Bristol Life - Issue 293

THE GREAT BRISTOL STAYCATION

Stay put, have fun, save a fortune

2020 LOCAL HEROES

How we’ve kept the high street alive Big changes on Planet Eggleton…

IT’S GATSBY,

HAPPY NEW YEAR, OLD SPORT

BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW HIM HER

⁄

ISSUE 293 / NEW YEAR 2021 / £3

ISSUE 293 / NEW YEAR 2021 / A LEAP INTO THE UNKNOWN

PONY TALES

EDITOR’S LETTER

C

10

We’re off on our holidays!

This year, we think we’ll go to Bristol

onnoisseurs of gallows humour are advised to dig out a selection of magazines published this time last year.

“2020 VISION!” blazed the headlines from every cover, including ours. Who were we trying to kid? We couldn’t even see beyond February.

We all fell over ourselves to welcome in not merely a new year, but a new decade. Optimistic comparisons were drawn between 2020 and the glamorous 1920s, along with predictions for an annus mirabilis full of treats and excitement. We banged on about Veganuary, as if the only thing we had to worry about, healthwise or planetwise, was a regrettable tendency to eat too much meat.

This year there’ll be no crystalball gazing from us; just a quietly expressed wish that Bristol will rise in 2021 like a phoenix from the flames, or at the very least, find itself in a less soul-destroying place than the Tier 3 naughty step. And that all those shops, restaurants, pubs, cafés, bars, salons and so on, who somehow weathered the lockdown storm, will have the best year in their trading history. They deserve it.

So let’s just hope 2021 is a good one, and leave it at that. As Kam points out on page 35, it’s not as if it has especially big boots to fill.

Big love, Bristol,

DERI ROBINS Follow us on Twitter @BristolLifeMag Instagram @BristolLifeMag

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 3

Issue 293 / New Year 2021 COVER The Great Gatsby; image by Adam Maida.

Full feature on page 22

A VERY BRISTOL HOLIDAY

10 STAYCATION Spend it right here in Bristol. Have a

lush time. Save loads of dosh

THE ARTS

17 ART PAGE And the winner of this year’s RWA Open

10

18 22 26 31

18

is... a movie

WHAT’S ON Travelling hopefully THEATRE Boats against the current, and all that jazz BRISTOL HEROES Keeping the high street alive BOOKS trio of ne titles, hot o the press

CYCLING

40 THE BICYCLE CLIP DIARIES Risking life and

limb on the B to B

FOOD & DRINK

44 SPECIAL DELIVERY Thinking inside the box 46 FOOD AND DRINK Home, home on the range, and

a Curious Kitchen

51 YES CHEF! Pony tales 53 CAFÉ SOCIETY In cafés we trust

SHOPPING 55 56 58 61

SHOP BETTER Cabinet decisions ED’S CHOICE Skin deep FASHION Colour therapy WINDOW SHOPPING Milly calls a Truce

LIFESTYLE

22

63 HEALTH & BEAUTY Mission: lockdown locks

revival

64 GOLDEN YEARS The new face of retirement

BUSINESS

71 BRISTOLWORKS A very Bristol collab

PROPERTY

75 PROPERTY NEWS Join the Alliance 76 SHOWCASE A contemporary classic in Sneyd Park

REGULARS

30

7 9 33 82

SPOTLIGHT BRIZZOGRAM ON THE RADIO Kam Kelly BRISTOL LIVES James Bailey

Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors Colin Moody, Stan Cullimore, Milly Vaughan Advertising manager Neil Snow neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk New business manager Craig Wallberg craig.wallberg@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Jake Horwood jake.horwood@mediaclash.co.uk Production/distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager/production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 5

COMING SOON

HELLO BRISTOL, SPACES IS MOVING IN. Offices, Coworking, Meeting Rooms spaceworks.com | 0800 756 2509

SPOTLIGHT Street art

THE BOY WAS BACK IN TOWN

Achoo! (or whatever it ends up being called) was spotted on Vale Street, Totterdown on the morning of 10 December. By tea time, Banksy had claimed its authorship on his insta page @banksy.

The perspex sheeting went up minutes later...

Harold was experiencing a socially distanced nightmare. . .

Festival

LOLS ONLINE Once again, the future of Bristol’s Slapstick festival hangs ever so slightly in the balance. 80% of the running costs come from ticket sales and yearround special events, which Covid made impossible during 2020.

Not only has the pandemic led to a h ge shortfall in finances, b t ith no guarantee of venues being open for its usual January slot, the 2021 edition will move to a new date and format.

Between 1-7 March, the classic comedy festival will take the form of a live streaming programme, featuring more international guests than ever before. Already lining up the lols are Rob Brydon, Bernie Clifton, Graeme Garden, Robin Ince and ‘the stand-

up’s stand-up’, Stewart Lee. You’ll also be able to hear personal memories of the legendary WC Fields and Harold Lloyd from their granddaughters, and watch a celebration of Clara Bow, the Kewpie-eyed Brooklyn babe who inspired Betty Boop and became known as the ‘It Girl’. There’s also a film starring osephine aker, the Grace Jones of her day.

Passes for the full event programme are now on sale at slapstick.org.uk for £39, or £20 for under 24s. Tickets for individual events will be on sale from early January.

To stay up-to-date with Slapstick news, follow Slapstick Festival on Facebook or @SlapstickFest on Twitter.

Clara from Brooklyn shares top billing with Rob from Baglan

Heritage

DIVINE CONVERSION

espite playing a long and significant role in the story of the city – the site was originally a 12th-century temple built by the Knights Templar – the fortunes of Temple Church have waxed and waned over the centuries. Today, it has the dubious distinction of being among the top 20 English Heritage buildings languishing in the worst condition.

That’s all set to change. The Architecture Centre, English Heritage and Bristol City Council are reimagining a new future for the church and gardens that could transform them into both an inspirational destination and a thriving space for the local community.

A design team with serious previous has come on board, including architect Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins, whose work includes the reinvention of Bristol Old Vic. Pioneering international landscape architects Grant Associates are looking at the gardens, with a view to creating an inspirational green space that will promote wellbeing.

For more: architecturecentre.org.uk

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SPOTLIGHT

GET OUT

If we said that one of the best things about this city is how easy it is to escape it, you’d take it the right way, right?

From the Downs and urban parks to trips further afield, your new-year walk awaits. Oh, and bring the camera

@trav_tography

@thebristolnomad

@josh.perrett

@scrumpyphotos

@photographsofthechewvalley

@matthewpriceartist

@walkswithmythoughts

@aaron.etc

@kruggy01

@gregnagy__

@mike_tynan

@uobroyalfortgardens

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 9

STAYCATION

A VERY BRISTOL HOLIDAY Will foreign travel be back on the cards this year, or not? No idea.

Either way, may we make a small suggestion? How about splashing the holiday cash on the ultimate Bristol staycation?

Words by Hannah Holmes

T

he average family of four spends around £4k on a foreign holiday. That’s a major dent in the annual r & r budget; besides, all that flying abo t isn t exactly ideal for the planet.

So how’s this for a suggestion: why not take your next holiday right here in Bristol, save yourself all the dreariness of air travel and keep all the money in the local economy?

Consider the following. Firstly, Bristol tops all those ‘best destination’ lists with monotonous regularity; people travel from all over the world to enjoy the city’s myriad attractions. Can you honestly say you’ve tried them all? o, the money yo save on flights and accommodation can be sed for local top-of-the-range treats you might normally hesitate to splash out on. Three, while you may be craving sunshine, due to climate change this can never be g aranteed ho hasn t had a rained o springtime holiday in Andalucia? And have you really missed padding through airport security in stockinged feet at 5am?

So without further ado, let us present you with our bespoke guide to the ultimate Bristol staycation. We’ve costed it out in the vaguest way to give a general idea, but take it as a rough guide only; don’t write in.

Make sure you take plenty of photos to annoy us on instagram, yeah?

1

DINE AT CASAMIA

2

BOOK THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE

Dinner for two at Michelin-starred Casamia might just be the ultimate antidote to a year of missed food experiences and cancelled bookings. he g ys reopened in late s mmer after the first lockdo n with a spruced up interior and a 20-course tasting menu, crafted by new head chef Zak Hitchman from lush seasonal produce.

Price: £360 for dinner for two (maybe leave the kids at home for this one, unless you’re minted and they’re impressively sophisticated) Where? 8 The General, Lower Guinea Street; casamiarestaurant.co.uk

ntil they can f lly reopen, ristol ld ic is streaming five of their greatest hits directly to your home until 28 February for the bargaino s price of 12. . ake a break from etflix, and chill instead to firm fan favo rites The Grinning Man, Swallows and Amazons, A Christmas Carol, Messiah and, for the tots, The Night that Autumn Turned to Winter – all for the money you’d normally spend on a couple of pints and tubs of ice-cream in the interval.

Price: £12.99 for online pass Where? bristololdvic.org.uk

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3

THE BIG CHILL

ce cream and holidays go together like ristol and hot air balloons. tock p on a month s s pply of oon elato e think this might just be the antidote to the January blues.

Price: £42 for two litre tubs.

Where? 1 ollege reen swoononaspoon.co.uk

5

COCKTAILS AT HYDE & CO

6

OVERDOSE ON CHOCOLATE

f the bars reopen, dip do n into the secretive, l x rio s basement of yde o if they don t, order p ready mixed cocktails, delivered to your door via the magic of Hyde at Home.

Price: 0 for fo r cocktails Where? 2 pper yron lace hydeandco-delivery.co.uk

4

TAKE A STREET-ART TOUR

You may walk past Bristol’s street art every day, but how much do you actually know about it? This guided tour will soon have you casually dropping the names of all the artists – yes, even those obscure ones with numbers instead of letters and no vowels – as if you were straight outta Barton Hill. “If you only do one thing in Bristol, do this,” reads one review.

Price: £45 for two adults and two children under 16 Where? wherethewall.com

The diet goes out of the window when you’re on holiday. If you disagree, please remind us never to go on vacation with you. You won’t find a more ind lgent fix any here in the city than at rs otts e d recommend a hot chocolate hit with a piece of chocolate cake, which, incidentally, comes with unlimited chocolate sauce on top.

Price: £32 for four hot chocolates and two slices of cake Where? 20 ark treet mrspottschocolatehouse.co.uk

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9

HIRE A PRIVATE CINEMA

ristol instit tion 20th ent ry licks ho ses the city s smallest cinema, seating just six people. As one of the last remaining video stores in the , it o ers the pick of a vast back catalog e of movies, hich yo can atch itho t having to s er noisy teens flicking popcorn at the back of your head. Unless, we guess, they’re your teens, and you actively en oy this aspect of the film going experience.

Price: ne film for six people, 0 so yo co ld invite t o more friends, if you’re inclined.

Where? 1 hristmas teps 20thcenturyflicks.co.uk

7

CATCH A WAVE

he ave o ers a significantly shorter drive and more predictably good aves than a trip to orn all. he 1 0 metre lake is the first inland s rfing destination of its kind in the orld and, l ckily for yo , is st p the road at aster ompton.

Price: £180 for two adult surf lessons; £80 for two kids under 16.

Where? ain oad, aster ompton thewave.com

8

CAN COOK, WILL COOK?

ooking classes have become a highlight on many holiday makers’ itineraries so why not take one here, with the larder of the South West at your disposal? At Papadeli, you’ll end a cooking class with the four-course meal you’ve prepared, and leave with a goody bag to take home.

Price: £190 for two people Where? 84 Alma Road; papadeli.co.uk

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10

DRINK LIKE A PIRATE

11

TAKE A BRISTOL CHEESE CRAWL

Bristol’s associated with pirates, and what did pirates drink?

Damn right. Rum. Brush up your knowledge with a masterclass at Bristol & Bath Rum Distillery; after a tasting session you’ll distil your own rum, which will end up in a bottle with a personalised label .

Price: £160 for two Where? 87-89, Park Street; bristolrumschool.com

Sticking unapologetically with the food theme – not sorry, this is Bristol – you can spend two blissful hours grazing your way through a selection of ristol s finest cheeses, starting in lifton illage and working your way to Wapping Wharf. Your ticket includes all cheese samples, accompanying bread and crackers, and cider to wash it all down. Obviously, the walking bit cancels out the calories.

Price: £50 for two adults Where? secretbristol.com/bristol-cheese-crawl

STAYCATION

12

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER B

Bristol. Beer. Breweries. Boats. Hop aboard a Bristol Ferry for a craft-beer voyage down the harbour; you’ll dock at Moor Brewery for a tour and tasting, then walk down to the Beer Emporium for more tastings served with cheese and meat platters to share.

Price: £118 for two adults Where? Leaves from quay outside Grain Barge; bristolbrewerytours.com

13

GO ALOFT

© @SAMBINDING

No self-respecting Bristol tourist would swerve a day exploring the maritime history of the city. Get a glimpse of what it was like to be a member of the original ss Great Britain crew by climbing the rigging p to 2 metres above gro nd level, a ording spectac lar vie s of Bristol. Left you craving further nautical shenanigans? Splash out (!) on a taster session at ristol, the stand p paddle boarding school based at Underfall Yard – which, incidentally, is the perfect spot to stop for a co ee, as ell as a chance to get yo r history on at the nderfall Yard visitor centre.

Go Aloft price: £20 for two adults and two children (kids go free with a paying adult climber). NB this is additional to entry price to the ship, so make sure you have a good look round to get your money’s worth. aster session at ristol, 100 for fo r people.

Where? ss Great Britain, Gas Ferry Road; ssgreatbritain.org ristol supbristol.com; Underfall Yard; underfallyard.co.uk

14

INCOGNITO DOWN AT THE LIDO

Enjoy a dip in the outdoor heated swimming pool and relax in the hot tub, before sitting down to a two-course lunch at the Lido. Add in a massage in the spa if yo re feeling extra fl sh.

Price: Lunch and a dip, £70 for two people; massage £130 for two Where? akfield lace lidobristol.com

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STAYCATION

15

GET YOUR DOWNTON ON

18

SAY YUUP

pend a day exploring yntesfield s dramatic ictorian othic ho se and s rro nding estate, complete ith orangery and restored orking kitchen garden.

Price: 0 for family ticket Where? raxall nationaltrust.or .uk tyntes eld

16

HIGHER PERCHES

tay overnight in one of anopy tars bea tif l treetop hidea ays in the omerset co ntryside the abinet here, for example. ire p the ood b rner and r n a bath on the decking.

Price: reeho se to rent from 20 a night Where? canopyandstars.co.uk

17

VISIT THE ZOO (WHILE YOU STILL CAN)

ake the most of ristol oo before it relocates to ild lace in 2022. he oo carries o t important conservation ork, and many of the animals arters are positively five star the peng in and seal enclos re and the gorilla ho se are o r favo rites. here are n mero s ann al member deals, b t in the spirit of this feat re e ve costed it o t as a day pass for a family of fo r.

Price: amily of fo r kids 2 1 . incl des a donation Where? ollege oad bristolzoo.org.uk

14 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

p o ers a ide range of experiences, from arts and crafts to history and c lt re to sports and advent res. et s end in tr e ristol fashion ith a ristol food lover s dream, as osh ggleton takes yo on a to r of his favo rite local spots, from orth treet to apping harf, finishing at his o n resta rants for some specially prepared dishes.

