALTH

But some of the technology has taken a lot longer to achieve. Bioinduction in Bristol started in 2002 and has been developing electronics that can be implanted in the brain to tackle diseases such as Parkinson’s. The Picostim is the only device that can be medically implanted to stimulate areas of the brain, much like a pacemaker helps a heart operate properly. Back in 2014 the company bought a specialist medical manufacturing company, Finetech Medical, and so is the only company in the UK with permission to make devices that can be implanted into the brain. Having proved the technology can be made safely, the company is now starting the first clinical investigation of Picostim for late-stage Parkinson’s patients. Another long-term bet has been Micrima. It has used ‘ultrawideband’ wireless technology to make scanning for breast cancer a lot less painful. Operating at 60GHz (compared to 2.4GHz or 5GHz for your wi-fi at home), the MARIA technology can ‘look’ more deeply into the body in the same way as the new scanners in airports but a lot more accurately. This means breast cancer screening will be quicker and a lot less painful. The scanners were approved back in 2016 after 10 years of development and are now starting to be used in hospitals.

Bristol Braille Canute 360 in situ

...Bioinduction is the only company with permission to make devices that can be implanted into the brain... Quantum technology is also being used for healthcare. FluoretiQ is using it to make detecting bacteria 1,000 times faster and five times cheaper. Instead of having to culture a bacteria to find out which kind it is, the tech being developed in Bristol can identify bacteria that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs) in minutes rather than days. This allows the right antibiotics to be used, minimising the use of broad spectrum antibiotics. This needs a combination of chemists, microbiologists and engineers to create new, species-specific bacteria probes and a quantum-enhanced detection. Using pulses from fluorescent LEDs (hence the name) and sensing individual photons can show whether bacteria are present, and which type, from a handheld, battery power unit. The company is working on the technology at its lab at Unit DX lab in St Philips, which hosts a number of chemistry and quantum start-ups. It has also been working with NHS labs to prove that the technology works quickly and effectively. The next stage is to expand the range of bacteria the sensor can detect. “Ultimately, we want to provide diagnostic support for more infectious diseases. We see ourselves becoming a global business, because we’re tackling a global healthcare issue,” said Josephine Dorh, CTO and co-founder. “Our plans are really to accelerate the R&D, get to the market as quickly as possible and get the product out across the world. We are here to save time, to save money and ultimately save peoples’ lives.” If you’ve been to We the Curious, you may have seen some of the technology developed by Bristol-based SPHERE, the largest healthtech research project in Europe. It is currently working on a project called OPERA that is looking at ways your home wi-fi can be used as a medical radar. Using artificial intelligence and passive, lowcost sensors that pick up the reflections from wi-fi, the technology can keep an eye on people’s health in the home. The project will run until 2021 and is part of the extremely healthy technology cluster in Bristol aiming to make life better for people around the world. ■

FluoretiQ geniuses (image: Unit DX)

Micrima has used ‘ultrawideband’ wireless tech to make scanning for breast cancer less painful

Open Bionics’ Joel Gibbard CEO and Samantha Payne COO

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READING

Books that matter The call for inclusivity in media is being heard across the board, with underrepresented voices finally being given the space they deserve. But what should we be doing to diversify bookshelves, broaden horizons and support a range of writers? Our book edit comes from a Bristol subscription box service sending out monthly packages championing diverse, female-led fiction

Belonging by Umi Sinha

A beautiful epic exploring race, ethnicity, homeland and belonging. Sinha’s novel depicts 12-year-old Lila’s intense and turbulent life as she witnesses a family tragedy and has to say goodbye to her Indian childhood home to precipitate a new life in Sussex with her greataunt. Spanning from the British Raj to the aftermath of the First World War, Belonging offers a nuanced, intergenerational story, each protagonist struggling to free themselves from a troubled history steeped in colonial violence. A masterpiece which continues to enlighten on the experience of those uprooting their lives, which demands to be read by all in one entirely compelling sitting.

by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman

After the huge success that was The Good Immigrant (the crowd-funded publication released in the UK in 2016), this new edition focusing on the USA sheds new light on the experiences of first and secondgeneration immigrants to America. The anthology, edited by Shukla and Suleyman, explores the broadening divide, tensions, who is welcome, and interwoven cultures. Each contributing writer shares a powerful, personal story of living between culture and languages, and discovering who they are and where they belong.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

If you’re looking to read a more classic novel, Zora Neale Hurston’s works are a beautiful place to begin. The forgotten writer has recently had her works republished and resurfaced after decades of being out of print, and Their Eyes Were Watching God is notably her most popular novel. It documents the life of Janie Crawford, a black woman going to lengths to find her identity; an unorthodox task for a woman of colour in the 1930s. It is a stunning, lyrical tale of a woman’s journey to adulthood and independence; of refusing to settle or stagnate.

MAY 2019

Akwaeke Emezi The dedication for this book reads, “To those of us with one foot on the other side”. Freshwater is the fantastical debut novel by non-binary author Akwaeke Emezi. It centres around a Nigerian woman, Ada, who has the surreal experience of having fractured selves. This dark, energetic novel follows Ada as she moves from her troubled youth into following academia to America, where her separate selves grow in power, and a traumatic assault leaves Ada following the hedonistic control of her fractured identities, as they control her life in dangerous and spiralling ways – all based on Akwaeke’s own experiences.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America

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A sparkling debut novel about womanhood, identity and searching for meaning in the modern world. Queenie Jenkins is a 25-yearold Jamaican British woman, living in London, and working at a newspaper with an abundance of white middle-class peers. This witty take on the coming-of-age genre follows Queenie through her first big breakup, her subsequent relationships, her battles with self-worth and affirmation, and all the questions modern women have for the world around them. Carty-Williams’ novel enlightens a multitude of black British experiences, and also sheds light on the important tepic of mental health; this one is a must-read, and has already been dubbed one of the most anticipated tomes of 2019.

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

In a literary canon often perceived as maledominated, Sophie Mackintosh breaks the mould with her Man Booker-nominated novel. King has staked out territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia and Sky; here, women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland in this dystopian landscape. When King disappears and three men wash ashore, the women are thrown headlong into psychological games, a manhunt, and an inevitable fight for survival. Mackintosh has simultaneously created a world parallel to and a mirror of our own in this thrilling, haunting debut. n

• The Water Cure will be featured in Books That Matter’s next subscription box as part of their feminist dystopia theme for May. If you’d like to get your hands on it with an exclusive 10% discount, use the code BRISTOL at the checkout; booksthatmatter.org.uk

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FOOD & Drink

TASTY TIDBITS FROM THE CITY’S RESTAURANTS, CHEFS AND PRODUCERS

ALL ABOUT THE BASE

The gnocchi alla curcurma is served in an edible paprika bread basket

ZERO-WASTE VEGGIE VIBES Checked out new veggie café and takeaway The Vegetable Diva, at Harbour Inlet yet? The zero-waste eatery opened recently with a daily changing menu of salads, hot dishes, pastries, cakes, and breakfast. Big on provenance, they use seasonal and local produce and grow their own at the ‘Diva Digs’ – two acres of land in Burrington. "I want to be able to serve people a healthy meal at a reasonable price without polluting the environment," says founder Sonya Devi, who holds a BSc in nutrition and whose mixed Dutch and Indian heritage is reflected within the café, which is all packaging-free. Customers bring their own container to fill with grains and spices and refill the pantry, or can hire/buy a reusable tiffin box. • thevegetablediva.com

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A second branch of Dough Pizza has opened on Baldwin Street, three years after the first launch in central Bath, with the restaurant’s 12 intriguing pizza bases – made from artisanal ‘alternative’ doughs including gluten-free, turmeric, seaweed, multigrain and hemp – in tow. While pizza is central to the menu, the vast kitchen space means there are plenty of Italian classics as well as the likes of gnocchi alla curcurma – a homemade turmeric gnocchi main, served in an edible paprika bread basket with a cherry tomato sauce, Calabrian n’duja and smoked mozzarella. The ‘plates you can eat’ element extends to grilled and roasted meats served on homemade bread, seafood pasta served in a seaweed dough bowl and fritto misto served in a bread ‘boat’. “We’ve gained quite a following in Bath with people looking for authentic gluten-free pizzas, and for being a great place to eat for those with food intolerances,” says co-owner Massimo Nucaro. “We’ve always been keen to open in Bristol and looked at a few locations; when this one came up it was a no-brainer.” • doughpizzarestaurant.co.uk

GET CONNECTED Expect a cornucopia of food experiences next month when community festival Bristol Food Connections gets underway (12 – 23 June) with demonstrations, talks and debates. There are over 70 events including several aimed at the elderly, at Windmill Hill and St Werburghs City Farms; Psychopomp’s ‘Getting Pickled Not Wasted’; two special Chilean events; Father’s Day fish and chips on The Matthew; a Limeburn Hill vineyard tour; and a Charles Dowding talk at Tobacco Factory. “Bristol Food Connections is about celebrating individuals, communities and the diversity of the cultures in Bristol,” says Grace Ekall, host of ‘Cameroon and the Commonwealth’ on 15 June. “It is a brilliant way to promote acceptance, explore delightful dishes and flavours from different parts of the world. It brings people together and inspires people to get cooking.” Dave Fung from Assembly Bakery added: “We are delighted to be part of Bristol Food Connections festival this year. It’s more important than ever that people are connected to their food, where it comes from and how it’s made and Bristol is an especially good city for its ethical and positive food cultures.” • bristolfoodconnections.com

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Homeslice! Brilliant Bristol baker Briony May shares what she’s been making this month

t’s a bit of an unspoken rule among bakers that you should all have a great brownie recipe. I have to be honest, until a few months ago, I didn’t (don’t tell Bake Off!). Then myself and fellow Bristolian Dean Edwards, of MasterChef fame, decided to do a pop-up restaurant with a Moroccan vibe at the end of April, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to develop my very own, quirky spiced brownies. With beetroot season fast approaching, it was the perfect ingredient to add as, mixed with chocolate, it is a winning flavour combination. At the pop-up, I served the brownies with a tahini ice cream but they taste just as delicious, warm from the oven, with vanilla ice cream. So here they are, especially for the lovely people of Bristol… Briony’s beetroot brownies!

Spiced beetroot brownies Ingredients: 4 cooked beetroots 2 tbsp vegetable oil 250g unsalted butter, melted 200g golden caster sugar 100g light muscovado sugar 75g dark brown muscovado sugar (tip: if you don’t have the muscovado sugar to hand, use 350g golden caster sugar) 3 medium eggs 200g plain flour 75g cocoa powder ½ tsp salt 3 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp allspice 2 tsp ginger 75g walnuts, chopped 200g dark chocolate chips 150ml boiling water and 2 tsp instant coffee Method: • Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Grease and line a baking tray, roughly 10” x 8”. • Pop beetroot and vegetable oil in blender and whizz until smooth. In mixing bowl, mix beetroot, melted butter, sugars and eggs. • Sift in flour, cocoa powder, salt and spices. Mix to combine. Add chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Mix to combine. • Mix boiling water with 2 tsp instant coffee. Add to brownie mixture. Mix until just combined. Tip: don’t overmix the brownie mixture as it will make the final product very cakey rather than the traditional texture. • Pour into baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes until top has set. Leave to cool in tray for 15 minutes. Serve warm immediately with vanilla ice cream or leave to cool completely and store in the fridge for up to a week. Did you know? The Victorians used beetroot as a natural red hair dye; the world’s heaviest beetroot was nearly 24kg and was grown just down the road in Somerset and, in Roman times, beetroot was used to get rid of garlic breath! ■ • Follow Briony @brionymaybakes. Illustration by Cat Faulkner (@catherinedoart); photography by Ciara Hillyer (@ciarahillyer)

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FOOD & DRINK

Noel and Maria James have the only brewing school within a brewery in the country

SISTERS ARE BREWING IT FOR THEMSELVES It is an irrefutable fact that the beer business was started by women and, with more female brewers, DJs and attendees for 2019, Bristol Craft Beer Festival has become much more diverse to reflect that. We met a few of this year’s makers...

n ancient civilisations, women brewed for their families and sold the excess to others nearby. In Egypt, beer was solely produced and sold by women and when the US was first colonised, it was women who were the primary brewers. But when the Industrial Revolution came around, what was once a cottage industry suddenly became big business, in a maledominated world. The start of said Revolution was some 250 years ago and during those two and a half centuries men ruled the roost when it came to the brewing business. It’s taken a while but things are now shifting back and the industry is seeing the return of women to the brewing scene. Flash forward to summer 2019 and to Bristol Craft Beer Festival and you can see that the scene in the city and, indeed, the rest of the UK, is changing and changing for the better. Now some of the best breweries Bristol has to offer are female-fronted – we’ve caught up with a few of these heroes of the hop...

intriguing one. After a 20-year career in broadcast TV, working across BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and the Discovery Channel, Maria was diagnosed with breast cancer and turned to brewing as respite during her chemotherapy. After being given the all-clear, Maria made the decision to leave the life of TV behind and focus solely on brewing and it’s safe to say it’s turned out well. New Bristol Brewery also holds the fine accolade of having the only brewing school within a brewery in the entire country. “Over the last few years we’ve won numerous awards including the best beer at the CAMRA Bristol Beer Festival for our Irish Cream Stout,” says Maria. “To us, making the same beers all the time would be boring so we are constantly experimenting with different hops, barrels and yeasts. We take risks and explore the progression of traditional styles to create increasingly forward-thinking, great tasting beers.”

with the drinks industry, brewing was an entirely new concept to Kelly, but one that she relished; and the first beer Kelly and Bob made together was a variant of Bob’s first ever beer, a malty pale ale called Big Bang. The popularity of Good Chemistry is such that they recently opened their first pub in Redland where Kelly hosts regular social events for Women in Beer, including an International Women’s Day event in March and a cake and beer pairing event with the local CAMRA Ladies group. “I love the way we’re really hands-on here; we feel and taste the malt and smell the hops, we package everything ourselves at the brewery in St Philips and, of course, most of our customers are right here in Bristol so we have a really close relationship with a lot of them,” she says. “Being part of the wider beer industry is great too – it’s a supportive, collaborative industry that’s fun to be involved in!”

