BRISTOL HEROES That’s so Bristol

THAT’S SO BRISTOL… Colin hits the reset button, and takes us on a journey through some memorable Bristol moments from the previous months

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“This city has a big heart, and is often open to ideas that seem to Ka\KPfirManLrMallaoٺMrPoXMº

The moments I’ve chosen all have one thing in common: they are so typically the kind of thing that Bristol does so well. No one gave us permission to do these things, or sent us forms to fill in. We just got on with it.

National media in the past has been amused by Bristol, and our funny little ways – adding ‘L’s to the end of words, for example – but we can hold our heads high. This city has a big heart, and is often open to ideas that now, in *rexit times, seem to catch fire and really offer hope. A bit of Bristol spirit that we all need, as we strike out dynamically for a bold future, the way we always do. 110% attitude. Nothing stops a Bristolian.

1Lion eats lettuce for good luck. We’ve had an amazing Chinese community here for generations, and with so many Bristol families bringing their children down to pet the lion, as it was drummed into action on Chinese New Year, my spirits soared.

2It’s so Bristol that our local Extinction Rebellion groups seem to find new ways to show us some of the fundamentals.When the last tree is gone, we will realise that we cannot eat money. I’m putting this one in here because, as far as I can see, a fundamental Bristol spirit is to call out any big issue it sees.

And we don’t hold back. Signing a petition on Facebook and then popping open a good bottle of wine is not gonna cut it. <he world is on fire, and we want to say something about the way we are behaving. We hit the streets, we open our hearts and minds to issues in a direct way that London élites often don’t fully comprehend.

3Another storm with a name blasts the city. Anyone else worried about how climate change means we are now getting what we used to associate with news coming out of Florida? But Bristol will keep running while the effects are still in their early stages.

Bristol Ferry ran its normal service, and the pilot brought the boat out from the city centre to carry me to Hotwells while the wind whipped in horizontally. The next day was even worse, and they had to cancel services, but this spirit you see here is strong.

It was also strong during the Blitz, I hear, when the power went out on the tram network, but all trams got back to the depot that night, pushed by the passengers all the way. Is that true? It doesn’t matter. The idea of it is born out of that same Bristol spirit. If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well in Bristol.

4Sophie Long here, painting a tiger on the hoardings while they make changes to an estate behind. One punter at the Masonic pub opposite hollered over their support of her work. It was terrible weather, and the drips, although part of her style, were, I felt, running a little freer than normal.

A lot of our street artists do paint on canvases at home, and on gallery and business walls, but they also brighten up some of our more traditional streets where communities have thrived for generations.

To the numpties who shouted abuse at her that week while she was working, can 1 offer this advice: there is a reason we are so known for being a great place to live and work; you can thrive here if you have a good spirit about you. Maybe it’s indigenous, or you’re a kindred spirit moving here, but don’t throw abuse until you know the bigger picture. We can make this city proud of its roots, and keep growing and adapting. I’m up for that. Are you?

5This year’s Bemmy Lantern parade. Yes, I do spend a lot of time in BS3 at the moment; I love the mix of traditional communities and newcomers all in the mix. Local schools were asked to make lanterns for animals that are endangered. Makes you humble to realise that it’s these species and this generation that will be faced with far more stresses to survive than we have faced before. I can really sense the mood among the children, and maybe now is the time to act. Get your milk in glass bottles again, because we still, as a country, send huge amounts of plastic overseas, and they just bury it. Where does it end up? Some of it in the bellies of whales and seabirds. Let’s go as plastic-free as possible. If we demand it, then it comes true.

6Stormzy turned up to sign his latest album, and lots of young people who love his message, his music, queued up from the early hours. Lots of good vibes and banter, especially here from those who’d just met the fella. I’ve focused the camera on the fan at the back dead centre, who despite being told that the places are sold out, waits and hopes.

If we want something, we can be tenacious.

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“We are a port city, and I think it’s in our DNA to adventure”

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7Folk at the ss Great Britain were dressed up like a BBC Christmas special. That’s all fake, of course; as was the ‘snow’ they laid on later.

But the ship is so, so real, and what a legacy to have it back in the dock where it was made. It’s so much realness that we can hang all this fakery around it so magnificently, and the dream comes to life.

On these very cobbles (somewhere under that

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tarmac), people like this boarded or were part of the ship’s story. It’s a legacy to be proud of, and 1¼m also kind of chuffed that our own little press pack forms to grab shots that make them, and those who receive those photo Christmas cards, very happy.

I never used to like these historical ‘it may have looked like this’ events but as the photographers with their telephoto lenses congregate around dirty-faced Victorian urchins, I can see the fun. It’s the past, it’s now. It’s both, and it’s us.

8Layers of ideas at Ted X Bristol this year. If you didn’t go, you can hear the talks online. It’s our own ensemble of often local, homegrown talent helping us shortcut our brains to some great ways of thinking.

This is in the foyer of Bristol Old Vic, as people queue to go in. In a few moments they will have experiences that could change the course of their lives forever.

The way the stairs rise and enter the wall reminds me of how people board ocean liners to travel to far-off lands. We are a port city, and I think it’s in our DNA to adventure. Often it seems without going too far; merely down to the oldest theatre in the land.

Colin is available as a ‘mini-mobile PR/marketing/ social media unit’, to shoot striking street-style photographs at live events: parties, launches, promos and performances, for impactful immediate social media. Fees start at £100 for a two-hour package. email: mrcolinmoody@gmail.com Twitter: @moodycolin; Instagram @moodycolin319