Price: 2 0 for t o people Where? yuup.co o there yo have it a ro gh total of 2 . for the ltimate family holiday, ith all the money kept in the local economy and yo r entire ristol b cket list pro dly ticked o in one go. he Bristol Life e ivalent of a Blue Peter badge is in the post . . . â–

THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B R I S T O L’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

Who is that masked man hat ll be filmmaker ierre iyongira, ho s st made oyal est of ngland cademy history by inning first pri e at the nn al pen not for a painting, or a sc lpt re, or even some opinion dividing art installation, b t for a short film that tells the tr e story of r na ay slave inah lack, ho lived in 1 th cent ry ristol. t s the first time in the pen s 1 year history that a movie has taken the top a ard. ince grad ating from ith a irst, ierre s been making ite the name for himself in the film bi . is aim, he says, is to shine a light on c rrent and past events, intert ining them in order to create important disc ssions. n Dinah, for example, the foc s shifts from 1 to the present day olston may be toppled, b t the dialog e contin es. he film received backing from rts o ncil ngland and rts, as part of the s e reatives initiative r n by alling the hots. o can expect to see it on the telly at some point soon in the meantime, atch the trailer on o be. he pen xhibition opens on 2 an ary 2021.

For more: pierreniyongira.com; rwa.org.uk

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The world may well have changed yet again by the time you read this issue, so please always check websites for up-to-date info

WHAT’S ON (& WHAT’S ONLINE) 1 January-1 February 2021

ART

Ongoing

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION The Royal Photographic Society’s gallery was closed at time of going to press, but you can still view the 162nd outing of the world’s longest running photography exhibition virtually, and admire the work of 43 international photographers. rps.org SUGAR PAPER THEORIES: Meanwhile, also at the RPS, the icecool Sugar Paper Theories is a true-life Nordic noir, as Bristol photographer Jack Latham chronicles the most controversial murder investigation in Icelandic history. Much more fun than The Valhalla Murders. rps.org

Until 17 January

DENZIL FORRESTER: ITCHIN & SCRATCHIN Denzil’s paintings capture the vibrant energy of the dimly lit dance halls of 1980s London and today’s open-air clubs of Jamaica; spikeisland.org.uk

Until 21 February

JO SPENCE: FROM FAIRY

TALES TO PHOTOTHERAPY Drawn from one of the most comprehensive collections of Jo Spence’s works in the world, and focusing on the intersection between arts, health and wellbeing. At rnolfini arnol ni.or .uk

Until 28 February

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? Bristol Museum takes a look at the way that magic has been used to heal, hurt and harm down the ages; bristolmuseums.org.uk A PICTURE OF HEALTH: WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM THE HYMAN COLLECTION A group exhibition of contemporary women photographers, featuring autobiographical perspectives and social commentaries at rnolfini, arnol ni.or .uk

Until 5 April

BEING HUMAN Can art capture what it is to be human? Many notable sculptors have had a go; you can see how they got on at Bristol Museum; bristolmuseums.org.uk

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Until 3 May

SHOWS AND MUSIC

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR This year’s batch of beautiful, disturbing, thought-provoking, red-in-tooth-and-claw winning shots from the world of nature; at M Shed, as per usual. bristolmuseums.org.uk

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Living Spit put their Disney-free spin on the tale as old as time; live at Bristol Old Vic; bristololdvic.org.uk

2 January to 7 March

Until 28 February

168TH OPEN EXHIBITION The RWA’s Annual Open returns for its 168th year with a wide variety of work from emerging and established artists; rwa.org.uk

14 January-11 April

CHLOE DEWE MATTHEWS: THAMES LOG From the source of the Thames to its mouth, Chloe examines the ever-changing nature of our relationship to water, from ancient pagan festivities through to the rituals of modern life: from ship-spotting to mudlarking and ceremonial boat burning, Pentecostal baptisms to coracle missions, and teenage rites of passage. At Martin Parr Foundation; martinparrfoundation.org

Until 9 January

BRISTOL OLD VIC AT HOME: Five of the theatre’s biggest past hits, miraculously beamed into your living room for a paltry £12.99 season pass, or £4.50 per show.

Seriously, do you even have to think about it? Here’s what’s on: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Bristol Old Vic’s most popularever Christmas show, with the charismatic John Hopkins as literature’s most notorious miser.

THE GRINNING MAN Tom Morris and Carl Grose’s vastly entertaining musical based on a Victor Hugo tale, with astonishing puppetry from Gyre & Gimble and truly memorable tunes. Worth the price of the season pass alone.

© BEN ROBINS

© YOSSI ESHBOL, WILDLIFE PHOTOGR APHER OF THE YEAR 2020

WHAT’S ON

OPPOSITE PAGE: Are you ready for the dazzling beauty and horrific beastliness of Living Spit?

TOP LEFT:

When did people start casting Scrooge as ‘fanciable’?

TOP RIGHT:

Leaping hopefully into 2021 be like...

LEFT:

Rhod in the raw. No messing.

9 January

30 January

CANDLELIGHT: ENNIO MORRICONE, HANS ZIMMER & MORE n oy some of the greatest film soundtracks surrounded by the gentle glow of candlelight, at Church of St Thomas the Martyr; feverup.com

GARY MEIKLE: SURREAL The Scottish stand-up isn’t one for mincing his words; so expect the unexpected from this playfully dark and e ervescent rising star. t Redgrave; redgravetheatre.com

12-16 January

31 January

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL Pour yourself a cup of ambition, as Doralee, Violet and Judy are once again pushed to boiling point by their sexist and egotistical boss. At Hippodrome, atgtickets.com

RHOD GILBERT: THE BOOK OF JOHN In a six-year break from stand-up, a lot has happened to our favourite stand-up; most of it shit. Expect a more raw, personal and brutally honest Rhod; no more lies, no more nonsense.; Hippodrome, atgtickets.com

18-23 January

MESSIAH Handel’s masterpiece, performed as the composer controversially intended – in a secular theatre, not a hallowed place of worship.

THE NIGHT THAT AUTUMN TURNED TO WINTER BOV’s annual treat for tinies and their families.

SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS Another massive Christmas show for BOV – and apparently the one most requested by audiences for revival.

Your wish, etc...

All shows at bristololdvic.org.uk

2, 8, 15 January

REACT Bristol Improv Theatre’s new series responds creatively to the

challenges of social distancing in live performance. improvtheatre.co.uk

6 January

SING-A-LONG-A THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Get your Hugh Jackman on as you sing along lustily to one of the biggest musicals of our time; at Hippodrome, atgtickets.com

7 January-28 February

THE GREAT GATSBY See page 22; thewardrobetheatre.com

8 January

ROMESH RANGANATHAN THE CYNIC’S MIXTAPE The Asian Provocateur returns with a selection of all the things he has found unacceptable since his last tour; Hippodrome, atgtickets.com

HAIRSPRAY Baltimore, 1962. Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to dance her way onto national TV . . .

At Hippodrome, atgtickets.com

OTHER Ongoing

BRISTOL FESTIVAL OF IDEAS The programme of online events continues; see list at ideasfestival.co.uk

19 January

TOM ROSENTHAL Gently epic, whimsical ballads from ‘Britain’s best unknown songwriter’, who despite having five alb ms to his name only started playing live last year. Trinity; trinitybristol.org.uk

24 January

Until 3 January

GROMIT UNLEASHED: THE GRAND ADVENTURE The last few days at Cribbs Causeway; grandappeal.org.uk

18 January

ROSS NOBLE: HUMOURNOID What happens when pure comedy takes human form? What happens when a creature is created and bred to do stand-up? Nobody knows because that isn’t a thing. What is a thing is Ross Noble doing a show. This is it.

Hippodrome, atgtickets.com

CARY GRANT COMES HOME An online talk and Q&A (held on the day that Cary was born in orfield, in 1 0 abo t Cary Grant, The Making of a Hollywood Legend – a new biography by Mark Glancy, based on unprecedented access to personal papers and memorabilia; carycomeshome.co.uk ■

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

inding yo r fitness

Looking for a new year exercise regime you can actually stick to?

The F45 coaches make it easier than you might think...

W

e all know that exercise is good for us, but actually creating a workout routine is often easier said than done – especially around resolution time.

F45 is a fitness studio in central Bristol offering 45-minute cardio and resistance workouts under the watchful eye of their expert coaches. We asked them, and some of their members, for advice on finding a health habit that sticks.

ENJOY YOUR EXERCISE “Try lots of new things to find a way of exercising that you enjoy. You might find something you love that you never thought you could do before, and the more you move in a way that feels good, the more likely you are to keep moving for life.” Coach Carly

TRY TO BE CONSISTENT “In lockdown I was travelling a lot less for work, so I was able to stick to a more regular workout schedule. The consistency gave me such a buzz and had a hugely positive effect on both my physical and mental wellbeing – I’m going to make it a priority now, even as life gets busier again.” Mehjabeen, F45 member

F IS FOR FUNCTIONAL “The F in F45 stands for ‘functional’ – our workouts are all designed to help you move better every day, allowing you to make the most out of life. There are loads of other longterm benefits as well, from feeling part of a community to relieving stress. Reflect on what’s most important to you – remembering it every time you exercise will motivate you to make it part of your lifestyle.” Coach Will

ASK FOR ADVICE “Trying a new type of exercise can seem scary, especially if you think you’re not ‘fit’. I needn’t have worried – the coaches were so welcoming and

focused on my form and technique to keep me safe and help me feel confident.” Dan, F45 member

SET SOME GOALS “Hitting the fitness targets I’d set with Coach Jess was a huge moment for me, and not just because of the physical achievement – it felt really good to be able to do things that I couldn’t do before.” Anjali, F45 member

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF “Health isn’t just about the hard work you put into movement and exercise. Your body is precious – treat it with love and care. Eating a varied and nutritious diet, trying to get goodquality sleep and taking rest days will help you to feel good in the long-term.” Coach Rhi If you’re not sure where to start with nutrition, The F45 Challenge helps you to learn more about whole health, including food, exercise and wellbeing. Our next 45-day Challenge will be starting on 18 January – get in touch if you’d like to know more. ■

Find out more about F45 at: f45training.com/bristolcentral, or follow them on Instagram @f45_bristolcentral www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 21

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

ALL THAT JAZZ

It’s Gatsby, but not as you know him. Forget all the Luhrmann glitz; for The Wardrobe’s return to live theatre next month, they’ve boldly taken on the Great American Novel with a twowoman cast…

Words by Deri Robins Main image by Adam Maida www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 23

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obody captured America’s gaudy, hedonistic Roaring Twenties more vividly than F Scott Fitzgerald. By the time he came to write The Great Gatsby in 1925, he was already the no cial poet la reate of the a ge a phrase he d coined himself, for a collection of short stories published three years earlier. t hile it s it gerald s evocation of the da ling parties that everyone remembers those OTT weekend-long raves awash with illegal boo e, here flappers mingled ith movie stars, politicians and gangsters atsby is, at its sombre heart, a mystery, a tale of obsessive love, and a modern day reek tragedy. t st nine chapters long, it s easy to nderrate indeed, on release the critics were lukewarm, and by the time Fitzgerald died in 1940 the book as o t of print. he reat epression had the nation in its grip the partygoers had sobered p, and ere craving gritter literary fare. espite this temporary fall from grace, Gatsby was not merely rediscovered by a new generation, but has come to be regarded as the reat merican ovel. hro gh pitch perfect, evocative prose, Fitzgerald simultaneously nailed the American dream and revealed its rotten core. ay atsby is the poor mid est boy ho becomes a millionaire, only to find that his money can b y him nothing of orth least of all, the love of the oman he idolises. he book has been filmed five times, and fre ently adapted for the stage. The most recent director is Tom Brennan, who not only plans to p t atsby s orld on the tiny in the ro nd a ditori m of he ardrobe heatre, b t to devise it ith a cast of st t o female actors, esse eado s and amsin rtado larke. irst o , asked om if he d ever seen a s ccessf l dramatisation of the book. he one loved as by an merican theatre company called levator epair ervice, says om. t as called Gatz. t asn t even really an adaptation instead, they st decided to stage the hole book. t as almost eight ho rs long, and as tterly mesmerising. ve never seen a film version partic larly liked, hich is maybe

24 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

orrying. he problem, g ess, is that there are so many brilliant little moments that make the novel so good, the trick becomes choosing the right bits and finding a ay to depict them on stage. he ardrobe nsemble and he ardrobe heatre have al ays wanted to put really big stories and moments on stage. But that said, something that annoyed me abo t the recent a rhman film as that the thing felt like one big party. t as all glit , colo r and sparkle. t hat makes the novel so fantastic is its melancholic heart. t s all the iet, eird, fragile moments in bet een the dr nken celebrations. onestly, m a bit orried abo t depicting atsby s first party. t s been so long, ve forgotten hat parties are like he shape and style of the theatre, says om, are really important. love p tting on sho s in this ven e. he ay that the a dience s rro nds the stage. itting in the space, yo re totally a are of them. his year it s become the only thing ve missed abo t theatre that e re

THE BIG INTERVIEW all in the same space, experiencing something together.”

Jesse Meadows agrees. “The Wardrobe is such an intimate space,” she says. “It’s a pleasure to make a show here.

Gatsby feels perfect for a play in this time; we have been starved of ‘liveness’ for so long that we really want our audience to feel connected to the performance and relish the ride. The challenge will be creating the same atmosphere as in previous shows, but without going within two metres of each other or the audience.”

Hence the tiny two-woman cast, with both performers multi-roling all the parts.

“This is primarily down to social distancing, but we hope the physical limitation will unlock some new creative avenues for us,” says Tom. “It will be a challenge to have performers onstage who are unable to touch, but it will encourage us to explore new styles and techniques.

“The casting of two women felt like an exciting move. No-one has done a two-woman Gatsby before (we think!) – it’s something, new, exciting and unknown, which is a wonderful place to be, and hopefully an intriguing proposition for audiences.”

I tell Tom that I don’t exactly associate Wardrobe shows with enormous reverence; texts tend to be playfully adapted and delivered tongue-in-cheek. So will this be also true of their Gatsby?

“Yes and no. We’re always looking for ways to connect to the material of the sho , and that s often thro gh h mo r. t this definitely on t

be part of The Wardrobe Theatre Christmas canon. Which means, I guess, it won’t be quite so rude. We won’t be treating The Great Gatsby like a perfect holy text, but as a plaything. We want to push and pull it, and see what comes out. We want to treat it like something owned by us all. It’s our job to make it feel like a living story.”

Tom’s also excited to be working once again with musician Tom Crosley-Thorne.

“We’ve worked with Tom a bunch in the past, most notably on Rocky Shock Horror and 1972: The Future of Sex. He’s a musical genius; he can really do any kind of style, which is quite daunting! At the moment the score could go in any direction, but we’ve been talking a lot about the music we associate with our youth, nostalgia, memory and what it sounds like to be drunk.”

We all think we ‘know’ Gatsby. Did anything surprise Tom when he came to reread the book with a view of adapting it for the stage?

“There’s something very prescient in the novel about making and re-making your identity,” he says. “Everyone is so aware of being watched, of being perceived by those around them. So they perform. imilarly, there s something in there abo t the flexibility of tr th.