Maria James, New Bristol Brewery

Kelly Sidwick, Good Chemistry

Annie Clements, Lost & Grounded

Kelly first turned to brewing in 2013. Her partner Bob was a keen home-brewer and Kelly was running her own soft drinks business in the West Country. While familiar

Annie founded Lost & Grounded alongside her partner Alex Troncoso in 2015. Growing in up Australia, Alex and Annie first started brewing in the ’90s but, after years of

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The popularity of Good Chemistry is such that they recently opened their first pub in Redland where Kelly hosts regular social events for Women in Beer and CAMRA Ladies (image by Nicci Peet)

globetrotting, decided to put down their roots right here in Bristol. Annie’s pre-brewing career saw her work within the hospitality industry; spend 10 years as a social worker; and studying her passions of fashion, art and writing. The first beer she ever made was created using a Coopers Brewery homebrew kit, into which she added lashings of Tasmanian leatherwood honey – a beer that went on to beat partner Alex’s in a homebrew competition. “I’m fiercely proud to be right here, right now,” she says, “working among incredibly talented women across varying brewery roles both locally and globally.” Since setting up in Bristol the the two have spent countless hours developing the brewery from the ground up, with their flying hippo logo symbolising their journey through the beer world. In Annie’s words, “the hippo is a quiet achiever, but you gotta dream big and through hard work and determination you can do anything, even carry the world!”

Amanda Foster, Wiper & True While Amanda may not have founded Wiper & True, this is a woman who’s spent her entire working life in the brewing business. Her journey into beer started at the age of 15 in her hometown of Toronto, where she landed a summer job at Molson Canada to help pay for university. Initially working on the bottling line, Amanda returned each year to experience all elements of brewing on a vast scale. When she graduated after her biochemistry degree, she applied to work at the brewery’s analytical lab and quality

department. Amanda eventually made the move to Bristol where she began working with Wiper & True. Gaining her IBD general certificate in brewing and working her way through the ranks of one of the city’s most loved breweries, Amanda is now production manager and one of very few women in the country to hold this position. “The first home brew I made by myself was terrible,” she remembers. “I tried to make a Tim Hortons coffee and donut stout as a shout-out to my homeland and I did not do them proud. I have learned since then to not put coffee grinds directly into the kettle…”

Megan Oliver, Arbor Ales

to offer, as well as a stellar line-up of female DJs including Mollie Collins and Jamz Supernova, who will pump up the party vibes, and a smorgasbord of Bristol’s finest street food, it’s a party you won’t want to miss. Tickets are available from £45 which includes festival pours of any beer from any brewer, access to the people that make the beer, a tasting glass and a programme. n • bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk; @weare_beer (Instagram); @BristolCBF (Twitter) Amanda Foster moved to Bristol from Toronto, to work with Wiper & True

The Bristol craft beer scene’s old timer, Arbor Ales was started by Meg and partner Jon way back in 2007 and they’ve been a huge part of the city’s craft beer growth, with over 400 different beers brewed over 12 years. The idea behind Arbor’s creation may have come from Jon, but Meg was firmly the brains of the operation, setting up sales channels and ensuring Arbor could showcase the fruits of its labour. “It was Jon’s idea and I was somewhat dragged along for the ride,” she says. “Just as well really, as Jon hadn’t really put much thought into who was actually going to sell the beer we were making. It’s been amazing to watch the beer scene in Bristol grow over the last 12 years; we’ve become good friends with some really lovely people in the industry.” Bristol Craft Beer Festival returns, 7 & 8 June, to its waterside home at Lloyds Amphitheatre. Bringing together the best beers the world has THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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GARDENING GREAT OUTDOORS

There’s a sense of perspective that comes from surveying a calm aquatic horizon, the soothing sound of water lapping the shore and the twinkling of sunlight as it hits the surface

The wonder of the water Being near it can send us into a meditative state that makes us happier, healthier and more creative: and luckily, living in the South West, we don’t need to go far to find a little corner of calm

oets and painters have all attested to the inner peace that comes from being near water. It seems there’s just something innately calming about it – the sense of perspective that comes from surveying a blue horizon, the soothing sound of water lapping the shore and the twinkling of sunlight as it hits the surface. But it’s not just a romantic notion. Scientists suggest that being near water actually sends us into a meditative state that makes us happier, healthier, calmer, more creative and even more capable of awe. In fact, according to research, the mere sight or sound of water brings about a flood of neurochemicals to our hearts and brains. Evidence of this biological high means we’re now able to join the dots between being near, in or on water to a full range of emotional benefits. Luckily for those of us living in the South West, you don’t need to go far to find your bit of calm. We’re blessed with some of the best lakes in the UK, dotted over countryside, nestled in valleys and stretching from Somerset to the tip of the Cornish coast. What’s more, these beautiful blue spaces are all less than two hours’ escape from cities such as Bristol and Bath. The South West’s inland waters offer an oasis of calm and tranquillity away from the usual tourist hot spots. They’re less crowded than the beaches and give couples, families and campers a safe place to explore the water in the peace and quiet of the countryside. These are lakes such as the spectacular Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor, the rural idyll of Roadford Lake on the edge of Dartmoor and the Cornish lakes of Tamar near Bude and Stithians in scenic West Cornwall. They are powerful places – where the green world 60 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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meets the blue. Places where you can relax and watch resident wildlife such as rare sandpipers, orange-tip butterflies and even birds of prey such as buzzards while you enjoy a moment of calm contemplation, walking the trails that gently curve around the water’s edge. They are havens not just for wildlife but walkers, families, sailors and anglers – all seeking out a piece of waterside serenity. Unlike the tidal terrains of the coast, these lakes also offer a safe place to explore the water too. Novices and experts can all enjoy safe adventure on inland water, with visitors able to hire a kayak, canoe, stand-up paddle board, sail or windsurf on the water in confidence. The lakes of Wimbleball, Roadford and Stithians even offer tuition and have-a-go sessions with activity instructors giving visitors a taste of the fun to be had on the blue. The health benefits of getting your feet wet are not to be overlooked. Researchers found that some of the fittest and happiest people are found in and on the water. According to the scientists, people who take part in activities on water rate their experience as more enjoyable than those exercising on land. Luckily for those travelling from further afield, a trip to the lake doesn’t need to be just a daytime affair, with South West Lakes offering camping pitches, bell tents and glamping pods for visitors too. The unrivalled location of the lakes on national parks and moors means they’re some of the best places to stargaze and spot distant constellations while toasting marshmallows on the campfire. It means the lakes always offer a waterside break where you can rest up and park your worries for the week. For those camping with kids, they offer an opportunity to give your

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GREAT OUTDOORS

family a break from the screens and give them a taste for the great outdoors. Families can get out on the water together, enjoy nature trails, explore outdoor play areas, build dens or even swing through the trees on high ropes. Walk or cycle the nature trails by way of relaxation and visit the lakeside café for aquatic views, a welldeserved coffee, light lunch or piece of cake. Whatever the choice, a visit to one of the region’s lakes can stretch both your legs and your imagination. They are places where people get the chance to reconnect with each other and the natural world. We’re lucky enough to have these lakes on our doorstep so next time you’re feeling the stresses of inner-city life, maybe it’s cause to embrace the natural wonder of the water. ■ • Reader offer: get £2.50 off equipment hire at a lake with promotional code SWL250-BB19. Redeem online or at the lakes. Valid until 30/09/19. Find a lake near you: southwestlakes.co.uk

South West Lakes oﬀers camping pitches, bell tents and glamping pods too

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MAY 2019

THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 61

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TRAVEL | NATURE

GERT LUSH: Beauty and education collide at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where there are over 18,000 varieties of plants to discover (image by Tagger Yancey)

GARDEN VARIETY

You might see a flamingo or two in Florida’s impressive gardens

As RHS Chelsea Flower Show prepares to delight this month, heralding a new season of British horticulture and design, we consider visiting some of the spectacular gardens that influence it – from Japanese plum to Hawaiian botanical and the Chilean flora which has inspired one of Chelsea’s 2019 show gardens Set your sights on Sanyo-so for weeping cherry trees, iris and maple

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Fancy a desert session? Head to Saguaro National Park to see Arizona’s state flower

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TRAVEL | NATURE

ardens and glorious flora from around the globe inspire the creations visitors see at the big UK flower shows – we thought we’d look into some destinations that are decidedly gert lush in both senses of the word, and perhaps inspire you to visit one or two in the process.

Chilean biodiversity: check it out chile.travel/en As the world’s longest country, Chile’s biodiversity is vast, stretching across five distinct geographic and climatic zones. Flora and fauna are abundant, from the north of the country, home to the Atacama Desert – the driest in the world – to the Central Valleys, defined by their Mediterranean climate and wine valleys, and further south to the lakes and volcanoes, stretching into Patagonia and the Antarctic Territory. This year, garden designer John Snow will be showcasing ‘Undiscovered Latin America’ at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – a show garden inspired by the endemic plants, temperate rainforests and parks of Chile. Best explored on a road trip.

horticultural attraction offering bold, characterful gardens on the Metis River. Elsie Reford established them in 1926, transforming her fishing camp over three decades into today’s glades, arboretum, museum and lodges. This year, they will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the International Garden Festival – which invites designers to create temporary gardens and interactive spaces open to the public during June 2019, and is launching a parallel programme for young designers to curate a series of experimental landscapes.

Taste of the tropics gohawaii.com The Hawaiian Islands are home to beautiful gardens, arboretums and landscapes. McBryde Garden, on the island of Kaua‘i, is a botanical park for threatened and endangered plants of the tropics. Located in the verdant Lawai Valley, it is home to the world’s largest botanical research collection of native Hawaiian species and extensive plantings of palms, flowering trees, ornamentals and orchids. The Conservation and Horticulture Center serves as an intensive care unit for endangered species and is a lovely attraction for visitors.

Nashville: there’s more to Music City

Seek out saguaro in Scottsdale

visitmusiccity.com The city’s Cheekwood Estate & Gardens come to life from April, as over 150,000 tulips burst into bloom. Snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, magnolias, redbuds and dogwoods also feature throughout, putting on an unforgettable show as warmer weather and longer days arrive. The gardens are also home to a number of activities and events, from yoga and brunch to garden tours and live music. This year Cheekwood is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Howe Garden – one of the most beloved gardens on the estate.

visitarizona.com The Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona gives you the chance to experience the beautiful cacti that thrive in the Sonoran Desert; with more than 50,000 plants in outdoor exhibits nestled amid the red rocks of the Papago Buttes. Stroll through five themed trails to explore the towering cacti, alluring succulents, brilliant wildflowers and plants that flourish here. The Sonoran Desert is the only place in the world where saguaro cacti grow and bloom mid-May to mid-June, giving Scottsdale visitors the chance to see Arizona’s state flower, the saguaro blossom.

Set your sights on Sanyo-so

Florida: florals and flamingos

princehotels.com/sanyo-so The Sanyo-so gardens can be found at a traditional ryokan hotel nestled in the depth of the Japanese countryside on the Izu Peninsula, just south of Tokyo. Built in 1929, it is set in a grand Japanese garden renowned for its year-round beauty, and alive with colours of the seasons, offering weeping cherry trees in spring, iris in summer, maple in autumn and Japanese plum in winter. The hotel is loved by the Japanese emperor and empress, who enjoyed their honeymoon there; their private ryokan overlooked the entire garden. Sanyo-so is also home to a hot spring with geothermal water that contains a wealth of restorative minerals.

thepalmbeaches.com; sunny.org Discover Florida’s connection with Japan at Morikami Gardens in Palm Beach County – 16 acres of world-class bonsai displays, strolling paths, beautiful lakes teeming with koi and galleries of Asian art. These gardens reflect major periods of Japanese garden design and, according to designer Hoichi Kurisu, each expresses the character and ideas of a unique counterpart in Japan. Meanwhile, Flamingo Gardens in Fort Lauderdale proffers 60 paradisiacal acres of rare tropical and subtropical plants and an arboretum with hundreds of native and exotic trees, accented with lush under-story plantings, ponds, streams and a waterfall. The seasonal butterfly and hummingbird gardens attract the ruby throat hummingbird in winter and the South American malachite butterfly, while Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Florida native wildlife including alligators, bobcats, peacocks and flamingos.

Oh, Vienna! wien.info/en Offering green oases and tree-lined boulevards, Vienna is the only major world capital with an extensive wine-growing industry within its city limits. More than half of its metropolitan area is made up of green spaces including 280 imperial parks and gardens enriching the cityscape. On the edge of town, the vineyards in the 19th district flourish and Vienna Woods appear particularly idyllic: enjoy wonderful city views, strolls and bike rides. Urban farms, allotments and garden shops are now also found in the middle of the city; Vienna’s first display and research garden for urban agriculture the Karlsgarten cultivates various types of fruit, vegetables and grains.

Make a beeline for Brecon breconbeacons.org Within Brecon Beacons National Park there are 17 interior parks and gardens of national importance, dating back hundreds of years from the 12th to the 20th century. Check out Craig-y-Nos Country Park, a 40-acre Victorian garden with shady woodlands, meadows, ponds and rivers, located in the secluded upper Swansea Valley. The historic grounds of Craig-y-nos Castle, once home to opera singer Adelina Patti, are located on the banks of the River Tawe. Features of the fashionable Victorian parkland include walled kitchen gardens, glasshouses, rock gardens, a croquet lawn and a rose garden, and you can now wander freely yearround to enjoy the spectacular seasonal colours.

Quite like the sound of Québec? quebecoriginal.com/en-gb Reford Gardens, in Québec’s Gaspésie region, is an enchanting

See NYC in bloom nycgo.com New York City has plenty of greenery across all of the five boroughs. The Bronx’s public garden, Wave Hills, overlooks the Hudson River and its paths wind across a carpet of bright wildflowers in springtime and pools adorned with water lilies and lotus flowers through the summer and autumn. Visitors flock to Brooklyn Botanic Garden where beauty and education collide, with over 18,000 varieties of plants. In spring, hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing, is at its prime when the garden is overtaken by pink blossoms of more than 200 trees. Alternatively, soak up history and nature at the popular High Line. Built on a onceabandoned elevated rail line, it offers unparalleled views of Manhattan’s far west side with places to sit and people-watch, patches of grass, seasonal blooms and fascinating architectural features throughout.

Look into Lake Garda visittrentino.info/en Trentino is the region in northern Italy that runs from the top of Lake Garda into the Dolomites. From the blossoming apple trees which cover the Val di Non in pure white to the crocuses which turn Mount Casale’s meadows yellow, white and purple, this season is a beautiful time to explore. The Valle di Ledro, located close to Garda, offers more than 1,000 kinds of wild flowers and an annual flower festival (19 May) which you can walk to from the Mezzolago village before sampling traditional mountain foods like polenta and salamelle sausages. ■ THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

MAY 2019

THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 63

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BRISTOL UPDATES

BITE-SIZED BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY NEWS FROM ACROSS THE CITY

HAVE YOU HEARD?

The Channel 4 hub is on track to open in autumn

NEW TEMPLE TENANT

NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH? It’s not every day you’re offered something for free, let alone a two-course meal. However this summer, retirement organisation Abbeyfield Bristol & Keynsham is inviting potential retirees to enjoy a home-cooked lunch at any of its Bristol houses. There’s no catch, they promise, and you can bring a friend. The charity offers older people the chance to continue to live independently at its Redland, Henleaze, Easter Compton, Keynsham and Hanham houses. Residents have the privacy of their own apartment, which they rent, but can enjoy the company of like-minded people at communal meal times. Fees are all-inclusive and there’s a team member around, 24 hours, in case extra support is needed, plus a calendar of social events. “Coming along for lunch is a great way to experience a taste of life in an Abbeyfield house,” says chief executive Frances Stretton. “You can have a tour with the manager, and meet other residents over a relaxed lunch. We’re hoping it will put people at ease and help them think about options for retirement.”

• freeths.co.uk

• abbeyfield-bristol.co.uk

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Law firm Freeths is celebrating continued growth with the opening of a base in Bristol, taking the number of offices across the UK to 13. Located in the main business district of Bristol Temple Quarter, the office is headed up by Adam Watson, a real estate specialist, who has moved from the firm’s Nottingham office. “This is an exciting opportunity to expand the Freeths brand into a new market,” he says. “We have a number of additions to the team lined up to join us, bringing a broad range of expertise which will be supported by specialist resource from across the firm.” Legal services delivered by Freeths meet the varied needs of businesses and range from commercial property, dispute management and M&A expertise to employment law and commercial contractual support, supplemented with many niche specialisms. This is the first venture in the west of the country and will complement the geographic spread offered by existing offices in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Stoke, Milton Keynes, Liverpool and Oxford. It comes at a time when the firm has seen record growth, with turnover reaching £89.8m, representing a 14% increase in performance Chairman Colin Flanagan added: “While Bristol is a competitive legal market, this reflects the level of commercial activity in the city. We believe this opening offers a real opportunity for Freeths and we are confident that we will quickly win market share to make the office a success.”

MAY 2019

No 179

Channel 4 is planning on locating its creative hub at Bristol’s new waterfront quarter, Finzels Reach – leasing 3,200 sq ft on the second floor of the Fermentation Buildings. The hub will be a base for key creative decision makers supporting Channel 4’s relationship with the production sector – with a particular focus on supporting genres strongly represented in the South West, Wales and Midlands. Commissioning departments represented in the new hub will include: drama, factual, popular factual – as well as creative diversity, supporting on and off-screen diversity. It will also have additional supporting operational roles. The negotiations with developer Cubex were led by CBRE on behalf of Channel 4, with Knight Frank and Savills acting on behalf of Cubex. “We looked at a number of different sites, but the Fermentation Buildings stood out as offering a great location at the heart of the city in reach of transport links, and an historic industrial building with superb facilities for our staff,” said Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer. “We’re on track and incredibly excited to be opening our creative hub in the city this autumn.” Peter Walford, director at Cubex, added: “We are thrilled that Channel 4 has chosen Finzels Reach as the new home of its creative hub. This move is hugely significant for the city, far beyond the size of the hub itself, and testament to its thriving television and production industry. This comes after other creative companies including BDH and OUTLAW announced their move to Finzels Reach, paving the way for the creation of a creative and media business hub within the quarter. “We have paid careful attention to nurturing a thriving community within this once forgotten part of the city, and it’s fantastic to see the area now coming into its own.”

• channel4.com

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Overseas entities and UK land The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published the draft Registration of Overseas Entities Bill. The Bill will require overseas entities to supply and update details of their beneficial ownership for a public register when they hold or deal with land or buildings in the UK. It is the government’s intention that the register will be operational in 2021. After 2021 no overseas entities will be able to buy, sell or transfer UK land without supplying the details of their beneficial owners and ensuring that the beneficial owners’ details on the public register are annually updated. There will therefore be an additional burden on UK property owning overseas entities. If the overseas entity does not comply with these requirements they will have committed an offence. The overseas company will need to remember to update the register and to keep its administrative addresses at both the Land Registry and Companies House up to date. The overseas entity cannot be registered as the proprietor of UK land at any of the UK Land Registries if they fail to comply with the requirements. If the land is already owned by the overseas entity and it has not complied with the requirements, any sale, registerable lease or mortgage of that land will be prevented by a restriction imposed by the relevant land registry.

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Buyers, tenants and lenders beware! Those that intend to buy, lease or charge property to or from an overseas entity will need to check that the overseas company is registered and that their registration is not out of date not only at the date of completion but also at the time the transaction is registered otherwise the transaction may be void. It will be necessary to obtain assurance and evidence that the updating duty has been fulfilled and will be fulfilled at the time of completion. In most cases, this will take the form of a contract which will be made conditional on the proprietor’s compliance with the updating obligation. This will inevitably lead to further complications, a need to carry out more in-depth due diligence, and cause potential delays in respect of property transactions involving an overseas entity. Deadlines for Registration A transitional regime will be put in place once the Bill comes into force. The overseas entities will have 18 months from the commencement date either to dispose of the land or provide beneficial ownership information to the Registrar. After the 18 months have passed of the Bill becoming law, prohibitions will be put on the registers of title so that sales, registrable leases or mortgages of land cannot be registered. For further advice on commercial property and other matters, contact Janine Harris or one of her colleagues at AMD Solicitors 139 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2PL Phone 0117 973 7943, email info@amdsolicitors.com or visit our website www.amdsolicitors.com © AMD Solicitors

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

The truth about focus By Gary Keating, ActionCOACH Bristol. www.actioncoach.co.uk/garykeating

ocus is key at work, yet we are so easily distracted by other minor tasks. Emails, notifications and people asking for a minute of our time constantly interrupt the more important tasks we need to complete. So how do we keep ourselves focused and in turn as productive as we can be? Picture a Venn diagram, in one circle we have “things we can control” and in the other, we have “things that are important”.

Firstly, let’s think about control. Admittedly, we don’t have influence over all the factors in our businesses and in our lives. Things like people and places can be practically impossible to control however, we should only concentrate on situations in our business where we can change the outcome. Spending endless time trying to change things we have no power over is ultimately a waste of our time. Time that we could instead be spending with the family or enjoying a hobby. In the second circle, we have “things that are important”. In this circle, we should include what is important to us as business owners. A

good way to decide whether something is important is to ask yourself - does it get me to where I need to be? Whether it takes a week, a month or a year as long as it is getting us closer to our goals it is important. If a task is not going to get you to your end goal, whey are you wasting your time on it? The overlap between the two circles is the key to deciding where we focus our attention and is the part of our business that we should spend our time on. Learning to prioritise your responsibilities and duties in this way will help you to stay on the path to achieving the goals you have set out for your business. Finding your focus can be paramount to you and the success of your business. With years of experience supporting business owners to challenge themselves, push further and thrive, we at ActionCOACH Bristol will work with you to identify the systems and strategies your business needs to succeed. Through our range of coaching programmes, we aim to make your business work for you. Giving you less time working in your business and more time working on your business.

Find out more, contact: bristol@actioncoach.com or call 01275 370 864

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EDUCATION NEWS UPDATES FROM THE CITY’S SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES The new centre will help ensure every pupil has the chance to thrive personally, academically and socially

THE CHANCE TO EXCEL

HAPPY (SCHOOL)DAYS

STOP THE STIGMA

This year an overwhelming majority of families in Bristol are being offered one of their top three school choices. The number of families being offered their first preference school stood at 87.15% (4,686), which is similar to 2018. Those who were not offered one of their preferred schools fell to 1.93% (104 compared to 110 last year and 192 the year before). Although applications were slightly lower this year compared to 2018 (5,535), they are still 5% higher than five years ago. “It is great that we’ve continued to offer the vast majority of parents their first preference school this year and that every child in Bristol has got a place,” said Councillor Anna Keen, cabinet member for education and skills. “As a Learning City we know that education is important at all levels and primary is a key milestone in any child’s development. “If any parents have any concerns with the offer they have received I’d encourage them to get in touch with our school admissions team to discuss options.” Waiting lists become available from 13 May and a second round allocation, where any places that may become available will be reallocated, will take place in early June. Bristol City Council’s school admissions team can be contacted on 0117 903 7694 or by email at school.admissions@bristol.gov.uk.