Characters and events shift and change throughout the novel. Nick Carraway is such an interesting unreliable narrator for this story.

“Let’s just say there’s a lot of fake news, which I didn’t pick up on before . . .” ■

“We won’t be treating Gatsby like a perfect holy text, but as a plaything. We want to push and pull it, and see what comes out”

OPPOSITE, TOP: Tom Brennan; BELOW: The Wardrobe has never shied

away from putting big stories on a small stage

THIS PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Jesse and Tamsin

MEET THE CAST

Wardrobe Ensemble fans may well have seen Jesse on stage; falling off a school roof dressed as Ginger Spice, perhaps, or as an awkward 70s teenager discovering her sexuality. Tamsin is one half of her own highly acclaimed Bristol-based theatre company, Popelei. She’s toured her onewoman shows Manuelita and Push to The Wardrobe Theatre, as well as starring in Theatre Ad Infinitum’s tour of Bucket List.

THE WARDROBE THEATRE AND THE WARDROBE ENSEMBLE: A POTTED HISTORY FOR THE EASILY CONFUSED First of all, what’s the difference?

“Very good question!” says Jesse.

“Apologies for the name confusion – we had no idea that both organisations would still exist 10 years on.

“The theatre company (The Wardrobe Ensemble) started in 2010 as a year-long training project, and the venue (The Wardrobe Theatre) as a three-month experiment. The Wardrobe Ensemble was born out of piloting the Bristol Old Vic Young Company graduate programme, Made In Bristol, which is also now in its 10th year.

“We were brought together to train two

days a week in devised, collaborative theatremaking, as a route into the industry. We were given a week run in the BOV studio where we performed our first show, Riot, and decided to fundraise to take it to Edinburgh Fringe.

It proved a surprise hit, and we realised we didn’t want to stop working together. Fifteen shows and many adventures later, and we never have.

“Meanwhile, The Wardrobe Theatre started its life in the same year above a pub on St Michael’s Hill, where we persuaded the landlord to let us convert their tiny storage room into a performance space.

“Bristol is an incredibly vibrant, creative city, and we felt there was a space needed for a local theatre hub; encouraging artists and audiences to take risks, play and experiment

and be as accessible and approachable a venue as possible. It just grew from there.

“A few of us ran it voluntarily for five years before we outgrew the space and went into partnership with The Old Market Assembly to create our beautiful Wardrobe Theatre venue, encompassing the same spirit but with double the capacity. Although both were founded alongside each other, by some of the same fresh-faced, energised creatives, The Wardrobe Theatre is a static venue while The Wardrobe Ensemble is an associate theatre company, devising, performing and touring work to a whole range of national venues, including sometimes, and most proudly, The Wardrobe Theatre.”

For more: thewardrobetheatre.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 25

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THE YEAR OF LOCAL Lockdown. Your mission, if you chose to accept it, was to keep going. There was a lot of sitting on sofas. Taking up hobbies. And from that position, you could be a hero. No capes required… Words and pictures by Colin Moody 26 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

2020 HEROES

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e learned pretty fast.

To just pick up our phones, and support that local shop that always mattered to you so much, but which you used to take for granted.

Essential suppliers like bakers, if you were lucky enough to have one on your street, could still be physically visited, two metres apart, in snaking order along the kerb – but many had to shut, and relied on us to walk our fingers over to their ebsite or pick p the phone. ome local places started to do deliveries, and for food lovers the swish-swish of a biker’s waterproof trousers approaching their front door was how they knew that DIY roast dinner from their favourite pub was arriving.

In so many ways last year, we had to answer the ‘shop local’ call. And if you did, then those businesses, especially the ones with the chairs stacked on tables for eight months, just might keep the dream alive.

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knocked this graphic p d ring the first days of lockdown 1.0, to remember the traders and customers I’d met making my book The Great Bristol High Street.

There have been losses there; but so many of you have supported them. Can we keep developing that model which we need to showcase our city: live local, love local, shop local ome say the lockdo n rea akened o r connection to all things on our street, but not everyone had a loaf of sourdough a stone’s throw away. My hope is that the enforced switch from 9 to 5 in air-conditioned o ces, ith a plastic flat sand ich and bottle of pop for lunch, to home shopping and all local things rediscovered local will be the beginning of a new Bristol success story. e fight here e choose to bite.

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Lockdown came down like a hammer. “You must stay at home” – and there was Boris talking to you like the naughty kid in school. And so it started. One hour of permitted physical exercise a day. o began my street photography walks. Others who snap had the same idea, and there were some hopeful series made of people in their windows and doorways looking out. This art gave us such a lift. ent for my first alk past sda in edminster, and met this fella. I don’t know if he could hear me in there when I asked him for a photo, and I didn’t want to delay him for more than a few seconds before he went to join the queue, but I do salute those who found that full-face respirator and underwent a particulate-free shopping experience for the first time in their lives. hy a hero think it helped to mark how serious this all was, and drew a line to say that these days would never be forgotten, and neither should your mask. Whoever you were, thanks for the wake-up call.

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very dystopian film abo t a pandemic recking havoc always seem to feature empty streets with old posters peeling o the alls, ith odd bits of gra ti blended in with the rips and weather-worn shreds. But during our 2020 lockdowns, the posters kept going up.

Fresh licks of wallpaper paste, new things to see and think about. The only printed art many of us saw on the daily street gallery. Thank you, pasting heroes. You, the small silent army, kept us aware of some local wonders.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 27

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With your one-hour daily exercise used up, and if you had no garden, you might have joined the growing trend during those sunny warm early weeks of adopting a doorstep lifestyle. Here, a neighbour just chilled in the sun. Next door, the women from the house share turned their front patio into the suntanning paradise it always had the potential to be.

These heroes seen by us passers-by changed forever our perception of where to look for happiness during lockdown. We were creating a hybrid of home life blended with Dunkirk and a lot of holiday vibes. We were saving lives and topping up our tan. We were locking down and keeping our mental health in check. Doing little favours for neighbours, checking in on each other.

Not add-ons in 2020. They were at the core.

Watch out in summer 2021. My bet is those front garden hang outs will come back. We found a bit of our old mojo there. And the rules of psychogeography are that here e find o r happy place, e ret rn, e b ild on that. The revolution starts at the front door.

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We’ve repped local. Had to. That’s our big thing here.

A city you can walk in a day. But even in the chains, the ones who make their workers put up the Christmas decorations earlier each year (this was a well-known co ee chain on 1 ovember those people in there are still Bristolians. Just this little moment I liked. And there goes the first sno flake on the glass. nd st a little shift from the energy from normal to something di erent.

Did we need Christmas in 2020? Did it mean more?

Just when they announced the vaccine news, up went the stars and flakes. id it feel special f yo fo nd time to deck the halls, add laminate to windows, you were part of that, oui?

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I let my hair go wild in lockdown 1.0. Had a home haircut buzzed to military standards, and that kept me sane. But for those waiting for tin-foil treatments, it was a long wait. To the army of hairdressers and barbers who had to deal with all our DIY mess-ups, I salute you.

Bleach-brush army. Thank you.

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“We were creating a hybrid of home life blended with Dunkirk and a lot of holiday vibes.

We were saving lives and topping up our tan” 28 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

2020 HEROES

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He said he’d not worked in a while.

The show must go on.

To the Bristol Old Vic and all the other venues who gave us shows on our screens, thank you.

I suspect our culture will need a lot more love in the future to get back on its feet.

The government advert asked ballerinas to retrain into cyber. Did you try the online government retraining game thing? One friend whose pub was almost lost after months of nothing took a few stabs at it, and up came ‘actor’.

Another great use of government spending there.

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If there was one hero in 2020 it was the NHS. As we stitch our economy back together over the next 30 years, we need to remember who it was that stitched us back, who fed us the oxygen of life. We will never get back what we lost, but can we now, at least, not lose the NHS? Can we make 2020 count as we adjust priorities ife, liberty and happiness. t the first of these is life. The NHS, with 50 millions rainbows in the indo s across the land, comes first. nd e, the people, have the power to do something to show our support just as the hot air starts to emit once more.

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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

7 8 www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 29

EMILY & DAN ROSS STORYSMITH BOOKS

ot o the press To welcome the new year, Dan and Emily choose three soon-to-be-released novels destinated to make literary waves in 2021

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e try to stay organised as best we can, but sometimes we’re tested.

Alongside the very welcome avalanche of book-buying customers in the shop, this Christmas delivered unto us a whole new level of multitasking challenges as e restled ith keeping sta and customers safe during this most unusual of festive seasons. Despite our worries to the contrary, we’re happy to report that everyone was impeccably courteous, understanding and patient. So if you braved the queues and placed stack after stack of books on our counter, we love you, and well done on supplying your friends and family with excellent presents.

One thing we did manage to squeeze in amid the chaos was some early reading of some forthcoming books to get excited about in 2021.

Occasional priority access to some tasty upcoming titles is a perk of being a bookseller, and we’re already slightly too excited about what this year

has in store for book-lovers.

Here are three that we’ve read, loved and will be heartily evangelising this year.

e re e innin 202 e pectin to e challen ed educated and e en sli htly scared y our readin aterial

little scratch, by Rebecca Watson (published 14 January) Flicking through the pages of Rebecca Watson’s idiosyncratic novel is an experience in itself; lines of prose are seemingly chopped up and laid out alongside one another, arranged into shapes that give it the appearance of a textbook riddled with misprints. It is, in fact, a gently experimental novel, a quiet story of a young woman living in London, but all experienced in a continuous stream of thoughts and half-thoughts throughout the course of a single day.

Luster, by Raven Leilani (published 21 January) We have a sneaking suspicion that Raven Leilani’s debut novel is going to dominate conversation this year. It is that most unique of books that publishers (and booksellers) dream of selling: one that treads the fine line bet een accessible and tho ght provoking without the need for diluting either aspect. Edie is a black woman in her twenties who embarks pon an a air ith a married hite man two decades her senior, and it’s fair to say that from this point, things become intensely, terribly, painfully awkward for all concerned, including Eric’s wife and daughter. Big themes are tackled in this small story, of race, tolerance and self-esteem, but also some supremely comic set pieces. All the forthcoming plaudits are well-deserved.

Barely any punctuation, vertiginous clatterings of words down the page, eyebrow-furrowing language puzzles to solve: it might sound like high-minded hard work, but little scratch (no capitals in the title, by the way) is actually a tender and ingenious book that will subtly rewire your reading brain, thanks to its inventive presentation.

Brown Baby, by Nikesh Shukla (published 4 February) It might feel slightly wrong to leach warmth and comfort from a book that deals so frankly with grief, structural racism and the broken aspects of our society, but Bristol’s very own Nikesh Shukla imb es his first memoir ith h manity and, crucially, humour. Written partly as a letter to his daughters, ro n a y details in ravaged slowmotion the grind of early parenthood, the guilt of bringing children into a world that has already dged them, and ith candid reflection the pain of losing loved ones.

Without a doubt it’s a whole family that made this book, but it’s Shukla alone who has observed, processed and lived the many facets of that family into this remarkable document.

No-one is wishing for a rerun of 2020, but if we can take one thing from last year then we hope it’s a little more time spent reading. We’re beginning 2021 as we do every year: expecting to be challenged, comforted, educated and even slightly scared by our reading material. We hope you are too. torys ith is no open at orth treet .storys ith ooks.co

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 31

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ON THE RADIO KAM KELLY

Happy New Normal!

Will 2021 turn out better than 2020? To be fair, it doesn’t have especially big boots to fill . . .

I

am well aware that it’s way too early to call it, b t m saying that 2021 is going to be a great year.

To be fair, it doesn’t have partic larly big shoes to fill. ased on 2020, think even 1 o ld be considered a better year. st in case yo re nclear as to hy 1 may be considered a relatively sad year in the grand scheme of things, it s beca se e, as a nation, voluntarily put Cotton Eye Joe at Number 1. We voluntarily contin ed to do so for the following two weeks. If there was ever a time when we would have

longed to have put a mask over a group’s mouth, 1995 would have been it. Did I say mask? I meant gag. t s a fine line.

I think 2021 is going to be great for the likes of me. I don’t think there are many of us, but did have to look p the o cial term for someone like me and I found it – and no it’s not the word you’re thinking of (that said, my mum wasn’t married when she had me so maybe I am one of those too). The word is, in fact, halitophobic. he fear and phobia of other people’s bad breath.

So I have been loving this whole mask thing; and that c lt re looks set to contin e

“ ‘I have to go and see so-andso’ suddenly became ‘I’m going to see so-and-so’. No longer an obligation, but an opportunity.

A privilege”

thro gho t the first part of 2021 at the very least. Fine by me. hen of co rse there ere those little beauties over the bridge at ardi niversity ho discovered that mo th ash can kill ovid ithin 0 seconds.

So to them, I raise a glass. Or at the very least, a cap f ll of mouthwash. ring the first lockdo n of 2020, it emerged that more and more people started exploring ays of changing their lives, from s itching career paths to relocating. hey began entertaining thoughts that they probably hadn’t had time to consider hen they ere orking all day, then dealing with family and/or pub life on any given evening. So I guess I’m hopeful that people take that new horizon mentality with them in to 2021.

Why not? n a ay, the restrictions e all end red together forced pon s some obvio sly, m ch needed time. Isn’t it better to have realised that you don’t have to stay where you are, professionally or geographically, st beca se you’re already there? And isn’t it better to work that out now, rather than when it’s too late?

I also think, or at least hope, that 2021 will be the year where e embrace those people e

don’t get to see that often, and look for ard to the o rney e make to go see them, rather than tolerate it. t s st little n ances in sentence str ct re that noticed after the first lockdo n “I have to go and see family member/old friend” suddenly became m going to see family member/old friend”. No longer an obligation, but now more an opportunity. A privilege. part from the occasional exception to the r le, think people became a lot nicer to, ell, people. Generally, folk doing right by other folk is rarely going to sell papers, be the lead story on the ne s or go viral on social the ugliness in people tends to do that. t have seen people exercising a lot more co rtesy and respect to strangers in the street, in a shop or at a bus stop than I remember from the latter part of 2019 or early 2020.

In short (too late for that), I hope yo ll oin me, at a safe distance, in entering 2021 with a heart full of hope and a mental attit de overflo ing ith positivity.

Happy New Normal!

Catch Kam Kelly’s breakfast show, every weekday from 6am, Sam FM Bristol, 106.5fm

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 33

MEET THE TECH EXPERT The IT crowd tell us about the services they offer, in terms that lesser mortals can just about comprehend. . .

ADVERTISING FEATURE

RYAN PULLEN

TOM CANNON

What is your favourite part of the job?

I first began my career as a digital forensics and incident-response consultant, initially training as a penetration tester – and to be honest, this is still where I get most of my enjoyment from.

There’s nothing more satisfying than helping an organisation with an incident and guiding them through containment and recovery. I’m also a GCHQ certified trainer for advanced cyber security courses; at Stripe OLT we genuinely care about building cyber security awareness, so it’s super satisfying when you see you’re making a change and doing some good.

What sets you apart from others in your sector?