The announcement of free sanitary products in secondary schools is welcome but needs to go further, according to Bristol City Council’s cabinet lead for women, children and families. Bristol has led the way in tackling period poverty, holding the UK’s first summit on the issue in January and passing a motion to ensure children in years five to 13 have free products. Councillor Helen Godwin has pledged to take this work further, considering ways to provide free sanitary protection to older children in primary schools, as well as secondary schools. With partners across the city, the Council is looking at developing education programmes to be delivered alongside the provision of period products. Measures to tackle period stigma, and a reduction in physical activity among girls who reach puberty, are also being considered, as well as school policies around access to toilets and education around menstrual health more widely. “I welcome this investment by the Chancellor to support girls who either can’t afford to buy sanitary products, or just as worryingly, don’t feel they can ask for them,” said Councillor Godwin. “But he could have gone further. We must educate our young people – boys and girls – to help end the stigma around menstrual health.”

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Badminton School’s new sports centre was officially opened recently by Baroness GreyThompson DBE DL – one of Britain’s greatest paralympic athletes. Badminton took ownership of the new sports centre in September 2018. With pupils’ education and welfare uppermost, the centre has been the top development priority for governors and the senior leadership team for several years and, with an estimated cost of just over £4million, it is the most expensive development in Badminton’s history. National sports facility specialists Collinson were appointed to design and build the state-of-the-art facility. The Sport England-compliant, flexible sports centre comprises of a four-court space for badminton, basketball, netball, trampolining, hockey and circuits. Additionally, it has a fully equipped fitness suite, an indoor climbing wall, fencing piste, club-style changing rooms, and both external and internal viewing galleries. It also has a sports therapy room for physiotherapy and sports assessments to keep the girls and the community well. Badminton has strong partnerships with local and national sporting organisations (including Redland Green Tennis, Redland Hockey Club, St Ursula’s Badminton Club, Bristol Flyers Basketball Club, Cavaliers Fencing Club and Bristol Sports Foundation supporting Bristol Rockets Netball Academy), which extends their outreach in the wider community while supporting the girls with quality coaching and sporting knowledge. The centre has transformed Badminton’s ability to offer every pupil the opportunity to participate and excel in sports, and thrive personally, academically and socially. It will also enable other departments to expand and thrive over the coming years. • badmintonschool.co.uk

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EVENTS | FOR KIDS

Family diary Ideas for things to do with the little ones in Bristol this month

Matilda The Musical Tuesday 7 May – Saturday 8 June, times vary Bristol Hippodrome

Image by Manuel Harlan

Join the Wormwoods and the dreaded Trunchbull as Matilda The Musical hits the city. Armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, Matilda, an extraordinary little girl, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Inspired by the beloved book by Roald Dahl and featuring original songs by Tim Minchin, this award-winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company will have you shouting “Come on Brucey you can do it!” in no time, and watching that chocolate cake disappear into Bogtrotter’s mouth.

Top pick...

• atgtickets.com

DON’T MISS... Birt’s ‘I Spy’ Adventure Throughout May, Westonbirt Arboretum Follow Birt the wood chipper around the woods and see if you can spy the things that help the tree team look after the trees. Pick up your free activity book from the welcome building and complete 14 awesome outdoor activities along the way. Trail suitable for buggies and for children between three and six years; forestryengland.uk Nick Cope Sunday 5 May, 11am and 2pm, The Wardrobe Theatre, Old Market With songs about dogs eating soap and dragons called Keith, Nick Cope returns to The Wardrobe Theatre to perform his special live music gig for children. Suitable for all ages. Ages two and under go free, £7; thewardrobetheatre.com Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail Until Monday 6 May, 9am – 5.30pm, Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucester See a very different flock of ducks at Slimbridge – they’re kind of a big thing. The 14 giant Dusty Ducks have been designed by Aardman with celebrities including the wild, Deadly 60 sensation Steve Backshall and the absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley. Price is included in admission ticket and free to WWT members; wwt.org.uk Sea Hear Storytelling Tuesday 7 May, 11am, SS Great Britain Pop in for this free storytelling session and join Sarah Mooney as she captivates imaginations with a few original tales and new twists on classic legends. Plus, children can

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join in with the action with stories of whales, angel fish, pirate treasure and stormy seas. Recommended for pre-school little ones; ssgreatbritain.org Peppa Pig’s Muddy Puddle Walk Monday 13 – Sunday 19 May, Location: muddy puddles near you Head for the outdoors and set off in search of muddy puddles for charity Save the Children. Take part and receive a free Peppa sticker and certificate. Plus, if you raise more than £150 you could receive a fantastic Peppa Pig reward. Sign up for your free fundraising pack at savethechildren.org.uk Spring to Life Tuesday 14 May, 11 – 11.30am, Slimbridge Wetland Centre Take a short inspirational stroll to look for ducklings, plants and other animals before you craft using what you have seen. Children £2. Adults free if members, otherwise normal admission rates. Why not stick around afterwards and feed the birds, let off steam in Welly Boot Land or enjoy the indoor amphibian themed play area? Arrive at 10.30am for an 11am start; wwt.org.uk

biscuits. Suitable for ages eight to 12 years. Tickets £40; cookingit.co.uk Get Creative Sunday 19 May, 10.15am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm – 3.15pm, M Shed Get creative with Bristol Embroiderers’ Guild and have a go at stitching something for spring. Using the new season as inspiration, make yourself something special to take home. Materials will be provided. Bristol Embroiderers’ Guild will be around, offering a helping hand. Suitable for ages over seven. Drop-in session. Free; bristolmuseums.org.uk TYNTEtots: Peter Rabbit Wednesday 22 May, 10am – 11.45am, Tyntesfield Estate Hunt for Peter and his siblings, explore the kitchen garden, take part in some carrot craft and hear Beatrix Potter’s story Peter Rabbit. Suitable for ages two to five; tiny tots are welcome and free of charge when accompanying an older sibling or companion. Appropriate outdoor clothing is essential. Adults free, children £8; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield

Toddler Explorers – Fish Friday 17 May, 10.30 – 11.30am, Somerset Rural Life Museum Join in with a fun-filled session of play and active learning all about fish. Suitable for ages one to three years. Booking is essential. £5. 01458 831197; swheritage.org.uk

Tractor Ted Big Machines Weekend Saturday 25 – Monday 27 May, Bowood House & Gardens Enjoy tractor and trailing rides, get up close to various big machines, bounce until your heart’s content, wang a few wellies and have fun at the digger den. Normal house and gardens admissions apply; bowood.org

Baking Class for Children Saturday 18 May, 2 – 4.30pm, Cooking It! BS7 8JF Get down to the joys of baking and create breads, puddings, cakes, doughnuts and

A Very Victorian Birthday Party Monday 27 May, 11am – 12pm, Tyntesfield Estate You’re invited to celebrate the birthday of William Gibbs, who lived at Tyntesfield in

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EVENTS | FOR KIDS

The cast of In The Willows at Bristol Old Vic

Image by Richard Davenport

Visitors finding Peter Rabbit during a TYNTEtots session at Tyntesfield

Victorian times. Enjoy a party-themed family session packed full of party games, hats and even a piñata. You’ll be able to make your own bunting and birthday cards and will even get a goodie bag to take home. Suitable for ages five to 10 but tots and teens are welcome. Normal admission charges apply. Adults £2, children £5; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield

Horrible Histories: Dreadful Deaf Wednesday 29 May – Saturday 1 June, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic Prepare yourselves for Horrible Histories to come to life as you delve into dreadful, dangerous and deluded stories. From gorgeous Georgians to vile Victorians, journey into an incredible world to discover extraordinary people and unbelieveable stories. This bilingual production is in spoken English and British Sign Language and is a truly frightful treat for all the family. Suitable for ages over five. Children £8, Adults £12; bristololdvic.org.uk

In The Willows Wednesday 29 May – Saturday 1 June, Bristol Old Vic Theatre Expect soaring vocals and spectacular street dance as the Metta Theatre returns with its explosive new musical. Starring Olivier award-winner Clive Rowe, The Greatest Dancer’s Chris Fonseca and X Factor’s Seann Miley Moore. It’s Mole’s first day in The Willows and her classmates look a bit scary. Also featuring ballads, beats and backflips, the whole family is sure to love it. Suitable for ages six and over. Tickets from £10; bristololdvic.org.uk n

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HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS FROM THE SECTOR

GREAT SUPPORT

TRAINING TO SAVE LIVES The government has proposed life-saving first aid training for schools in England from 2020, to be included in compulsory health education in the national curriculum. The plans include giving secondary school students the training on how to administer CPR and basic treatment for common injuries. Primary school children would learn basic first aid and steps to support the health and wellbeing of others. Learning how to potentially save a life is a vital skill that can be needed unexpectedly at any time. Teaching others to do exactly that is local Kobi Jean Cole (also recently crowned Miss GB) who is joining forces with Matt Fiddes and his newly launched MF Hero First Aid course. The duo are on a mission to ensure that as many parents as possible have essential life-saving skills through this unique course. Kobi will also be teaching a unique training programme in schools across the South West, in a bid to give the next generation invaluable life-changing and saving skills. • mfherofirstaid.co.uk

OFFER

• Facial oil, Nourish London, £25 at Penny Brohn UK, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill, Bristol, BS20 0HH; pennybrohn.org.uk

ON THE BOTTLE

BEAU-TEA-FUL

SPRING SKIN Looking for a gel peel suitable for all skin types and tones and needing no preparation or downtime? SkinCeuticals’ peel freshens the face, helps to treat acne, breaks down hyper-pigmentation and treats dry skin, fine lines and wrinkles and. If it’s a skin pick-me-up you’re after this spring, the peel can be combined with any laser treatment at Harbour Lily Aesthetic Laser Skin Clinic. £45 introductory offer (RRP £75). • harbourlily.com

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Bristol-based charity Penny Brohn UK has recently announced its support of a new initiative. It’s a year-long campaign between Nourish London – award-winning, certified organic and vegan skincare brand – and the UK’s largest grant-making breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, featuring the launch of a limited-edition facial oil. Containing a blend of omega-rich macadamia, pumpkin, rosehip and borage oil, the oil is available to purchase at the Penny Brohn UK centre and £2.50 from every sale will go to Walk the Walk. Restoring the hydrolipid layer (the layer of water and fat) back to the skin, the oil seeks to improve the skin’s elasticity to make way for a fimer, more youthful complexion while, through the marine algae extract, protecting collagen and helping counter signs of ageing.

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Lipstick-shaped biscuits, coconut-infused cakes and a make-up masterclass led by Marc Jacobs professionals... Sound like your cup of tea? Harvey Nichols is hosting an afternoon tea, on Sunday 26 May (2 – 5pm), full of delightful treats – including a glass of fizz, macarons and summer make-up demos. Expect treats inspired by the Marc Jacobs Beauty collection and a goodie bag to take home. • Marc Jacobs Beauty afternoon tea, £35, Sunday 26 May; harveynichols.com

On the topic of sustainable beauty (see p80), Dr Hauschka has released a new shower cream in packaging made from recycled plastic bottles. The totally natural and organic brand has actively reduced its plastic waste content and saved over 65% of the raw oil that it would use to make conventionally produced plastic tubes. Using the same high quality, natural ingredients as others in the range, the cream transforms into a light foam and softly cleans the skin, with hints of fresh lemon and tingly lemongrass to revive the senses. • Shower cream, £12, Dr Hauschka; drhauschka.co.uk

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SUSTAINABLE | BEAUTY

GREEN SCENE With hopes to reduce single-use waste and clean up our act, Crystal Rose dives a little deeper into the plastic problem in the beauty industry and discusses a few of the good guys doing great things locally

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SUSTAINABLE | BEAUTY

efined in the Cambridge Dictionary as ‘causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time,’ the word sustainability in the beauty-sphere covers the ethical side – being PETAapproved, vegan-friendly, organic and eco-friendly – and the recyclability of packaging. Using recyclable packaging is vital, especially after recent claims that 70% of the waste in the beauty industry is from the packaging itself, according to Arnaud Meysselle, CEO of REN Clean Skincare. These are all things that should be taken into account when considering the sustainability of a product. As part of a generation that’s clued up, invested in and passionate about our planet, we think it’s key. Aiming to make it a little easier for you to switch out the old habits and make way for some good-for-nature alternatives, here are our suggestions for small changes that could make all the difference…

Sustainably sourced, wild-crafted incense in compostable packaging from Breathe & Be Incense

Recycling made easier Here’s a great way to reduce plastic waste: send your beauty product packaging to recycling programme TerraCycle (terracycle.com). Partnered with Garnier, TerraCycle is a free service that welcomes all containers (including tubes, lids and caps) regardless of the brand. Simply print a free-shipping label, take your empties to your local dropoff location and reduce plastic waste for the planet. Additionally, skincare apothecary Kiehls has launched its Recycle And Be Rewarded programme where you earn a stamp for each empty bottle you return and on your tenth return you can choose a complimentary travel product of your choice.

Reduce single-use We can’t shout this enough. As Collins Dictionary’s 2018 word of the year, use of the term ‘single-use’ has shown a four-fold increase since 2013 and can be seen as an indication of the global movement to kick our addiction to disposable products. We’re hoping that brands may follow in the footsteps of cruelty-free store Lush (uk.lush.com), which has recently opened its first ‘naked’ shop in the UK in a bid to ditch plastic packaging – introducing bars of shampoo, similar to soap bars, to eliminate the need for bottles. Skincare saviour Dove is also in the midst of its #CareThatGoesFuther initiative, aiming to move to 100% recycled and recyclable plastic by the end of this year – watch out for the refillable deodorant currently being piloted. Plus REN has recently released a body cream to add to its totally sustainable range and pledges to have zero waste by 2021. Using packaging made from 20% reclaimed ocean plastic and 80% from recycled bottles, this range also features the first, and only, 100% recyclable pump bottle. Many of us are aware of the effort to banish the use of single-use make-up wipes – as it can take many moons for the polyester sheets to biodegrade – but now it’s said that the use of cotton pads could be just as harmful to the environment. And, with a hint that there may be stronger laws coming into place with regard to plastic waste in the beauty industry, now is a good a time to switch out those single-use products and make way for a whole new generation of sustainable, eco-friendly tools. Check out a few handy single-use swaps below... • Bamboo face cloth, £5: Super-soft, natural, antibacterial, and made with organic and sustainable bamboo fibres; tropicskincare.com • Face Halo cotton pad, £7: Reusable, doublesided and effectively replacing the use of up to 500 disposable cotton pads; facehalo.com • BeGlow TIA, £199: An all-in-one sonic skincare system designed with a dual pulse to deep-cleanse, lift and tone. Banishes the need for cotton pads entirely; beglow.com • Muse SmoothSkin IPL device, £399: Tackling two problems with one solution, this machine reduces hair growth and therefore the need for frequent use of your depilatory weapon of choice; smoothskin.com

Local heroes Recently voted vegan foodie capital of the UK, Bristol has so much to offer in terms of sustainability and this extends to the beauty sector. Here are a few nearby superstars at the forefront of sustainability in the city and doing great things for the environment.

Noco Hair Found on Whiteladies Road, Noco Hair (nocohair.com) is playing its part to save the planet. With shelves stacked full of refillable range Davines (one of the most notable sustainable brands in the hair industry that uses 75% recycled plastic packaging), reclaimed planks from Bristol Wood Recycling Project and eco-friendly taps that use 60% less water, Noco is spearheading industry change. Plus, if you have any old shampoo and conditioner bottles that you’re looking to lose, take them into Noco and you’ll receive a complimentary mask with a cut and blow-dry. With giving back at its core, the team have recently pledged that for every £1 spent on memberships, one minute of their time will be donated at the end of the year to Bristol charity The Avon Wildlife Trust for cleaning, planting trees and protecting wildlife.

Breathe & Be Incense Founder Ceri Evans, from local, natural brand Breathe & Be Incense (breatheandbeincense.com), tells us her products are all vegan (including dyes and glues used in the packaging), sustainably sourced, plastic-free, compostable, predominantly British-made and zero-waste – she’s a champion of sustainability indeed! The incense is hand-rolled in the UK; Ceri’s top tip is to sprinkle this on to your plants after use as it’s all organic matter. Breathe & Be Incense is set to host monthly incense-making workshops to spread the beauty and benefits of incense – so keep your eyes peeled.

Kings Grooming The UK-made, vegan and cruelty-free Kings Grooming range (kingsgrooming.com) comprises environmentally sustainable ethical fragrances and grooming products for men that contain no parabens or palm oil. Kings also encourages men to challenge the unhealthy, unrealistic ideas that society holds about masculinity; ideas that often contribute to men’s anxiety and low mood. “We want to empower men to think independently, break the mould and live by their own definition of being a man,” says visionary founder Blué O’Connor. Kings also funds local charities Mentoring Plus and Bristol Mind, as well as national male suicide prevention charity CALM.

No Guilt Cosmetics Launched in 2016, No Guilt Cosmetics (noguiltcosmetics.co.uk) is a Bristol-based mineral beauty company producing cruelty-free, vegan and paraben-free products. From eyeshadows, bronzers and foundations to bamboo brushes and make-up bags, products are kind to the skin, sustainably sourced and downright beautiful. It’s both welcome and refreshing to see a cosmetics company that provides quality products with no guilt attached. ■ THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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Is knee pain stopping you doing the things you love? W

e all know that keeping active is one of the key ingredients to living a healthy life. For some of us, a bad knee could be enough to prevent us from being as active as we would like. When knee pain interferes with activity, it is a sign that we should seek medical help. A visit to an orthopaedic surgeon can help you get a diagnosis and treatment. The surgeon will determine if the pain has been caused through injury or a more long term issue, such as osteoarthritis. Did you know: − There are 5000 people in Bristol with severe knee arthritis. − Of the UK’s ten ‘Core Cities’, the population of Bristol is the most physically active. − Up to 25% of people with knee arthritis will retire early due to knee pain. − Most knee arthritis is under-treated.

Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis The predominant symptoms of knee arthritis are pain and stiffness, which lead to loss of mobility. Symptoms range from mild to severe. There can be a mild background ache in the knee, which might interfere with sporting activities or a long walk. In more severe cases, it can be a constant severe disabling pain, which makes walking very difficult or impossible. Pain may also be so severe that sleep can be disturbed and there is pain at rest. The normal activities of daily living may become difficult to perform. Roughening and fragmentation of the knee joint surface may also lead to catching, clicking, clunking or similar symptoms. Swelling of the knee joint is often seen, and in severe cases, the shape of the knee may change. In the worst cases, loss of mobility can lead to poor cardio-respiratory fitness.

Another new technique available is Platelet Rich Plasma treatment (PRP), which uses a patient's own anti-inflammatory cells to promote the healing of injured joints. If the arthritis is severe and you have exhausted non-operative treatment, then you may decide to proceed with a knee replacement. Knee replacement can take the form of a total or a partial (unicompartmental) replacement. The decision to proceed is made with your surgeon so that you understand the benefits and risks of each procedure. If you have been experiencing knee pain and would like to discuss your symptoms, you can meet one of our surgeons at a free public open event on Thursday 18 July at 6pm. At Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, our team of consultant orthopaedic surgeons also hold regular clinics with very short waiting times. Call our Enquiries team on the number below, who will be able to assist you in booking a consultation.

Treatment of knee osteoarthritis When people talk about knee arthritis, it is usually osteoarthritis to which they are referring. Arthritis means ‘joint inflammation’, and osteoarthritis is the most common form. Osteoarthritis is characterised by inflammation and ‘wear and tear’ damage to the knee. It develops over time, and can sneak up on you; when symptoms first appear much of the damage has already been done. The process of damage and wearing out of the joint cartilage surface eventually results in bone grinding on bone in the knee, which is a painful and disabling condition. Any of the three main parts of the knee – the medial compartment, the lateral compartment, and the patellofemoral joint (kneecap) can be affected by osteoarthritis. There are several risk factors for osteoarthritis, including your genes, lifestyle factors, previous injuries, hypermobility and obesity.

Following a diagnosis of arthritis, you may receive some form of treatment before you see a surgeon. Non-surgical treatments may include simple painkillers, anti-inflammatory tablets, weight loss treatments, modification of activities, or physiotherapy. If there are symptoms of mechanical locking in the knee, or stiffness, then keyhole surgery (arthroscopy) of the knee may improve this. However, knee arthroscopy treatment cannot reverse the arthritis damage. For those patients who might be suffering with arthritis but are hoping to avoid surgery, there are less invasive, non-surgical options available, such as injection therapy. This can prove beneficial in managing joint pain to the point whereby the need for surgery is delayed or, in some instances, removed completely. Steroid injections are an example of this.

Members of Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital’s team of Consultant Orthopaedic Knee Surgeons (left to right), Mr Jonathan Webb, Mr Richard Baker, Mr Damian Clark, and Mr James Robinson. 82 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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The treatments we offer for arthritis include: − Physiotherapy − Steroid injections − PRP Injections − Weight loss therapies − Knee replacements It doesn’t matter if you want to climb a mountain or simply prune the garden, any symptom that prevents or limits your ability to do the things you love is cause for concern. With a little help, a bad knee doesn’t have to impact your quality of life.

To book an appointment with one of our Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, call 0117 911 5339, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol.

Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital The Chesterfield, 3 Clifton Hill, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BN nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol

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WILD BRISTOL

A blue tit calls out, sharp and insistent, among the hubbub of the dawn chorus

Morning glory May is the best month for birdsong. Pete Dommett listens to nature’s sunrise symphony

ree mindfulness workshops every morning this month. Where? Down the local park, in your back garden or just outside your bedroom window. Forget rolling a raisin around your tongue for 20 minutes, if it’s an intense sensory experience you’re after then get up early and listen to the dawn chorus. Despite the name, this seasonal sound-show actually begins about an hour before sun-up, so I set the alarm for 5am and try hard not to swear when it goes off less than six hours later. Woolly jumper, thick socks, dressing gown, pot of tea: fully equipped, my wife and I sit in the pitch-black of the patio and wait. The only apparent noise is the traffic on the main road (or is it the motorway further off?) but moments later, the avian orchestra starts warming up. From across the narrow river that runs behind our house, several blackbirds begin singing at once (along with robins, they’re usually the first species to get the ball rolling), arguing beautifully about whose garden belongs to whom. Claiming and defending a territory is one reason why birds (mostly males) sing in spring; the other is to attract and keep a mate. And why dawn? Sounds simply travel further in the still air of the morning and, being too dark to see, it’s the only time in the day when birds are not preoccupied with finding food. At first, it’s hard to focus: all I can think about is going back to bed. But, gradually, I tune in to the wild world around me. A couple of woodpigeons, probably already paired up, are quietly burbling in the hedge behind us and, on the water, a mallard wakes up with an indignant, cartoon quack. A blue tit calls out, sharp and insistent; a gang of gulls passes silently overhead; and the shadow of a bat flickers up and over the neighbour’s fence. Closing my eyes, the birdsong becomes thicker and richer. Two wrens are trying to out-do each other, duelling with powerful, shrill voices that belie their tiny size; a great tit starts up its metronomic chant; and an unknown, and unseen, soloist calls constantly with a weedy, reedy wheeze. 84 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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The different birds to be heard will depend on where you are, of course. If you live in the leafier bits of Bristol, or if there’s a decentsized park or patch of woodland nearby, you might make out the songs of newly-arrived migrants – willow warblers, whitethroats or blackcaps – or a woodpecker’s resonant drumming. Don’t worry too much about identifying individual species though (you can look them up later) – just enjoy the overall impression.

...Sounds simply travel further in the still air of the morning and, being too dark to see, it’s the only time in the day when birds are not preoccupied with finding food.... When I open my eyes, the light has lifted to a flat monochrome, the hedges are alive with cheerful, chirruping house sparrows and my wife appears to be doing Pilates on the paving slabs. The sounds of the day build up – more traffic, a plane, a yappy dog being let out – while the sounds of the birds settle into the background. The dawn chorus reaches its peak in the middle of this month, so I urge you to give it a go one morning. But if you really can’t be bothered to get up so early, then simply open the window and let your mind fill with the music – all from the comfort of your own bed. What a glorious way to start the day. ■ • International Dawn Chorus Day is celebrated on Sunday 5 May. Keep an ear out for local events.