For me, it’s our level of expertise. We only employ qualified and experienced engineers – our security operations team is made up entirely of secondline engineers (which essentially means we use professionals who’ve been working in the industry for years). I’m also very strict about who works on my security team, and we’ve recently onboarded quite a few ex-veterans. The attributes gained in a military position transfer so appropriately to cybersecurity, and because we deal with real threats and real people, we need to make sure we have a team of true professionals behind us.

How can you help with the way Covid has changed the way we all work?

We provide cloud-based IT systems, VPNs, remote desktops and other services such as VoIP. We have helped a huge amount of clients switch from being fully office based, to be able to work from anywhere (home), some organisations have already adapted to permanently working from home.

What can we all do to protect ourselves at home with IT security?

It’s important to make sure that your computers and devices are kept up to date, which may be harder when you’re not in the office. It’s worth regularly checking the antivirus and any backups that should be in place.

How has Covid altered the way you work, professionally and personally?

We have been able to allow staff to choose whether or not to work from home the last few months. A lot of us have realised that we don’t need to be in the office every day.

How can you help with IT security?

We can offer most organisations a free IT audit or review which will highlight any weaknesses.

Please visit www.msbit.co.uk/free-it-audit for more information.

STRIPE OLT 0117 974 5179 www.stripeolt.com

MOORE SW IT 0117 923 9352 www.msbit.co.uk

Ryan Pullen

Tom Cannon

NICK ROGERS

PROLINE BY EXACTA +44 117 351 0000; www.prolinebyexacta.com What is the best part of working in technology?

The best thing about working in technology is the constant advancements of the products we supply, which ultimately enhance our client’s workloads.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

The last nine months has seen our business evolve further than in our first 19 years, and I am ever so proud of what 2020 has delivered.

What does your business specialise in?

We specialise in ultra-high-performance industry-specific computing. We custom-build workstations to handle the most complex workloads in any industry. Scientific. Media.

CAD. VFX. How has Covid altered the way you work and build systems?

Covid has not really changed the way we work, as a manufacturing organisation it’s difficult to do that remotely. Therefore, we have added Covid-safe measures to keep our production team and their families safe, and our office team are working from home.

How has Covid affected your business?

Covid has changed our business and the way we work in one way; we have seen unprecedented growth. Our focus and determination to deliver state-of-the art servers and workstations has come from total belief and drive to succeed through a global pandemic.

The pandemic has changed a lot of things, but what tool have you found most useful that you did not use before?

Through the pandemic we have implemented a new MIS and production system which has changed the way all my staff work. We

also use Teams, which allows much simpler communication between staff and our customers. Changing the way we work for the better.

Technology is constantly changing the world around us; how does your business adapt to stay relevant?

Our relationship with our vendors are incredibly important to keep us at the forefront of cuttingedge innovation. For example, we are one of only 20 Intel Titanium Partners in Europe.

What sets you apart from others in your sector?

What sets us apart from any of our competitors is the way we work with our customers to understand their needs and to produce a workstation that delivers unparalleled performance, unbelievable reliability and is fully optimised for industry-specific workloads.

How long have you worked in this sector?

In 1988 I worked for an American computer company in Bristol, until I set up Exacta Technologies in 2001. I have worked in technology for over 31 years.

What is your main goal for 2021, professionally?

2020 was about securing the business and changing the way we produce and work as a team. With an increase of 100% growth since 2019 we now have the challenge of 2021 giving us the same amount of growth. The goal is to make Proline the go to technology platform.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 35

ADVERTISING FEATURE EMILY HILL

STEPHEN JONES

What is your favourite part of the job?

Getting to know our clients. I find it fascinating to learn about how different businesses operate, and I love to be creative about how we can solve problems using technology.

Technology is constantly changing the world around us; how can businesses adapt to stay relevant?

Technology can help a business in so many ways that it can be bewildering to know where to start.

It’s important for a business to understand where their customers are right now, how their worlds have changed, and how to adapt in order to serve them. But I suspect there are also many businesses that could be using technologies in ways they’ve not even thought of, and reap huge rewards as a result. It’s exciting to help a client build up a roadmap of changes they can implement and to see the impact of that over time.

What does your business specialise in?

Ghyston specialises in writing bespoke software that is designed around the goals of the business and has a measurable return on investment. We rarely write a piece of software and say goodbye – instead we build long-term partnerships with our clients and love to see their businesses flourish.

What is your favourite part of the job?

It’s a real privilege to produce award-winning cloud software that helps growing businesses all over the world be more productive when making, managing and moving their products. I also love the people, we’re a fun bunch. When we’re not at home, we’re in Beacon Tower... or Spain - the location for our winter party last year.

What sets you apart from others in your sector?

An obsession around user experience and using a shedload of tech helping our SMB underdogs punch above their weight.

How has Covid-19 affected the business you work for?

We poured our focus into efforts to help our struggling customers. We offered subscription relief, free live chat support and set up a global online marketplace in seven days to help our customers find new customers www. goodproductsmatter.com The pandemic has changed a lot of things, but what tool have you found most useful that you didn’t use before?

At Unleashed our business is solving problems and we lost the ability to troubleshoot problems face to face.

Loom www.loom.com enables our teams to share their challenges visually, on demand.

GHYSTON 0117 325 7500 www.ghyston.com

DAVID KELLY

STORM CONSULTANCY 01225 580500 www.stormconsultancy.co.uk What is your favourite part of the job?

I enjoy working with business leaders and entrepreneurs to unpack their digital/ technical business ideas. I get excited by opportunities that others bring to us to collaborate on. Usually people who have spotted an opportunity have a lot of energy and it’s fun working with them.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

36 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

UNLEASHED www.unleashedsoftware.com

Emily Hill

Stephen Jones

Storm has invested and partnered in a portfolio of businesses. We are proud of our work with the life science data company. Our technology saves its industry $1bn per year.

We also helped create one of the UK’s fastest growing e-learning platforms. Recently, I am most proud of Co-forest. It’s our first notfor-profit, and it helps like minded businesses and individuals to offset their carbon footprint.

How has Covid altered the way you work, professionally and personally?

Working remotely has been a relatively easy transition as we’re a digitally capable team.

However, the team at Storm like to be handson and face-to-face with clients, so we’ve had to get creative in how we bring that ‘in person experience’ during a lockdown. We sent our clients pies to enjoy as they would if they were visiting us. We’ve also managed to do some Zoom socials, and even sent pizza to the team to enjoy.

How has Covid affected your business?

We are really fortunate to work in tech because everything has had to go online, making us very busy. Lots of people are spotting new gaps in the market, or they need to adapt to these times with their current business. We’re helping them take advantage of the Covid era, and become more resilient.

The pandemic has changed a lot of things, but what tool have you found most useful that you didn’t use before?

We were already highly flexible and digital, so we’ve not added much to our arsenal. However,

as for most people, Zoom is the tool that has been used far more than before – generally we’re a face-to-face sort of company.

Technology is constantly changing the world around us; how does your business adapt to stay relevant?

We’re the ones building that change in tech!

We always try to stay a step or two ahead of the leading edge, so that we can pass that knowledge onto our clients and partners. Nothing gives us more joy than seeing others take a big leap forward and be there to support them.

What does your business specialise in?

Working with startups and scaleups to design and develop digital and technology, which helps their businesses to grow and thrive.

What sets you apart from others in your sector?

We don’t just build digital technology for our clients. We are there from an initial idea, which we help them develop and solidify, right through to watching their company launch and thrive. We don’t like to be seen as a company you outsource your tech to, but rather a partner where we are invested in your success and celebrate your milestones.

What is your main goal for 2021, professionally?

Growing Co-forest (no pun intended) is something I’m really looking forward to doing.

We aim to start planting in autumn 2021 and we’ve had some great traction to date. We’d also like to add 20% to the Storm team to meet demands for upcoming projects.

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VASSILIS SEFERIDIS

ZEETTA NETWORKS info@zeetta.com; www.zeetta.com What is your favourite part of the job?

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated in the most dramatic way the importance of network connectivity to people’s lives. What excites me most about my job is the opportunity to work with very intelligent and ambitious people who aspire to change the word by building smarter networks. By smarter networks I mean networks which are cost efficient, sustainable and flexible and where resources can be re-programmed on-demand.

These networks are controlled by software tools, such as those developed by Zeetta, to enable them to reach levels of function and utilisation never before possible.

Most importantly, these networks must be based on open standards so they can easily integrate new technologies and solutions from third parties to deliver a better experience to everyone. Our vision is to create such a diverse and inclusive open environment where creativity, innovation and invention can flourish.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

The 5G-ENCODE is a £9 million collaborative project that delivers a private 5G private network in the National Composites Centre (NCC). The key objective

of the project is to demonstrate the value of 5G in an industrial setting. Partially funded by DCMS, as part of their 5G testbeds and trials programme, the project represents one of the UK government’s biggest investment in 5G for manufacturing to date.

What does your business specialise in?

Zeetta provides software automation tools that simplify network operations for a better monitoring, control and management of complex enterprise networks. Our software brings together all network devices under a unified control, regardless of vendor or type of technology, so you can manage even the most complex network in an easy and efficient way.

What sets you apart from others in your sector?

Zeetta Networks spun out from the University of Bristol to commercialise the university’s worldleading research in high-performance networks.

So far, the company has attracted substantial investment and worldwide recognition across the industry for its innovative technology and, has been awarded several awards and accolades including the prestigious ‘Cool Vendor’ title from Gartner in 2019.

JIM MORRISON

ELLIOT MACE

ONESUB jim@onesub.io; www.onesub.io What is your mission?

I am on a mission to fix the way we read the news. Moving journalism to the ‘attention economy’ has probably done more to dent the progress of human civilisation than anything else. We cannot fix our climate, our social inequalities or the current slide towards authoritarianism while there are so many huge companies profiting from spreading fake news and disinformation. We’re working to give people a better way to pay for and consume real news.

Technology is constantly changing the world around us.

What impact has it had on what you’re trying to do?

My 20 years in the industry has taught me that while technology has the power to rapidly reshape the world, it’s really only acting as an amplifier. Today’s problems with fake news have always been there. What technology has done is to industrialise the practice of keeping people’s attention; the real problems stem from the fact that platforms like Facebook and YouTube have discovered hate and discord keeps people hooked more effectively than anything else.

What is your main goal for 2021, professionally?

2021 is the year we launch our main news platform.

We’ve been showing the world just a fraction of what our AI is capable of. We’re working to give everyone a safe, personalised and balanced feed of news that helps them really know what matters. I can’t explain how excited we are to show people what we’ve created after two long, hard years of work.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I think what keeps me going is realising that there are so very many people out there who are desperate for what we’re building. The feedback we get is so enthusiastic and universally positive.

BLACKSTAR SOLUTIONS LTD 0333 123 2 123 www.blackstarsolutions.co.uk How has Covid altered the way you work, professionally and personally?

I travel a lot less – at home we’ve gone down to one hybrid car as two cars are just not needed. I am much more productive holding video calls rather than travelling.

Meetings can happen at short notice with all parties involved. Recording meetings is also fantastic for poor note-takers like me, and for anyone who can’t make the live meeting. Conversely, there’s video call fatigue – you need to give yourself a break and learn to value your time when asked to join meetings. Is it really necessary?

The pandemic has changed a lot of things; how has it affected the way that businesses communicate?

This subject has been of immense interest to us! Pre-Covid we found some clients to be generally reluctant to join video meetings, now it seems 99% of people are very comfortable with it. We do see a lot of businesses who still have not addressed the needs of home workers. It is abundantly clear that home working is here to stay and thus it’s vital for Bristol businesses to move to cloud-based services to allow their people to be effective from any location.

Technology is constantly changing the world around us; how does your business adapt to stay relevant?

Blackstar constantly reviews the marketplace for emerging trends. For example, we have been providing Business Voice (Phone System) in Microsoft Teams for nearly three years, since long before it became a ‘thing’. Often our evolution is driven by a customer need which has seen us bring on board new partners to provide a full service wrap to clients.

Jim Morrison

Elliot Mace

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 37

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38 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

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CARLESS WHISPERS

Long-time readers of Bristol Life will remember Nick Raistrick as the dude who created the Get the Easton Look Facebook page and then turned it into a book. A very funny one. Now he’s published a second book, called The Bicycle Clip Diaries.

Bet you can’t guess what this one’s about . . .

40 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

“He travelled to Colombia to experience ciclovía, and found his path blocked by an illegal guinea pig race”

I

CYCLING

was helping my Dad clear out his garage in Middlesbrough, when I found an envelope addressed to me in my Granddad’s handwriting. He’s been dead for more than a decade, so I was naturally curious. It contained two items; a pair of bicycle clips, and a 1937 guide to Japan.”

Thus began Nick’s quest. A search for meaning. On sensible bicycles.

Such as the traditional ‘Black Mamba’ he bought in Tanzania, which took him through Maasai country, or the mamachari he rode on the beaches of Zanzibar while avoiding dog-sized crabs.

He travelled to Colombia to experience ciclovía, and found his path blocked by an illegal guinea pig race. He admired the customised Rasta BMXs of the Caribbean coast, and found that gears can be quite useful in the Andes. He accidentally ended up on dual carriageways and in Nuneaton Wetherspoons; got caught in storms in the Peak District and the North York Moors; and followed in the pedal prints of Iggy Pop and avid o ie in erlin. n apan he as shocked to find that they ride on the pavement; got stressed about Donald Trump in a Zen museum, but found inner peace in a capsule hotel in Tokyo. It was a non-linear quest.

Which, incidentally, took in the Bristol and Bath railway path…

EXCERPT FROM THE BICYCLE CLIP DIARIES

It’s a Friday morning, and Denise, Charlotte and I are heading out on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path. With unlimited time at our disposal, I could have possibly cycled all the way to Berlin, instead of cycling from ristol to righton first, then flying the rest of the ay from Gatwick. I haven’t even mentioned the bicycle clips to them at this stage, or that I’m on a quest.

It’s just a regular trip, and they have to go to work on Monday, but even this relatively modest low-grade, straight-line microadventure has puts us all in a good mood within minutes of striking out from Bristol.

The B2B is glorious; it follows the route of an old Midland Railway branch line, closed by the Beeching cuts to the rail networks in the 1960s. It’s leafy and carless and one of my favourite places to cycle.

It’s a mixed-use path, but at this time of the morning there are few people walking. They wouldn’t dare, because during the rush hour, it becomes a motorway for cyclists. The route has become incredibly popular; but there are only two lanes, so you are exposed to oncoming tra c as faster cyclists overtake slo er riders.

Most people are heading from Bath to Bristol, but we are going the other way. Some of the riders coming against us look military in their demeanour. With grim-faced determination, some of the oncoming cyclists seem to bear down on us in waves. Some have underestimated their overtaking manoeuvre and weave in suddenly when they reach us. Others just don’t care that they have invaded our hypothetical lane space. It’s the cycling equivalent of manspreading I suppose. It’s only a handful of riders who treat other path-users with the contempt that skaters might d ring the speed skaters only slot, b t it has a big e ect

RIGHT: Nick Raistrick, en famille

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 41

The Bristol to Bath cycle path (or, as Bath people probably think of it, the Bath to Bristol path)

on the vibe. You’re going to work, so why the hurry, I think to myself. ollo ed by the g ilty reflection that ve been kno n to go pretty fast on this path do ride like that erhaps the bicycle clips ere meant to teach me a lesson. lo do n. as once alking on the path ith someone ho as deliberately p shed o t of the ay by a cyclist, apparently for taking p too m ch room. e eren t, as it happens, and they ere riding t o abreast. t speed ins. e fitted the o ender profile perfectly middle aged male, road bike, lycra. is lack of bell shaving seconds o his personal best, no do bt. n contrast, harlotte has never ridden more than 0 miles in a day. er bike is a sensible, s bstantial and s rprisingly heavy hybrid. he doesn t ear cycle specific clothing at all. n fact, her last bike as covered in foil as an anti theft meas re. enise looks the most professional of the three of s and rides a annondale, a fast road bike ith drop handlebars. he ears tight cycling shorts, and has her armin cycle comp ter hich ill provide s ith a ro te. aken together, e look a bit ridic lo s, partic larly as m riding a rompton. n fact, e don t look like e sho ld be riding together. ycling in ritain has become s ch a tribal activity that seeing s makes people look t ice. e do not look like a peloton. e are the cycling e ivalent of a priest taking a alk ith a skinhead and a deep sea diver. am a are that the rompton is a controversial choice in some arters. ome people think these little folders are the cycling e ivalent of the ini, and a stylish, feelgood ritish made design classic, at home on the ings oad, and a man fact ring s ccess story to boot. t there are many more people, incl ding cyclists, ho despise them, ith a deeply held passion. rists don t think they are real bicycles at all, and rail against their tiny heels and slightly heelchair aesthetics. on cyclists think they are overpriced novelties for the rban sm g, elitist metropolitan ho probably ork for the . t ca ses some people f rther rage that mine is covered in leopard print d ct tape. y thinking behind this, is that anybody contemplating

its theft might not ant to be making o ith something as memorable as a leopard print rompton. f co rse, people ho roll their eyes at a rompton ill probably explode at seeing one c stomised in this ay. en oy their rage. t makes some people smile, too. hey stop to ask abo t it, some asking if it s a limited edition of some kind. ike the rompton, the ail ay ath as an early adopter ith its roots in the 1 0s. eople anted to b ild another road or more ho ses on these dis sed rail ay paths, or possibly skyscrapers accessible by n clear po ered hovercraft, the kind of thing that as seen as normal in those days. he idea that people might ant to alk or ride bicycles a ay from cars as seen by many as dangero s and radical, revol tionary hippy nonsense. t the idea ca ght on, and green corridors here rail ays sed to be have become pop lar aro nd the orld. o hether yo se the igh ine in e ork or the arka rail in orth evon, yo ve got the floppy haired, flary tro sered idealists of the late 1 0s strans campaign to thank. ven the hailand rma eath ail ay has become a cycle path in places. hey are great spaces, for insects, ildflo ers and h mans alike. he 2 is more relaxed at the eekend, s ggesting people are s ering from pre ork f ry. t doesn t take long for s to leave them all behind, the relentless head do n cyclists of the ristol ath rail ay path, hose p rpose and demeano r are so di erent from o r o n. efore long e are heading onto ycle o te 2 , open co ntryside and roads no . t s only miles to o r irbnb, and cycling thro gh trees and fields on a car free path is made all the more delicio s kno ing that e don t have to go to ork. t feels like e have b nked o . ■

“We do not look like a peloton. We are the cycling equivalent of a priest taking a walk with a skinhead and a deep-sea diver”

42 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The Bicycle Clip Diaries by Nick Raistrick costs £12.99. For more: nickraistrick.com

ROCKFISH Lockdown: huh.

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing.

Oh, actually – hang on . . .

Words by Deri Robins

44 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

N

ecessity being the mother of invention and all that, and what with chefs being among the most inventive people on the planet, we had an inkling that the hospitality trade would respond to lockdown in a creative and imaginative way. Sure enough, 2020 ushered in what chef Mitch Tonks refers to as the ‘food box revolution’.

“I had boxes from some of my favourite restaurants during lockdown,” says Mitch. “I think there’s something really magical about curating your own meal with a box full of great ingredients and a load of instructions, and being able to serve restaurantquality dishes from your own kitchen.”

A renowned player on the local food scene, Mitch was born in Weston-super-Mare; fond childhood memories include buckets of eels arriving at his grandmother’s back door, and running to collect shrimps from the fishmonger to peel for sand iches. imple,

SPECIAL DELIVERY shared foodie pleasures, which set him on a path to becoming one of the most respected and knowledgeable seafood experts in the country, as well as a restaurateur, chef and author.

He originally made his name with the FishWorks restaurants, which grew into a 13-site-strong chain; Bristol’s Whiteladies Road branch s bse ently changed its name to ockfish, and then to he piny obster. n recent years, itch has chosen to concentrate his e orts on the so th coast, ith a string of acclaimed ockfish and eahorse resta rants.

Normally, we’d hop into the car and head for Devon or Dorset to gorge on his award-winning cuisine, but when ‘normally’ went out of the window, Mitch decided that if we couldn’t go to him, he’d come to us – in the form of his new turbot, scallop and salmon food boxes. ll the fish is freshly ca ght o the rixham coast, fro en immediately and delivered to your door, allowing you to create dinner for two along ith breakfast the next day. he box also comes ith most of the bits and pieces you’ll need to prepare the meals – tartare sauce, garlic butter, seasoning and so forth along ith a bottle of onnix ine, specially created to complement seafood by Mitch, fellow restaurateur Mark Hix and Quinta de la Rosa in ort gal. hat stylish looking label you can see in the photo? esigned by racey min, no less. Apparently she’s one of Mitch’s pals. he recipes come straight from Mitch’s kitchens, allowing you to cook the kind of food that once led Giles Coren to claim that his meal at he eahorse had been the best he d had all year. o nds daunting? It’s anything but. he cooking instr ctions are foolproof, and I can now claim, with no small amount of pride, to have cooked the very best scallop dish I’ve ever tasted, served from my own kitchen.

Not that I can take much credit; it was a doddle. You just pop the scallops into their shells, and top with white wine, garlic butter and soda breadcrumbs, which soak up all the gorgeous juices and thicken the sauce as the butter melts. I could gush over those sweet, buttery, meaty, silky scallops from here to next esday, and still not do them stice. he main co rse is t rbot basically ocean royalty, a beast of a flatfish that yields magnificent bone steaks. gain, it s a straightfor ard roasting job. While the steaks cook, you warm up the tartare sauce; this has a s btle flavo r that s far less over helming than the caper heavy kind yo normally slather over yo r cornershop fish and chips. here s maple c red smoked salmon, too, as a mid co rse dish, to dress with pink pepper and olive oil. Alternatively, you can hold this over ntil breakfast, hen yo ll also be having lfred nderby s smoked haddock, dged by itch to be the finest in the orld. here s a recipe supplied if you fancy turning it into kedgeree, with all the spices re ired to ing it p. lso beca se this tr ly is the box that keeps on giving yo can snack on some of ockfish s o n canned sardines from Mounts Bay. Mitch recommends simply tossing them with some red onions, capers and pickle, and having them on toast with mayonnaise. he ockfish t rbot, scallop and salmon box is so m ch more than st a hamper of fine fish and seafood. t s also a mini cookery co rse, that may embolden you to cook things you’d never considered before; surely I can’t be the only one whose mind had never been crossed by the thought of turbot?

Born out of lockdown, food boxes have been a godsend to chefs and hungry diners everywhere. Will the restaurants continue with them in the post-contagious world? Hope so; we’ve got a real taste for them now. ■

“I can now claim, with no small amount of pride, to have cooked the very best scallop dish I’ve ever tasted”

he ock sh ur ot callop and al on o ith a ottle o onni ine costs and can e deli ered any here in ristol. o order o to therock sh.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45

FOOD

CAN’T COOK, WON’T COOK?

Don’t have the time or inclination to whip up proper home-made meals in your own kitchen? We hear you! Luckily, a small army of talented cooks across Bristol is happy to oblige – and the flavours they bring are truly global

FOOD

I

n our last issue we gave a brief festive shoutout to All About the Cooks – a recently launched online platform that allows talented local home cooks to sell their ‘real food’ to local people.

It struck us as a brilliantly Bristol idea and it left us wanting to learn a bit more. With this in mind, we had a chat with founder Claire Ladkin.

Claire, how did All About The Cooks come about?

I have always been motivated by a mission to eat real food made in kitchens, not products made in factories, and I’m a sucker for a farm shop, food market or honesty box.

Two years ago, I bought a jar of lemon curd, made by volunteers to raise money for Square Food Foundation. Every time I went to the fridge and saw this delicious curd, I started thinking: what if it was equally easy to buy home-cooked food made by talented local people? as also a are that it is very di c lt for people to make money from these skills: working in the food industry is very eekend and evening heavy, and there is financial o tlay and risk involved for people to start their own businesses. I’d expected most of these people would be women, often with circumstances hich make it di c lt for them to earn money in conventional ways – language barriers, cultural barriers, caring and parental responsibilities. I saw the potential not just for a business, but for massively beneficial social impact.

Why is ‘real food’ so important to you?

Giuseppe

Ximena

Mona

Dygu

Mrunal

Nikos

Where? Ashton, via Naples What’s the cooking style? Freshly prepared, authentic Italian

Where? Redland, via Chile What’s the cooking style? South American, authentic Chilean

MEET THE COOKS…

When I turned 50 in 2012, I felt like I’d been sitting on my hands for years. My Here’s just a youngest daughter was settled in sixth flavour of what’s form, and the older girls had left home. I on offer – head made a concerted e ort to elevate the ad to the website hoc work I’d been doing. for more details As part of this, I joined Bristol Food about these Network as a non-exec director. In turn, home chefs, and this led to a more in-depth knowledge of to find out who the food sector. ‘Eat real food’ is one of else is cooking those things that ‘Mum says’ in our house! up a storm in I strongly believe in the value of real your manor food, and by buying meals via All About he ooks, yo don t st benefit from delicious, fresh, ingredients turned into something wonderful, but you also get to hear the story behind your food. It’s food made with love and attention.

Where? Stoke Bishop, via Egypt What’s the cooking style? Authentic Egyptian and Mediterranean

Where? Clifton, via Turkey What’s the cooking style? Authentic Turkish, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean

So, how does the platform work?

It’s very straightforward. You visit the website, put in your postcode, and discover which cooks are making their home-made dishes in your area. You read about them and their food inspiration, then browse the items they have for sale and place your order. Cooks can choose what days they cook, so you do need to plan ahead a little.

If you know you’re going to want a dinner on the Friday, get on the website by the Tuesday or Wednesday. Once you’ve placed your order, you liaise with the cook to organise delivery or collection.

How do you see the initiative panning out in 2021?

Launching in my home city of Bristol is a pilot, and there are great ambitions for this platform to reach other towns and cities in the coming year. When it comes to food in the UK, where Bristol leads, others follow. The appetite for great freshly made, home cooked food is definitely there and ith more and more cooks coming forward to join the platform each day, I’m excited to see All About The Cooks expand in 2021/2022.

For more allaboutthecooks.co.uk

Where? Patchway, via Mumbai What’s the cooking style? Indian street food

Where? City centre, via Greece What’s the cooking style? Greek, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 47

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER Under the creative eye of executive chef Marc Payne, the Aztec Hotel has launched its Curious Kitchen – winning a second AA rosette in the process

FOOD & DRINK

SALTED CARAMEL TART 280g caster sugar 50ml Madeira 1000ml double cream, at room temperature Pinch of salt 70g light muscovado sugar 270g egg yolk A pre-baked large sweet pastry tart case 1. For the salted caramel filling, place the caster sugar in a heavy-based pan and place over a high heat. Once the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan to keep the sugar moving as it caramelises. Stir gently with a wooden spoon if needed.

2. As soon as the caramel achieves a rich hazelnut-bronze colour, add the Madeira and allow it to boil away vigorously.

3. Slowly pour in the cream and whisk briefly to combine, then add the salt and briefly whisk again. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

4. Lightly beat the muscovado sugar with the egg yolks in a bowl, then add the caramel cream and whisk to combine.

5. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

6. Pour into the pre-baked tart case.

7. Blow-torch any bubbles from the surface and then set aside in the fridge to chill.

8. Turn oven 110°C/gas mark ¼ and bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is just set when the tart is gently moved to and fro.

9. Using a large, sharp serrated knife, portion the tart into eight portions.

Wipe the knife between cuts to ensure a polished finish.

10. Dust each portion with icing sugar, and use a blowtorch to caramelise the surface.

M

arc Payne is the name; creating seasonal dishes full of exciting ingredients is his game. To this end, Marc has introduced a new range of techniques to expand on the expertise already in the Aztec kitchen: his team now smoke, cure, pickle and preserve in-season, meaning that the produce served in the restaurant is at its best all year round. The team also showcase these new skills in Saturday masterclasses, at which chefs share expert advice with guests.

takes place in the kitchen. When we were rebranding, e talked abo t the di erent cooking methods, and curing and pickling were some of the main ones we discussed. The word also sums up the customer’s curiosity over the flavo rs in the dish.

Marc, how and why did you become a cook?

Pick out a few of your favourite dishes

My interest in cooking started at school during home economics. I got myself a job working in the summer holidays in my first kitchen, and I’ve never looked back.

Tell us about the concept behind the Curious Kitchen menu

How often do you change the menu?

The main menu is changed seasonally four times a year; however, we have lots of small changes and specials all the time to avoid menu fatigue.

The crispy chicken tonkatsu ketchup is a great nibble while waiting for your starter; so many di erent flavo rs in one dish. For a main course it has to be the braised ox cheek, a real winter treat. We slow-cook the ox overnight which makes it really tender and f ll of flavo r.

“The brasserie-style dining room feels warm and homely, but we’re serving two-rosette food”

It’s about all dishes being made in house, and about the processes and range of methods e se to flavo r each dish, making the customer wonder how we achieved it. The restaurant itself has also had a makeover, to bring a less informal atmosphere than previously; it now has more of a brasserie feel, with leather booths and high tables, but also lots of traditional touches such as the wood beams across the ceiling and a big open fireplace. t feels very arm and homely, b t we’re still providing two-rosette quality food.

We’re intrigued by the word ‘curious’ – tell us a bit about that...

It comes from the curing process, which often

Tell us about The Curious Kitchen At Home

We were due to launch our CK at Home brand at the beginning of November anyway, so it tied in quite nicely with Lockdown 2.0. It’s the ultimate dining experience to enjoy at home; restaurantquality meals, perfectly portioned and prepared by our kitchen team, ready to be finished of in yo r o n kitchen. e also o er a nday roast takea ay. or me, it s been an opportunity to experiment at home ith di erent flavo rs, and contin e to find new ways to develop our future menus at the Curious Kitchen.

For more: aztechotelbristol.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 49

YES CHEF!

© ANDREW HAYNES WATKINS

I

PONY TALES

Rather than simply awaiting the return of the old normal, Josh Eggleton has been busily reinventing the hospitality wheel. And if his ambitious and community-minded new ventures mean the loss of the Pony & Trap’s Michelin star, then so be it . . .

t’s been quite the past 12 months for Josh Eggleton. e don t have s cient column space to do justice to the food-aid initiatives he and his generous chef pals have spearheaded, from Cheers Drive to Bristol Food Union; many of them born out of lockdown, but continuing still.