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Ditch the diet way of thinking Herbalist and CNM Lecturer Colleen Kennedy encourages you to think ‘way of life’ when it comes to your health Welcome to the age of diet overload! Everyone is becoming the latest ‘expert’ on food and fitness. It’s a minefield in cyber world, on the bookshelves and in our health food shops and pharmacies. How do we know what to eat any more? Why are we not listening to our own instincts on what suits our bodies? Biochemically we are not all the same, so surely we shouldn’t all be eating the same diet. Even a pre-conceived purist diet may support rather than counteract an imbalance in the body. While the science of some of these diets can appeal to certain sectors of the population, a good start is to begin to understand your own unique biochemical makeup in an everchanging environment: your ‘constitution’. The art of being able to adapt to your surroundings and to use your foods to rebalance and support your essence, dates back to the Traditional Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic Medicine systems, both of which use a system of energetic and constitutional analysis. How our body responds to particular foods, activities and emotions and how we interact with other living organisms, all play a role in determining the best way to bring balance back to our lives. And as we are constantly bombarded with every new fad and trend on what’s bad or good, we are removed from tuning into our own signals. The Chinese work off a system of Yin, Yang and the 5 elements. The Ayurvedic model is based on the tri-dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). Both systems understand how food and herbs can interact with our physical and psychological processes.

To simplify this, I will focus on the Ayurvedic tri-dosha concept, and summarise the three types with food energetics. 1. Vata (Air): The Vata person is prone to neurological disorders, coldness and dryness. Foods and herbs that have a cold, dry and rough quality will aggravate Vata. Dry crackers, raw vegetables, dried fruit and beans should be limited. Vata needs warm, moist nourishing food, with a sweet energy such as complex carbohydrates and root vegetables. Fruit like bananas, avocados and sweet fruit like peaches and berries are good, as are oils, nuts and seeds. Ginger, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper are all good herbs to use for Vata constitutions. 2. Pitta (fire): Pitta is prone to heat, inflammation, acidity and thirst. Foods that are warming, sour, spicy and salty are to be avoided in high Pitta conditions. Cooling, sweet, bitter and astringent foods are beneficial to balance Pitta. White meat and fish are better than red meat. Sweet and bitter vegetables like leafy greens, cabbage, sprouts, cucumbers and asparagus and herbs like coriander, mint, fennel and turmeric are favourable. 3. Kapha (Earth); Kapha is prone to mucus-type diseases; colds, congestion, oedema and arthritic disorders. Kapha can put on weight easily. Mucus-forming foods like dairy, fats, cold foods and excessive sweet and salty food will aggravate Kapha. Warm, spicy, bitter, astringent foods that are dry in nature will benefit Kapha. Use rye and millet, all leafy green vegetables, stewed apples, white meat, all beans except kidney beans. Limit refined grains, white rice, wheat, beef, seafood, avocados, bananas, oranges, grapes and salt. Chilli, ginger and pepper are useful to disperse the dampness and congestion in Kapha. Since people are a combination of these types (usually one is more predominant), and may have other considerations and sensitivities to contend with, it’s a good idea to get a full consultation with a Naturopath, who can fine tune your plan to suit you. There is an art to adapting these energetic models with our functional medicine model, and this is where the true uniqueness of treatment lies.

Simple approaches to a better food life, begin in simple preparation and combinations and in taking into consideration a few easy practices: * Eat moderately until you are almost full, then stop! * Avoid drinking large amounts during the meal, so as to enhance enzyme activity * Chew slowly and well * Reduce refined sugars which can cause fermentation and bloating * Avoid eating on the run or when stressed * Enjoy your food! * Remember to move. Exercise is key to a happier food life True nourishment is both how we receive and how we transform our food. So we could be eating the ‘best diet’ but still not feeling great. Guilt about eating certain foods will do nothing to enhance the digestion of that food, and will probably make it worse. So it’s a good start to try these simple approaches, tune into your constitution and start connecting to the types of food that suit you best. Visit a Naturopath, Herbalist or Nutritional Therapist for a full consultation to help get you back on track. Colleen Kennedy, Naturopathic Nutritionist, Herbalist and Lecturer for the College of Naturopathic Medicine

Attend a FREE Open Evening to find out about part time training with CNM Bristol for a career as a Naturopathic Geoff or Don Nutritionist (study in class or online) a Naturopathic Acupuncturist

8th May or 5th June, 2019 Please book online at:

www.naturopathy-uk.com 01342 410 505 CNM is the UK’s leading training provider in a range of natural therapies. Colleges across the UK and Ireland.

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GARDENING GREAT OUTDOORS

CONSISTENTLY SPECTACULAR: Most of the island is a huge plug of granite – the legacy of a volcanic eruption 50 million years ago – with vertiginous cliﬀs rising to a 400-foot-high plateau

Little piece of Heaven If you like the sound of a place with but a singular corkscrew road; nothing to do but walk, bird-watch and watersport; and mobile phone coverage that’s patchy at best, Lundy is the holiday destination for you, says Andrew Swift

fter slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire in 1834, the government paid £20million compensation to former slave owners. Among them was William Hudson Heaven from Easton in Bristol, who received £11,739 1s 11d for 638 slaves on four plantations in Jamaica. With his ill-gotten windfall, he bought an island somewhat closer to home, paying £9,870 for Lundy, 11 miles off the North Devon coast. His friends and acquaintances must have thought him mad. Lundy’s history was one of smugglers, pirates, Knights Templar and marauding Vikings. Many of the island’s previous owners were outlaws or rebels, and many had come to a bad end. Only 80 years earlier it had been leased by Thomas Benson, MP for Barnstaple, who won a government contract to transport convicts to Virginia. They got no farther than Lundy, where he used them to help run a smuggling operation and build walls across the island. When Heaven arrived on Lundy, he was determined to make his mark, and, after building a colonial-style mansion, came up with a scheme to open quarries and ship granite to London to build the Thames Embankment. It never got off – or out of – the ground, but you can still walk the tramways built to serve the doomed enterprise. Heaven’s son, who became a vicar, was even more ambitious, building a church with pews for hundreds of worshippers and a tower with eight bells to summon them to prayer. On an island with a population of less than 50, you have to admire his optimism. The Heaven family sold Lundy in 1917 and other owners came and went until in 1969 it was acquired by the National Trust and handed over to the Landmark Trust, which still runs it 50 years later. You cannot buy property on Lundy – everyone who lives on the island works for the Landmark Trust – but what you can do is book a holiday in one of 23 self-catering properties. These include a corrugated-iron school hut, a lighthouse, cottages built in the castle 88 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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ruins, Heaven’s seven-bedroom mansion and a wood-panelled Edwardian admiralty lookout. The island is a mere three and a half miles long and half a mile wide. The only road is a narrow track that corkscrews up from the landing place to the cluster of buildings that pass for a village. There is only one pub and nothing to do except walk, watch birds, go climbing, canoe, dive, or sit in the pub. There’s no TV, mobile phone coverage is patchy at best, and – unless someone decides to hold an impromptu session in the tavern – no entertainment. The bright lights of Croyde and Woolacombe may be visible across the water, but Lundy is a world away from their party vibe, and its rocky coves are a stark contrast to their miles of golden sand. Some people go to Lundy simply for a respite from the 21st century, and spend their time doing nothing very much. Most, though, are keen to get out and explore, and, despite the island’s size, it is not boredom that’s usually a problem but lack of hours in the day. Most of the island is a huge plug of granite – the legacy of a volcanic eruption 50 million years ago – with vertiginous cliffs rising to a 400foot-high plateau. Rocks formed of lava, that cooled when it hit the air, lie stacked in bizarre formations. Inland, the landscape is reminiscent of Dartmoor, but the coastline, while consistently spectacular, is remarkably varied. Part of the west coast was riven by the earthquake that shook Lisbon in 1755 and you can still thread your way through fissures opened up over 250 years ago. There are no public footpaths on Lundy – you wander where you like, untroubled by ‘keep out’ signs or notices warning that cliff edges are dangerous (on the basis that you can probably work that out for yourself). There are no signposts either. Lundy is all about making your own discoveries. Getting there can also be something of an adventure. Lundy is linked to the mainland by the 60-year-old MS Oldenburg, which is often

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confined to port by adverse weather conditions. Earlier this year it broke down, leaving holidaymakers completely stranded on the island for several days. For adventurous children, Lundy is a bit like Swallows and Amazons laced with a hearty dose of the Famous Five. As well as rock pools, smugglers’ caves and a pirate castle, there’s an island-wide – and very challenging – treasure hunt with 27 ‘letterboxes’. Lundy is most famous for its wildlife. You may struggle to see puffins, which only come ashore between April and July and spend most of their time in burrows, but the colonies of seals at the north end of the island, and the migrating birds that break their journeys here, provide ample compensation. The island warden leads a variety of excursions – rock-pool rambles, wildlife trails, seabird walks and, best of all, snorkelling safaris. The waters around Lundy were designated England’s first marine conservation zone in 2010, and a snorkelling set lets you gaze down through crystalline waters at an amazing display of seaweeds, anemones, fish and crustaceans. Over 40 years ago, Sir John Smith, the founder of the Landmark Trust, said that “those who find it and are ‘hooked’ by it have ever after something special in common with each other – be they bird watchers, archaeologists, botanists, climbers, divers, lovers of solitude, or lovers of good company.” For a taster, you can go to Lundy for the day and spend around four hours on the island – just time for a quick walk round the southern end, followed by a pasty and a pint in the tavern. To get any real idea of what Lundy is about, though, you need to stay, if only for a couple of days. And, as you stand at night under a vivid blanket of stars, with the eerie cries of Manx shearwaters on the chilly air and a dim ribbon of lights far off on the Devon shore, you begin to understand why so many people return again and again to this remote, magical place. ■ • For more information visit landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland or nationaltrust.org.uk/lundy

The Marisco Tavern and the church

MS Oldenburg at the jetty

We are really pleased with our kitchen, it looks great and it’s difficult to believe that it is the same room! - Mrs Campbell

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INTERIORS

Grand designs The art of classical interior design is to preserve original features, adding sympathetic, authentic new elements where required. Sarah Latham, founder and creative director of Etons of Bath, has some tips on combining the two, using this Georgian hallway

LIGHTING The simplicity of a lantern rather than a chandelier works best in a hallway. Hallway lanterns should always be of a good size, as if they are too small they look apologetic. Co-ordinate the metal finish of the lanterns with your door furniture and electrical accessories (switches and sockets).

PANELLING Panelling to archways and columns elevates their presence and adds elegant detailing.

ARTWORK Arrange artwork symmetrically and plan ahead with wiring for picture lights at first fix.

FANLIGHTS Arched fanlights above a door can be mirrored with arched joinery to create a symmetrical and balanced arrangement.

ANTIQUE FURNITURE Antique furniture against a light and airy colour scheme provides contrast and allows these hero pieces to be fully appreciated.

LIMESTONE FLAGSTONE FLOORING

CONNECTING SPACES A hallway is a connecting space. If you have rooms with different characters and colours leading off that space it needs to work hard to connect them all together. A paint colour choice often needs to work up the stairs and on a landing as well as downstairs in the hallway so the way a colour responds to the variations in natural light needs to be considered carefully.

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Photograph by Adam Carter

A contemporary twist on the classic (where slate insert pieces would result in a busier, more contrasting pattern) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same stone can be used throughout, but in a traditional laid pattern.

Etons of Bath, 108 Walcot Street, Bath; etonsofbath.com

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THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

MAY 2019

THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 91

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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ore than ever, people are approaching us to extend their homes in preference to uprooting their family and moving house. If you have even just a small amount of space to extend then we can make your decision an easy one! Have you considered a predesigned modular building in your garden or attached to your house? A major decision maker can be timescales and level of disruption. Moving home can be a lengthy, arduous process and so can building a standard traditional extension. However, if you take out the architectural process of bespoke design and the time-costly, messy traditional build when opting for extending, then you can dramatically reduce disruption to your home-life. Each of the architecturally pre-designed MOSS buildings can be completed in between 2 and 5 weeks, and offer an extraordinarily high level of specification for the overall cost. You may even be able to install a MOSS extension without needing planning permission, in which case you could have extended your home quicker than your solicitor sorts out the paperwork for purchasing a new house. ■ • Read more in our latest blog article at www.mosspods.com. Drop us a line on 01173 790505 or Email us at info@mosspods.com to start a conversation.

• Plain and Ornamental plastering • • Wide selection of new cornices, ceiling roses etc • • Cornice made to match existing and repair work • • Lime plastering and rendering • • 29 years experience •

Tel: 07970 278028 Email: info@john-boyce.co.uk www.john-boyce.co.uk 92 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

MAY 2019

No 179

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GARDENING

A family affair It’s hard to find two such unlikely bedfellows as the begonias and delphiniums at Blackmore & Langdon’s, says Elly West

The company is royal warrant holder to Prince Charles. Other customers have included Monet and Winston Churchill, and Charles Langdon was friends with Queen Mary, pictured here

uch of my work as a garden designer is about finding planting combinations that complement each other, looking at colour, form and texture. Sometimes it’s about creating harmony and at other times it’s about contrast. I like to mix things up as much as the next person, but it’s hard to find two such unlikely bedfellows as those grown at local nursery, Blackmore & Langdon’s. Begonias and delphiniums are rarely seen together in a border, but these are the plants that four generations of nurserymen have lived and breathed since the family company began in 1901. And every year its stand at RHS Chelsea Flower Show combines the two, the begonias squatting at the front and the stately delphiniums towering behind them, continually impressing the judges with the high standard of the plants and winning the company more than 80 Chelsea gold medals since the first show in 1913. Blackmore & Langdon’s, based in Pensford, is the only company in the world to have exhibited at every RHS Chelsea Flower Show since it began (and prior to this, at its predecessor, the Temple Show). And with Chelsea fast approaching at the end of the month, I visited them to find out what goes into preparing for such a big event. Tucked away down a long track, the site covers 35 acres in total, although only the delphiniums make it to the outside fields while the begonias stay under glass. Very much a family affair, it’s now run by Simon, Nick and Steve – the great grandsons of Charles Langdon, who founded the company along with James Blackmore. Charles and James met at the Bath Flower Show, both exhibiting prize begonias. James had been growing begonias in a greenhouse at the end of his garden, while Charles worked as a gardener at the Rectory in Newton St Loe, where his employer financed and encouraged his interest in breeding and growing both begonias and delphiniums. Their friendship became a business partnership and in 1901 Blackmore & Langdon’s was created. 94 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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Today much is done in the same way as it was over a century ago. Technology has allowed some processes to be automated, such as irrigation and the blinds controlling light in the greenhouse, but cuttings and plant crosses are all still done by hand. It’s a labourintensive business. When I visited there were more than 50,000 delphiniums in production, plus about 20,000 begonia seedlings. “Some things just have to be done carefully by hand,” says Simon Langdon. “There was no formal training. We were just brought up with it all around us and picked it up as we went along. We watched and learned.”

...Begonias and delphiniums are rarely seen together in a border, but these are the plants that four generations of nurserymen have lived and breathed... A big part of the business is hybridising and finding new varieties, as well as growing on and propagating new introductions from other sources such as the Begonia Society. But it’s a long and difficult process, hence the price tag of £15 to £30 for a single begonia tuber. “We grow around 5,000 seedlings that are crosses in the hope to find something interesting,” Simon says. “From this we may get half a dozen that look good. Then we have to trial them for a few years to see how they develop, so may only end up with four decent plants. From a single plant we can’t take more than six cuttings each year, so it takes a long time to get the numbers up enough in order to sell that

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new variety.” He gives the example of creamy variety ‘Snowgoose’, which had very limited numbers when they first introduced it, and it sold out within 12 hours. In bright and vibrant shades of pinks, reds, oranges and yellows, exotic looking begonias may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but they remain popular plants that sell to enthusiasts all over the world. Lots are shipped out for the Ballarat Begonia Festival in Australia each year, and White Flower Farm in Connecticut is another big customer. The tubers are cleaned in the autumn to remove all traces of soil and are subject to a DEFRA inspection before they can be issued a ‘plant passport’ to send abroad. Simon is the first to admit delphiniums and begonias are a strange combination. “Begonias are big and blowsy,” he says, “while delphiniums are tall and elegant – the queens of the border. People tend to like one or the other. At the shows they share a space and it’s an odd mix as they are completely different.” He recalls a visit from Highgrove’s head gardener Debs Goodenough to the nursery. “She didn’t even want to go in the begonia section of the greenhouse,” he laughs. “But then she ended up taking one away with her.” Perhaps it was a present for Prince Charles. The company is currently royal warrant holder to HRH The Prince of Wales – a mark of recognition for businesses that have supplied a royal household with goods or services for at least five years. Other customers have included Claude Monet and Winston Churchill, and Charles Langdon was friends with Queen Mary (pictured). Despite the stresses of relying on the weather and the enormous sense of responsibility that comes with keeping a family business going, Simon wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s not a job you can walk away from,” he says. “But I love working in this environment, and we meet some wonderful people.” ■ • Although Blackmore & Langdon’s is a working nursery, it’s open to the public and plants are also available by mail order. The first weekend in May is the nursery’s ‘sale weekend’ when the Chelsea plants are available to preview and there are lots of offers and extra plants to buy. For more details visit blackmore-langdon.com or call 01275 332300.

Elly’s plant of the month: delphiniums Sorry, but it’s delphiniums all the way for me. True blues are hard to find in the garden, but delphiniums offer that gorgeous, pure sky-blue, along with beautiful purples, pinks, mauves and whites. Favourites in traditional cottage gardens, they are unmistakable with their towering spires, usually placed towards the back of the border. Shorter varieties are available, but for those topping 1.5m or more, they will need staking if you’re not to lose the lot in a gust of wind. Delphiniums aren’t the easiest plants to grow and their flowering season is relatively brief, but for the month of glory they offer, they’re well worth the effort. These hungry plants will benefit from organic matter added to their planting hole, then some slow-release fertiliser sprinkled around them a couple of times during summer. And watch out for slugs! New delphinium plants are like caviar to these pesky molluscs. If you don’t want to use slug pellets, there are organic methods you can try, including physical barriers such as copper rings, grit and broken egg shells. • ellyswellies.co.uk

Elly’s Wellies

Garden Designs

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.

For a free initial consultation, contact Elly West

www.ellyswellies.co.uk ellyswellies@gmail.com 07788 640934 THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

MAY 2019

THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 95

Knight Frank PIF.qxp_PIF Full Page 25/04/2019 12:33 Page 1

BRISTOL PROPERTY | IN FOCUS

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BRISTOL PROPERTY | IN FOCUS

his Hope Square property is a handsome Georgian townhouse steeped in history. The accommodation is both flexible and characterful boasting a large amount of natural light making the most of this quiet and much sought-after location. The ground floor boasts a spacious dining room enjoying a southerly aspect with ample period charm flowing to a spacious kitchen/breakfast room which overlooks the rear gardens. The first floor offers a most impressive full width drawing room with fine views and exceptional period fireplace and cornicing flowing to an additional library. The upper two floors offer fantastic views to the front and rear across the city to Dundry and across the townhouses of Clifton to the rear. The flexible footprint is currently laid out as a generous master bedroom and family bathroom with the top floor enjoying two furthr guest bedrooms with a family bathroom. With the necessary concent this could be enhanced to offer three bedrooms. The lower ground floor could be used as a seperate one bedroom apartment however still retains the internal staircase to the ground floor. Currently there is a further kitchen and living room/bedroom. Couple with extensive storage vaults, the gardens of Hope Square enjoy the sun throughout much of the day with an additional area of communal lawn.

HOPE SQUARE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL • Well proportioned, Georgian townhouse arranged over five floors • Four double bedrooms • Three bathrooms • Opportunity to convert one floor into seperate aparment • Private gardens and communal lawn • Located 0.6 miles from Clifton Village

Guide price: £950,000

Knight Frank, 27a Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4HR. Tel: 0117 317 1996

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

MAY 2019

THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 97

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PROPERTY NEWS

BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM ACROSS THE CITY’S BOOMING SECTOR The idea for Paintworks was sketched onto a napkin in 2002 and the vision is soon to be completed

HOMES FOR ALL

BUCKING THE TREND

Bristol City Council’s cabinet has been asked to extend a scheme that has helped fund more than 300 new affordable homes for rent, to be built across the city. As part of the mayor’s pledge to build 800 affordable homes a year by 2020, a commitment was made to make £57million available to registered providers. It was estimated that this new funding programme could deliver about 150 affordable rented homes each year. If approved, the scheme would be likely to run for another five years and help deliver around 1,000 affordable homes. Cabinet was also asked to approve changes to the scheme, including: issuing larger grants, making money available to more nonprofit housing organisations, and supplementary grants to support sustainability measures and affordable homes for people with disabilities. To date the council has allocated £13.1million and delivered 46 affordable rented homes in Bedminster and St George; over the next two years it will deliver 254 in Lockleaze, Fishponds, Filwood, and Lawrence Hill. By working in partnership with Homes England and registered providers, it has been able to make a major difference to the city’s affordable housing supply.

Bucking the much publicised woes of high street retailers, leading commercial agents Burston Cook have reported that neighbourhood shopping parades and smaller shopping centres serving local communities are thriving in many areas. Holly Boulton, retail agent for Burston Cook, was brought in alongside Carter Baynes to handle the lettings at St Mary’s Shopping Centre in Thornbury which has proved to be a great success. Seven new retailers have set up shop in the centre including Savers, The Computer Store, Shampooches, Le Beau Soleil, Heiress and Jolies Fleurs. “St Mary’s Shopping Centre serves the charming market town of Thornbury, North Bristol,” Holly said, “and the successful letting of the centre shows how people are increasingly supporting their local neighbourhood shops which offer a greater variety of independent retailers, easier access and a pleasant and safe shopping environment.”

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MOVEMENT AT PAINTWORKS South West developer Rengen Developments has acquired the last phase of the Bristol Paintworks regeneration, completing a £30million deal with vendor Verve Properties. Plans for the fourth phase of the development were approved in December 2016 and include 92 apartments alongside new office and commercial space. The proposals include the demolition of the former Endemol building to make way for new structures of between four and eight storeys high. Once completed, the new buildings will provide around 19,000 sq ft of commercial space, 92 apartments and 128 car parking spaces along with public open space and landscaping. “We are pleased to have secured this next phase of the Paintworks development having acquired this strategically important site,” said CEO Lestyn Lewis. “The Paintworks has a far-reaching reputation as a business and community hub, a creative quarter and a fantastic place to work and live. We are committed to delivering housing and business space which complements and enhances the unique identity of the area. We don’t see this as just a development. We see it as the creation of a place where people will want to work and live.” It has been estimated that the development could create up to 150 full-time jobs, an increase on the number provided by Endemol, prior to its relocation. “The idea for Paintworks was sketched onto a napkin in 2002 and it is really exciting to be completing the vision in line with that original concept,” says Ashley Nicholson, director of Verve Properties. “We’re pleased to be working with Rengen on phase four which is the final piece of the jigsaw. It will add the missing finishing touches such as a shop, restaurant and café and make Paintworks complete.” The first two phases involved the conversion and reuse of the former industrial and warehouse buildings at the western end of former Central Trading Estate. • rengendevelopments.com

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THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

MAY 2019

THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 99

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

UNION STREET, BROADMEAD

BLENHEIM COURT, ALMONDSBURY

• C 1,000 sq ft retail space

• High quality office building

• Suit offices and other commercial uses

• 1,491 sq ft • New lease

• New flexible lease • Economical rent

• Rent o/a

GOLDEN BOTTLE, LOCKLEAZE

16 PORTLAND SQ, BS2

• A4 (Public House)

• Superb period office

• Suit other commercial uses

• From 500 sq ft to 3,360 sq ft

• Great opportunity

• 8 car spaces

• New lease

• Rent o/a

CITY CENTRE OFFICES

ZETLAND ROAD, BS6

• Open plan

• Retail showroom

• 815 sq ft

• 1,830 sq ft

• Light & bright studio space

• Suit offices (stp) • Only £30,000 pax

• Affordable rent

OFFICE TO LET (MAY SELL)

CLIFTON OFFICES • Self contained office building • 1,500 sq ft

• Purchase your own 5 – 10 person office unit

• 2 car spaces

• QC30 – BS1

• New lease – rent o/a

• £17.50 psf to rent

CITY CENTRE OFFICES

STUDIO OFFICES CLOSE TO BBC – BS8

• Stunning boutique contemporary refurbishment

• Coming soon • Suite 1 - 1,500 sq ft

• 8 secure car spaces

• Suite 2 - 2,000 sq ft Open plan studio

• 4,300 sq ft • New lease – rent o/a

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

NEWLY REFURBISHED, CONTEMPORARY OFFICE AVAILABLE TO RENT AT BLENHEIM COURT IN NORTH BRISTOL Located on this popular business park, Unit 8 Blenheim Court offers an opportunity to rent your own self contained office, only a few minutes drive from the M4/M5 motorway interchange. •

Entirely self contained

•

Open plan space over 2 floors

•

6 allocated car parking spaces

•

Recently refurbished

•

New carpets and new LED lighting

•

Approximately 1,491 sq ft (138.5 sq m)

For further information please contact the joint agents Burston Cook or Colliers International.