Then there was the headlinegrabbing Breaking Bread last summer; a kind of three-month foodie festival on the Downs that featured a pop-up of The Pony & Trap, the Eggleton family’s lauded Michelin-starred rural gastropub in Chew Magna.

When Breaking Bread closed in November, Josh and sister Holly knew that to continue with The Pony, they’d need to relocate.

With social distancing still a thing, it’s too small to open.

Enter the brand new Pony North Street, due to launch, well, any time now; a modern British bistro with all the charm of the original Pony.

Why choose North Street? For one thing, Josh and the Bristol Beer Factory are business partners, and the latter had space at their Tap Room. Secondly, Josh and Holly say they’ve always wanted to open a restaurant in Bristol that represents the best of the Pony, but in an urban setting.

“In France, you see lots of amazing bistros and bouchons serving great food; that’s really what many British pubs do these days,” says Josh. “We’ll take the essence of what we’ve achieved during 15 years at the The Pony, and take it to an industrial warehouse, and distil it to simple, concise dishes and casual dining showcasing local ingredients.” xcept to find classic ony Trap fare, then; however, some dishes will be brand new for North Street, and Josh says he’s especially looking forward to serving the Walnut Whip Alaska (yep, just as it sounds). There’ll also be a Sunday brunch service in which the chefs will be hot-smoking Chew Valley trout on site, to serve with eggs, Bloody Marys and a full English.

Next-door neighbour Mark’s Bread will provide all the bread, and alongside natural and organic wines they’ll naturally be pouring beer and cider from Bristol Beer Factory’s Tap Room.

Numerous names were considered and rejected. The Pony & Tap was a contender, but ultimately thought to be slightly too close to the original.

“The Pony North Street feels right,” says Holly. “We want people to know that we aren’t closed in Chew Magna; just that we’ve rehomed in south Bristol”.

You’ll even be cooked for and waited on by the original Pony team, as keeping people’s jobs available was a major priority.

And plans for the original Pony are even more radical; it’ll come back with a new name, as a community interest company, o ering courses in gardening, bakery, fermentation and foraging, followed by l nch, d ring the first half of the week; dinner Wednesday to Friday will be a immersive dining experience including a tour of the gardens and kitchen, where guests can come to watch the chefs work and even finish their o n dishes.

“We want to create a special experience where we can share our knowledge and enjoy our guests’ company,” says Josh. “It’ll feel more like when you go to your friend’s house for dinner.”

Is there a risk that he’ll lose the Pony’s Michelin star? Josh appears magnificently nconcerned these days he’s more about helping and inspiring people through food than winning gongs.

And while he’s not exactly trading in his chefs whites for Lincoln green, there’s more than a hint of Robin Hood in his mission to charge the well-to-do and feed the poor: indeed, he’s setting up a system across all the sites to o er a place every day for someone who can t a ord to pay.

“The Pony isn’t closed; we’ve just rehomed ourselves in south Bristol”

For more: theponynorthstreet.co.uk Email hello@theponynorthstreet.co.uk @theponyandtrap on Instagram

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t: 0117 279 0980 | m: 07956 846307 e: simon@bristolcityroofing.co.uk

www. bristolcityroofing.co.uk

CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE

Sign of the times

A ray of light shone out, even in the depths of lockdown . . .

F

ound myself in town the other morning. On important, essential business. Once the deeds had been done and goods packed away, it was time for elevenses. Always a happy time of day in the life of this keen co ee connoisse r.

Parking up the scooter, my companion and I went for a wander round in search of a friendly café. With croissants, if at all possible.

In normal times, this is a good

“The choc-chip cookie was big enough to sit on, though actually we went to sit on some nearby crash barriers instead”

game. A chance to spoil the senses. To decide which of the many glorio s and great co ee houses available should be visited upon. But, as we all know, these times are not those times. These times are ones of sorrow and sadness.

Long story short, it was not the happy experience I was hoping for. The streets were mostly empty, with friendly footsteps and smiling faces few and far between.

To make matters worse, a chill wind blew through everything, scattering leaves and litter over the darkened windows and shuttered shops that lined the way. To say it was grim would be an understatement. It’s no fun to see our beloved Bristol this way.

A ghost town without any actual ghosts. Sigh.

But. But. Dear reader. Just when I thought my wanderings were in vain, when I thought happiness was gone forever, that all left behind was emptiness and heartache, a miracle took place. A ray of light shone out. A beautiful beacon of hope in the midst of hideousness spread its warmth and more than a touch of new year’s cheer.

As we turned into the top of Broad Street, we saw a sign.

Literally. A sign on the pavement announcing that the Full Court Press café was open for business.

Huzzah and hurray!

Of course, it was all done in the best possible taste, in the modern way, with masks and sanitiser, but who cares? The only thing that matters is that a cute and charming café was ready to welcome us with open (socially distanced) arms, and happy to supply us with a couple of toptastic co ees along ith a choc-chip cookie big enough to sit on. Though actually, we went to sit down on some nearby crash barriers instead.

If all of that wasn’t enough, things got even better upon chatting to the waitress. I’ve always wanted to learn more abo t co ee. o find o t hich beans, roasts and countries of origin are the ones to go for.

This young woman was a veritable cornucopia of knowledge. She talked us through the tasting notes of the blends available and o ered the hope that when these dark days are over they plan to open a roastery next door. They might even let paying punters in, to be educated about the secret arts of co ee.

Which was more than enough to put a spring in the step and a smile on the lips. Things to look forward to – that’s just what we all need more of in 2021. ■ Former Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer www.stancullimore.com

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We buy for cash

SCRAP GOLD & PLATINUM Simply bring your old jewellery to our showroom in Bristol or send it in to us by special delivery. (Please give us a call for more details) On your behalf, we can also sell re-saleable, unwanted jewellery items in our windows on a sale or return basis. Photo ID required in all circumstances.

KEMPS OF BROADMEAD T: 0117 926 4888 | Email: kempsbroadmead@gmail.com | www.kempsltd.co.uk 33 Union St, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 2DJ

SHOPPING LIVE WELL, BUY BETTER

Pop into Husk the next time you’re down at Cargo. You’ll find it in the tiny nit formerly occ pied by ee ed, here fo nders ave o ng sho n here he s the t o legged one and oss orgate set p shop st before the first lockdo n. ike the look of those tastef lly colo red ooden s ares on the shelves ancy them in yo r o n kitchen o problem sk specialises in adding a ordable, c stomised elements to yo r home, ith a variety of fronts and orktops made in their ontpelier orkshop they re designed to fit cabinets, b t can also be adapted to ork ith those of other s ppliers. sk has also partnered ith reesisters, a charity on a mission to rapidly accelerate tropical forestation. or every kitchen it sells, it donates 0 trees to the ca se. s ell as a f ll range of ooden front samples, yo ll find stone from ekton and eolith, and home are by brands admired by sk, s ch as into, en and rama.

Husk, Unit 23 Cargo, 2 Museum Street; madebyhusk.com

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EUCALYPTUS & PEPPERMINT SOY CANDLE, £25 Not skin care, admittedly; but the beguiling aroma of essential oils will refresh, calm and rejuvenate the soul from within From Frankly, Unit 5, Cargo frankly.store

MERAKI HAND SOAP, £14.50 If we’re consigned to endless Lady Macbethlevels of hand-washing, we’re choosing Tangled Woods liquid soap, with its scents of lavender, sandalwood, peppermint and thyme From Mon Pote 217 North Street monpote.co.uk

SKIN DEEP Tinsel and baubles for our Christmas issue. Skin care and pampering for the January one. Like the night follows the day. We’re so predictable

HANDMADE HOT PROCESS SOAPS, £6 Choose from the likes of English rose and sandalwood or Himalayan salt; pretty in pink, and almost too pretty to use. Almost From Bristol Artisan, 3 Lower Redland Road thebristolartisan.com

56 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BEARD AND AFTERSHAVE OIL, £19.95 Mr Blackman’s beautifully blended beard and shave oil, in grapefruit and caramel tobacco; try not to lick it From BAM Bristol 104-108 Belle Vue Road bambristol.co.uk

LADY MUCK LIP BALM, £5 an t go five min tes itho t reaching for the lipsalve? May as well make it this gorgeous organic one, scented with sweet orange and mandarin From Frankly, Unit 5, Cargo frankly.store

MATT MUD, £14 Murdock barbers’ non-shine shaping clay gives a dry, matte finish ith a strong hold perfect for shorter hair and choppier styles with lots of texture From Peregrine Clothing peregrineclothing.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE BOTANICAL REPAIR STRENGTHENING TREATMENT, £9-£28 Aveda’s latest leave-in treatment is designed to revive your locks while guarding against future damage; rose, ylang-ylang and marjoram create a delicate, refreshing botanical scent From Hair at 58, 58 Cotham Hill hairat58.co.uk

TERRIBLE TWINS BATH SALTS AND LIQUID SOAPS, £32 We were entertained to learn that björk translates as ‘birch’.

You’re welcome From Maze Clothing 26-28 The Mall mazeclothing.co.uk

CALMING BODY SALVE, £18 Perfect for treating areas of dry skin, while the natural fragrances of frankincense, lavender and clary sage promote calm and equilibrium From Fox + Feather, 43 Gloucester Road foxandfeather.co.uk

HEMP SOAK BAG, £3 Eco-friendly and reusable; just pop your bar of soap in the bag and scrub away From That Thing, 45-47 Stokes Croft thatthing.co

REFINING FACIAL POLISHER, £18 A gentle face scrub made with all-natural vegan ingredients, incl ding shea b tter, finely gro nd sugar and beetroot powder From Prior Shop, 58 West Street priorshop.uk

HARMONY OIL, £22 With marula, blackcurrant and watermelon seed; lightweight and non greasy, yet nourishing and balancing From Wild Source Apothecary wildsource.co.uk MOUNTAIN BATH SOAK, £14 Made with pink Himalayan salt, Australian pink clay, yarrow and rose essential oil; the granules make your bath smell like Turkish Delight and turn it a sultry pink hue, while delicately detoxing your skin. Made by the lovely people at Holy Water, an organic herbal apothecary based in Bath From Mon Pote 217 North Street monpote.co.uk

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FASHION

COLOUR THEORY

Pariss Cozier’s vision for her fashion company is to create sustainable, ethical clothing that ‘looks and feels like a celebration’ – for the many, not the few

58 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

fashion can be fun, colourful and inclusive. I started Chaos and Colour to address everything that I felt the industry was lacking. design everything re in ristol, and then send the designs o to o r partners, the aheli omen, ho are based in a small village in ihkamkor in ndia. he omen ork in partnership ith brands all over the orld, and profits are reinvested back into the small, farming comm nity. adh , the fo nder, as able to establish the first health centre in the village as well as sending over 80 girls to school. It’s so inspiring. ` “I send the samples to Master Ji, the master tailor and pattern-maker, and he works with the women to develop the designs, but not in a typical supplier/ customer way; they also have a hand in developing the designs with their own ideas. It really is a creative collaboration/ co-creation; I think that’s what makes it so special.

“My dreams for Chaos and Colour are simply to create clothing that looks and feels like a celebration, produced by unharried human hands, weaving messages of love into every thread. ach piece in the collection is made using natural and raw materials (cotton, linen and raw silk) with the ambition to produce garments with longevity, celebrating traditional human creativity and indigenous crafts, without leaving a lasting scar on the environment. his year has been really to gh. t the beginning of the year, when we were about to go into production, lockdown happened and it meant that the women in the village weren’t able to work and we had to pause the collection. I really didn’t think it would happen this year, but once lockdown was lifted and the women were able to work safely, we started up again.

“It’s important now more than ever to continue supporting the work of these incredible women, and it’s also been amazing the response we’ve had. I think there has been a palpable shift in consciousness, and people are engaging so much more in ethical practices/businesses. It’s been a confusing, trying and amazing year.” © K ASIA KILISZEK

C

haos and Colour started when I was going through my own personal journey of becoming more connected to my clothes,” says Pariss. “I have always loved fashion, but back in 2017 I recognised that my habits had become unhealthy. ooking back, as definitely shopping as a ay to distract myself from post-university disillusionment, and working a very stressful PR job in London. fter a year, as fired and ent travelling. o th ast sia a akened my love for handicraft items, and my desire for a smaller wardrobe of truly loved, hard-won, curated pieces. When I came back, I moved to Bristol and got a job at a well-known tea company. Weirdly, it was herbal tea that got me thinking more about the grower/ Pariss Cozier maker and the overall ethics — for the first time, started to think more abo t who made my clothes.

“I started investigating it further, and was shocked at just how much the current fashion industry is still heavily embroiled in our colonial past. Current fashion supply chains are almost identical to the trade routes of 150 years ago. Back then, it as s gar, co ee and chocolate. oday, slavery looks like a 10 shirt made by a woman of colour, from a ‘developing’ country, who didn’t get paid. As a third-generation Windrush baby, with an African-American grandfather, my relationship to colonisation has always been a fraught and personal one.

“In addition to all of this, knowing that fashion is one of the world’s biggest polluters, I decided that I could no longer participate or support the industry; but when I turned to the ’sustainable’ fashion industry for a solution, I found there was so much room for growth there too.

Currently it is very heavily dominated by one kind of aesthetic (neutral, earthy hues), and marketed and sold into a predominately white and wealthy customer base. And I believe that something can’t truly be sustainable unless everyone is included and embraced.

“I love colour, I love bold prints and unique textures, worn by equally colourful and unique people. I also believe that ethical/sustainable

For more: chaosandcolour.com

Junie dress, 100% cotton, £110

Tilda wrap blouse, 100% cotton, £65

Cleopatra wrap blouse, 100% raw silk, £65

Junie wrap blouse, £85; trousers, £95 “Everyone loves these; I think it’s because the print is so loud, but also because the fabric’s made from an ancient hand-weaving technique called ikat, where the threads are first dyed and the pattern is then assembled on a loom. The designs are the perfect amalgam of ancientmeets-modern, East-meets-West “

WINDOW SHOPPING MILLY VAUGHAN

Owners Becca and Chris Williamson with dog Luna

Ferm Living Muses Vase, £75 Plain Bear hoodie, £45

Baggu canvas bag, £39

Ferm Living Wallpaper, £85 Skandinavisk hand & body lotion, £30

Tom Pigeon mix & match earrings, £20

Baggu sport bag, £75

Truce

The clue’s in the name: Clifton’s latest homeware and fashion emporium wants to make shopping a harmonious experience for him, for her, even for the kids

W

hile we’re not making any genderassumptions here along the lines of ‘women shop while men drop’ – we know plenty of guys who love shopping, and girls who’d prefer to stick pins in their eyes – we’re quietly applauding the philosophy that lies behind Truce on Princess Victoria Street.

Opened in August, the shop does exactly what its name implies: it provides a ‘harmonious shopping experience’ for everyone. Born

out of husband-and-wife team Chris and Becca’s past frustrations over shops that lacked a mutually enjoyable retail experience, this beautifully calm space caters for both avid shoppers and their less avid partners, of either sex.