(0117) 934 9977

www.burstoncook.co.uk

Savills Column FP.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2019 12:08 Page 1

CITY | BUSINESS

WHY OPEN HOUSE EVENTS ARE CHANGING THE FACE OF HOUSEHUNTING RICHARD BROOKS

head of residential, Savills Clifton. Specialising in the marketing and sale of the city's prime property.

ugely popular in the United States and Australia, Open Houses are still a relatively new concept in this country. But, while only a few years ago you may not have even heard, let alone been involved in an Open House, if you are selling or buying in today’s market, you may well have been invited to take part.

2.Plan your route Decide how many properties you would like to visit, and the best way around to see them. Don’t forget to build in time to stop for coffee breaks and lunch in between viewings; not only does this give you time to think, but is an excellent opportunity to check out all-important local amenities.

3.Don’t rush

This year’s Savills Open House event takes place this month and will see hundreds of properties across the country open their doors to prospective buyers. As part of this national event, our Clifton office will oversee open houses throughout Bristol and into the local countryside.

If you decide to make an offer, wait until you get home then give the agent a call. This will give you the chance to properly reflect upon whether this really is the property for you, at a price you can afford.

What is an Open House?

On Saturday 11th May between 10am and 4pm, Savills Clifton will be opening the doors to a selection of homes from its property portfolio, at a range of price points up to £1,395,000.

Open Houses provide the opportunity to view property in the company of other buyers, with the owner also present. Sellers are encouraged to open the doors to their home as they know that taking part helps to create a buzz and maximises interest, ultimately increasing the likelihood of a sale. Open House events are when multiple homes are opened on the same day, to the great benefit of prospective buyers.

Why take part? Open House events are an excellent way to explore what’s on offer in an informal setting and on buyers’ own terms. Events are normally held at the weekend, so buyers can view property in a relaxed setting, and in daylight, with no need to take time out of their working day. Plus, they can spend as much, or little, time as they like exploring, not just the property itself, but also its locality. Once registered, prospective buyers have the opportunity to view as many homes as they wish on the same day, which is incredibly helpful when it comes to comparing like-for-like properties, as everything is still fresh in mind. Last but not least, participants are more likely to view properties that they wouldn’t have otherwise, which can be a game-changer in property search, as sometimes it is the one that isn’t right ‘on paper’ that ends up becoming someone’s dream home.

How to get the most out of your day 1.Do your homework Study the property details before the day, so that you can prepare your questions about the property and area.

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If you are interested in taking part, you can register online at Savills.co.uk/openhouses or call our team on 0117 933 5800. Once registered, you will be given property details and local area guides ahead of the event to help you to plan your day. You will also receive a unique code, which will provide access to view properties at your leisure on the day. n Richard Brooks, Savills Estate Agents. 20 The Mall, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4DR Web: savills.co.uk

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Howard Davis t: 0117 923 8238 (sales) t: 0117 946 6588 (lettings)

Last time the property market had few cash buyers, not many buy-to-let investors and few second home buyers was in the 70s - 80s. Today we have come full circle, first time buyers with mortgages are making up the bulk whilst the higher end has been affected by Brexit, increased taxes and a stagnated market. This is a market that experienced estate agents understand and work with to great effect. To get the most from market conditions these agents need an understanding of buyers and local knowledge built up over many years of negotiating deals. This is not a time for inexperienced ordertakers who seem to cut their fees to commercially harmful levels. In property it is best not to know “the price of everything and the value of nothing”,

as Oscar Wilde quipped. As we emerge from the bottom of this property cycle, and are buoyed up by the highest employment figures for fifty years, watch out for the opportunities that a resurgent market bring. These are perfect market conditions for those who have saved hard for a deposit on their first home. If you are selling now, when availability of stock is low, choose your agent wisely. Inexperienced agents offering low fees may be too feeble for this market. Avoid feeble agents like the plague and choose a strong firm with the people, experience and record to achieve the best sale for you.

REDLAND

GUIDE PRICE £1,200,000

Howard Davis MD Clifton

GUIDE PRICE £850,000

An exceptional seven bedroom family house set over four floors; offers an extensive interior retaining a great deal of its original charm and character throughout, consisting of a reception room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, a family bathroom, a home office and a garage. EPC E

An attractive, bay fronted Victorian family home offers a well presented and versatile interior over three floors. Currently arranged as a six bedroom home with an up to date HMO licence the house would also be very suitable as a family home. EPC E

KINGSDOWN

HARBOURSIDE

GUIDE PRICE £899,000

A rare opportunity to acquire an outstanding architect designed family home with breathtaking views over the city. Set over three floors with an open plan living/kitchen area, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a south facing rear garden, a roof terrace and allocated parking. EPC C

GUIDE PRICE £775,000

A charming four double bedroom Georgian home, well presented throughout and offers a light and versatile interior with views towards the harbour and surrounding area. Externally there is an attractive courtyard garden to the rear with a garage situated in a nearby block. EPC D

CLIFTON

GUIDE PRICE £675,000

REDLAND

GUIDE PRICE £625,000

A four storey, three bedroom architect designed home comprises of; kitchen/ breakfast room, first floor reception room with a Juliette balcony, second floor with two bedrooms and bathroom, top floor with Master bedroom plus an en-suite and balcony with views of Clifton, courtyard garden and off street parking. EPC B

A beautifully presented period home offering three bedrooms plus a loft conversion which is used as a home office, fabulous views, an impressive sitting room plus dining room and a rear kitchen with French doors to rear garden. Located closely to Redland Green School, offered with no onward chain. EPC E

SNEYD PARK

GUIDE PRICE £475,000

GUIDE PRICE £460,000

An upper floor maisonette comprises of: a lounge diner, separate kitchen, three double bedrooms, a family bathroom, an en-suite shower room and a contemporary wet room. It also benefits from a communal rear garden and one FCFS parking space. EPC D

A delightful two bedroom Victorian property consists of: a lounge, kitchen plus a dining room area which leads to a sizeable conservatory, an under stairs W/C, a family bathroom and a separate W/C. The rear garden is laid with patio slabs and stone walled on three sides. EPC C

CLIFTON

REDLAND

GUIDE PRICE £425,000

A two bedroom garden apartment consisting of: lounge diner, separate kitchen, master bedroom featuring an en-suite plus French doors leading on to the private rear garden, main bathroom, aforementioned rear garden plus a rear allocated parking space for one car. EPC C

GUIDE PRICE £375,000

A superior two double bedroom period flat offers a spacious living room, a separate kitchen which leads off the living room, a large master bedroom, a second double bedroom and the bathroom leading off the hallway featuring a stained glass window. EPC D

LAWRENCE GROVE, HENLEAZE Superbly presented throughout and ideally situated within close proximity to Henleaze Infant and Junior School and the shops and amenities of Henleaze Road, is this extended five bedroom semi-detached family home benefiting from a garden and off-street parking. EPC - D 3

ÂŁ885,000

BRIERCLIFFE ROAD, STOKE BISHOP A rare opportunity to purchase this fine detached five bedroom late 1920s/1930s family home with a 40m landscaped westerly garden with open outlook at rear and open skyline. Marketed with no onward chain. EPC - D 2

GUIDE PRICE ÂŁ1,150,000

HOWARD ROAD, WESTBURY PARK This light and spacious natural four bed 1920’s family home is positioned within the Westbury Park and Redland borders. The property boasts a south facing rear garden with access to a converted studio/office space offering flexible use. EPC - E 3

£885,000

COOMBE LANE, STOKE BISHOP Offered with no onward chain, a welcoming detached family home boasting five family bedrooms; master with dressing room and ensuite, open outlook to rear onto garden, integral double garage and parking for several vehicles. EPC - C 2

GUIDE PRICE £817,500

Rupert Oliver May.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2019 10:46 Page 1

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Stoke Bishop, Bristol Guide Price £1,650,000

Littleton-upon-Severn, Bristol Guide Price £1,295,000

Olveston, Bristol

An exceptional detached family home on the edge of The Downs.

A stunning Grade II Listed 8-bedroom farmhouse, situated in a popular village,

A stunning family house; beautifully refurbished with a great rural outlook close to the village’s excellent amenities.

Stoke Bishop, Bristol

Guide Price £775,000

An attractive and well-proportioned four-bedroom detached family house.

An example of several of our properties SOLD successfully over the last 12 months. Since opening a little over a year ago, Rupert Oliver Property Agents has listed in excess of 50 properties with a total value in excess of £43,000,000. We would love the opportunity to help with the sale of your home.

Emersons Green, Bristol Guide Price £750,000 A stunning, well-proportioned and beautifully presented detached family home.

Guide Price £465,000

Rudgeway, Bristol

Guide Price £949,000

An exceptional circa 3500 sq. ft family home enclosed by its own private gardens, with fabulous rural views.

Henleaze, Bristol

Guide Price £1,150,000

A light and spacious three-bedroom ground floor flat just moments from The Downs.

A superb six-bedroom semi-detached family house in a sought-after location nearby to excellent schools.

Sneyd Park, Bristol

Guide Price £890,000

Clifton, Bristol

Guide Price £1,395,000

SOLD OFF-MARKET. A superb Regency Grade II Listed Clifton townhouse.

Coombe Dingle, Bristol

OIEO £995,0000

A stylish New Build family home finished to high specification enclosed in anexpanse of landscaped gardens.

hamptons.co.uk

Fremantle Square, Kingsdown Guide Price £999,950

Truly stylish, Grade II listed, Georgian townhouse, lovingly refurbished throughout to a contemporary finish, located on this beautiful garden square in the heart of Kingsdown, benefiting from a South West facing garden, garage and off-street parking. EPC: Exempt

Kingfisher House, Langford

Guide Price £785,000

Kingfisher House is an immaculately presented and established detached house set within mature gardens with a most picturesque outlook. EPC: D

Hamptons Bristol

Sales. 0117 369 1004 | bristol@hamptons-int.com

Pear Tree Cottage, Gloucestershire Guide Price £649,950 Pear Tree Cottage is an immaculately presented country house which has been lovingly refurbished by the current owners. Located at the end of a rural track with a large, gated private driveway, the property has been sympathetically extended. EPC: E

Kingsdown ÂŁ325,000

Clifton Office 0117 946 6007

Two bedroom garden flat A truly stunning and immaculately finished two double bedroom ground floor flat which provides fantastic space, a garden, private terrace and is bursting with character. Conveniently located with Gloucester Road a couple of minutes away on foot and the city centre can be reached within 15 minutes. EPC - D

oceanhome.co.uk

Westbury-on-Trym Office 0117 962 1973

Westbury-on-Trym ÂŁ435,000 Three bedroom house

Spacious three bedroom semi-detached family home. Located a short walk from Westbury village and Henleaze high street. At the rear is a good sized garden with side access and potential to extend. EPC - TBC

Harbour side ÂŁ425,000 Two bed apartment

A stunning fourth floor, south facing balcony apartment with waterfront views set within the highly sought after Queen Square Apartments. Finished to a high specification with integrated Miele appliances, allocated parking space, two double bedrooms with en-suite to the master. Being sold with no onward chain. EPC - C

Westbury-on-Trym ÂŁ300,000 Two bedroom cottage

This characterful two double bedroom period terraced cottage offers a reception room to front with a fireplace and stairs to first floor, access to a modern fitted kitchen and a door onto rear courtyard garden. To the first floor there are two double bedrooms and bathroom. EPC - B

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