What a clever idea; and it’s been brilliantly executed. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve reluctantly curtailed a shopping trip after seeing the husband lose the will to live, as I ask his opinion on whether sho ld b y the o hite or o grey paint, shirt or dish. Now, he

“Post-lockdown, this felt like prohibition shopping, except it wasn’t, and it was wonderful”

can look at zero-carbon-footprint t-shirts while I inhale the rest of the shop. With something for the fussiest of shoppers – there’s even Dalmatian dog Luna to divert the kids – if this shop doesn’t tick any lust box then you should probably st stay home and finish the Times crossword instead .

I’m keen not to label this a concept store (think of Amanda’s Hygge Tygge store in Motherland and you’ll understand why), but contemporary lifestyle it undoubtedly is. With everything from menswear to jewellery, skincare, furniture, wallpaper, textiles and ceramics, there is one overarching theme: everything is exceptionally sourced, and, where possible, sustainable. his is rather reflected in the price tag, but if you place style, quality and ethics over the excessive market of cheap fast goods, you’ll enjoy splashing out on these welldeserved things.

In my experience, I never regret those more expensive purchases, as they seem to only get better with age, whereas cheaper items seem to ‘go o soon after b ying them.

And after months of enforced online shopping, it felt so good to actually walk around a physical shop, to see things in the flesh to sni

and feel them before buying. Postlockdown, it felt like prohibition shopping, except it wasn’t, and it was wonderful.

This is the second shop for hris and ecca, their first being in Nailsworth. The Clifton shop is bigger, to showcase more of their fabulous brands and larger items.

I wanted the whole stock. I often feel daunted by shops that exude such a congruous feel, because I worry that if I buy one beautifully sourced product it will stick out like a sore thumb in my very incongruous house. But here, Truce has done the curating for you, so what you buy will blend into your existing space rather than having to revamp an entire room. Phew.

There is something about the duality of their mission – sustainable and familial – that makes you feel as if this dynamic duo are forging the way for retail into 2021 and the rest of the decade. These guys just got here first. o p t do n that cross ord, grab the other half, and go and have a truce-ful shopping experience. ■ Truce, 54 Princess Victoria Street truceonline.co.uk @millyvaughan on instagram camillapettman@mac.com

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HEALTH & BEAUTY Feminine with a wild side: Meg’s side shave sits beneath a revived head of curls

BLOGGS SALON

Meg Coast places her lockdown locks in the hands of the 2020 Bristol Life Health & Beauty award winners

L

ike it or not, the self inflicted Lockdown Haircut became the most familiar look of 2020.

Everything else came to a standstill, but our hair, rather inconsiderately, continued to grow, and like so many others under house arrest without the good fortune of living with a hair stylist, I took to YouTube in desperation for DIY tutorials with a pair of half-blunt kitchen scissors in hand and zero clue of what I was doing.

In the grand scheme of DIY home haircut nightmares mine didn’t turn out too badly (my partner wasn’t so lucky) but what did it matter

anyway, when visits from the postman were the height of social interaction for the day?

And then things started to return to normal, the salons reopened their doors, and I beat a path as quickly as I could to Bloggs Salon on Harbourside.

Owned by Joe Hemmings, Bloggs recently celebrated its 10th year of business, and it’s been marked by some serious wins. They won the best health & beauty category in the Bristol Life ards 2020, ere finalists in three categories in the British Hairdressing Awards, and were shortlisted for Best Salon Team in the Most Wanted Awards. The team’s talent and support for each other didn’t just impress the judges; the salon has an impressively high client-retention rate, and this, combined with innovative business ideas implemented by Joe, incl ding flexible orking hours and eco initiatives, has seen Bloggs salons not only survive, but thrive – no mean feat in the middle of a global pandemic.

Arriving at the cosy salon, in the Plaza just o illenni m are, m given a friendly welcome by Hannah and settled in for a ovid special debriefing. orms filled and temperatures taken, we moved on to hair talk, and with Hannah’s help I opted for a moisture and shine treatment and a layered curly cut with a side shave.

As we head over to the sinks, the salon suddenly seems to triple in size; it’s deceptively larger than its exterior implies, and attractively decked out with elegantly framed photos, lush greenery and tastefully-decorated stations spaced out carefully across the studio.

After a head massage and hair treatment that I would have willingly undergone for ho rs, annah gets to ork on the c t, o ering moral s pport as she snips o a small ch nk of hair to make way for the side shave before layering the rest of my hair. his being my first experience of a c rly cut with an experienced specialist, I had no idea what I was missing out on previously – turns out, quite a lot. Hannah worked nothing short of magic on my hair, reviving my neglected curls and making them literally spring to life.

People of Bristol, book yourself in a cut here while you can; if this is what 2020 has looked like for Bloggs, we can’t wait to see what they do in a post-lockdown world.

They’re moving on up in the hairdressing world, so put down the craft scissors, close down YouTube and get yourself a salon appointment, stat. ■

“I had no idea what I’d been missing out on previously; turns out, quite a lot”

Cuts from £25-£60 Bloggs Harbourside, Millennium Promenade 0117 929 1902; bloggssalons.com

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“The current elderly generation don’t want a gated community where older people only mix with older people”

The Vincent

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RETIREMENT

GOLDEN YEARS he face of retirement living is changing o r c rrent elderly pop lation expect a high standard of life, hether it s their o n home in a caref lly created comm nity, or a residence o ering f ll time care

By Lisa Warren THE VINCENT

Privately owned apartments in Redland he incent o ers bespoke retirement living for people over 0 ho ant to live as part of a comm nity. verlooking rdham o ns, the development is an easy alk from the best of edland, b t also o ers its o n self contained social and lifestyle h b. ife revolves aro nd the arboret m garden, the barista fronted co ee bar, the lo nge and private dining room, gym, stretch st dio and hydrotherapy pools, hile a conci rge service is the first port of call for everything from booking a spa treatment to information on ristol s latest exhibitions.

For more: pegasuslife.co.uk

THE CHOCOLATE QUARTER

Private apartments in Keynsham reated by ristol charity t onica r st ithin the former home of ry, latterly adb ry s, he hocolate arter o ers l x ry retirement living ithin bea tif lly designed apartments, p blic spaces and diners. he facilities in the 0 million development a spa, gym, pool, craft st dios, hairdressers and salon, pi eria lock, and bistro omer ining are all open to the p blic, enco raging intergenerational se, ith orld class food on yo r doorstep and comedy and cinema nights For more: thechocolatequarter.org.uk

THE HAWTHORNS

Retirement community with a breath of sea air it ated on the seafront at levedon, he a thorns is a recently ref rbished, p rpose b ilt comm nity for independent senior living, that provides the highest ality rental option for a monthly fee. he high ality facilities have a friendly, home from home atmosphere, ith a choice of stylish apartments, all ith their o n kitchen and en s ite sho er room. omm nal areas incl de a dining room ith resta rant ality food and table service, a cinema, therapy and treatment room, hair and nail salon, games room, library and bea tif lly maintained landscaped gardens. esidents can take

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RETIREMENT advantage of the sea air with their own nine-hole putting green and landscaped grounds; there are also easy walks along the coast. or ore ha thornsretire ent.co.uk

STOKE GIFFORD RETIREMENT VILLAGE

Homes to buy or rent within a retirement village community The ExtraCare Charitable Trust is a registered charity with a vision: to create better lives for older people, creating sustainable communities that provide homes older people actually want, lifestyles they can enjoy, and care if it’s needed.

A vibrant community has been created at the £53m retirement village in toke i ord near the niversity of the est of ngland campus. There are 261 apartments, with homes available for outright purchase, shared ownership and rental.

Around 18 social and health facilities are open to residents and local older people, families and volunteers, including a reception and main street, shop, café bar, library and IT suite, hairdresser, salon, craft room, fitness s ite and village hall. he village also has a ellbeing centre, and care and support is available on site for residents who need help to live independently (around a third of the community). or ore e tracare.or .uk

THEY SAY . . .

THE VINCENT

“Independence is the single greatest driving force in our new generation of retirees. They want to enjoy their later years in comfort, and keeping the mind and body active is important. The Vincent, is especially attractive to single retirees, who are looking to meet people and build relationships.”

THE CHOCOLATE QUARTER

“The current elderly generation want to live in open communities, with access to people from different generations, who will keep them feeling alive and vibrant.”

THE HAWTHORNS

“The demands of the retirement sector are growing and developing quickly, as those entering the age bracket have progressively experienced more in the way of hotels, travel, and an overall high standard of life. They don’t just want an apartment in a retirement block with a residents’ lounge; they want a supported, active and healthy lifestyle within a friendly and vibrant community.”

The Chocolate Quarter

STOKE GIFFORD

“Older people don’t want an institutionalised model of care. Independence, being part of a community and having opportunities to rekindle old skills or learn new ones are all key to people’s expectations.”

TRYMVIEW HALL

“Facilities include the Hall’s own café, activity room, hair salon, and cinema – so whether you want to relax with a cup of coffee and slice of cake, get busy with a creative hobby, or enjoy a classic film, they have it all.”

ABBEYFIELD

“Residents tell us they ‘started to live again’ when they came to us. We take away the stress of living alone.”

AUDLEY VILLAGES

“The Audley Club offers such facilities as a pool, health club, library, restaurant, bar and bistro.

Owners can use the facilities to stay active and socialise, and there is also access to flexible care if needed – enabling them to live an independent and healthy life.”

AUDLEY VILLAGES

Luxury private homes in a retirement community Audley works to create luxurious and aspirational properties for those looking to downsize – not just as a place to live, but a place to enjoy with a real sense of community. The model is far from that of the traditional care home, allowing owners to maintain the independence they value so highly. With a portfolio of 18 villages across the country, Audley’s vision is setting the bar high for a new kind of retirement living.

The restaurant and Audley Club are also available to those in the local community, which makes the village a vibrant community and stops it from having an isolated feel.

For more: audleyvillages.co.uk

ABBEYFIELD

Retirement houses in the Bristol area bbeyfield s foc s is to s pport older people and enable them to remain independent. It’s the ideal option for stress-free retirement for those who are struggling to live alone; many residents still drive their own cars, and contin e to be active in the comm nity. bbeyfield sees its role as helping them to do this for as long as possible. or ore a ey eld ristol.co.uk

TRYMVIEW HALL

Southmead’s newest luxury care home Trymview Hall provides long- and short-term residential, nursing and dementia care, giving families reassurance that their loved ones can stay living at the home should their needs change.

With safety considerations top of the list for everyone right now, Trymview Hall has enhanced its already-robust infection control measures to keep current and new residents, as well as colleagues, safe.

They use the very latest technology to keep the home clean and safe, including fogging machines, thermal-imaging cameras and a dedicated indoor visiting space which is accessed from the home’s garden, with a built in clear screen to keep everyone safe.

Trymview Hall is part of award winning provider, Care UK – one of the UK’s most successful care home operators, with over 35 years’ experience of delivering high quality care to older people. or ore care.uk.co try ie hall

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Choosing a career in nutrition

Rebecca Cotterall talks about the chronic fatigue that put her in a wheelchair at the age of 13 and how nutrition helped turn her life around. Rebecca is now a Nutritional Therapist, graduate of the COLLEGE OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

U

ntil the age of 13 I was a top-grade student and a keen swimmer. Everything changed overnight. I was too exhausted to get out of bed.

I even struggled to chew my food. I was monitored in hospital for three weeks, diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, sent home, and given a wheelchair so I could get around.

I attended a special school for a few hours a week in my wheelchair, when I felt well enough.

Mum was my full-time carer. At 18 I won a place at university, but didn’t have the energy to cope.

I felt that my life was never going to amount to anything and was prescribed antidepressants.

What I really wanted was to find out what was at the root of my problems.

The answer came when I saw an unconventional private doctor who specialised in Chronic Fatigue. She believed that the standard western diet, high in allergens, artificial additives and foods with a high glycaemic load, is responsible for a whole host of health symptoms, including fatigue. She recommended a completely different diet and guided me through a detox regime. When a specialist lab confirmed that I had Lyme’s Disease, (which two standard tests had previously failed to pick up), a herbal protocol was also incorporated. I was told that it would take time to repair and optimise my gut function. Months passed before I noticed a real difference; then slowly my energy levels began

ATTEND A FREE ONLINE OPEN EVENT To find out about training with CNM Bristol for a career as a Naturopathic Acupuncturist or Naturopathic Nutritionist visit: www.cnmcourses.com.

CNM has a 22-year track record training successful practitioners in natural therapies.

Colleges across the UK and Ireland.

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increasing noticeably. There is not a definitive ‘cure’ for what I had, but through my personal experience and research I realised the power of nutrition and how much better natural remedies made me feel personally.

I decided that studying nutrition was what I really wanted to do. In researching available choices, I found some courses heavily based on pharmaceutical or food industry research.

I enrolled at CNM because their approach, in addition to being research-based, is very natural and holistic. I studied biomedicine as a foundation part of the course and was given the flexibility of studying at weekends, leaving me time to rest throughout the week.

What I learnt on the three-year course was highly relevant to me. During that time I managed to get myself better through understanding what helped me as a chronic fatigue sufferer. I began to lead a normal life, studying and socialising without fatigue or pain and, eventually, without a wheelchair. The students at CNM are all likeminded; they are there because they want to be there and they are very supportive of one another.

I graduated from CNM in the summer 2015 and opened my clinic that August. It soon became very busy and, as my own boss, I can work the hours that suit me. I run detox programmes, specialise in chronic fatigue and truly love seeing my clients’ progression. I think that everyone needs to be more aware of the power of nutrition and I’m passionate about spreading the word however I can. ■

For more information please visit www.cnmcourses.com or call us on 01342 777 747

It’s the city’s business

BRISTOLWORKS The collaborative city

B

ristol s b siness comm nity flexed its collective creative muscles last month, hen an nprecedented n mber of companies came together to create a light trail across the city. he brains behind the operation as the team at ristol ity entre , ho recognised the need to create a recovery programme d ring the first lockdo n. his being ristol, they ere determined to lend a distinctly creative edge to proceedings. nd so the ristol ogether campaign was born, with Plaster Creative omm nications appointed to help create the exec tion, ith a foc s on relentless positivity and an inherent message of safety. n the first lockdo n e came together ith roadmead and isit ristol to share a common reopening message, said eith ndle, operations director at ristol ity entre . e anted to s pport o r levy payers as ell as the ider hospitality and retail ind stries that are so essential to the vibrancy of the city, sending o t a message of hope and togetherness. ristol ogether, a phrase originally coined

by Bristol Life maga ine, as the res lt, and pfest as commissioned to paint socially distanced hearts across the city s green spaces, to be safely en oyed by tens of tho sands of people. oll for ard to inter, to the looming second lockdo n and a decimated ristol events

ind stry. plan as d ly hatched for a light trail that o ld invite all of the city s b sinesses to ork together to bring oy to every part of the city centre. ristol res as born, ith a ne b ilding being lit p each day d ring ecember ith ell loved hristmas lyrics. rod ction and lighting company as approached to give some of their kit to the campaign, orking ith and laster s oss ellby to design the trail, and bringing on board a phenomenal n mber of stakeholders to make it happen. ver 100 b sinesses got involved ith providing access and s pport for this pro ect, says eith. enty fo r organisations, incl ding rnolfini, ristol eacon and t eorge s gave s the ability to pro ect onto their b ildings, hile raft ore, illiner s ild and evol cion de ba, to name st a fe , helped s to pro ect from their spaces.

“Bristol City Council were phenomenal. The harbo rmaster helped s pro ect across ater, and the igh ays team helped s pro ect over roads. he city s media also came o t in s pport hile isit ristol p lled o t all the stops, creating an online trail for the campaign. t the end of an incredibly hard year, every type of b siness yo co ld imagine happily loaned their time and energy, to see o t 2020 in quintessential Bristol style.”

For more: bristolcitycentrebid.co.uk

BRISTOLWORKS Karshare: we’d give them a thumbs up, but it might look as if we were trying to hitch a lift

©SAR AH KOURY

It’s that time again . . .

Cheers, drives With climate change, pollution and CO2 emissions being high on every eco-aware Bristolian’s hit list, we’d like to give a Bristol Life shoutout to community car-sharing platform Karshare, which launched during lockdown. e started o by asking the ristol community to donate any idle cars for NHS, frontline and key workers, and ended up with over 3,600 days worth of donated cars,” they told us.

“It’s now developed into a car-sharing community where people in Bristol can rent their cars to their neighbours, reducing air pollution.

We’re passionate about net zero, and our focus is on sustainability and community, which is why ristol felt like the perfect city to kick this all o .

Owners can share their cars on the Karshare app to rent out – by the hour, by the day or longer.

Each booking helps owners earn extra money and reduces air pollution in Bristol: win-win.

For more karshare.com

Furniture removal

Park Furnishers will be moving from its historic current location at Willway Street in Bedminster, where it has successfully traded for over 35 years, to a new store on Eastgate Retail Park next to Ikea.

The new store opened to the public on 28 December; a decision has been taken not to move displays from the Bedminster site, meaning they’ll have over £5m of stock to clear before the store closes at the end of January.

For more: parkfurnishers.co.uk

Following last year’s wildly successful and (yes!) glamorous virtual event, nominations are now open for the 2021 Bristol Life Awards.

The prestigious ceremony invariably sells out many weeks in advance, with over 650 attendees and dozens on the waiting list, all keen to see which businesses will impress the judges and take home the glittering prizes.

“Being a part of the Bristol Life Awards is the ultimate, stylish way to show everyone how your business is a great part of the Bristol scene,” says Claudia Butler, event manager at MediaClash. inning an ard is highly beneficial for yo r company profile, and serves as great recognition for teams and individuals who go the extra mile for your company.”

The winners receive coverage in Bristol Life, a hand-crafted golden trophy, window stickers to proudly display, along with the long-lasting memory of an award-winning moment.

Nominees are encouraged to check the Top Tips page on the Awards website, which covers everything from the right kind of details to include, to how to make a strong case that will wow the judges.

It’s free to enter, by the way.

For more: bristollifeawards.co.uk; @BristolLifeAwds

PROPERTY AWARDS WELCOMES ALL-NEW SYMPOSIUM The Bristol Property Awards are back on 12 February as a virtual conferencing event, featuring thought leadership seminars, structured networking for sponsors and delegates and culminating in the celebration of excellence: the Awards itself.

Business in all property-related sectors wishing to reinforce their client relationships with hundreds of sponsors, finalists and partners ill be virt ally brought together to create a powerful business marketing channel “We are delighted to be introducing the Bristol Property Awards featuring

our all-new symposium; an exciting and necessary change for this year” said event organiser Claudia Butler. “Networking is a huge part of the Awards, and we’ve worked hard to keep this at the heart of our event.”

The Bristol Property Awards is the largest gathering of property professionals in the city, and is headline sponsored by Smith & Williamson.

All tickets are now available; there will also be a planned extra event in the spring for real-life networking open to all attendees.

For more bristolpropertyawards.co.uk

BRISTOLWORKS after the relationship, for example an inheritance or even a lottery win.

How can I protect myself?

INTERVIEW WITH SAM HICKMAN OF VWV

The most wonderful time of the year?

For some couples, the extended time together, the additional financial pressures and the stress of keeping everybody happy over the festive season can put immense strain on a relationship.

This can be enough to bring an end to an already troubled relationship . . .

I

t is an unfortunate reality that family lawyers typically see a surge of new instructions following the Christmas period. cial fig res sho that in 2019 in England and Wales, 455 online divorce applications were submitted to HM Courts & Tribunals Service between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. Interestingly, 1 people filed for divorce on Christmas Day and a further 77 on New Year's Day. At VWV, we understand that separating can be a confusing and di c lt time, so e have set o t some frequently asked questions to assist anyone thinking about separating.

I’m getting divorced; do I need to hire a solicitor?

Even if you and your partner are amicable and have reached an agreement, it is still imperative at the very least, that you instruct a solicitor to deal ith the division of financial matters.

If you do not, there is a risk that what you have agreed is unfair and/or could negatively impact you in the future if you have not considered the full extent of the assets or the long-term implications of the agreement. This can be particularly risky if one of the parties is more financially ast te than the other or has al ays been in control of the finances.

In addition, in order to ensure that your partner has no future claim over your assets and income, you will need

to ensure that you have a court order that provides for a ‘clean break’. This can be done by agreement, without attending co rt see final estion .

I have my decree absolute; is there anything else I need to do?

It is a common misconception that once you are divorced and received your decree absolute, that’s it. This is not the case. The divorce itself does not end the financial relationship ith yo r ex-partner.

If you do not properly end your financial relationship, this co ld potentially leave yo r finances open to future claims from your ex-partner. This can include assets that you acquired

Consult a suitably experienced solicitor to advise you on the implications of any agreement. Each party will need to instruct their own independent solicitor, who will act in their client’s best interests.

To properly advise you, your solicitor ill re ire f ll financial disclos re from both parties to consider the terms of the agreement in the context of the entire matrimonial assets and what each of your needs are.

If, once you have received legal advice, you decide that the agreement is not suitable, you can decline to proceed with the agreement and begin to discuss other settlement options. o may find it easier to do this with the support of a solicitor or at mediation.

What is a consent order?

A consent order is a legally-binding doc ment that sets o t yo r financial agreement. It will document how you will divide any assets, debts, pensions and income following your divorce.

The document will be signed by both parties and filed ith the co rt for approval by a judge. You do not need to attend court for this, however if the judge has any concerns regarding the terms of the order, they may ask further questions. In some circumstances, a judge may refuse to approve the order and recommend that the parties readdress the settlement. This should be an important red flag that the agreement is not s itable for one or both parties.

To ensure all of the aspects of your settlement are properly documented, you should ask a solicitor to draft a consent order for you. Depending on the agreement reached, this can be a complex document. However, this should be considered as time well spent given the potential risks of not doing it. The implications of getting it wrong co ld be financially disastro s for one or both parties.

For more: www.vwv.co.uk

Virtual one hour sessions, all free to attend Search Bristol Life on LinkedIn for upcoming dates and registration If you would like to get involved, please email events@mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY NEWS

JOIN THE ALLIANCE

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historic French Renaissance building in Old City is being turned into design-led new homes by Acorn Property Group.

Launched last November, Alliance House will provide a collection of 44 apartments, with prices starting at £150,000.

The new homes have been created from a £11m transformation of the 1881 Dunlop Building on Baldwin Street, originally built as the premises for wine merchants Dunlop, Mackie & Co. Back in the day, the building used to front directly onto the open port; prominent Bristol merchants used the premises to prepare and ship their wine, Champagne and spirits around the world.

Following the success of their recent Harbourside development Brandon Yard – a converted former Victorian gasworks, complemented by newbuild apartments – Acorn has returned to the heart of the city for their latest collection. he gro nd floor of lliance o se ill be p t to mixed retail se, ith the homes being p on the top three floors.

Building is due to start imminently, with the homes set to complete by the end of 2021. Acorn, as ever, is being carefully protective of the b ilding s heritage for example by incorporating original feat res s ch as exposed brick alls into some of the apartments. esigned to maximise the available space and light, all the homes will all have generous windows and high ceilings.

“Alliance House has a rich history, and it’s wonderful that the original architecture has been preserved, with modern homes breathing new life into the majestic building,” says Acorn’s Bristol MD, Robin Squire. ith their high ality specification and modern design, the homes at lliance o se are a cinch for first time b yers looking to get their foot on the property ladder, as well as investors. Daniel Harris of Savills, which has partnered ith corn to promote the development, confirms that the la nch of Alliance House has been highly-anticipated; as ever with a tasty new development, prospective buyers should book an appointment pronto to see the new marketing suite and hear more about the plans for the building.

Prices start from £150,000 for a studio apartment For more contact Savills on 01179 100 360 or visit acornpropertygroup.org

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KENSINGTON HOUSE

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PROPERTY

If your ideal home combines the sleekness of a boutique hotel with a versatile familial flo , this stylish contemporary property in neyd ark co ld be for yo Words by Ursula Cole

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ome homes are secretive; they need to be f lly explored before they give p their charms. n the case of ensington o se, ho ever, on oodeve oad in oh so desirable neyd ark, yo don t need to set foot inside the place to kno that this is precisely the kind of home that estate agents describe as bright and airy or flooded ith light yo can tell st by looking at all those floor to ceiling glass indo s that this is a ho se ith a ero tolerance attit de to gloom. contemporary sight among largely ictorian neighbo rs, the architect designed ho se is onderf lly distinctive, from its inc g ll ing roof to the landscaped gardens inside, the expansive living space has been immac lately decorated, taking f ll advantage of the property s so th facing position and installing modern technology thro gho t. iet lane o oodeve oad leads yo to an a spicio sly gravelled drive ay and p to the front garage, hich has the l x rio s and highly convenient advantage of connecting straight to the main ho se. f yo re arriving on foot, the front door opens to the entrance hall a porcelain tiled ore re floor r ns from here thro gh into the dra ing room and kitchen, and flo s thro gh the inner hall ay into the sn g, creating a restf l sense of visual continuity. o may ass me that the coat room yo pass on the ay is st a handy place to divest yo rself of dripping over garments think again. t also ho ses the comms and media c pboard for the property s b ilt in technology. y this point, ho ever, yo ll probably be thoro ghly distracted by the dra ing room an extraordinary space ith a do ble height ceiling, and f ll idth doors that open into the contemporary so th facing garden. he

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room is fitted ith .1 s rro nd so nd, ith a striking bioethanol fire sitting on a contemporary slate hearth ith a slate s rro nd. t s complemented bea tif lly by the kitchen, hich stands open plan to the living space, and comes fitted ith sleek, extensive storage and osch appliances granite orktops also feat re heavily. ike to cook along to demos here s a flat screen mo nted on the all. o ble doors lead o t into the rear garden, creating one big space for dining and entertaining. delightf l sn g dining room, family room and tility spaces complete the gro nd floor. rom the dra ing room, an oak and glass stair ell leads p to the first floor and the floating galleried landing here too are six bedrooms and fo r sho er rooms. hree are en s ite all yo need to complete the impression of five star bo ti e hotel l x ry are a fe of those little complimentary bath and shampoo bottles. tside, the private and peacef l gardens are bea tif lly landscaped ith sandstone paving and a large dining terrace. rom a large la ned area, a gravel path ay leads aro nd to the e ally private side garden ith its decked terrace and if that all so nds far too en for s ch boistero s behavio r as kicking a ball aro nd, ensington o se happens to be moments a ay from the 00 acres of rdham o ns. â–

HOUSE NUMBERS

Guide price

Sq ft

Where

Bedrooms

4500 6

Bath/ shower rooms

5

Reception rooms

3

Garden Beautifully landscaped lawn and terraces

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ÂŁ1.85m Sneyd Park

What else? Wonderfully light and airy; handy for the Downs For more: Rupert Oliver 14 Waterloo Street, Clifton 0117 4523555 rupertoliver.co.uk

PROPERTY

BRISTOL LIVES

“I mentioned Pinkmans in my book in a desperate attempt to make them give me free food” amount of time to write a book, so make sure you get the next bit right. You’ll need to submit your ork to a literary agent fi rst, and they ll each have slightly di erent requests. Make sure you read the instructions carefully; you often only get one shot at this stage.

We hear that the big film studios have shown an interest.

Who would you cast as your hero in the movie of the book?

JAMES BAILEY

No wonder James looks so happy; his debut novel was picked up by Penguin, and now Hollywood’s sniffing around for the film rights

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e’d call him Bristol’s answer to David Nicholls, if Bristol didn’t already claim the latter. But there are defi nite similarities between James Bailey’s debut novel The Flip Side and the books of the nation’s favourite rom-commer; not least the wry, self-deprecatory tone that stops the work from slipping into overly twee territory.

We can quite easily see The Flip Side being turned into a movie; a thought that must also have occurred to the readers at Penguin when they agreed to publish it. Not a bad literary start for this 29-year-old-Bristolian, who now juggles his writing career with working at QEH in charge of alumni relations; James has form when handling celebrities, having previously worked as a showbiz reporter on the red carpet.

He also runs his own local walking tour; it’s unsurprising, then, that The Flip Side should be so strong on Bristol locations.

James, why did you choose to write in the rom-com genre?

I’m not sure I consciously set out to write a romantic comedy, but I’ve always loved the movies of Woody Allen and Richard Curtis, and the books of Nick Hornby and David Nicholls. I was greatly inspired by these people, and the story I wanted to tell became a romantic comedy.

I do think it’s interesting that authors are often pigeonholed into genres. I’m not sure if I’d s ddenly s itch to riting a sci fi novel now, but never say never.

What tips would you give new authors hoping to have a book accepted?

Don’t rush the submission process. It takes a considerable

82 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

There are lots of brilliant British male actors in a suitable age range – Dev Patel, Daniel Kaluuya, George Mackay; but it would be so cool to see the story adapted for the big screen that I’d be happy with just about anyone.

Which book would you take to a desert island?

I’m ashamed to say I’ve never read many of the classics, so maybe War and Peace, as I’d have a lot of time to fi nally read it.

Share a childhood memory

For my tenth birthday I was a mascot for Bristol City, and got to have a kick-around on the pitch pre-match. Unfortunately my Dad’s camcorder ran out of battery as I was about to lead the players out the tunnel.

We guess we’ll have to take your word it happened, then.

So where do you live now?

Near Park Street, so I have everything on my doorstep, and wonderful views over Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower.

So we see from the photo.

Jealous! Any good local cafés?

I don’t know if it’s a positive or a negative that I live very close to two: Pinkmans, which I mentioned in my book in a desperate attempt for them to

give me free food, and Mrs. Potts Chocolate House.

Before publishing The Flip Side, what were your main life and career highlights?

I’ve carried the Olympic Torch, interviewed George Clooney, and made a speech in the House of Commons.

Have there been any upsides to lockdown?

As I’ve been writing my second book this year, I’ve been able to get on with writing without any fear of missing out.

How has Covid affected authors?

It’s been a tricky time for debut authors, and launching a novel at a time when bookshops were closed was far from ideal. Lots of the big-name books originally scheduled for earlier publication were pushed back to autumn, meaning you’re competing with so many others to be noticed. n the fl ip side see hat did there!), people have had a lot more time to read, so are hopefully buying more books.

We’d better let you get on. What are you doing immediately after answering these questions?

I’m doing an online event with fellow Bristol author Jill Mansell, so I suppose I’d better go and get Zoom set up.

The Flip Side Penguin Books £7.99 For more: jamesbailey writes.com